AYAM PENYET RIA Two outlets:
Lucky Plaza 04-25/26, Tel: 6235-7385
350 Joo Chiat Road, Tel: 6348-4932
Open: Noon to 8.45pm daily
Price: $5.50
This was the first restaurant to serve ayam penyet here when it opened in February last year.
Popular with youngsters, it does brisk business even in the middle of the day. Order at the counter and the food will be sent to your table.
The ayam penyet is prepared competently. But despite all the hype surrounding this pioneering restaurant, one wishes that the chicken meat could be more tender.
AYAM PENYET HOUSE 67 Beach Road
NTUC Income, B1-01/02
Tel: 6337-7761
Open: 11am to 9pm on weekdays; 11am to 10pm on weekends
Price: $5.50
Popular with students and office workers, this self-service restaurant is in the basement of the NTUC Income building.
The ayam penyet here is sufficiently moist, while the skin is nice and crispy.
But beware of the sambal. Only a dollop is served on the side, but use sparingly as it is searingly hot.
NASI AYAM PENYET Golden Mile Food Centre, B1-26
Open: 10am to 10.30pm daily
Price: $3.50
It opened only in August, but this hawker stall is already pulling in many customers during meal times.
The owner-cook had worked in an ayam penyet stall in Geylang, and is now branching out on her own.
The sambal is tasty and not too spicy. The chicken, which comes in a generous portion, is moist, but the skin could be a lot more crisp.
RESTO SURABAYA Lucky Plaza 02-63/64
Tel: 6732-1803
Open: Noon to 8.30pm daily
Price: $5.50
Co-owned by Mr Edy Ongkowijaya, who helped open Ayam Penyet Ria in the same building last year, this restaurant serves the best ayam penyet in this list.The meat is not overcooked and retains a nice juiciness. The skin is wonderfully crispy, yet not hard. It comes with a batch of boiled kang kong, a piece of tempeh (fermented soya bean cake) and beancurd.
The sambal, like the ones in the other restaurants, is super spicy.
SRI BISTARI Five outlets:
Changi Village Road, Block 3, 01-40
Changi Village Road, Block 2, 01-59
Block 248, Simei Street 1
Geylang Serai Malay Village, 1 Engku Aman Road, 01-11
Golden Mile Food Centre, B1-31
Open: 10am to 1am daily
Price: $3.50
This family business opened its first outlet four years ago in Still Road. But its enterprising owners aim to open another 20 branches within the next two years.
The version here is slightly tweaked to suit Singaporean tastebuds. Instead of boiled kang kong, tempeh and beancurd served in authentic Indonesian versions, this chain offers baby tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce instead.
Also, for added oomph, the rice is flavoured to taste like Hainanese chicken rice.
While the meat is a tad dry, the winner here is the sambal, which is slightly sweet and not overwhelmingly spicy. Shiok.
