Yella Fella’s

Next to the burger, fries often play an overlooked supporting role in the standard fast food meal. Seldom are they recognized for their importance in terms of nutrition (or the lack of it).

Aren’t fries one of the more unhealthy choices around?

Fries are a necessary evil when it comes to comfort food. As Yella Fellas’ owner, Koh Choon Yang, puts it, “When it comes to comfort food, there’re only healthier choices, no healthy ones.”

True enough, when the term “comfort food” comes to mind, feel-good images of ice cream, chips, and chocolate diffuse into our consciousness as the craving to line our stomachs with these sinful treats grows. Despite a rising global awareness towards healthier eating choices and aversion to artery-clogging indulgences like chocolate, ice cream, and chips, there has been no excuse for the fattening potato sticks. Could there possibly be a worse sin than feasting on deep-fried carbohydrates?

Since you will raise your blood pressure, you might as well do it the right way.

Yella Fella’s, the latest stall on the block located at the recently renovated basement of Bugis Junction, offers the ultimate guilty pleasure – one that you won’t regret having. Fries here are served au naturel with its potato “burnt-to-a-crisp” skin still on and toppings of your choice.

There is a wide variety of toppings available, including cheddar and nacho cheese, garlic yogurt, beef gravy, ice cream, and the ubiquitous tomato and chili sauces. Pricing is varied but very affordable. A sizeable portion of fries with chili crab sauce will set you back about $4.90.

Yella Fella’s selection comprises varied cultural influences. Among international favorites are War Sauce (made with peanut sauce, mayonnaise, and raw onions), Cuban Salsa (made with Salsa, sour cream, green peppers, and homemade pesto), and Belgian (made with ketchup, raw onions, and mayonnaise), the Canadian poutine sauce is something relatively refreshing compared to the run-of-the-mill tomato sauce or chili sauce. Made with premium cheese and beef gravy, the savory cheese and morsels of beef make for a hearty dish. Another topping that settled well with UrbanWire was the exciting fusion of garlic and yogurt, which was light and tangy.

Wait, who is that behind the counter?

If you find the guy at the cash register familiar, that’s probably because you saw him on Channel U’s Superband a year ago. Alongside Choon Yang, the former Superband participant, are his partners, Edmund Foong and Ong Hong Kiat. Formerly, engineers have “put to action” their words – to do something they want before the career shift is made “too late”.

Idealistic and innovative, Yella Fella’s seems set to revamp Singapore’s fries culture, pushing the shy golden fried fries into the limelight.