Toa Payoh’s best-kept secret is a halal & reasonably priced Japanese hawker stall

What a time it’s to eat at hawker centres, and I’m not simply saying this from an financial perspective! Gone are the times if you’d solely discover the same old hen rice, duck rice and your assortment of Indian Muslim stalls promoting the identical nasi goreng and prata dishes. Nowadays, you’ll be able to simply discover restaurant-quality Western meals and extra not too long ago Japanese meals— a living proof is Oiishii Corner, positioned at Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre.

For many, Japanese delicacies contains delicate preparations, contemporary substances in addition to exact cooking strategies. It’s no surprise why different alternate options akin to Oiishii Corner are often glossed over in favour of their air-conditioned counterparts. Having stated that, I do nonetheless see folks queuing up for the generic Japanese stalls at kopitiams (the much less spoken concerning the meals there, the higher). 

Oiishii Corner is just not with none advantage— the proprietor was a former part-time chef in Japan. He needed to make use of the expertise he gained to supply a halal Japanese meals expertise and so, he began the stall in 2017. I used to be the pleased guinea pig that needed to see what it was all about.

What I attempted at Oiishii Corner

There was a shocking array of Japanese dishes that you may select from, akin to Teriyaki Chicken Ramen (S$6.50), Chicken Katsu Curry Don (S$5.50) and Salmon Teri Don (S$6). It even has freshly made sushi just like the California Maki (S$4/S$7) and Salmon Maki (S$6). 

Upon the advice of the proprietor, I went with the Oiishii Beef Don (S$5.50) and the Inari Ramen at S$5.50. They needed me to strive the udon noodles, however sadly, that they had run out.

Had there not been the frequent flaps of fowl wings and an outdated uncle promoting newspapers throughout from the place I sat, I might assume that this bowl of ramen got here from one of many established ramen spots in buying malls.

 I’ve by no means seen one thing so properly offered in a hawker centre earlier than. From the placements of the inari to the meticulously sprinkled spring onions topping it, it was visually inviting. I did discover I used to be lacking narutomaki slices, which I assumed ran out.

The broth was stocky and had simply sufficient spiciness to put you in a mind-controlled state, unable to cease your self from constantly sipping. This was the primary time I’ve had halal ramen the place it had greater than a salty hen inventory flavour profile. 

The ramen was completely achieved. It had simply the correct amount of chewiness and was springy to chunk. I may do with a bigger portion of ramen noodles although as they have been that good.

The inari, which is deep-fried tofu pouches, was bursting with the scrumptious broth because it was soaking all of it. It had a surprisingly candy and savoury flavour of its personal which wasn’t actually for my style buds. When I ultimately return to Oiishii Corner, I’ll be certain that to go for both the teriyaki hen or beef possibility.

I additionally appreciated the opposite substances in my bowl. The egg was nonetheless runny and made the spoonfuls creamy, whereas the little corn bits added a refreshing burst of sweetness at each slurp. There was additionally kimchi and cabbage within the combine, offering a pleasant crunch. This was clearly curated by an knowledgeable.

Next up was the Oiishii Beef Don and but once more, the looks received me over earlier than I had a nibble at it. The proprietor did warn me that the dish might be packing a good quantity of warmth which may clarify why substances akin to cucumbers and mayonnaise have been used. 

I couldn’t resist going for the meat slices first, which there was a beneficiant quantity of. What hit me was how related it tasted to the sauce utilized in McDonald’s Samurai Burger. It had that smoky style of teriyaki sauce with a light spiciness (for me) from what gave the impression to be chilli padi skins. 

I additionally seen caramelised onions and soybeans intermixed throughout the brown pile, which added some sweetness to the slices. The beef itself had a very tender chunk and had me switching to the spoon for optimum beef slice scooping capacity.

They have been additionally beneficiant with the sauce that was used on the meat slices, to the purpose the place even the rice was soaked in it. This made for a heaven-and-earth combo with the sticky and chewy nature of the rice.

Yet one other consideration to element was the rice used. It was of the short-grain variant which is the same old rice of alternative in Japan due to its additional starch content material, which implies they stick collectively simply. This could or will not be from an precise Japanese model of short-grain rice however I would like to provide credit score the place credit score’s due.

The mixture of mayo and lettuce supplied a textural change in addition to a break from the wealthy flavours of the meat. I by no means thought I’d take pleasure in mayonnaise on rice, however there I used to be lapping all of it up. It goes with out saying that I wiped all of it clear in not more than 5 minutes, and I’ve received to say, it was 5 minutes of pure bliss.

Final ideas

Even although Oiishii Corner by no means claimed to serve genuine Japanese meals, I used to be shocked by how glorious its choices have been, which got here with top-notch presentation and at wallet-friendly costs. What extra is there to say? I’d go for a stall like Oiishii Corner than a thousand genuine Japanese eating places any time of the day. Who’s to say what’s genuine and never as of late, anyway? 

Do your self a favour and are available get good and reasonably priced Japanese meals at Oiishii Corner.

Expected harm: S$5.50 – S$11 per pax

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