Mr Loy's Puff, South Melbourne (by invitation) by Big Fil

Like its near and larger neighbour Malaysia, much of the food available in Singapore can trace its roots to Malay, Chinese, Indian and Nyonya cooking.  Mr Loy's Puff takes a small number of common dishes that cross these cultural divides, curry puffs, chicken rice, nasi lemak, keeping it simple while attempting to provide a quick and tasty option for both ex-pats and local diners.  While I have never visited Singapore I have been to Malaysia several times and was happy to accept the invitation to try Mr Loy's Singaporean take on some old familiar favourites.



Given the location on City Road and the nearby businesses it's unsurprisingly that Mr Loy's busiest time of day is lunch.  During my evening visit the stream of takeaway orders was slow but steady, a mix of what appeared to be locals and those who had travelled to get that taste of home.  The shop itself is bright and clean if a little basic, a few merlions and photos of Singapore scattered around the walls.



First dish I was offered to try was one of the 'signature' curry puffs.  Curry puffs enclose a dry style curry inside a crispy, flaky pastry, kind of like a pasty but with a mildly spicy filling.  I found Mr Loy's version good but not outstanding, the pastry just a touch dry and the overall flavour a little milder than I'd have preferred.





Both roast and Hainanese style chicken rice is available, and I was given the roast chicken variety to try.  Well cooked meat, not dry as roast chicken can sometimes be, flavoursome rice and just a bit of heat from the accompanying chilli sauce made this a nice comforting style of dish and a quite generous size.



Last dish tried was the nasi lemak, served with the crumbed chicken cutlet and nicely fragrant rice, the sambal came with somewhat more kick than the chilli sauce served with the roast chicken rice.  A bit of crunch is provided by the ikan bilis (dried small fish, like anchovies without the salt) and peanuts.  I just love the combination of textures and flavours of a great nasi lemak, and while I'd have preferred the more traditional fried chicken or rendang I did think that Mr Loy's was as good or better than many found around town.



Overall
Very friendly guys who have chosen to open in an usual location, they know what they want to do keeping it quick, tasty and reasonably priced.  Comfortable local diner for when you feel like or want to try Singaporean food but don't want to make it yourself.

Verdict
Food - 7
Service - 7.5*
Ambience - 6
Price - 7*
*Scores are notional as I was a guest of Mr Loy's Puff.

Address
452 City Rd
South Melbourne VIC 3205
Tel: (03) 9696 6983