Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Growing up, Western food was always my go-to for a hearty meal, especially in school. The greasy goodness never fails to hit the spot and leave me with a happy belly.
I’ve heard a lot about this particular Western stall in Seletar which does Western food the old-school way. Many people seem to love it, so I decided to head down to find out why.
Seletar Western Food (實里達西餐) is tucked away in Seletar Corner (茶室), a rather obscure coffee shop.
At first glance, you’ll probably not even realise that the coffee shop is in operation. It looked like a scene taken out of a history textbook. You’d never have guessed that it’s a pretty popular spot for Western food.
Interestingly, the current owner has only been in charge for about four years. According to him, however, the stall has been around for about 20 years.
It turns out that the Malaysian-born owner took over the stall from its original owner who retired then. The current owner has been running the stall with his own staff since.
The owner recommended to us his most popular dishes and we started off with their Fish & Chips 鱼扒 (S$7.50). It was a dish many customers were ordering too, so we had high expectations for it.
To our delight, the fish fillet came in a pretty large portion. It also had the right amount of batter coating the fillet firmly.
Cutting into the softly crisp batter revealed glistening fish meat. Moist and flaky, the fish made for a perfect complement to its thin and crispy batter.
I’ll be honest, there wasn’t much seasoning in the fish itself. However, there was something about the simplicity of the dish which kept us going back for more. Every bite of the fish oozed with juice and before we knew it, the plate was empty!
We also tried Seletar Western Food’s most popular dish of all time, the Chicken Chop 鸡扒 (S$7). Having heard so much about it, I was really looking forward to trying it.
The dish came with a huge slab of chicken meat. They also slathered it with a generous amount of sauce, covering almost every inch of the chicken.
Just the fragrance of the deep-fried chicken was already making us salivate, an indication of good things to come.
Every bite we took oozed with juice and there wasn’t one bit which was tough or rubbery. We were very impressed, as such, that they managed to nail the doneness on the chicken.
As for the sauce itself, we couldn’t quite make out what it was made with. It had a very mild flavour profile with a tinge of saltiness. The closest food we could relate it to is marmite.
Despite its mild flavours, however, the thick sauce, together with the meat, created a flavourful bite.
Hello! 鸡排: Old-school Western food by young blood from $7.50
Last but not least, the owner recommended we try the Pork Chop 猪扒 (S$7). I was sceptical initially, as pork is infamous for being a difficult kind of meat to cook well. Overcook it a little and it’ll be tough and dry.
However, the two pork cutlets turned out to be one of the better ones we’ve had.
For one, it was perfectly chewy, oozing with all its simply irresistible oily goodness.
Not only that, but it also had a thin layer of batter which gave a delightful crunch.
Flavour-wise, though, the pork was a little bland on its own. Fortunately, it came with the same sauce as the Chicken Cutlet which added a much-needed boost in flavours.
Nonetheless, we unanimously agreed it was a very impressive pork dish for a hawker setting.
For every dish, Seletar Western Food serves a variety of side dishes. As per our local style, baked beans and fries are quintessential items. But they weren’t anything to rave about since they were store-bought.
Every dish also comes with a side of vegetables which consisted of lettuce and cucumbers. We felt the lettuce deserved a special mention since they were freshly-prepared.
What really hit the spot, though, were the buns. Even though they were store-bought, their greasy crust and buttery interior momentarily took us back to our childhood days.
We recommend tearing them into smaller pieces and using them to wipe up the remaining sauce on the plate. Trust us, you’ll thank us later as the bun soaks up all the incredible flavours on the plate.
The prices here at Seletar Western Food are certainly in the average range.
That said, they’re pretty generous with their portions and serve up simple and comforting dishes. I can definitely see myself returning for a taste of their nostalgic food, I’ll tell you that!
Expected damage: S$1.50 – S$12 per pax
Sweet Garden Dining Cafe: No GST & service charge at ex-5-star hotel chef’s Western cafe
