The Dead Cockroach: The Asian Makanstall - Chicken Briyani @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

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Update: The Asian Makan Stall has renamed to Onion Mamak Stall and relocated to another stall at the same food centre. The address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

The Asian Makanstall at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre has been around since 2017 but in all honesty, I have not heard of them before.

Their odd location at the food centre might be the reason why people walked by without even realizing they are there as they are hidden from view behind some pillars.

In aquarium speak, the stall is located at a dead water zone where the current (customers) does not flow through.

If it is of any help, the stall is situated at the blue zone of the food centre right next to 二姑糖水, or along the same row as Babas Peranakan.

The stall name is not quite telling as to what they sell but according to Google, the Chinese-owned stall started off selling Fuzhou oyster cake and nasi briyani (chicken/mutton).

Yes, you heard me right. Stalls specializing in Fuzhou oyster cake are usually standalone stalls so it is quite unusual to come across one selling other food items particularly one that is from another ethnicity.

They have since included rojak, glutinous rice and tau pok pau on the menu.

I decided to give their chicken briyani ($4) a try and planned to arrive at 11.30am for brunch. I was merely ten minutes later than scheduled and I was duly informed that mine was the last plate.

Either they cook just enough to sell out in a couple of minutes after opening, or they started operations way earlier than the 11.30am as stipulated on their Facebook.

I was stupefied and had forgotten to ask if they would be cooking more to replenish the stock. After all, the stall closes at 5pm which is still a couple of hours away.

I watch on as the stall owner scraped clean the bottom of the rice bucket to pile my plate with as much rice as he possibly could. Since mine is the last plate, I wonder if the portion given is lesser than usual but it is filling enough for me.

I did not come with any high expectations for this Chinese briyani however, as I sent a spoonful of the long-grain rice into my mouth, my eyes lighted up.

Since the rice is not oily, it felt rather light on the palate. It is also loosely separated with no clumps at all. There is the aromatic fragrance of spices without being overpowering.

The curried chicken leg is placed on one side of the plate with gravy drizzled over it. It does not come with extra gravy in a bowl.

I polished off all the rice and saved the chicken leg for the last. Its texture is tenderly soft and tasted exactly like how one from a regular Indian stall should be.

I am impressed with the stall's competence in its briyani dish. I would say it is quite legit. It would take me a million years to figure out that it is cooked by a non-Indian!

Despite the portion of the rice is not as much as one coming from the Indian stall, or the smaller-sized chicken leg in comparison but for the price ($4), it is good value.