Arabica Kebab (Marsiling)

Woodlands is a neighbourhood that isn’t particularly remarkable especially when one takes a look at the variety of food options that are being served in the neighbourhood; that being said, it does seem that there are little surprises hidden in the neighbourhood every now and then. Arabica isn’t a particularly new stall that operates out of a stall at Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre; the oldest Google reviews in existence for the stall having been dated to a time period of about a year ago. That being said, this seems to be one of the few — if not the only stall that serves up Middle Eastern / Arabic / Turkish fare in the neighbourhood. The stall itself should be relatively easy to locate; the stall bearing a brown and white checkered aesthetic that is likely to grab one’s attention when they walking down the area of the hawker centre that is populated with Halal food stalls. The items served up at Arabica are dishes that one would typically find at such food stalls — think Kebab that is served with different types of starches / carbs (rice, fries, wrap etc.), Lamb / Chicken Mandi, Pide, Baked Rice and more; the only dessert being listed on the menu of Arabica would be the Kunafa.

Since we were visiting Arabica for the very first time, we decided to give their Kebab with Fries a go so that we can focus much on the kebabs that they have to offer. There is some language barrier to be expected when making the order here — there was a slight misunderstanding during ordering where they had thought we either wanted the Kebab with Rice or the Quesadillas when we had made our order specifically for the Kebab with Fries; we also noted that we were served with and charged for the chicken variant of the dish despite us mentioning we wanted the Mix that consists of beef and chicken. That being said, we also subsequently noted that they only had one kebab machine that is loaded with only chicken; they probably only had a single type of meat to offer during the day and time we made our visit. On first look, the Kebab with Fries (Chicken) comes in a portion that is slightly smaller than what one would expect from stalls like that — that being said, we were also glad that the portion wasn’t too enormous and hence was slightly easier to finish. Apart from the chicken kebab and the fries, the Kebab with Fries (Chicken) also came with mayonnaise and chili drizzled atop, as well as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber and onions to balance everything out.

Thought they were a little heavy-handed on the sauces though it was also worth mentioning that it did not feel particularly overwhelming; the fries were at best decent being crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, though were nothing much to comment about otherwise. The star here would be the Chicken Kebab though; the Chicken Kebab was moist and juicy — no doubt it does lack some of the smokiness that kebabs from other establishments may come with, but there was never a moment that they felt dry. We also liked the flavours from the marination of the meat as well; tangy and a little sweet — very satisfying. The mix of vegetables provided a good crunch and a refreshing zing that makes a good break between all the fries and meat. Overall, a pretty satisfying affair — we have definitely had less tasty kebabs and this pretty much surpassed those for sure; quite a good find within a neighbourhood that is known for not having particularly impressive food options as well. Even the Kunafa was satisfying — the pastry wasn’t oily and we liked how they had given sufficient syrup and cream to douse it in for more flavours; also came with crushed pistachio for a slight nuttiness. We paid $7 for the Kebab with Fries (Chicken) and $10 for the Kunafa — the prices of the Kunafa especially would not be what one would consider having on a regular basis, though it does serve as a good option to have for a bit of change from the usual hawker fare indeed.