Dining

Charco’s – Flaming Goodness!

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It seems that whenever a Westener opens a Western food stall in the heartland, Singaporeans would throng the place. Maybe the food tastes more authentic. Or maybe the mental image of a sweaty ang moh preparing your steak makes it all the more appealing.

First it was the wildly popular Botak Jones that started the craze. Then there’s Crazy Ang Mo. More recently, an Australian guy started Charco’s.

Thanks to readers Sheida and Ida who recommended Charco’s to me. We head down one afternoon and found ourselves thoroughly enjoying the chicken and ribs! The food is halal too. Yay for all our Muslim friends!

Charco's

Coincidentally, Charco’s is situated at the same premises in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 where a Botak Jones stall once occupied. The stall now occupies a much larger floorspace at the coffee shop, with ample seating available both indoor and outdoor.

We queue up at the counter to place our orders and make payment. Then a big numbered tag is given to us and all we have to do is sit down and wait for our food!

Sampler platter

Sampler platter
SGD13.90

To get a taste of everything, we order the sampler platter consisting of:

1/4 lamb ribs
1/8 Portuguese chicken
1/8 original chicken
creamed potatoes
one choice of salad

If you wish to get more taste into your food, help yourself to the ketchup, chili and barbecue sauces at the sauce and cutlery station. The barbecue sauce is goooood.

Lamb ribs

Lamb ribs

Many Western steaks & grill restaurants like Tony Roma’s and my personal favorite, Jerry’s, serve pork ribs, automatically rendering them unsuitable for Muslims. But Muslims who wanna taste good ribs can go for Charco’s lamb ribs!

The ribs are tender and tasty, with meat that falls off the bone easily. They are coated in a dark sweet sauce that brings out the smokey flavor very well. We actually prefer this to pork ribs as it is far less fattening.

Portuguese & Original chicken

Portuguese & Original chicken

When you have the Portuguese chicken and the original chicken side by side, it’s easy to compare the two. The Portuguese is spiced and flavored while the latter is plain and ordinary. We prefer the first. No surprises there.

Don’t forget to pile on the barbecue sauce for the ordinary chicken as it can get quite bland on the inside.

Charco's salad bar

The salad bar by the counter displays an appealing array of colorful salads such as coleslaw, egg, seafood, Greek, Caesar, etc. The sampler platter comes with a choice of salad, so we go for the seafood salad.

Seafood salad

Seafood salad

The salad portion is huge! It comprises of sliced crab sticks and a couple of plump shrimps. Nice, and totally my cup of tea. For those of you who are regulars, which other salad is worth trying, too?

Creamed potatoes

Creamed potatoes

What we find rather unusual is the creamed potatoes. They have a milky quality and are dusted with red pepper for flavor. However due to the ample servings of meat, we can barely eat any! Given a choice, we would very much like fries or wedges instead.

Perhaps due to the obscure location, the coffee shop isn’t exactly jam-packed during the afternoon chow hours. The food is served promptly too, even for the more complicated sampler platter.

Charco’s (

Halal certified)
Yue Hua Food Place
608 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 #01-2771
Singapore 560608
(65) 6455 3711

Bus services: 138, 265, 269, 548
Nearest MRT: Ang Mo Kio

Opening hours: 11am – 10pm daily

For more on Sparklette:

About the Author

Veron Ang is the founder and chief editor of Sparklette. She lives in Singapore and has dined and traveled across the world. She also runs Sparklette Studio, a web design and WordPress development firm. If you'd like to connect with her, head on over to the contact page or follow her personal updates on Twitter: @VeronSG.

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26 responses

Leave your comment

ida
August 11, 2009

Ah veron. *droooooools*

now i can ask you this: botak jones or charcos? :) i personally have not tried the former, but if its really that good, i should go try myself!

p.s. though im a regular, its a shame i’ve never tried any of the salads before.
Reply
- Veron
  August 11, 2009
  
  What do you normally order at Charco’s? I’m curious, because I don’t think I can have the big sampler platter every time I go there. lol!
  
  The Greek salad is purple, so it got my attention first. But I went for the seafood salad because the succulent crab sticks and plump shrimps were impossible to resist!
  
  I have dined at Botak Jones a few times before. The very first time, I was impressed with the wide array of western food served in American-sized portions. But after a while, I find that the food is not very memorable. They are well-known for their burgers and hot dogs — not my cup of tea.
  
  In short, I have to give my vote to Charco’s! At least I have a more lasting impression of the food.
  
  Oh, and Botak Jones is non-halal.
  Reply
DJ
August 11, 2009

wow.. i visit your blog again.. looks so nice..

Can i ask you to bring me around for nice food if i visit sg? haha
Reply
- Veron
  August 11, 2009
  
  Only if you’d bring me around when I visit Malaysia!
  Reply
walter
August 11, 2009

Looks good although it certainly reminds me of the food here in Melbourne. Very Australian in character, especially the creamed potatoes which I get in dinner here at my residential college!
Reply
- Veron
  August 11, 2009
  
  Like I’ve mentioned on Twitter, I heard there’s a Charco’s in Melbourne that sells the same cuisine! Please find it and blog it lol!
  
