TacoCat's TrEats #73: Curry Rice that's a (Scissors) Cut Above the Rest ✂🍲

taco.cat (67)in Foodies Unite • 4 years ago

Hey Steemit!

It's time to share yet another one of our recent food haunts we found during quarantine! Even though restaurants and eateries in Singapore have been given the okay to enable dining in (with social distancing measures of course), we've still been limiting our time spent eating out, or just being out in general, to be safe.

So while we were staying at a rented place in town, we would frequently pass by this place called Scissors Cut Curry Rice. Sean mentioned that it was very popular and I'd never heard of it before but the Chinese name intrigued me because it's called 剪刀剪 (jian dao jian) which literally means scissors cut.

Source: The Smart Local

So after doing some shopping at City Square Mall, we decided to try this special scissors cut curry rice on the way back.

It was a little difficult to locate the store because of nondescript it is. They have a big signboard but it's really only noticeable when you're across the street. We were using Google maps and we weren't even sure we arrived at the right place. But the signboard said 剪刀剪 so we figured this must be right.

It truly felt like we just travelled back in time. The walls were all flaky and old, and the signs were just light boxes and boards; not even LEDs.

This side entrance was very inconspicuous. I think it didn't used to be an entrance per se, but rather it used to be doorways for customers and the staff to walk through because there used to be tables outdoors for people to eat al fresco.

But with covid and all, they weren't allowed to have in-house dining, and they actually had a whole other area that was closed off because of the covid measures.

I think those people were the staff or owners, so don't freak out.

Anyway, once we figured this was the right place, we headed inside and were surprised to find that this whole shop was actually just for 1 simple-looking stall:

Granted there was also a drinks stall there too, but this small stall was the nucleus of this whole establishment. And while it may look small, they actually offer quite an array of dishes.

And man, even during this covid period there was quite a line of people!

3.1.jpg

I'm sure you can see even the interior is very traditional-looking. I think this outlet at Jalan Besar is known to be the OG branch, with the old coffee-shop style interior. The metal fans, the white walls that look a little dirty, the brick-like floor tiles, and of course, the standard bright white classroom lights. Even the lone stall made of stainless steel is so classic.

So conceptually, this curry rice stall is basically very similar to practically any economic rice stall, or what is colloquially referred to as 菜飯 (cai fan). Basically you'd order a plate of rice and choose from a vast number of side dishes, topped off with a sauce of your choice (typically curry or black sauce). It's called economic rice because these tend to be one of the cheapest meals you can get from any hawker centre or food court, potentially. The price depends on what dishes you choose and how many you choose of course.

Source: Daniel Food Diary

This is their menu btw, which is really just all the side dishes they offer:

But I guess the main difference between this Scissors Cut Curry Rice and other economic rice stalls is their special Hainanese curry sauce that's known to be thick, gooey and sticky but absolutely delicious.

So Sean bought 2 packs for each of us with different dishes and since we could only take away, we brought it back to our room to eat. The packs were surprisingly heavy and I think Sean accidentally ordered a couple dishes extra so it was a little pricier than we would've liked but it's okay.

When we got back we were excited to open our packs and here they were:

I think this was mine but I can't be sure.

I know it looks like an ugly, gooey mess, but it smelled so good and it was positively scrumptious! The curry was indeed unique; it was a little spicy and slightly sweet, and had a gooey, starchy texture that flowed like lava. It did compromise the crunchiness of the chicken and pork chop that we got but it blended well with the rice and vegetables. Regardless, I'm glad that they were generous with the curry.
Even though it was kind of a mess to eat because it was oozing through the wrapping.

I read that the reason it's called Scissors Cut Curry Rice is not only because they use scissors to cut the pork chops, eggs and other dishes into bite sized chunks. But it's actually because of a tradition started by the owner's great grandfather. When he first started selling curry rice at the Telok Ayer market in the 1930s, there were a lot gangs around and whenever a fight broke out, they would reach for the cleaver used for cutting the food in the market stalls. So his great grandfather switched to using scissors instead! (Cr: ieatishootipost)

To this day the metallic snip-snap sound of the scissors is pretty iconic and lives on with the legacy that's currently in its fourth generation!

Source: ieatishootipost

Overall, I'd say this was indeed a very delicious meal. But other than the curry, the dishes and stuff were pretty much the same as most economic rice stalls. And given how this particular stall was quite out of the way I was expecting a little more. I mean the curry was good, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to buy it again.

I'm not sure why so many people queued up to buy it. I assume they lived nearby but then most coffeeshops and hawker centres have some form of economic rice too that is, more often than not, a safe bet if you choose some standard dishes.

Regardless, I'd say this place is definitely worth checking out especially if you wanna get the experience of eating in a traditional coffee shop. Provided they opened up their in-house dining, of course.

Thanks for reading!