‘Atas’ Nasi Lemak Takeaway from Lemak Boys

Nasi lemak takeaway from Lemak Boys was our dabao lunch recently. The lemak rice had improved since a previous visit. We think that it now provides serious competition to the Coconut Club for the title of best ‘atas’ nasi lemak in Singapore.

We had eaten at Lemak Boys at Shaw Centre soon after they opened in late 2020. Our impressions were positive in most aspects of the food at this premium nasi lemak restaurant. But we felt it fell short in one important area – the rice. A recent nasi lemak takeaway from Lemak Boys gave us a pleasant surprise – the lemak rice had improved tremendously!

Lemak Boys Restaurant at Shaw Centre

Other than the food itself, the mark of an ‘atas’ nasi lemak eatery is the restaurant itself. Probably the most affordable of the many brands in the Les Amis restaurant group, Lemak Boys is a no-frills restaurant. The furniture is basic but the atmosphere is calm and serene. It is a nicer place to eat nasi lemak as compared to the typical nasi lemak stall, but the 2021 Michelin Bib Gourmand Coconut Club has a nicer restaurant ambience.

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The menu at Lemak Boys is simple – they only serve two main items – nasi lemak and laksa. In addition to that, there are some featured side dishes available. Diners can customise their nasi lemak by selecting the items from the a la carte menu or select one of the 4 fixed combinations : regular or premium versions of nasi lemak with fried chicken or chicken rendang.

Our Nasi Lemak Takeaway

For our nasi lemak takeaway, we selected the regular nasi lemak combinations with chicken berempah ($12.50) and with chicken rendang ($13.50). We did not go for the premium set or any add-ons as we thought that any nasi lemak that costs more than $10 is mighty premium enough for us and there was no need to go beyond that.

The takeaway boxes are of course nicer than the usual nasi lemak packets. They are not airtight and we could immediately sense fragrance of the lemak rice as soon as they were handed to us. The smell was wonderful.

Is it ‘atas’ enough?

The two boxes of nasi lemak are the same except for the chicken. Each of them contained the classic components of lemak rice, chicken, omelette, otah otah, roasted peanuts, fried anchovies, sliced cucumber and sambal. The quality and quantity of these items were a notch above the usual ones. Instead of a skinny chicken wing, a meaty chicken drumstick was served in each box. The omelette and otah were thick and juicy. The peanuts and anchovies were crunchy but not hard. The chilli was not the best that we have tried, but was still very good. We thought that there was enough ‘atas-ness’ to the nasi lemak to justify the price.

The only difference between the two boxes of nasi lemak was the type of chicken. The picture above is the one with chicken berempah which I think is deep-fried chicken which had been marinated with spices. It is dry but the skin is infused with the spice flavours. The picture below is the one with chicken rendang which is chicken simmered in a mix of spices and coconut milk. This chicken drumstick was served with some gravy.

Both versions of nasi lemak takeaway from Lemak Boys were equally enjoyable. For future visits we would simply order two of the chicken berempah on account of its lower price of $12.50. The chilli sauce provides enough flavour anyway for both types of chicken and we would not miss the gravy.

Lemak Boys @ Shaw Centre
1 Scotts Road
#03-10 Singapore 228208

Tel: +65 6235 3218

Opening Hours:
Lunch 11.30am to 3pm
Dinner: 6pm to 9pm

Nearby MRT Station: Orchard

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog