Ayam Penyet @ Ayam Penyet Ria

Just went to eat at square2 at Novena at 8:30pm. Thinking that the stall would close at 9pm and the food not so wonderful after a whole day, I still decided to eat there.



I was in a rush to go home and took a quick glance at the menu and ordered the first thing that came to sight. Ayam Penyet. (Ask your Malay speaking friends what it means). I also ordered a 'happy soda'. The whole thing set me back 6.50+1.80 = 8.30.

I only remembered to take a picture of it until halfway through. :(

Like some of the fried chicken from the stalls, I expected the chicken to be tough and dry after frying. The first fry (of chicken) would be when they start the day or in the middle of the day when there is an afternoon crowd, or evening for dinner. Then the chicken would be left till closing time. Any customer who comes late, after dinner, would get the leftover chicken. Any meat fried the second time would be dry and tough.



To my surprise, the meat gave way with a gentle poke of my fork! I remembered to take a picture of it after wolfing down the vegetable and chili.



Even if it is dry, the chicken is not tough.



The chili burns the lips but that is as far as its power goes. I did make me sweat at the brow. After a while, you'll get use to the spicyness. (The 'happy soda' did help a lot in this case - I suspect the drink is a mixture of starawberry soda and milk. Milk is good for neutralizing the spicyness)



Bits of crumbs of meat (perhaps chicken). It gives it the crunch, the sinful fatty oily taste, just the thing to compliment the chicken which is not performing very much on taste.



First Look: The set dish consist of 1) chicken (it was a thigh), 2) Kang Kong, 3) some cake made of nut (common in Malay dish), 4) chili, 5) plain white rice, 6) bits of crumbs of fried meat generously sprinkled over the meat, 7) one slice of cucumber, 8) fried toufu. Presented on a circular piece of banana leaf, nicely cut, on a circular wooden bowl. (looks like a Medan (Indonesian)dish)



Feel: If you eat with your fingers, 3 fingers by the right hand woould be enough to split to meat into small pieces. The hardness of the chicken is just a wee bit tougher than the fried toufu. This toufu is the watery type which is usually used for "tofu teloh".



Taste: A wonderful mix of crunchness, hardness, softness, with hotness. As it is mainly a fried dish, you can taste the oil and the nullifying after taste of eating fried stuff. Though not overwhelming, it tries to balance itself with the fiber of the kangkong and freshness of the cucumber. Added to the plain white rice, it can be a good meal. (Forget drink. It drowns out the flavour of the disk)