Bali Nasi Lemak

Bali Nasi Lemak is a nasi lemak shop in Geylang that has served the dish since 1985. Nasi lemak is rice cooked in coconut milk, eaten with sambal chilli and a choice of sides. Bali is best known as a supper spot, and locals often drop in late in the evening.

For decades the shop traded from an old shophouse on Lorong 15 Geylang. In November 2023 it moved a few minutes' walk away to 142 Sims Avenue. The new shop is roomier and air-conditioned, with a modern, cafe-style look. In 2017, a Geylang food guide on the website of Anthony Bourdain's CNN show Parts Unknown praised its sambal and its fried chicken.

What to order

The chicken is the main draw, and it comes in two styles. Crispy golden chicken is fried in a light batter. Kicap manis chicken is coated in sweet dark soy sauce, so it is sticky and slightly sweet. You can have either as a wing, or as a drumstick or thigh.

You then add sides to your rice from the menu:

• Chicken: crispy golden chicken, kicap manis chicken and a curry chicken
• Seafood: fried kunning fish, Nyonya otah (spiced fish cake), golden prawn, fish cake and sotong (squid)
• Vegetables: sambal long beans, lady's fingers, curry vegetables and stir-fried greens
• Extras: fried or onion egg, luncheon meat, hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimp), peanuts and ikan bilis (crispy anchovies)

For something bolder, try the sambal petai. Petai are strong-smelling green beans, cooked here in a spicy sambal. The rice is fragrant basmati cooked with coconut milk. If you like the sambal, the shop sells it in tubs to take home.

Good to know before you go

• This is a casual shop for eating in or taking away.
• The shop does not take online pre-orders. Ask in person if you need a large order.
• It does not reply to social media messages, and no phone number is listed. Questions are handled at the shop.
• The set meals on the official menu are for delivery orders only. In the shop, you pick your own sides.
• The sambal has real heat, so try a little first if you are new to chilli.
• The shop opens in the evening and stays open past midnight. Check the official website before a late trip.

Nearby

Geylang and nearby Paya Lebar have plenty more to eat. For a big choice of hawker stalls, try Old Airport Road Food Centre or Geylang Serai Market. Mutiara Seafood is an option for a seafood dinner. For Vietnamese food, there is Ăn Là Ghiền.

See all restaurants in Geylang and Paya Lebar, or browse our hawker favourites across Singapore. New to the dish? Our guide to Malay hawker dishes explains nasi lemak and other plates to try.