Picky Snout Review: Rosti With XL Pork Chops From $6.90 In Kovan

Picky Snout has rosti and grilled meat from $6.90 at Kovan

Rosti is surely one of my favourite potato-related dishes, so I was ecstatic to learn of a hawker stall that offers the dish so close to where I live—the glorious North-East, that is. I’m talking about Picky Snout, a stall tucked away in a Kovan coffeeshop.

Picky Snout has garnered plenty of attention online for its affordable yet delectable rosti, served with your choice of grilled meat and more. Curious to see whether its offerings were any good, I decided to drop by the stall with a colleague.

Food at Picky Snout

The cheapest rosti dish you can get here is the Plain Rosti ($6.90). While that alone could be a moreish meal to some, we wanted to start with something heartier, such as rosti with a nice slab of grilled meat.

We landed on the Signature Saigon Pork Rosti ($11.90), which saw a serving of rosti and sour cream joined by not one, but two pork chops. Best of all, each pork chop was quite large, too. Those with bigger appetites will be happy with the portion here.

The rosti itself was excellent. I’ve seen some reviews note that the rosti here can be a little too wet or oily, but that wasn’t the case for my plate. With a crispy, smoky crust, soft insides, and the addictive fragrance and flavour of pan-fried potato, I had no complaints about the rosti. Of course, it was made even better by the dollop of tangy sour cream served on the side of the plate.

The pork chops were more of a mixed bag. While I loved the fact that there were two sizable pork chops, the meat itself was a little too tough. I did, however, enjoy the flavours here. The meat had the charred aroma of the grill, and its marinade—a Vietnamese-style sauce—gave it a unique piquant flavour.

Our next dish was the more affordable Chicken Cheese Sausage with Egg Rosti ($8.90). Here, the pork ribs were swapped out for a sunny-side up egg and a piece of grilled sausage.

The rosti was once again great, and while I didn’t think the egg added much, its yolk did lend some creaminess to the crispy rosti.

The sausage was smoky, tender, and a little cheesy. It certainly wasn’t top-grade stuff, but it did a serviceable job in what was one of the more budget rosti options on the menu.

For our last dish, we decided to get one of the stall’s rice dishes. Our pick was the Creamy Mushroom Chicken Rice ($7.90), which saw a pile of white rice accompanied by a large chicken chop, a sunny-side up egg, and a side of salad. Do note that you can also get this creamy mushroom chicken chop with rosti for $10.90.

I was once again impressed by the sizable pile of meat, and better yet, the dryness that plagued the pork chops wasn’t present here—the chicken chop was juicy and succulent. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the mushroom sauce, but I did appreciate the earthy notes it imparted to the meat. The mushroom slices in the sauce were a nice touch, too.

Having the chicken chop with the rice and egg made for such a filling meal—we ended up having to dabao this back to the office.

Ambience at Picky Snout

Picky Snout is hidden in a small coffeeshop that isn’t the most spacious, but it’s clean and well-ventilated enough to enjoy a good meal. The place gets livelier at night, as Picky Snout and some of the surrounding stalls open in the late afternoon, or are dinner/supper spots.

The coffeeshop is an eight-minute walk from Kovan MRT Station.

The verdict

With affordable rosti and sizable grilled meat dishes to offer, Picky Snout is worth the visit whenever you’re in the area or are specifically looking to get your rosti fix. As a rosti fan myself, I was thoroughly impressed by the stall’s rendition of the classic Swiss potato dish, and can see myself going back again sometime in the future.

For more places to get value-for-money rosti, read our guide to the best stalls in Singapore for rosti under $10. For cheap Western food in Kallang, read our $5 Western review.

Address: 1014 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534752
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 4pm to 10pm, Sat 11am to 10pm, Sun 11am to 9:30pm
Tel: 8760 3939
Website
Picky Snout is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Ke-ian J Leong.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg.