Straits Club Review: Malaysian-Style Nasi Lemak With Crispy Fried Chicken In One-north

Straits Club has nasi lemak with crispy fried chicken in One-north

Timbre+ in One-north is a bustling urban container food park known to come alive after working hours with live entertainment and almost 40 different food stalls, including a drinking den. But on the weekdays, it transforms into a lunch spot catered to filling up the stomachs of the hungry crowd. We recently returned to try the newly opened Straits Club, a stall specialising in Malaysian-style nasi lemak.

Food at Straits Club

The nasi lemak here is the product of a culinary deep dive into what goes behind a good plate of traditional Malaysian nasi lemak. Inspired by what he had picked up from the locals in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, the owner, James, decided to open his very own stall serving the dish.

There’s only one main on the menu: Chicken Nasi Lemak priced at $8.90. This hearty plate consists of fragrant coconut rice, ayam goreng berempah AKA spiced fried chicken, ikan billis, peanuts, cucumber slices, a sunny-side up, and a heaped spoonful of sambal. 

As our food was being prepared, the aroma of coconut and pandan wafted out from the kitchen—a telltale sign that the rice was extra fragrant. We tucked into the rice first when we got our plate and true enough, the rice was decently flavourful and packed with a slightly sweet coconutty flavour.

We then paired our rice with arguably the second most important component of the dish: the sambal. The chilli paste here will appeal to those with a lower spice tolerance as the kick is subtle, with an aftertaste that is sweeter than anything else. Unfortunately, the sambal tasted rather flat and fell short of my expectations. FYI, I’m not big on spicy things, so you can imagine how much heat the sambal had lacked.

Moving on to the chicken, this came in two fork-and-spoon-friendly boneless pieces instead of the usual whole leg, which I appreciated as I don’t like to get my hands dirty. Right off the bat, this was not the most tender chicken I’ve had but flavour-wise, it was pretty solid and also my favourite part of the dish. Here’s a tip: mix the deep-fried battered bits with rice for an additional crisp. 

The fragrant spices and aromatics of the fried chicken came through, which really brought the whole dish together. The only problem I had was how small the fried chicken pieces were, especially because their nasi lemak was on the pricier end. In hindsight, the 5-piece Chicken Platter for $7 seems like a much better value-for-money meal if you love fried chicken on its own.

We topped up $2.50 for a drink—lime juice or lemongrass—and a side, which you can choose between achar and bergedil. In case you were wondering, we opted for the lime juice and bergedil! This top-up option is great if you want to substantiate your meal. Otherwise, a plate of nasi lemak on its own is just as good and hearty.

Ambience at Straits Club

Straits Club is relatively easy to spot due to the stall’s convenient location at Timbre+. The container park can accommodate around 800 diners, but fills up quickly during lunchtime and stays busy throughout the day. The area is also well-ventilated with several large ceiling fans, so don’t worry about the heat. For easy access, Straits Club is a quick four-minute walk from One-north MRT Station.

The verdict

This was a relatively memorable plate of nasi lemak, in the sense that it had what many other nasi lemak dishes lacked. The rice had a rich coconut flavour, the ikan bilis was briny and crispy, and the fried chicken was delightfully flavourful. Some of the other components such as the sambal and bergedil were a bit lacklustre, but I can definitely move past that considering how much I enjoyed the dish in general.

For more Malaysian-inspired nasi lemak, check out Dickson Nasi Lemak. Alternatively, read our Hoodadak Korean Restaurant review for legit Korean pork soup and rice also in One-north.

Address: 73A Ayer Rajah Crescent, #01-01, Timbre+ One North, JTC LaunchPad, Singapore 139957
Opening hours: Mon-Wed 11am to 7pm, Thurs-Fri 11am to 8:30pm
Tel: 8500 0588
Website
Straits Club is a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Paula Formantes.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg