Berempah Bros

There has been quite a fair bit of news going around a stall named Berempah Bros that had recently opened its doors at the hawker centre at the uppermost level of Beauty World Centre — these folks had taken over the former unit that was occupied by a stall that used to serve up satay that is located at the corner of the same stretch of stalls as where one would be able to find the outlet of KOPIFELLAS there. One thing notable about Berempah Bros is that the establishment is actually by Master Chef Singapore Season 2 winner Chef Derek — his Masterchef Singapore trophy can actually be found sitting on top of the display fridge that stocks up the beverages that they serve as part of the set if one chooses to go for the add-on. Berempah Bros keep things simple here with its menu featuring only different types / cuts of meats served with coconut rice, housemade achar and sambal belachan — think Ayam / Fish / Pork / Unagi Berempah with patrons being able to opt for Wing / Breast / Thigh for the Ayam Berempah option.

One thing that is well-noted at Berempah Bros is how they serve up meats that are inspired by the likes of Ayam Berempah — this means the different variants of meats are deep-fried, whilst coming with crumbs over the top. In an attempt to offer a dish with a fusion approach, the typical “Serunding” that one would find with Ayam Berempah is replaced with Hong Kong-style typhoon shelter (i.e. Bi Feng Tang) crumbs instead. Opting for the Pork Berempah, the highlight here is undeniably the fried meats. The slab of pork cutlet here is definitely well-executed in the way that the juices of the meat has been locked in; the meat being not too dry and also easy to chew apart. The use of Hong Kong-style typhoon shelter crumbs provides a crispy crunch that is almost similar to cereal crumbs typically found in wok-fried cereal dishes (i.e. cereal chicken, cereal fried rice etc.) found at Zi Char stalls in coffeeshops / hawker centres / food courts — buttery, slightly saltish and sweet with some curry leaves for extra fragrance and chili padi for a slight note of spiciness to tickle the tastebuds. The coconut rice was missing of that coconut-y fragrance and was more similar to just plain white rice given the lack of the “Lemak” feel, while the sambal belachan did carry a hint of savouriness and a tang whilst being spicy enough that those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness should find it pretty manageable.