So Kedai Makan moved out of its old venue, went round the back a few doors down and from a purely take-out joint, turned into a full-fledged gastro-pub looking restaurant with a bar. They still do take-outs though, except now there's seating aplenty with a long queue. I don't think they take reservations. It's currently about a half hour to 40-minute wait for a table, and almost as long for a take-out.
The menu has changed too. It changes every other week. Which is fair lah. They want to introduce new dishes to the community and get some new ideas flowing in the kitchen. The prata and murtabak are gone. Perhaps they would come back, but so far, they hadn't. With an expanded menu, I think it showcases the weaknesses (this is subjective though) of the food, and also highlights what other good stuff the kitchen can do. We're not going to compare authenticity here. Why bother? It's a re-interpretation. If you want authenticity, cook it in your kitchen.
Current menu included mee hoon kueh, chili pan mee, nasi lemak, roast pork noodles (siew yoke) etc. Even roti jala. And the ultimate that killed me- Singapore tofu curry noodles. WHUT. AGAIN. I thought better of you, Seattle and Kedai Makan. Although the description disclaimed "Not from Singapore but rather a Cantonese dish of noodles cooked with curry powder, greens, Chinese chives, NW tofu, fried runny egg." NONSENSE. Such noodles don't exist in Singapore or Malaysia or Hong Kong, or Guangzhou. It's completely made up. My gawwwd. It's not like shrimp bits/powder over wonton noodles, but using curry powder okay. Wah lau eh. Peeked over at the next table that ordered this. That plate did look better than many other variations. LOLx10.
The man went nuts and ordered a truckload of stuff. For starters, he had sate babat (tripe satay), and roti babi. I couldn't do either. They were pretty all right! The tripe was tender and so well seasoned. The roti babi was conservative, and while not a roti john, it was a good snack. For mains, he took the nasi goreng kedai, which was the most familiar item from the old incarnation.
My duck noodles were impressive. The clear broth didn't carry that strong herbal taste like those at home. It leaned towards a pho. Had a choice of wheat or rice noodles. I took wheat, because rice noodles=pho, and I'm not a fan of the pho. Wheat is chewy, but it was fine. Asked for a large side of sambal. It was still fiery. YUM.
This, I gotta mention because it was so bad. My drink. The makrut lime gin and tonic was vile. I asked if this was their 'normal' gin and tonic, and it was. UGH. You cannot do a 'normal' gin and tonic with lime leaves. YUCKS. The bartender went trigger happy with the makrut lime leaves or possibly rind, and juice. I tasted nothing but bitterness. It didn't go with the gin, which I assumed to be a WA gin. Returned the drink. UGH. Stuck to water for the rest of the evening.
I honestly miss the old Kedai Makan. Oof.
The menu has changed too. It changes every other week. Which is fair lah. They want to introduce new dishes to the community and get some new ideas flowing in the kitchen. The prata and murtabak are gone. Perhaps they would come back, but so far, they hadn't. With an expanded menu, I think it showcases the weaknesses (this is subjective though) of the food, and also highlights what other good stuff the kitchen can do. We're not going to compare authenticity here. Why bother? It's a re-interpretation. If you want authenticity, cook it in your kitchen.
Current menu included mee hoon kueh, chili pan mee, nasi lemak, roast pork noodles (siew yoke) etc. Even roti jala. And the ultimate that killed me- Singapore tofu curry noodles. WHUT. AGAIN. I thought better of you, Seattle and Kedai Makan. Although the description disclaimed "Not from Singapore but rather a Cantonese dish of noodles cooked with curry powder, greens, Chinese chives, NW tofu, fried runny egg." NONSENSE. Such noodles don't exist in Singapore or Malaysia or Hong Kong, or Guangzhou. It's completely made up. My gawwwd. It's not like shrimp bits/powder over wonton noodles, but using curry powder okay. Wah lau eh. Peeked over at the next table that ordered this. That plate did look better than many other variations. LOLx10.
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| Sate Babat. |
The man went nuts and ordered a truckload of stuff. For starters, he had sate babat (tripe satay), and roti babi. I couldn't do either. They were pretty all right! The tripe was tender and so well seasoned. The roti babi was conservative, and while not a roti john, it was a good snack. For mains, he took the nasi goreng kedai, which was the most familiar item from the old incarnation.
My duck noodles were impressive. The clear broth didn't carry that strong herbal taste like those at home. It leaned towards a pho. Had a choice of wheat or rice noodles. I took wheat, because rice noodles=pho, and I'm not a fan of the pho. Wheat is chewy, but it was fine. Asked for a large side of sambal. It was still fiery. YUM.
This, I gotta mention because it was so bad. My drink. The makrut lime gin and tonic was vile. I asked if this was their 'normal' gin and tonic, and it was. UGH. You cannot do a 'normal' gin and tonic with lime leaves. YUCKS. The bartender went trigger happy with the makrut lime leaves or possibly rind, and juice. I tasted nothing but bitterness. It didn't go with the gin, which I assumed to be a WA gin. Returned the drink. UGH. Stuck to water for the rest of the evening.
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