Rad Dish – Ex-Pageant Contestant & Friend Sell Carrot Cake With Strong Wok Hei in a West Coast Coffee Shop!

Are you Team Black or White when it comes to chai tow kway?

Started by young hawkerpreneurs, Kasper and James, Rad Dish opened their doors in July 2021 and serves both black and white versions of carrot cake in a coffeeshop in West Coast.

You may have seen Kasper around on social media as he represented Singapore in an international male-only pageant, Mister Global 2017. Or, you may have seen his captivating Getai shows when he was 16. Kasper always wanted to carve out his own future ever since he was a kid. His enterprising spirit led him to partner with James, his mahjong kaki turned co-founder of their stall.

They initially intended to set up a bubble tea stall after completing 90% of the preparations for it, but the expensive start-up cost pushed them to focus on carrot cake instead. You can still spot “remnants of the bubble tea concept”, especially in the options of spice percentage available for the dishes!

The duo decided on their current stall name, Rad Dish. “As carrot cake uses radish, we decided to split the word into two to be ‘rad’ [which is a slang for cool] and ‘dish’, to have cool dishes,” Kasper explained.

That coolness is certainly seen in their sleek stall front that features a modern signboard and menu. i like that their logo has a square to represent carrot cake cubes.

Despite having little experience in F&B, the duo learnt the cooking process of carrot cake from watching online videos, and observing other carrot cake hawkers. What’s interesting is that they weigh the ingredients, which are all from a supplier, before cooking. Kasper explained that the calculated move was to ensure consistency for each plate. The duo also cooks each plate individually.

I ordered the three types of carrot cake they have on the menu, all with 50% spiciness. First up, I tried the White Carrot Cake ($4), which consisted of cubed steamed radish cakes fried with fish sauce, chai poh, garlic, and egg. Kasper then adds belacan chilli to the dish. The radish cubes were slightly firm and starchy, with a satisfying wok hei that had woven itself into each bite. Although I’m not a fan of the white version usually, I actually quite fancied theirs. Make sure to add on some crisp ($0.50) which is fried flour that’s inspired by what’s served at fast food chain Long John Silver’s.

Next, I tried the Black Carrot Cake ($4), which was surprisingly coated in less dark soy sauce than what I’m used to. The wok hei was stronger than in the white version.

Lastly, I tried their new seasonal special Mala Carrot Cake ($5). Although the spiciness is amped up, I tasted more peppery notes, and the numbing sensation was somewhat mild.

No matter if you’re team black or white, give this modern carrot cake stall a try!

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.