Nasi Lemak Kukus

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My colleague has drived me to this famous Nasi Lemak Stall to taste the Nasi Lemak here. Restaurant was quite spacious but was quite warm. Service here was friendly and warm. Has chosen the basic dishes here which include crispy chicken wing, egg omelette, fried ikan billis. The coconut rice is fragrant and portion is generous. Chicken wing is juicy and outer layer is crispy. Ikan billis are very fragrant and crunchy, which is very appetizing. Paid $7 for this plate of nasi lemak which is still reasonable. continue reading

So I saw Gwen check-in at this place one night and I simply had to ask about it.The premise was interesting - someone wanted to serve 'authentic' Nasi Lemak Kukus.And they decided that the place to do it was at Upper Thomson.And they open late!Now this place has apparently been around for quite awhile.But obviously not as long as 7 years ago because I used to drive up and down that stretch of road during my NS days and I've never seen this place around.So what exactly is the difference from Nasi Lemak and Nasi Lemak Kukus?Well for Nasi Lemak, you cook the rice in the water (ie in a rice cooker) which what you'd normally get from your favourite stalls in Changi Village. But for the Kukus version, you literally do what the name says.'Kukus' is Malay for 'Steam'. So this means that the Nasi Lemak rice is steamed instead.Some will tell you that this is really the old-school traditional way of cooking the rice but people can't be bothered because it's so troublesome.But does it really make a difference?Well I guess you have to be the judge for yourself.So my wife and myself decided to pay a visit to Upper Thomson.I remember that I've only had Nasi Lemak Kukus at one other place - a roadside stall in KL.And just like that stall, Nasi Lemak Kukus here serves you Nasi Lemak with other side dishes as well.They have quite a large spread of dishes to along with your Nasi Lemak.From traditional additions like Bagedil (Potato Cutlet), Sambal Sotong and Rendang to some modern choices like Sweet and Sour Hotdogs. They also have a variety of veggie dishes to choose from like Sambal Bendi (Ladyfingers) and Sambal Longbeans.According to the price list on the wall, it'll cost you $2.50 per scoop of a meat dish and $1.0 for a scoop of a vegetable dish.But we didn't come here for all that.We came for some Nasi Lemak Kukus.Firstly, let me say that you could also have the Chicken Cutlet Set ($7.00) or the Dory Fish Set ($6.50) but I'm guess this is probably going to be a popular choice.Secondly, let me say that the rice and the sambal are free flow!That's right. If you were order any Nasi Lemak set or even if you order the plain Nasi Lemak rice ($1.00), it is as much as you can eat.So if you're really budget or really cheapo, pay $1.00 and eat rice and sambal to the max.(But no sharing allowed says them)Thirdly, let me say that this Nasi Lemak Kukus is actually quite good!Most people will judge Nasi Lemak Kukus based on 3 components.1 - The rice. 2- The sambal. 3 - The chicken wing.Now because the rice is steamed, it has a much more grainy texture than your normal Nasi Lemak.For some that's nice but some people like my wife and Yana would tell you that it's too grainy for their liking.But taste-wise it's actually very tasty!They actually have 2 types of sambal (as you can see in the picture above.The one at the top (on the cucumber) is the 'Sweet' sambal and the one at the bottom is the 'Spicy' sambal.And this is where it gets confusing.The 'Sweet' sambal is probably closer to what you'd get when you buy Nasi Lemak from Changi Village.It's supposed to be slightly sweet but with enough chilli kick to enhance the flavour of the Nasi Lemak.But in this case, it wasn't sweet. It wasn't even spicy.The 'Spicy' sambal looked like it was gonna be damn hot with the chilli padi seeds all. And no doubt it was definitely spicier that its 'Sweet' counterpart but it wasn't THAT spicy at all.In fact, I'd say that the 'Spicy' sambal was sweeter than the 'Sweet' sambal. Probably from the onions included perhaps?And the part most people love - the chicken wing.The chicken itself has a good crispy coating and was very satisfying in my opinion.My bother kept saying that it had a strong taste of lime which no one else seemed to be able to place.Well bro. You were right. Apparently they use Kaffir Lime leaves in the marinade.Most people will probably enjoy this chicken wing. So if you want more, it's $1.50 per wing.You of course also get Ikan Selar Kuning, cucumber, egg and ikan bilis/peanuts.But personally, I think they should separate the ikan bilis and peanuts instead of putting them all mixed in one serving container. You end up with more peanuts than ikan bilis...Put them all together and what have you got?A pretty solid plate of Nasi Lemak lah!It is my duty to inform you that the Bandung I ordered was tasteless.They should call it 'Pink Water with Evaporate Milk' instead. Totally a mistake there.But... something interesting...Don't be fooled by this small glass with a metal cap.Dripping into the glass is a Vietnamese coffee blend. And boy is it powderful (geddit geddit).My wife says it's "KAO-KAO!" and I concur. It's like the strength of 3 cups of coffee in one.The coffee has a very very unique taste which is quite nice.But it is indeed very strong so if you're not a coffee person you might wanna have the Bandung.And if you're not a tasteless-water person you might wanna have something else. And for those of you who are hankering for something other than nasi lemak kukus...The have still set-up right at the entrance of the joint.They sell a burger they call the 'Power Burger'.That's the guy who makes the burgers by the way.Keep him in mind cos I'll bring him up again later.So how does this burger fare?Let me say that if you're expecting a Ramly burger then you're on the wrong track. They make their patty from scratch.You have a choice of either Beef or Chicken and it comes with cheese and mayonnaise and wrapped up in egg.Okay so maybe it's just me or maybe it's because I was one of those people expecting a Ramly burger. But I was sorely disappointed by this burger. And I wasn't the only one.I can appreciate that they make their own patty but somehow it seems to fall flat. And I'm not saying that just because it IS thinly flat okay.And despite being thinner than a Ramly burger patty, it still wasn't cooked through.Okay so maybe that was their intention? Keeps the meat juicy? Medium-well?Well then they might want to re-think their strategy to be honest.Okay lah maybe I'm being too hasty.Maybe I should stop comparing this burger to a Ramly burger and maybe I'll think differently...*thinks really hard*No sorry I'm still not impressed with this burger.$3.50 at least they could give me some chilli sauce or something. Might have helped.Then only thing that the girls appreciated was that they used Gardenia burger buns.And remember that guy making the burgers?For awhile I thought maybe the guy got no skill or what... maybe if someone else was at the grill it'd make a difference. But apparently Gwen says that it was a woman at the grill when she went but the burger was still not that impressive.And one last thing I have to mention.It's very laid-back as it promises to be. Very good place to 'chill-lax' with friends over food and coffee.But it's kinda campy. As in very close quarters.You see that woman in white in the middle of the picture? Well my ass bumped into her as she was taking a bit of her chicken wing. So prepare for some of that if you're seated on the outer seatsStaff are super friendly and helpful which is a big plus.But the location means those of us in the East will probably swing by only if you're in the area or you really bo-chup in the middle of the night and hungry.PS there is an outdoor eating area as well which doubles as a smoking area but limited seats!For the full review and more mouth-watering pictures, visit my blog now!http://thehalalfoodblog.blogspot.sg/2012/06/nasi-lemak-kukus.html continue reading

