Thasevi Food: Famous Jalan Kayu Prata!
Ah Prata! One of the reasons I left Australia to come back to Singapore! You can't beat fresh Roti Prata and a cup of Teh Tarik for breakfast in the morning! Given that Roti Prata is one of my favouritest foods, its amazing that this is the first Roti Prata I am blogging after over 200 entries!
What better Prata to start with then the arguably most famous Prata in Singapore? Oh yes, its like counterfeit watches, everybody copies only the really famous brands. Similarly, everyone wants to call themselves Jalan Kayu Prata when the fact is that the restaurant does not have any branches! "Jalan Kayu" is synonymous with Prata and the name nowadays means more than a location. It's come to mean a typical style of Prata that Thasevi had made famous ie the small, round and crispy type.
The prata is good. Its crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside and surprisingly, not too oily! My complaint is that it is too small such that you really need to eat 4 to satisfy the prata craving. 4/5 The curry was very tasty and complemented the prata well.
Conclusion
I continue to lament the falling standards and decreasing size of Singapore Prata. This is the most famous prata but even this still falls short of the ultimate prata. My dream prata would be one that is made from Ghee and Evaporated Milk, big, thick, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The last time I had a really memorable one was at the Shangrila Resort in Sentosa during my Wedding Night. (Yes, I remember the prata, can't remember what happened after that). Most of the prata in Malaysia would easily beat Singapore's. For Prata's sake, won't someone just give us an ultimate prata?
Thasevi Food
237 & 239 Jalan Kayu
64811573
Opened 24 Hours
43 comments:
You should try the pratas at Casuarina Curry Restaurant(a.k.a. The Prata Shop).
(126 Casuarina Rd S579514)
It's really soooo much better than what I had at Jalan Kayu. IMO, the standard of pratas at Jalan Kayu has dropped big time! :)
Try the prata at Wisma's food republic..
Yes, I tried Casuarina before. Pretty good but still small and could be better. Another good one is Prata Place, near Casuarina but along the way to Nee Soon Camp.
Raffles City food court also has a good prata which is big. I think the one at Wisma would be similar. Will definitely have to blog this two pratas soon!
I was pretty disappointed with Jalan Kayu's prata when I dropped by recently. It no longer tasted like what I used to remember it to be. Now I'm still in the midst of finding one I really like.
A prata kosong costs USD2.95 where I live (Bay Area, CA). It's like a luxury item. It's definitely much bigger than the Jln Kayu prata, but still darn expensive.
All these famous pratas, be it Jalan Kayu or Casuarina are all over hyped and passed their prime. Thasevi was good in the 80s and Casuarina was never ever good from day one. I tried one from Lot 1 shopping mall's food court and it was close to the Malaysian kind, I guess they must have employed Malaysians.
Hi, I read your blog pretty regularly but this is the first time I'm leaving a comment.
I personally think that the Jalan Kayu pratas are overhyped. The servings are way too small and tend to taste like they were deep-fried in oil. I attribute it to the "crispy prata" fad that has since taken root everywhere. I like my prata the way they used to taste when I was younger; fresh, fluffy but a little "doughy" at the same time. And at least double the size of my girly hands. I can still find these in Malaysia but pretty hard to come by in Singapore.
A really strange place to find what I deem decent prata is the little cafe in Jurong West Community Library (I think it's called Frontier Cafe). It's in the new Frontier Community Club building (across the street from Jurong Point). There is a minimum order of 2 pieces for kosong prata, but it's not a big problem for me. :) The banana prata is not bad too. I only go for the prata so I don't know what else is good/bad. The cafe is well patronised during library opening hours but people don't seem to know that it's also open when the library is not. Check it out if you're in the area.
try the one at Blk 24 sin ming road #01-51 7am-6pm. This was formerly from Cluny Park.
I find their roti to be excellent. Try the cheese and egg. Crisp on the outside, slightly fluffy inside. Their plain prata sometimes may not be fluffy, but when they get it right, is excellent.
