Oh Lemak! (Bukit Timah Interim Wet Market & Food Centre)

Oh Lemak! Is one of those establishments that we got to learn about whilst scrolling through social media some time ago. These folks do seem to be a new entrant to Bukit Timah Interim Food Centre that is located at Jalan Seh Chuan; Oh Lemak! actually takes up a stall space around the middle of the main block of the food centre and should be not too difficult to locate if one is looking out for a stall with a bright orange signage — a sight that isn’t particularly common especially at that food centre. Oh Lemak does look like any other stall specialising in Singaporean-style Nasi Lemak — the various elements that one can opt to go for with their order of the Nasi Lemak are all prominently displayed in the the display case are counter. For those whom are looking for a fuss-free experience in ordering their Nasi Lemak, the menu of Oh Lemak! does lists down a number of Sets which comes with a fixed combination of elements that one can opt for; the menu also does clearly list down the prices of each element if one were to order them ala-carte to provide patrons with some form of transparency on the prices of each item.

We went straight with the Chicken Wing Set since the chicken wings at Oh Lemak! are being tagged as a signature must-try item at Oh Lemak!. Oh Lemak! also does mention on its menu that all items sold in a set to include elements such as luncheon meat, coconut rice, egg, anchovies, peanut, sambal and cucumber. Digging into the rice first, the coconut rice is reasonably fragrant — whilst we have had coconut-infused rice with a stronger hint of coconut milk fragrance, the coconut rice at Oh Lemak! Is considered to be quite fragrant and fluffy for a rendition that is being served up at hawker centre stalls; one which we found to be rather commendable. The chicken wing that came with our order was one that belong to a batch that was fried earlier; they were still in the midst of frying up another fresh batch, though it would take some time for those to be served. We thought that the chicken wings are actually quite good if one gets a fresh batch that just came out from the fryer — the batter still remains somewhat crisp for our order which was fried earlier; whilst also being slightly greasy after having absorbed some of the oil whilst sitting in the display shelf, the chicken wing is still juicy and immensely flavourful being brined before frying. This was certainly worthy of its signature status, and we would definitely be craving for more if these were served piping hot. The slice of luncheon meat was nothing too out of the ordinary; definitely provided the saltishness that one would expect out of processed, cured meat though this wasn’t as salty as some others that we have tasted from other stalls. The anchovies in the meanwhile does come crisp and lightly salty; a plus point right there, while the sunny side-up comes with soft whites and a runny egg yolk that would work well as the “egg porn” Instagram shot way back in the days — all that whilst also does not come with any undesirable stench of overused oil. The sambal does leave quite an impression for us as well; their sambal is pretty similar to that typically served with the Malaysian-style Nasi Lemak — a savoury version that comes with caramelised onions, while also coming with a hint of lemongrass. This does seem to work well for those tolerable to slightly less than moderate levels of spiciness; adds on to the flavours of the rice as well.

As a new player to the local F&B scene, Oh Lemak! does seem to serve up quite a decent version of the Singaporean rendition of the Nasi Lemak that does exceed the expectation of what one would get at a typical coffeeshop / food court / hawker centre stall — one could definitely tell that they had looked hard into the details such as the work behind all the rice, as well as to serve their sunny side-up with flowy and runny egg yolks which are things we appreciate here. That being said, perhaps some time is needed for them to get used to their operations to ensure that their fried chicken wings do come freshly-fried and piping hot — after all, knowing how many fried chicken wings to prepare at one go does require some form of an understanding of the demand for the dish on a regular day; something that they can only gauge better as the business continues to operate. At $5.40, we do find that the Chicken Wing Set is also priced rather reasonably; not all establishments would offer a slice of luncheon meat as part of the basic set anyway. With its quality and price point, Oh Lemak! is a stall that we will find it being pretty worth the consideration to dine from the next time that we are at Bukit Timah Interim Food Centre!