Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken “Berempah” With all the recent openings of Nanyang-style Kopitiam establishments by different brand names and across several locations in Singapore, there is yet another new brand name that has surfaced serving up similar fare in recent times. Best Ah Ma Cafe 好家婆 is actually a brand from Malaysia being brought into Singapore by The Tin Box Group — The Tin Box Group being a name that might be more familiar to those in the live entertainment venue scene considering how the various brands under their portfolio includes Simply Retro, Simply Live, and Simply Talad; more recent additions to the brand includes Nakarin by Tin Box that is located along Craig Road. Best Ah Ma Cafe only has one location in Malaysia which is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — their collaboration with The Tin Box Group being an expansion of its business overseas as well. Located in Bugis Junction, Best Ah Ma Cafe takes over the former premises of the now-defunct location of Fishball Story there; this also means that Best Ah Ma Cafe can only be accessed from outside of Bugis Junction, located roughly around the same area where one can find the outlet of Nunsaram Korean Dessert Cafe there. The space is designed to replicate that of an old-school coffeeshop featuring painted panels on its walls, as well as dining furniture and fittings that features marble-esque and wooden accents; glass bottles of sodas can also be found at the counter which are also retailed here — seemingly adding up to the nostalgic vibes that the establishment tried to carry. Food items available at Best Ah Ma Cafe includes a variety of usual suspects that one can find at such Nanyang-style Kopitiam sort of dining establishments elsewhere; the food menu segregated into sections comprising of Eggs & Toasts, Premium Croissant, Nasi Lemak, Mee Siam, Western, Noodles and Snacks. Beverages available at Best Ah Ma Cafe includes drinks split into categories such as Local Beverages, Premium Hot Tea, Best Ah Ma Iced Specialties, and Soft Drinks.
Considering the variety of items which Best Ah Ma Cafe has to offer at its location in Bugis Junction, we found ourselves going for the Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken “Berempah” especially considering how Best Ah Ma Cafe is a Nanyang-style Kopitiam themed establishments. Best Ah Ma Cafe does not describe on the elements that accompany their dishes in the menu here; that being said, the Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken “Berempah” does come with the usual suspects that one would expect to find in a Nasi Lemak dish — it can be observed from our order that the Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken “Berempah” comes with items such as the Fried Chicken Leg“Berempah”, half of a hard-boiled egg, anchovies and peanuts, cucumbers, as well as an accompanying sambal chili that is served alongside the coconut-infused rice. Going for the rice first, we find that the rice used for the Nasi Lemak at Best Ah Ma Cafe are that of ordinary rice grains — that being said, the rice here is suitably soft and distinguishable to the grain and there is a light hint of coconut-y fragrance that remains consistent throughout as one digs in further. Pairing the coconut-infused rice with the chili also meant that there is a sweet and somewhat savoury note that goes well with the rice; the spice from the sambal being somewhat minimal, and should be suitable even for those whom are tolerable only to lower levels of spiciness. The Fried Chicken“Berempah” was quite the highlight on its own; the fried chicken leg came in a surprisingly huge portion that is comparable to the size of the same that is served at similar establishments in Malaysia. What really worked for us here was how the fried chicken was crisp on the exterior yet the flesh was juicy and tender; the fried chicken leg also being served all hot without being greasy as well.
The rendition of the Fried Chicken“Berempah” here comes with the crispy bits that makes the Fried Chicken “Berempah” what it is; adds not only crisp texture to the chicken that further enhances on the crispy skin of the fried chicken leg, but also a bit of flavour for some contrast. The hard-boiled egg was a good-to-have though the Singaporeans in us would have preferred a sunny side-up more; the anchovies did provide a crunch that was expected. During our visit to Best Ah Ma Cafe, we had also given other items such as the Traditional Chee Cheong Fun a try — the Traditional Chee Cheong Fun comes in three (3) different varieties that includes the Classic, Sweet Sauce and Curry for patrons to choose from. It is needless to say that our choice was for the Curry variant. The Traditional Chee Cheong Fun comes with rice vermicelli rolls that is rather similar to the style that we are most familiar with in the local version of the dish; the Chee Cheong Fun rolls coming with slices of beancurd puffs, spring onions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. What really stood out for us here was how they had used a potato-based curry here instead of chicken curry that most establishments would have went for — there is a really starchy texture for the curry here from the disintegration of the potatoes that held melted into the curry here; also provided most of the flavours for the dish apart from the hint of curry spices that it carried. We also tried the Pandan Kaya + Butter Toast here; as far as Singaporean standards go, the toast itself is definitely on the thinner side though this also meant that the toast itself was more crispy — the Pandan Kaya coming with a green hue and perfumes of a Pandan fragrance amidst the coconut-y jam without being overly sweet. It also comes with a slab of cold butter; the saltish flavours providing a good balance with the Pandan Kaya here.
Noticing from the menu that they also serve up a “Best Ah Ma”Kopi, we found ourselves unable to give the item a miss — we went for the Iced version, which sees the “Best Ah Ma” Kopi coming in that signature frothy and overflowing aesthetic that most Nanyang-style Kopitiam establishments would also present their iced coffee in. The iced variant of the “Best Ah Ma” Kopi comes pretty rich with a punch of caffeine, whilst not being particularly sweet as well despite being an iced drink ; something that would likely hit well for those whom prefer less sugary beverages. While we had never been to the Best Ah Ma Cafe at their original location in Kuala Lumpur to make a fair comparison between the original establishment against this one that is brought into Singapore in collaboration with The Tin Box Group, Best Ah Ma Cafe does bring a slice of Malaysia to Singapore especially for those whom are unlikely to make the trip across the border. Priced for their main dishes with meats / seafood ranges between $6.90 to $12.90; the lowest-priced item being the Nissin with Premium Sausage & Egg, while the priciest would be the Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken “Berempah” and Mee Siam with Fried Chicken “Berempah”. While more of such establishments have been opening up around the island of the late, we do think that there is still space for more; we do wish that Best Ah Ma Cafe will be also able to maintain or even surpass its current levels of quality over time — a spot which we would revisit again to give their other items a go some time again.
