The Best Chicken Tenders He Ever Ate Were In Prison — Ex-Inmate Now Sells Own Version At Hawker Stall Last Bite Western

The side gig that cost him everything

The Singapore work pass holder was working as a licensed Grab driver during Malaysia's Covid-19 lockdown when his life took an unexpected turn.

According to Hafidz, a friend had offered him a side job driving several passengers to a location in Sungai Rengit, Johor, in exchange for some extra money.

"It was a hard time financially, so I accepted without hesitation," he recalls.

It was only after the passengers got into his car that he realised they were Indonesian nationals. Assuming they had simply been offered work in the area, he says he thought nothing of it and drove them to the address he had been given.

But when he arrived at the destination, which appeared to be a kampong house, he was suddenly surrounded by police officers.

"I was so confused. Everything was chaotic," he recalls of the moment he was arrested.

After spending 28 days in lock-up, Hafidz says he was charged with a human trafficking-related offence involving transporting undocumented migrants.

He maintains that he had no idea the passengers were in Malaysia illegally and believes he had been set up by his friend. He recalls being in shock when the court delivered its verdict.

"I'll feel that way until I die," he says quietly. 

Hafidz says he does not know whether his friend was ever charged or imprisoned over the incident, as the two never crossed paths behind bars.

Initially sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, he appealed the ruling and eventually had his sentence reduced to seven years. Due to sentence reductions and parole for good behaviour, he ultimately spent four years and eight months at Kluang Prison in Johor, from June 2020 to February 2025.

Wife filed for divorce during jail time

The prison term came at a heavy personal cost.

His wife filed for divorce while he was incarcerated, leaving him devastated. The father of two, whose children are now aged 12 and 10, says he felt like he had "lost everything".

"At one point, I almost took drugs in prison," he admits. "But I thought, if I do this, I might die."

Instead, he leaned on his faith and the support of his parents.

"My late mum always told me, 'Stay strong, have faith and be patient.'"

He still becomes emotional when talking about his mother, who passed away in April this year while he was working in Singapore.

"I was cooking when my brother called and said my mum had passed away," he says, his voice faltering.

"When I heard that, I dropped everything."

Today, he is single and declines to discuss his current relationship with his ex-wife.

Prison food was mostly depressing

For most inmates, prison food isn't something worth reminiscing about.

According to Hafidz, meals at Kluang Prison were often bland and repetitive.

"Our tea and coffee had no sugar. Sometimes I couldn't even taste the salt in the food," he says with a laugh.

Breakfast was usually plain bread or porridge.

"We called it 'Zero Porridge' because it had no taste."

Lunch and dinner typically consisted of rice, vegetables and a protein such as fish, tofu or boiled chicken, with inmates eating inside their cells.

Prison food hacks

To make things more bearable, prisoners occasionally got creative with whatever snacks they could get their hands on.

One of Hafidz's favourite "prison hacks" involved softening Maggi curry noodles with cold water (hot water wasn't available to inmates) before mixing it with milk powder and anchovy sambal. He says the unusual concoction was one of the nicest things he ate behind bars.

"It was so nice," he says, laughing.

"After I was released, I tried making it again at home, but it didn't taste the same."

The prison chicken tenders that moved him to tears

Then came April 2024, during the final year of his incarceration.

For Hari Raya, the prison organised a special visitation programme where inmates' family members could pre-order and purchase food from the prison canteen for them.

Among the festive dishes available were rendang and other Hari Raya staples.

But one item immediately caught Hafidz's eye.

Chicken tenders.

"I don't know why, but the picture looked nice," he says with a laugh.

He ended up ordering 10 packets, to share with other inmates. When the tenders arrived at his cell for dinner, he took one bite and was floored.

"It was juicy, spicy and the marination was perfect."

Then, unexpectedly, he began to shed tears.

"To me, it was the best food I had ever eaten during my time there."

It would also be the only time he savoured the tenders during his nearly five years behind bars.

A Master's graduate who started over in the kitchen

Hafidz's path into F&B was equally unexpected. The former Grab driver has zero culinary training and had never worked in a kitchen before.

In fact, he holds a degree from Universiti Teknologi MARA and later earned a Master's in Business from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2015.

Despite his qualifications, Hafidz says he struggled to find suitable opportunities amid a difficult job market and eventually took up a telemarketing role before turning to ride-hailing during the pandemic to make ends meet.

"I've always wanted to do business," he says.

When he was released, he immediately began sending out resumes.

Less than three weeks later, a friend put him in touch with the owner of Singapore western food stall Wildfire Hotplate Western at Aperia Mall, where he landed his first-ever job in F&B as a kitchen assistant. He now commutes daily from his family's home in Johor Bahru, where he lives with his siblings.

The first few days were rough.

