I’ve briefly talked about SGMY in my earlier blog post on ORTO last week (read ORTO @ Lorong Chencharu (Yishun) and my latest fad, prawning). It’s actually an alfresco, no-frills bistro that’s located just next to the prawning ponds. When I first heard of ‘SGMY’, I really thought it was an abbreviation of a longer name but after noticing the Singaporean flag and the Malaysian flag in their logo as well as spotting all those familiar Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine in its menu, it was apparent that SGMY serves up classic eats that’s part and parcel of our local food culture. Think nasi lemak, laksa, mee rebus, satay and the like – food that we can never be tired of.
I like SGMY’s contemporary country-style interiors that had used old abandoned timber from the former Bottle Tree Park to create a tasteful wall feature. It may be an open-air restaurant but I didn’t feel uncomfortable to dine-in even in the sweltering heat of a hot mid-afternoon.
I came by SGMY on 2 separate occasions after my prawning sessions. The good thing about it is that once you’ve BBQ-ed your catch of the day, you can actually bring the prawns over to SGMY provided you also order extra stuffs from them. You have to try their sambal belachan (not in above picture) that goes so well with the prawns – yum! There’s also sweet chilli sauce and tomato ketchup for those who can’t take spiciness.
By the way, you’d have to place your orders and make payment at the cashier first, then your food will be delivered to your table.
Even though the Lime Juice and Sour Plum Juice (S$2.20 each) were supposed to be home-made, I thought they tasted rather artificial (like cordials) besides being really sweet. I had to mix in extra plain water just to make it more palatable.
The Kampong Nasi Lemak (S$7.90) came in a delightful spread of light pandan-green coloured coconut rice, homemade chilli paste, fried ikan bilis & peanuts, achar, cucumber slices, fish keropok and…
…a huge fried whole chicken leg that was definitely the highlight of the entire plate. I enjoyed every element on the plate that really worked together harmoniously. The chicken was perfectly fried to a crisp with no thick batter on the exterior. I could taste the fragrance of lemongrass and the aroma of turmeric on the chicken skin while the meat inside was all juicy and succulent. The homemade achar was nicely balanced and tasted really appetising and refreshing. The anchovies were crispy and the crackers were fresh too. The chilli was neither too sweet nor spicy and really complemented the rice and chicken. My only gripe? The coconut milk-fragrant rice was just a tiny tad too moist for my liking.
The Penang Fried Kway Teow (S$5.90) had a lot of wok hei (wok fragrance) that made the flat rice noodles pretty tasty. There was also a generous amount of cockles (small in size though) in it as well as prawns and fish cake too. Overall, flavours were well balanced but I’d probably request for a no-cockles version next time as I’m not a fan of it.
The Hometown Nasi Lemak (S$7.90) came with a whole dry curry chicken leg that was even more electrifying than the fried chicken version because the curry paste in this was so thick, robust, spicy and flavoursome – I love! I actually neglected the chilli paste because the curry paste was good enough to pair with everything else. And next to the plate was the sambal belachan that I was raving about earlier – that was a killer! I actually mixed that belachan with my rice as well as the curry paste to create my ultimate rice concoction that was just packed with a punch. Addictive! Lol.
The Nanyang Curry Chicken with Steamed Rice (S$6.90) was another dynamite dish. The curry gravy was rich in coconut milk and wasn’t as oily as other curries I had elsewhere. It kind of reminded me of my Gran’s curry chicken – very similar style. The portion was also generous with ample amounts of chicken pieces and potato chunks. Instead of rice, you can opt for bread as well for the same price.
SGMY doesn’t charge GST or service fee (extra brownie point!) so all the prices on their menu are NETT. With a good variety of local eats at affordable prices, I definitely see myself coming back again. I really want to try the mee rebus and mee siam next time! 🙂
Note: SGMY will be opening earlier at 9.00am on weekends for breakfast. They are currently having a promotion on traditional toast breakfast sets (with half-boiled eggs and coffee/tea) at S$4.00/set (U.P. S$4.50). Check out their Facebook page for latest updates.
SGMY
81 Lorong Chencharu #01-10
Singapore 769198
Tel: +65 6257 3657
Website: http://sgmy.com.sg/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sgmyatorto
Opening hours:
11.00am to 3.00am (Mon-Fri)
9.00am to 3.00am (Sat-Sun)
(full menu is available till 10.00pm but only selected items are available till last order at 2.30am)
Table reservations are only accepted for Mondays to Thursdays. Please drop them an email at enquiries@sgmy.com.sg with the following information:
Date of reservation:
Time:
Name:
Party size:
Contact no:
Any additional reservation comments: