MBS Restaurant Chef Turned KTV Pub Singer Opens Western Food Stall, Does Deliveries In Suit
With a cheeky name like Playboy82 Western Food aka ‘Zha Nan Re Ji’ (渣男日记) in Chinese (loosely translated as “Jerk Diaries”, which alludes to a player), it’s no wonder the nearly two-month-old Geylang coffeeshop stall is attracting attention in the colourful neighbourhood.
Opened in March by head chef-turned-KTV bar singer and assistant manager Edison Ng (left in pic below), 33, and former army regular Vincent Lim (right), 25, the stall serves kopitiam-style Western fare like pork chop, spring chicken, and pasta. The food is cooked by their friend Ang Seng Wee (middle), 24, who used to work as a cook at Ajisen Ramen.
If you’re wondering who’s the zha nan (jerk) in question, that would be Edison. He earned himself the nickname as he is frequently seen in the company of girls.
“I work at 277 KTV pub nearby, so I am always having supper with a lot of different girls (colleagues and customers). After a while, people started calling me zha nan,” Edison tells 8days.sg.
“I find the nickname quite interesting, so we named the stall Zha Nan Re Ji – “diaries” ’cos I’m hanging out with different girls everyday. People are [amused] by the name. When I hear aunties talking about Zha Nan Western food, I will go up to them and introduce myself as the zha nan,” he laughs. As for “82”, it's the unit number of the apartment Edison and Vincent used to rent and also where the idea for the biz was born.
Edison has no qualms about milking his new reputation as the ‘playboy’ of the ‘hood. He decorates his stall with bunny plushies and dons bunny-themed tees to promote his biz. He also plans to launch a line of apparel with the Zha Nan branding.
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From chef to KTV singer
Prior to becoming a singer and starting the hawker stall, SHATEC-trained Edison had built an impressive resume as head chef at the now-defunct international buffet restaurant Sea and Blue at Marina Bay Sands, and also outlet chef at Italian restaurants Etna and La Pizzaiola, among others. He also used to run a ramen stall at NTU’s Canteen 1 and a Western food hawker stall at Changi Road. He left the biz due to differences with his partners.
Jaded, Edison decided to leave his culinary career in 2021 after more than a decade in search of greener pastures.
“I lost my passion for the job ’cos when I was working as a head chef, I had to do a lot of paperwork and plan the menu, not actual cooking. Most of the time, I was in the office, keying Excel spreadsheets. I asked myself why am I doing this – it’s not something I want to do until I retire, so I quit,” he explains.
While thinking about his next career step, Edison’s friend suggested that he sing at a KTV pub and introduced him to his current boss. He joined 277 KTV bar as a singer and assistant manager when the nightlife scene reopened in April 2022.
“I enjoy singing and used to sing at pubs when it had open mic nights, so when my friend suggested I become a singer, I thought why not? My friend recommended me for the job. I don’t think I have that good a voice but I have a passion for singing. My most requested song is ‘Guest’ (Jia Bin) by [Chinese singer] Zhang Yuan,” shares Edison.
Why work at a KTV bar?
“I needed an income after quitting F&B. Besides singing at the KTV bar, I also sell alcohol there. I have been working there for more than a year ’cos I see the money,” shares Edison. He declined to share more about his earnings.
“It’s like a siam diu (Thai nightclubs). Customers will tip you with flower garlands [or sashes] and these can be worth a lot of money, like this sash on me (in the pic above) was worth a $1K tip. So, it’s more worthwhile than being a restaurant chef. But of course, this doesn’t happen often, maybe once a month.”
Tips from “older ladies” but “no hanky panky”
He continues: “I mainly get tips from older ladies and some uncles too. I have customers who will come regularly to support me. I will have a few drinks with them and sometimes we will go for supper after work, but nothing more. Our pub is clean, so there’s no hanky panky.”
Customers encouraged him to start F&B biz
It was also because of his customers that Edison decided to open a hawker stall. Occasionally, he would cook for his colleagues and customers, and they encouraged him to start an F&B biz. When he saw a vacant stall at a coffeeshop just a few units away from the KTV bar, he and Vincent invested $40K to open shop there.
“We decided on Western food ‘cos there is a demand for it here. There are only a couple of shops selling Western fare and they are quite pricey. We wanted to offer something affordable,” says Vincent.
“We can also cater to the bars and pubs in the area ‘cos a lot of them don’t offer food. This is why we have a good selection of finger food. About 70 percent of our sales comes from the bars.”
Though the dishes are based on Edison’s recipes, he takes on more of a “consultant role” when it comes to kitchen operations. Seng Wee handles all the cooking, while Edison and Vincent take care of the deliveries.
“Though I am working at the KTV bar at night, I will pop out to help with the deliveries. The delivery locations are all nearby. I walk or just cycle there. Sometimes you can see me doing deliveries in a suit,” he quips.
Plans to sing long-term and also be hawker boss
Edison has plans to grow the business into a chain and is looking for a space in Yishun to open their second outlet.
“My role is to be a boss — look for new locations for the business, hire people to run the stalls and I run the business [from a management perspective],” says Edison. “I prefer singing and it’s my priority as that’s where the money is. I see myself doing it long-term.”
The menu
The menu features typical kopitiam Western fare like chicken cutlet and fried dory, which you can pair with your choice of sauce and two sides or pasta. Prices range from $9.90 for chicken chop to $16.90 for a rib-eye steak. Pastas like aglio olio and carbonara are sold from $5, as are sides and finger food like fries, chicken karaage and tempura ebi.
Spring Chicken, $10.90 for half chicken; $14.90 whole (8 DAYS Pick!)
Despite the slightly pale exterior, the fried chicken is tasty, succulent and the skin beautifully crisp. Seng Wee tells us that the chook is double coated in a dry batter which includes plain flour, cornstarch, and potato starch to lock in the juices, as well as Thai tempura flour for added flavour and crunch.
Pork Chop $9.90
Similarly, the pork chop, which has been marinated in the same brine, is a little sweet. The tender pork collar, served slightly pink, nicely complements the savoury chicken gravy, though we felt there was a tad too much of it. The house-made coleslaw is fresh, crunchy and sweet, and the boxed mashed potato is comforting but nothing to shout about.
Rib-eye Steak, $16.90
Thankfully the sauce for our steak was served on the side. The slightly-charred thin slab of juicy rib-eye (around 150g), when paired with black pepper sauce, has a good balance of seasoning and aroma – smoky, savoury, and peppery. Ground black pepper is toasted to enhance the aromatic flavours of the sauce. With its earthy and sharp flavours, this is a level up from your regular kopitiam-style steak.
Tomato Pasta, $5
Simple, hearty tomato pasta tossed in slightly tangy-sweet chunky tomato sauce, brightened by the oregano and garlic. Not quite your marinara but still satisfying for the affordable price. The spaghetti was not done al dente, which was slightly disappointing. Edison reasons: “We used to cook our pastas al dente, but the older folks, which make up the majority of our customers, don’t know how to appreciate it and said it’s uncooked, so now we overcook it.” Unfortunately, you will not be able to request how you’d like your pasta done as it is par-cooked to shorten the prep time.
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