Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Geylang Claypot Rice

Be it the incessant neon lights or simply, the buzzing nightlife, Geylang excites one in every way imaginable. It’s a world of its own here. Same goes for the food. Don’t expect fastfood or coffee chains. Instead, be prepared to indulge in a taste of classic contemporaries ranging from Teochew porridge to beef hor fun to chicken rice to soy base desserts.

Filgrimages (food pilgrimages) are paid to Geylang whenever time permits. The gastronomical experience (on macro or micro scales) is indeed therapeutic, especially after a rough day at work.

Sitting inside the Geylang Claypot Rice restaurant, hordes of passersby provide side-entertainment while waiting for the food to arrive. Are they visitors to the certain even-numbered lorongs? How stereotypical of me. But don’t blame me. I got the same suspicious look from a few taxi drivers when I told them of my mouth-watering destination. That’s part of the fun, perhaps.

Still using charcoal as the source of heat, cooking time takes at least 25 minutes. Therefore, réservez, s’il vous plaît. Opening of the lid revealed a spectrum of brownish hues from the marinated chicken pieces, waxed meat & liver sausages and salted fish. A swirl of dark soy sauce bonded the ensemble with a slightly sweet taste. The fluffy rice added an appetizing factor. What it lacked (personally), was the distinctive charred flavour. However, the fact that the bowl could be scraped clean showed that hygiene was assured. It could have been more flavoursome, definitely.

And the brussels sprouts were fresh, sweet and firm.

The subtly sweet lotus roots made the rather bland braised duck tasted interesting. The soft duck meat contrasted the crispy lotus root slices well. The sweet gravy would have dressed a plate of white rice perfectly while chestnuts and lotus seeds could have added extra sweetness and texture as well.

As interesting as it may sound, the steamed star grouper did not blow the tastebuds out of cosmic proportions. Still delicious, nevertheless. Laced with a seductively red sweet and spicy sauce, the fish was fresh and well-cooked. As with many other fish-steaming styles, the crunchy fried lard bits exhibited a crunchy texture and of course, aroma, as the bits crumble in the mouth.

Accolades for claypot rice are countless and service was efficient on the night of visit.

I’ve once heard of a few famous claypot rice stalls that don’t scrape off the burnt, remaining rice adhered to the lining of the claypot. Apparently, it adds a distinctive flavour to the dish. A fear factor for many, me, on the other hand, don’t mind a little carbon in the body, if it’s delicious. Afterall, how often do we indulge in claypot rice?

Right?

A menu for 2:
Claypot Rice – S$14.00
Brussels Sprout – S$6.00
Lotus Duck – S$10.00
Steamed Star Grouper – S$32.00

Geylang Claypot Rice
No. 639, Lorong 33
Geylang
Singapore 389570
Tel: (+65) 6744 4574/3619
Website: http://geylangclaypot.com

Other review:
ieatishootipost

28 comments:

Kenny Mah said...

Goodness me, they even have a WEBSITE? Claypot rice, meet the Internet Age! :D

J2Kfm said...

they dun scrap the remains and yet serve them to the next customers??? eurgh .... be thankful you're not eating there.

nice shots, and would like to know Geylang better. wanted to book accomodation there, as they're cheaper, but heard so many unfavorable comments, sleazy and all.

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

hahaha..r u sure u didnt visit some un-numbered lorong after a nice meal of claypot rice?..

i dun think choy dam is brussel sprouts.but dun ask me for the correct word haha..

Ciki said...

haro haro.. nice one. unfortunately i don't like claypot rice.. it always looks like how your meal feels on the inside .. all mixed up! hahaha.. but chu get what i mean, dontcha...

Ciki said...

and yes, i am one of those (weird ppl) who would rather my SONG (dishes) not touch my FARN(rice).. borders baby.. borders.. hahaha

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

Filgrimage sounds like flogger. Both so wrong. Maybe that's how fuyoh started as well.

backStreetGluttons said...

We do have at least one cafe who tries to ride on the Geylang name in the wild countryside north of the Dot, no doubt charmed by the Raffles City incredible pedigree

fatboybakes said...

i wonder if that's where our folk song, GEYLANG, SIPAK KU GEYLANG, GEYLANG, SI RAMA RAMA....come to think of it, what the heck does it mean. the claypot rice looks divine.

fatboybakes said...

choy tam is chinese brussel sprouts ma nipples. although chinese brussel sounds likes an oxymoron.... they should call it beijing sprouts or something.

Live2Talk said...

I thought Geylang is a red-light district of Singapore? Never thought there have good food as well. I'm sure your eyes and mouth are enjoying a different kind of feast altogether ;P

sc said...

i like my claypot rice burnt at the bottom...like to scrape it off and devour it..hehehe..weird hor?

Tummythoz said...

Even & odd numbered streets denote the goods/services rendered?

Btw fbb, u really make me lol with your GEYLANG, SIPAK KU GEYLANG, GEYLANG, SI RAMA RAMA ..

choi yen said...

from my knowledge, Geylang = naughty place , hehe, now I know there have good food too ~.~

Unknown said...

that's a new word i learnt today!

have not had claypot rice for quite some time now...

Argus Lou said...

Dear HairyB, I came over from Lyrical's to torture myself looking at your pretty pictures. It's sizzling hot now in Zug, Switzerland, and yet I want a nice curry to make me sweat some more.

Precious Pea said...

For claypot rice, actually the dirtier the pot the better, no? Hehehe but once in a while is ok, just make sure don't eat too often.

