the Bigrill, 110 Yishun Ring Road

The evolution of the local western food scene presses on slowly but surely, introducing standards and quality that slowly climb upwards and sometimes even sideways. Bigrill (Blk 110 Yishun Ring Road, You & Lai coffeeshop) looks to be one of those hailing from the newer era serving food that are not seen in shape, form or species, in the drab generic stalls of it's genre. For one, the steak here looks decent and one of the signature items from the menu is apparently, crocodile meat. There's no need to backtrack. You read it right the first time. I did say crocodile.

This Texas sirloin (200g, $10) according to the menu, is one of the favourites. On first look, one must admit that it's quite pretty considering the fact that most steaks from coffeeshop westerns are simply pieces of meat that I don't really consider to be real steaks. The downside is that the meat was actually a little tough for medium doneness. Apart from that, this is probably one of the better ones from coffeeshops that I've had. This is definitely better stuff than E.Blackboard which I thought was utterly disappointing.


I'm sure some of you might have heard the recurring joke about exotic meats tasting like chicken. On a serious note here, this crocodile filet (200g, $18) does taste like chicken. The main difference that I could detect from the meat is probably the texture which puts it a little more fish like from the way it breaks and crumbles slightly. Looking back, I should have requested for the white pepper sauce on the side to get more of the natural flavor of the meat. Otherwise, the bite and texture could really pass off for chicken. I've heard that it's low in fat and cholesterol and that really makes it a much more expensive and exotic chicken alternative?