In Singapore, night markets (pasar malam) are big business. They take on a nomadic, gypsy quality, moving from suburb to suburb, with makeshift tents sprouting up overnight like daisies after a spring shower. Loud music begins blaring, hawkers begin hawking, and pans and grill go on the heat and curls of smoke start beckoning, crooking its wispy fingers and luring you into the bright light.
And with food like that, you’d think that you have died and gone to heaven.
The Ramly Burger debuted in Singapore in a pasar malam to great fanfare, causing queues round the block as we are wont to do. Originating in Malaysia, this burger was created by a man named, well, Ramly, and consists of a beef or chicken patty, covered in egg, lettuce, sauce on sauce on sauce, and is the sloppiest burger you’d ever eat. Even now, with all the knockoffs, most of the Ramly burgers in Malaysia are made with patties sourced from the original Ramly makers.
So when I heard that Yang’s Malaysian Food Truck was serving up Ramly burgers on the menu, I was like a kid with an early Christmas, chomping at the bit to get my hands on it. But of course, a food blogger never just orders one thing off the menu. No, we order the whole damned lot.
Soft Shell Chilli Crab with Mantou
The Soft Shell Chilli Crab with Mantou is a fantastic take on the Singapore Chilli Crab, with more fresh chillies used and not quite as sweet as I was expecting. And you know, deep fried milk buns are always a winner with me. The Chicken Rice Balls were quite surprising, since I’ve never had them that way before, but the little morsels grew on me…maybe because I’m a lazy eater and these were convenient mouthfuls. The chicken was a tiny bit on the dry side, but on the whole still a thoroughly enjoyable dish. The Ramly Sliders were great as a slider, but at the risk of sounding like a perv in a red light district, it needs to be dirtier, and greasier. It was almost too clean and sophisticated to really communicate the Ramly experience. The curry puffs had the super flaky pastry spot on – I could feel my arteries clogging, which is always a good sign when you’re eating pastry – but the filling was just a touch…wet. Again, no relation to the red light district.
As a food truck, Yang’s Malaysian Food Truck is off to a great start, serving up quality Asian-inspired food in convenient to-go portions. There’s some maturing that needs to happen, as with any new food business, but I do think that they are a truck to watch. *thumbs up*