Caught some wind on the existence of Mister Rice within the Chong Pang neighbourhood — the coffeeshop stall is situated within Swee Sian Yuen Eating House that also houses other notable tenants such as the Walaku Express which specialises in Nasi Lemak Kukus (an offshoot of Walaku at Joo Chiat). Occupying a stall beside the Chinese-run stall that sells economic bee hoon and Nasi Lemak (Mum had always mistaken them as Chong Pang Nasi Lemak since it is located within Chong Pang City and serves Nasi Lemak), Mister Rice dishes out several variations of fried rice including that of Egg Fried Rice, Mala Egg Fried Rice, Tom Yum Fried Rice and a Special Egg Fried Rice; all with the option of adding items such as Shrimp, Pork Chop, Chicken Chop or Ebi Tempura, though also available as-is plain — the same type of stall that one may associate with the many others that are serving Din Tai Fung-style fried rice which has been a trend of the late.

There wasn’t a queue when we made our visit on a Saturday evening for dinner; didn’t have to wait for long for the buzzer to ring either. Found that the portion size here is decent for one average hungry diner — pretty reasonable considering how I personally find it rather stressful to order such fried rice dishes considering how I often struggle with the portion of rice that comes with it from stalls that may be a little bit too generous. Using short-grain pearl rice grains, the fried rice is nothing short of being fluffy and well-fried; there wasn’t any clumpy bits of rice with our plate — each grain distinguishable from the other, while the fried rice does comes aptly savoury with just a slight hint of wok hei lingering. The Pork Chop didn’t carry the light and crisp crust that we were expecting, but it was certainly well-marinated and seasoned with a distinct peppery note that wasn’t particularly overwhelming. It was also sufficiently tender — pretty decent, but it was the savoury and smoky chili that gives the entire plate so much flavour with a fiery kick that tingles the tastebuds for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness; something which I couldn’t do without.

Have pretty much lost count of the number of fried rice specialty stall at that opened of the late — some even garnering long queues after media coverages on social media; the same reason why I hadn’t really been trying most of the stalls that serve up Din Tai Fung-esque fried rice of the late. That being said, for a stall that we did not have to wait for long for our order, Mister Rice does work as a good location to get those fried rice cravings solved, especially considering it isn’t a spot that is too far out for me to get to either. A great dining option that residents around the area will be glad to have around their neighbourhood.