Fat Po – This Hidden Café Serves Amazing Western-Asian Fusion Food!

I first stumbled across Fat Po when I was scrolling through social media. “What on earth are Mapo Fries?” I thought. A quick Google search revealed that this two-month old café serves up innovative Western-Asian fusion dishes. Interested? Well, most of you should prepare for a long journey. It’s located in the outer reaches of Punggol — a part of Singapore that I’ve left mostly unexplored. However, I decided to pay Fat Po a visit to appease my curiosity.

I walked into Fat Po on a Monday afternoon. It’s rather quiet on weekdays, though I hear it can get quite busy on the weekends. I instantly fell in love with its bright and spacious interior. The huge windows gave me a view of the lush greenery surrounding Fat Po. Potted plants and light fixtures can be seen hanging from the ceiling of the café. Fat Po’s extensive menu had me spoiled for choice. Rice bowls, salads, pasta, burgers, desserts. You name it, they have it!

I ordered the Mala Mushroom Pasta ($14.80) which features spaghetti that’s been coated in a spicy mala sauce. Not only is the pasta tossed with a mixture of fresh mushrooms and peanuts, it is also topped with two slices of battered oyster mushrooms. With the ‘mala’ craze going strong in Singapore, there have been loads of attempts to create mala-infused dishes. However, most of these dishes either lack the punchy flavours of mala, or they just end up being plain unappetising. Therefore, I’m glad to report that Fat Po’s Mala Mushroom Pasta was absolutely delicious!

Each strand of al dente spaghetti is coated in a delectable mala-flavoured oil. Fat Po actually makes their own mala paste out of Szechuan pepper, soybean paste, fermented black bean, and of course, chilli. This dish truly captured the essence and flavour of mala! Even though it was less spicy than what you might get in your typical mala xiang guo, it still packed a bit of a spicy kick that left that signature mouth-numbing sensation. The bits of mushrooms added a meaty bite to the dish, while the peanuts added a tantalising crunch. The deep-fried oyster mushrooms were sublime. The thin batter was golden-brown and crispy, while the mushroom was juicy and springy.

My expectations were set pretty high after trying the pasta. Thankfully, their Har Chiong Chicken ($15.80) Bolo Burger did not disappoint! For those who are unaware, ‘bolo’ buns are sweet buns that are popular in Hong Kong. Fluffy on the inside, a bolo bun typically has a sugary top crust that’s to die for. Fat Po bakes their bolo buns fresh daily!

I’m typically more of a fan of a classic, fatty and greasy beef burger. However, this burger really hit the spot for me. Sandwiched between the bolo buns was a deep-fried har chiong (prawn paste) chicken leg, as well as a couple of slices of tomato and lettuce. The bolo bun was incredibly addictive — the sweet crust had a delightful crunch which went really well with the juicy chicken meat. The chicken, while thin, still remained succulent and tender. The har chiong coating gave the chicken a lovely umami. Sure, the fries and the salad were pretty normal. But who cares! The Har Chiong Chicken Bolo Burger is a dish that I’ll return for!

Now, to the dish that started it all for me. The Mapo Fries ($8.80) features fried tau-kwa strips, mapo ragu, and grated cheese. Sadly, I felt that these fries weren’t quite as palatable as the other two dishes. The fried tau-kwa strips were crispy on the outside, but were overly dry and hard on the inside. On the other hand, the mapo ragu was quite tasty. Although subtle, the flavour of the bean paste came through, and complemented the minced meat brilliantly. It could have have done with a little more heat and spice though. The cheese was a nice touch, but it didn’t really add much flavour to the dish.

In need of a late afternoon pick-me-up, I ordered Fat Po’s Iced Gula Melaka Kopi ($5.80). Unfortunately, the kopi tasted like a typical cup of kopi, and it didn’t have the deep molasses flavour of gula melaka.

Overall, despite Fat Po’s rather ‘ulu’ location, I think it’s worth a visit. Other dishes that caught my attention were the Thai Basil Pork Pasta ($15.80), as well as the Teh Creme Brulee ($6.80), which I’ll love to try on my next visit.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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