Ayam penyet - that Indonesian flattened fried chicken that seems to have taken Singapore by storm. Personally, I'm not a big fan, even though the concept appeals to me. My few encounters with it so far have been disappointing. From Ayam Penyet Ria in Lucky Plaza which left a grease-laden anchor in my belly to hawker stall renditions that were no different from dried out versions of Malay fried chicken.
So it's taken me a year to check out Waroeng Penyet, just opposite the Marine Parade polyclinic. I was skeptical when they first opened but hey, they're still in business, so they must be good to some extent.
I must say I was quite happy with my first bite of their Ayam Penyet (S$5.50, rice not included). The chicken is a generous portion with an interesting and flavoursome crunchy batter. You also get a piece of fried tempe and fried tofu along with the token cabbage and cucumber pieces.
The real highlight is their delicious sambal chili that is an explosion of flavours beyond just spicy hot. Oh, they have two versions - go for the HOT one. The mild one is a wimpy, tomato-ey shadow of it. The only downside of the hot version is...your tongue is numbed after a while and you can barely taste your food thereafter. Ah sigh. Food joy for only a few minutes.
Oh yes, piping hot chicken wings, with crunchy skin and plump, juicy flesh. One is not enough! I would eat it a lot more often if I wasn't staying on the other side of the island!
I was very happy to find out that Spizza does delivery islandwide. Their pizzas have been so well-praised by so many but I have yet to go to any of their outlets. So one fine day when we had to stay home, we rang them up. We chose the Olivia and the Ursula (over 20 pizzas all named after girls), each S$22.
Unfortunately they were a bit disappointing. The Ursula (description reads: Tomato, Mascarpone, Spinach, Smoked Salmon, Capers) had a very strong fishy smell when we opened the box. The smoked salmon had mostly been cooked through, so it released its "aromas". I could still eat it, but hubby nearly fainted at the smell.
The Olivia (Tomato, Mozzarella, Salami, Fresh Chili) was a bit bland, strangely. Probably one of the thinnest crust pizzas I've tried but something is missing tastewise. The spinach leaves (given in a separate plastic box) were for the Ursula pizza but I felt they belonged on the salami one better.
Perhaps, as with Artz Pizza, they taste better when eaten fresh out of the oven. But now I'm not sure I can convince hubby to even go near Spizza shops.
We finally visited Baraonda and I am glad for it. Yes, this is the eatery that the original Al Forno guys have set up at the East Coast Parkway, oddly at a golf driving range and sharing premises with a Chinese seafood restaurant. Originally a casual eatery called Artzpizza (which now seems to be their pizza delivery branch), Baraonda is a full-fledged restaurant with over 100 items on its menu.
We did not have too good an experience with the Artzpizza delivery some time back (the pizzas had some strange smell), so we were crossing fingers hoping for a better experience here. We took a salamino pizza (S$18.50).
And oh what a difference dining in makes! I am wowed. This is the best pizza I've had in ages. Firstly, pizza is best eaten piping hot out of the wood-fired oven. Secondly, the taste is wonderfully assembled from a light tomato base, generous cheese and pepperoni salami atop a great thin crust. We polished it off in record speed.
Also good but less spectacular are their pastas. We tried the aglio olio e peperoncino (S$12.50) - a dish that is so simple and yet not easy to master. Well, the spaghetti is done right, al dente. Interesting taste from bits of burnt garlic and dried chili - not sure if it's really chili padi (bird's eye) as it wasn't spicy at all.
On the whole, it was still a bit bland and a tad heavy on the olive oil (the squeamish may want to look away from the grease puddle that remains on the plate). Ah sigh, we're still seeking the peppery hot peperoncino experience we had in, of all places, Kyoto.
The spaghetti alle vongole (S$25) came in a huge portion. Loads of clams, minced garlic and parsley with a light hint of white wine. The robust flavour will have you licking the clam shells. By the time we were done, we were too full for dessert.
It's quite lovely dining here, with the cool sea breeze and beach resort-like ambiance. The whole place with the driving range has a stuck-in-the-'70s feel about it, which gives it some character.
Baraonda also seems to have scaled down its prices a little since opening. Service on the whole is fairly decent and they serve plain water here (unlike many joints that force you to purchase a drink). But kick back with a cool beer and enjoy that pizza. After that you can literally walk to the beach if you wish.
Werner's Oven is really doing well for itself. We were glad we came early this evening. By 7pm it was full house - if you had no reservation, it would have been pretty hard to get a seat. Food must be good. Hubby went for the grilled cheese sausage. The hot cheese bubbles out as you cut into the sausage. Very good but extremely rich and satiating. The sauerkraut is more sweet than sour, but that is apparently how they do it in Germany (hubby has spent considerable time there). The mashed potatoes were very smooth and fluffy but I still prefer mine a little more dense.
Knusperiege Schweinehaxe: This is the reason I am here. Mmmh, finally got my fix of crispy "ter kah" - pork knuckle. There was one order of this on almost every table there. This dish is remarkably similar to really crispy Chinese roast pork. How I love the fragrant, crackling skin! Those who quibble about eating pork lard should stop reading right now. Again, this portion can be easily satiating, so two small eaters can easily share.
Werner's does a good job of keeping the inner meat really tender and juicy. The flesh melted like butter under my knife. I still remember one of my very first taste of crispy pork knuckle at Marche - the meat was much harder and more chewy there. But both there as well as here, I enjoyed gnawing at the bone for crispy parts and bits of meat. This was such a large portion, it was hard to finish though. I also left behind a small mound of subcutaneous fat dissected from between the skin and meat.
