Pappa ABC Chendol - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

Pappa ABC Chendol : PappaRich uses gula melaka from Malacca  & frozen Chendol from KL, Malaysia which does not contain preservatives. The Chendol does not have added colour unlike those commonly found in Singapore, together with the sweet corn & red bean gives a three dimensional sweetness to this dessert. I am someone who does not eat the Chendol from local food vendors as I personally dislike the bright green color and the tougher texture. But I am indeed bowled over by this Chendol as they have a melt in my mouth feel.  

Pappa Chendol - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

Pappa Chendol : like the ABC Chendol, for this dessert, PappaRich uses gula melaka from Malacca  & frozen Chendol from KL, Malaysia which does not contain preservatives. The Chendol does not have added colour unlike those commonly found in Singapore, and have  a melt in the mouth texture. A perfect indulgence for the true blue die hard Chendol fans. 

Pappa Curry Chicken - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

The PappaRich recipe for the Pappa Curry Chicken is perfected by the chef (headhunted by PappaRich Group) who has mastered this special recipe through his years of culinary experience in Malaysian Cuisine, and has cleverly encompass the unique properties, aroma  and essence of the spices & herbs to give the rempah used in this recipe an added dimension. 

Though the recipe is top secret, I would guess the fresh ingredients, herbs and spices for the rempah would include : lemongrass, galangal, tumeric, fresh young ginger, dried chili, fresh chili, roasted and grated candle-nut, assam juice, sugar, salt, garlic, shallot, peanut oil - distinctly very peranakan nonya influence, very lemak ( thick ) and flavorful. The chef uses fresh chicken and simmered, cooked it over medium low heat to give the chicken its soft tender texture. This is one of the must try dish at PappaRich and the one of its Signature. 

Pappa Lemak with Fried Chicken Drumstick - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

Pappa Lemak with Fried Chicken Drumstick : comes with lemak (coconut) rice, fried chicken drumstick, ikan bilis, sambal chili, hard boiled egg. 

The chilli is very spicy, the lemak rice is fragrant &  done well, the fried chicken drumstick is very juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The chicken drum stick is marinated daily then fried ala minute. 

Roti Bakar with Otak-Otak - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

PappaRich gets its Otak-Otak from a Muah Supplier who is famous for his Otak-Otak. The Otak-Otak tastes spicy, fresh, there is no fishy smell, it is not too salty, there is definitely no MSG. You can see the pieces of fish meat in the Otak-Otak. 

Pappa Curry Laksa - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

Pappa Curry Laksa : consists of noodles in spicy coconut curry gravy with fresh chicken, fresh cockles, tofu puffs and foo chok. The gravy is thick, tasty & fragrant, and oozes out the varied flavours of the rempah used. The cockles are fresh and crunchy, the noodles are springy and of a soft texture. 

Pappa Roti Bakar with Margarine & Kaya - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

I grew up in Singapore feeding on ToastBox, Yakun, Killiney Kopitiam's Kaya Roti, so I had preconceived ideas of how the ideal Kaya Roti should behave. 

Pappa Roti Bakar with Margarine & Kaya : PappaRich brings a different taste of Kaya Roti to the table. Instead of serving the Kaya Roti with the Kaya and butter spread & sandwiched between the Roti and cut into bite size pieces like those in ToastBox, Yakun, Killiney's, PappaRich served the Roti, Margarine slice & Kaya separately on a plate. The Roti is toasted nicely without being overly done nor too dry. The Kaya is smoother than  that at  Killiney. One thing to note, PappaRich Kaya is smooth & sweet, but not overly sweet. 

2 Half Boiled Eggs - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

PappaRich Group's Research & Development team waste no time in coming up with advance research in the method to producing half boiled eggs where the eggs are cooked to the right consistency : egg yolks gluey, egg whites opaquely soft at all times. 

PappaRich owns the trade secret to cooking half boil eggs, the secret is in the timing and the method which Sebastian decline to reveal.

Super Pappa Combo - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

Super Pappa Combo : consists of Basmati rice with tumeric, fried chicken drumstick, braised aromatic beef, whole potato, hard boiled egg, lady 's fingers, sambal squid, pappadum with a portion of sambal chili. 

The beef rendang is slowly braised, fully infused with the delicious rempah and tender. The fresh squid is well done and chewy. The fried chicken drumstick comes with a crispy outer skin and is tender juicy on the inside without being overly done. The Basmati rice is cooked just right with the rice grains beautifully coated with the tumeric. The sides : crispy pappadum, hard-boiled egg, curry potato and lady's fingers makes the meal complete. 

Pappa Char Kuay Teow - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

Pappa Char Kuay Teow : the Chef uses light soya sauce to give the flat noodles a light soya flavour, and tastes less salty compared to local Singapore Char Kuay Teow which uses dark soya sauce.  The Chef is generous in giving a good mix of Tau Gay, fresh sweet large prawns, fresh juicy cockles and egg to give an added seafood flavour to the flat noodles. The flat noodles is springy and has a soft texture, lends a good bite. 

Pappa Wat Tan Hor - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

I tried the Pappa Wat Tan Hor - Wok Fried flat noodles with egg gravy. The chef at PappaRich has mastered the art of frying the flat noodles to give it that wok hei which makes the flat noodles tastes slightly charred (burnt ) flavour that is so typical of traditional Chinese / Hong Kong chef's cooking. 

Since it is cooked ala minute, the flat noodles still retains their warm. There is a generous dose of seafood ingredients - lots of fresh juicy large prawns, fish cake slices, vegetables. The gravy is not too salty, and lightly starchy. I recommend this dish for those who want to have a nostalgic feel of Seafood Wat Tan Hor with a burnt flavour. 

Pappa Ipoh Kuay Teow Soup with Prawns - PappaRich at Parkway Parade

Pappa Ipoh Kuay Teow Soup with Prawns - The soup broth tastes sweet,  the Kuay Teow from Ipoh is silky, thin  and soft unlike those found in Singapore, the spring onion lends a refreshing flavor to the sweet soup. The Chef at PappaRich uses extra large fresh prawns for this dish, butterflied de-veined, which tastes sweet & juicy. 

PappaRich Singapore Expansion Plans - Malaysian Delights

Ownership : Sebastian Low heads the PappaRich Singapore Franchise with several partners, and is instrumental in spearheading the expansion of PappaRich brand in Singapore. Sebastian brings with him a wealth of experience from the hospitality industry, was responsible for managing hotels in Malaysia for past 4 years. 

Expansion plans : Sebastian and his team at PappaRich Singapore have plans to grow PappaRich really BIG in Singapore, apart from opening full size restaurants, there are plans to operate PappaRich express or kiosk outlets. 

Signatures : The Signatures at PappaRich's Singapore menu are:

1. Pappa Lemak with Fried Chicken Drumstick
2. Pappa Char Kuay Teow 
3. Pappa Ipoh Kuay Teow Soup with Prawn
4. Pappa Curry Laksa
5. Pappa Wat Tan Hor 
6. Super Pappa Combo
7. Pappa Roti Bakar with Margarine and Kaya
8. Pappa Roti Bakar with Otak-Otak

Menu Items : To date there are about 150 items on the menu, with changes to the menu every 6 months. Currently Menu planning is done by HQ in Malaysia for the Asia market. 

Training : PappaRich Singapore trains its total 20 kitchen & front-line staff by tapping on resources from PappaRich Malaysia HQ to truly immerse its staff  in the culture and cuisine of PappaRich. 

Central Kitchen : As the group in Singapore is still in its expansion phase, PappaRich Singapore does not have a central kitchen. Currently, it obtains the sauces and pastes from Malaysia HQ. However it does not rule out having a central kitchen once the outlets reach a substantial number. 

Promotions : PappaRich currently do not have promotion with banks, credit card companies as yet, but may consider promotional activities with relevant partners in future to reward diners.

Winning Formula : PappaRich has built its success for the past nine years based on key factors: 

1. Founder with Vision 
2. Best Recipes + Fresh Good Grade Ingredients + Best Practice Culinary Methods
3. Perfect Branding 

Ingredients & Food Sources : PappaRich Founder Mr Rich Tan believes in using best ingredients to make the best Malaysian Cuisine. The company goes to great length to use best spices - it gets its pepper from Sabah, famous for its pepper produce. The fresh meat and poultry used at the outlets are delivered from local vendors daily as the emphasis is to present fresh produce to its diners. 

The kitchen does not use MSG, nor preservatives. The OEM factory in Malaysia is appointed to solely produce sauces, pastes for the PappaRich Group, and delivers them to the outlets weekly without any preservatives. 

Quality Control : Stringent e.g. Fried Chicken Drumstick is discarded if no order within 2 hours. 

Ordering : Restaurant offers table service where the service staff takes orders. 

Payment : Restaurant is on post paid concept. 

Seating Capacity : 140 pax 

Catering : Currently not offered at the outlet.

Booking : Available on weekdays on ad hoc basis.

Target : Shoppers, Families, Students

Halal Certification : PappaRich will be getting their Halal Cert soon !

Expansion Plans : New outlet at Westgate schedule to open in Quarter 4,  2013 at Jurong East, 

another new outlet ONE KM will be opened in Quarter 4, 2013 at Tajong Katong. 

Merchandise Corner : not available yet.

Marketing activities : targeting PR release Mid 2013. 

Plans to expand to other cuisines : not yet. 

Background of PappaRich - two Singapore outlets at The Star Vista & Parkway Parade

When I first came across PappaRich, I thought the restaurant comes under the group that owns BeardPapa. How wrong I was. 

PappaRich is BIG in Malaysia. The first PappaRich restaurant opens in 2005 at Selayang Mall under the PappaRich Group.  Today the Group has grown to 50 outlets nationwide across 9 states in Malaysia, and has even extend its reach to Singapore & Australia through Franchising Agreements with oversea Franchisees, totaling 100 outlets altogether in Asia.

49 year old Rich Tan is the man behind the PappaRich brand, as the brand is named after him. Rich Tan was born in Negeri Sembilan in 1964. 

He had the vision of providing a casual dining concept and experience featuring the very best of Malaysian cuisine to the  world - hence the birth of PappaRich. Through franchising, the PappaRich brand grew to 50 outlets in a span of only 3 years. In Australia, there are 15 outlets planned in cities like Sydney & Melbourne by end June 2013, with 5  outlets currently opened to date. In Singapore there are 2 outlets opened in the Star Vista and Parkway Parade. The Group is also expanding into China soon.

Today PappaRich has a core team of about ten R and D experts  to fine tune PappaRich recipes, to source for fresh, authentic ingredients of the best quality & grade, so as to bring the best of traditional Malaysian Cuisine to its diners. PappaRich usually recruit and hire the chefs  who are already famous and experienced in cooking traditional Malaysian cuisine and bring them into the PappaRich Group. 

When it comes to ingredients, the group invest in the best ingredients. e.g. ingredients such as pepper are sourced from Sabah where they are famous for pepper production. 

The PappaRich's Singapore Master Franchise is owned by Mr Sebastian Low, CEO of PappaRich Group Singapore Pte Ltd.

To date the group in Singapore has two outlets : 

first outlet at The Star Vista, #01-43, 1 Vista Exchange Green, Buona Vista, S 138617 (opened in 2012 September), 

the second outlet in Parkway  Parade, 80 Marine Parade Road, #01-17A, S 449269. 

For the Food Tasting, I met Sebastian Low & Redzuan at PappaRich outlet at Parkway Parade.