Sunday, August 16, 2020

Emo Snacks (饿魔小吃) - Taiwan Bentos, Fried Chicken, Milk Teas @ 223 Geylang Road [Singapore] #emosnacks #geylang

On weekday mornings, the first thing after i stepped out of my house is to tune in to UFM100.3 and on one particular day; the presenters were talking about this relatively new eatery called 饿魔小吃 which is literally translated as hungry demon's snacks! However, they used the Chinese hanyu pinyin pronunciation of hungry demon for the name; hence, emo.

Anyway, i was curious about the shop, especially all the talk about its braised pork rice and milk tea, and went all the way to Geylang one Sunday afternoon; WALKING under the hot sun from Paya Lebar MRT station and bypassing Aljunied MRT station! The strong air-conditioning that greeted us upon entering already made me super happy! 

Despite the small dining area, there were a few captivating features in the shop; one of which is the neon outline of the hungry demon mascot! It has horns, pitchfork, a forked tail, drooling mouth and the Chinese character, hunger, written on its tummy! 

With demons, there should always be a counterbalance with angels although it would just be a pair of angelic wings; waiting for a willing volunteer to wear it to defeat the hungry demon.

Not sure if we fit the bill but i think my friend looked more ready! Haha! 

There were also two claw machines in the area; i know they are popular but aren't they a waste of precious dining space? Oh well, maybe they were brought in given the safe distancing measures imposed by the authority due to the pandemic.

Interesting way to order; scan the QR code on your table! Technological changes have now rendered tablets as redundant for ordering as a high percentage of the population has a smartphone and maintaining a website is less costly than having to maintain both the tablets and the website.

My order; hardly any sweat! But for those who still prefer the manual way, as in call the service staff over and place your order; you can still do so. 

Note: there's a spicy challenge for the snacks you order with a spicy option. Known as SMLJ (same acronyms we used for a vulgar term), it's assumed you would go for the middle option if you fail to indicate the spicy level on your order; i learnt that the hard way. 

XXXL Crispy Chicken Chop - opting for the spicy version, i was expecting an uncut piece so that i can better visualize how XXXL it is compared to its competitors. With famous Taiwanese brands like Devil's Chicken and Monga Chicken setting up shop in Singapore selling Taiwanese chicken chops, the one from Emo Snacks was up for a stiff competition. 

Taste was pretty good with flavourful batter although it was too thick for my liking. I also regretting the spicy version as the default 50% spiciness was way over my threshold and it's the kind of numbing spiciness that stayed in my mouth for  a while! 

Oolong Milk Tea - up-sized, with 50% sugar and pearls, this was a thirst quencher and comparative in taste with my favourite one from Koi! I did order a normal milk tea for Alex but maybe because i took quite a while to get home (went for durians at Ah Di after the meal), the ice had melted and Alex was quite unhappy with the beverage.

Braised Pork Rice - i often shared with my friends that i don't enjoy the main meals when i was in Taiwan in 2014. One of the things i liked better then was luroufan (braised pork rice) and during the circuit breaker period in Singapore, i am a frequent patron of Jiak by Jin Feng (金峰) at Northpoint

At only S$4.90, it's cheaper with a bigger portion than Jiak (a takeaway outlet). Some of you might also be happy to note that the meat wasn't as fatty as the ones from Jiak and the egg had an almost runny yolk. 

The nice old taste of braised pork although those looking for something out of ordinary might be left disappointed. I thought the braised gravy was also on the bland side and hence, required the assistance of the crunchy preserved vegetables to up the flavour.    

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For the price i paid, including the mala chicken rice; it didn't burn a hole in my pocket. Food was decent (the mala chicken rice's spiciness was seriously no joke), service was friendly and i got to become an angel.   

Address
223 Geylang Road,
Singapore 389283

Map

As above.

Operating Hours
Mondays - Closed
Tuesdays to Thursdays - 11.30 am to 11.00 pm
Fridays to Sundays - 12.00 pm to 12.00 am

Website

Pricing
XXXL Crispy Chicken Chop - S$6.50
Oolong Milk Tea (Upsize with Pearls) - S$4.50
Braised Pork Rice - S$4.90
(No GST, No Service Charge)

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