Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Forget fancy names like wok masters and fried rice chef, this stall located inside Food HQ Kopitiam & Bar at City Gate is simply called $5 Fried Rice. Yes, other mainstream places may also offer its most basic option for around S$5, but it’s usually wok-fried with just eggs and spring onions, without any protein.
So can you imagine how gobsmacked I was when I spotted options like Shrimp Fried Rice and Chicken Cutlet Fried Rice for just S$5. This Halal-certified stall offers incredible value. The question is: Does the final product truly live up to the mouthwatering pictures on the menu? I guess the only way to find out is to order a few varieties to try for ourselves.
The menu features 32 varieties in total, with 4 base flavours for the fried rice itself — XO, Mala, Signature, and Sambal. You can opt for Sweet & Sour and Salted Egg flavours for the accompanying ingredients as well.
We kickstarted our dinner with one of their best sellers, the Mala Chicken Chop Fried Rice. I was quite impressed that the slab of grilled chicken served alongside was substantial — at just S$5, I’m not complaining!
Now, for the rice itself. Each grain was beautifully separated without them clumping together. With the first mouthful, my senses were jolted and it happened not 1, not 2, but 3 times in succession. They weren’t playing around with the mala spices — it has a fiery impact without being overwhelming.
I also experienced a lovely textural crunch and I soon found out that the rice is fried with kang kong, something rather unique, I must say.
Next on the agenda was the XO Fish Fillet Fried Rice and we topped up S$2 for extra Scrambled Egg. I loved the subtle umami notes of the XO flavouring the fried rice. The creamy scrambled egg was a great addition that went very well with the rice. Though the fish fillet was just your ordinary frozen variety, I must say that it was well executed — crispy and not oily.
Last but not least, we ended with the Salted Egg Shrimp with Fried Rice. To make things crystal clear, I took the liberty to count the number of battered shrimp — there were 6 pieces, drenched in a generous pool of sauce with curry leaves and chilli padi included.
The fried rice was the classic variety and tasted good, too. I learnt that instead of just using plain rice, the chefs here pre-cook the rice with pandan leaves and spices to enhance its overall taste before wok frying them.
Don’t forget to help yourself to their homemade sambal — it’s unique and quite different from what you might expect.
If you’re around Golden Mile Food Centre or Textile Centre, do swing by S$5 Fried Rice at City Gate and try it for yourself.
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