Good Zi Char at Big Lazy Chop
A taste of the familiar Short Street joint
First, the name: Big Lazy Chop.
Say it in Mandarin. It sounds dangerously like something you won't utter in polite company. Isn't it just too cheeky and clever? I love it.
The food, however, is less cheeky. What you get is a basic zi char meal - but a very good one.
The kitchen is headed by chef Oh Ah Lek, who has nearly 40 years of Chinese food experience, which is evidenced by his wok hei-heavy seafood hor fun ($7) that we ordered on a whim after a heavy meal.
It was the least photogenic dish of the night, but, for me, the most satisfying. I couldn't stop eating it.
I appreciate that although it is trendy to mix things up and give shocking twists, there are places that you can rely on for an old-fashioned but much-loved taste. Aren't we lucky to have these choices?
My favourite way to eat crab is steamed and unadorned. But the Indo Curry crab ($70 a kg) has become another.
The sauce is made from evaporated milk and, oh, the scent of hae bee (dried shrimps). I love how rich it feels.
It is spicy enough to be engaging, but not too much that you cannot enjoy the sweetness of the flesh of the live Sri Lankan crab.
The Handmade Fresh Crab Money Bag ($20) is made in limited quantities, so try your luck getting an order. Each meaty parcel is packed solid with crab meat. It is a simple but enjoyable way to eat crab.
There is nothing different about the Big Lazy Prawns ($22) - the prawns are deep-fried, end of story - but the accompanying chopped bits? Well, that is a fun "Guess what?" game. The answer is keropok.
The Drunken XL Spare Ribs ($28 ) with butter champagne sauce is more about licking the treacly sauce off the meat than anything.
For me, the one dish that doesn't impress is the seafood paste "you tiao" ($12 ). It is a version of rojak, but not a commanding one.
WHAT Big Lazy Chop
WHERE 1A, Short Street, #01-04
WHEN Tuesdays to Sundays 11.30am to 2.30pm, 5.30pm to 10.30pm
CALL 6238-8443
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