Oo's Kitchen - Serving Roti Prata from frozen is only ok at home!

Oo's Kitchen, Shop 3, 387 Fullarton Rd, Fullarton

Oo's Kitchen at 387 Fullarton Road is a newly established restaurant serving what they claim as authentic Singaporean food. Having been to Singapore before and experiencing the perpetual food hangover that comes with visiting the food haven, I was hoping for food of the standard Singaporeans are most famed for.

Once seated, we decided to order some Chinese tea for the table. This was cold. Not even warm. Like how could anyone get this wrong? Boil water and pour on tea leaves. It felt like this tea pot was filled and then left to sit for hours. This is not acceptable, not off to a good start.

Trying not to be put off, we concentrated hard on ordering to minimise food choice disappointment. One entree, three mains, roti prata and rice were chosen to be shared among four. The entree was Ngoh Hiang, deep fried steamed roll wrapped in traditional beancurd sheet with minced chicken, water chestnut and carrot. The bean curd skin of the Ngoh Hiang was crispy without being oily, while filling was pleasant enough with hints of sweetness from the water chestnut.

Oo's Kitchen, Singaporean, Fullarton, Asian, Malaysian, Curry, Adelaide, Food, SA, Redang

Ngoh Hiang - $4.90

One of my boyfriend's ultimate favourite dishes is Beef Rendang. This Beef Rendang was pleasant but did not carry the depth of flavour or heat of a great Beef Rendang. However, the beef pieces were tender which deserves kudos as this is notoriously hard to do. Also, the serving size of the dish was a bit of a let down.

Beef rendang - $12.90

Similar to the Beef Rendang, the Creamy Fish despite being listed as Oo's speciality was nice but not amazing. Despite the lashings of curry leaves in the dish, this did not seem to penetrate through to the creamy sauce. Also this dish, as well as the Rendang, came out tepid - much like the tea we were served earlier.

Creamy fish - $13.90

By this stage we were really wishing for something to act as the savior for our dinner. This did not come in the shape of the Asam Fish Curry. Asam Fish Curry is a Nyonya (descendants of 15th and 16th century Chinese immigrants the Malaysian/Singaporean/Indonesian region) dish and has elements of both spicy and sour. While this dish had those elements and the fish was tender, punching flavour that one associated with Singaporean food wasn't there. It was like a watered down version. Watered down with tepid water version.

Asam Fish Curry - $13.90

And the final, and largest disappointment of the night? Being served roti prata that was obviously reheated from a packet. This is the same roti we buy from the Asian grocers and fry up for breakfast at home. You can get a pack of 6 for $3. Highly recommend for curry dinners at home but how can this be served as "authentic" Singaporean food? They didn't even go to the effort to fluff the roti - you ALWAYS fluff the roti. A Singaporean would be appalled!

Roti Prata - $2.00

Jess gives Oo's Kitchen 10/20 chops on The Chopping Board.

Food: 5/10
Ambience: 2.5/5
Service: 2.5/5 (wasn't good, wasn't terrible)

3 comments:

Anonymous25 September 2013 at 22:15
I am Singapore resident and I know what authentic food is tasted like in Singapore, unlike visitors that only been there for xxx times. I agreed the roti prata is a let down but I must say most of the food in Oo's kitchen is made with love and passion. I bet you didn't speak to the owner & chef and learn how they start up and run the business. Go beyond the taste and discover how food is made in a commercial kitchen.
There are definitely room for improvements on decor and services. But I'll support the newly established business rather than be a whinger! And know to take pictures with phone (presumably) and write a few words on it do not make you a foodie!
Adelaide Chopping Board3 October 2013 at 07:21
Anonymous, thanks for taking the time to make your comment. However, I can't see how food with love and passion can be served 1) in such small serves 2) cold and presented badly and 3. with little to no service. Did the chef make an effort to come out to speak with us, the patrons, to express his passion and love? Well, no because NONE of the staff were engaging. Also, "go beyond taste"?- food is ALL about the taste! In your comment you failed to mention the food at Oo's based on taste, despite saying that you are a solid reference coming from Singapore yourself . For a culture with notoriously high food standards, this place would not stay open a day in Singapore.

The Chopping Board