Crave, a concept by the original Adam Road Nasi Lemak stall, brings Singapore’s best nasi lemak and teh tarik to Ion Orchard
By Nicole-Marie Ng
Love the nasi lemak from Selera Rasa at Adam Road but hate queueing in the heat? Crave houses both nasi lemak from Adam Road and teh tarik from Rafee’s Corner so you can have your favourites a little closer to home.
Crave currently has outlets at Hougang Mall, Bedok Mall, Waterway Point and ION Orchard, with the 15 seater stall at ION being the lastest to join the lineup.
But the most important question on everyone’s lips is, “Is the nasi lemak at Crave as good as the original stall at Adam Road?”.
The answer is a resounding yes!
The Royal Rumble ($6.90) has the full works including Selera Rasa’s chicken wing, fried fish and bergedil.
Sultan’s favourite nasi lemak
One of Selera Rasa’s biggest fans is the Sultan of Brunei, who requests for a plate of nasi lemak every time he visits Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long also served it to Indonesian President Joko Widodo during his visit to Singapore in 2015.
What sets Selera Rasa’s nasi lemak apart is the use of basmati rice instead of the usual jasmine rice. The long-grained rice remains light and fluffy despite being cooked in coconut milk. The fragrant rice was irresistible even though I’ve been trying to cut down on my carbo intake — dieters, you have been warned.
No nasi lemak is complete without the addition of sambal and Selera Rasa’s version is sweet with just the right amount of heat. Their sambal is made using both Indian and Japanese chillis and is cooked for five hours, resulting in a spicy and piquant concoction.
For an additional $1, complete your meal with either the grilled otah otah or a teh tarik from Raffee’s Corner. My advice is to get both. The otah otah is light and airy, a sign that shows they make their otah from scratch every morning with quality mackerel fish. As for the teh tarik, the owner, Mr. Mohamed Rabeek, has travelled to Cameron Highlands, India, and Indonesia to come up with the best possible tea blend which has earned him praise from many Singaporean fans.
A no frills affair
Orchard road has no shortage of restaurants but it is rare to come across a place selling good food for less than $5. Crave’s value-for-money menu starts from $4.90 and the Royal Rumble which includes the full works of Selera Rasa’s toppings is priced affordable at $6.90.
My only hope is that the quality and consistency remains this good as time goes on.
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