The humble plate of nasi lemak has been experiencing somewhat of an atas resurgence in recent months, thanks to eateries like The Coconut Club and Revolution Coffee (read our nasi lemak blind taste test on those two here). Now, another new entrant is leaving its mark on Circular Road: Village Nasi Lemak Bar.
Rebranded and relocated from Simpang Bedok, the hip restaurant is quirky and eclectic, with neon signs touting local street food and Singlish lingo like ‘shiok’ decorating the colorful, pop art-inspired walls. A long communal high table sits at the entrance of the small space, which can get crowded rather quickly during lunchtime (so avoid peak hours if you’re not starving by noon).
Featured on the menu are nasi lemak sets like crispy chicken wing ($7.80), ikan kuning ($7.80), rendang beef ($9.50), rendang mutton ($9.50) and sambal sotong ($9.80). Portions are pretty generous, and each serving comes with fluffy coconut rice, spicy sambal that definitely packs a punch, and truffle poached eggs. Yep, you read that right — standard fried eggs have been given an upgrade here (although the truffle is admittedly a tad overpowering when put together with the rest of the dish).
Other items include achar ($3), otah ($2.20) and chicken curry puff ($3.60); if you’re in the mood for an early dinner, the street food-inspired tapas menu starts at 6pm daily. Fill up with small bites such as kueh pie tie ($11/six cups), chilli crab buns ($10), salted egg yolk chicken ($12) and BBQ grilled whole sotong ($14).
Village Nasi Lemak Bar is at 57 Circular Rd, 6443-0400. Mon-Thurs 10am-10pm, Fri & Sat 10am-midnight.
