Wild Coco (Jewel Changi Airport)

It has since been a while that we had heard about the folks behind Wild Coco ever since the opening of their Circular Road and Boat Quay outlets some time back; a brand that is not known to rest on their laurels, it does seem like they had been working behind the scenes for a while on the opening of their new flagship location that is situated at the second level of Jewel Changi Airport. Wild Coco can be found in one of the shop units surrounding the Jewel Rain Vortex, being located right beside the outlet of Tutto by Da Paolo there. The design style of the outlet still sticks pretty closely to that of their Circular Road and Boat Quay outlets which places an emphasis of a nostalgic look replicating that of colonial era coffeehouses and featuring tropical murals around the walls — all that whilst blending in with the view of the Jewel Rain Vortex at the back of the entire establishment. Similar to how the menu is being structured at their other locations, the menu is split into categories dedicated to Nasi Lemak, Fresh from Wok, Singapore’s BBQ, Only at Wild Coco, Sides, Singapore Laksa by Laksa Labo, Snack Shack and Coconut Shakes & Desserts. Beverages available would include that of Drinks (House), Jewel Exclusive, Traditional Gourmet Kopi and Traditional Teh and Local Beverage.

Wild Coco has always been known to release an outlet-exclusive item with the opening of a new outlet and the outlet-exclusive Nasi Lemak at Wild Coco’s Jewel Changi AirPort flagship store would be the Ayam Bakar Nasi Lemak. Offering two (2) versions of the Ayam Bakar Nasi Lemak, there is the rendition that comes as-is, while the other version would be the Ayam Bakar Nasi Lemak with Burnt Green Chili which we have had. Wild Coco describes their Nasi Lemak to come with elements such as fresh coconut milk for its coconut rice, fresh chicken, sambal, sunny side-up, anchovies, peanut and Japanese cucumber. Going straight for the Ayam Bakar, we felt that Wild Coco had gotten their Ayam Bakar right — the chicken leg does come with a noticeable hint of sweetness from the use of Kecap Manis whilst carrying smokiness from the grilling process. Beneath that flavourful skin, the chicken leg is juicy and tender. Smothered with Burnt Green Chili, it comes with a savoury, smoky, tangy and spicy note that one would expect from Sambal Hijau — the spiciness coming at a level in which would also tickle the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. The coconut rice does come with a noticeable fragrance from the use of coconut milk that lingers at the back of the tongue; the consistency of the rice being soft and fluffy, while other elements like the sunny side-up comes with a runny egg yolk with soft egg whites and crisp brown edges without any undesirable odour from overused oil. The anchovies do come crisp, while the accompanying sambal carries a hint of sweetness with a spicy kick that also tickles the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness.