Was pretty exciting when I had first chanced upon Wild Coco’s social media accounts — while I am pretty much a Nasi Lemak junkie of my own, Wild Coco’s Nasi Lemak did catch my attention for how aesthetically similar their rendition is to the one served at The Coconut Club; difficult for one to not draw comparisons with especially given the slightly lower price point at $8.80 for the Ayam Berempah Nasi Lemak (Leg) here. The differences in operations at Wild Coco is quite stark however; for one, Wild Coco is just one of three brand offerings which are made available at this new coffeeshop-esque establishment at 7 Days Coffee (formerly the premises of Skinny Chef Plus) at Blk 122 McNair Road — shares the same premises and the counter as Hei Kee Wanton Mee and Bugis Xin Yuan Ji Fish Soup. Apart from serving up Nasi Lemak sets with different varieties of meat options (think also Ayam Rendang, Sambal Fried Fish etc.), Wild Coco also serves up wok-fried dishes such as Nyonya Assam Eggplant and more, as well as side dishes such as Fried Sotong. The coffeeshop largely comprises of seating good for two pax, though does offer some tables of five as well.

We were pretty much decided on ordering the Ayam Berempah Nasi Lemak when we first skimmed through the menu and came across the photos on social media — each plate of Nasi Lemak will come with the preferred choice of meat, coupled with coconut rice, egg, Ikan Bilis, peanut, sambal and cucumber. First taste of the rice and it is noted that there is a light coconut fragrance perfuming the rice; whilst being very appetising on first taste, the flavour of the rice does seem less prominent when had together with the other condiments — personally would have preferred something more distinct. That being said, we did like how the rice was fluffy without being particularly mushy or heavy; pretty easy to finish on its own. The sunny side-up was pretty decent; liked how the egg didn’t reek of overused oil, though the yolk could have been a wee bit runnier for a better visual appeal — still a decent attempt overall. We did enjoy all the remaining elements however; the Ikan Bilis was particularly impressive considering how they were still crisp without being in anyway soggy when we had made our trip down in the evening, while the sambal though being mildly sweet, packs a punch being all fiery and tickles the tastebuds for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness — definitely packed a punch. The star of the show here is definitely the Ayam Berempah; that crisp, brown exterior that comes with crunchy crumbs for that extra textural component — all that coupled with the juicy and tender flesh within that is nothing short of being fresh and bouncy. We especially liked how the chicken leg wasn’t particularly greasy, yet carried a slightly gingery note that cuts through all that meatiness — personally actually preferred this rendition over the one served at The Coconut Club; and something which I could definitely have alone as-is.

Whilst we have yet to try the other offerings that Wild Coco has to offer, we must say that we were especially impressed by the Ayam Berempah which we found to be absolutely on-point. There are other pros that they have done right here — the spicy kick of the sambal and crisp Ikan Bilis being the highlights, though we would have preferred the rice to be a little more fragrant to pull off against the other condiments that shares a space on the same plate. Despite having some room for improvement, Wild Coco is pretty much off a good start — no doubt the location is slightly off the beaten path situated at a rather odd and rarely-mentioned neighbourhood that requires some walking from Boon Keng MRT Station, though we do find that they are definitely worth a try for those looking for a somewhat more wallet-friendly rendition of artisanal Nasi Lemak.