Restaurant Review: Big Lazy Chop at #01-04, 1A Short St, Singapore 188210
August 12, 2016I 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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