The hype: 1999-founded local farm Quan Fa Organic now has its very own farm-to-table mookata concept, boasting produce and meats of only the highest quality. They provide the veggies, while collaborating with other local and regional farms like egg farmer Lian Wah Hang Quail & Poultry Farm for fresh eggs, Toh Thye San Farm for chilled meats, Ha Li Fa (Bobo Fishball) for fresh fish paste, and Jurong Frog Farm for frog legs.
The vibe: Located as a stall in a humble Jurong East coffeeshop, Quan Fa Mookata keeps its presentation simple to focus on its food. The Westside location means they can transport their produce fresh from the Lim Chu Kang farm. Everything is displayed neatly in a display case; once you’ve ordered, just wait for the little mookata stove to be delivered to your table.
The food: To no one’s surprise, the eatery prides itself on serving only the freshest of sustainable farming; you won’t find processed food like crabstick and hotdogs here. All the meats are freshly chilled, as opposed to processed or frozen sliced meat you might find elsewhere. Even the skillet is greased with imported A2 milk Desi ghee instead of lard to ensure minimum grease.
Your best bet is the Set for 2 at $38—which comes with your choice of two chilled marinated meat (chicken thigh, pork collar and belly, beef striploin or lamb leg), two prawns, two frog legs, fish paste, and a basket of seasonal organic vegetables from Quan Fa. Any additional ingredients come at an a la carte price, but the set easily feeds up to three.
Because all the meats undergo a 30-hour deep infusion marinade, the extreme flavor might come as novel to those of us used to frozen meat. Lemon acid is used for tenderizing, which might explain the tangy lemongrass flavor of the chicken and pork. If you like something unique, get the lamb— marinated with rosemary, cumin and apple cider; punchy but not smelly. The beef striploin can taste a little strong, so request for the ribeye (not yet on the menu) with zero marinade; sprinkled with just Himalayan salt, it’s juicy and the best of all the meats.
There’s also the tender frog legs marinated with huajiao, the fish paste made of pure fish meat and herbs, a range of house-made organic sauces, and of course, the Quan Fa vegetable basket showcasing a variety of the farm’s best leafy and hardy seasonal veggies. But the star of the mookata sesh is certainly the flavorful soup that bears no traces of residual meat grease or oils; and all it’s boiled with is fresh vegetables and chilled chicken.
The drinks: You’re more than welcome to get your usual drink order from the kopitiam drinks auntie, but for a complete organic dining experience, get a refreshing Organic Coconut ($5.50); it’s pricey but will likely be the best coconut you ever taste.
Why you’ll be back: A farm-to-table mookata concept from an actual farm seems both a no-brainer and a novel notion; it took us this long to get here but thankfully the wait was well worth it. The ingredients are refreshingly tasty for a mookata joint—to say nothing of the fact that they’re actually sustainably farmed and good for your body. Unfortunately, Quan Fa Organic’s lease will be up next year, marking a new direction into wholesaling the farm plans to take. Before this affects the mookata business, you’ll definitely want to make a trip down to the deep West for a taste.