HairyBerry said...

kenny, haha! the next thing we know, fishball noodles can be ordered online. 24/7 pulak tu! with free herbal tea with purchase exceeding RM100. wah liao! haha!

j2kfm, hmmm, then again, i believe it will be more "flavourful", right? haha!

glad you liked the shots! well, accom in geylang is definitely cheaper. i wouldnt say that it's all sleazy. try the fragrance or hotel81 groups. they are quite ok. around S$40-50, i believe. let me know if you need info on hotels and all.

joe, confirm. hehe...cos after the meal, no money to wander about d. so, must guai-guai (obedient) take bus and go home lor..haha!

perhaps another variation, me thinks brussel sprouts is choy dam leh. ;)

cumi & ciki, hola hola..hehe...thanks, glad you liked the post! yupe, the dish does look a semi-digested thingy. i guess chap fun (mixed rice) is another story altogether hor? at least everything is still intact..haha!
and yupe, i agree with you. no SONG, no FARN, right? hehe...

lyrical lemongrass, somewhere in my brains, i knew you would disapprove of that word. but filgrimage is not a word like flog leh. and did fuyoh come from aiyoh? hmmm, i'm such a words-destructor hor? interesting, this.

backstreetgluttons, i guess influences are abundant in our beloved southeast asia hor? from the similar names of bakeries to coffee shops to landmarks, bangkok is now in kl while penang is somewhere in singapore. and bread can talk and tell stories. it doesnt get any richer than this.

fatboybakes, sipak ku geylang sounds like, "kick me, geylang" hor? haha! i believe the correct line is "si paku geylang". and the meaning still remains a mystery to me. like chan mali chan. what does chan got to do with kambings? we sooo need to get back to school.

oh, and talk about oxymorons, i realise i do put lotsa in my posts. what irony, eh? hehe...peking sprouts sounds cool, hor? or le sprouts de chinois...woah, that just hiked the price of our beloved choy tam.

HairyBerry said...

live2talk, oh, it is a red-light district. well, only certain even-numbered lorongs. but i go there solely for the purpose of food. good food. really. *smiling with angelic face*..hehehe

sc, no lar, not weird at all. i love the burnt bits. the crunchiness and aroma are awesome! in fact, that's the beauty of claypot rice hor? oh, must have lap cheong (waxed sausages) as well! ;)

tummythoz, i think odd numbered lorongs are where eateries are while certain even numbered lorongs are where "eateries" are lor. specific even numbers? woah, i really dunno leh..really one..haha!

haha, was lol"ing" as sipaku geylang as well.

mimi, haha, that's what i thought too when i first came to singapore. then, after a few outings with the local, i realised geylang is where the feasting action takes place. ;)

keropok man, oh, filgrimage, you mean? me very shiok sendiri, hor? haha!

oh, i heard there's a famous claypot shop at clementi...mau pergi cuba? ;)

argus, hey, thanks for stopping by! and thanks for the compliment on the pictures. i hope it's not too disturbing. lol! a nice curry on a sizzling hot day in zurich? sounds wonderful! we are such a masochistic bunch, arent we? haha!

precious pea, yupe yupe, i agree. it's the dirt, errr, ok lar, burnt bits that enhance the flavour of the rice. like hokkien mee, i guess once in a while is ok lar. oh, talking about hokkien mee. havent had a good one in a lonnggg time already!

Unknown said...

Jom! Let's do a filgrimage to the Claypot Rice in Clementi.

JOjo said...

Is Sg famous for its claypot rice? Most claypot rice i tried in foodcourt is below std but Geylang? Hmm...Never try b4 lei.
But they have this place in Geylang that sells nothing but pork related stuff, from intestine to pork belly to pork stomach, YUMMY!!! Should go try it yourself, i ate dabao but still taste as good =)

ling239 said...

ok ok... tmrw me go find claypot rice !! ^_^

Jason said...

Filgrimage! Such a good word ^^
I don't really like claypot chicken rice too... maybe I'm lazy to eat anything with bones intact.

Shell (貝殼) said...

i prefer the charred rice which stick to the claypot^^

HairyBerry said...

keropok man, jom! let me get the details of that place and will FB you! long time no meet d. ;)

jojo, the claypot rice was ok lar. somehow, it was quite hygienic..hehe...
oh, the pork related stuff, are you referring to the shop occupied by the famous 933 chicken rice stall during daytime? i was so tempted to go and try leh ;)

ling239, yay! and please post it for us to see, ok? i'm thinking of claypot rice now as well. tambah salted fish! yumzzzzzzz.

jason, really ar? then i guess you are a sashimi fan then. i'm lazy as well. especially when it comes to crabs. but fried chicken i dun mind la..hehe

shell (貝殼), yupe, i agree! i think the charred bits really make a different in terms of texture and taste. oh, and the alluring aroma.

Jun said...

"filgrimage" to geylang?? ohhh... now i know why the word "pilgrimage" then ;p

i'm in sg now!! arrives last nite, but gng off tml :(

HairyBerry said...

jun, aiyah, too bad you are flying off tonight...if not, we can makan one more round before you go. anyways, have a safe flight and we'll meet again lar, i'm sure! ;)

PureGlutton said...

I just posted about Claypot Chicken Rice too...but it's in PJ! And the one i had didn't have lapcheong in it, but lots of bombay onions!

HairyBerry said...

pureglutton, really? am going to check it out! wah, imagine claypot rice with both lapcheong and onions...double the shiokness! haha!