Strange as it may seem, there is only one stall I patronise for my pre-concert meals at Esplanade Theatres By The Bay. And that is Syifa' Satay. The reason is very simple. I need a quick and not too heavy meal before attending evening concerts at Esplanade. The dishes served by Syifa' Satay fulfill that need, besides being the best Malay dishes I ever had in Singapore.
It started with a simple Soto Ayam, chicken soup, in this case I take it without noodles or rice cake (ketupat) and just with bean sprouts (taugeh). The first spoonful of soup made the difference - I have not had a soto dish this good. Add a small bit of chilli, and the soup flavour is just heaven. The chicken chunks are substantial and one bowl can easily fill two persons.
Then I had the Satay - usually a mix of chicken, beef and mutton. Seldom has satay tasted this good - tender, flavoursome, and eaten with cut cucumber and onion in a thick peanut kuah. Every stick is freshly prepared, and is never over-grilled. There is enough oil to keep the flavour in but not too much. Every stick (I usually have ten) is savoured to the last morsel. To put it on record, this is my favourite satay in all of Singapore. The many stalls at Satay Club by Lau Pa Sat come nowhere near.
The third dish is probably the healthiest - Tahu goreng - which has a generous helping of grilled tofu and lots of julienned vegetables. I take that whenever I prefer a vegetarian option, and it too has never disappointed.
Finally, I want to give the proprietors a shout out. They are possibly the friendliest people in all of Esplanade. Desmond, Umi Faridah and kitchen maestro Sheila (the latter two own the stall) always greet me with a smile, and I know I'm going to have a great meal, and a great concert to follow!
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