Heartland by Enjoy

Was told by someone we knew about the existence of the new Heartland 享受心邻居 by Enjoy at the foot of Blk 481 Tampines Street 44 — yes, for those whom are wondering, these folks are actually the very same Enjoy Eating House that is located at both within Kam Leng Hotel at Jalan Besar and within Novotel Singapore On Stevens. Heartland by Enjoy is their latest concept which takes over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Moments' 木萌 at Blk 481 Tampines Street 44; the address being a short walking distance away from Tampines East MRT Station along the Downtown Line or a bus ride away from Tampines Bus Interchange. This shop unit was taken over by a Mamak-style dining establishment for a short period of time after Moments' 木萌 had vacated its premises before Heartland by Enjoy had moved into the space — it seems that whilst most of the facade and interior fittings had been retained by Heartland by Enjoy, the space has been refreshed with a fresh coat of paint and a slight change in some of the decorative elements to bring a bit of a retro vibe with some vintage and some Peranakan elements alongside vibrant colours to give it the space a livelier look. Tables within the establishment are mostly configured to cater to groups of four (4) pax and above; there would be a mix of round and rectangular tables, while the seating also comprises of a mix of cushioned seats, dining chairs and stools. Being a separate concept away from the Enjoy Eating House brand, Heartland by Enjoy serves up a totally different menu that is more akin to that of a Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishment that seems to be more aligned as everyday options to the residents around the area as compared to the offerings that Enjoy Eating House serves. The food menu at Heartland by Enjoy comprises of sections dedicated to Nanyang Toast, Toasted Sandwich, Nasi Lemak, Mains, Sides, Soup, Meat, Seafood, Local Barramundi Fillet, Vegetables and Dessert, while beverages are categorised into Nanyang Drinks, Heartland Specialty Drinks, I ❤️ Coconut Specialty Drinks, and Other Drinks.

One thing that had drawn our attention to the menu whilst skimming through what Heartland by Enjoy has to offer is the availability of several Nasi Lemak offerings with pork elements — this does remind us of some Malaysian dining establishments across the border that are non-halal / Chinese-run that also does serve up variants of Nasi Lemak featuring pork. One such dish would be the Nanyang Pork Curry Nasi Lemak — Heartland by Enjoy does not describe the elements that are featured in this dish, but it can be observed from our order that it pretty much comes with all the elements that one would typically expect come with the usual Nasi Lemak dish; coconut milk-infused basmati rice, sunny side-up, anchovies and peanuts, cucumber slices and sambal chili on the side. Interestingly, all Nasi Lemak dishes at Heartland by Enjoy also does come with onion rings as well. Digging into the coconut milk-infused basmati rice, we did feel that the rice here does carry quite a nice coconut milk fragrance, though the texture of the rice could fare a little bit better if it was a little more moist. Adding the pork curry does help; the curry here does come thick but seems to veer towards being a little heavier from the usage of coconut milk. The bowl of Nanyang Pork Curry does also come with potatoes that come stewed to a soft texture; it is interesting that the folks at Heartland by Enjoy uses pork belly for its version of the Nanyang Pork Curry. Whilst the meat does come melt-in-the-mouth tender, it did add a bit of jelak-ness to the dish considering the heavier nature of the dish which includes both the rice and the curry. We thought that the onion rings were a good touch though not necessary; whilst coming crisp with a thin, golden brown batter without being particularly greasy, the onion rings did feel a tad bland and we wouldn’t probably mind if it came with a bit of seasoning. Meanwhile, other elements like the sunny side-up and anchovies were all on point; the sunny side-up being free from any undesirable notes of overused oil, while the yolk does come flowy of its golden goodness that oozes out as one pokes a fork into it. The anchovies do come with a good crisp and a saltishness without being all limp and soggy despite us dropping by on a weekday evening; the sambal chili carrying a sweet note and isn’t particularly spicy just like how one would expect for the typical chili that comes with Nasi Lemak.

