The Paya Terubong area offers several nice eateries which is often overlooked by many. One such example is Sin Lam Fatt Roasted Chicken & Duck Rice (新南发烧腊鸡鸭饭店) along the Jalan Paya Terubong main road, just adjacent to the Chinese cemetery.
The premises of Sin Lam Fatt is not merely a restaurant. The food preparation (i.e. roasting, barbecuing and drying) is done on site as well. Sin Lam Fatt also supplies other restaurants, which explains why there are several delivery vans in the morning.
I ordered a little of everything on the menu, just to get a feel of what Sin Lam Fatt has to offer. The bill comes to RM10.80, which is pretty decent in my opinion.
The Roasted Chicken (烧鸡) is expected to be the signature dish. However, it somewhat lacks flavor and the breast meat is too tough beyond my preference. Quite likely, the chicken has not been roasted well enough. The skin, however, is glossy in appearance and has a nice light crisp.
The other signature dish is the Roasted Duck (烧鸭). Like the chicken, the skin is well roasted and quite appetizing. The lean duck meat is acceptable by my standards, but I have tasted better ones elsewhere.
As for the Roasted Pork (烧肉), it is actually pretty good. It is not too dried up from excessive heating, therefore the fatty layer still retains its savory flavor. On top of this, the pork skin still retains the crunchy texture, making this dish an appetite opener.
The Barbecued Pork (叉烧) is my favorite ingredient in this meal. The barbecue marinate is perfectly balanced by my definition. It would have been nice if the pork is cut into thinner slices so that it can be dipped more thoroughly with soy sauce.
Moving on to the Braised Egg (卤蛋), it is reasonable in taste and appearance. It is best eaten with some soy sauce, as the yolk may can be dry in the middle.
The Chicken Rice (鸡饭) is amazingly refined too. I like the slight oiliness and flavored texture of the rice grains. Its softness is just right, unlike some other chicken rice stalls where the rice used resembles plain white rice.
Not to forget the chili sauce! The chili sauce used with chicken rice usually has more garlic than the “general” version, such as those used with noodles. I have to say that Sin Lam Fatt’s chili sauce is quite good too.
The meal comes with a bowl of Mixed Vegetable Soup (菜尾汤), which helps to wash down the food. There isn’t any vegetable in it, since it is just a small bowl.
Overall, the food Sin Lam Fatt does have some merits, though not all items deserve credit. In particular, the Roasted Chicken is not up to par in my opinion. Perhaps I happened to land on their worst piece of chicken today. Anyway, we will find out if and when there is in a future visit.