The Great Ayam Penyet Taste Test
Which stall can say “Ayam Number one!”?
As you may have noticed, NUS has, for some odd reason, an abundance of Ayam Penyet stalls in its Kent Ridge Campus. For those of you who are unfamiliar to the nuances of regional culinary arts, Ayam Penyet literally translates to “Smashed Chicken”. It is simply a fried piece of chicken that is smashed with a hammer and is especially enjoyable for people who like their meat beaten.
From what we know through our extensive research, all the Ayam Penyet stalls on campus are run by the same company, Uncle Penyet, with some of its stalls run under the Indonesian Express brand. Much like how most, if not all of the Korean food stalls on campus are run by Hwang’s (allegedly). Either way, it brought up an interesting question: Ceteris Paribus, which Ayam Penyet stall is the best one? So we (me) at The Bullet Campus loaded up on our cholesterol pills and set out for this unbiased, unqualified and unscientific review!
For this test we’ve kept everything as fair and equal as possible. We will be comparing only the basic Ayam Penyet set which includes:
1 x Ayam Penyet
1 x Fried Toufu
1 x Bowl of White Rice
2 x Leaves of Lettuce
1-2 x Cherry Tomato
2 x Slices of Cucumber
Additional items include one small scoop of curry and a scoop of sweet chilli. Yes, I know I’m a softy and no I do not want a flaming butt hole the next morning.
Arts Canteen (The Deck)
$5.50 for the almost working air-con.
Price: $5.50, but it’s $6 for “free flow soft drink”.
Taste: Batter was somewhat tasteless and bland on both the chicken and toufu, strange since it’s pretty much the same stuff as the other stalls.
Crisp Factor: If I were an Ah Lian I would say, “it was really ‘crips’!”
Mouth-Feel: Some spots of dry meat, however, the toufu was moist but not soggy.
Service: Automated and heartless, like my ex-girlfriend.
Ambience: Air conditioning barely cool enough to stop the dank pits.
X-Factor: Do-it-yourself (DIY) curry and sauce.
The overall experience was not entirely a pleasant one. Not only was it the most expensive stall, bear in mind that while it is only 50 cents, it also represents a 10% higher cost than its closest comparison. But in terms of taste this stall is the weakest in that department. The DIY curry and sauces, while a really great option to have, does tend to become a choke point during crowded periods. Awkward bum-to-bum rubbing aside, we did enjoy the freedom to choose how much curry we wanted to drown our rice in.
6/10
Flavours @ Utown (Food Clique)
Enjoyed this and a sneaky peek of the infinity pool.
Price: $5, one green note and no need to mess around with coins.
Taste: Good balance of saltiness with whatever 27 herbs and spices mix they have in there.
Crisp Factor: Chicken was A-O.K. but the toufu was as soggy as a biscuit in a boys’ school bathroom.
Mouth-Feel: Meat was overcooked and dry just under the skin. Definitely overdone.
Service: Warm, the makcik at the counter asked “yao bu yao curry?” ("do you want curry?" in Mandarin). Sadly, I do not speak Mandarin.
Ambience: Great view of UTown Green, if you’re lucky you’ll see some exchange students sunbathing.
X-Factor: Pretty much the safest stall you can go to in Foodclique, fast moving queue and even (worryingly) faster service.
The Ayam Penyet stall at foodclique almost never seems to have a queue. While everyone else braves the never ending line for the Indian stall whose server will never endingly ask, “Next?”, you can head next door and get your meat beaten, no questions asked. Though you aren’t able to pour your own curry, this stall wins kudos for being efficient and effective. However, it could work on the intensity of the frying of their Ayam, while it wasn’t inedible, it was pretty unpleasant to have to suck on a stiff piece of meat.
7.5/10
Science Canteen (Frontier)
Don’t say yes to chilli.
Price: $4.30, Just cos she’s cheap doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it.
Taste: On par with the one in uTown, not surprising since it’s the same recipe.
Crisp Factor: Both the chicken and the toufu had just the right amount of crispness to them.
Mouth-Feel: A shred of dry meat as you would expect from re-fried chicken, toufu was firm yet supple, like a fine bum.
Service: They offer a “Pick N’ Go” service outside the canteen, you can grab a pre-prepared take away box of Ayam Penyet if you’re in a rush or want to skip the queue inside. Very handy for those who like to touch and go.
Ambience: The 'new' Science Canteen is rather small, though air-conditioned. For those not from the Science Faculty it may be difficult to find. Also, not much of a view if you’re into human geography.
X-Factor: Efficient and straight to the point. Like a good equation, you put in the money and you get the honey.
Rumour has it that this was the stall that started it all. The first step to Indonesian Express conquering the canteens across Kent Ridge Campus. Either way it is also the most affordable and no-nonsense of the stalls that we sampled. The location and its periphery don’t offer much in terms of charm or flair but it definitely makes up for that by being the cheapest option thus far. We were however, confused by the decision to control the distribution of the super hot chilli but not the sweet chilli. 'Irregardless', maybe the original is always the best?
8/10
Verdict
Just like how triplets may come from the same mother but ultimately taste different, the three Ayam Penyet stalls on campus have their subtle and distinct variations. From the different service styles to the possibly varied health and safety standards behind the counter, one can only speculate at the reasons behind the differentiation in taste, texture and price. While we aren’t laying down any accusations, we are passing judgment and recommending the Ayam Penyet at Science Canteen (Frontier). Price isn’t everything, but we have to acknowledge that the increased prices of the other stalls did not make up for the “extras”.
Agree or disagree with our review? (Frankly we don’t care) Or know of some other thing on campus that you’d like compared in a fair but unscientific style? Let us know at thebulletcampus@gmail.com! Also hit us up on Instagram @thebulletcampus.
About The Author
The Master-Rater can give you 5 stars if you take him for the right ride. He is always enthusiastic and eager to please - we once invited him to party, but he came too early. During his free time, he enjoys posting constructive comments on PornHub videos, like “The guy should have been louder.”
