Nasi Ayam Sambal Ijo Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang is a brand that most shouldn’t be too unfamiliar with within the Singapore F&B scene; whilst Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang outlets had since become quite a common sight all across the island, there is also a number of concepts that the brand had introduced throughout the years — this includes that of a MY Curry Rice, as well as several outlets of Warong Pak Sapari with the former serving up halal Hainanese m-style curry rice, while the latter serves up Mee Soto, Mee Siam and Indomie offerings. Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang is a concept that seems to house all of Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang’s various concepts under one roof; Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang is located within the basement of Woodlands Health Campus which is directly connected to Woodlands South MRT Station. The space is decked with simply but tastefully; whilst the establishment features cement floors and white walls, there are attempt to make the space for vibrant with the use of colourful vinyl wallpapers, wooden panels and yellow chairs — the dine-in seating being good for groups of two (2), four (4) and six (6) pax. The food menu at roof; Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang is split into sections dedicated to Toast, Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, MY Curry Rice, Warong Pak Sapari, Sides and Desserts. Beverages available would include local-style Kopi and Teh, as well as other concoctions such as Lemon Squash, Barley and Black Currant — there is also a range of canned drinks amongst others as well.
Considering how Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang does centre itself around Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang’s offerings, it wouldn’t be a visit made to Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang if we didn’t order an item from the mNasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang section of the menu. We found ourselves going for the Nasi Ayam Sambal Ijo; this would come with the standard grilled chicken that typically comes with Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang’s Grilled Chicken Set Meal offerings — all accompanied with the coconut-infused rice, peanuts, anchovies, sambal chili, and sunny side-up. Considering how this is the Sambal Ijo version, this also comes with burnt green chili spread atop the grilled chicken leg. Digging into the the dish, the Nasi Lemak itself was definitely on point; one where the grains came with sufficient moistness whilst not being too wet — also wafts of a fragrance of coconut milk which was especially prominent. The Grilled Chicken carries that smokiness that one would associate with the usual grilled chicken leg that accompanies the Nasi Lemak at Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang; the appearance of the chicken leg also carrying a slight char and also with a yellow hue hinting to the use of turmeric in its marination process. The chicken flesh could be more tender, though we still found it coming off the bones relatively easily. The addition of the Sambal Ijo provides a slightly smoky yet savoury hint of green chili fragrance that adds on to the grilled chicken; the level of spiciness being at a level that should somewhat tickle the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spice as well. The sunny side up does come with a fully-cooked egg toll; one that does not reek of any undesirable odour of overused oil, while the anchovies did retain a crisp crunch with a slight saltishness even when our visit to Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang was made on a weekday evening. The sambal does provide a spicy kick that is slightly milder than that of the Sambal Ijo; the sambal being pretty similar to the sort that one can find in local-style Nasi Lemak that comes with a tinge of sweetness amidst the spiciness.
During our visit to Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, we had also given the Fish Fillet Curry Rice from the MY Curry Rice section of the menu a go — this section of the menu would focus on providing patrons with a halal take on the Hainanese-style curry rice. Whilst the menu at Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang does not describe the elements that are featured in the Fish Fillet Curry Rice, one can observe that the dish does come with elements such as fish fillet, braised vegetables, Sunny side-up and white rice that has been drizzled with an ample amount of curry gravy — the Begedil was an optional add-on that was chargeable. This does feel close enough to be a proper Hainanese-style curry rice where the curry is especially rich and decadent — we especially like how thick the curry gravy was whilst carrying quite a very noticeable hint of curry spices throughout; despite the lack of the use of any braising liquid drenched on the rice, the flavours do come relatively close to what one would expect for Hainanese-style curry rice with the curry gravy coming just spicy enough that should be manageable for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. The braised vegetables are done to a consistency where it carried a soft crunch — just savoury enough and went well with the curry gravy and the rice, while the fish fillet was something more predictable considering how it is a commercially-sourced element. The sunny side-up that came with the Fish Fillet Curry Rice is the same as what one would be able to find in the Nasi Ayam Sambal Ijo — one that came with a fully-cooked yolk.
The Sambal Ikan Bilis Toast is an item that can be found on the Toast section of the menu — much like the classic Hainanese-style breakfast toast that one can find at coffeeshops, food courts and hawker centres all around the island, the Sambal Ikan Bilis Toast can be opted to come as a set with two (2) soft-boiled eggs and a beverage, or as an ala-carte item. We went with ordering the Sambal Ikan Bilis Toast as an ala-carte dish on its own. The Sambal Ikan Bilis Toast seems to have leveraged on the use of the sambal chili and the anchovies that is being served with their Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang offerings — all that whilst featuring two (2) slices of commercially-made bread slices that has been toasted. The sambal does carry a sweet note with a slightly spicy kick that should do just about fine for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness, while the anchovies provided a complimenting saltishness and an element of crunch to the toast. We do recommend having this item as soon as it has been prepared however, considering how the toast itself gets a little bit chewy if it is being left sitting around the table for a while. Meanwhile, the Kopi was a decent brew — we would perhaps prefer it to be slightly thicker for a bolder kick of caffeine, though we still found this to be overall pretty adequate nonetheless. We did like that patrons do get to choose their preferred level of sweetness for their beverages here, with options being Normal Sugar, Less Sugar and No Sugar.
Being an establishment by the folks behind Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang, Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang does serve up food at a quality that regular patrons of Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang would find to be fairly consistent — these folks do seem to have found a way to manage their operations effectively despite having so many locations across the island; not taking too much compromises whilst keeping things to be of satisfactory level; no doubt we do wish for elements like the chicken from the Nasi Ayam Sambal Ijo to be a little juicier and more tender, but the overall experience with the food at Makan Empire by Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang does hit somewhere above average. Prices of their rice and noodle dishes range between $7.20 to $11.20; higher than that of what one would expect out of a coffeeshop / food court / hawker centre setting, though it should still be fairly manageable for most. Yet another option that one can consider if they are looking for a halal-certified spot to dine at within the Woodlands Sourh area; we probably would see ourselves returning for their MY Curry Rice offerings again as well.
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