IndoChili Part II

Our original review of IndoChili was a whopping success with a massive response! Even til today I'm still getting messages and emails inquiring about and praising IndoChili!

I'm not sure why it took me so long but finally found the time for a 2nd visit!
This time, it was dinner with some colleagues so more chance to sample some of the other inviting dishes on the menu!

Sate Ayam Madura ($7.80)

Still a hot favourite is the Sate Ayam Madura!
Soft tender chicken is going to make you go back for the next stick and the peanut sate gravy is actually really really delicious. It adds just the right touch to go with the chicken sate which was been grilled to perfection.

In our original post, we had 2 sticks of the Sate Ayam Madura which came with the Welcoming Platter. I said I would get the full 5-stick plate on the next visit right? Well we ordered 2 servings! Craving satisfied!

For the mains, since there was a group of us, we had some white rice with some dishes to go along.

Ayam Panggang Padang ($8.80)

I honestly would have gone for another choice like the Ayam Bumbu Rojak or something but thankfully, someone ordered this dish instead and what a welcome surprise!

The chicken was really grilled to tender perfection! And don't let the lack of gravy fool you because the chicken was very flavourful and the minimal coating actually gives you just the right hints of flavour.
Looks like they really know how to grill their chicken right at IndoChili!

Cumi Sambal Balado

Talk about a beautiful presentation!
All you chili lovers out there rejoice - the spicy dishes have arrived!

The squid was not overcooked and the Balado gives you a nice mouthful of heat and chili flavour to go along. I'm not much of a squid fan but I do love me a good Balado. And some of you might be thinking that it's going to be unbearably spicy but it's  not - it's just right!

Kacang Panjang Balado

Someone had this the last time they visited and simply swore by it.
Long Beans smothered with Sambal Balado will pretty much go with any other dishes you're having with your rice.

Delicious chili flavour as always with the Sambal Balado without burning your mouth off.

Cah Kangkung ($8.80)

Another fave is always the Kangkung am I right?
But don't worry, this one is not that spicy because there's some Belachan in there to take the spicy edge off.
I know it looks fiery and spicy but I reckon this was probably the least spicy of all the dishes we had.

There is actually one more dish that I wanted to add but it was so delicious that I totally missed out on snapping a photo of it before it was snapped up. So I may not be able to include in this post but for those who trust me - order the Rendang Sapi. Seriously!

Adam's Verdict:
Sate Ayam Madura 4/5 -- Ayam Panggang Padang 3.5/5 -- Cumi Sambal Balado 2.5/5
Kacang Panjang Balado 4/5 -- Cah Kangkung 3.5/5

IndoChili is not just a great place for a quiet evening dinner for 2 but also great for dinner functions with colleagues and a group of friends. Good food and good company always go well together and I right??

And in case you were wondering - YES! It was Es Teler for dessert!!
(And yes it's still the bomb)

IndoChili

54 Zion Road

www.indochili.com
www.facebook.com/IndoChili
Tel: 6445 1766 / 8168 4958

Operating Hours: 
11.30am til 10.30pm Daily

WarungIndo

I actually first caught wind of WarongIndo when I saw one of my colleagues posting on FB about visiting it during its opening at Tampines. I made plans to visit it as soon as possible but as usual, a busy schedule is always the best excuse to put things off right?

Well, my darling wife mentioned to that a friend had eaten there recently and was raving about the food.
Okay no more excuses - it's time for some Indo cuisine.

One extremely big plus for me is that it's in the East. It's in Tampines in fact. Near my in-laws' place some more!Woo hoo!!

Kerupuk ($1.20)

You can start of your Indo meal with a favourite Indo starter - kerupuk!!
The usual choice of Belinjau or Prawn crackers awaits you. But weirdly - it didn't come with any sambal...

Ayam Balado ($5.50)

The dish that my darling wife's friend was raving about was actually the Ayam Balado so that's what my darling wife decided to order because she's all for the spicy food. Plus, she was hoping for a better 'Balado experience' after the disaster we had in Melacca.

So you get a nice piece of tender chicken completely smothered in the Balado with rice and tahu/tempeh.
Is your mouth watering yet?

My darling wife simply enjoyed this dish. It was not as spicy as she expected but still very very tasty nonetheless and she knows how hard it is to find good Balado nowadays. (Mum's cooking does not count!)
The portion itself is just nice for one person so you big eaters will still have space for some side orders.

Ayam Panggang ($5.50)

As tempted as I was to go for the Ayam Penyet or the Bakso, I decided on the Ayam Panggang instead.
Healthy choice kaper?!?! :P

Same serving comes with white rice and the tahu/tempeh combo and a slice of cucumber.
In this case, it also comes with a side of sambal which, by the taste, I reckon they also serve with the Ayam Penyet version.

The sambal at WarungIndo has a nice taste and goes well with the chicken. But for those of you fire-eaters, be informed that it's not as spicy as you'd probably like. But this is good news for everyone else who doesn't mind a milder sambal.

The Ayam Panggang itself is roasted simply with minimal seasoning. The major taste factor comes from the sweet black sauce which they cover the chicken with after the roasting is done. Typical Indo-style ayam panggang with nice and tender chicken.

Calamansi with Sour Plum ($1.70) and Soda Gembira ($2.00)

And to wash it all down, we ordered some favourites.

The Calamansi with Sour Plum was very refreshing. The Calamansi was not overpoweringly sour and the plum gave it a nice tang. Definitely very cool and tasty drink to go with your meal.

You all know my obsession with Soda Gambira right?
Well unfortunately this one was kinda lacking. Or maybe it was just my own expectations set too high?
It seemed to be lacking the sweet bandung taste...

Well, an interesting thing to note - they have Kopi Luwak on the menu!!

