Serangoon BBQ & Curry 1983 (Junction 8)

Those whom have been following the happenings of the local F&B scene would probably have heard about a thing or two about Serangoon BBQ & Curry 1983 in recent years. An establishment that is located at Blk 22 Sin Ming Road, these folks have been around since the year 1983, and is formerly named Serangoon Nasi Padang. These folks had recently expanded their operations; the son of the founder had recently brought the brand into the shopping mall — their very first of such locations being situated in the basement of Junction 8 that is just right outside of Bishan MRT Station. Being neighbours with TORI-Q, it is worth noting that the hole-in-the-wall space at Junction 8 does come with dine-in seating — whilst there are some dining tables located by the side, most of the seating would surround a communal table that forms the centrepiece of the establishment. The shop unit is also tastefully decorated with a modern touch; marble table tops, dried flowers and a mix of white, green and wooden elements for its furniture and fittings, this creates a look that is no doubt pleasing to the eyes. Unlike how things have been at their Sin Ming Road location, there isn’t a counter which one can find where all of the dishes are prominently displayed — instead, the dishes do seem to be bundled into sets in a manner similar to the menus of “Create-Your-Own-Bowl” sort of establishments; patrons can either choose the Petite, Regular or Double Up which features the patron’s choice of meat in various portion sizes, and one can also pick the various sides, chili, and sauces to go with their order. Beverages available at Serangoon BBQ & Curry 1983’s location at Junction 8 would include a variety of canned drinks or slushies.

One thing quite obvious about Serangoon BBQ & Curry 1983’s Junction 8 location is that it is more primarily positioned as a takeaway / quick service eatery — the self-service aspects of the establishment is pretty evident from the ordering stage where it can be done via QR code or the self-service POS machine; collection of food is done via a small window cut-out. Everything served at their Junction 8 location would involve disposable ware; from the paper bowls, to the plastic cutlery which are packed neatly in its own packaging. Our order during our visit to Serangoon BBQ & Curry 1983 would be for their regular-sized Serangoon Fried Chicken Sedap Bowl; our choice of sides being the Begedil, Curry Vegetables and the Thai Fragrant Rice (though rice is an option that can be switched out for the carb-conscious — pretty surprisingly at a Nasi Padang stall!), while we opted for the Sambal Balachan for our choice of Chili. For the sauces, we went for both the Teriyaki Sauce and the Salted Egg Sauce; the former being a free option anyway. For those whom opt for the Petite, the portion of meat served would be half the size of the Regular; retrospectively, the Double Up would feature twice the portion of meat from the Regular. We were expecting quite a fair bit for the fried chicken considering how it seems to be a signature here — looking rather similar, but not exactly the same as Ayam Goreng Berempah (probably more towards the colour of the fried batter itself), the fried chicken is well-executed in the way that it is fried, though we would recommend for one to opt for a Sauce if ordering this item.

If anything, the fried chicken does come with skin on; it is tender, juicy and yet crisp on the exterior — very well-executed boneless chunks of chicken that they have absolutely nailed down in terms of texture. That being said, the chicken itself does seem to lack flavours from marination somewhat. Both Sauce options are interestingly drenched over the fried chicken chunks only; perhaps the execution of the chicken is intended as such. Between the two, the stronger-tasting one would be the Salted Egg Sauce which we found to be a balance of savoury and creamy notes, though for those whom prefer savoury notes without the creaminess for fear of things tasting a little too jelak can go for the Teriyaki sauce instead. The Begedil does come with a crisp exterior and soft, fluffy mashed potatoes that didn’t require effort to chew through; all with a hint of spices pulling through, while the curry vegetables came with rich and aromatic curry that came with a deep note of coconut-y fragrance with that light hint of umami-ness from dried shrimps. Also an interesting addition to the version of the curry vegetables here is the beancurd puffs that added some bite amidst the soft crunch of the vegetables. Whilst the Sambal Balachan does add a piquant spiciness from the use of raw chili padi, we weren’t a fan of how these were stored in a chiller in a vacuum pack and therefore created an odd temperature contrast with everything in the bowl. Prices of the Petite Bowls start from $8.90 here, with prices going up to $15.90 for the most basic Double Up Bowl without any chargeable add-ons; we would say that this is a little bit pricier than the usual prices of Nasi Padang which tends to be a little higher than most local fare even. There is something about the Nasi Padang at Serangoon BBQ & Curry 1983 that feels distinctively Chinese-style in its execution though — a little bit of a twist from the classic ones that we know which some tastebuds might actually prefer!