It’s pretty obvious how I have been using the new Thomson-East Coast Line to my advantage — one of the things I had been really looking forward to do when the line opens is to visit the OG Springleaf Prata Place for dinner considering how convenient it is now.
Being one who was first exposed to them from their Ultimate Series where they would release a new fusion Prata or Murtabak on a yearly basis, I was pretty drawn by their latest Praclette; the item that was released fairly recently as their creation for 2021 to the Ultimate Series (the same series also saw the introduction to icons such as the 2014 Plaster Blaster, and the 2015 Umami-50). The Praclette comprises of elements such as Raclette Cheese, Truffle Oil, Sautéed Onion, Shiitake Mushrooms, Olives, Sriracha and Turkey Ham. Amongst the various Ultimate Series dishes that they have to offer, the Praclette is likely one of the most “westernised” dish of the lot — seemingly drawing on previous trends that have since been dated with the use of truffle and Raclette Cheese as main elements to the dish. No doubt that the cheese provides a savoury, yet lightly pungent note with a soft, melted and gooey texture that was a vehicle for the other elements such as the earthy shiitake, the zingy onions and turkey ham to their signature crisp, yet chewy prata; that being said, it feels like it fell short of the usual thought process behind the Ultimate Series dishes that usually involves more local fusion of flavours, and a playful innovation on using their Prata as a canvas to showcase their unique take on the dish — instead, the Praclette felt seemingly more of an item that is a mashup of previously trendy food all in one package. Don’t get me wrong though — there wasn’t anything particularly nasty; the Prata still being of the usual standards, while the slightly pungent cheese does work well against the truffle aroma and the earthy elements, but I just wished that more had went into the R&D process.
Overall; the Praclette is something which I found to be good to try once — just to see if it’s something that actually fits your tastebuds given the combination of the elements used in the Praclette. That being said, I am likely to still stick with having the usual plain Prata, or the Prata with Mozzarella, Garlic and Onion that I found myself loving during my schooling days; proven classics that seem to carry a more lasting impression — though their efforts in creating new styles of Prata is certainly worth commending.
A little mozzarella cheese pull for you
Springleaf Prata has mozzarella cheese prata is so satisfying BUT after having mozzarella cheese prata, I had the Ultimate Murtabak and there is no turning back for me. Included ingredients such as portobello mushrooms, tandoori chicken, mozzarella cheese, egg yolk & onions, super huge portion! I’m satisfied 🤰🏻
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Ultimate Murtabak $12
Introduced as a mainstay on the menu following some aware during the Hawkerfest 2017? It’s essentially eggs benny on top of prata, drizzled with a blanket of hollandaise which was too mayo-ish. The pale yellow hint of the hollandaise was a big giveaway to the authenticity of hollandaise sauce. It didn’t help that the ham was supermarket-ready (& possibly from a housebrand) as well. For $5.50, there shouldn’t be much complaints nor expectations for higher grades of ham but the hollandaise was kinda unacceptable?! Not sure why this even made it into the hawkerfest list. The only saving grace was a runny yolk in the well poached egg. Tho unfortunately didn’t integrate well into the prata cos it’s crispy and doesn’t soak up the yolk. Never trying this again! Let pratas be pratas and bennies be bennies please!
Really aromatic tandoori chicken with that slight tinge of sourness. Quite crispy throughout but get it to share as it loses its crisp after a while. The cheese also becomes slightly less stretchy and soft as time passes, not to mention it's very jelak after a while. So one portion actl feeds 2 comfortably. Expectedly the cheese doesn't combine with the curry perfectly, but both the murtabak and the curry are good enough alone that their combination isn't too bad either.
Verdict: magical from the first bite, but not as good as you progress from piece to piece. Worth a try after you've had springleaf's kosong and egg
Have concluded that my favourite prata at Springleaf is the plain prata!! It’s incredibly crispy on the outside yet a bit doughy inside so it tastes really substantial. Their prata texture is my favourite of everywhere so far, although my dad thinks it’s not “traditional” and prefers a less doughy texture.
It’s a bit of a pity that I don’t like their curry that much though, particularly their daal curry - I prefer it a bit more thicker and beany, but the mutton curry is not bad.
As for their other pratas, I’ve tried their ultimate murtabak (mozzarella cheese, tandoori chicken, etc) and normal beef medium murtabak, but it wasn’t as enjoyable because the prata wasn’t crispy due to all the ingredients inside. I did prefer the normal murtabak with a generous amount of onions and meat though, because the cheese in the ultimate murtabak was too overpowering for me and I couldn’t taste much apart from the cheese.
Also didn’t enjoy their thosai that much as it wasn’t as fluffy inside as I would have liked. But their mutton briyani was good! The meat was really tender. Perhaps should try more of their innovative creations, but I think what’s most important to me is a good crispy prata.
Bring friends at least 2 to help finish up this carb and dairy overloaded dish that is stuffs with tandoori chicken.
Firstly, it's size (about A3 size? And about an inch thick - filled with lots of ingredients)
Secondly, it's jam packed with cube sized tandoori chicken, mushrooms, cheese, egg and onions!
Literally a prata version of a pizza just with two big pieces of prata!
Conclusion? The Umami 50 still won many votes with its savoury sweet flavours! But this I guess is definitely a staple for Springleaf Prata!
Definitely the heartiest meal I've had in a while. The combination of sweet and savory prata (with the red bean Prata being the former and the ultimate murtabak being the latter) satisfied every sort of craving we had. Totally no regrets dragging my lazy ass all the way to Upper Thomson area for this!
People tell me that Zam Zam sells the best murtabak in Singapore, but I honestly prefer the one here. Tandoori chicken, onions and portobello mushroom together with melted mozzarella cheese, enclosed in a light flaky crispy Prata skin. Top it off with their extremely flavourful curry which complemented the cheese very well and you've got a calorie ladened but way too-worth-it lunch in your tummy.
