Haven’t been to Beauty World Food Centre in a while, and I noticed quite a number of new stalls by young hawkers.
But this particular one caught my eye because the dish was created by MasterChef Singapore Season 2 winner Derek Cheong (I last met him when he delivered his self-made kombucha to my place. Years have passed!).
Berempah Bros focuses on a single idea and works variations around it. You may ask, “Is this Nasi Lemak?” Somewhat, but not quite.
The base is a fried protein served with coconut rice, sambal belachan, and housemade achar, finished with typhoon shelter style crumbs.
The main options are ayam, fish, pork, and a more premium unagi, with the chicken offered in wing, breast, or thigh.
Prices range from $7.50 for chicken to $12 for unagi, placing the stall above the usual hawker average, though I think the quality is worth its price.
I decided to have the Ayam Berempah ($7.50), in which the chicken is marinated overnight in a rempah of 16 aromatics and spices, then fried until golden before being finished with crunchy crumbs.
The crumbs reminded me of a lovechild between prawn cereal and HK-style typhoon shelter crab toppings, and tasted addictively garlicky.
Apparently, it is made of garlic, breadcrumbs, kerisik (made of toasted grated coconut) and even Japanese sakura ebi. No wonder so tasty.
The chicken thigh was golden brown, gave a clean crunch when bitten into, and was moist.
The seasoning sat mostly in the skin and outer layer, so that to me was the best part.
As for the coconut rice, it carried a gentle coconut fragrance (not too much) and soft, separate grains that absorbed the sambal well.
I ordered some sides such as begedil and otah berempah as well (crispy fried egg was sold out), but they worked pretty well though overall could make the dish feel greasy.
In a hawker centre filled with many familiar names, Berempah Bros is a strong contender and I suspect queues (and a couple of media features) will start to form really soon.
Berempah Bros
Beauty World Food Centre #04-51, 144 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 588177
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 8:30pm (Mon – Sun)
Other Related Entries
Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak (Amoy Street Food Centre)
Straits Club (Alexandra Village)
Oh Lemak (Bukit Timah Food Centre)
Yoshi’s Kitchen (Toa Payoh West Food Centre)
108 The Nasi Lemak Shop (Tanjong Pagar Plaza)
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