Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
An egg a day keeps the doctor away. Eggs are a staple in all my meals, and omelettes rank the highest on my list. Recently, I chanced upon Omelette Chef, a humble hawker stall widely known for frying up impressive omelettes.
Initially, I have to admit that I was quite sceptical when it came to trying their food. After all, how special can an omelette get? Wanting to give this hawker stall a shot, I headed down to Chinatown Complex Food Centre on a sweltering Saturday afternoon.
Located on Smith Street, the food centre is one of Chinatown’s key landmarks. Omelette Chef’s black and yellow modern signboard immediately caught my attention. I was also very intrigued by their mascot, which features a cute egg-shaped human.
Dressed in a fancy chef uniform and hat, Francis Lai runs the store together with his wife, Doreen. Francis has years of culinary experience under his belt, having started cooking when he was just 13 years old. This includes a stint as head chef at the now-defunct Hotel Malaysia about 23 years ago.
When it comes to the food he serves up, it’s not just all about omelettes. You will be able to choose up to 10 different toppings to go with your yellow goodness, as well as a side of either Spaghetti or Rice. Their toppings range from Hawaiian Ham, Pork Slices and Cheese to even Otah and Dried Chicken Satay (all at S$6).
What I tried at Omelette Chef
I settled for their Smoked Duck, Prawns, and Dried Chicken Satay (S$6 each). Alongside that, I also got their Mushroom Soup at an additional S$3.
The presentation of the dishes really stood out to me, as they were plated in a very aesthetically-pleasing way. In addition to the omelette and side dish, Omelette Chef also provides diners with a serving of corn.
I started digging into Omelette Chef’s Smoked Duck (S$6) first.
At first glance, I could already tell that the fan-shaped omelette was very nicely fried. As I dug into it, I unravelled diced tomatoes, crunchy onions and mushrooms enveloped inside the fluffy egg.
Additionally, the smoked duck played a huge role when it came to elevating the dish. The pink slices were tender enough and carried good flavour, which went along really well with the omelette.
Also, I opted for their Rice, which came with plenty of mushrooms. It turned out to be quite tasty and flavourful— the perfect side dish for my omelette.
Next, I went for Omelette Chef’s Prawn (S$6) variation.
The prawns tasted quite fresh and crunchy, but I would have loved it if they added more seasoning to them. However, I loved how they provided good texture along with the omelette, leaving me licking my lips.
This time, I chose their Spaghetti to be the omelette’s partner-in-crime. Firstly, I was really impressed by the substantial amount of pasta heaped onto my plate, which was soaked with mushroom sauce. Not only that, but there were also plenty of mushrooms and shredded carrot included in the silky pasta.
Unfortunately, the pasta did not really stand out to me. Just like the prawns, I felt like the pasta’s flavours could have been much more prominent as it tasted quite bland to me at times. However, the large portion of pasta was still quite fulfilling.
Lastly, I tried their Dried Chicken Satay (S$6) variation.
This was a very interesting experience for me as I never had an omelette and chicken satay combined together in a single dish. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by how savoury the combination was, as the omelette was generously packed with huge chunks of satay.
Not only that, Omelette Chef’s chicken satay was actually quite juicy and I thoroughly enjoyed the succulent chunks. This might be one of the combinations I would try at home next time!
Their Mushroom Soup (S$3) tasted quite creamy. Even though the omelettes themselves were quite fluffy, I appreciated how the mushroom soup added that well-needed touch of creaminess which helped me polish off my plate.
Final thoughts
Most of Omelette Chef’s side dishes were pretty average, but as its name suggests, the focus was on their omelettes, and boy, did they impress me. Overall, it was a hearty and unique breakfast that presents good value for money.
Expected damage: S$6 – S$9 per pax
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