Restaurant Review: Big Lazy Chop at #01-04, 1A Short St, Singapore 188210

I had the chance to try out the very cheekily named Da Lan Pai 大懒排 or Big Lazy Chop which is just beside LASALLE at Bugis a couple of months back for a tasting. They are a modern bistro offering up local stir fry, or "zichar" dishes. I think everyone's first impression of the place is, what a name! For locals like us, the name sounds like a large male reproductive organ in dialect. But just being cheeky, I reckon! The English name of "Big Lazy Chop" sounds much better.

Here's their menu for reference. You can also view the PDF version on their website.
There is a good selection of classic stir fry dishes, including salted egg coated items.


The interior is spacious and air-conditioned but well-ventilated, which is great for hot evenings.


On to the food! Of all the items we tried, there were some that stood out particularly. Like these Handmade Fresh Crab Money Bags ($20) which is in limited quantities per day. The filling was generous and the skin of the 'bags' were delicate and thin. Not a dish you'll see often elsewhere! This I could understand the hefty pricing, since it looked like a lot of work... 4/5


We also tried the Crispy Cracker Prawns ($22) and the Salted Egg Tempura Prawns ($22). Both prawn dishes were alright only, despite the slightly unusual choice of ingredients for the coating - especially ingenious to use prawn crackers to coat prawns! However, this I could not understand the pricing, for it is slightly on the high side. 3/5


The XL Spare Ribs were what we were there to taste, I thought. And we could immediately see why they are called the "lazy chop" - we were given plastic gloves and encouraged to use our hands to raise the rib to our teeth. This was the butter champagne Drunken XL Spare Ribs (S$28). We all struggled to taste the champagne in the sauce, though the butter taste was sweet and smooth. The ribs we found to be just on the slightly dry side. 3/5


The same goes for the coffee Saucy XL Spare Ribs ($25) - the coffee taste was really thick and awesome, but the ribs themselves stopped short of being soft and melty when you try to bite into them. It's a big pity really! 3/5


We also had some 'filler' dishes like the Hotplate Hakka Beancurd (S$13), which was apparently made with fresh soyabean milk. Hmm, I really really couldn't taste the difference. It was smooth and tasty no doubt, but it is quite average. Plus point for not being overly salty though. 3.5/5


Then some French Beans with Minced Pork (S$9) which again, pretty darn average. You know how you would have a Chinese meal with a few dishes and someone will go, let's have a veg? Which is why Chinese restaurants charge a lot for them. At least this one is sort of affordable. Haha 3/5.


The highlight of the dinner that night, surprisingly, was the Wok-fried XL Indo Curry Crab ($70/kg, typically 800g-850g). The indo curry recipe was apparently an invention by the guys! And it was really tasty - spicy but piquant, with the right balance of acidity and cream. It went really well with the huge ass crab - just look at those pincers! Everyone was also dipping their mantou buns ($0.60 per piece) into the curry. If there's one dish I'll recommend from Big Lazy Chop, it will be this! 4.5/5


We ended the big meal with something fried and sweet - Fried Chestnut Bars (S$8 for 2-3 pax). We realized that tempura is a good style that the chef knows how to do well. It was again, something a little different, even though I would have loved something lighter and less oily for dessert after a big meal. The alternatives were Yam Paste and Pudding. Not much better, haha. 3/5


Unfortunately for Big Lazy Chop, they seem to have a lot of 3/5 dishes so I have to give a neutral rating. They are decent - maybe even slightly above average in terms of taste and execution. However other than the Indo curry crab and maybe the Money Bags, I would hesitate to return for the other items as they are slightly too pricey and nothing outstanding. Hopefully the restaurant owners can relook their prices for dinner and perhaps offer a set lunch menu for LASALLE students nearby.

Big Lazy Chop
#01-04, 1A Short St, Singapore 188210
+65 62388443
11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm
Closed on Mondays

Thanks to Food News PR and Big Lazy Chop for the invite!

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