The Dead Cockroach: Rolina Curry Puff @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre

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I have long heard about Rolina Curry Puff but all this while, I had assumed that it is the name of a Muslim woman selling it.

After some snooping around online, however, I realized the truth was far from it!

On the contrary, the business was started by Uncle Tham, who learnt his craft from a Hainanese sailor when he was 19. To make a living, he began selling his handmade Hainanese curry puffs in front of Novena Church.

And, if you have not already guess by now, Rolina is actually a mispronunciation of the word "Novena" by a customer.

Rolina offers both the traditional Hainanese-styled curry puff and sardine puff. I decided to order one each which costs me $3 for both so I assumed they are priced at $1.50 per piece.

I have heard that Rolina's puffs were small in size and when I saw it myself, I had to agree. The curry puff is already small enough but the sardine puff is even smaller (refer to first photo on top).

This make me wonder does Rolina's puffs warrant the $1.50 price tag?

Well, despite its size, the puffs are very plump. When I broke them in half, the contents spilled out (I have to push them back into the pastry for the cross-section photo).

The pastry skin is thin and crispy just how I like it. The ones from you-know-where franchise is too thick and floury for my liking.

So how do they taste?

The curry puff ought to be the spiciest I have had so far although the spiciness is still manageable. You can even see bits of the rempah inside!

It contained a quarter slice of a hard-boiled egg and I read from reviews chicken meat too. I did not notice any chicken meat myself while savoring the puff. It is not too big of a problem for me as my favorite part of the curry puff is still the potato cubes.

As for the sardine puff, it did not have the straight-out-of-the-can sardine taste. I believe the sardines were fried with onions, chili and perhaps some secret recipe before being stuffed into the pastry. It is kind of sweet, yet with a sting from the chili.

If you ask me, I kind of prefer their sardine puff more than the curry puff.

Do I think Rolina's puffs justify the $1.50 price tag? Considering it's a recipe of more than 50 years and it's all handmade, I give a resounding yes!