Hot Chic by Happy Grills

Ordered the fried rice with lil chic. The chic was not lil at all! Instead the fried rice came with a large piece of chicken cutlet which could be a main dish by itself. Granted, the portion of the fried rice was lesser than the usual portion at your tzechar stall, but the chicken more than made up for it. I also loved that the fried rice had lots of ham and sausages (the nice kind, not the normal hotdog), very tasty indeed!

Had been paying attention to this stall via their social media ever since before the Circuit Breaker had started — and finally managed to visit the stall now that we are currently in the Phase 2 of reopening. A little spoilt for choice considering the myriad of options served on the menu from grilled meats to pasta, and even burgers, the Sambal “Mak-Chik” was probably an item that caught my attention whilst skimming though the menu (perhaps I do have a knack for punny food items).

Perhaps the lack of any descriptions on the menu had me carrying the wrong set of expectations for the item — there was certainly nothing wrong with that juicy slab of fried chicken cutlet that is generously-sized and came with a golden brown batter that is all crisp on the exterior, while the meat being tender within, nor was there anything wrong with their in-house sambal mayo that is smeared atop the fried chicken cutlet for an extra savoury, yet creamy note; a direction that they seemed to have wanted to go for here. That being said, I wished that it would have came with an actual sambal instead; I would have loved to have that savoury-spicy kick that provides for a fiery, tingling note that would cut through the heaviness of the fried item — something that would have reset the tastebuds that makes one want to go on further instead. Was pretty intrigued by their Cajun fries though; not sure if they are the same (or got off the same supplier), but these criss-cut fries somewhat reminds me of those served at Shake Shack with clear grooves and are very well-filled with potato — nothing like the ones that are usually served at hawker centres that can be a tad too crunchy at times; the accompanying salad felt pretty pedestrian however.

Honestly, a pretty promising outfit that is run by a group of young folks serving western cuisine in hearty portions that is worth a try — pretty sure the other items would sit well with most; not that this item isn’t good, just that I would have preferred it done in another manner somehow.