Chicken cashew curry is also very good.
pchong
Wow, judging from the no. of comments, I think Roti Prata is a dish that is closed to many a foodie's heart!
Yes the one at Sin Ming Blk 24 is good. Roti Prata is a favourite food in Spore, cheap and good, 0.60 to 0.80 get you a delicious morning breakfast.
hahha, roti prata is definitely something that is close to singaporean's heart. theres this one along upper thomson road, near the old upper thomson road(taggore ave there), i cant really remember the shop name. but its a shophouse with aircon. quite a decent place with a huge crowd during lunch time. their teh tarik is AMAZING. super thick. the pratas were fabulous too!!
Hi Ping...yes the Jurong West Community's prata is good...most people I see order that...they could do with a better gravy though...it leaves a certain after taste in my mouth....
I think the best prata is the Casuarina want , especially the cheese prata
Wow, there's a wide selection of recommended prata places. But i do agree with ieat that standards have dropped and nowhere near to malaysia's standards.
If I will come out with an explanation, it may have to do with the owner's attitude. I noticed that roti prata stalls service is always poorer compared to other food stalls and alot of the stalls always cook alot of pratas in advance, n thus we customers have to eat soggy and cold pratas.
Thus I believe that the stall owners must have pride in their food, just like the teochew ah Hia.
If there's a biz owner who is willing to bring in good prata and at good service, i believe all the so-called good prata shops will come to an end.
I tried eating at Jln Kayu and end up with stomach upset.... Still prefer the one at Kallang 24 hrs prata shop at the shop house facing the interchange.... Think it's better than Jln Kayu.
prata at Suntec City's Congress Kopi Tiam is the one i like best. Esp. the cheese prata. (using grated cheese, for more even taste, not the square-ish ones like other places use).
but the queue is pretty long on weekends. the laksa in that Congress kopi tiam is good too.
so what i do is - i dip the prata into the laksa. :) and not use the curry from the prata stall. haha :)
Another "Nasi Lemak" war. =p
How individuals like their prata to be done is rather subjective, really.
IMO, as long as it's freshly made on-the-spot (NOT SQUASHED AND LEFT TO COOL), HOT & CRISPY - now even crispiness level also arguable -For me I'd love it best crispy throughout, but not to the point of biscuit-like crisp, if you get what i mean. My minimum level is crispy outside, fluffy inside.
As long as it's FRESH, HOT & CRISPY, period.
@liverpool1965
I usually take very little of the prata curry so I really can't tell. My favourite is the banana prata which is good enough on it's own usually. :)
@Holy Drummer
I agree. I'm usually count my blessings when the prata arrives fresh and hot.
I agree that standard of Thasevi has dropped over these years, however IMO, this is still the best prata around. Been eating at Thasevi since they were at Tong Lee Rd, together with the Chinese Tze Char stall. Still remember the days when all the pratamen stood outside the shop flipping their dough.
Now...what's this thing with "crispy" prata??? Good pratas are supposed to be fluffy and soft and I'm glad Thasevi's remains as such.
sh: Thanks for jolting my memory! I did notice the one at Suntec but it is always so crowded! I have a feeling that the best pratas are going to be found in more high end places like congress, wisma food republic and Raffles City. That's because they are willing to make it bigger and better but charge a higher price for it. At the end of the day, the hawkers need to feel they can charge more without fearing that customers will shy away. I think that is the main problem with the Non-foodcourt hawkers!
hihi. i think theres this coffeeshop in marine parade that sells not bad prata! its the one facing the neighbourhood police post near the disfunct-for-the-longest-time cinema.
by the way, what camera are u using?
ya, I like the Suntec prata too, mainly coz its served hot and fresh :D
i went to suntec tonight. coz your prata post made me crave for it. they moved to the other end of the 'floor' near the joaqim buffet/starbux. and..no more fresh prata! so so sad. they made the prata up stairs and bring them downstairs. you can only order plain/egg/onion. no more cheese. no more martabak. and the prata is really bad. coz all they do is just reheat it. ick. i'm still licking my wounds. there's no queue, and it was really quiet. the laksa is still quite okay. but not as good anymore.
they said someone else bought that spot so they had to change the way they do things.
and guess who's coming in instead? Food Republic. argh. i miss my prata man. *sob*
Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!!!!!
