Food Picks: Taiwanese restaurant Abundance launches Nasi Lemak Bun

SINGAPORE – Taiwanese restaurant and craft beer bar Abundance has launched a credible iteration of a much-beloved classic dish in the form of the Nasi Lemak Bun ($10.90++). The hefty bao will be on the menu until the end of May.

To replace the fragrance and flavour of coconut rice, co-founder Jaz Yew, 43, has cleverly tapped coconut flakes to provide the aroma of coconut in his bun rendition. Crispy toasted coconut flakes impart sweet nuttiness.

The bun is eye-catching with its impressively thick slab of crispy fried boneless chicken thigh meat spiced with turmeric – both fresh and ground. Coconut milk also goes into the marinade, which explains the flavour-packed juicy meat.

A housemade batter gives the chicken a light airy crust which you can easily bite into without hurting the roof of your mouth. 

The meat is extra tender because plenty of preparation goes into removing the tendons. 

The housemade sambal that goes on top of the chicken is made fragrant with galangal. Both red and white onions go into the sambal, lending plenty of natural pungent sweetness. But the overload of onion on top of the sambal can be slightly overpowering.

The real challenge is consuming the bun. It is so huge that eating it is best done with hands, but be prepared for the process to be a messy affair. 

While the handmade bun is tender and fluffy, the skin is a tad thin and can tear if you grip it too tightly. 

The restaurant has also come up with smaller-sized versions of its popular buns in a set. The Mini Bun-dle of Three ($14.90++) includes the signature Gua Bao – a braised pork belly bun packed with roasted peanuts, pickles and fresh coriander. 

The set also has the Fish Bun – a battered tilapia fillet with a mayonnaise sauce zinged up with Thai lime leaves and lime juice, topped with a sunny side up. The third bun is the Crispy Chicken Bun, which has a slab of fried chicken thigh with a zesty mango slaw and peanut butter sauce. 

But the word “mini” is misleading as the buns are certainly not bite-sized. About the size of a palm, they can hardly contain the fillings. The regular-sized buns are slightly larger.

A set of three mini buns can easily be shared between two diners, especially if you intend to order other items.

Where: 01-35 Century Square, 2 Tampines Central 5
MRT: Tampines
Open: 11am to 10pm daily
Tel: 8051-9098