[CLOSED] Hoyeah Cafe (Junction Nine)

Ho Yeah Cafe is one of the few places that I have been wanting to check out, but have held off for some reason for quite a while now. Being an establishment by the same folks behind Ho Yeah Nasi Lemak which has outlets at both Ang Mo Kio and Bukit Merah, the difference between Ho Yeah Cafe at Junction Nine in Yishun and the other Ho Yeah Nasi Lemak stalls is how Ho Yeah Cafe is operated as an independent shop on its own rather than being a coffeeshop stall, whilst also serving up a larger variety of food apart from Nasi Lemak on its menu.

Given how the brand has made a name for itself over their Nasi Lemak, its imperative to have the Nasi Lemak with Fried Wing. We weren’t expecting much considering how the staff here seemed particularly confused, and we did have our order mixed up initially with another takeaway customer — that being said, we walked away being pleasantly surprised by what they have to offer.

The rice was fairly good, especially given how they use short-grain rice instead of basmati rice here — soft, fluffy and sufficiently moist, each grain comes distinguishable from one another; the rice also carries a light whiff of coconut fragrance, though there is also a rather dominant hint of ginger here that steers it pretty close to the direction of chicken rice. We were also impressed with how the Ikan Bilis remained crisp despite us having made our visit during dinner hours on a weekday — most places that leave their Ikan Bilis around would have turned chewy and lost the crunch. The accompanying sambal was also pretty notable; liked how it was not overly sweet nor savoury, but comes with quite a good kick that should tingle the taste buds for those with moderate tolerance to spiciness, though one of the shortcomings of their Nasi Lemak here is the fried egg which we opted for — one that features a dry, fully cooked yolk that lacks the touch of the oozy, flowy egg yolk we usually prefer.

The star of the show here is the Fried Wing however — the batter so light and crisp; almost similar to that of KFC’s Original recipe with a slight floury texture, while the inside reveals juicy, tender and succulent flesh that was brilliantly brined for a slight savoury note that sets their Nasi Lemak so different against so many others. And if one may think that it’s just a pure coincidence how their chicken is so good, Ho Yeah Cafe probably knows that as a fact, considering how they do offer Fried Chicken (2 pcs/3 pcs) with French Fries and Fried Spring Chicken with French Fries as an actual offering on the menu — a testament to how good their fried chicken is to be offered as an individual item on their menu.

To be really honest here, I probably wouldn’t dine here if I were to be in a rush for time — food preparation was a tad slow for a shop that is seemingly of a fuss-free, neighbourhood-ly setup, which took an estimated time of 15 minutes from our orders to be taken to it being served. That being said, it’s probably one of the hidden gems of Nasi Lemak awaiting to be discovered — the plus point especially going so to their stellar fried chicken which I am definitely going for as an individual item with French Fries if I were to make my next visit to this Junction Nine outlet; somewhere that residents in the area should most definitely check out if one has time to wait!