Nasi Padang Fit For Royalty (Literally!) [ Food Review — Revisiting my ultimate fav nasi padang place! ] I’m not shy about my love for Pariaman, one of the nasi padang bulwarks that line Kandahar Street. (To jog your memory, it’s the place where the crown family of Johor used to drive down for takeouts pre-covid. You know it’s good if you’re dinin’ with royalty!) If I adore Pariaman so, why haven’t I visited it more? (The last time I was there was in 2019, yikes.) Well, the place isn’t the most accessible with/without a car, and it tends to sell out just after noon. Today, not only do I get to revisit Pariaman’s exhilarating flavours, I get to bring friends along as well! The downside? They aren’t big on spice. The silver lining? Compared to other places, Pariaman focuses more on taste curation than amping up the spice — in other words, chilli is but a facet of the kitchen’s spice mélange. Wanna visit but feel intimidated by their sheer variety? To reduce your chances of awkward gawking and unintended gaffes, here’re two dishes you must try: If you wish to taste the pinnacle of the kitchen’s prowess, this is it: Ayam Bakar. Wait, isn’t ayam bakar supposed to be red with a crust of sticky-sweet black sauce à la Taliwang’s? Yes, and no. Ayam bakar translates as grilled chicken, and like with many other grilled dishes, there’s more than one way of doing it! Pariaman d o e s grill its chicken, but after that, they steep and cook the pieces in a golden turmeric sauce, letting the flavours suffuse and marinate the chicken until its interior is tender and juicy. It’s also suitable for those with low spice tolerance! The 2nd dish you have to get is Ikan Goreng Belado. Don’t be tempted by the rich gulai alternative — if you’re a newcomer, go straight for this to full appreciate the heat control (fire and spice) and fish. Keep the belado (chilli) on if you can handle the heat, if not simply scrape it off. It’s a nice complement, but what you’re really here to appreciate is the goreng (frying) technique. You won’t get any super bony pieces here — each chunk is made of supple flesh, kept succulent by the taut cover of rough and delectably briny skin. Next visit: Nangka (jackfruit) curry! (Sold out today, sigh.) Dishes ordered (clockwise from top): Sotong Kalio (Squid), Acar+Ikan Bilis Kacang, Begedil, Ikan Goreng Belado, Ayam Gulai (Chicken Curry), Ayam Bakar, Sambal Goreng + not pictured: Terung Belado (Eggplant)

Not Impressed Heard so much about their food and has been wanting to come for a while now. Finally headed down for lunch around 3+ with an empty stomach so I ordered quite a bit: beef rendang, vegetables lodeh, sambal goreng, sotong, ayam bakar and bergedil for two pax. Was so hungry that i forgot to snap a pic. Overall, their food was quite salty, especially the rendang. Not sure if it was just that day but couldn’t bring myself to finish it as other dishes was salty as well.. even the bergedil. Weird. Other dishes were really mediocre and even the chili was pretty mild and do not have the kick to it. Despite being pricier, I will choose Hajjah Maimunah anyday for the variety and taste. Honestly, very disappointed :(

My version of comfort food. . | While their stall front was serving small dishes to walk in like myself, they loading containers and containers of takeaways to cars. . | Everything was good but just the ayam Masak was rather cold. The spices used in the dishes gave a good kick to the palate. Right before my mouth was on fire, the milk tea came to the rescue.

Still remember when they first did their soft launch at their original location along Upper Thomson road, we were fascinated by their concept and food. It used to be a self-help concept to select from their wide variety of items, and a 1-time serving of their infamous steamed (kukus) coconut rice of any amount. We loved their variety which tasted good, especially the rice which was significantly fragrant and well-cooked. Never visited them since they relocated from 2nd to now, their 3rd venue. Was disappointed that they’re operating like just another stall, with set meal and limited options for top-up. They have lost the touch in their steamed rice. Fried chicken wing and fish were crispy but just decent. Notably, the mutton Rendang was delicious, but it wasn’t going to be enough to draw us back again to the ulu location in the industrial area. Really a shame b’cos we used to remember them for their brighter days.

Nasi lemak. 🍴 . When my bro and SIL was back in town, they craved Nasi lemak and I thought of trying Nasi lemak kukus that I’ve always wanted to. However they are no longer along selegie, but in Toa Payoh industrial estate 1002 now. I googled again and again before going down to make sure it was right. 🍴 . The Nasi lemak was quite the bomb! $4 for a set with a choice of salted egg wings/ normal. Though it was a pity that the salted egg was oos when I was there. Normal wings batter was pretty legit though. Rice is actually steamed rather than cooked to retain the coconut milk aroma! There’s coconut milk aroma all the way to the last bite. The sambal was amazing that we had to get extras. 🍴 . And while you are at it, definitely order the fried chicken skin at a dollar. You will not regret it. 🍴 . Mutton rendang($4) was pretty tender though not my favorite dish. Would have still preferred beef. . . #burpple #nasilemak #nasilemakkukus

If you have heard of this place and read that there’s free flow coconut rice and two kinds of sambal chilli (one that’s spicy and another that’s slightly sweeter), your eyes are definitely not playing tricks with you. Yes, there’s really FREE FLOW rice and sambal chilli, which are two essentials in what sets a great nasi lemak apart from a mediocre one. They definitely didn’t scrimp on the coconut rice and sambal chilli as the fragrance from the coconut rice cooked in pandan leaves will instantly hit you as you open the rice cooker while the spicy sambal chilli might seemed unassuming initially but wait for 5 minutes and the spiciness will slowly reveal its fiery nature and cause a slow burn around your lips. • Don’t come here and expect a wide array of ingredients because there’s not; but I feel the variety is more than enough for one to customize their own plate of nasi lemak. Right at the counter, the shop owners have laid out everything from the regular ikan bilis with peanut, hotdogs, otah to the less unconventional ones like fried chicken skin. Flavours will not knock you off the perch but it’s the familiarity and distinctive homecooked taste that will make you keep going back for more. Special mention goes to their deep fried chicken wings which brought back memories of how my grandmother would used to make and the plain generic egg that most take for granted but here, extra effort is put into adding corns and carrot bits into the egg mixture before frying them up, resulting in a crunchy texture. _________________ Nasi Lemak Kukus Address: 229, Selegie Road, Singapore 188344

Of Decent Malay Dishes 👍🏼 Gotta emphasize on the Mee Bandung, simply delicious! Came by on a Saturday,not many patrons & cosy ambience 😊 (had studio beef fried rice,mee bandung,melon milk drink and rose syrup 'o' ;total bill $18)

For Western & Local Favourites Studio Cafe SG is a new addition to Toa Payoh's buzzing food scene. Alongside local dishes like nasi goreng and nasi ayam penyet, expect western dishes like sirloin steak, pasta and even mussels. The food here is reasonably priced and there is no GST or service charge, so if you're looking for good food without breaking the bank, give this place a try! *Halal-certified

Studio Cafe SG Here's Studio Cafe SG: serving local malay favourites along with some western foods. Cheap and good and not pretendious. (Fried Kway Teow was $6.50, Chilli Cheese Fries was $6) Sandwich is so-so though. The ice cream place next door, Little Prince Creamery, is awesome too! #toapayoh #burpple