For those of us who’ve lived in Singapore since forever, the fine art of ordering cai png, nasi padang or any other mixed rice dish is something that’s been inculcated since young. Never order more than two meat sides, and never order any fish or seafood if you want to keep your costs as low as possible.
Oh, and whenever possible, stay the heck away from nasi padang stalls at atas foodcourts in upscale malls like Marina Bay Sands or Paragon, because only Satan knows how their outrageous prices are justified. (To be fair, vendors do need to charge sky-high prices to cover the sky-high rent in town — but it’s still pretty ridiculous to pay restaurant-level costs for a scoop of humble rice and some side dishes.)
On Friday, one Malaysian man who claimed to have just moved to our shores less than a month ago got a harsh lesson about living in the world’s priciest city. Coming from a country where solid nasi padang is extremely affordable, Raymond Yeoh was clearly shook that he had to fork out S$20 for a plate of nasi padang at the Food Opera basement food court in ION Orchard. Already having made the mistake of even eating at the atas foodcourt, he went ahead and ordered two fish dishes on top of mutton curry. Ouch.
Netizens all too familiar with how these things work made sure to point out all the things Yeoh did wrong.
Even if one does need to eat at Orchard Road, there are several options for cheap meals — Lucky Plaza and Orchard Plaza, for example, host decently-priced nasi padang and mixed rice spots.
