Zaolek lok lok buffet – a guide to the heartlands area of Kovan

What is Lok Lok – Lok Lok are like kebabs but instead of being totally meat base, there is a huger selection of ingredients to choose from. These skewered foods are either cooked or uncooked and are dipped into boiling hot soup bases. Sometimes restaurants even provide deep fry and barbequed versions of Lok Lok in their Menu.

Origins of Lok Lok – Although there is no definite source of where exactly Lok Lok originated from, in a couple of states in Malaysia namely Kuala Lumpur, Subang etc…there are many peddlers, Lok Lok is a form of popular street food which is typically sold in vans and Malaysian restaurant has made its way into the restaurant in Singapore.

Differences between Singapore & Malaysia Lok Lok – For Singapore style of Lok Lok, you may select from a variety of soup bases such as chicken, herbal chicken, Mala, Laksa and TomYum whereby in Malaysia, it is either eaten with boiling with condiments such as sweet chili or satay sauce. It really depends on the state of Malaysia you are in.

Heartland Mall – The most iconic structure in Kovan for me has always been Heartland Mall. Although micro in size this neighbourhood mall was the place to get stationery for a school project or grab a quick lunch with friends, back then fast food was considered a privilege for us. Unhealthy but as a teen on an allowance it was a real treat. This Fashion was like the Temt of my time pocket-friendly clothing for all occasions the quality is not very good but the clothes were satisfactory, EPB bookstore was great for textbook and PC games! Sadly these stores have closed down but they did serve me well while the lasted.

Located in Paya Lebar Kovan CC, Zao Le Lok Lok is definitely one of the places to go in Singapore with the boyfriend. With an awesome range of meats, seafood, and veggies for barbeque, having food served on a stick has never been more enticing.

ZaoLek Lok Lok in Paya Lebar Kovan CC –A popular restaurant in Kovan known for its delicious Lok Lok Buffet and reasonable prices, It is no doubt that this joint is always packed, so make an advance booking on their facebook page to avoid disappointment.

Large refrigerators stocked up with food – What caught my attention was the huge refrigerator in the restaurant, they were all stocked up with all sort of skewered vegetables, meats, seafood and precooked goodies such as crab meats, fishballs, seaweed chicken etc, fruits are also stored in one of the fridges which are a plus for me because it makes it possible to tip the scales towards a healthier diet. The ice cream freezer has all the popular flavours.

All you can drink – There are usually two choices of drinks, cups and carafes are provided for refills of these cordial drinks.

Bbq food served by staff– Usually for the barbeques foods a staff will go around with a platter of food for you to select and return on a regular basis. I must say their friendly staffs are top notch!

Deep Fried Foods – If you would like the food you selected to be deeply fried, just place the clip with your table number on the side of your plate and the staff would gladly fry the foods for you. My favourite is the potato, with seasoning, these are fried to perfection.

A wide variety of soup bases – Being Singaporean means being kiasu and goodness we do have a huge selection of soup bases to choose from 6 to be exact, Mala, Ba Kut Teh, Laska, TomYum, Chicken Soup and Satay gravy. Satay cost an additional SGD$4.00 per bowl and sadly it is not one of this establishment’s forte. 2 choices of soup bases are given my favourites are chicken soup and Tom Yum.

I enjoyed having dinner at Zaolek lok lok so much that I came down 3 times with different groups of family and friends, alcohol is also on the menu if that interest you. Although it is a non-air-conditioned environment the friendly staff and yummy food make up for it.

For a discount on your final bill like and share their facebook page. Zaolek Lok Lok is indeed value for money.