Al-Ameen: Halal eating house with 320 dishes like amazing stuffed cheese naan, open till 4am daily

Those who live or study in the Bukit Timah vicinity would likely be familiar with the bustling Cheong Chin Nam Road, which is filled with some of the most amazing affordable restaurants and eateries in the West. My personal favourite has always been Al-Ameen, characterised by its vibrant yellow and green storefront.

Al-Ameen is a Halal-certified eating house near Beauty World MRT Station, making it convenient to access. As a former student of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, this has always been one of my favourite spots to dine at after classes or CCA, given how its dishes are all super affordable.

Plus, Al-Ameen’s huge menu boasts a whopping 320 dishes, including those from Indian, Malay, Thai, local and Western cuisines!

What I tried at Al-Ameen

It was hard to decide what to try first, but I opted to order Al-Ameen’s Singapura Fried Rice (S$8), served with a choice of chicken or beef, hot & spicy sauce and chips. This was labelled as “Ameen’s all time favourite” on the menu, so I had high hopes.

I opted for beef as my protein, but wasn’t very impressed as the beef was tough and chewy. I liked the generosity of the hot & spicy sauce that coated the meat, and despite its name, it was only mildly spicy. However, it provided the dish with lots of sweetness and flavour, which I enjoyed.

The fried rice was pretty standard, with a mild savouriness on its own. The fried egg had a slightly runny centre, and together, the fried elements were more on the average side. When paired with the hot & spicy sauce and the beef, it did become more flavourful and saucey.

This wasn’t the most impressive dish I’ve tried at Al-Ameen, though I still thought that it was really satisfying and filling.

Al-Ameen’s Chicken Tikka (S$8 for small, S$10 for medium, S$15 for large) was the biggest letdown of the day. Though the chicken all donned gorgeous vibrant red hues, the S$8 portion only yielded 4 pieces of small chicken, making the dish quite expensive in relation to its size.

The Chicken Tikka was disappointingly quite tough and dry, though it was pretty smokey and flavourful from the marination. The mint chutney was pretty sweet and delightful, though altogether, I didn’t think the Chicken Tikka was worth the price.

R.K. Eating House: 24-hour spot serving roti tsunami, maggi mee goreng & chocolate prata with curry

Al-Ameen’s Chicken Thai Style Fried Bee Hoon (S$5.50), on the other hand, was one to shout about. This beautiful brown plate of bee hoon was super tasty as each strand was coated in a savoury sauce, complete with flavourful bits of spring onions and chopped coriander.

The chicken chunks were pretty tender, while the cabbage pieces were crunchy and refreshing.

Whenever my friends and I visit Al-Ameen, we always order the Cheese Naan without fail. For just S$4.50 per piece, this massive piece of naan comes stuffed with super stretchy cheese, resulting in a glorious cheese pull.

The Cheese Naan was incredibly cheesy, with the bread portions being soft and slightly chewy. In the past, there were times when I couldn’t even finish the whole naan given how huge it was!

You can’t get the Cheese Naan without trying some of Al-Ameen’s sides, like the creamy Butter Chicken (S$8), which pairs perfectly with the more neutral-tasting Cheese Naan. This fragrant dish was rich and slightly sweet with a generous amount of tender chicken chunks within.

A vegetarian option that I love is the Palak Paneer (S$9), a curried dish made from pureed spinach and sprinkled with paneer cubes, which is a kind of Indian cottage cheese.

The Palak Paneer was similarly creamy like the Butter Chicken, with a sweet and slightly nutty and cheesy flavour.

It was my first time ever trying Gobi Manchurian (S$8), and I absolutely fell in love with Al-Ameen’s take on this dish. For the uninitiated, Gobi Manchurian is an Indian-Chinese dish consisting of batter-coated fried cauliflower.

The dish was incredibly crispy and the sauce coating the cauliflower reminded me of sweet & sour sauce. If you’re looking for a delicious non-meat substitute for fried chicken, I’d highly recommend this!

Did you know that Al-Ameen also has a pretty sizeable Western menu? One of the dishes is the Carbonara with Chicken Turkey and Sausage (S$12.80), which I opted to try. I was surprised at how much cream sauce was provided, with the spaghetti practically drowning in it.

I loved the intense richness of the Carbonara with Chicken Turkey and Sausage, and the milky tendrils certainly satisfied my cravings for something creamy. The bits of chopped sausage within were a nice touch, and though this dish wasn’t mind-blowing, it was comforting and yummy.

Final thoughts

The dishes that I tried were only a few of Al-Ameen’s many, many dishes. With 320 different items on their menu, you’ll never be bored when dining here, given the wide array of cuisines and things to try.

I’ve been a frequent diner at Al-Ameen for a long time, and I know that I’ll always return to it whenever I’m in Bukit Timah!

Expected damage: S$1.80 – S$25 per pax

Julaiha Muslim Restaurant: 24-hour Indian Muslim eatery with over 50 dishes including stir-fried prata