Adam's Verdict:
Ayam Panggang 3/5 -- Soda Gembira 2.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Ayam Balado 3.5/5 -- Calamansi with Sour Plum 4.5/5

I can tell you I'm definitely going to go back to WarungIndo.
There are a few items on the menu I simply MUST try... like... Bakso and also the Indomie!!

But a word of advice, certain items on the menu are only available on weekends.
For example, the Sayur Asam, Satay and the chicken wings only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Plus - check out their weekday lunch specials which come with complimentary soup!

WarungIndo

Blk 201D Tampines Street 21 #01-1171
Tel: 92985501
Email: WarungIndo.sg@gmail.com

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Warungindo/151099578360783?fref=ts

Operating Hours:
11.30am til 11.30pm Daily

Makan In Malacca Part 4: The Chicken Rice Shop

I'm guessing some of you may have eaten at The Chicken Rice Shop before.
They not only have restaurants across the Causeway but they also have outlets in Singapore!
But it seems like the number of outlets is shrinking though... Down to only 2 in Singapore!

Hmmmmmmm.....

It seemed logical for us to order a set meal.
It's like $15 and you get ALL that food which is actually really a good deal.
Plus we wanted to try the special item Ayam Sodap Belado!

And we also ordered some ala carte items also :P

Nyonya Pai Tee

Sai To Fishball Soup

Pak Choy with Oyster Sauce

Both of the items above are part of the set meal by the way.

I actually quite liked the Pai Tee aside from how stingy they were with the filling.
The Fishball Soup was nothing special and seemed quite redundant because they give you a small bowl of soup with your Chicken Rice anyways...

As for the Pak Choy (not to be confused with Kai Lan), it definitely provides the salty factor.
Well it's literally just blanched Pak Choy with oyster sauce. Errr... ya.

Chicken Rice (Roasted)

I went for the traditional Roasted Chicken Rice (you have a choice of Roasted, Steamed or Soy Sauce).
The chicken itself was not bad. Really tender actually but a little on the dry side.
The rice was also a little dry. Maybe we're just not used to this kind of chicken rice?

The chilli was also a bit weird.
It comes with the minced ginger which you can mix it for added flavour but it didn't help the overall taste very much to be honest.

I guess we're used to the kind of chilli with a bit more kick.
A little more vinegar maybe?

Ayam Sodap Balado

My my doesn't that look nice and spicy?!
Well it's not.

It actually tastes like Asam Pedas... (I guess they DO love their Adam Pedas in Malacca!).
And it's a tad too oily. The only good point is that the chicken itself was cooked to perfection.

Maybe the ala carte items would fare better!

Kerabu Mango (Mango Salad) (RM 7.99)

My darling wife says this was the winner of the lot.
It had a nice kick to it but it was a little on the sour side for me.

The unique thing is that they had slivers of basil leaves mixed in which gave a very welcome surprise.
It's funny how something so small can make a big difference.
And that's shredded dried shrimps (udang kering) on top by the way.

Crispy Wanton (RM 7.99)

Fried wanton has got to be a favourite with a lot of people.
I'm sure you're at least 75% going to order it if you see it on the menu am I right?

Well let me warn you about the Wantons at The Chicken Rice Shop.
They had a sour tinge to it. We have no idea if the chicken was going south or if they seasoned it that way on purpose. Well I finished it anyways because it was at least one of the more edible items there.

So far it seems like most things are seasoned or flavoured differently from what we may be used to.
I wonder if the same items taste the same way at the Singapore outlets...

Well maybe the last item would be super nice.

Golden Fortune Wings (RM 3.99)

We purposely ordered this item because it looked so good on the menu.
And we're suckers for chicken wings.

But guess what? This was sour too!
I could detect the strong taste of Hoisin Sauce (looks like the marinated the wings in it) but trust me - I can take sour tastes but this seems like it wasn't intended to taste this way.

I'd love to guess again that the chicken was going south (like the wanton) but we didn't even get that far.
Just the skin alone was enough to make us put it down. My darling wife even said that if she could, she'd give it a negative score.

Kuching Famous 3 Layer Tea (RM 5.50)

I know it's weird for me to have a Kuching specialty when I was in Malacca but hey what can I say...
I was intrigued when I saw it on the menu.

Okay so let's run through.
Layer 1 at the bottom is Gula Melaka. (Seriously)
Layer 2 in the middle is milk.
Layer 3 at the top is the tea.

It actually tastes a lot like bubble tea.
Just make sure you stir it up properly before you drink it...
If you make the same mistake I did, then you're in for a mouthful of Gula Melaka.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Rice 2/5 -- Nyonya Pai Tee 2/5 -- Pak Choy with Oyster Sauce 1.5/5
Kerabu Mango 2/5 -- Crispy Wanton 1/5 -- Golden Fortune Wings 0/5
Kuching Famous 3 Layer Tea 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Chicken Rice 2/5 -- Ayam Sodap Balado 2/5 -- Pak Choy with Oyster Sauce 1/5
Sai To Fishball Soup 1/5 -- Kerabu Mango 3/5 -- Crispy Wanton 0/5 -- Golden Fortune Wings 0/5


This was actually the first meal we had when we arrived in Malacca.
Its kinda made us a little worried to be honest. Definitely one of the weirdest meals EVER.
But it's definitely the kind of place you can bring your family or a large group for a meal.

Maybe we'll try the outlet in Singapore just for comparison's sake.

The Chicken Rice Shop

Mahkota Parade
No 1 Jalan Merdeka Lot No F15 First Floor
Tel: 06-2824928
www.thechickenriceshop.com

Operating Hours:
10.00am til 10.00pm (Sunday til Thursday)
10.00am til 10.30pm (Friday and Saturday)