Ollella has been one of those spots that we have been returning for more whenever we don’t have any idea on what to have or just felt like it — these folks had certain come a long way from their days at the Residences@Somme (and even more so if one recalls their stint at The Midtown Residences with the Foxhole Cafe). Whilst their Far East Square location has been in operations for quite a while, Ollella hasn’t been sitting on their laurels — there has been the introduction of new food items as well as Kueh-Kueh ever since, which always make for a good reason to drop by for a revisit. We previously have had their Nasi Lemak when we first dropped by Ollella during the initial days of opening the Far East Square location; that being said, the Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah wasn’t an item that was offered on the menu back then. The Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah is described on the menu to come with elements such as coconut rice, deep-fried lemongrass coriander spiced boneless chicken leg, Ikan Bilis, peanuts, sambal and sunny side-up.

Whilst their Nasi Lemak used to come in a disposal box, the current plating sees the Nasi Lemak coming in a disposal paper box that is shaped more like a tray; though given the size of the current disposal ware, it does make the dish look a little minuscule as there are some areas that are void of any components of the dish. The Ayam Berempah is definitely the star of the Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah here — prepared fresh-to-order here, the Ayam Berempah comes all hot and seemingly freshly-fried; a little greasy though still rather reasonable given the nature of the item. The exterior is crisp, while the flesh is tender and juicy; absolutely delicious considering how it carried evident notes of the spices such as turmeric and lemongrass that were added in its marination process. The coconut rice came being a little lukewarm; not quite temperature that we would like it to be — that being said, we did enjoy the soft, light and fluffy texture of the rice though we do feel that it could have came with a slightly more distinct note of coconut milk fragrance. The accompanying sambal here is more sweet than spicy; should do well even for those with lower tolerance to spice — one can also find a flavoural contrast amidst the sambal where distinct notes of the elements used for the sambal can be detected. The Ikan Bills did manage to maintain the crunch and gave the dish a saltish note, while the sunny side-up came without the undesirable notes of overused oil and also had a molten egg yolk that oozes as one pokes on it with the fork. During our visit to Ollella, we had also went for the Talam Cendol; a relatively new addition to their line-up of Kueh. For those whom are unfamiliar with Kueh Talam, it can be described as a Steamed Coconut Pandan Kueh; in fact, Ollella does serve up the original variant of the Kueh as well — that would be the Talam Pandan. In retrospect, the Talam Cendol comes with elements such as Gula Jawa, Eggs, Red Beans, Plain Flour, Coconut Milk, Rice Flour, Corn Flour, Tapioca, Sugar and Salt.

The Kueh does come a little heftier and is pretty bouncy with a good chew that doesn’t stick to the teeth — the texture on the Gula Jawa, Red Beans and Coconut Milk layers are also pretty consistent; the combination providing that familiar hint of flavours similar to a Chendol but being less sweet in general. Of course, we cannot forget the inclusion of the Pandan jelly that one would typically find in the usual bowl of chendol within the coconut milk layer of the Talam Chendol. It does seem that Ollella had even went to the lengths of making the Chendol jelly themselves; the Chendol jelly coming all soft and with a light, lingering note of Pandan that perfumes the tastebuds. It is well known that we wouldn’t skip on Kopi during lunch and the Kopi here does come in a way that is almost in style of Kopi Tubruk here — whilst it does come with condensed milk just like a typical Nanyang-style brew, one can definitely find the fine coffee grounds sitting at the bottom of the cup here just like how it would have been the case for Indonesian-style coffee. As a result, the brew does come with quite a caffeinated kick in its body, with a corresponding sweetness that helps to bring everything together. It is always a happy occasion to see how far Ollella has come; especially so considering how Ollella has been known to deliver quality bakes, Kuehs and cooked food ever since they had first started and through their now-defunct Makan House by Ollella concept — it is little wonder how they have garnered a following after all these years in the F&B industry. Always looking forward to the next return visit to Ollella to try any new creations that they have to offer!