INSPIRASI – Soto Ayam Worth Queuing For (only $2.50 each!)

Almost half a century old, Inspirasi is a legend. Many makciks (aunties) and pakciks (uncles) will sit near the stall before it even opens. With only 4 items (mee rebus, mee soto, soto ayam and chicken porridge) on its menu, this family-run business seems to be very confident in their food. The dishes were each priced at $1.50 at the very beginning, and are currently just $2.50 each! The $1 increase over the span of 49 years is really nothing, considering the fact that most hawker dishes cost more than $2.50.

Azizah (chef), Yum (son), and all other family members are extremely focused on serving the best to their patrons everyday. Ever since I’ve tried their dishes, “Inspirasi” is the first place that comes to my mind if my Malay friends ask me where to find authentic Malay dishes. Don’t forget to try their signature chilli sauce which makes all the dishes even more shiok!

I’m a huge fan of a gooey plate of mee rebus so I do know a few good mee rebus places. Inspirasi’s mee rebus‘ gravy (made with sweet potatoes, dried anchovies, fermented soy beans and other ingredients) was thick, slight spicy, and had a good balance of sweetness and savouriness. Please consume this while it is still hot or else the noodle will turn soggy after a while.

Usually, people will only order the mee rebus or soto ayam from Inspirasi. Out of curiosity (and also because it’s only $2.50), I ordered the chicken porridge too. I also added a begedil (deep-fried potato patty) for $0.50 because I was afraid the porridge would be rather bland. Astonishingly, the porridge turned out to be my favourite dish among the 3 dishes I’d tried. Worried about its plain appearance, I wanted to add some pepper initially.

Fortunately, it was flavoursome and slightly peppery. This reminded me of my thoughtful tutor who always cooked a pot of peppery porridge for her class. This chicken porridge is definitely something comforting which I will eat on a rainy day. To be honest, I’ve been craving for it ever since I had it. The begedil was adequately soft and complemented the porridge. I will actually come back to Inspirasi just for this!

There are different versions of soto ayam. Some are quite grainy while others are watery; some very spicy and peppery while others sweet and savoury. Inspirasi’s soto ayam (I chose nasi impit instead of mee soto because the mee rebus already had yellow noodle) was a little watery but not diluted at all. I was surprised to know that the chicken broth had been boiled for hours, given its very affordable price tag. And I could understand why some deemed Inspirasi’s soto ayam legendary. The nasi impit (compressed rice) was perfect with the broth, tender shredded chicken, and crunchy beansprouts. My only gripe was that the chicken was not deboned properly. Nonetheless, this was the first time I finished every last drop of soto ayam because it was soooo good.

In spite of the fact that quite a number of family members are involved in the operations of this stall, Inspirasi has no intention to expand. So, you will have to travel to Bedok to savour this! To me, the food here is totally worth the journey from the west!

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

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