The folks behind popular hawker stall Mr Lor Bak return with another modern hawker concept—claypot rice with trending ingredients. House of Happiness sits in its own space in the heart of Simpang Bedok, a nice change of pace for when you want a step up from coffeeshop food that’s still pocket-friendly.
Dig into the menu of classic and updated interpretations of claypot rice; the Teriyaki Pork Jowl ($7) is a surefire hit with its tender pork jowl slices sous vide for 16 hours. We also like the Onsen Egg with Ikura and Tobiko ($11)—a little steeper but worth it for its well-mixed balance of ingredients. Fans of Mr Lor Bak can get a taste of the braised pork belly here too, with the Lor Bak with Onsen Egg ($7) claypot; or an a la carte order of the Signature Lorbak ($9).
Not on the menu is a sinful claypot rice dish with pork lard, furikake and onsen egg that’s worth batting your eyelashes at the staff to try your luck for. All the claypot dishes are cooked with a special par-boiling technique—where the rice is precooked, left to cool and rinsed, so the rice grains are light and crisp without sticking to the claypot.
For sharing, get the luncheon fries ($4) and fried chicken skin (not on the menu); then wash it down with a refreshing Cucumber Lemonade ($1.90). House of Happiness also has an entire fridge of funky craft beer labels from the region and the States, if Tiger isn’t your thing.