"I got scolded by my boss on the first day because I didn't know how to do anything," he says with a laugh.

"But I told myself to stay and learn."

His work ethic and willingness to learn eventually impressed his employer, a Singaporean entrepreneur who wishes to be known only as Leo. He later invited Hafidz to become a shareholder and business partner in Last Bite Western at Dover.

The stall opened in March this year.

Chasing the perfect tender

Initially serving a broad neighbourhood Western menu, business was sluggish, with sales on some days reaching only around $300 to $400.

So Hafidz decided to lean into what had become an obsession: chicken tenders.

The menu has since been streamlined to focus heavily on tenders and burgers. While the concept change is still new, Hafidz says sales have already shown signs of improvement.

It took him around three months of research and development to perfect his recipe.

He estimates he made hundreds of batches.

"My siblings got so tired of eating chicken tenders every night," he says.

"They told me, 'Bro, it's good enough already. Please stop making chicken tenders.'"

When asked if he thinks he's beaten the prison version, Hafidz doesn't hesitate.

"Yes, it's better, for sure," he answers confidently. "I firmly believe in improving other people's food rather than copying it. That's the core of creativity."

Everything at Last Bite is made from scratch, from the sauces to the batter.

The chicken uses inner breast fillets that are brined overnight in a mixture that includes wholegrain mustard, Dijon mustard, chicken stock and several secret ingredients.

"We use around 10 ingredients," he says with a grin.

"The other eight ingredients, you have to wait long, long [for me to reveal them]."

Hafidz credits his first F&B job at Wildfire for teaching him the fundamentals of Western cooking. According to him, the chef there taught him to cook everything from burgers and pasta to fried chicken.

The recipes at Last Bite, however, are his own. Today, he runs the stall with the help of one employee.

Despite being relatively new to F&B, Hafidz commands the kitchen with the confidence of someone who has been cooking for years.

Multiple timers beep throughout our visit as he meticulously tracks the cooking time of every order.

Even the serving ware has been carefully considered. As the only Muslim-owned stall in the coffeeshop, he uses disposable containers instead of reusable plates to avoid any possibility of cross-contamination.

Here's what we tried:

OG Buttermilk Tenders, $10.90 (8 DAYS Pick!)

These are among the better chicken tenders we've had from a hawker stall.

Each order comes with fries, garlic bread and two sauces — honey, plus a choice of one of four house-made sauces: Secret Sauce, Honey Chipotle, Sour Cream or BBQ. While the drizzle of honey lends the tenders a pleasant sweet-savoury quality, our favourite pairing was the tangy Secret Sauce.

The thick, craggy batter shatters with each bite before giving way to remarkably juicy chicken breast. Thanks to the overnight brine, the meat remains tender and succulent instead of dry.

Most impressively, the tenders don't leave a greasy coating in your mouth despite being deep-fried.

The seasoning is spot-on, with peppery notes and enough savouriness to keep us reaching for another piece.

The Secret Sauce tastes vaguely like a lighter, zestier cousin of Big Mac sauce crossed with Thousand Island dressing, with enough acidity to cut through the richness of the fried chook.

The fried Holland onion strips scattered over the tenders add another layer of sweetness and crunch, making these dangerously addictive.

Fire Crust Tenders, $10.90

Despite the intimidating name, these aren't particularly fiery.

Instead of a mouth-searing spice bomb, the seasoning is peppery and savoury, with paprika lending a subtle smokiness and warmth. The heat builds only slightly and never overwhelms the chicken, making these approachable even for those with a lower spice tolerance.

The tenders themselves remain every bit as juicy and crisp as the original version, though we'd still pick the OG Buttermilk for its cleaner flavours and addictive pairing with the house sauces.

LB Classic Double Smash, $13.90 (8 DAYS Pick!)

A surprisingly polished burger for a hawker stall.

The smashed beef brisket patties are thin and nicely seared and juicy, making the burger easy to bite into instead of becoming an unwieldy tower of meat.

The savoury cheese and piquant secret sauce tie everything together beautifully. The lightly toasted brioche bun lends a subtle buttery sweetness and is sturdy enough to hold its filling without turning soggy.

LB Signature Pasta (Tomato Cream), $8.50

The pasta is coated in a silky tomato cream sauce that's rich and comforting without being too heavy. There's enough tang from the tomato to keep the creamy sauce from feeling one-dimensional. Topped with a juicy grilled chicken chop with a nice char, it's a simple but satisfying plate.

The man who once cried over chicken tenders in prison now hopes others will create happier memories over his version of the dish.

And if the prison tenders were a perfect 10 out of 10, how does he rate his own rendition?

"110 out of 10," he says with a grin.

Last Bite Western is located at Blk 5 Dover Crescent, S130005. Open daily 10.30am-9pm. More info via Instagram.

Photos: Dillon Tan