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Recently, I learnt of a prata stall that offers instant prata as the sole item on its menu. No egg, no cheese, no other flavours. Just plain prata.
Upon discovering this, I generously decided to invite my brother for a meal at Prata $1.30 in Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Initially excited, his resounding “yes” turned into a blunt “no” the moment I told him that the stall only used ready-made ingredients with a single flavour.
If even my brother, a prata lover, wouldn’t visit this stall, would the business even survive? As my curiosity grew, I decided to drop by with my mum (the only person who agreed to come) for breakfast.
The food centre was huge, and we had to walk past many rows of stalls before finding it. Turns out it was hidden deep inside the hawker centre.
What to order at Prata $1.30
With Plain Prata (S$1.30) being the sole item on the menu, the only thing we had to decide was the quantity. We ordered 3 pratas, and the hawker uncle, also known as Uncle Walter, started ‘cooking’.
As I knew that everything was kept simple, I imagined the plate of prata would be paired with just a tiny bowl of curry. So when Uncle Walter served the food to us 10 minutes later, I was surprised to see sambal and sugar on the side as well.
We started with the prata, which came with crispy brown and golden edges. However, it was flatter and less flaky compared to handmade prata. Additionally, the inside was more moist, which is likely because its readymade frozen prata.
Despite that, I would say that Uncle Walter cooked the frozen prata better than the ones I make at home. To prevent the prata from sticking or burning, I usually add cooking oil to the pan, but this makes the prata oily and more sticky. However, at Prata $1.30, the prata is not oily, and I learned that it’s because Uncle Walter adds water to his pan.
While frozen prata can sometimes end up sticky when not cooked long enough, the one at Prata $1.30 isn’t. My mum commented that it was so easy to bite that my grandma (who doesn’t have strong teeth) would be able to eat it too.
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To add flavour to the prata, we dipped some of it into the curry, which had a watery texture. The curry was also ready-made, and lacked ingredients you see in other prata stalls, like meat and vegetables. Even so, it was flavourful and served its function of adding a spicy kick to the otherwise plain prata.
We also tried the sambal, the only topping that is not ready-made, but cooked by Uncle Walter’s business partner. It had a sweet-spicy taste that reminded us of the nasi lemak sambal that is often eaten with peanuts and ikan bilis.
After our meal, I struck up a conversation with Uncle Walter, and he shared that besides being “lazy”, another reason he doesn’t include other ingredients in his menu is to maintain the affordability of his prata.
He revealed that he used to be poor and wants to offer an affordable option for customers who need it. As he doesn’t use ingredients like egg and cheese, his menu will likely be less prone to price inflation. Thus, he wouldn’t have to cut profits or pass the increased costs to customers.
I asked him about his customer base, and he shared that his stall is patronised by food deliverymen, uncles and aunties, as well as tourists. While he has yet to break even, he hopes to sustain his business by minimising costs.
Who Prata $1.30 is best for
If you’re looking for an affordable breakfast and don’t mind having it plain, Prata $1.30 is suitable for you. While they don’t offer it with egg or cheese, you can pair it with curry, sambal and sugar!
How to get to Prata $1.30
The nearest MRT station is Chinatown (NE4/DT19). Head for Exit C and walk for roughly 6 minutes to Chinatown Centre Food Complex. The stall is located at #02-159.
Do we recommend Prata $1.30?
Yes, we recommend Prata $1.30 for its decent prata at an affordable price point. While the quality can’t compare to handmade prata, it still tastes better than the prata I make at home. Why don’t you give it a shot?
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