Makan Makan Muslim Cuisine

Rendezvous Restaurant Hock Lock Kee is so old-school, they don’t even have an Instagram account. But this #NasiPadang eatery is an institution.
My parents used to take my brothers and I to their original venue to makan when we were kids. Back then, it was located on the ground floor of a building where the Rendezvous Hotel now stands. The set-up was more like a coffeeshop, and a rather dimly-lit one, in those days. Quite a contrast from the bright, air-conditioned space in Raffles City they moved into some years later, and more recently, the second floor unit in The Central mall at Eu Tong Sen Street that they currently occupy.
@eechong had suggested we meet there for the group lunch. By “we”, I mean Chef-owner Jeffrey of @ovenbird_sg, @makanfuku, @ramenking2018 and us. Ee Chong also did the ordering which consisted of asking for and pointing to nearly everything on the menu 😆.
Rendezvous’ style of Western Sumatran Nasi Padang that was first introduced in Singapore in the middle of the 20th century, is not overtly spicy. So there is little chance of burning tongues and sweaty brows. Flavours are however, confidently calm and distinct - drawing on a variety of traditional aromatics combination to form the vibrant rempahs and rich gravies. I doubt you could go wrong with whatever dish you select but I do recommend not missing out on the Chicken Liver, Sotong (squid), Chicken Curry and Sayur Lodeh.
Definitely sip a spoonful of all that you order first, just to appreciate the fragrant nuances before you let everything run amok on your plate of rice.
Prices are understandably on the higher side given the comfortable ambience. Our bill for 5 pax came to $115 or $23 each. Still worth every cent in my opinion 😋

Tried the Soto Ayam from “H.J. Walita H. J. Mazuki” at Haig Road Market & Food Centre (#01-18) for the first time today. Didn’t notice the @makansutrasingapore decal with 6-chopstick rating on their signboard till after I ordered but yay!! Glad to know my “good food hunting” instincts weren’t wrong. What a tasty bowl it turned out to be. The aromatic gravy was thicker than others and quite complex in flavour due to the plentiful spices and addition of coconut milk. There’s plenty of shredded chicken breast meat and ketupat (compressed rice cake) in my $3 bowl but yet I couldn’t resist adding a Begedil (50 cents) because I think the spiced potato patty is shiok mashed up in the gravy.

From the moment I popped open the “treasure box” of Chef @josephyeois’ Nasi Campur Set, I was salivating. It’s one of the offerings from his weekdays-only Heritage Menu, a collection of dishes inspired by his Indonesian nanny who looked after him when he was a kid, and is now helping to take care of his children. This particular Set is available in single ($23) and double portions ($42). The latter which feeds 2 pax, is shown above.
Besides being attractively presented, I found the food fresh and deliciously robust in flavour. It suited not just my tastebuds to a T, but my parents’ too - yes, one of the two $42 Nasi Campur Sets I bought was for them because I knew it‘d be the kind of cuisine they’d appreciate.
Each large box contained:
1. Ayam Opor - Chopped into four pieces, the half chicken was superbly fragrant from being simmered in coconut, herbs and turmeric. I was really pleased Chef Joseph included a small bowl of gravy too.
2. Sambal Udang Goreng - A shiok sweet and spicy stirfry of Prawns, Long Beans, Tofu and Tempeh enhanced by Kaffir Lime leaves.
3. Sayur Asam - Served in large containers, the tamarind-based vegetable soup of corn, long beans, cabbage and chilli was unabashedly sour, sweet and hot.
4. Bakwan Jagung - Formed from corn, shallots and spring onions, the round fritters were light, puffy and appetising.
5. Telur Pindang - Seemingly straightforward, the eggs had been braised in an Indonesian-style concoction of herbs, shallots, palm sugar so they had a hint of sweet.
6. Blue Pea Flower-infused Rice - Standing in contrast with the warm colours of the other dishes were mounds of blue-tinged soft glutinous rice topped with mouthwatering Serundeng, an addictive dry-ish grated coconut and palm sugar mix.
7. Sambal Belachan - I found Chef Joseph’s vital condiment of chilli, dried shrimp paste and kaffir lime irresistible, having it with plain rice alone would make me just as contented.
8. Agar Srikaya - Part of the Set Meal was this dessert, a traditional-style agar (jelly) created from palm sugar and coconut. Granted it’s sweet but incredibly fragrant.

