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Showing posts with label Singapore Nasi Ambeng. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Singapore Nasi Ambeng. Show all posts
History of Nasi Ambeng · Nasi Berkat · Nasi Tumpeng · What's the Difference?
Nasi Ambeng in Singapore at Bedok Enak Stall
Uncle Martin has been raving about his newest discovery - the best value and tastiest Nasi Ambeng in Singapore. When a veteran foodie like Uncle Martin who has tasted a lot more salt than me gets excited about a stall, I pay attention ;-D As most of us happened to be free this Christmas morning, we assembled at Block 16 Bedok South hawker centre for an Indonesian style Christmas lunch.
It was special, indeed.
Singapore Halal Food Ambeng Cafe by Ummi Abdullah
After reading favourable reviews of the nasi ambang at Ambeng Cafe by Ummi Abdullah, we quickly set a date to drop by at the newly opened restaurant at East Village mall in Singapore (near Simpang Bedok).
I am a big fan of nasi ambang as I like it's riot of colours, aromas, flavours and textures. It reminds me a child's kaleidoscope - always full of delights and surprises.
Nasi ambang is fascinating and to me it reflects harmony in diversity.
Ambeng Cafe menu
Don't be intimidated by the multiple side dishes as ordering at nasi ambang shops is usually made very easy. The dishes are often already pre-arranged.
At Ambeng Cafe by Ummi Abdullah, it comes in 4 pre-determined sets. As there were 3 of us together and we wanted to taste as many sides as possible, we opted for the "Ambeng Classic Trio Set D" at SGD48 nett.
Ambeng Cafe is quite small inside and very popular. Decor is basic and seating is rather close together. We have to be careful not to knock the neighbour's table or chair.
Ordering protocol is simple and efficient.
Just make your order and pay at the counter (no credit cards accepted). Return to your seat and your order will be served at your table.
Our glorious nasi ambang like a colourful bouquet on a large banana leaf arrived within 10 minutes despite the crowd.
We took our time to explore and savour the 13 individual dishes.
The begedel (fried potato cutlet) that crowned the mound of plain white rice was grainy tender and sweet with a slight crisp outside without being overly greasy.
Ayam Kalio or chicken in spicy gravy was served in a separate steel bowl. The chicken had little flavour as the gravy did not penetrate the meat but the spicy soupy gravy was tasty and went well when splashed onto the white rice.
The beef rendang was well infused with aromatic and flavourful spices.
The lean meat was, however, fibrous, stiff and quite chewy like a flavourful mildly spicy beef jerky.
The paru or fried beef lungs spiced with a bit of cumin were dry, coarse, rubbery, and quite hard.
I like this sambal sotong with it's strong spice flavours and the savoury sweet cuttlefish taste. I also enjoyed the gummy soft crunchy texture of the cuttlefish.
Ikan Sambal Bali or Spanish Mackerel (Tenggiri) fish with Bali style spicy sauce. The fish was fried till a bit stiff though still slightly moist. The fish flavour was weak.
Terung garam asam or eggplant with spicy sauce. The well cooked juicy eggplant still had a slight crunch to the bite. Personally, I prefer eggplant cooked till the pulp is a soft sweet juicy mash.
Sambal goreng or bean curd cubes fried with vegetables and sambal chili sauce. Tasty comfort staple dish.
Sambal Kacang Ikan Bilis or peanut and anchovies fried in spicy sauce. Another tasty staple that goes well with plain white rice. Crunchy peanuts and fried anchovies in a spicy sweet savoury chili sauce.
Telur Belado is hard boiled egg deep fried and then cooked with spicy chili sauce.
Ikan Kering or thin slices of hard, dry salted fish eaten with plain white rice.
Serunding and Sambal Balacan is fried grated coconut served with spicy savoury chili sauce made with chili and pungent fermented shrimp paste.
As you can see, we had a sumptuous and scrumptious meal ;-D However, I missed the mee goreng (spicy fried yellow noodles) which I often find in nasi ambang served in Johor.
I like it that at Ambeng Cafe by Ummi Abdullah, every side dish has it's own blend of sambal chili sauce. All the different sambal chili were delicious and have their own unique flavour.
The service staff were friendly and efficient.
