Review: 108 The Nasi Lemak Shop keeps its crown at new Tanjong Pagar Plaza home

As a food writer, I’m always seeing a never-ending contention between Malaysian-style nasi lemak and its Singapore counterpart. 

Personally, I’ve always leaned towards the Malaysian ones — a simpler, no-frills plate with traditional ingredients such as sambal, boiled egg, peanuts, sambal, and a well-fried piece of chicken. 

The more diverse Singaporean-Chinese version sometimes includes options such as luncheon meat and fish cake and other Chinese-influenced dishes. Then there’s the stronger coconut flavour in the rice, which I absolutely adore.

When I heard that 108 The Nasi Lemak Shop — whose founders are both Malaysian and Singaporean — had relocated from its Hong Lim Food Centre location to Tanjong Pagar Plaza, I knew I had to go.

The backstory

108 Nasi Lemak first appeared on the scene in Hong Lim Food Centre in mid-January this year, quickly gaining a following for its old-school, classic style and its generously-portioned spiced fried chicken. 

The original co-owners, Daniel (a Malaysian-Chinese) and Imran (a Singaporean-Malay), had a simple yet ambitious idea: To take the best of nasi lemak from each country and bring it together.

After operating for just over six months, the stall took a short break before now moving to a larger space at Tanjong Pagar Plaza. Imran has stepped away from the business, leaving Daniel to run the stall himself.

The menu remains refreshingly simple — just four nasi lemak variations starting from S$6.80 and featuring different chicken parts.

You can get the signature ayam goreng berempah set (bone-in or boneless), or a special belacan wing set with one or two wings. 

The portions are generally quite big, but I can’t say no to add-on sides such as sambal quail eggs, begedil or a very refreshing kerabu salad.

Our verdict

I’ve eaten my way through the nasi lemak greats around Singapore — Dickson, Coconut Club, Ponggol. In my opinion, 108 Nasi Lemak stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of them. 

The flavours are clean, the execution for every element is spot-on, and the food generally feels authentic and traditional rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. Plus, despite the generous portion sizes, the food didn’t feel overly cloying even after eating everything.

My order took a while to arrive (more on that below), but that kind of waiting is fine when the result is worth it. 

My only hope is that Daniel can keep this level of consistency, especially now that he’s managing it alone. (I did notice a second person that came in to help before the lunch hour rush.)

What it’s good for

I started with the 108 crispy wing with begedil set (S$6.80), and from the first spoonful of rice, knew I was in for a treat. 

The flawlessly cooked coconut rice is fragrant and fluffy, topped with deep-fried spiced berempah crumbs for textural contrast.

The reddish belacan chicken wing is another thing of beauty — well-battered with juicy, tender meat inside. There’s a slight funk and umami from the fermented shrimp paste, but it doesn’t overpower the flavour of the chicken.

The ikan bilis and peanuts are crunchy and salty, but are otherwise relatively standard stuff. 

But it’s the begedil that shines with its crispy exterior giving way to a soft, creamy inside that’s absolutely well seasoned with spices. You won’t regret it if you’re a begedil lover.

The runny sambal makes up a small pool on one side of the plate — think an almost-earthy sweetness with subtle savoury notes of dried shrimp and curry leaves. Compared to the sometimes flat and sugary sambal you sometimes find at other stalls, this is truly on another level.

I add on sambal quail eggs (S$1.50) for good measure, and while they are nothing special, just boiled quail eggs in the same nasi lemak sambal sauce makes for a reliable comfort side dish for more protein.

The 108 ayam goreng berempah and kerabu set (S$8.80) comes with two glorious, golden-brown pieces of fried chicken — a bone-in thigh and a drumstick. I’ve mentioned this before, but they are generous with the portions here.

The chicken is fried to perfection, with clearly crisp batter and juicy flesh. I can distinctly taste the turmeric (which lends that distinct yellow hue), ginger, and lemongrass in the flavours, which speaks of its proper marination time. 

I’ve had nasi kerabu (a Malay rice dish which name translates to “salad rice”, due to its numerous fresh herbs and vegetables), but never a kerabu salad like this. It is available as part of a set or a la carte for S$3.80)

The crunchy mix of bean sprouts, onions, tomatoes, pomelo pulp, long beans, and wing beans really come together in an irresistibly addictive song, brought together by a tangy tamarind vinaigrette of sorts. The bittersweet burst of pomelo really stands out here, too.

You can also get the ayam goreng berempah in a boneless version, which I order as an extra side for S$5.20. 

It is tender, juicy, and probably every bit as flavourful as the bone-in version, but if I’m being honest, I always prefer the latter. It might just be placebo, but it seems more delicious to me (something about bones imparting a deeper taste during cooking?)

What it could improve on

My food took almost 25 minutes to be ready, though I’d arrived early in the morning and was probably Daniel’s first customer of the day, when he was still frying up his chicken pieces. 

I can hardly fault him for taking time to do things properly, though I can imagine the wait during peak hours will definitely stretch.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? The coffeeshop gets crowded during meal hours, but is otherwise spacious and breezy for conversations.

Is a reservation necessary? Walk-ins only.

How to get there? 108 Nasi Lemak is located on the second floor of Tanjong Pagar Plaza, a 3-minute walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT Station Exit A.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

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