Dapur Penyet
그래서 크리스마스는 어땠어요? 내 크리스마스는 너무 대박했어요!! 나는 많이 자고 많이 먹고 많이 마셨어서... 너무 대박!! (하지만 잠을 많이자는 이유는 술을 너무 많이 마셔서 😅)
코로나 때문에 이상한 크리스마스 였지만 아직도 감사 할 게 많아요. 나는 건강하고 사랑하는 사람들은 건강한데 나는 직업이 있고 사랑하는 사람은 직업이있는데 나는 사랑할 사람과 나를 사랑하는 사람이있어요.
무엇보다도 필요한 모든 것이 있어서 매우 감사해.
그리고 이번에는 여러분 모두에게 사랑과 행복을 기원해요. 메리 크리스마스!
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Tempe is a food I discovered (and consequently fell in love with) fortuitously while on a jaunt to Jakarta to attend a dear girlfriend's wedding. Vin had had two weddings, one on our sunny shores where the couple's based and the other in Jakarta, where they're from, and while I was already due to attend the Singapore one, I really really reallyyyy wanted to witness for myself the OTT grandeur of Jakarta society weddings. It's been said that some Indonesian weddings are such a sight to behold, it makes for a worthwhile bucket list to-do. I'd never have gone to Jakarta otherwise (seriously, does anybody even holiday there!???). So while we were in Jakarta, we were brought around to sample Jakarta's culinary gems by another in the wedding party, a hip young Jakartan tuned into the city's hidden finds. First local eat she introduced to us was tempeh.... and I was hooked with one bite into that wonderful soya beany goodness.
Since that transcendent deliciousness, I've ordered tempe every single chance I get....so while I've tasted many a tempe, not a one impressed. Until Dapur Penyet. We've often passed them by whenever we make a grocery run after Korean class, but one fateful evening, my PMS-led hunger induced us to pop into the casual diner for immediate satiation.
The tempeh at Dapur Penyet's is exceptional: nuanced, delicate, and perfectly soft yet chewy. We've picked up their takeout repeatedly and I can attest that their tempe reheats beautifully in the oven. And while their tempeh is its most stellar offering, much of the selection on their menu is the reason why Dapur Penyet has become a reliable go-to for an efficient, low-fuss, low-frills dinner.
A must-try, a tip is to request that the beancurd be replaced with more tempeh when ordering the Tempe Penyet ($5.50) you'll get a couple of beancurd pieces with the protein mains anyway. And because tempe is supposedly some kind of superfood, I feel a certain righteousness when nomming on these crazy addictive fried nuggets of awesomeness. Seriously good stuff, on par with Jakarta's best, and like our favorite contractor PCK, also the best in Singapore.
The Ayam Penyet ($7.50) is perhaps my favourite rendition of a rather ubiquitous dish. The chicken is well-marinated, succulent on the inside but crisp on the outside. The sambal here packs a wallop btw, so a little goes a veryyyy long way....but I've found that the burn becomes a lot less fiery on the tongue if tempered with kecap manis. And if you ask extra nicely, they're extra generous with the batter bits.
If fried chicken isn't your thing, then the barbecued Ayam Bakar Kecap ($8), imbued with the smoky char of the grill and burnished with a sweet kecap manis glaze would probably tickle your fancy.
The Sate Ayam ($8.50) is superb too, I love that they married the peanut sauce with a good dose of kecap manis, the flavours really do complement.
The Soto Ayam ($7.50), while decent, is unlikely a standout here. Tok Tok across Orchard Road does a better rendition imho. That being said, the tumeric chicken broth is well comforting.
We usually skip the white rice siding the chicken dishes in favour of the Nasi Goreng Ikan Bilis ($8), a flavoursome heady fried rice made even more tasty with lashings of crunchy ikan bilis. Best mamak dish ever.
Dapur Penyet
176 Orchard Road
Centrepoint Mall #01-59
Tel: 6734 2840
Open Mondays to Saturdays 11am to 9pm; Closed on Sundays
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