As we couldn't finish the food, I requested for the leftovers to be bagged. I was pleasantly surprised that each dish was bagged separately in a different plastic bag (at no charge). The staff can also box the leftovers for you at additional SGD1, which I feel is very reasonable.
Ambeng Cafe by Ummi Abdullah is located at the newly opened East Village mall at Upper Changi Road in Singapore (near Simpang Bedok and Tanah Merah MRT station).
I also like the nasi ambang at Mamanda and Enak in Singapore and the nasi ambang in Johor Bahru.
Restaurant name: Ambeng Cafe By Ummi Abdullah
Address: 430 Upper Changi Rd, East Village #01-65 Spore 487048
Map: http://bit.ly/AmbengCafe
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday: 11 am to 10 pm | Friday: 3pm to 10 pm | Saturday to Sunday: 11 am to 10 pm (Monday Closed)
Tel: +65 63840495
Halal
Return to Johor Kaki homepage.
I am a big fan of nasi ambang as I like it's riot of colours, aromas, flavours and textures. It reminds me a child's kaleidoscope - always full of delights and surprises.
Nasi ambang is fascinating and to me it reflects harmony in diversity.
Ambeng Cafe menu
Don't be intimidated by the multiple side dishes as ordering at nasi ambang shops is usually made very easy. The dishes are often already pre-arranged.
At Ambeng Cafe by Ummi Abdullah, it comes in 4 pre-determined sets. As there were 3 of us together and we wanted to taste as many sides as possible, we opted for the "Ambeng Classic Trio Set D" at SGD48 nett.
Ambeng Cafe is quite small inside and very popular. Decor is basic and seating is rather close together. We have to be careful not to knock the neighbour's table or chair.
Ordering protocol is simple and efficient.
Just make your order and pay at the counter (no credit cards accepted). Return to your seat and your order will be served at your table.
Our glorious nasi ambang like a colourful bouquet on a large banana leaf arrived within 10 minutes despite the crowd.
We took our time to explore and savour the 13 individual dishes.
The begedel (fried potato cutlet) that crowned the mound of plain white rice was grainy tender and sweet with a slight crisp outside without being overly greasy.
Ayam Kalio or chicken in spicy gravy was served in a separate steel bowl. The chicken had little flavour as the gravy did not penetrate the meat but the spicy soupy gravy was tasty and went well when splashed onto the white rice.
The beef rendang was well infused with aromatic and flavourful spices.
The lean meat was, however, fibrous, stiff and quite chewy like a flavourful mildly spicy beef jerky.
The paru or fried beef lungs spiced with a bit of cumin were dry, coarse, rubbery, and quite hard.
I like this sambal sotong with it's strong spice flavours and the savoury sweet cuttlefish taste. I also enjoyed the gummy soft crunchy texture of the cuttlefish.
Ikan Sambal Bali or Spanish Mackerel (Tenggiri) fish with Bali style spicy sauce. The fish was fried till a bit stiff though still slightly moist. The fish flavour was weak.
Terung garam asam or eggplant with spicy sauce. The well cooked juicy eggplant still had a slight crunch to the bite. Personally, I prefer eggplant cooked till the pulp is a soft sweet juicy mash.
Sambal goreng or bean curd cubes fried with vegetables and sambal chili sauce. Tasty comfort staple dish.
Sambal Kacang Ikan Bilis or peanut and anchovies fried in spicy sauce. Another tasty staple that goes well with plain white rice. Crunchy peanuts and fried anchovies in a spicy sweet savoury chili sauce.
Telur Belado is hard boiled egg deep fried and then cooked with spicy chili sauce.
Ikan Kering or thin slices of hard, dry salted fish eaten with plain white rice.
Serunding and Sambal Balacan is fried grated coconut served with spicy savoury chili sauce made with chili and pungent fermented shrimp paste.
As you can see, we had a sumptuous and scrumptious meal ;-D However, I missed the mee goreng (spicy fried yellow noodles) which I often find in nasi ambang served in Johor.
I like it that at Ambeng Cafe by Ummi Abdullah, every side dish has it's own blend of sambal chili sauce. All the different sambal chili were delicious and have their own unique flavour.
The service staff were friendly and efficient.