  Oh, the Singapore Charco’s owner is an Aussie!
  Reply
  - siew may
    October 20, 2009
    
    charco’s used to be owned and run by australian but since been sold to a local muslim
    Reply
    - Veron
      October 20, 2009
      
      I see. I wonder if the standard of the food has remained the same after the change in management.
      Reply
rika
August 11, 2009

wew, it’s halal! Would love to try the Portuguese chicken
Reply
- Veron
  August 11, 2009
  
  Good choice! The Portuguese chicken is a lot yummier than the Original.
  Reply
Shar
August 11, 2009

hi Veron!
i always get the caesar and the seafood! =)
the chunks of chicken in caesar is rather huge
and so are e prawns in seafood. lols.
and i love e ribs too!! =D
Reply
- Veron
  August 11, 2009
  
  I LOVE CHICKEN!!! You just made my mouth water! Next time I would probably get the set that comes with three salads so that I can try the different kinds. Hope there’s such a set with the awesome ribs :)
  Reply
  - Shar
    August 15, 2009
    
    yep there is a rack of ribs with 2 or 3 salads if im nt wrong. =)
    Reply
    - Veron
      August 18, 2009
      
      Awesome!!!!!
      Reply
proud mom to maximus
August 11, 2009

weee!!!!

im a regular at Charco’s…
u can even see my own review @ my webby : http://www.pinkpesona.multiply.com

i personally like the greek salad, the potatoe salad, seafood salad and egg salad. the greek salad is generously dressed up with feta cheese and its yummy!!!

now im hungry….
sheida
Reply
- Veron
  August 11, 2009
  
  Your chicken licking good photos made me wanna lick my screen! This is no time to feel hungry. Argh!
  
  And next time I would try the Greek, Caesar and seafood salads!
  
  By the way I read your journal and saw the beautiful things you bought in KL early this year. I wish I knew where to get hold of those items you did during my recent trip there! I only managed to buy a cushion with a floral, lacy cover in the same Victorian style as those stuff you bought.
  Reply
  - proud mom to maximus
    August 12, 2009
    
    babe
    
    my fav shopping hunts will be at Great Eastern Mall, Ampang Point for nice affordable quilt covers and SSF along Jln Masjid India…and oh yes…KK HOME Decor along Jln Ampang…
    will update u later with d addresses now me at work..
    love love..
    Reply
    - Veron
      August 12, 2009
      
      Thanks babe! Actually I hardly go to KL. Are there any shops in Singapore that sell similar beautiful things? I know there was one such shop in front of the Sultan Mosque at Kampong Glam. But I’m not sure if it’s still there. By the way is this kind of floral design considered Victorian style? That’s what I always thought it is.
      Reply
      - proud mom to maximus
        August 12, 2009
        
        i know that shop…and its expensive…..
        these kinda roses printed furnitures are similar like shabby chic country…
        u can get a much more good deal at Tan Boon Liat building level 1…
        and also at 70 Jln Pemimpin…look for Liew Tee..tell her u know me…she sells nice country knick knacks n comforter..can bargain some more…
        Reply
iSHiOK
August 12, 2009

thanks – delicious –

but is too ‘hot’ for me -
Reply
jalapeno
August 15, 2009

Looks tantalisingly good so I’m gonna have to make a trail to Charco’s soon. I’ve missed the steaks from my resident years in Oz-Nz and have yet to find anything close to them here in the Lion City. Steaks are tiny over here. There’s a place in Wellington, NZ “The Green Parrot” which serves brontosaurus-sized T-bones and they were awesome! Ah yes, good ol’ Aotearoa!
Reply
June
August 15, 2009

Oh… AMK is near my area! But i hardly come to this coffee shop, no wonder i didn’t notice about this stall. Thanks for featuring it =) I’m going to try it soon.
Reply
Crabby
August 23, 2009

Service are rather bad. longer waiting time & they don’t serve food with cutleries. Gotta take our own and there’s only plastic ones. Maybe I came at a wrong time cuz it’s a Sunday and pretty crowded but bringing fork, spoon & knife along isn’t a hard job right? they shd improve their service and serve like ‘botak jones’ do!.
Reply
- Veron
  August 24, 2009
  
  Hmm… this is a coffee shop stall so I don’t really expect to be served my cutlery. I’m used to getting my own cutlery at coffee shops, hawker centres and food courts. Anyway the cutlery, chili sauce and barbecue sauce are all at the same place.
  Reply
Lyd
October 6, 2009

1st of all,u haf sucha cute & pretty webbie here :)
secondly,yes the Charco’s sounds YUMMYY babe!
me hubby loves anyth to do with seafood or meat..men,duh!
im so gonna bring him there 1 of these days!hehe!
Reply
- Veron
  October 6, 2009
  
  Hehe I love seafood and chicken, and I’m a lady! lol! Yes, I think your husband would love Charco’s :)
  Reply