Wash all that down with a good glass of beer. They serve Paulaner here. Hefe-Weissbier is a "golden, naturally cloudy wheat beer with a delicate fruity aroma" and is indeed delicious with a hint of caramel. Hubby thoroughly enjoyed this.
All in all, a fairly satisfying meal an a fairly authentic German experience but also one so rich in cholesterol and fat that it should be an infrequent treat. Oh, and the bakery has nice breads too. You can check out their full menu available online.
1=SGD 0.0587
So it's taken me a year to check out Waroeng Penyet, just opposite the Marine Parade polyclinic. I was skeptical when they first opened but hey, they're still in business, so they must be good to some extent.
I must say I was quite happy with my first bite of their Ayam Penyet (S$5.50, rice not included). The chicken is a generous portion with an interesting and flavoursome crunchy batter. You also get a piece of fried tempe and fried tofu along with the token cabbage and cucumber pieces.
The real highlight is their delicious sambal chili that is an explosion of flavours beyond just spicy hot. Oh, they have two versions - go for the HOT one. The mild one is a wimpy, tomato-ey shadow of it. The only downside of the hot version is...your tongue is numbed after a while and you can barely taste your food thereafter. Ah sigh. Food joy for only a few minutes.
Full review and scanned menu here.
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Oh yes, piping hot chicken wings, with crunchy skin and plump, juicy flesh. One is not enough! I would eat it a lot more often if I wasn't staying on the other side of the island!
The beehoon is rather bland though.
Full review and photos here!
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Unfortunately they were a bit disappointing. The Ursula (description reads: Tomato, Mascarpone, Spinach, Smoked Salmon, Capers) had a very strong fishy smell when we opened the box. The smoked salmon had mostly been cooked through, so it released its "aromas". I could still eat it, but hubby nearly fainted at the smell.
The Olivia (Tomato, Mozzarella, Salami, Fresh Chili) was a bit bland, strangely. Probably one of the thinnest crust pizzas I've tried but something is missing tastewise. The spinach leaves (given in a separate plastic box) were for the Ursula pizza but I felt they belonged on the salami one better.
Perhaps, as with Artz Pizza, they taste better when eaten fresh out of the oven. But now I'm not sure I can convince hubby to even go near Spizza shops.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!mmm all named after girls? so odd.
06 May 2008 at 2:59 pm
We did not have too good an experience with the Artzpizza delivery some time back (the pizzas had some strange smell), so we were crossing fingers hoping for a better experience here. We took a salamino pizza (S$18.50).
And oh what a difference dining in makes! I am wowed. This is the best pizza I've had in ages. Firstly, pizza is best eaten piping hot out of the wood-fired oven. Secondly, the taste is wonderfully assembled from a light tomato base, generous cheese and pepperoni salami atop a great thin crust. We polished it off in record speed.
Also good but less spectacular are their pastas. We tried the aglio olio e peperoncino (S$12.50) - a dish that is so simple and yet not easy to master. Well, the spaghetti is done right, al dente. Interesting taste from bits of burnt garlic and dried chili - not sure if it's really chili padi (bird's eye) as it wasn't spicy at all.
On the whole, it was still a bit bland and a tad heavy on the olive oil (the squeamish may want to look away from the grease puddle that remains on the plate). Ah sigh, we're still seeking the peppery hot peperoncino experience we had in, of all places, Kyoto.
The spaghetti alle vongole (S$25) came in a huge portion. Loads of clams, minced garlic and parsley with a light hint of white wine. The robust flavour will have you licking the clam shells. By the time we were done, we were too full for dessert.
It's quite lovely dining here, with the cool sea breeze and beach resort-like ambiance. The whole place with the driving range has a stuck-in-the-'70s feel about it, which gives it some character.
Baraonda also seems to have scaled down its prices a little since opening. Service on the whole is fairly decent and they serve plain water here (unlike many joints that force you to purchase a drink). But kick back with a cool beer and enjoy that pizza. After that you can literally walk to the beach if you wish.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!so tempting!!!!! I miss pizzas..
06 May 2008 at 3:02 pm
Knusperiege Schweinehaxe: This is the reason I am here. Mmmh, finally got my fix of crispy "ter kah" - pork knuckle. There was one order of this on almost every table there. This dish is remarkably similar to really crispy Chinese roast pork. How I love the fragrant, crackling skin! Those who quibble about eating pork lard should stop reading right now. Again, this portion can be easily satiating, so two small eaters can easily share.
Werner's does a good job of keeping the inner meat really tender and juicy. The flesh melted like butter under my knife. I still remember one of my very first taste of crispy pork knuckle at Marche - the meat was much harder and more chewy there. But both there as well as here, I enjoyed gnawing at the bone for crispy parts and bits of meat. This was such a large portion, it was hard to finish though. I also left behind a small mound of subcutaneous fat dissected from between the skin and meat.
Wash all that down with a good glass of beer. They serve Paulaner here. Hefe-Weissbier is a "golden, naturally cloudy wheat beer with a delicate fruity aroma" and is indeed delicious with a hint of caramel. Hubby thoroughly enjoyed this.
All in all, a fairly satisfying meal an a fairly authentic German experience but also one so rich in cholesterol and fat that it should be an infrequent treat. Oh, and the bakery has nice breads too. You can check out their full menu available online.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!