UPDATE JUL 2020: Ted’s Kitchen has closed. Stay tuned for further updates from the chef’s next adventure!
Young hawkers have, at least for the last few years, became the mark of innovation in what is already one in SIngapore (food hawker culture). With a new enterprising approach to a bold career path that many generations of Singaporeans have taken, they seek to stir the pot and (definitely will) bring about new flavours. I will of course from time to time, #supportlocal and regularly feature these brave vanguards of food culture.
Ted’s Kitchen
The good thing about starting off as a food hawker outweighs the perceived lack of prestige; a smaller overhead means flexibility to explore operationally and creatively, and generally mature as a food entrepreneur. Just being opened for less than 2 weeks at the time of visiting, Ted’s kitchen is one such outfit that serves food with gusto. Chef Thad, the young owner, had a wish to serve quality western food at pocket friendly prices after graduating from the prestigious Enderun Colleges. At first thought, being situated in a industrial estate’s local kopitiam may not be the ideal starting point; but it does keep Ted’s life a bit more secure as compared to opening shop in some hipster district in town or *worse* a shopping mall.
Food-wise, Ted’s keeps it simple: get a pasta (just spaghetti for now) with your choice of style, add some meat for just $7! Then, get yourself some nice sides like cheese fries or their signature chicken wings to snack along!
The star of Ted’s is their chicken cutlet: coated with a light batter and deep-fried perfectly, golden brown, to lock in flavours of the chicken thigh, and it was delightfully juicy. At the end, I wolfed the entire cutlet down not having the ‘jelat’ (cloyed for you non-Singlish speakers) as it was not crusted excessively with flour and not overtly salty. The pasta (I got it aglio olio style) was also served al-dente and does not fight for attention with the protein. The serving size is also very generous, which Chef Thad says is a hit with the blue collar workers that have grown a following to his cooking.
For good measure we also got the carbonara pasta with turkey ham to try out. The flavour was wholesome, although the consistency was a wee bit runnier than what you’d usually get at Italian restaurants. To that, Chef Thad says he’s working on perfecting his sauce and we can all expect more from him!
In fact, over the week his business has built up so much, now he has to install a queue system and extended his service hours!
Verdict
hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”5″]
The kopitiam they’re in is indeed quite out of the way (a 7-10 minute stroll from Paya Lebar MRT station) and nondescript so yes, 5 stars to that.
Price: [star rating=”4.5″]
$7 does give you more than enough to fill your tummy! Don’t let the size of the plate fool you, it’s a trap!
Quality: [star rating=”4″]
As the chef fine-tunes and expands his already “solid” recipes, his existing menu like the cutlets won’t let you down (please get it)!
Overall: [star rating=”4.5″]
A new entrant to the unique western food hawker culture in Singapore, Ted’s is doing something right here, and it can only get better. I was already bugged to return for more, which I definitely will!
More Information
Ted’s Kitchen
30 Eunos Road 5
Singapore 400030
Operating hours (it varies so read here)
CLOSED ON MONDAYS
Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 11:30am to 3:00pm
Thursdays & Fridays: 11:30am to 8:00pm
Saturdays: 11:30am to 9:00pm
Sundays: 11:30am to 5:00pm
Email (orders in advance available): tedskitchensg@gmail.com
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