Nasi lemak stalls in Singapore are plentiful, but two-month-old joint Dickson Nasi Lemak has been garnering buzz since it opened in the Joo Chiat neighbourhood. The takeaway-only shop - opened by the same owner behind hip Champion Bolo Bun - serves ayam goreng berempah nasi lemak made with the same recipe as Kuala Lumpur’s famous Village Park restaurant.

Despite the recent sweltering weather, customers have been queuing for up to 45 minutes under the hot sun outside the shop. But if you are planning to try this nasi lemak in the coming weeks, we have some bad news for you: Dickson Nasi Lemak will be closed for a month from June 1 to 30.

The reason? Malaysia’s fresh chicken shortage.

Difficult decision made to close new shop

Dickson Nasi Lemak’s young boss Hoh Loyi, 22, tells 8days.sg that it was a difficult call to shut her new business for a month. “What led to our decision is the quality of the chickens,” she says.

She had been getting fresh chooks from Malaysian suppliers for her spiced fried chicken when the sudden export ban hit. “They just cut off the supply, and prices went up 20 to 30 per cent for fresh chicken legs,” she recalls. “Yesterday we stocked up a week’s worth of fresh chickens from our supplier.”

But with stocks dwindling, Loyi was forced to consider alternatives. “Initially we had the false hope of trying to R&D with frozen chickens, but yesterday we tasted it and gave up that hope — the taste is really, really not there and we just cannot serve food that’s not of our usual quality,” she laments.

She explains that ayam goreng berempah is a “very plain” dish that's enhanced by the freshness of the chicken. We have tried Dickson's fried chook and can attest that it's very shiok, succulent and crispy even as a takeaway order — and it would be a real pity to mar it with substandard birds. “You can tell whether our chicken leg is fresh or frozen. It isn’t something like ayam rendang, where you can use frozen chicken and you rely heavily on the sauce to cover up the imperfections,” Loyi points out.

Five-figure financial loss from closure

The closure will cost Loyi a five-figure sum. “When we decided to close, what went through my head was also the money losses. I still have to pay rent, utilities and staff salaries. We had only just started garnering some [attention] as a new business, and having to lose all that is very painful,” she reveals.

Apart from the financial damage, Loyi says she is also worried about losing her burgeoning customer base. “Every day that we open, it’s to get more customers. We are also afraid that customers will be gone and they won’t remember us during this period,” she says.

But she reasons that she may also lose customers if she serves inferior food. “Let’s say if I continue to open and the food quality is not there, maybe at the end of the month my customer base will be smaller. Let’s not damage our reputation by serving that food since we are looking at the long run, not short term only,” she laughs.

On weathering a ‘chicken crisis’

Despite the ongoing supply challenges, Loyi is adopting a can-do attitude. “No point in dwelling and be like, ‘Oh this is so tragic, I just started my business.’ Everyone is going through the same thing,” she remarks. “We shouldn’t keep complaining, just face it and fix it. It’s all part of the business.”

Meanwhile, she is propping up Dickson Nasi Lemak’s setback with her other business, Champion Bolo Bun. “All I can say is I’m very fortunate because we still have Champion as our first business, which can support us and make our losses not so heavy,” she shares (since opening last April, the cafe broke even in six months).

It also helps that borders have reopened to travellers. “We have a surge of tourists coming in and it’s a good source of income,” Loyi says. While Dickson Nasi Lemak is closed, she is sending some staff to Champion, and “a few to KL for further training.”

June 30 is also a “tentative date” for reopening, she says, and Dickson Nasi Lemak could be back in business sooner if the fresh chicken supply issue is resolved. She quips: “It’s better to give a [conservative] date in case something cocks up!”

Dickson Nasi Lemak will be closed from June 1-30, 2022. 320 Joo Chiat Rd, S427571. Open daily except Wed, 8am-10am; 11.30am-2.30pm. www.dicksonnasilemak.com.

Photos: Dickson Nasi Lemak/ Hoh Loyi/ Yip Jieying