Nanyang Spice 南洋香馆

Got to learn about the recent opening of Nanyang Spice 南阳香馆 at Sim Lim Square whilst scrolling through social media not too long ago. Nanyang Spice at Sim Lim Square takes over the former premises of the now-defunct location of Ann Chin Popiah on the second floor of the building — this is also the same shop unit that is situated right beside the location of 3 Meals a Day at Sim Lim Square; an establishment that is well noted for their Salted Egg Chicken Rice. Turns out, Nanyang Spice is concept that is run by the same folks behind Niu Moo Moo Bubble Tea; an establishment that had been operating for a number of years ever within Coronation Shopping Plaza. The establishment is decked in a way that evokes nostalgic vibes; the vinyl flooring with wooden accents, mosaic tiles and half-height panelling on its walls are matched against dining furniture that comes with wooden accents — the walls adorned with posters of the food items that they have to offer. One particularly stark feature would be the stickers referencing to Lumbricus Laksa at the counter — something reminiscent to that of Loi Ah Hing that we had once visited during their very short-lived existence in Yi Ho Eating House at Tanjong Pagar Plaza. The menu at Nanyang Spice is one that seems to focus on a couple of Malaysian-style noodle dishes and simple rice dishes; they also do offer breakfast toast in the form of Kaya & Butter Toast, whilst also stocking up various flavours of Ang Ku Kueh that are displayed prominently in the counter facing out of the entrance of the store. Beverages available at Nanyang Spice would include the likes of local-style Kopi and Teh as well as some canned drinks — just to name a few.

For those whom are looking into trying the various noodle dishes that Nanyang Spice has to offer, the Small Three Noodles 小三面 is probably the item to go for — similar to the concept adopted by Eat 3 Bowls that is best known for their Taiwanese cuisine where their “Eat 3 Bowls Set” sees a combination of their signature items being offered in mini-sized bowls to allow patrons to try all of them in one seating, the Small Three Noodles at Nanyang Spice features a mini-sized portion of their Prawn Mee, Lor Mee and Laksa in a single set. The recommended sequence to enjoy the Small Three Noodles is to first have the Prawn Mee, followed by the Lor Mee and lastly, the Laksa. Considering our usual preferences out of the three, it is needless to say that our favourite item of the lot would be the Laksa — having tried the Loi Ah Hing’s Chicken Shredded Laksa when they were still in operation at Yit Ho Eating House previously, the Laksa from Nanyang Spice is largely similar to what we had experienced then. For those whom are curious about Lumbricus Laksa — Lumbricus refers to earthworms; something which Loi Ah Hing was especially open with and describes to be an element that is added into the Laksa (but not served with the Laksa) way back in the days to prevent the gravy from becoming sour. The Laksa comes with thick rice noodles, beancurd puffs and blood cockles by default — the first impression of the blood cockles being how big they were. The gravy itself didn’t seem to have any curdled bits; likely something helped by the addition of the Lumbricus — we also noted that the gravy tasted quite balanced without being overly jelak from the coconut milk that was added. The flavours are further amplified when one adds the sambal available at the self-service condiment bar which gives it a deeper note of umami-ness and a lightly spicy kick to tantalising the tastebuds. The Prawn Mee is also another item from the Small Three Noodles that is worth mentioning; the broth of the noodles here definitely carried the umami notes of crustaceans really well — it also does come with elements such as their herbs braised pork, fish cake and prawn and is served with yellow noodles by default.

Local-style Lor Mee aficionados may find the braised gravy of the Lor Mee here to be a little less deeper in terms of savouriness and also less dense in its consistency, though still does carry considerable flavour and comes with beansprouts, Ngoh Hiang Roll, pork ball and yellow noodles alongside. We had also given the Toast Coffee Set a go; one thing worth noting about the Kaya Butter Toast that Nanyang Spice serves up is the use of margarine over butter here — we also did wish that there was a bit more balance with the Kaya as well, though the toast is noted to still be crisp. The soft-boiled eggs also deserves the mention here — these were runny with soft yolks than eagerly burst as one pokes them using the spoon; also worth noting is how Nanyang Spice only serves their soft-boiled eggs with light soy sauce instead of dark soy sauce as well. The Milo Coffee was a little off-balance in our opinion; opting for the iced version, we felt that the Milo Coffee (which is essentially their version of what other establishments would call the “Hor Ka Sai”) was a little Milo-heavy — the element of Kopi here being barely detectable to say the least. Whilst Nanyang Spice does serve up rather decent fare; the environment in which they had chosen to operate in does seem like a challenging one — with hot favourites amongst diners like 3 Meals a Day and Taste Good surrounding them, the items which Nanyang Spice felt like they pale in comparison. Prices of the noodles and rice dishes at Nanyang Spice are fairly reasonable — all dishes with the exception of the Cockles / Prawn / Sotong / Chicken Laksa and the Three Small Noodles are priced well under $10; the Cockles / Prawn / Sotong / Chicken Laksa is priced at $10.80, while the Three Small Noodles is listed at $13.90. Would be interesting to see what the future beholds for the folks behind Nanyang Spice.