Petit Fangko (Queenstown)

Fangko Coffee had been one of those places that we have been wanting to check out yet been holding back for a while for quite some time — the establishment had already been in operations at their Hongkong Street outlet around the Clarke Quay area for quite a while, though we have never been there since we had been quite distracted with the opening of other F&B establishments that came after it. These folks had recently opened a new outlet within Margaret Market — also one of the last tenants to have moved into the premises after the initial wave of establishments such as Bowen’s, The Homme Baker etc. had first started their operations. Named Petit Fangko, Petit Fangko occupies the stall space that is sandwiched in between The Homme Baker and the outlet of Emart24 there. As with most stalls at Margaret Market, Petit Fangko does come with a small dine-in space that is situated within the stall that it occupies — that being said, patrons can still occupy the communal seating space being located in the middle of the compound if they so intend to dine from different establishments within Margaret Market. Fangko Coffee has always been known as an establishment with a bit of an Indonesian influence; the menu comprising of items like their signature Chimken, some brunch fare as well as Nasi Lemak and Fried Rice. As the name suggests, Petit Fangko serves up a smaller selection of dishes than that which is available at Fangko Coffee — the menu itself is being split into Food (which itself comprises of its Nasi Lemak, toast and sandwich offerings), Chimken, Savoury, Sides and Baked Goods, while the beverages which are offered at Petit Fangko ranges from espresso-based specialty coffee and cold brews, to special concoctions of shakes and sodas, as well as a selection of teas.

While their brunch-y selection of dishes did capture our attention, we made our visit to Petit Fangko during dinner service on a weekend — this was also our first time giving the Petit Fangko / Fangko Coffee brand a visit, and we thought it would be better for us to give their Indonesian-style dishes a go since that were also dishes which got us pretty interested in Fangko Coffee in the first place. One of the dishes which got us really intrigued with Fangko Coffee was the Smashed Chimken — an item that was once raved on social media quite some time ago when Fangko Coffee was still a fresh opening back in those days. At Petit Fangko, patrons are able to opt for the Smashed Chimken to come with different carbs / starch options — the Blue Pea Rice being the default option here, though patrons have the flexibility to go for Indomee (which in itself, consists of a regular-sized and an XL-sized option), fries, or a mix of both Indomee and fries; all of which coming at their own add-on price tags. Patrons also are allowed with a flexibility to opt for the Spicy Level of which they prefer their Chimken to be served at — “Baby” being the non-spicy rendition, with incremental levels of spiciness starting from Level 1 all the way up to Level 6 (side note: the level for “Extremely Hot” is marked as Level 5 on the menu). For our order of the Smashed Chimken, we went with the Indomee XL with the level of spiciness being at Level 2. It is also noted that all Smashed Chimken orders does come with a side of Keropok (i.e. prawn crackers), sunny side-up, and slices of cucumbers.

Going for the Indomee first, it is noted that the Indomee on its own does not come with any hint of spiciness; it does carry that usual sweet-savouriness from the sauce pack that often accompanied instant packs of Mee Goreng, while the noodles were also savoury with bits of soft crunchiness from the bits of onions added. The Chimken does seem like shredded pieces of fried chicken pulled out from a chicken leg; all mixed with Sambal Belado of the preferred level of spiciness by the patron specified in their order. We liked that there is some crispness that one can find in those strips of meat that has the skin and fried batter still on, while the flesh still remains moist and easy to chew. As for the level of spiciness that we have opted for, Level Two on their scale did feel like something that was close to that of the authentic Indonesian dishes that we had tried during our trip to Bali several months back — definitely one which gives quite a spicy kick and tickles the tastebuds even for those whom are more accustomed to moderate levels of spiciness at other establishments usually. Their other elements such as the sunny side-up was executed well; the egg yolk being molten and eagerly oozes out with the poke of a fork. Overall, quite a satisfying affair especially since it is priced at $10 (original price $9.50, with $0.50 for top-up to Indomee XL). During our visit to Petit Fangko, we had also given their Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah a go; what really stood out for us in the Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah was how the blue pea rice was executed — it does seem that they have use long-grain rice here and the rice was distinguishable to the grain; all this whilst carrying an evident fragrance of coconut. It is needless to say that Petit Fangko does hit the spot for an establishment that is branded as Indomee Bar, though it is remained to be seen if such an establishment would appeal to the residents around Queenstown. That being said, Petit Fangko is an establishment which we would revisit again wholeheartedly to sort those cravings for Indonesian fare out!