Is nasi lemak served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Any hour is often the correct one when it comes to one of the greatest local dishes. There is no exception with nasi lemak. Who can resist a nice plate of nasi lemak with fluffy and aromatic rice, a fried egg and sambal along with anchovies?
Bali Nasi Lemak
Bali Nasi Lemak was founded in 1985 by the sister of two other well-known nasi lemak business owners, Ponggol Nasi Lemak and Mt. Faber Nasi Lemak. This Geylang modest diner holds its own despite the high standard they have to compete with being from a family who are masters at this dish.
Aromatic rice is paired with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) chicken ($2 for wing, $3 for thigh or drumstick) and when combined with sambal, the mixture creates a mouthful of sweet, savoury, and spicy flavor explosion. If that’s not your thing, don’t worry, they also provide traditional fried chicken with sides like sambal petai, sotong fillet, and sambal long greens as well.
Location: 2 Lor 15 Geylang, Singapore 388596
Opening Hours: 5.30pm – 4.00am (Mon – Sat)
Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak (Adam Road)
Image Credits: Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak, BurppleSince 1998, Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak has served platters of nasi lemak to eager lines at Adam Road Food Centre. However, the hawker stall did not start attracting customers and praises until 2004, when the founder’s son took over. The fried chicken recipe was modified to produce the extremely crispy and moist chicken wings we know and love today.
Jasmine rice was replaced with light and fluffy basmati rice, and the fried chicken recipe was tweaked to suit Singaporean’s tastebuds. If it’s your first time giving them a try, get the Full House ($4.50) to sample everything, which includes fried chicken wings, otah, ikan bilis, an egg, and sambal sauce.
Location: 2 Adam Rd, #01-02 Food Centre, Singapore 289876
Opening Hours: 7.00am – 5.00pm (Sat – Thu)
The Coconut Club
Many people may be shocked by the $12.80 price tag, but The Coconut Club’s version is definitely worth it. It comes with all of the standard nasi lemak fixings, including a fried egg, ikan bilis, peanuts, cucumber, fried chicken, and, of course, sambal.
However, in order to recreate the flavour of the dish as it was traditionally prepared, The Coconut Club prepares everything by hand, rather than relying on factory-made sides, as many restaurants now do. Using premium ingredients such as free-range kampong chicken and coconut from a single plantation in Sabak Bernam, Malaysia, every aspect of the meal is prepared with effort and dedication.
Location: 28 Ann Siang Rd, Singapore 069708
Opening Hours: 11.00am – 8.00pm (Mon – Sun)
Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak (Boon Lay Place Market)
Image Credits: Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak, Miss Tam ChiakBoon Lay Power Nasi Lemak is a strong candidate for being the best nasi lemak in the country, hailing from the West Side. A power-packed dish with your choice of meat such as fried chicken, fish, otah, and more, is accompanied by a big mound of aromatic coconut rice for $4. The chicken wings are a widely known favourite and have a reputation for being among the best in town, so order extra plates of it on its on to make the wait in line worthwhile.
Location: #01-106, 221B Boon Lay Pl, Singapore 642221
Opening Hours: 6.30am – 3.30am (Tue – Sun) | 4.30pm – 3.30am (Mon)
In Singapore, Nasi Lemak is now almost always accompanied by a side of protein, such as fried chicken wings or deep-fried ikan kuning (fish). Some establishments provide nasi lemak cai fan style, which allows you to mix and match as you please. This versatile dish is worth trying and we hope you visit these places to support them during these times.
