Fullybooked

Those whom have been looking around social media for the last couple of weeks would have most likely come across posts that have mentioned about the opening of a new cafe named Fullybooked at Tai Thong Crescent — for those whom are unaware, the cafe had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Gumajia 姑妈家 that is situated in the same stretch of shophouses right across from The Venue Residences and Shoppes, and is a short walking distance away from Potong Pasir MRT Station. The exterior of the cafe does seem to set some expectations on Fullybooked being a dining establishment that somewhat carries the vibe of a cafe — there is large use of cement-esque finishes both within and outside of its premises that gives the Fullybooked a look akin to a cafe serving up brunch-style offerings with its industrial vibes. The same extends to the interior, with quite a decently-sized seating area comprising of mostly metallic tables and transparent, acrylic chairs, with the space being made a little more lively with the use of plants in several corners of the cafe. Given the first impressions from the decor of the space and the facade of the cafe, some might actually find it surprising that Fullybooked actually serves up local fare — think of it as that sort of cafe that one might actually be able to find that is situated across the border; the food menu comprising of items categorised into sections dedicated to Traditional Eggs and Toasts, Main Dishes and Finger Munchies. The list of beverages available at Fullybooked includes items categorised as Traditional Beverages (think Nanyang-style Kopi and Teh), Non-alcoholic Beverages (such as canned drinks fresh, home-made drinks like Barley, Lime Juice and Iced Lemon Tea), as well as Alcoholic Beverages (mainly comprising of beer).

One of the items that we had been setting our eyes on whilst skimming through the menu during our visit at Fullybooked was the Nasi Lemak with Lemongrass Chicken Wing; Fullybooked actually does serve up two variants of Nasi Lemak, with the other variant of the Nasi Lemak being the Nasi Lemak with Fish Fillet. Fullybooked does not describe on the elements that each of their dishes comes with on their menu, that being said, it is observed that our order of the Nasi Lemak came with the usual suspects — think the likes of a sunny side-up, silverbait, peanuts, slices of cucumbers and sambal chili; that would be apart from the lemongrass chicken wing and the coconut-infused rice that is as mentioned in the namesake of the dish. It is also interesting to note that each Nasi Lemak order also comes with a slice of luncheon meat as well. Going straight for the rice, one would notice that the grains used for the Nasi Lemak here are standard white rice — the rice carrying a coconut-y fragrance with a slightly gingery undertone that was immensely fragrant; the rice was also sufficiently moist and thus soft and fluffy, which found to be really well-executed. Considering how they had mentioned that the chicken wing featured in the dish were lemongrass chicken wings, we had expected that the chicken wings to be done a little bit closer to the Ayam Goreng Berempah that usually comes with Malaysia-style Nasi Lemak; we weren’t really getting much of the same vibes that we had expected considering how this variant seemed to be heavier in the turmeric aspect than the lemongrass as well.

Pairing everything with the sambal, it is noted that the sambal chili comes with a sweet and earthy tone without being notably spicy; should work well with those with a lower tolerance of spiciness overall. One thing we found particularly intriguing with the variant of the Nasi Lemak served here is the use of fried silverbait rather than anchovies; the smaller size of the fish also meant that these carried a crispier texture than the typical anchovies used at other establishments — the grease had also been aptly drained off to ensure that there is no oily notes absorbed that would affect the flavour and texture of the silverbait. The sunny side-up served with the Nasi Lemak with Lemongrass Chicken Wing is one that is likely to disappoint those who love their sunny side-up to come with runny molten egg yolks; the egg yolk being fully cooked and does seem to have been prepared in batches ahead of time to ensure a quick serving time once and order has been placed. All that being said, the Nasi Lemak with Lemongrass Chicken Wing at Fullybooked is still one that we found to be commendable version served at a cafe of its type — definitely one that holds up well even when compared to the same dish that is served up at hawker centres, food courts and coffeeshops across the island.

Apart from the Nasi Lemak with Lemongrass Chicken Wing, we had also given their Kaya Toast with Butter a go; the Kaya Toast with Butter comes all beautifully browned on the surface from the toasting process and comes with a thick slab of butter and adequate portion of Pandan Kaya being spread in between — the proportion of the Pandan Kaya and the serving of butter striking a good balance of sweet and savoury with a coconut-y fragrance that also matched well with the crisp bread which did not feel particularly limp even when we left around for a while. Kopi was also well-brewed; definitely on the stronger side of things and was not overly sweetened with condensed milk just giving it just a good balance. Fullybooked is pretty much that game changer in the local cafe scene that Singapore needs; cafes serving up brunch plates and westernised dishes are all too common in Singapore — we like how Fullybooked caters to those cravings for local flavours in a slightly more upscale environment that we are more used to seeing across the border, which is a welcomed addition to the food scene. Prices are also reasonable, with all food items from the Main Dishes section priced below $9; pretty much explains why there is already a crowd checking them out!