following my negative review of ayam bakar ojolali in lucky plaza, several readers left comments urging me to visit another indonesian eatery located within the same building — ayam penyet ria.
ayam penyet ria is an indonesian restaurant with franchises in jakarta, medan, batam, surabaya and now, singapore. apparently it is so popular, it has opened two outlets in lucky plaza alone, and a couple more across the island. even so, we had to queue for some time before we could be seated. such is the popularity of this place!
the house specialty item was obviously the ayam penyet (”ayam” is “chicken”; “penyet” is “to flatten”). this is an authentic indonesian dish of chicken that is deliberately smashed with a wooden mallet after deep-frying, apparently to loosen the meat from the bone.
Nasi Ayam Penyet (Smashed Fried Chicken with Rice)Price: $5.50
Dish rating:
the chicken had been deep-fried to a golden yellow and was very crispy on the outside. that’s great, except that it was the driest thing ever! to my utmost disappointment, i had trouble eating it because it was so damn dry!
in all fairness, i might have had really high expectations because of all the hype surrounding ayam penyet ria. but i’m a chicken lover, and i know a good chicken dish when i see one. this one did not make the cut.
additional bits of fried batter had been tossed into the dish for good measure. there were also some greens and a chunk of fried tofu, which were okay.
at the very least i got a real kick out of the chili sauce, which packed such a powerful punch that most of us couldn’t finish it! it was tangy, really spicy, with just a touch of sweetness.
my eyes turned red and my nose was running even as i stole more chili sauce from the plate of the nearest person while reaching for tissue paper. yes, i look bloody unglamorous when eating spicy food, and i totally do not care. that chili sauce was strangely addictive! all things considered, it went very well with the dry chicken.
interestingly, the rice was served on traditional plates with the classic rooster print. i found that pretty charming because such plates are rarely in use these days.
anyway, i highly doubt that i would return to ayam penyet ria. after all, if i want some good ol’ indonesian chicken, i might as well have the best right? and that’s at riverside indonesian bbq in plaza singapura. the chicken there is grilled rather than the deep-fried ayam penyet, which is fine by me.
Halal Certified]Lucky Plaza
304 Orchard Road
#01-45/46/47 &
#04-25/26 Singapore 238863 [map]
(65) 6235 6390 &
(65) 6235 7385
www.ayampenyet.com
also at lucky plaza
April 12, 2007: Ayam Bakar Ojolali - Forgettable Javanese Cuisine
more ayam penyet!
September 10, 2007: Y.R.A. Aspirasa - Awesome Ayam Penyet!
February 12, 2008: Sri Bistari Changi Village - Best Ayam Penyet of the East!
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goes by the name veron (english) or wanting (chinese). a definitive leo born august 1, 1984. a solo traveler. loves cats, coffee, sensual music, yummy food and technology. when she's not at her job as an IS developer for the government, she's likely to be out dining, or visiting an interesting art gallery or event.
hmm! you sure can take chili. :) View all comments by james
Please try the grilled chicken at Riverside Indonesian Restaurant at Clark Quay and tell me whether they taste the same as the one selling at Plaza Singapura. Thanks View all comments by neo
Wow, you are one demanding reader! View all comments by Veron
thanks for all the food reviews, will sample as much as possible when i’m back in june. if you have time, we ought to hang out and catch up since the past life in acjc. take care. View all comments by alwyn
Alamak, alrite….forget what I said =( View all comments by neo
maybe you can try Cumi Bali at Duxton Road. i don’t know if it’s Indonesia or Javanese but i think it’s not too bad.. the chicken satay and there’s this otah thingy which is not bad not bad :) View all comments by leafie
Ooh… I’m so craving for chicken satay now. Thanks for the recommendation! View all comments by Veron
Ayam penyet ria is very good, better than ayam surabaya (located in lucky plaza too)
I am surprised no one is importing bakmi into singapore, Indonesian bakmi are the most delicious noodles in the world View all comments by ric
Actually, I don’t get this Ayam Penyet thingy. Its just fried chicken … crushed. And yes, it is too dry. I had this twice, and the last one was horrible. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. View all comments by Mins
Hey Veron, you should try the Ayam penyet stalls at Changi Village … they are damn nice! A few different stalls sell it at the CV foodcourt, and they are all as good as the other. Ayam Penyet Ria does not come close…. try it before you swear off ayam paneyt, yeah! View all comments by Lynn
hi nice site :)
the juiciest ever ayam penyet i’ve had is the stall at beach rd hawker centre (NOT the changi village branch).
i forgot the stall’s name but theirs are the best ayam penyet i’ve tried so far - NEVER dry, always juicy and the chili kicks arse.
this stall faces the row with the super popular indian stall selling tulang.
hunt it down n give it a try :) View all comments by shazza
Any kind of indonesian ayam goreng (fried chicken) is my favorite food in the world! Especially with kickass sambal terasi. Mmmmhh. Actually i like my fried chicken a little dry. since in traditional indonesian dishes they use kampong chicken, the chicken parts won’t be ‘juicy’ - looking at how meatless kampong chickens are. Moist, juicy indonesian ayam penyet/ ayam kuning/ ayam kalasan/ ayam goreng lengkuas/ whatever other types of indonesian fried chicken for me is unheard of if not unacceptable :P Well for the exeption of ayam pop, it’s supposed to be a moist and oily cos you dont fry it as long as the other ayams. Sing praises to the fried chicken! View all comments by Dita
My friend brought me to Changi Village for Nasi Ayam Penyet and I really liked it!
The stall is Sri Basari Changi Village, Famous Nasi Ayam Penyet (Purple signboard). They have 2 stalls, one on the wet market side and the other one on the food court side. Try it before you write off ayam penyet!! View all comments by Ah_Ying
ayam bakar ojolali and ayam penyet ria are owned by the same person. LOL View all comments by theresia
lol! That explains why I didn’t like both of them. View all comments by Veron
[...] Ayam Penyet seems to the big thing at the moment. However I too share the same sentiments as this food critic. No more flat chicks for me [...] View all comments by johnsonlim.com » Blog Archive » Ayam Penyet - Smashed/Flattened Fried Chicken..
I tried the chicken once, and I love the chili! :D Extreme, but very addictive View all comments by Chris
Surprisingly, your favorites (the rice table, etc.) are the less authentic version of Indonesian food. View all comments by Ronald
What can I say? I like localised food! View all comments by Veron
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