As we couldn't finish the food, I requested for the leftovers to be bagged. I was pleasantly surprised that each dish was bagged separately in a different plastic bag (at no charge). The staff can also box the leftovers for you at additional SGD1, which I feel is very reasonable.
Ambeng Cafe by Ummi Abdullah is located at the newly opened East Village mall at Upper Changi Road in Singapore (near Simpang Bedok and Tanah Merah MRT station).
I also like the nasi ambang at Mamanda and Enak in Singapore and the nasi ambang in Johor Bahru.
Restaurant name: Ambeng Cafe By Ummi Abdullah
Address: 430 Upper Changi Rd, East Village #01-65 Spore 487048
Map: http://bit.ly/AmbengCafe
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday: 11 am to 10 pm | Friday: 3pm to 10 pm | Saturday to Sunday: 11 am to 10 pm (Monday Closed)
Tel: +65 63840495
Halal
Return to Johor Kaki homepage.
Mamanda Singapore Nasi Ambeng
I enjoy visiting Mamanda Restaurant because their mission to preserve Malay heritage culinary culture resonates with what I am trying to contribute with Johor Kaki blog. I am happy that Ahmad from Mamanda invited me to taste their Nasi Ambeng, a traditional Javanese communal dining and bonding experience which is also popular in Singapore and Malaysia.
Restaurant name: Mamanda Restaurant
Address: 73, Sultan Gate, Singapore
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/KLo1R
GPS: 1.302406,103.860183
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Halal
Address: 73, Sultan Gate, Singapore
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/KLo1R
GPS: 1.302406,103.860183
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Halal
In Singapore, there is no Malay fine-dining finer than at Mamanda. You see, Mamanda is the exact same 170 plus year old heritage building known as Bendahara House that the old Sultan used to hold meetings with his Ministers.
Enche Jafar fondly known as the Bendahara (Prime Minister) proudly presents the Nasi Ambeng platter.
This platter enough to feed four adults is available at the promotional price of SGD59.90++ on Fridays. I thought that this is very good value for such fine-dining.
The traditional and best way to enjoy Nasi Ambeng is to use our hands, mix the food and eat together from the same platter. These elegant pots are for hand washing. I didn't get to use my hands as I had to take photos during the meal :(
Now let's take a closer look at what is on the platter.
Tender flavourful beef rendang - that quintessential Malay spice perfumed meat. Traditionally made by cooking thick chunky beef in a large pot of coconut milk and spices until the liquid is reduced to a sauce. All meat fibres are saturated with sensual flavours and aromas that literary burst in your mouth, rush up your nose and trigger your pleasure sensors. Average cooking time is 7 hours, not counting ingredient preparation like cutting the meat.
Prawns fried in mildly spicy and sweet sambal. This style of cooking makes the prawns a little too stiff for my liking. But, I love the sambal so much that I was sucking it from the prawn heads :P
I love this creamy, mildly spicy curry chicken a lot. The chicken flesh was tender and infused with the full bodied fragrance and flavours from the herbs and spices. Actually, this is my favourite from the platter.
I took more than my fair share of this from the communal platter :P Crunchy vegetable salad tossed with grated coconut fried with turmeric.
Fried beef lungs. I love its interesting chewy, spongy, grainy texture and savoury taste.
Vegetables with tempeh and bean curd cubes stir fried in curry spices.
Potato patties (perkedel kentang) made by deep frying mashed potato. I know people who must have their perkedel, though personally I am not a big fan.
Fried grated coconut. I like to mix this into my white rice.
Heavenly sambal chili.
I like this salted fish. Paper thin and not overly salty. Good enough to eat it on it's own like a fish keropok (fish cracker).
Nice cool serai (lemon grass) drink. I had two of this :)
Seriously, this Fridays only Nasi Ambeng experience in such a regal fine-dining setting at this price is too good to miss.
Date visited: 18 Oct 2013
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Singapore Best Food - Nasi Ambeng at Mamanda Restaurant
I am a big fan of Nasi Ambeng because I love Malay food and I enjoy communal style eating very much. So, when Ahmad from Mamanda Restaurant in Singapore invited me to taste their Nasi Ambeng, I was excited to give it a try and looked forward to it in great anticipation. It turned out to be a great dining, cultural and social experience, something that I would recommend to everyone. Read more.
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