Attended on behalf of my friend as she last minute could not make it. Definitely worth recommending!Firstly, this place serves a variety of ingredients and its per portion (pick and put the ingredients on your plate yourself).Secondly, they use the traditional way of steaming their rice and I love the texture and the fragrance smell that goes around in my mouth. ITS FREE FLOW!Lastly, its a nice place to chill out with friends for having Vietnamese coffee & teh tarik! For more info and photos visit my facebook:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151831856837228.1073741922.710477227&type=1&l=b9eb22c148 continue reading

For details, please visit http://foodesteem.blogspot.com/2013/07/nasi-lemak-kukus.htmlWas glad to be able to attend OpenRice's Food Tasting session. Located along the old street of Upper Thomson Road, where some great food stalls awaits you, such as Nasi Lemak Kukus! Simple place, friendly and smiley crew Going straight to their drinks, I had the popular iced Drip Coffee. Using the Vietnamese style, coffee is dripping from the top through a simple filtering tool, and into the cup filled with milk. Stirred and goes down my throat!For ala-carte, its self-service, and possibly, a little more time to consider which to take. I bet most of us had enough of stall-owners waiting for you to decide, making you feel so pressurized??Their rice is one of the signature! Their coconut rice are steamed rather than the usual boiled method. Longer time needed to cook the rice, but end-result emits a strong fragrance of coconut and pandan Craving for more? You can go for their free-flow rice with sambal if you do not wish to spend more, or try their burgers! Ramly-style!Definitely a place I would visit again, and especially when my hunger starts drumming in the late night!For details, please visit http://foodesteem.blogspot.com/2013/07/nasi-lemak-kukus.html continue reading

Nice and happening place for dinner with good quality food and service. Nasi Lemak Kukus serves an extensive buffet menu includes Sambal Prawns, Fried Fish, Vegetables, Omelette, Rendang, Otah and many many more. The rice is moist and fragrant. Oh yes! I love their Sambal. It is indeed Power! Alamak..... My mouth is watering now at the thought of it. Last but not least, I'll be back .... with my gang! continue reading