Saturday 4 November 2017

prata at Crane road

Two Prata Kosong
 
Makes a very pretty, IG-worthy picture these two pieces of prata on a lovely blue plate do, do they not? :)

I think so.

It is no surprise, therefore, that at Mr. and Mrs. Mohgan Prata Stall, many a Millennial, many a Gen-Z, and many a Xennial (me!) can be seen snapping pictures with mobile phones, cameras and in some instances, like this morning, small video camera mounted on an also very small tripod.

I'm not one to whip out my phone and/or camera at any dining opportunity solely for the sake of picture snapping. I tend to just eat.

This day a couple of weeks ago, however, was a deliberate choice. Meaning that when I knew we were going to Mr. and Mrs. Mohgan, I dropped the camera into the bag specifically for the purpose of snapping a picture of my prata(s) kosong.

As well as my egg and onion prata.

Egg Prata and Kosong Prata

Both of which, by the way, become more or less my usual order of prata. Me and my dining companion, we get two pratas kosong, one cheese, one egg and onion. 

At one time I ordered just the egg, and then one day I realized that the uncle (whom I presume is Mr. Mohgan) scattered slices of onion quite liberally over the center and which was so fresh and tart and oniony and crispy still when the prata reached piping hot at my table that I decided, okay lar, from now on, egg and onion better. :)

Very hard to explain, but the burst of fresh onion slices with the egg and the crispy, crispy, light prata makes it much more flavorful than I thought.

Another time I ordered the banana prata. Because I've always wanted to try banana pratas and having one here was as good as another, but after that one time, I think very highly likely (!!) I'm going to stick to the banana prata here. It's good enough. Think of warm (not hot!) and thick banana puree completely enveloped in a thin, light, full of flavor crepe that is no less than similar to a filo pastry. Think of each bite of the banana prata as a combination of flavors that have got the right balance of sweet and salty all at once.

In other words, got difference lar.

I've to many a prata place. From Springfield at Jln Tua Kong there to this one stall at Tanjong Pagar to Tekka to as many other prata places here, there, everywhere all around Singapore, but here at Crane Road, in this coffee shop, there's a distinctive difference.

Is it the fact that the prata kosong is really hot, really fresh, skillfully done, crispy, light, crumbly and filling all at the same time?

Is it the fact that they've got really nice mutton curry that sometimes includes a cube of potato?

Is it because all of their other pratas, whether it be egg, onion, cheese, mushroom, banana or chocolate, are done so well that when it reaches your table and you tear into it, the prata is really hot, really fresh, skillfully done, crispy, light, crumbly, filling and the inside is perfect, neither undercooked nor overcooked?

Is it because that on weekend mornings and Public Holiday mornings there is always a queue at the stall, and everyone has to play a game of table-grabbing and table-sharing with their fellow diners?

And is it because that on weekend mornings and Public Holiday mornings, the wait can be up to an hour, and that everyone, after having sipped through their drinks and chowed down shared plates of wanton mee and mifenmian from the other stalls, have their ears peeled for Mrs. Mohgan to call out their assigned numbers?

Which usually goes to the tune of "No. 34! No. 34! Three prata kosong!"

It's all of it, I'm saying.

The wait can be an hour long. It's long enough that my dining companion decides that two soft boiled eggs are great to go before our prata number gets called. It's long enough that I've started bringing stuff to do so as to kill time. Like a book.

And the camera. :)

Just in case I want to snap a picture of my prata that day.

And just in case I manage to get seats under the five foot way that grants me bright, sunny views like these...

At the Back there

At the Side there