Ayam Penyet RIA

Headed town for a try on this Nasi Ayam Penyet, which I read alot on it from the food blogs. The first thing that came to my mind when I heard of this dish was, "Oh gosh! How could they subject the poor bird to such torture? Clobbering it to death? What a foul deed indeed!"

Actually, they hammer the chicken before deep-frying it, resulting in meat that's tender and pulls apart quite easily from the bone. At Ayam Penyet Ria, which is a franchise originating from Indonesia, the smashed fried chicken is served as a set.

What you get is about a quarter of a small chicken, a piece each of fried beancurd, a slice of cucumber, sambal belachan, and a separate plate of rice. It sounds like a lot, but the portions are really small.

Massaged with a light but aromatic mix of spices, the chicken was fried till crisp but hardly oily. What made it even more special was bits of tempura-like fried batter on the chicken, which was pleasantly crunchy and very more-ish, and I couldn't stop snacking on them. That is, until I remembered the existence of trans-fat.

At a price of S$5.50, the set is a little pricey, considering the miserly amount given. But then again, this is Orchard Road. Nevertheless, the fried chicken is a real gem, worth at least once a try. Besides the signature dish, they have other stuff like smashed beef and oxtail soup, but most are here for the hammered bird.

Ayam Penyet Ria
304 Orchard Road #04-25/26 Lucky Plaza Singapore 238863

Opening Hours : 11.00am - 9.00pm

Tel: (65) 6235 7385

TIME: 2135 HRS.