There’s been a fair bit of hype over @dicksonnasilemak due to the fact that they reportedly use the same recipe as the famous Village Nasi Lemak in Kuala Lumpur. However, that hype has died down considerably since they took a three month long hiatus last year due to the fresh chicken shortage. All the better for me, as I could just strut up to their shop, stump up $9.20 (before GST gets added on) for their famous nasi lemak, and be out with the food in about five minutes.⠀
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After trying both their the chicken leg & boneless thigh chunk versions of the Ayam Goreng Berempah set, I can issue the verdict that the hype is fairly well deserved. The all important nasi is satisfactorily fragrant & alive with the aroma of coconut milk. It’s soft and fluffy when bitten into, and the richness of the coconut milk turns each grain of nasi (rice) into a luxurious lemak sensation.⠀
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The other important element, the sambal, is a scintillatingly spicy affair. It’s superbly savoury, and less sweet than standard Singaporean sambals, but still capable of breathing fiery life into anything & everything. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of onion bits in the sambal, which did add a smidge of sweetness to the salty & spicy chili. Despite this being a nasi lemak set, the star attraction was definitely the fried chicken.⠀
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The boneless chicken thigh chunks seem to be noticeably greasier than the whole chicken leg, but the chicken leg fares better in terms of juiciness. Both chicken leg and chicken chunks, however, were fabulously flavourful. The unmistakable aroma of turmeric perfumes every ounce of chicken, and tasting the chicken reveals that the berempah mix has imbued every last molecule of chicken with the aromas & flavours of turmeric, galangal, ginger and a few other spices. The ayam goreng berempah alone deserves all of the hype for being this stunningly sublime.⠀
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But wait, there’s more! Dickson has even scattered a charitable amount of loose crispy batter bits over the chicken for even more crunchy satisfaction. And that’s on top of the thunderously crunchy fried ikan bilis and nuts. For ten bucks, Dickson’s nasi lemak is damn decent, son.