Impian Wahyu: Possibly the best ayam penyet I’ve had in Singapore, with shiok homemade sambal
[UPDATE: Impian Wahyu has now shifted to Blk 462 Crawford Lane.]
Nestled in the quiet residential estate of Kelantan Court in Jalan Besar is one of the best ayam penyets I’ve ever had. This is the best possible definition of “a hidden gem”, as it took me slightly over 10 minutes to find Impian Wahyu, a nondescript Indonesian food stall located along the Rochor River.
Impian Wahyu caught my attention thanks to its consistent ratings on Google. At the time of writing, it scored an impressive 4.6 stars out of 276 reviews. It was also recommended to us by one of our readers, who simply told us: “Try it, and you’ll know.”
Most reviews pointed out its authentic Indonesian food and amazing homemade sambal. More importantly, many raved about the friendly Indonesian couple behind Impian Wahyu, Mr Abang Batman and Ms Wahyu Ning, who never fail to greet their customers with a smile in their matching shirts that say “in the name of love”.
As you might’ve guessed, the stall is named after Ms Wahyu, but Mr Batman doesn’t go unnoticed either. In the most endearing manner possible, you can find a swarm of Batman action figures displayed at its storefront, as well as the Batman symbol on its logo.
My colleague, Pavin, even jokingly asked if they had a Batmobile. Frankly, I wouldn’t be the least surprised if that was the nickname for their car!
What I tried at Impian Wahyu
Considering it’s just the two of them manning the stall, Impian Wahyu’s menu is impressive.
You’ve got Rawon Pasuruan (S$7), which is a classic Indonesian dish comprising beef soup made with keluak, as well as other dishes like Ayam Geprek (S$7), which is fried smashed chicken with really hot sambal.
There are also other items like Tahu Crispy (S$5) and Soto (S$5), but I decided to go for the fan favourite: Ayam Penyet (S$7).
The first thing I did was attempt to peel the chicken meat apart. To my pleasant surprise, the entire piece of deep fried chicken came apart cleanly and effortlessly— all it needed was the slightest pressure from my utensils.
It was only when I placed the first piece of chicken in my mouth that I was truly taken aback— and in an incredibly good way.
The meat was tender, soft and moist, and at the same time, the chicken skin was addictively crisp and savoury. It was truly the best of both worlds melded into a single bite.
How in the world did Impian Wahyu manage to achieve such a heavenly combination!? The answer came from Mr Batman— the chicken is boiled in broth for at least 3 hours before deep-frying.
One of the most enjoyable elements of the meal were the deep-fried crispy batter bits. Not only was I having a blast devouring my Ayam Penyet, the fact that Impian Wahyu didn’t scrimp on these addictive crispy bits made it all the more delectable.
Last but not least, the homemade sambal, which is made by Ms Wahyu, and knowing that it was based on her own recipe only made me more hyped to try it.
This sambal was sublime in every single way and every spoonful brought my taste buds on a blissful journey.
At first, I could taste a tangy tartness from tomatoes and a well-balanced sweetness from sugar. It was only after a few seconds that the full-bodied, addictive spice started to hit me, waking my entire mouth up with bright, bold and surprisingly comforting flavours.
I’ve never tasted sambal this all-rounded. I love it that the chilli is spicy enough to make beads of sweat form on my nose, yet it was evenly matched in sweetness and savoury flavours too.
All in all, this was a fantastic plate of Ayam Penyet from Impian Wahyu that easily became the highlight of my entire week. Each element on the plate, though seemingly simple, was carefully executed and well matched, and came together in such a satisfying way.
Based on online recommendations, I also decided to try Impian Wahyu’s Ox Tail Soup (S$10).
I’m not even exaggerating when I say that the oxtail was so soft that I had problems picking it up with my spoon, as from the very moment I had lifted it up, the tender meat was already threatening to slide off the bone.
Impian Wahyu’s Ox Tail Soup is incredibly commendable. Not only was the meat melt-in-your-mouth worthy, tons of skill must’ve gone into the making of the broth, as they’ve somehow managed to achieve clear broth while retaining all its gloriously meaty and savoury notes.
This dish was so delicious that I must’ve sat there speechless for a good few minutes, wordlessly nodding my head while slurping up the full-bodied oxtail broth.
Final thoughts
If I could score this place a 10 out of 5, I would. Impian Wahyu has got to be one of the best hidden gems I’ve discovered throughout my gastronomic adventure here at SethLui.com.
I fell in love with its Ayam Penyet at first bite, and as if I wasn’t already seriously impressed by how well executed its crispy fried chicken was, the Ox Tail Soup bowled me over with every single sip.
Thank you, Mr Batman and Ms Wahyu, for your friendly hospitality and amazing food. This was most definitely worth the journey to Jalan Besar, and I’m already counting down to my next visit to Impian Wahyu.
Expected damage: S$5 – S$10 per pax
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