Besides the Nasi Campur, I also ordered his Pempek. This Indonesian-style chewy, doughy fish cake snack, made from fish paste and tapioca flour (both indigenous ingredients of Palembang, Sumatra), is labour-intensive to prepare. It was truly stellar with a brilliantly rich fish flavour and unique cottony texture. I‘d recommend ordering the Mixed ($7) because you get both the slim log and bulky version containing a hard-boiled egg. We relished every bite of the Pempeks with the accompanying Chuka (a spicy and acidic vinaigrette), dried shrimp floss, chilli sambal and sweet black sauce.

If you are interested to try his food, and I suggest you do because it’s damn good, please drop @josephyeois a DM on Instagram.

After treating our Muslim friends to the “Dulang Ambeng Royal” from Pu3, I decided to order one for ourselves as well since they‘d raved about the food, and frankly, I have been eager to try this place since forever. Truly ecstatic to have done so because it was pure joy to eat. Partly because I have been missing my Nasi Padang for a while now.
Shown above is the platter for 2 pax ($36) and it‘s massive. I reckon up to 3 people could share it actually. Anyway, all around the big mound of rice is an assortment of tastiness. My favourites from this “ring of fire” (ok, I may be exaggerating because not every item was fiery 😆) were the Daging Rendang (love, love, love the ridiculously fragrant and tender beef), the Paru Goreng Rempah (spices-marinated cow’s lungs - the main reason I am crazy for Nasi Padang), the Ikan Kering (crispy dried salted fish) and the Ayam Lemak Cili Padi (its gravy is sublime on rice or simply to slurp). The Udang Sambal Belado Hijau was also delicious but I wish there was more of the sambal. Ditto the Terong Sambal Belado. But that’s just me nitpicking because frankly, I’d be happy to feast on this again in another week or two.

Whenever I get a craving to eat Nasi Padang, this stall at Geylang Serai Market & Food Centre tends to be the first one to pop into my head. Besides being the closest to my home, I feel they offer a variety that is wide and deliciously cooked.
I am never not faced with a dilemma whenever I am there because the displayed dishes are so attractive that it is nigh impossible to easily decide what to order. However, decide I must. I tend to go for at least a piece of protein so it’s either a grilled chicken, beef rendang or assam pedas fish. On top of that, the fried cow’s lung with sambal belado is my must-have. Then it’s one or two kinds of vegetables, maybe an egg or begedil (potato patty) even if I feel like it. Basically I pile it on until the plain rice is completely hidden from view 😂😂.
Price-wise, it is not cheap here but I feel it is worth it because I know for a fact that all the dishes require a lot of prep and cooking time. Moreover the recipes have to be spot-on for the level of shiok-ness to be reached. So I am happy to pay for that.

So I just stumbled upon this gem in the basement of Dunman Food Centre. I had already inhaled a plate of my favourite “Joo Chiat Ah Huat Wanton Noodle” but was feeling greedy, so at the spur of the moment, decided to try food from this stall.
There were only a few dishes on display but somehow, I had an inkling they were going to taste very good. I was right. The two items I ordered - sambal goreng and the mix of paru (cow’s lung) with daging (beef) sambal were truly aromatic and delicious. If you have never enjoyed paru because you thought it’s too hard and chewy, the one here will be a revelation in spongey softness. But it’s not just that. The rempah (blend of spices) of both dishes are drool-worthy. Even the splash of sayur lodeh gravy on my rice was wonderfully fragrant and thick-ish.
I chatted briefly to the young Malay lady who owns this stall and she said although she has walk-in customers, the bulk of her business is catering. There is a Whatsapp number on her @daunlimaurecipes account for orders to be placed if you are keen to try. And I do think if you are like me and enjoy rich, spicy Malay food, you should. She does hers really well.

In an obscure, small hawker centre tucked along a stretch of old buildings on a road that most of you have probably never heard of is a stall selling really tasty Nasi Lemak.
“Muslim Food Stall No. 9” is its name and I found it purely by accident because the stall I’d planned to patronise was closed.
The rice of their Nasi Lemak is very fragrant and since they use basmati, it means their rendition is comparatively healthier due to the low glycemic index of the grain. Their sambal, the dark, sweetish type, makes for a formidably delicious pairing with the rice. The selection of toppings on offer isn’t massive but I loved what I chose: a crunchy-fried, chunky chicken fillet, sambal egg, sambal fishcake, sayur lodeh and crispiest ikan bilis. They had unfortunately, run out of sliced cucumber by the time I arrived that afternoon. Note to self: Got to get there earlier next time. Where is there, you ask? Here are the details:
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Muslim Food Stall No. 9
Nasi Lemak at
56 Jalan Benaan Kapal
Singapore 399644

Opens 9am to 3pm,
closed on Sundays.

