Homemade nasi lemak with 24-hour marinated fried rooster underneath HDB block

Wild Coco’s nasi lemak has been making its rounds on social media. In explicit, it was one dish that stole the highlight— their ayam berempah, which sports activities a superbly crusted, golden deep-fried exterior that actually made my abdomen growl in protest.

Despite having solely opened in February 2022, this home-grown nasi lemak eatery has already been in contrast with extra well-known institutions, similar to Michelin-recognised The Coconut Club and even Kuala Lumpur’s Village Park Nasi Lemak.

I headed all the way down to Wild Coco, which is positioned beneath a HDB block at McNair Road, and genuinely hoped that its meals could be as scrumptious because it seemed.

Even earlier than I changed into the hall that led to Wild Coco, I might already odor the sturdy scent of deep-fried rooster, and I knew I used to be in the correct place. 

For a model that has established itself rapidly with its considerably atas nasi lemak, I used to be shocked to search out that Wild Coco was housed inside a contemporary kopitiam-like setting that oozed informal vibes. 

Plenty of tables had been strewn throughout the eatery, with some excessive tables positioned alongside the walkway, and I seen a handful of neon signages that added specks of vibrant color to the area.

Wild Coco is run by 42-year-old Wayne Tan and his enterprise companion and head chef, 33-year-old Kah King, the latter of which is from Malaysia.

“Frankly, all I wanted to do was create a good plate of nasi lemak,” shared Wayne. “Both Kah King and I really love nasi lemak, and I always found that most places don’t manage to get all the elements right, for example the rice might not be fragrant or the egg is super hard.”

Curious about its comparability to KL’s well-known Village Park Nasi Lemak, I requested Wayne whether or not he had sought inspiration from there. He replied: “All I knew was that I wanted to create a type of nasi lemak that didn’t use flour or deep-fried batter, so I looked at berempah instead. And the KL style just happens to be like that too!”

What I attempted at Wild Coco

Whether or not you’re yearning for a plate of no-fuss nasi lemak or a extra zhng-ed plate with ayam berempah, Wild Coco’s acquired you coated.

It has seven nasi lemak dishes on its menu. You can select between the Basic (S$5.80) which comes with coconut rice, egg, ikan bilis, peanuts, sambal and cucumber, or pay a bit of extra in your alternative of protein or seafood. These different choices embody the favored Ayam Berempah (Breast/Leg) (S$9.80), Sambal Fried Fish (S$10.80) and Chicken Curry (Drumstick) (S$11.80).

If you’re eating in a big group, these choices can be found à la carte as nicely, and you may pair your meat or fish with zi char-style greens like Stir-Fry Lady Finger (S$7.80) and Nyonya Assam Eggplant (S$7.80).

It is likely to be price noting that Wild Coco doesn’t use pork or lard in its dishes. It additionally doesn’t use MSG in any respect!

I went and acquired the one dish that introduced me right here: Ayam Berempah (Leg). 

Due to the rising prices of Singapore’s contemporary rooster provide, Wild Coco has resorted to utilizing frozen rooster for his dishes. Despite that, Wayne shared that every little thing else, together with its house-made berempah and sambal, remains to be lovingly made in-house, and that every piece of rooster is marinated for twenty-four hours.

The minute the Ayam Berempah was served, I couldn’t inform what to give attention to first. My nostril had caught a whiff of the aromatic, pandan-like odor coming from the rice, and on the similar time, my eyes had been drawn to the beautiful spice-rubbed rooster leg with its crispy brown pores and skin.

The very first thing I did was peel off a chunk of fried pores and skin and pop it into my mouth, and immediately felt like I used to be 12-years-old once more, sinfully indulging in fried rooster pores and skin whereas ignoring all of the meat.

This was rooster pores and skin that had been superbly spiced and deep-fried. Savoury and aromatic, every morsel was gritty and crispy, and I might style fragrant notes from lemongrass and ginger.

The rooster meat clung to the bones fairly a good bit, which I suppose was the results of utilizing frozen rooster. Apart from that, the meat was tender and tender, however I used to be left wishing that it had been extra salted or seasoned, as I discovered myself selecting on the items of meat that had the fried pores and skin hooked up and ignoring the meatier components of the rooster.

Wild Coco’s rice was an actual surprise. Texture sensible, this was completely cooked rice that was fluffy and moist. It didn’t clump collectively like moist rice, nor was it overly greasy or dry within the slightest. 

I cherished how fragrant it was, and I might style notes of aromatic coconut and pandan. Wild Coco apparently makes use of freshly squeezed coconut milk for its rice— spectacular!

Wild Coco makes its sambal in-house, and this potent chilli includes greater than 10 components that undergo a laborious 5 hour-long course of.

Its style was complicated, full-bodied and wealthy, and it took my style buds on an actual journey. First got here a nice sweetness, and it was rapidly overtaken by a savoury roastedness. The last item that hit me was a light spice that didn’t appear overly spicy at first, however the warmth lingered on my tongue painfully, even after I had moved on to the following part of the dish.

I needed to order Wild Coco’s Ayam Rendang (S$11.80), however sadly, it wasn’t obtainable. Wayne shared that its rendang takes 4 entire days to organize, in order that they solely promote it as and when it’s prepared.

Instead, I went for the Sambal Fried Fish (S$10.80). Most of the dish’s parts had been the identical because the Ayam Berempah, simply that the rooster had been swapped for a whole ikan kembung. Each piece of fish is handpicked every day on the market.

Wild Coco’s Sambal Fried Fish received me over immediately with its meaty and tender flesh, which tore aside simply with simply using a fork. This was an extremely scrumptious fish that I took my time to devour, and that is me talking as somebody who avoids fish just like the plague— not as a result of I’m allergic, however as a result of I’m afraid of the numerous bones current which may develop into a choking hazard.

This is a dish that I’d gladly come again for. And sure, I’ll order this over the Ayam Berempah!

While the gobsmacking quantity of sambal frightened me at first, I used to be delighted to search out out that it wasn’t as spicy as I assumed. Tangy and bitter, Wild Coco’s home made sambal was balanced out with a pleasant sweetness that made it tremendous pleasant when paired with the fish meat and fluffy rice.

Just once I was executed consuming, Wayne determined to convey out their Chicken Curry (Drumstick) (S$11.80) for me to attempt. This dish makes use of home made curry paste and consists of child potatoes and woman fingers.

Though the curry was a bit of oilier than I’d like, every spoonful was extremely aromatic. It was thick and luscious, with a barely gritty texture from the added berempah, and the savouriness was paired with a robust style of coconut milk.

I’ve acquired to say, the inclusion of some type of gravy was an actual recreation changer to the rooster leg, because it added a well-needed saucy kick that rounded off the whole dish. Though the Ayam Berempah was a transparent winner because of its spice-rubbed pores and skin, I discovered myself having fun with this way more than the Ayam Berempah.

Final ideas

Though it was Wild Coco’s Ayam Berempah that drew me right here, it was with a lot shock that I discovered myself having fun with the Sambal Fried Fish and Chicken Curry way more. 

Indeed, these plates of nasi lemak are a lot pricier than these discovered at your standard hawker or kopitiam, however I discovered myself received over by its giant parts and well-executed rooster and fish gadgets, which simply justified its S$10 or extra price ticket. Plus, I can see myself having fun with this as an occasional indulgence.

You can guess I’ll be again for that scrumptious plate of Sambal Fried Fish at some point.

Expected injury: S$9.80 – S$12 per pax

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