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Why this plate of nasi lemak costs S$12.80

SINGAPORE — Similar to how wanton noodles and yong tau foo have been elevated at Telok Ayer Street and Amoy Street with Fu Lin Bar and Wanton, The Coconut Club at Ann Siang Hill is aiming shine the to spotlight on nasi lemak by going back to the basics — the ingredients.

The Coconut Club's Nasi Lemak and otah's secret lies in going for the best coconuts. (Photo: The Coconut Club)

The Coconut Club's Nasi Lemak and otah's secret lies in going for the best coconuts. (Photo: The Coconut Club)

SINGAPORE — “Nasi lemak store? Here?” For ang mohs is it?” exclaimed my cab driver when I told him where I was going at Ann Siang Hill.

Yes, a nasi lemak speciality restaurant has opened up in the enclave, which is better known for its watering holes than hawker fare. And similar to how wanton noodles and yong tau foo have been elevated nearby at Telok Ayer Street and Amoy Street with Fu Lin Bar and Wanton, The Coconut Club is aiming to spotlight the humble dish by going back to the basics — the ingredients.

A plate of nasi lemak here is S$12.80. Before you balk at the price, here’s what you need to know: This is no ordinary plate of nasi lemak.

Only three weeks old, The Coconut Club was started by three long-time friends — Lee Eng Su, a chef trained at the French Culinary Institute (now known as International Culinary Center) in New York; Kamal Samuel, who works in investor relations, and Lee Chan Wai, a mechanical engineer by day and “very useful in scolding suppliers and contractors if anything goes wrong”.

They attended a nasi lemak convention (yes, there is such a thing organised yearly) in Kuala Lumpur as part of a holiday two years ago, and found themselves blown away by the variety and quality of the nasi lemak.

 

1. IT’S ALL IN THE COCONUTS

The convention sparked off Lee’s quest to create his own version of a great nasi lemak. The trio started hunting down the best coconuts for it. They got a tip-off from the Malaysian Agricultural Research & Development Institute that the Malaysian West African (MAWA) hybrid is the cream of the crop with higher fat content and aromatics, which has already made it popular with those in the know.

“We were then told that there is this particular plantation in Sabak Bernam, in Selangor, that grows it best (and) most consistently,” shared Samuel. “So we went there.”

To ensure the quality of the coconuts, Lee and gang ensure the fruit are transported properly from Selangor to Batu Pahat where they are processed and the husks are shelled (“We had to nag the drivers to put them at the back of the truck so they remain cooler.”)

Upon arrival in Singapore three times a week, nine man-hours are spent daily cleaning and juicing the coconuts by hand to derive the precious elixir. We tried the MAWA coconut milk, and indeed, there was a distinctive flavourful nutty taste that was neither too rich nor cloying.

 

2. TIME AND QUALITY

Lee spent the last two years sourcing and experimenting with different ingredients and recipes. He went around Singapore eating at many nasi lemak stalls but declined to reveal which impressed. “I wanted to take the best elements of what I’ve tried, and reverse-engineer to create my own version,” he declared.

To nail the nasi since the coconut milk issue had been sorted, Lee uses old jasmine rice from northeastern Thailand after trying out different varietals.

He also refused to entertain the idea of using frozen chicken wings. Instead, he gets fresh kampung chicken from Malaysia for the whole chicken leg; and took a whole year to perfect the rempah coating the chicken leg to get it crisp and flaky, a feat that results in a satisfying crunchy sound when your spoon and fork tear the meat apart.

The ikan billis is sourced from Pangkor, with the insides gutted for a cleaner, lighter taste. The stunner of an otah here is made from scratch — with mackerel, spices and a generous amount of that coconut milk. The paste is wrapped in banana leaf and cooked over a charcoal fire to give it a light smoky flavour. This otah is probably the best we’ve tasted by a mile.

For the all-important sambal, Lee goes back to the old-school style of using shallots, hae bee (dried shrimps) and ikan billis.

He admits that the sambal has been tricky as customers’ feedback has been that more heat and oomph are needed. “We don’t use MSG in all our food, as we wanted the natural flavours to stand out,” explained Lee. “But we are looking at improving the spice level or adding new ingredients. The recipes are a constant work in progress.”

 

3. WHAT PRICE HERITAGE?

Lee knew with all that effort expended and premium ingredients used, “there was no way I could price this nasi lemak anything below S$10 as much as I wanted to”. He shared since he has seen nasi lemak costing about S$15 at restaurants, the team felt confident that people would be willing to pay for good nasi lemak. “I hope, lah!” he quipped.

Lee and Samuel declined to share the amount invested in The Coconut Club.

Samuel added that it is not so much about the price tag of the dish as it is about giving customers a taste of nasi lemak that harkens back to the time when everything is made in-house. “We had some old customers in their 60s who come to eat; they tell us this was how nasi lemak in Singapore used to taste like before the dish started tasting more or less the same these days — they enjoy the lightness of the rice, the chicken and otah in particular,” he said. “The great thing is that everyone has an opinion about nasi lemak, and it’s a great conversation starter.”

Nasi lemak aside, The Coconut Club also serves chendol, a deliciously milky version featuring the star coconuts, that has since won over many young converts. “We’re shocked when young customers told us they’ve never tried chendol before,” revealed Lee. “They say they hear their parents talk about it, but they’ve never had the chance to eat it.”

There are also plans to introduce more coconut-based dishes in the future, perhaps even some of the more unusual nasi lemak accompaniments the trio have seen at the nasi lemak conventions, such as cockles in sambal. “We’re never 100 per cent done. We’re constantly tweaking our recipes to improve things,” said Lee. “But what we want to give customers is a great nasi lemak dish that is entirely ours.” 

 

The Coconut Club is located on 6 Ann Siang Hill. Opens 11am to 3pm; Tuesday to Saturday.

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