Ah Tan Wings - Har Cheong Gai Cutlet @ Yishun Park Hawker Centre

After hearing so much raves about Ah Tan Wings, I finally had the chance to give them a try at Yishun Park Hawker Centre.

This stall specializes in one of Singaporean's favorite tze char dish - the prawn paste chicken, or better known as har cheong gai which is essentially deep fried chicken marinated in fermented prawn paste.

The menu here is simple.

You can buy the chicken wings ala carte at $1.80 each (minimum two pieces), or as a meal with either two wings (Set A $5.20) or chicken cutlet (Set B $6.80). Both meals come with rice and a sunny side up with cucumbers and half a wedge of lemon.

There is also the basic meal (Set C $3.50) which is similar to Set A but only come with one wing and no fried egg.

Claypot & Cooked Food Kitchen - Serving Cantonese Delights @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Claypot & Cooked Food Kitchen at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre specializes in Cantonese-style tze char. The modest menu included their signature claypot pig's liver, har cheong gai, sweet & sour pork, salted fish minced chicken tofu pot, tofu & roasted meat among others.

In the days following up to my visit, I was actually quite looking forward to have their har cheong gai (prawn paste chicken) because honestly, is there anyone who does not like fried chicken?

When the day eventually arrived, I visited the stall with much anticipation but I was taken aback when the lady told me in her heavily Cantonese-accented Mandarin that the har cheong gai is a sauce-less dish which would be too dry to have with rice and refused to process my order.

To be fair, she did not say it outright but I got the signals from her body language. I was waiting for her to give me suggestions on what other dishes to try, however, she turned her back on me, not willing to carry the conversation further.

For a moment, I stood there dumbstruck, trying to comprehend what has just happened. Have I just been told that I am unable to have har cheong gai with rice because it is too dry?

"Huh... then... how?" I asked, totally puzzled by the logic.

"Choose something else" she replied curtly.

I looked up at the signboard and had a quick browse at the menu before I decide to add on a vegetable dish to my fried chicken.

"One kai lan with oyster sauce and one har cheong kai. With rice."

It was only then she picked up the pen and wrote down my order on a piece of paper.

I do not understand what is the issue here with having fried chicken with rice? Is it because I am ordering only one dish therefore she is not too keen in my patronage? I hope that is not her bid to make me spend more because I came alone so how much food can I actually eat?