Not the hidden gem I hoped for

All of us love a nice, happy-ending story however they’ll’t all be fairy-tales, can they? My colleague, Gillian recommended I cowl Nasi Padang 8789 as a result of she had handed it a lot of occasions at 243 Cantonment Street Coffeeshop however hadn’t sampled their fare. I used to be intrigued— might this be a kind of elusive hidden gems?

Studying up concerning the it, I might see the enchantment of its backstory: a heritage stall run by an aged couple who met one another in major college, now married for near 50 years. It had all of the appeal of a feel-good Hallmark made-for-TV film.

Plus, the stall itself has been round for nearly half a century— that’s an computerized assure of the meals’s high quality and style, proper? I used to be desperate to strive it out.

What I attempted at Nasi Padang 8789

I benefit from the versatility of nasi padang and there have been a minimum of 21 choices on show on the counter of Nasi Padang 8789.

Asking for the hen curry first, I obtained a fairly large drumstick and a ladle of the curry that regarded fairly appetising. I pointed on the tray of eggplant subsequent beneath the idea that Mr. Hee would give me a slice of 1 piece. Nevertheless, he proceeded to put all the 20-cm piece on my plate. Very beneficiant.

Subsequent, I acquired tofu, which I really like, earlier than rounding up my lunch unfold with pineapple in curry for a contact of sweetness. I counted 12 pineapple wedges in all, which is appreciable. The entire meal value me S$6.

Tucking into the hen, I discovered the meat to not be cooked so effectively. The flesh might have been extra tender and flavourful and there was fairly a little bit of fats hanging off it. In search of greener pastures, I moved on to the veggies.

On the skin, the eggplant was effectively coated in gravy and made my mouth water. All that visible promise was damaged as quickly as I took a chew. It was virtually raw. In elements, the eggplant flesh was nearly as crisp as an apple. I used to be getting alarmed. This story wasn’t panning out the best way I had hoped.

My pineapple remained— often, the saving grace of sweetness— however I found that whereas there have been items aplenty, they have been all very bland. The one flavour I might style was the saltiness from the gravy, which means that the pineapple itself was not candy.

Tasteless by itself, tofu absorbs and enhances the flavours of different dishes to reinforce a meal. On this plate, it simply had no ammo to work with and ended up standing alone as a tasteless piece of tofu. Your entire meal turned out to be one big disappointment.

None of this was helped alongside by the S$1.80 for a can of Coke from the drinks stall subsequent door. Daylight theft, I inform you, that too a stone’s throw from the Police Cantonment Complicated simply down the street.

Last ideas

I used to be touched by Mr. Hee’s character. After I requested him about costs earlier than ordering, he should have thought I used to be in need of cash and mentioned, “For you, rice and 1 dish, $1.50 can.” After he scooped a bowl of rice out, he turned to me and requested if I needed extra. Rattling, perhaps I simply look poor.

Watching Mrs. Hee sitting earlier than the warmth of the range on 3 stacked plastic chairs, diligently working the wok whereas her husband handled clients on the entrance, I actually needed to provide Nasi Padang 8789 ranking.

However the proof is within the padang. I visited at lunchtime and the bak kut teh stall subsequent door was doing a roaring enterprise with a minimum of 18 individuals in queue. In the meantime, Nasi Padang 8789 was virtually abandoned. Within the hour or so I spent there, fewer than 10 clients got here a-calling.

My very own expertise of the meals was fairly underwhelming and I’m wondering if I ought to return for one more strive. In any case, I did see over 20 completely different gadgets on show however am basing this assessment on 4 of them.

Anticipated injury: S$1.50 – S$8.50 per pax

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