TikToker Zaki reveals his ultimate hawker dish, sparking online debate

For most Singaporeans, naming hawker dishes is a piece of cake. 

But picking an ultimate hawker dish can be a difficult task. 

Have this discussion with a bunch of folks and, chances are, you might get yourself in a heated debate.

Last Thursday (June 1), local content creator Zaki took to TikTok and revealed his ultimate hawker dish.

Spoiler alert, it ain't chicken rice or nasi lemak. 

His choice of mee soto could be seen as an unusual pick, which ruffled some feathers.

Through the use of a TikTok filter, Zaki was playing a fun little game pitting local hawker dishes against each other in a knockout format.

@zakiv4 #hawkerfood ♬ original sound - Zaki Hussain

For football fans, think Champions League knockout phase.

Interestingly, a key selection criterion for Zaki was that the dish had to be suitable for any meal in a day.

That changed the game entirely so maybe, it's not all that surprising that the versatile mee soto came out on top.

In the process of finding his ultimate dish, some local favourites like mee goreng and Hokkien mee were "eliminated" early on.

When Hokkien mee faced off with mee soto, Zaki explained why he went for the latter.

He said: "Hokkien mee is too heavy, bro. Mee soto, breakfast good [and] lunch also good." 

However, other decisions were trickier. When asked to choose between oyster omelette and roti prata, Zaki had to allow himself some time to think.

"Oyster omelette man, I love orh luak, bro. But I don't eat it as much as roti prata," the TikToker said, justifying his decision.

Throughout the game, some controversial lines were dropped as well.

Zaki cheekily mentioned how he had to "betray his people" and pick chicken rice over mee goreng.

More controversy ensued when Singapore's national dish, chicken rice, crashed out in the second round of elimination.

Given that roti prata was the opponent, this seemed like a no-brainer to Zaki.

"You know what, I cannot eat chicken rice for breakfast. Good Singapore food is something you can eat for breakfast and lunch," he said. 

The final two dishes going head to head were roti prata and mee soto. While Zaki loves roti prata, he mentioned that he's had experiences with bad ones too. 

"Mee soto, I've never hated before. I've tasted so many mee soto, and they are all good. Even the bad ones are good," he added.

Netizens flocked to the comments section to give their opinion on the ultimate hawker dish, and some agreed with Zaki's choice.

As with most discussions about food, there was no unanimous vote as other netizens took offence at Zaki's choice before mentioning their ultimate hawker dish.

Recall the Zhng Zinger?

Last October, KFC added a limited edition burger, the Zhng Zinger, to its menu.

The idea stemmed from Zaki himself, who provided KFC with the suggestion via a TikTok video.

He noted that the Zinger could be elevated with sliced cheese, some hot sauce and onion rings.

It seemed like KFC was taking down notes. Not long after the video was posted, KFC brought the burger to life and named it the Zhng Zinger. 

ALSO READ: Sugar or fish curry? Singapore TikToker 'judges' both you and your favourite prata accompaniment

amierul@asiaone.com

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