From left: French beans with beancurd cubes, ayam lemak putih, bergedil, & omelette.

This was a quick lunch from last Saturday. I was attending a workshop nearby, and at lunchtime, the entire class of 12 plus our trainer trooped down to the nearest eatery to fill our bellies.

Turns out this random pick was pretty good. The ayam lemak putih – a very mild and coconutty chicken curry – was delish. The gravy was creamy and aromatic, and the chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender. No surprises with the other side dishes, but they were of decent quality. A coursemate thought the omelette – with diced onion and chilli – was a little too salty, but I thought it was just right when paired with rice.

Kampong Glam Cafe

I forgot to ask for the breakdown of prices. Together with a canned drink, this meal came up to S$6.60, so I’m guessing the food cost around S$5.50? Besides nasi padang, they also serve mee rebus, nasi goreng, and other Malay dishes, as well as a selection of Malay kuih kuih and biscuits.

Kampong Glam Cafe
22 Baghdad Street
Singapore 199661

Rice with bergedil and stirfried beansprouts.

Prescription: Nasi padang.

To start with, nasi (rice) with the prerequisite veggie and must-order-at-every-nasi-padang-meal bergedil. No earth-shattering moment here. Just your classic fried potato ball done the way it should be.

Sambal sotong.

What’s that I spy on every table? Ok, let’s have the same.

Take a big, fat squid, snip it into rings, and douse with ketchup-y sambal. Soft sotong with just a sufficient touch of chewiness. Thick, sweet, and not-too-spicy sauce. Mmm…so addictive.

Kari ayam.

Let’s have something to warm that cold, empty tummy. How about some good ol’ chicken curry?

A whole chicken leg, thoughtfully snipped into three manageable pieces. Such fresh and tender meat. And the curry? Not too spicy, not too thick, very fragrant, very smooth, and tasty with a hint of tanginess. In short, perfect.

Nasi Padang River Valley
55, Zion Road
Singapore 247780
Tel: 6734 3383

Open: 11am – 9pm (earlier if food sells out)
Closed on Mondays & public holidays

A mini feast.

After a fun-filled Sony Alpha DSLR outdoor workshop at Kampong Glam, the empty tummies were growling to be filled. So off we headed to the nearby Hajah Maimunah for a yummy nasi padang lunch.

I was surprised to see that Hjh Maimunah now has a cleaner, more contemporary look with new countertops, furniture, re-tiled walls and floors, and A/C for both the main dining and the annex areas.

Thankfully, it’s still an unpretentious casual eatery serving a mind-boggling array of homestyle dishes at affordable prices. The lavish spread above only cost the two of us a pocket-friendly sum of S$17.30!

Pergedel (potato patty).

First up, the must-have pergedel/bergedel. Not as creamy nor tasty as Garuda Padang‘s, but has a more rustic feel.

Chicken rendang.

The spice paste is chunky and aromatic without being too rich. I actually preferred Garuda Padang’s sweeter, more redolent version, but that’s at double the price and comes with sucky service.

Sambal sotong.

Calamari rings cooked just right without being rubbery in a zingy, chilli paste. Hubby, who’s not into seafood, didn’t care much for this.

Sweet and sour fish.

What’s a Chinese dish doing here? Well, being a sucker for sweet and sour fish, I gave in to curiosity. Not so impressive sauce, but the fish fillets in eggy batter were pleasant.

Stir-fried Chinese spinach.

The obligatory veggie dish. Nothing to shout about. No, wait, there is! There was an “extra” ingredient of animal origin that wasn’t supposed to be in this dish. Hubby and I were horrified; the nonchalant staff just casually apologized for the faux pas before replacing the dish, as if this was something they encountered everyday. Hmm…

Crispy tempe and ikan bilis (anchovies) with honey.

Ooh, I absolutely adore this dish! I don’t usually enjoy tempe, but this is delicious enough to snack on its own!

It was a pleasant meal, but I remember enjoying the food a lot more previously than I did this time. The dishes seemed to have lost their burst of flavors, still nice but not as “shiok” (satisfying) as before. I also miss the old world charm of the pre-renovated Hjh Maimunah. Sure it wasn’t as comfortable, but it just made the whole experience that much more authentic.

Total bill: S$17.30 for all dishes above, plain rice for two, and two glasses of lime juice. Prices for individual dishes vary depending on portion and ingredient.

Hjh Maimunah Restaurant
11/15 Jalan Pisang
Singapore 199078
Tel: (65) 6291 3132
URL: www.hjmaimunah.com

P.S. The photos in this post were taken with a Sony Alpha DSLR-350. Do you think there was any significant difference between the photos in previous posts? Please feel free to comment!

Gulai ikan kakap (fish curry), S$7.00.

Actually, we enjoyed the food. The fish curry gravy was a delightful blend of spicy, sweet, savory, and creamy, with just a hint of tanginess to round out all the flavors. Firm and fresh was the sea bream flesh.

Rendang ayam (chicken rendang), S$4.80.

At first, the rendang paste seemed too salty, but slowly, the richness and complexity of the nutty spice paste set in, ending on a note of sweetness. Yums, but can you ignore that layer of oil?

Tumis kangkung (stir-fried kangkung), S$6.00.

Fearing our delicate tummies could not stomach the barrage of spices, we requested our kangkung to be fried without the usual spicy belachan. Satisfactory but unremarkable.

Pergedel sapi (potato & minced beef croquettes), S$1.50 each.

A perennial favorite, the pergedel had a nicely seasoned, creamy interior, with a fairly crisp exterior. In the background are free accompaniments of blended red and green chilli. Surprisingly delish and goes well with plain rice.

So, what’s not to like? Plenty!

Price: Too pricey! The portions are stingy and don’t deserve their high price tags.

Although plain rice is free flow, it’s S$2.00 per person! TWO freaking bucks! You can buy a kilo of uncooked rice at that rate! FairPrice house brands are even cheaper.

Service: What service? We were snubbed from start to finish.

Snub 1: It was a Monday night; only 1/4 of the restaurant was occupied. We stood waiting at the reception desk for 2 minutes; no one came forth.

So we walked into the middle of the restaurant, looking lost for another 2 minutes before one wait staff pointed to the glass display area, “Go pick your food there”.

It was very odd, having to choose from prepared dishes in bain maries as if we were ordering economic rice. This concept didn’t fit in with the chic, modern minimalist decor and water served in elegant wine glasses.

Snub 2: We ordered lime juice and ice lemon tea. They never came. We canceled the orders when we asked for the bill.

Snub 3: Our water glasses were never refilled.

Snub 4: They mistakenly billed us S$25 for fish head curry, when we’d ordered fish curry that says S$6.00 on the menu. They charged us S$7.00 on the second bill, but by that time, we were too upset to question them.

Snub 5: No “welcome” when we stepped in, no “sorry, we forgot your beverages”, no “sorry, we billed you the wrong item”, no “thank you, please come again”. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Hey, I’m not asking for Ritz Carlton service. But how about some basic courtesy?

Conclusion: Great-tasting food (but cold), over-priced dishes, sucky attitude from wait staff. If you can put up with the last two, please, feel free to check out Garuda Padang Cuisine.

Total bill, inclusive of 10% service charge & 7% GST, was S$29.20 for two extremely disgruntled diners.

Garuda Padang Cuisine (Vivocity)
1 Harbourfront Walk
B2-28 Vivocity
Singapore 098585
Tel: (65) 6376 9595
URL: www.tunglok.com