Fried Rice Hawker Says Without FB Posts From “Boy-boys & Girl-girls”, Biz Bad

Things have been quiet at Amoy Street Food Centre since the pandemic started. The two-storey hawker centre in the middle of the Central Business District is reliant on lunchtime crowds of hungry office drones. These crowds have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels – even after up to 75 percent of staff were allowed back to their workplaces in April. Now, it’s back to work-from-home mode after the heightened alert measures kicked in since May.

The simply-named Egg Fried Rice stall opened at the food centre on earlier this year in March, not long before the dine-in ban. The hawkers behind it are long-time chef Liew Soon Ping, 60 and his 55-year-old wife, Fanny Loh (who declined to be photographed). It’s right beside Soon Heng Porridge.

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“Actually, we chose [this location] because of the office crowd – so that we can rest more on weekends [when offices close]!” Fanny laughingly explains in Mandarin. She was working part-time as a cashier in VivoCity previously, but wasn’t getting enough shifts to earn a decent wage.

There was another reason the couple opted for Amoy Street – nostalgia. “I worked at a vegetarian stall in a coffee shop nearby, but that was over ten years ago. I really missed this area,” she says.

Soon Ping, who mans the woks, has “close to fifty years” of culinary experience. He has worked ad-hoc for various zi char joints, hawker stalls and hotels. His most recent gig was a “one to two-year” stint at W Hotel supporting banquets and buffet kitchens, before the Covid-19 pandemic stifled international tourism, wedding banquets and corporate events.

“I’ve got no formal training to speak of, but I’ve been cooking since I finished primary school, across a large variety of cuisines,” the hawker says. The influences from his past experiences are apparent – he and his wife opened a Japanese stall in a food court years back, though they eventually closed it. But why sell egg fried rice now? “Fried rice is a simple dish that’s popular with most people,” Fanny adds.

Photo: Egg Fried Rice

Fanny shares that business dropped by some 40 per cent after the recent Phase 2 (HA) measures were implemented. “There wasn’t much foot traffic to begin with, but it got worse,” she says. Luckily, they got help from kind-hearted “boy-boys and girl-girls (sic) who put us up on [Facebook]”.

These posts managed to give them “a bump in business” for a few days after each post. “Without Facebook, our business would be very, very bad - less than $200 in sales a day,” she adds. “We were quite shocked at the response – because honestly, look at us. We don’t use Facebook.” With the posts, sales went up by about “20 per cent” - but only temporarily.

Unfortunately, things aren’t that much better now that dine-in (limited to 2 pax) has been reinstated. There hasn’t been much of a change, she admits. “The foot traffic still isn’t there.”

Like their name suggests, they serve up egg fried rice — Din Tai Fung-style, which means without bits and bobs speckled within the grains, like char siew, crab stick or other accompaniments you’d find at zi char joints. What is typical of a zi char stall however, is their sambal belacan, served on the side. Toppings-wise, there are seven types: pork chop and shrimp, as well as salmon teriyaki, an omelette with Japanese curry, and stir-fried beef and onions. Everything comes with a simple salad of shredded lettuce and Kewpie sesame dressing. Soon Ping handles a pair of woks, while Fanny manages the deep-fryer, packing and plating of food.

Egg Fried Rice’s version of another Din Tai Fung stalwart is quite enjoyable. The fried pork chop is marinated with five-spice powder and cornstarch before being deep-fried — it’s tender and tasty enough but could be crispier.

Fragrant Thai rice is steamed with a less than usual amount of water to rice for dryer grains. This allows them to be fried within 45 minutes of boiling, rather than after a night in the fridge (using leftover rice is the norm for fried rice). The hawker cracks eggs into the woks before stirring them. Once half-cooked, he adds the rice.

There’s “less oil and seasoning” in the rice here, which in tandem with a side of salad, is the hawker’s way of appealing to the more health-conscious CBD crowd. So while the grains are well-separated with some wok hei, the dish lacks that oily richness which makes it an addictive hawker staple. Texture-wise, the egg fried rice is more homely than anything, as the egg bits differ in size and browning.

Make sure to get some sambal belacan chilli on the side. It lends a much-needed kick – it's spicy, piquant and provides some excitement to the plate of fried rice, thanks to the tangy blend of belacan, garlic and lime juice. Yes, it’s off-brand for DTF-style egg fried rice, but we’re not complaining.

Six plump, though frozen, shrimp top your fried rice. There’s nothing to complain about – the seafood’s fresh enough, with that supernatural bounce you sometimes get from frozen prawns.

The luncheon meat is cut into strips and deep-fried for a brief spell, a process rather similar to the spam fries you’d find at some hipster cafe. Unfortunately, this rendition isn’t crisp enough to be enjoyable. Then again, this is their cheapest offering, so you pay for what you get.

Simple, home-style fried rice that’s less greasy for office workers who want less decadent hawker food. It’s pretty light-tasting, so don’t expect tons of wok hei or seasoning. Stick to the pork chop version, or try the delish-looking omelette and Japanese curry combo which was sold out when we popped by.

Egg Fried Rice is at #01-35 Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Rd, S069111. Tel: 8117-1680. Open Mon – Fri, 9.30am – 6.30pm; Sat, 9.30am – 3pm. Available for delivery on WhyQ.

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Photos: Alvin Teo