Taste Of Singapore

To try and make work a little bit more fun, and to impose some food culture onto my colleagues, I’ve decided to implement a monthly offsite work lunch for my team. I know what you’re thinking, ‘one offsite lunch a month??’ But trust me when I say, this is a big step for us here.

Today, we decided to go to Taste of Singapore, which is a tiny little shop located away from the main strip of Clayton. This however does not deter customers, which is a testament to how good the food us. Although the name pays homage to Singapore, and there is the token crispy noodle dish, the owners are a Malay couple, and the menu is filled with traditional Malay offerings including mee goreng, mee rebus and murtabak. 

We went arrived just after midday and were told that there were no fried options available until 1pm when the burners are started, so our options were limited to rice. This wasn’t a problem at all, because biriyani was the daily special, and there was also nasi lemak available. 

My colleagues A and K ummed and aahed over the choices, but eventually A settled on biriyani with lamb rendang ($9.50) and K opted for nasi lemak with fried chicken ($7.50). I asked the friendly uncle at the counter what he could make for me that was vegetarian, and he suggested I have nasi lemak without the fried chicken and with some additional achar ($6.50). And so our meals were decided!

The service was quick, and before long we had our plates, covered in traditional waxed brown paper and heaped with rice and condiments. It didn’t take long for us to dig and we were all commenting on how delicious the food was. There was a real authentic Asian feel about it, the only thing missing was the 80% humidity that Malaysia or Singapore forces upon you!

Nasi Lemak

Biriyani with lamb rendang

Taste of Singapore is a local gem. It may require you to grab your own cutlery and water or cram you onto a small table, but all is forgiven when you taste the food and look at the bill.