It’s been just two months since The Coconut Club closed their doors in Ann Siang Hill, but they’ll soon be opening up a new restaurant. This Saturday (May 28), head down to their new Beach Road outlet to tuck into their famed nasi lemak. This new flagship is housed in a conservation shophouse, with communal tables and an open kitchen. If the space seems familiar, it’s where dine-in-the-dark restaurant NOX used to be.
Interestingly, the new menu features a range of brekkie items that will be available from 8.30am to 11am. The charcoal-grilled kaya toast ($6.80) is undeniably pricier than our old-school coffee shop breakfast, but rightfully so: buns are grilled over a bincho-tan charcoal grill right in front of diners. Each comes with homemade kaya, a slab of French butter, and of course, is served with soft-boiled eggs.
This new breakfast lineup has also jumped on the sando bandwagon with an otah katsu sando ($7.80), which has panko-crusted otah between buns. A hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimp) tuna sandwich ($10.80) makes an appearance too.
The Coconut Club, first and foremost, will always be known for their nasi lemak: ayam goreng ($18.80), ikan bakar ($18.80) or otah ($10.80). It’s your choice – all three are equally tasty. Each set comes with the usuals, such as fluffy coconut rice, a fried egg, ikan billis, cucumber, and a generous dollop of sambal chilli. Much like a plate of chicken rice, it’s the chilli that makes or breaks a good nasi lemak. If the new The Coconut Club has similar prowess to its old kitchen, then you can expect a delectable sambal – tangy, but with a subtly sweet burst of flavour. They do also sell their sambal in bottled jars ($9), a mark of true achievement when it comes to chilli.
But they have also broken away from the previous menu, with an emphasis on sharing plates. The iga bakar ($45), beef short ribs braised in a “secret” sauce which is then charcoal-grilled for a smoky flavour, is bound to be a crowd favourite. Otherwise, the ketam masak lemak cili api ($108), crab in spicy turmeric and coconut milk curry, is a must-order. If not for its winning flavours, then for the novelty of having an impressive seafood sharing dish that needs to be pre ordered two days in advance.
End the meal with a traditional dessert – they’ve got a real showstopper of a dessert menu here. The goreng pisang ($9) comes with kaya, while the coconut sorbet ($5) is a collab between The Coconut Club and gelato store Birds of Paradise. Make sure to also try a drink from their refreshed cocktail lineup, with concoctions like The Coconut Club Mai Tai ($21) and Pineapple Old Fashioned ($21).
No longer just a nasi lemak haunt, but one with a solid all-day dining menu, The Coconut Club is back with a bang. Excited? For sure, since it’s one of the few places in Singapore that we can justify forking out close to 20 bucks for a simple plate of nasi lemak.
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