Ayam Penyet is probably the most popular Indonesian food in Singapore at the moment and it is flooding hawker centres and foodcourts faster than you can pronounce it. But quite frankly, after eaten it many times from different places, I still can’t comprehend what’s all this fuss about it.

I mean it’s that Malay flavoured fried chicken which tasted like ‘tumerically’ marinated more than anything else. The soup and the rice tasted uncannily similar to any Nasi Ayam you can find in any Malay food stall.

So what’s the fuss? Haven’t we been eating this all the while?

Ok it does look a little authentic being served in some kind of wooden plate but other than looking nicer than Nasi Ayam(which comes on normal plate), the performance level is quite equal to the Nasi Ayam we all know all along.

Anyway I finally found the time to eat at Sri Bistari at Changi Village, purportedly one of the best Ayam Penyet in town.

They also have Ikan Penyet, Udang Penyet and Sotong Penyet. All those ‘Penyetted’ items are deep fried already and stacked nicely in the display shelves. Somehow it does give me the feeling that Penyet is the resurrection of the word ‘goreng’(fried) in some ways.

Sri Bistari Ayam Penyet’s nasi

Sri Bistari Ayam Penyet

Sri Bistari Ayam Penyet’s soup

My Nasi Ayam Penyet came and looks quite good. But I have a slight complain though, it wasn’t smashed and there wasn’t any crunchy bits on the plate. So who is to argue with me now that this is not Nasi Ayam?

The Nasi Ayam Penyet was good though not exactly fantastic. The sambal chilli was good but it’s not like it’s hard to find this kind of chilli in Malay food stall. The chicken was delicious but yet neither unique nor authentic.

This is just another Nasi Ayam for me, maybe if they bother to sprinkle a few crunchy bits or a piece of tofu or tempeh like the one I had at Bedok Corner, it might be a little special but otherwise you can put my Nasi Ayam on this wooden plate and I would still relish it as much as this.

Price: $4

Recommendation: Ayam Penyet with Xtra sambal

Conclusion: Highly recommended by my friends though just another ‘Malay style chicken rice’ for me. Quite delicious but not authentic enough. Would be good if you’re around Changi Village and need a Nasi Ayam Penyet fix but otherwise there are Nasi Ayams everywhere with this kind of flavour that can whack your umami in similar style. I can imagine Indonesians eating this and calling it bogus. If you go to Jakarta to eat Mee Pok Tah, I am sure you also won’t be impressed.

Likes: Chicken was quite juicy.

Dislikes: Would be good if they bother to deep fry the chicken again because it was sitting in the shelves for ‘god knows’ how long before I appeared at the stall.

Address		Overall Rating
Sri Bistari Blk 3 #01-40 Changi Village Road Changi Village Market and Hawker Centre 10am to 12am Tel:9121 2999		Food: 8/10   Value: 7.5/10   Authenticity: 6/10   Service: 7/10   Ambience: 7/10   Cleanliness: 7/10   Overall: 7/10