Big Portions, Great Sides

Traditional hawker-style Western food has always revolved around that piece of meat. The standard sides of crinkle-cut fries, baked beans, and coleslaw are often provided almost as an afterthought. However, this is not the case for the Western Stall at Old Airport Road, which has been nominated for Best Hawker Western at the DBS Paylah Hawker Awards. At Holy Grill, not only are the portions generous, but they also offer a selection of quality side dishes.

From School Canteen to Hawker Stall

The stall is run by Johnny and Grace, who have been operating it for 15 years. These self-taught chefs began by serving Western food at the canteen of Tanjong Katong Girls School but became so popular that they were persuaded to open a hawker stall, allowing parents to also enjoy their food! To this day, they continue to serve their dishes to some of the students and former teachers, with a few even introducing their own children to the stall!

Review of the Food

Chicken Chop

I think the best way to describe the food is to say that it is very similar to what you might get at Astons but at a fraction of the price. Of course, you don’t get to sit in an air-conditioned environment and enjoy table service, but if you are just after a quick and hearty, value-for-money Western-style meal, then this stall is exactly what you are looking for.

For $8, we got one and a half pieces of chicken Maryland, marinated and pan-seared on a hotplate, a whole roasted potato, and a fresh garden salad. When they started 15 years ago, the same dish was going for $5.40, and they were using fresh chicken. Unfortunately, they have now switched to...