Food Picks: Kitchenman Nasi Lemak serves up Malaysian kampung soul with a chef's touch

Straits Times

23-04-2025

SINGAPORE – It is a crying shame that the elusive showstopper of Kitchenman Nasi Lemak, Rendang Chicken ($12.50), is not available regularly on its menu. It is a special item that is available when the chef feels up to the challenge.
Ipoh-born co-owner and chef Cheow Kah King, 38, says it is too demanding to cook the dish daily. When he does, he prepares only a small batch of 20 chicken legs. Regulars in the know get first dips on reserving the dish that is usually sold out before lunchtime is over.
Lemongrass, galangal, ginger and shallots are blended for the rempah. The dry version that Mr Cheow prepares is exacting to cook, as it takes three hours of minding the fire and constant stirring to prevent the richly spiced gravy from burning. That is not counting the entire hour it takes to toast fresh grated coconut over an ungreased wok to obtain kerisik, a natural flavour enhancer.
The resulting chicken is flavoursome to the bone. It is also available in the Nasi Lemak Rendang Chicken ($16.80), which comes with coconut rice, ikan bilis and peanuts, a sunny side up egg and sambal.
If y ou cannot get your hands on the rendang chicken, there are other choice items for a satisfying meal.
Expect no less than unabashed full-on flavours at the frills-free, 40-seat eatery, which is an ode to Malaysian kampung-style cooking.
It is named Kitchenman as a tribute to those who toil in the kitchen.
Though not born nor bred in a kampung, Mr Cheow wants to present his reimagined version of kampung-style cookin g. Th at means drilling down to the basics, such as paying a premium for fresh coconut milk, which is notoriously temperamental and spoils easily. Most nasi lemak sellers have switched to using prepacked coconut cream.
The signature dish is the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng Berempah Leg ($13.80), prepared with fresh chicken thoroughly infused with housemade rempah. The excess marinade is deep-fried and used as an addictive topping for the chicken. The accompanying sambal alone takes five hours to prepare.
Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng Berempah Leg is the signature favourite at Kitchenman Nasi Lemak.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
Sambal Fried Fish ($9.50) is a whole kembong fish marinated in turmeric, pan-fried and covered in a Balinese-inspired sambal of red chilli, tomato, onion and garlic, simply seasoned with salt and sugar.
Sambal Fried Fish at Kitchenman Nasi Lemak.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
A sleeper hit on the menu is the Six Heavenly King ($13.80), a medley of brinjal, baby French bean, okra, pungent petai, tempeh and tau kwa. The backbone of the dish is a housemade sambal heavily spiked with dried prawns.
Six Heavenly King, a vegetable stir-fry with housemade sambal.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
Where: 01-08/13 CT Hub, 2 Kallang Avenue
MRT: Bendemeer
Open: 11.30am to 9pm (Mondays to Saturdays), closed on Sundays
Hedy Khoo is senior correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers food-related news, from reviews to human interest stories.
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.