Breakfast at an old favourite this morning: Victory in Kampung Glam, for its prata with chicken kurma, washed down with hot, foamy milk tea / teh tarik.
Founded in 1910, Victory is now managed by Gazali Edikilakath, the grandson of the founder. Business is very brisk in the mornings, so much so that plain prata (“prata kosong”) is not offered - one can choose either egg prata, cheese prata or onion prata.
I opted for the cheese version, which was expertly kneaded, laminated and griddle-fried in full view of the customers.
The cheese prata was crisp, and has a chewier texture than its Malaysian counterpart (“roti canai”), but less dense than the “paratha” in Chennai, India.
The chicken kurma here was very tasty, gingery and redolent of the scent of cardamom, coriander and cumin. The meat was moist and very tender.
Victory’s claim-to-fame, besides its prata breads, are its meat-filled murtabaks. The mutton murtabak has a more robust flavor than the equally popular chicken murtabak. But both used minced meat, lightly-spiced and cooked before being folded in layers of ghee-lined pastry and griddle-cooked.
Here in Singapore, the murtabak will be served with a saucer of curried gravy, and a small side-dish of slivered cucumbers and little shreds of lettuce leaves, drizzled with tomato ketchup. In Penang or Kuala Lumpur, the side-dish would be pickled onions.
Victory is, of course, located right door next to its deadly rival, Zam Zam (founded 1908) along North Bridge Road. No love lost between these two.
Address
Victory Restaurant
701 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198677
Tel: +65 6298 6955
Opening hours: 7am to 11pm daily
