I came across Pang Pang Western Food while lazily scrolling through my Instagram feed. “Opened by a pair of brothers who previously worked at Astons and iSteaks”? I was sold.
What’s more, their food is apparently cheaper and better than Astons’s — I just knew I had to head down to Marine Parade to see what all the fuss was about.
After my arduous 1.5h journey to Marine Parade, I made my way to Pang Pang Western Food. Locating the stall was, thankfully, an easy task. Its bright white logo stood out against the more muted colours of the other stalls in the row.
What I tried at Pang Pang Western Food
Following what people have been raving about, I ordered the Grilled Chicken With Pasta (S$8) and opted for black pepper sauce. Rather than the typical sides most Western food hawkers serve like fries and baked beans, Pang Pang Western Food sets themselves apart by putting a spin on Taiwanese-style Western hotplates. Like Taiwanese-style Western hotplates (albeit sans hotplate), they serve their mains with broccoli, brown sauce spaghetti and a fried egg.
The portion size was rather average for the price, though I feel that for Western food, it was definitely on the smaller side. Appearance-wise, the char on the chicken was incredible and looked very promising — I was excited to see if it was indeed better than the grilled chicken from Astons.
The grilled chicken chop was coated with a dry rub of spices that included what seemed like paprika. On the first bite, it had a delicious, slightly sweet smoky flavour. The beautiful brown char made it extremely appetising. I found that the black pepper sauce paired nicely with the aromatic marinade.
However, despite the nice-tasting marinade, I noticed that the taste of the spices was mostly limited to the chicken’s exterior. It was almost as if it had not been left to marinate long enough, which was quite a shame considering how great the spice mix tasted.
The chicken was cooked just right, though I felt that it could be more juicy.
The brown sauce spaghetti that accompanied the chicken was on the slightly sweeter side and had a nice, rounded taste to it.
But alas, the texture of the spaghetti was nothing to behold. Rather than al dente like some reviews had shared, the spaghetti was soggy and broken in pieces. While one cannot expect much of pasta at a typical hawker stall, I had set my expectations a little higher from reading several stellar reviews.
Red Sea Yong Tau Foo: Homemade YTF & fried wantons with laksa & springy egg noodles, sells out before 2pm
As people have also said that the steak here is a must-try, I got the NZ Prime Ribeye With Pasta (S$15), too. This time, I opted for brown sauce and switched the spaghetti out for fries. The switch came at no additional cost, which was pretty nice. I also got my steak medium-rare.
Like the chicken, the beef had a nice char to it, though it was also on the smaller side, portion-wise.
I admit, I’m a dipper when it comes to sauces that come with meat. But this time, I switched teams to get a better taste (and look) of the sauce in its full glory. The sauce was flavourful and had a nice full-bodied taste of caramelised onions.
Cutting into the steak, I was pleased to find that it had been cooked to medium-rare perfection, with a pink centre and evenly charred crust. The meat was tender (though not juicy) and was seasoned just right. I think it would actually taste great even without the sauce.
The thickness of the steak was pretty decent for the price, too.
While they are not the main stars of the dish, one cannot forget the friends of the meat. The boiled broccoli that was in both dishes was a tad overcooked and on the softer side, though thankfully not mushy. Granted, the choice of broccoli in a Western hawker stall was probably not the best: it quickly loses its crunch if not freshly cooked.
I’m happy to report that if you would rather have the typical fries with your Western food, the fries here are pretty decent.
Final Thoughts
Without a doubt, Pang Pang Western Food has the potential to be better, even great. But it seems my visit was not the time. They had nailed the sauces and marinade. Yes, taste-wise, the marinade of the chicken did taste better than what you get at Astons. However, on the whole, the dishes were just all-right. For this price, I have had better Western food with juicier chicken and bigger portion sizes to boot.
Will I be back? Probably not. But if I was especially craving Western food and the stall was right in my hood? Perhaps. The flavours are great and the price point is pretty wallet-friendly, too. With a few tweaks to their sides and a longer marinating time for their chicken, they might just gain a cult following.
Expected damage: S$8 – S$16.50 per pax
Order Delivery: Deliveroo
Nostalgic old-school Clementi 308 Western Food in Ang Mo Kio to close on 9 Jul 2023
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