Interestingly, Heartland by Enjoy does allow its patrons to opt to switch to Indomie for their Nasi Lemak dishes if they so choose to rather have noodles to pair up with the various meat options that they have to offer. We went with the Indomie for our order of the Heartland Pork Belly
Berempah — this would come with all the same elements that came with our order of the Nanyang Pork Curry Nasi Lemak except with the coconut milk-infused basmati rice being replaced by the Indomie, while the Nanyang Pork Cutlet is substituted with the Heartland Pork Belly Berempah. The Heartland Pork Belly Berempah is a play on the usual Ayam Goreng Berempah that most Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishments would serve up with their Nasi Lemak — the main difference would be the use of pork belly rather chicken leg; the version of the Heartland Pork Belly Berempah also does come with fried crumbs over the top just like how one would expect the same for the Ayam Goreng Berempah. The end result does feel like a fusion between the Hakka-style Fried Pork Belly With Red Fermented Beancurd in terms of texture with the fried pork still being sufficiently moist and tender; all that whilst coming with a thin, crispy fried batter that wasn’t greasy nor heavy with the crumbs above further enhancing the flavours. One can also detect the hints of curry powder and turmeric used during the preparation process of the dish, though we do note the lack of a gingery note and the flavour of lemongrass within the fried pork. The Indomie does carry a slight hint of spiciness from the seasoning added, whilst the noodles came with a springy texture.

We are not leaving a Nanyang Kopitiam-themed establishment without going for their Traditional Kaya Butter Toast. The Traditional Kaya Butter Toast are listed under the Nanyang Toast section of the menu and does come with two slices of thin brown sugar toast; sliced into half with each of the half coming with thick slabs of butter and what seems to be that of housemade Kaya. The style of Kaya which Heartland by Enjoy had chosen to go for with their Traditional Kaya Butter Toast would be the Nonya-style Kaya that comes with a green hue — the flavours of Pandan being very evident while the coconut jam itself also isn’t too sweet. The thick slabs of butter does give a bit of a textural contrast to the thin bread that comes with a crisp — the thick slabs of cold butter also helping to provide both a temperature contrast and a textual contrast to the toast. The Sayur Lodeh from Heartland by Enjoy is probably the dish that left us wanting for more during our visit there; the Sayur Lodeh being a Indonesian-style vegetable soup coming with coconut milk — the version of the Sayur Lodeh at Heartland by Enjoy seemingly all coming with the addition of turmeric considering its yellow hue. Carrying an aptly Lemak flavour where the notes of coconut milk is sufficiently rich, this was a dish that we found easy to finish — other elements included such as the long beans, eggplant, cabbage and more helps to add a soft crunch to the dish.

We also went for the Tahu Telor which can be otherwise known as the Indonesian Tofu Omelette; whilst the dish is being presented in a bowl, it still comes in the right form where the fried omelette comes in an entire piece at the bottom while one can also find tofu puffs hide within. Already drenched in Kicap Manis, the omelette soaked up all of the sauce which provides a hint of sweetness to the entire dish — the crushed peanuts adding a bit of a crunch factor with the shreds of carrots and cucumbers adding a bit of a refreshing crunch at the same time. For those whom have not heard of Hor Ka Sai, the namesake of the beverage translates to Tiger Biting Lion which is essentially a mix of Milo and Kopi. For the version that is being served up at Heartland by Enjoy, we do think that the Hor Ka Sai here does come slightly heavier of notes of Milo at the start, while ending with a note of coffee in its finish that we would prefer it to come slightly thicker (i.e. for a bit more punch).

Overall, it seems that Heartland by Enjoy is an establishment that rides on what Enjoy Eating House has set itself out to be over the years, it feels like Heartland by Enjoy is that sort of spot that serves up heritage flavours with a modern twist — though the clear difference between Heartland by Enjoy and Enjoy Eating House is how Heartland by Enjoy attempts to be a little bit more accessible and caters to both single diners as well as groups with communal dishes where it can be shared across the table; this differs from Enjoy Eating House’s menu which seems to centre around group dining. Prices at Heartland by Enjoy also seemed to have been set at a reasonable range to entice individuals diners to drop by to check out what they have to offer — the items listed in the Nasi Lemak and Mains section of the menu are being priced from $11.90 to $27.90; the lowest-priced being the Shredded Chicken Udon and One Bowl Soup Udon in the Mains section of the menu while the priciest would be the Rolls Royce Rendang Short Rib in the Nasi Lemak section of the menu. A little higher priced than usual, though understandable given the level of thought placed in each dish plus how Heartland by Enjoy serves up a modern spin in local cuisine that we all already love. Heartland by Enjoy does seem to be quite an interesting addition to the Tampines neighbourhood, giving the area a bit more vibrancy in terms of the dining options available — Heartland by Enjoy being clearly an extension of what Enjoy Eating House has to offer; a spot worthy of visiting once just to find out what they are all about to see if they would work out well for a spot to revisit!