Halal street food stall Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang has been recognised by Michelin.
The neighbourhood food stall specialising in nasi lemak with a traditional sambal from Taliwang, Indonesia, has been awarded a place on the food guide’s MICHELIN Plate list in September 2021.
This honour is given to eateries that have neither a star nor a Bib Gourmand. For most eateries, being in the selection is the sign of very good food, and the Michelin Plate is the symbol for that.
In total, the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2021 selection includes:
- 67 MICHELIN Plate restaurants (including 14 new)
- 6 MICHELIN Plate street food stalls
- 69 MICHELIN Plate hawker centre stalls (including 12 new)
Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang
Differentiated from other nasi lemak by its unique Taliwang sauce, Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang serves its eponymous dish replete with coconut rice, ground peanut and anchovies, traditional sambal, sliced cucumber, sunny side up eggs, and a quarter leg chicken marinated in traditional home-made ancient Taliwang sauce.
This fusion of a Singaporean dish and Indonesian sauce is the brainchild of third-generation hawker Noorman Mubarak, 42, and his Padang-native wife Puti Andam Dewi, 35.
The couple met while flying with Singapore Airlines, but chose to set up the food business after the birth of their son in 2017.
F&B isn’t exactly a foreign concept for the business owners; Noorman grew up helping at his family’s hawker stalls since the 1980s while Puti has an appreciation for Indonesia’s ethnic flavours.
The third-generation hawker understands that running a successful food business will be a venture of “sweat, heat and long hours of standing”, but it is something necessary to uphold a standard that he is satisfied with.
“I feel I have a legacy to continue and believe in the quality of our nasi lemak,” Noorman said, according to a Facebook post by DBS.
Where to find Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang
- Yishun Park Hawker Centre, 51 Yishun Ave 11 #01-33 Singapore 768867
- Makan Empire @ Bartley Biz Centre, 11 Kaki Bukit Road 4 Singapore 417806
- Century Square, 2 Tampines Central 5 #03 Singapore 529509
- Tampines West, Blk 820 Tampines St 81 Singapore 520820
- Ci Yuan Hawker Centre, 51 Hougang Ave 9, Stall #01-40, Singapore 538776
- United Square, 101 Thomson Road, Food Junction Level B1, Singapore 307591
- Canberra Plaza, 133 Canberra View, #01-21/22/23, Singapore 750133
Other halal eateries in Michelin Guide S’pore 2021
Whilst there are no halal Michelin Star restaurants just yet, there is still the Michelin Bib Gourmand title.
This title is awarded to restaurants that are unique, simple yet recognisable, and satisfying at a reasonable price.
This year, two halal eateries in Singapore made into the 2021 SG Michelin Gourmand Bib list.
They are briyani specialist Bismillah Biryani and famed Nasi Padang restaurant Hjh Maimunah in Jalan Pisang.
Granted, the list of halal Michelin-recognised eateries is small, but that does not mean we have a shortage of amazing halal food options in Singapore (this publication is a testament to that!).
Who knows, maybe next year we might see Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang move up the ranks to a Michelin Bib Gourmand and perhaps welcome more halal eateries into the list?
In the meantime, let’s continue to #supportlocal.
Top photos by Michelin and Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang/FoodPanda.
