Get Claypot Paella With Seafood And Gochujang At This New Bukit Merah Stall

PaeLah has affordable claypot paella in Bukit Merah

I’d never come across a hawker stall selling Spanish food until I visited PaeLah at Maddox Canteen Bar, an under-the-radar coffeeshop in Bukit Merah. The new stall’s name is based on wordplay; it’s meant to sound like paella, a traditional Spanish dish made using rice, proteins, and vegetables. Their mains are all priced under $15, and you can get some sides to pair with your choice of paella too. 

There are six types of paella here, the most popular of which is the Signature Seafood Pae ($10.90). 

The claypot dish features a warm bed of saffron-scented short-grain rice topped with prawns, squid, scallops, and clams. For those wondering whether the claypot makes a difference in flavour, I’d say no, but you do get a nice layer of crispy rice at the bottom of the pot. 

For something similar and familiar at the same time, there’s the Pae Fan ($9.90), inspired by pao fan. This dish is made using a combination of puffed and white rice, topped with the same seafood ingredients as the Signature Seafood Pae!

We also had the Korean-inspired Gochujang Pae ($8.90): you get red chilli paste rice topped with thin pork shabu slices, bok choy, shredded seaweed, and what tasted like burrata cheese. 

The flavours were slightly stronger than the seafood paella thanks to the addition of gochujang. It’s not spicy, though, so anyone can enjoy this regardless of spice tolerance.

If you’re with a dining companion, we recommend getting their Gambas ($8) to share. FYI, the portion size for this side is just nice for two! This Spanish dish features plump prawns in garlic chilli oil, then served with three slices of toasted bread on the side. 

The best way to enjoy gambas is to drench the toasted bread in chilli oil—the more the better.

An equally good alternative is the skewer, priced at $10 for six and $19 for 12 sticks. You get four types of meat in each platter: beef ($1.80), lamb ($1.80), chicken thigh ($1.60), and pork belly ($1.60). The skewers come with the same mildly spicy seasoning, so just opt for your preferred protein.

The stall isn’t the most conveniently located as it’s a 17-minute walk from Redhill MRT Station. If you can’t bear walking in the heat, you can take a bus near the station instead.

Right next to PaeLah is Legend Wanton Mee, a popular stall with fatty char siew noodles helmed by an ex-MasterChef finalist. Alternatively, read our Pin Sheng Chicken Rice review for long-queue chicken rice in Bukit Merah by an ex-Boon Tong Kee chef. 

Address: 3752 Bukit Merah Central, Maddox Canteen Bar, Singapore 159848
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 10pm
Website
PaeLah is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Marcus Neo.
This was a media tasting at PaeLah.