Growing up in Malaysia, I’m no stranger to Singaporean cuisine, seeing as it could be found in the country next-door. Every spring break my parents would fly us to Singapore for a week, and I’d marvel at the open-air hawker-food complexes.
That probably explains why I’ve visited Chomp Chomp Nation, a new Singaporean food truck, five or six times during its brief existence. To be clear, this is hawker street food with an American twist, but I find it pretty tasty regardless of its fusiony take on something dear to my heart.
Let’s start with the Sloppy Joe sliders ($5, shown above), which uses rendang, a rich beef dish with galangal (blue ginger), lemongrass, chili and coconut as its base. I cook this dish at home and know how much work goes into it.
The sandwich differs each time I try it, but pretty much stays true to its original form in the sense that it’s fragrant, flavorful and conjures up childhood memories.
The crab slider ($7) is a crab cake with Singaporean-style chili sauce.
Although it is nothing like true Singapore chili crab, which would still have the shell, it’s a dish even the least adventurous diner will enjoy.
My absolute favorites on the truck are the satays: chicken ($5), Wagyu beef ($7), tofu ($3) and lamb ($7).
The accompanying peanut sauce is very authentic and some of the best around. In fact, I could pretty much just eat the sauce with the accompanying lontong (coconut rice cubes), my favorite part of a satay meal.
Singapore Sling Wings ($5) are marinated in the famous drink concocted by a bartender at the Raffles Hotel’s Long Bar.
Even though my visits to the Long Bar have been plentiful, I’m not a fan of the drink. And here, the wings do not absorb much flavor from the drink, instead relying on the sauce.
Don’t leave without trying some of the desserts. Singapore S’mores ($3) is a brioche-and-Nutella sandwich with kaya coconut jam, chocolate drizzle, condensed milk and and whipped cream.
There’s also coconut-stuffed French toast ($5) featuring Singaporean ingredients such as coconut jam, coconut syrup and a medley of southeast Asian fruits, such as dragonfruit and mango.
This particular item is a true reflection of fusion flavors, really melding perfectly.
New items are regularly added, and I always look forward to seeing what new surprises are there to remind of my childhood. But make no mistake – whether or not you’re from Southeast Asia, a meal at this truck will be memorable.