OLLELLA

You may familiar with OLLELLA for their traditional kuehs, which used to sell at Cluny Court before moving here.

Now with tables and chairs seating area available at this new shop, they also begins serving Malay foods here also.

Beside their signature kuehs on display, there’s also 3 options of proper foods available here.

The nasi lemak is one of it, served in disposable plate and cutlery as this wasn’t a proper restaurant setting. More for CBD workers who prefer to takeaway their meal. But of course you can enjoy it here depending on the availability of the limited seatings.

Interestingly their rich coconut rice used the smaller type of grain, served with delicious rendang chicken drumstick. Their torch ginger flower sambal is flavourful and spicy. Together with fried white bait, ikan bilis, peanuts and sunny side-up.

I would say I enjoy much of the food. Recommend to complete your meal with a piece of kueh and drink, which will entitle you a discount of $0.50.

Ollella has been one of those spots that we have been returning for more whenever we don’t have any idea on what to have or just felt like it — these folks had certain come a long way from their days at the Residences@Somme (and even more so if one recalls their stint at The Midtown Residences with the Foxhole Cafe). Whilst their Far East Square location has been in operations for quite a while, Ollella hasn’t been sitting on their laurels — there has been the introduction of new food items as well as Kueh-Kueh ever since, which always make for a good reason to drop by for a revisit. We previously have had their Nasi Lemak when we first dropped by Ollella during the initial days of opening the Far East Square location; that being said, the Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah wasn’t an item that was offered on the menu back then. The Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah is described on the menu to come with elements such as coconut rice, deep-fried lemongrass coriander spiced boneless chicken leg, Ikan Bilis, peanuts, sambal and sunny side-up.

Whilst their Nasi Lemak used to come in a disposal box, the current plating sees the Nasi Lemak coming in a disposal paper box that is shaped more like a tray; though given the size of the current disposal ware, it does make the dish look a little minuscule as there are some areas that are void of any components of the dish. The Ayam Berempah is definitely the star of the Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah here — prepared fresh-to-order here, the Ayam Berempah comes all hot and seemingly freshly-fried; a little greasy though still rather reasonable given the nature of the item. The exterior is crisp, while the flesh is tender and juicy; absolutely delicious considering how it carried evident notes of the spices such as turmeric and lemongrass that were added in its marination process. The coconut rice came being a little lukewarm; not quite temperature that we would like it to be — that being said, we did enjoy the soft, light and fluffy texture of the rice though we do feel that it could have came with a slightly more distinct note of coconut milk fragrance. The accompanying sambal here is more sweet than spicy; should do well even for those with lower tolerance to spice — one can also find a flavoural contrast amidst the sambal where distinct notes of the elements used for the sambal can be detected. The Ikan Bills did manage to maintain the crunch and gave the dish a saltish note, while the sunny side-up came without the undesirable notes of overused oil and also had a molten egg yolk that oozes as one pokes on it with the fork. During our visit to Ollella, we had also went for the Talam Cendol; a relatively new addition to their line-up of Kueh. For those whom are unfamiliar with Kueh Talam, it can be described as a Steamed Coconut Pandan Kueh; in fact, Ollella does serve up the original variant of the Kueh as well — that would be the Talam Pandan. In retrospect, the Talam Cendol comes with elements such as Gula Jawa, Eggs, Red Beans, Plain Flour, Coconut Milk, Rice Flour, Corn Flour, Tapioca, Sugar and Salt.

The Kueh does come a little heftier and is pretty bouncy with a good chew that doesn’t stick to the teeth — the texture on the Gula Jawa, Red Beans and Coconut Milk layers are also pretty consistent; the combination providing that familiar hint of flavours similar to a Chendol but being less sweet in general. Of course, we cannot forget the inclusion of the Pandan jelly that one would typically find in the usual bowl of chendol within the coconut milk layer of the Talam Chendol. It does seem that Ollella had even went to the lengths of making the Chendol jelly themselves; the Chendol jelly coming all soft and with a light, lingering note of Pandan that perfumes the tastebuds. It is well known that we wouldn’t skip on Kopi during lunch and the Kopi here does come in a way that is almost in style of Kopi Tubruk here — whilst it does come with condensed milk just like a typical Nanyang-style brew, one can definitely find the fine coffee grounds sitting at the bottom of the cup here just like how it would have been the case for Indonesian-style coffee. As a result, the brew does come with quite a caffeinated kick in its body, with a corresponding sweetness that helps to bring everything together. It is always a happy occasion to see how far Ollella has come; especially so considering how Ollella has been known to deliver quality bakes, Kuehs and cooked food ever since they had first started and through their now-defunct Makan House by Ollella concept — it is little wonder how they have garnered a following after all these years in the F&B industry. Always looking forward to the next return visit to Ollella to try any new creations that they have to offer!

