CHOW DOWN AT CAMP CANTEENS
Feeling hungry? From sizzling hotplate black pepper chicken chop to sinfully shiok maggi goreng and aroy mak tom yum fried rice, there are no lack of choices in part two of our SAF camp canteen series.//Story by TEO JING TING //Photos by PIONEER PHOTOGRAPHERS
Sizzle up your day
Travelling to Sungei Gedong Camp can be a pain – the super ulu Armour Camp feels like it's as far away from civilisation as Pulau Tekong.
But what you might not know is that the camp has a hidden food gem: Tropicana Canteen.
During lunch time, head chef Ling Han Keong was grilling the chicken chops non-stop as orders kept coming in. Almost every SAF personnel we saw was having the hotplate black pepper chicken chop ($6.50) – a testament to the stall's most popular item.
Coming in a close second was the chicken curry with rice ($5.50) – also served on a hotplate.
Both dishes came with a side of rice and sunny side-up, and an extra side of fries for the chicken chop.
Taste test
Those who know me know that I don't like chicken and that I only eat chicken breast.
But this stall's chicken chop blew me away. The skin of the chicken was crisp but the meat was juicy and tender.
The hotplate sealed the juices of the chicken chop in and seared the meat evenly for some time after it was served, making it perfect for slow eaters.
I found myself reaching for a second bite, and a third. I was a convert.
The homemade black pepper sauce had just the right amount of savoury kick – it was so addictive, I found myself drizzling the sauce over every spoon of chicken, rice, fries and egg.
We also tried their hotplate chicken curry; black and white fried carrot cake; and chicken cutlet wrap.
The portion of the chicken curry was huge, with generous chunks of chicken and potatoes. The curry did not have much spice to it and was a little on the sweet side, which made it easy on the palate.
At $5.50, it is well worth the money.
For me, the next star dish was the chai tow kway (fried carrot cake).
The white version was loaded with chai pok (sweet radish) and the eggs were crisp with an edge of wok hei (the flavour and taste of food stir-fried in a wok). The black version was savoury, eggy and sweet.
This dish could easily rival those popular ones found outside (think a certain famous one in Bedok).
Priced at $4 for an individual flavour and $5 for a mixed plate, the fried carrot cake is often sold out by 10.30am.
Coming back with a bang
Incidentally, the fried carrot cake was part of the revamped menu that Mr Ling introduced after coming back to helm Tropicana Canteen last September.
The 38-year-old began running the stall in 2008. When the pandemic hit, business took a huge dip and he decided to do seafood live selling on Facebook. During that period, his mother, Lee Siew Hong, ran the stall alone.
When he returned last year, he did an overhaul of the menu to revive the business; roped in his wife, Vernice Lim; and took over the main bulk of cooking.
Asked why the hotplate black pepper chicken chop was so popular with his patrons, Mr Ling said: “We use boneless thigh meat as it is softer and tender.”
The wife is always right
Another secret to his success is Ms Lim, who is the pickier eater and official food-tester for everything he cooks.
"I like my chicken skin to be crisp so that’s why I approved his chicken chop. I guess majority like it the same way as me,” said Ms Lim with a laugh.
She's not wrong – Private (PTE) Chew Zhan Eng, who tried the black pepper chicken chop for the first time, loved the crispy chicken skin.
"The skin is crispy, the chicken is tender and it goes very well with the black pepper sauce. In fact, the sauce really elevates the flavour of the chicken!” said the 21-year-old intelligence admin support assistant from Headquarters Armour, who rated the dish 8 out of 10.
Another of the stall's popular items is their homemade pandan waffles – unfortunately, they were unavailable during our visit.
Said to be thicker and more fragrant than the ones sold outside, each waffle is made to be crisp on the outside and soft in the inside. Ms Lim is also very generous with the fillings, which explains why they sell up to 88 waffles a day.
I even overheard an NSF (full-time national serviceman) lamenting to another about how the waffles were not available, and that he usually ordered one every day – guess that's proof enough of how good they are!
