The Albert Street coffeeshop where Jiak Song & Rong Liang Ge seems to be a revolving door when it comes to some stalls, as Mui Zai Nasi Lemak (aka @muizaicafe) is the fourth new tenant to open shop there since the start of 2024. They’re a Chinese nasi lemak stall, so they are most certainly haram and the side dishes (of which they have plenty) would fit right better in a standard cai png (mixed rice) lineup more than it would on a standard nasi padang lineup.⠀
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They offer six nasi lemak sets to ease your decision making, and I chose set B with the fried chicken wing for $5.50 nett, and added a serving of veg for an extra dollar. The rice was surprisingly satisfactory, with no lumps of mushy rice and a decent, rich aroma of coconut milk emanating from the nasi. The sambal chili was most certainly Chinese in style, being equal parts salty & spicy with a notable sweetness to round everything out. The sambal’s consistency is like a slightly runny paste, with just enough thickness to stick to whatever you apply it to.⠀
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The otah was alright, but probably the factory made stuff, but the fried nuts & ikan bilis (anchovies) were stellar, proving their fresh out the fryer status with their colossal crunchiness. The fried egg was also unusually flawless, retaining a liquid yolk that flowed out upon breaching the yolk. Unfortunately, the chicken wing, while sufficiently seasoned, was cold and about as tender as Gandhi’s flip flops. I’m not an advocate of refrying fried foods, but for crying out loud please at least heat up the chicken.⠀
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Embarrassing chicken wing aside, this was a respectable plate of nasi lemak for under six bucks. But for the love of all that is good, either invest in a heat lamp, or par fry the chicken, and then fry it till it’s fully cooked just before serving. Trust me, when you do that, the wing is gonna make your profits soar.⠀