Makan Makan Review: Halal Grilled Beef Ribs, Ayam Penyet And More At Marina Square

Some of the places I’ve visited either have the chicken too dry or oily, so I would usually go for the ayam bakar, AKA grilled chicken, instead. Nevertheless, when I heard about Makan Makan , I was looking forward to seeing what they had to offer.

Food at Makan Makan When we were browsing the menu, I realised that various items were not available during our visit, so we had to settle for the limited range of choices, which was a tad disappointing. Nonetheless, we began our meal on a high note with the Thai Sauce Fried Beancurd ($5.50++) , a popular appetiser.

This was easily my favourite dish of the entire meal because of how simple yet flavourful it was. The combination of the silky beancurd centre with the crispy skin that absorbed the sweet. Spicy sauce, along with the crunchy peanuts, fresh onions, and cilantro, made the dish satisfying enough that I found myself going in for seconds.

Next up was the signature Ayam Penyet D’Penyetz ($9.20++) with plain rice ($1.50++) , which I had high hopes for. While it did look promising, I felt that the battered chicken skin lacked the crispiness I was hoping for.

It was fragrant and neither too sweet nor oily, with a slight tang from what seemed to be lime. It gave the dish an addictive, spicy kick which helped to offset the greasiness of the fried chicken.

The fried tofu and tempeh were nothing much to shout about, but with all of the dish’s components combined, it was overall a decent and rather filling meal. To switch things up, we got the Iga Bakar Kecap ($16.50++) with plain rice ($1.50++) , AKA Javanese-style grilled beef ribs. This was my first time seeing this dish served in an ayam penyet restaurant, so I was looking forward to trying it.

When it comes to beef, I feel that it’s easy to make the mistake of overcooking it, resulting in a tough and chewy texture. I appreciated the umami kick that came with the sweet soya sauce marinade, but it was still a bit too sweet and salty for my liking. To cleanse our palette, we went for the Ice Happy Soda ($3.50++) , a popular Indonesian drink comprising carbonated water, condensed milk, and coco pandan syrup.

This was quite a shock as I’m not someone who likes sweet drinks, but you might like it if you have a major sweet tooth. 30 Funan Mall Food Places To Visit Including Steak From $18.90+, Yuzu Ramen And More Ambience at Makan Makan Makan Makan features a large seating area with plenty of seats and tables to accommodate bigger groups of people. When we arrived around 12:30pm on a weekday, there was a steady stream of office staff coming in from the nearby CBD area, and the restaurant soon became crowded.

The verdict While there were some hits and misses, overall, the food was decent enough that I wouldn’t mind popping by for a quick lunch if I happened to be in the area. The restaurant’s atmosphere made up for the food in some ways, but I still feel that there are better options for ayam penyet out there.

Alternatively, you can head down to Smash , an ayam penyet kiosk in Ang Mo Kio for seafood penyet platters and more!