($1.80) I didn't expected that their kuek was fresh made on the day itself and got that warm temp inside kuek. Kaya taste like not tat sweet but got strong coconut smell. Glutinous rice was really got hard texture so it's tough to chew thru.

Signature Kueh Dadar $2.20
Lemper Ebi $2.50

Ollella is one of the brands which we have been following for quite a while — the brand has indeed grown quite a fair bit for the past number of years, with their last location being at Cluny Court alongside their sister brand named Swish Rolls before they had moved out of the space earlier this year. Was pretty stoked to have found out that they had since made the move to a new shop unit that is now located in the heart of the Central Business District — Ollella had since found a spot located within the air-conditioned area of Far East Square; its neighbour being KORIO which is perhaps best known for their artisanal doughnuts and sammies. Much like most of the shop units located in that part of Far East Square, Ollella’s spacecraft can be described as a hole-in-the-wall; that being said, they had attempted to go for a Balinese-themed space despite the limited space that they have — think a pastel pink-tiled counter space matched against concrete-esque walls and floors, as well as furniture and fittings that features wooden and rattan elements that brings those vibes. There is a small dine-in space within the shop space with three dining tables that seats two to three pax each; that being said, there are another three dining tables situated outside of the shop space to accommodate for more dine-in patrons during the weekday lunch peak hours. Much like Ollella during its days at Cluny Court, Ollella still serves hot food alongside a line-up of Kuehs at their new location in Far East Square — there are new Kueh offerings such as the White Kueh Dadar and the Lemper Rendang Ayam being offered at the Far East Square location. Beverages available at Ollella includes local-style Kopi and Teh, as well as drinks like Lemon Tea, Honey Lemon and Milo.

For their Far East Square outlet, the hot food menu is kept simple and scaled down from what it was when they were operating at Race Course Road and Cluny Court — patrons can either opt for the Nasi Lemak Kosong, or go for the Nasi Lemak Sambal Hijau Ayam Berempah which is essentially the only other Nasi Lemak item which comes paired with proteins and sides. Ollella describes its Nasi Lemak Sambal Hijau Ayam Berempah to come with elements such as coconut rice, spiced-marinated chicken cutlet cubes, Padang-style green chilli, fried anchovies and sunny side-up. Considering how Ollella is operating as a quick-service diner, all orders are served in disposable ware. Digging into the coconut rice first, this is actually the first time that we are giving Ollella’s Nasi Lemak a go after reading so much about it online — we loved how the rice here was light and fragrant; there was an evident coconut-y fragrance that lingers around the tastebud with every spoonful. The spiced-marinated chicken cutlet cubes may not be quite as sexy as the Ayam Berempah Leg which other establishments such as The Coconut Club, Wild Coco and Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak, the flavours from the use of lemongrass and turmeric in its preparation process is still particularly evident — the chicken cubes were also still juicy and easy to chew apart. The Padang-style green chili also hit the spot just like how we would expect from an Indonesian establishment — one could definitely taste the freshness of the green chillies used; itself almost being a relish with onions mixed in for an extra crunch and zing, whilst also mixed with the Ikan Bilis for an added texture. The level of spiciness can be described as one that would do well for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness — gives a good kick to tickle the tastebuds without being uncomfortably fiery as well. Overall, not the all trendy Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah that most establishments tries to serve these days, but still one that is especially tasty for what it is.

For those whom are unaware, Ollella’s journey in the F&B scene has been one that have seen quite a bit of transition along the way — Ollella was initially a brand that was more focused on their choux-related offerings during their initial days when they are located at Petain Road; they had since slowly evolved into an establishment that is better affiliated with Indonesian fare somewhere along the way with their Makan House by Ollella concept at Race Course Road being the start of how the brand became known for their Nasi Lemak offerings. It seems that they do know where their strengths are, and they do seem to be actively refining their offerings to position themselves well within the area which they are operating out of. Apart from the Nasi Lemak Sambal Hijau Ayam Berempah, Ollella’s other hot food offering at the Far East Square location would be the Lontong Sayur — something which we had skipped during our visit to their Far East Square location but was something that blew us away when we have had it during the initial opening of Makan House by Ollella at Race Course Road; simply one of the best Lontongs that we have had despite us being folks who do not usually appreciate such dishes. Other new items that we had tried at Ollella Far East Square includes the White Kueh Dadar and the Lemper Rendang Ayam; both of which are very well-executed Kuehs with the former being a typical Kueh Dadar that is filled with a white-coloured filling that includes elements like grated coconut and honey rock sugar and wintermelon. Meanwhile, the latter sees chicken, herbs, lime leaves, coconut milk, chilli and anchovies encased within glutinous rice that is everything sweet, Lemak and with a hint of curry spices that is just so compatible with one another. Prices of the hot food range between $5.80 to $7.80 ala-carte; quite reasonable for the area it is situated in. Would like to congratulate these folks on the opening of their new location, and wishing them all the best in what is to come!