International Nasi Lemak - Still the best Nasi Lemak in the East...or not?
Nasi Lemak Chicken
International Nasi Lemak
International Nasi Lemak
International Nasi Lemak is probably the nostalgia nasi lemak for me, I started eating there since my secondary school days (close to 20 years ago); when their old stall location is where Mizzy Corner Nasi Lemak currently is now.
So the main question is, how their nasi lemak fares with so many new competitors with easier accessibility and more branches.
Fried Egg
International Nasi Lemak
Chicken Wings
International Nasi Lemak
Sambal Chilli
International Nasi Lemak
Ikan Bilis
International Nasi Lemak
Rice
International Nasi Lemak
Nasi Lemak Chicken Set (S$4)
The set comes with rice, ikan bilis, egg, cucumber, and sambal chilli.
I actually rushed through in doing the photo-taking as I can’t wait to dig in.
(It has been a long time since I last ate their nasi lemak, probably around more than 2 years?)
I also purchased an additional chicken wing at an additional S$1.5 I believe.
But I digress, onto the tasting!
Will be highlighting their chicken wing and sambal chilli which they are famous for.
Chicken Wing: Still as good as I remember, piping hot, light and crunchy batter, and juicy meat.
Sambal Chilli: Sweet and spicy, able to mix in harmony with the entire dish.
The rest are decent, nicely fried and crunch from the ikan bilis, egg fried nicely with those crispy ends which I love, but the rice is lacking. It surely seems not as good compared to when I ate there frequently when they are at their original stall location.
I might be wrong based on my bad memory; the rice used to be more fragrant and firm. Currently, their rice seems to be a bit too wet and starchy. I will say the rice is the worst component of the entire dish.
Rating: 3.25/5
(It’s a hard decision rating this, a dilemma between 3 or 3.25. In the end, I gave it a 3.25 partially because of nostalgia but also because they are really the best in Changi Village Food Centre.)
Conclusion: For me, I feel what makes a good nasi lemak are the chicken wings (or their plethora of fried food), sambal chilli, and rice.
Yes, their rice seems like a letdown now, but overall I will say there are still the best in Changi Village Food Centre as their fried food are cook in a smaller batch so to ensure the food are still piping hot or at least hot and fresh when the customer buys it.
We actually went there the previous Saturday too, but they are closed. So we bought from one of the other nasi lemak stalls and had a bad experience because their fried food are prepared in bulk batch (literally a mountain on the trays).
By the time we purchased it, their fried food are cold, and that means:
Chicken Wing: Batter hard and not crunchy anymore, and meat tough to bite.
Fish: Texture becomes soggy and chewy feel.
I mean if all ingredients and skills are on par, the only differentiator will be thinking on the customer’s experience and doing much more rounds of frying the food, and preparing the fried food on a smaller, fresher batch which means a lot.
Shop Front
International Nasi Lemak
Overall
I think it is a great Nasi Lemak in the East or in Singapore, but to say it as the best might be hard as not all their components are the best. Maybe if they can improve or bring back the standard of their rice, that would be an entirely different story.
In my honest opinion, I dare say the basmati rice from Crave is much better. Crave does lose to them in all other components, but not a lot. But the accessibility to purchase Crave is so high (islandwide locations) + superior rice.
If you are not in the area or not in the East, I don’t think it is worth it to come over to Changi Village Food Centre just for this plate of nasi lemak. You can just easily buy Crave at one of their many outlets, knowing it will have some compromises + better rice in comparison, although at quite a higher price point.
Of course, unless you are like me just want to come down for a plate of nostalgia I will understand. Especially those late-night suppers during schooling days, or during NSF times.
[Buy Me A Coffee]
Greatly appreciate any digital-tips (click the button below) if you find my blog articles helpful, and to support our efforts and operational costs (to keep this site ad-free).
Address: Changi Village Food Centre Stall, #01-03, Singapore 500002
Opening Hours: 9am-3pm and 6pm-12am weekdays, 9am-7pm Saturday, 10am-12am Sunday.
(Probably not the most updated timing if you refer to the Facebook page, might be due to the COVID situation. We went on Saturday on the previous week and it was not opened during evening time, this visit is on a Sunday evening 6pm for reference.)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/internationalnasilemak/
(Last visited: July 2021)