Old-school Western Food — is it a hit and miss?

Western meals is nothing international to us, nevertheless, have you ever tried old-school western meals? Offering massive parts slathered with sauce, is Chef Hainanese Western Food situated at Margaret Drive Hawker Centre really value your whereas?

Only working for two hours per day, the exclusivity of the shop is unquestionably probably the most fascinating a part of Chef Hainanese Western Food. It wasn’t simply me both, contemplating how the stall was well-known for having fairly a queue.

Having simply opened 6 months in the past, I seen its recent seems instantaneously due to the airiness and the cleanliness of the hawker centre. With plenty of open area together with the large followers, the area was breezy, giving me an exquisite windy environment to take pleasure in dinner. Looks like you’ll be able to’t chope your desk with only a tissue packet right here!

Margaret Drive Hawker Centre was in all probability one of many quietest hawker centres I’ve ever been to, that there was barely any chatter heard. Thus, you’ll be able to think about my shock when the voice of the stall uncle manning Chef Hainanese Western Food might be heard echoing via the whole flooring. For an elder, his voice certain was loud! 

Taking notes on the ordered gadgets in a mini notepad, he yells out it to the chef, who then briskly handles every order with quick practised velocity. “It is remarkable how they are able to match the food to the customer’s face”, I commented to my sister.

However, one thing to notice can be that there appears to be no apparent queue or amassing system. The solely telltale signal is the loud voice shouting throughout the entire hawker centre, which might be simply missed if the client have been to be elsewhere— so remember to sit someplace comparatively close by if you happen to’re ready to your meals!

What I attempted at Chef Hainanese Western Food

Steak is a western meals traditional, and my principal indicator of whether or not the western meals at a stall is legit. So, you’ll be able to think about my astonished face when the Grilled Sirloin Steak (S$12) was borderline uncooked. I had needed to consider that the steak was simply on the rarer facet, however slicing into it precipitated any shred of hope I needed to utterly disintegrate.

I needed to provide them the advantage of doubt— possibly the meat simply seems a bit crimson, that’s all! Biting into it, I discovered the style unbelievable. It was chewy prefer it was uncooked, but the burnt flavour was all you may style. 

The stall uncle had not requested for a desire for doneness so we assumed it was standardised for all of the steaks. We have been incorrect, I suppose.

Appalled, we had despatched it again for it to be recooked to an edible doneness, to which the stall uncle sighed that we should always have talked about how we might have appreciated it achieved. With reluctance, he handed it again to the chef, who changed it with a recent set for us.

The chef apologised, asking for our understanding that the steak is on the thicker facet, thus being difficult to gauge if the steak was cooked. Having that thought in my thoughts, I tasted the second steak. 

The first emotion was reduction, because the second steak was considerably higher. The peppery sauce had massive specks of crushed pepper, giving a fairly sharp, biting flavour that accentuated the meatiness of the steak. This dish can be appreciated by those that like a tad of peppery warmth to their meals.

The Grilled Chicken Chop (S$8) was not too unhealthy. I loved the candy sauce enveloping every hen morsel, which gave a nice style to the protein. The grilling of the hen was first rate for a majority half, with some tiny bits being charred.

The mixture of the opposite gadgets went properly with the Grilled Chicken Chop. Both units got here with a boiled potato, baked beans, blended salad and fries. I appreciated that they didn’t give an amazing portion of the edges in order to make the protein the star of the present.

The fries have been on the softer facet, with the ends having a pleasant crunch. Though the salad didn’t have any seen dressing, I may style a tang from a lightweight coating of acidity. The salad made for a tasty refresher for the heavy sauces from the hen and steak. On the opposite finish, the potato flesh was tender, going particularly nice with the sauce from the baked beans and the steak.

Final ideas

Chef Hainanese Western Food has the thought down, with the exclusivity and the distinctive enterprise thought certain to garner curiosity. Despite my lower than stellar expertise, I really feel that Chef Hainanese Western Food has the potential of being a favorite with a pair adjustments. 

Perhaps, a option to standardise the doneness of their meals and a correct system would do some good. On the opposite hand, it’s additionally very potential that I had ordered the incorrect gadgets that day, contemplating what number of appeared to be having fun with Chef Hainanese Western Food’s Fish and Chips as an alternative.

Expected harm: S$8 – S$16 per pax

Other articles you would possibly like:

17 best-kept secret kopitiam Western stalls in Singapore

Chicken Supremo: Super wallet-friendly Western meals with $5 hen chop at Jurong West