Wild Coco Review: Chaota Chee Cheong Fun, Ondeh Ondeh Kopi And More At New Bendemeer Outlet

Wild Coco nasi lemak moves to Hamilton Road

Wild Coco has come a long way since their first kopitiam stall on McNair Road. Just last week, they moved to brand new digs on Hamilton Road—a proper sit-down, air-conditioned restaurant with a bar counter, an expanded menu, and improved recipes for their well-loved nasi lemak.

Food at Wild Coco

At $15.90+, the Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah (Leg) is 30% more expensive than it used to be. In keeping with the more cushy space, the plateware is now more atas-looking as well, and owner Wayne Tan says that portions have gotten bigger too.

Like before, this comes with a whole fresh—not frozen—chicken leg, marinated for at least 24 hours and fried without a flour batter, with shreds of lemongrass and ginger in an aromatic crust. Bonus points go to Wild Coco too, for the not-using of MSG in all their food: it somehow makes this meal less of a guilty indulgence, but I do wish the marination could be tasted in the meat as well.

I personally am not the biggest fan of nasi lemak sambal, especially those that come in jars, because they tend to lean sweet. Wild Coco’s, made in-house with more than 10 ingredients in a labourious, five-plus-hour-long process, is complex and savoury, though I wish it had more spice to it. It was also more textured than it was before, with visible shreds of the herbs that went into making it.

New to the line-up is Ayam Masak Merah, though a whole a la carte leg will set you back $12.90+. If you get it with a plate of nasi lemak, that is priced at $17.90+—it’s pricier, but that’s also because preparing this is more labour-intensive.

Literally translated, ayam masak merah reads ‘red-cooked chicken’, and for all that it looks fiery hot, it wasn’t. It was mildly so, with loads of shallots, galangal, tomato sauce and more lending it a nuanced, fragrant sweetness.

I also appreciated how there was a generous lot of its gravy, which I could enjoy with the meat and rice.

I’d previously enjoyed how their rice was nicely moist and fluffy, redolent with the perfume of coconut, without being greasy or heavy on the palate. They’ve upgraded the rice, but on our visit, we found the grains broken and slightly mushy, without that distinct fluffiness I was looking for.

Wayne shares that he’s found another rice variety which works better with their recipe, and will be switching to that soon. ICYMI, they use freshly squeezed Malaysian coconut milk delivered daily for their nasi lemak rice!

Wild Coco also has a selection of side dishes which you can pair with your meal. I enjoyed the Nyonya Assam Eggplant ($9.90+), and was pleasantly surprised to discover the paste in this is also house-made. It’s not overly sour, and is nicely balanced with a touch of sweetness.

Featuring yet another house-made sambal is the Stir Fry Three Heavenly King ($11.90+), where you’ll get a mix of lady’s finger, French beans, and eggplant in a savoury, shrimpy stir-fry.

The portions of these sides are rather small, so they are rather pricy relative to the nasi lemak.

The expanded menu at Wild Coco sees a spread of dishes that you could order on their own, or to share with the table. These include the Chaota Chee Cheong Fun ($13.90+), which we quite adored. It was full of wok hei, and came with two large tiger prawns. You could also consider Nasi Lemak Goreng ($10.90+), AKA fried nasi lemak rice in a house-made spice blend, with chopped up ayam berempah.

We similarly enjoyed their house-made Awfully Otah ($14.90+), priced as such because of how much fresh mackerel goes into each spiced fish fillet.

Cut into this, and you’ll find whole chunks of the white fish, and best of all, it wasn’t fishy, even when it had cooled down.

A sure winner with kids and adults alike is Topple Tauhu Telur ($7.90+).

Instead of the unwieldy deep-fried tower that you usually get at Indonesian eateries, Wild Coco’s take sees squares of tofu deep-fried in egg and paired with a special sweet, dark dip that’s said to be created specially by their chef.

Another item that’s been brought over from their previous McNair Road location is laksa, from their Laksa Labo concept which occupied the same kopitiam. Here, the most basic option is Classic Laksa ($8.90+), or you could go for Premium Laksa ($11.90+), which is the same but with more fish cake and tau pok.

Again, I thought the spice could be dialled up, but what I really liked was how ultra thick and rich the broth was. According to Wayne, the base of this laksa broth is made not just with prawns, but also flower crab and dried shrimp. To ensure the quality of their laksa, Wild Coco only makes 40 to 50 bowls in each batch, and as of lunchtime on our visit, they’d already gone through two batches.

I typically shy away from thick bee hoon in laksa, because of how the broth slides off the noodle. Here, the super gao broth clung to every strand, such that I didn’t even need to use a soup spoon to eat the laksa. You also get two large tiger prawns with this bowl.

We finished off our meal with Ondeh Ondeh Kopi ($7.90+) and Signature Coco Shake ($7.90+), which my colleague said was even better than Mr Coconut’s, because of how lushly creamy it was. The Ondeh Ondeh Kopi was also lovely, with its layer of pandan-green and the toasty sweetness of gula melaka—just like the kueh, but with a caffeinated kick.

Ambience at Wild Coco

The walls at Wild Coco’s new space are handpainted by Albaninan banker-turned-artist Gjergji Rrumbullaku, who was a regular at their McNair Road outlet. Coconut trees and fronds in tropical greens, accented with gold, go hand in hand with the rattan and wooden furniture. There’s also a shorter coffee table with loungey chairs at the front of the restaurant, in case you’re just here for a drink and some of their breakfast items—eggs and toast, and house-made kaya.

Their new location is just 400m, or a five-minute walk, from Bendemeer MRT Station. Otherwise, it’s under 15 minutes from either Farrer Park MRT Station or Lavender MRT Station.

The verdict

The nasi lemak here is still some way from Coconut Club’s, but with a new kitchen, limited staff, and recipes that continue to be fine-tuned as customers offer feedback, it’s clear to see that the only way from here is up. The restaurant was packed over lunch, with numerous batch orders going out for delivery. Google reviewers have ranted about the long wait for food, but they’re still getting the hang of the 50-seater space and crowd, so give them some time to iron out their operations. They’re always open to feedback, too, so do drop them tips to improve their offerings!

Another popular nasi lemak spot that still sees long lines today is Dickson Nasi Lemak, a takeaway-only eatery that also serves Malaysian-style nasi lemak. If you’re on a nasi lemak hunt, here’s a list of nasi lemak you can try across the island!

Address: 14 Hamilton Road, Singapore 209184
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 10:30am to 9pm
Tel: 9119 3822
Website
Wild Coco is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Zi Hui Tan and Raelynn Ng.
This was a media tasting at Wild Coco.