Shi Xin Western Food (Tekka Centre)

I think I joke quite a bit about how this is one of those items which I wouldn’t really understand why people order from western stalls at food centres — that’s until I was pretty much found guilty of craving for one at a recent trip to Tekka Centre.

Shi Xin Western Food’s rendition of the Ham Sausage with Eggs is essentially what it is; deep-fried hot dog that goes into the fryer with the French fries, ham that is grilled and two eggs cracked in the same pan, one can easily pass it off as being served something made of readily available frozen food bought from the supermarket and thrown in the same plate with a mark-up. But as I go on further, it’s also how this local Hainanese-Western style plate starts to become really relatable — it’s the luxury brunch plate or the bygone era; where processed foods are definitely seen more of a novelty just like how we enjoy our thick-cut bacon, sourdough toast and poached eggs in our brunch plates now. Whilst being an item trapped in the past, there is still something quite nostalgic about such breakfast plates that feels so laden with saltish elements — from the ham to the sausages, while the sunny side-up with runny egg yolks is still a crowd favourite that is oh-so-comforting in the modern day. The fries aren’t too heavily seasoned, but they do retain some crispness and fluffiness as long as they are consumed hot, which they do as Shi Xin Western Food only fries them upon order. And there is that fluffy soft bun that is often missing from Western stalls these days — glad that they still serve these like the true blue Hainanese-Western stalls in the past with a pack of butter on the side, while the plate also comes with baked beans, coleslaw and a salad of cucumber and tomato; all things that one will expect from such a stall.

The pairing of Generation Coffee’s Kopi-O was a decent choice — something that I guess people of the past will pair their breakfast plate with as long as they could afford it. Felt that their Kopi-O was a tad sweet for my liking (I usually do Kopi-O Kosong if I do Kopi-O); much prefer their Kopi which comes punchier and an overall more interesting choice.

Excellent Hainanese style western food here by Sin Xin (facing the main road). $5.50

Decided to go for this today since this stall at Tekka Centre seem really old-school — one thing I really liked about them is how they serve the bun at the side just like traditional localied western food stalls in the past; it's like bread service at a fancy restaurant considering how it comes with a pack of butter on the side.

If anything, the slab of chicken wasn't the best but it's pretty reminiscent of those classic local western stalls; it's succulent, juicy and tender with a little smokiness at certain parts — albeit lacking in flavour but still comes drenched in a decent amount of brown sauce for some flavour. Fries were crisp; could probably do with more salt (again, blame my tastebuds that have a preference for really savoury food), while the coleslaw gives a refreshing crunch without being too heavy on dressing. Overall it's not the most wonderful old school western stall around, but sure is comforting and brings back those old school vibes pretty well.