Wong Solo

One of Indonesia’s Superbrands WONG SOLO arrives in Singapore! Originated from Solo in Central Jawa, the word “solo” does not suggest that the boss Wong is a single man. In fact, Wong Solo has FOUR wives. WOW! I wonder how does he allocate his time between the business and the wives.

Jokes aside, Wong Solo has 5 outlets in Kuala Lumpur and 90 outlets in Indonesia. The one is Singapore is actually a franchise. With its bright green and orange colour chic interior, I felt like I was in a fast food restaurant. 

One of its popular dishes is the Gado Gado ($4.50). Its marination peanut sauce is made freshly every day.

The restaurant’s specialties is Ayam Bakar ($6.90), a crispy and aromatic barbecued chicken made from a traditional Javanese recipe. Concocted by the founder Puspo Wardoyo, the seasoned chicken has a delicious crunchy skin while being tender and succulent on the inside.

If you preferred Fried Chicken, they have Ayam Penyet ($6.90), though the chicken isn’t really flattened. Their fresh chilli sambal is to die for, spicy and fragrant.

Having said that, I felt that the Ayam Bakar was overshadowed by the beef in this Singapore outlet. Its Iga Bakar (Grilled Beef Ribs with Black Sauce, $10.90) is ranked the top among all the Hungrygowhere reviewers and we even ordered a second plate! The meat is so well marinated that it is tender and flavorful.

Alternatively, you can choose the Empal Penyet (Grilled beef chuck, $7.80) or Iga Penyet, which is slightly deep fried, then BBQ to its full beefy flavor. Trust me, take any of the beef and you won’t regret.

If you are not into meat, you can, of course, go for the Ikan Bawal (Grilled pomfret,, $6.90). For me, I would usually order a variety so that my friends and I would share the dishes.

We tried two soups: Sayur Asem (Vegetable soup, $3.90) and Sup Buntut (Oxtail soup, $6.50). I am not very adventurous to begin with, so I prefer Sayor Asem. The corn in the soup brings out the sweetness and there were a variety of vegetables like long beans, potatoes etc, full-bodied and nutritious.

The 2nd Must Try dish (the 1st being the Iga Bakar) in Wong Solo is the Sate Lontong (Skewered Grilled Chicken Meat with Rice Cakes, $6.90). What you get here is not frozen chicken meat, but tender and juicy marinated chicken chunks. Its satay sauce, not the usual penut chilli sauce, complements the satay well.

If you just want something light, go for Wong Solo’s new dish Mee Soto.

Finish your meal with one of their refreshing, almost dessert-like beverages, like the avocado or mango juices. I had the Jus Alpukat ($4.90), which is fresh avocado juice with condensed chocolate milk. My suggestion is, only order this when you are done with your meal as it is very filling.