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Geylang Serai Market
Somewhere in the middle of Geylang Serai market , there are two gems of stalls specialising in Nasi Padang.
Makansutra
The Makan Kakis and I decided that we would visit it together over the weekend for lunch and make a serious meal out of it.
Hajjah Mona Nasi Padang
There are two nasi padang stalls in Geylang Serai but the one we were making a beeline for is Hajjah Mona. It is at stall 166 decorated by its bold neon sign.
Alas, it was not to be.
When we arrived, Hajjah Mona was closed.
Sinar Pagi Nasi Padang
A trifle disappointed no doubt, but we happily joined the queue for the other much touted stall No 137 Sinar Pagi Nasi Padang.
Those of you who works at Raffles Place will know that Sinar Pagi has a branch at Circular Road.
We were gratified to see the long queue of machiks (Malay older ladies), chinese dudes and mat minahs (Malay brothers and their hot female companions) all waiting patiently in line.
Geylang Serai is densely populated by the Malay community in Singapore. So this popular stall which have achieved universal approval within this community must have some serious street cred.
Great minds think alike. But fools seldom differ.
But something tells me when it comes to a spicy palatte, one has to trust the machiks.
We happily joined the queue and it took a while to get our stash.
The options were a dizzying array of meats and vegetables with a kaleidoscope of beautiful colours. Everything looked inviting and luscious, and it was difficult to be disciplined and not buy up the whole shop.
Don’t Order Too Much
There were 11 of us and I was designated the orderer. I like the way the ladies came up to me one by one and said I want this, this and this. Oh and also a little bit of this. But don’t order too much!
Another came along and said the same thing! Picked 3-4 dishes but Don’t order too much!
Ok so now I have 6 vegetables to order and 7 other non veg dishes.
And I just knew I was going to be blamed:
“Eh why you all didn’t control him ? You know he’s weak. He’s got no self control!”
Nabei.
What we ordered
So feeling like like Judas Iscariot who will be blamed for all eternity, I proceeded to order with gusto.
So what did I order ?
I’ll let the pictures give the answer.
Oh and we ordered some nasi brani from another stall.
The Verdict
There were a mixed bag of hits, misses and Mehs.
Everyone liked the beef rendang. They felt it was tender and the kerisik (grated coconut) it was cooked in was fragrant and delicious.
The terong (brinjal), Petai with anchovies, curry chicken, sambal goreng, paru(beef Lungs), nangka curry (jackfruit), sayur lodeh (mixed vegetables) and Belachan chilli were given the thumbs up.
The fish and achar (pickled cucumbers) were meh (pedestrian).
Everyone agreed the begedil (potato cutlet) was soggy and an absolute miss.
So all in all, it was a pretty good meal.
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