The Dead Cockroach: 651 Ayam Penyet @ 651 Jurong West Street 61

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Not many people know about this but I have a spreadsheet where I bookmark all the interesting food places that I have come across on social media.

They are arranged according to district, followed by postal code and unit number in running order for ease of classification so I could check them out whenever I have the opportunity to.

Recently, I had plans to get some stuff from Decathlon beside Joo Koon MRT Station so I checked my spreadsheet and found some to-eat suggestions one station before it at Pioneer MRT Station.

One of the earliest stall here to make it into my list, is the infamous Ah Lian Bee Hoon - a title that NTU students bestowed upon the stall owner with the terrible attitude.

Think of it as our version of Karen's diner where customers get scolded and disrespected.

Regrettably, I have yet to experience the stall's ~~hospitality~~ hostile-tality for myself whose actual name is really Bai Li Xiang Economic Bee Hoon (百里香经济米粉) because they only open from 6pm onwards.

I could only opt for the next stall on the list which is 651 Ayam Penyet.

Although the stall has only been here for six months, their reputation are renowned among NTU students as they were previously from NTU canteen 2.

I ordered their signature ayam penyet set ($6.80) that comes with a chicken leg sprinkled with crispy batter bits, a mound of rice laden with gravy, a leaf of lettuce, cucumber slices, two cherry tomatoes and sambal.

It would be nice if tau kwa, tempeh and a bowl of soup could be included to make the set even more complete.

What stood out for me is definitely the chicken leg. One look and I am allured by its beautiful golden skin. It is so crisp it crackles when I push the fork through it.

One thing that I cannot tolerate when having chicken is seeing the bone still oozing with blood and the meat pink.

I like my chicken thoroughly cook but not overcooked. It takes certain experience to achieve that fire controlling skills and this stall managed to do just that.

Although deep-fried, the chicken is not oily at all while the meat remain moist and tender. The well-marinated meat is flavorful even at the thicker parts.

I can see why the ayam penyet is such a hit at NTU.

Initially, I thought the gravy laden over the rice is lontong however, it turns out to be curry which is more intense and spicy. I like it so much I will return just for their curry chicken stew.

A word of caution here - please get yourself a cold drink beforehand as their sambal is quite pedas.

The tip of my tongue is burning from the sambal but nobody came to ~~my rescue~~ take my order for a drink. I am unable to leave my food unattended to get myself one either as there are 'bomber' birds lurking around.

Left with no choice, I pressed my tongue against the cooling cucumber for some instant relief.

Thankfully, I survived.

Apart from ayam penyet set, the stall serve ayam kukus set, curry chicken stew set, nasi lemak, lontong, and mee rebus as well.

An assortment of fried ingredients are also available for ala carte add-on.

The coffee shop is located below the multi-storey carpark just outside Pioneer MRT Station.

I still hope to check out ah lian bee hoon someday although having char bee hoon for dinner feels a tad too heavy for my liking. I hope they cater to the morning crowd soon.