Yes , i agree that the suntec prata was good when there is a queue as the prata is fresh and crispy. It drip well with the curry sauce . But last thursday , pass by the place , it had shift to the other end of the area near starbuck , so no queue and the prata man was not there too.
Hi ieat
have you tried Zam Zam yet? I know how to get there but am not sure of the adress. Its near bugis junction and is opposite the Sultan Mosque i think. They serve a fairly mean murtabak and their prata is not too bad as well. think the have been at it for more than 50-60 years.
cheers!
My current favourite prata is at Samy's located at Marina Square food court.
Their fluffy pratas are prepared freshly upon order and goes very well with their curries.
after some years I went there this morning. Roti prata is still ok but the mutton and fish curry horrible.The boss has an attitude problem and I noticed less people there. Now the better roti prata shop nearby is at Upp. Thomson, The Prata Shop just beside Thomson Post Office.
Sorry I am referring to the roti prata stall at Block 24 Sin Min Road (the boss with bad attitude)
anyone knows where is the chinese guy who used to sell pratas in Jurong and then later set up a partnership with national swimmer Leslie at Blk 644 Hougang ?
his shop is known as Best Roti Prata. went to 644 Hougang but his shop been taken over by an indian prata operator.
According to a friend of mine who stays in the Jalan Kayu area, apparently the owners of the former Thasevi sold their business to the present Thasevi. Which imo explains the sudden drop in the yumminess factor.
I went there last week and find the curry chicken is not as good as it was before (more than 2 years back). The curry was dilute and bland, only got yellow colour. There may be a change in ownership or chef. Maybe should ask the brother ( who operates a stall at Defu Lane 10 )of the original owner of Jalan Kayu roti prata whether there is a change at Jalan Kayu.
I just had Jalan Kayu Prata today..sigh, I should have checked this website before going..the crowd was there BUT the prata was the size of my small palm minus my fingers! The chicken curry tasted like chinese chicken soup. The mutton curry was good though. Obviously 2 pieces was not enough for lunch.
Can someone resuscitate the Suntec prata to a better venue?
I just took pics at a prata place which has quite a good prata. Will publish it soon!
The prata at Thasevi is over-rated.
I am not pleased that they now charged 50cents for fish curry when requested for a change from mutton (the standard offering).
So far, it is the only prata shop I know which charges for additional curry gravy which is below par!
Hi, if you want to learn more about Jalan Kayu and its history, why not visit the Jalan Kayu Trail?www.jalankayutrail.blogspot.com
The Jalan Kayu Trail Team.
Ausgezeichnetes Blog für lokale Nahrung. Empfohlen Gefährtedeutschen.
we waited 1.5hrs for average food. Drinks served together with food so basically we were sittin there for 1.5hrs with no food or drinks. Standards have DROPPED
hey crystal red shrimp,
english will do, other languages not required! ;)
btw, it translate to "Excellent Blog for local food. Recommended (for) fellow Germans."
btw sorry for off topic!
crystal red shrimps: i was into shrimps before, now still am!! ;)
will start my shrimps again when my fish tank is available again!
You should try the Boomb prata at Sim Lim. It uses Ghee and condence milk in their prata. Its big, thick, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside! U must go and try.
Hi=) I'm a prata lover myself too=)
Try Spize=)
It's located near Great World City and they are opened till pretty late at night.
*It was opened at 3am the last time I went there after a midnight movie*
The prata (especially mushroom + cheese) is not bad. However, sometimes the crowd gets a little too huge and thus, by the time the prata is served, it isn't as tasty as it should be.
how come nobody talk about thasevi's chicken briyani.....its amazing just try it out and u will love it.... probably the best briyani i have tasted around much better than their prata
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