Loitering at the back of my head for the longest time has been the intention to visit @bebekgorengpakndut_sg. This casual Indonesian eatery is famous for their crispy fried duck and yesterday, I finally found out for myself exactly how good it is.
Each serving comes with a piece of thigh meat with the drumstick attached, plain rice, a small piece each of fried tempeh and tau kwa, blanched kangkong and cabbage, raw sliced cucumber and a small tomato (price: $9.90). The skin of the duck lived up to its reputation as it was astonishingly crispy with hardly any fat beneath. When I saw the meat, I thought it would be dry and stringy but to my surprise, there‘s juiciness in the fibre of the flesh and it was very tasty. I enjoyed every bit immensely, more so with the two available types of chilli sauces (you can help yourself to them as much as you want). Alternating between the savoury bright red (I think it’s called Sambal Belado) and the sweetish dark brown was what I did because I found them both extremely appetising despite being very spicy.
Now I understand why foodies like @singaporeliciouz @blueskiescottonclouds and @the_xw, have raved about this place.
By the way, I recommend ordering the Kangkong Belachan ($5.90) as well. It is different from the ubiquitous sambal version, that honestly speaking, I am not a fan of.

I don’t recall having enjoyed Ayam Bakar (Indonesian style grilled chicken) of this calibre.
It was not merely the aromatic “rempah” (mixed spice paste) gobbed over the chicken that triggered my tastebuds to ripple in a celebratory Mexican wave but the meat itself.
Dryish to dry, especially if you get a piece of the breast, has always been grudgingly accepted as the norm when tearing into a serving of Ayam Bakar because well, the chicken does spend quite a bit of time over high heat. But amazingly, this rendition by @minang.sg smashed that notion to smithereens. The meat of this gorgeous ayam was moist, the kind of moist that recalls weather reports announcing humidity close to 100%. Stringiness was non-existent.
By the way, I was not the only person to be so blown away. Many of my Burpple colleagues at the team lunch echoed the same sentiments.

With a reputation that precedes itself, I was looking forward with great excitement to having the Mee Soto at “Inspirasi” again (it’s been many years since my last visit). My order of mixed mee and beehoon was huge, and came with large pieces of shredded chicken, lots of crunchy beansprouts and coriander. Of course I had to add on their famous bergedil (a deliciously seasoned mashed potato patty). Although the broth wasn’t as thick in consistency as I remember it to be (or maybe I’m mistaken), it was very tasty indeed. Especially after I threw in a bit of their lethal chilli sauce.

My parents use to take my brothers and I to Rendezvous Indonesian Restaurant back in the day when they were located opposite Cathay cinema, where the Rendezvous Hotel presently stands. At this original spot, there was no dining in air-conditioned comfort and no picturesque views. But it didn’t matter because the Indonesian-style dishes they cooked and served in the rather light-starved, rundown coffeeshop, such as the Chicken Korma, Sayur Lodeh and Chicken Liver Lemak, were a delicious enough attraction. I recall a dish with smooth, slightly flattened fish cakes cooked in a light lemak gravy which we always had to order but today, when I visited the restaurant at its current home inside Clarke Quay Central, I didn’t spot it. Not that it mattered as I had ordered more than enough for one person.
On the whole, I found the food they prepare to be still very tasty. The Sambal Goreng (a stirfry of beancurd, long beans, prawns and tempeh in a spicy rempah) and the Chilli Brinjal were shiok but the Rendang Chicken - now that is the one not to be missed.
Not surprisingly, quality comes at a price and it is indeed more expensive to dine here compared to many other Nasi Padang places. For your reference, I paid $28 in total for my solo meal shown above, inclusive of a glass of hot “teh-o”.

The “four floors” at Orchard Towers I am more interested in is in a glass display case filled with trays of various vibrant coloured dishes. Found in the basement of the building, #chopstixandrice is a hidden gem on Orchard Road for authentic Nasi Padang.
My advice is to go early if you plan to eat (*cough* overeat *cough*). Around 11.30am is best because the food would have just been cooked at that point and the lunch hour crowd has not yet descended, thus allowing you the widest possible choice.
Let me warn you, deciding what to pick from the many trays heaped high with all kinds of tastiness is challenging. I have been there several times and I still get a mild panic attack whenever it’s my turn to order. Whatever I choose, however tasty those dishes turn out to be (and so far, none have disappointed), a sense of “could I have chosen better?” lurks in the back of my head 😂 So yeah, the #FOMO is real here.