Peppers (Telok Blangah Rise Food Centre)

Telok Blangah Rise Food Centre is probably one of those food centres that is less frequented by most considering the size of the food centre and the location where it is at — not quite the most convenient spot, nor one that has much reason for one to make a visit. With that being said, Peppers is a fairly new addition to the food centre which has been mentioned quite a bit on social media a while back. Being a Muslim-owned establishment, Peppers is an establishment serving up western cuisine that is also one of the rare few stalls that opens till late past the evening in the hawker centre. Peppers keeps its menu fairly simple for a stall serving up western cuisine; the menu revolves around fried chicken and fried fish fillet dishes served with rice or fries — there is also an option for patrons to opt for the choice to have soup alongside their orders for the mains as well.

The Fish & Chips Set is described on the menu to come with elements such as 2 Pcs Fried Fish, Coleslaw, choice of Fries or Rice, and Cream of Mushroom; all of which at the wallet-friendly price point of $7.50 — it is interesting to note that the 1 Pc Fried Fish Set that comes without the Cream of Mushroom is priced at $5. For our order of the Fish & Chips Set, we went with the Fries. The highlight here is undeniably the fried fish fillet — we are pretty impressed that Peppers actually serves up a fried fish fillet that is closer to the style of proper English-style fish and chips given the way that the dish is being priced; most establishments serving similar dishes at such prices would likely serve up fish and chips with batter featuring panko crumbs instead. We liked how the fried fish fillet here comes crisp with a batter that is not too thick; the fish still manages to have its moisture locked in and the flesh still being flaky, soft and smooth — we also found the fried fish fillet to be not particularly greasy as well. The accompanying fries were decent, though we did notice that there is a temperature difference between the fried fish fillet and the fries that may suggest the fries being prepared slightly beforehand — it does come seasoned in salt for some flavour without being overly salty, while the coleslaw on the side does deliver a refreshing crunch. The Cream of Mushroom does come with an emphasis of the earthiness of mushrooms though is more on the peppery side of things; does also come with cubes of diced shiitake mushrooms for a bouncy bite for a variance of textures.