Charlie's Western

There has been quite a number of interesting western cuisine stalls opening up around the various coffeeshops in the heartlands fairly recently — Charlie’s Western being one of such stalls. These folks are located within the Happy Hawkers coffeeshop that is situated at Blk 215C Compassvale Lane — the coffeeshop being a walk away from Sengkang MRT / LRT Station / Bus Interchange, located slightly further down from where Kopitiam Square is. These folks aren’t exactly new to the F&B scene here — for those whom have heard of Charlie’s Grill previously located at Hougang Rivercourt — yes, Charlie’s Western is a concept brought by these very same folks. Those whom have been following the happenings of the local F&B scene would probably also know how Charlie’s Grill is a concept that is by the same folks behind Rise & Grind Coffee Co. that was once situated at Bukit Timah Plaza — now currently only operating within Oasis Terraces in Punggol. Despite being in the F&B scene for a while now, Charlie’s Western is their very first time going into business as a coffeeshop stall; something much more scaled down than what they are used to. That being said, it does seem that Charlie’s Western is an attempt to bring the very best out of Charlie’s Grill into the heartlands — the menu might have been scaled down following the change of its operations; the menu still however boasts a line-up of 43 main dishes which is quite a feat on its own. There is also a line-up of 16 dishes that are available to share across the table, and another 7 home-style sides that is presumably available to be paired with the some of the main dishes which they have to offer; also available to be ordered in ala-carte form.

We dropped by Charlie’s Western after our workout session and the item that somehow captured our attention the most was actually the Tomato Pasta and Country Fried Chicken. Patrons do have a choice to choose the type of sauce to go along with their order of the Tomato Pasta and Country Fried Chicken; the two sauces offered being pretty standard options elsewhere as well — Mushroom Sauce and Black Pepper Sauce. Our choice was for the former. We were also asked if we would like to upgrade our new into a set at $2 extra; the set would see the pasta being accompanied by a small portion of the salad and also a small portion of the Cream of Mushroom Soup — we found ourselves going for exactly just that. The menu does not exactly describe the elements that comes with the Tomato Pasta and Country Fried Chicken but it does come pretty much the same way as what one would have expected from its namesake; a breaded and deep-fried chicken chop as well as spaghetti that has been tossed with a tomato-based sauce. Digging into the pasta itself, we did find that the spaghetti was done al-dente; we liked how the tomato-based sauce isn’t one of those “cheap-tasting” ones that some western stalls situated within coffeeshops, hawker centres and food courts would serve up — amidst the tangy notes of the tomato-based sauce would be a note suggesting the use of aromatics and herbs such as that of basil whilst coming with sautéed cherry tomatoes that further enhances the flavours of the sauce. The flavours of the tomato-based sauce is certainly more complex here as compared to the typical ones being served by establishments of such a set-up. Both the portion of the pasta and the fried chicken are pretty generous; the batter of the fried chicken is actually surprisingly not too thick — also not greasy, while the chicken maintains its juiciness and tenderness. One could also tell that the slab of chicken was also marinated carrying a herb-y note and a light hint of spiciness from the use of pepper to help cut through the meatiness; the fried chicken was also not in any way greasy. Opting for the mushroom sauce, we would have felt that the mushroom sauce lacked depth if it were to be paired with chicken chop — that being said, it is savoury enough when paired with the country fried chicken, giving it a good flavour whilst not being overly salty or jelak when had together with the inherently-heavy fried chicken cutlet.

Since we had opted to go for a set with our order of the Tomato Pasta and Country Fried Chicken during our visit to Charlie’s Western, we also managed to try a small portion of their Cream of Mushroom Soup which one can also go for in ala-carte portion on their menu. The Cream of Mushroom here does seem a little bit more ordinary — more of the creamy sort with lesser concentration of mushroom bits that would probably gel well with those who like the more classic renditions of such soup that are being served in more established, casual dining establishments. With that being said, we did find a mix of Shimeiji Mushrooms and Shiitake Mushrooms within the Cream of Mushroom that not only further enhances the earthy notes of the soup, but also adds a bouncy bite. The croutons that come with the Cream of Mushroom were a little unnecessary however; the croutons having turned limp and soft, losing its crunch by the time we had made our visit in the evening. The salad that came along as part of the set felt more like a regular garden salad that one would tend to get whilst having typical western fare; something similar to a mesculun salad with a vinaigrette dressing — nothing too out of the ordinary.

Have always thought that these folks might fare slightly better as a concept in its current form rather than its former operations — we did recall the times where Rise & Grind Coffee Co. had been a little more inventive and experimental with its food offerings when they had first opened its doors at Bukit Timah Plaza; these days seem to have been long gone with both Rise & Grind Coffee Co. at Oasis Terraces and the former Charlie’s Grill serving up serving up more conventional western dishes that felt like a shadow of its former self. With that being said, their execution of western fare for a coffeeshop stall is one that feels a little more premium than what other establishments of similar set-up tend to offer, allowing Charlie’s Western to have an edge over the rest. Charlies’s Western is also in the midst of obtaining their halal certification that would eventually make it a dining establishment fit for all — the menu already currently being free from pork in the meantime. Prices of their main courses range between $7.90 to $19.90; the former being the price of which a variety of pasta dishes are being listed, while the priciest dish would be the Steak n Chicken that features two meats in one dish. A spot that Sengkang residents living around the area would likely appreciate having in their neighbourhood.