shauneeie: Ponggol Nasi Lemak @ Jalan Besar

First opened in the 1970s, Ponggol nasi lemak has slowly crept into the diet of Singaporeans and has been a popular place to go to satisfy your craving for this coconut rice dish. Was recently invited to a tasting of their third and newest outlet at Jalan Besar and left impressed by the new concept. This modern new look outlet features a fast food style concept which is a complete opposite to its existing shops.

What’s the difference?

They have premium house specialities as well as in-house made ice cream and sorbet to attract the new age crowd.

Premium House specialities

The Jalan Besar branch features seven house specialities to the existing array of ingredients from the existing outlets. Here are my personal favourites:

Grilled Japanese Squid (3hands)

Air flown from Japan, this premium squid is grilled before being served with an Indonesian sweet sauce. The squid @ $7.50 a piece goes well with the coconut rice and is an ingredient in which we do not normally associate with our nasi lemak.

Crispy battered prawns (4hands)

Live prawns bought fresh from the market, are dipped in batter and fried fresh everyday so that we diners can feel satisfied during our meal. 2 large prawns are priced at $3.80.

Signature Ngoh Hiang (3hands)

These wanton like dumplings are made using the family’s secret recipe. Minced pork, water chestnut and seasonings are mixed together before being wrapped in a beancurd skin and then fried. Definitely not as good as homemade ones but this is as good as you can find outside.

Crispy chicken skin (5hands)

A must try dish here and something you can rarely find elsewhere. Yes, im talking about this irresistible portion of the chicken skin with curry leaves. Am told that preparing this dish is utterly time consuming but the family wants diners to enjoy it with the nasi lemak. I agree it goes very well with the coconut rice, or even individually as a light (but fat) snack.

The Nasi Lemak as it is

A sample of how your nasi lemak set may look like depending on your order. The standard of rice is markedly similar to the other outlets. To cut down on man power, the eggs are fried automatically and are consistent throughout. Amongst all, my personal favourite – the sayo lodeh, curry vegetables which goes really well with the rice.

Ice cream and sorbets

The only outlet to sell ice creams and sorbets comes in a variety of favours – Raspberry Mango, Lemongrass Lime, Pink Guava, Grape, Passion Fruit, Milo, Peanut Butter and Green tea. There were hits and misses but my favourite has to be the Milo and Lemon grass. After a heavy rich portion of Nasi Lemak, these flavours help to soothe the stomach with something light and refreshing.

Overall review: shauneeie4hands. An example of how tradition means modernity -This new concept can be replicated due to the fast food design. Food was surprisingly as good as its other outlets. Its plus point would be the variety of ingredients you can choose to go with your nasi lemak and the fully air-conditioned environment to escape the heat of tropical Singapore.