Once upon a time, a famous Nasi Padang stall stood in the corner kopitiam of Geylang Lorong 1. How famous you may ask? Well the queues were so long that the seller had to introduce a queue number system where customers had to take a card and wait to be called for their orders!
Queue number cards at Former Lorong 1 Geylang Nasi Padang
Alright, I know that sounded a little old fashion but you can’t argue with success, can you?
Mr Ghulam was plying the Nasi Padang trade at Geylang Lorong 1 from 1975 till 2001. Those days, horde of customers would appear out of nowhere once he opened shop(7pm) and being inside just a tiny kopitiam, space was restrained so customers always fought over who came first and who came later blah blah blah so before you know, you must take a queue number and Mr Ghulam will call you when it’s your turn just like how a nurse do so in a clinic!
Mr Ghulam then moved out of Geylang Lorong 1 in 2001 when there was a rent hike to Lorong 24 and then in 2005, moved again to it’s current location which is at Lorong 27. I lost Mr Ghulam for about 8 years and only managed to track him down recently.
2 types of chilli
A meal at Mr Ghulam’s stall is about chilli, chilli and chilli. So much so that every table must have a plate of chilli to go along with everything else. In short, you must be able to love the shiokadodoness of spiciness and here is one of the very few Nasi Padang stalls that serves you Nasi Padang with belacan chilli.
Ayam Masak Merah
The first thing you die die MUST order from Mr Ghulam is Ayam Masak Merah. For the benefit of those who don’t know what this is, it’s deep fried chicken cooked in some kind of chilli sauce. There are places that serve this really really wet though here it is dry and looks more like fried chicken coated with chilli paste. Chicken and chilli lovers will have their umami spots hit very hard by this.
Sotong choke-full of eggs
It’s amazing how many people I know that have never eaten sotong eggs before. If you’re one of those and in the mood to eat it for the first time, then you’ll be glad to know that every sotong sold by Mr Ghulam have eggs. I’m not quite sure how Ghulam does it but it’s not easy to find squids that have eggs therefore the price of $7 per squid is well justified. I have always ordered this sotong(cooked in squid sauce) without fail because I am fascinated by how I always can expect to see eggs in a sotong here and this is probably the only Nasi Padang stall in Singapore that can guarantee you eggs in a sotong.
Rendang
The Rendang here, which is mildly spiced is gracefully opulent. The gravy which is not spicy at all is one of the best I’ve had from anywhere. It’s slightly creamy with a subtle hint of some spices’ flavours and it can seriously unleash your appetite to finish the Nasi Putih(white rice) that is infront of you. This is probably good enough to double up as a good dip for keropoks.
Vegetables curry
If you are a Nasi Padang connoisseur, then you must be keen to know what choices do you have for the gravy that can complete this Nasi Padang dream to sheer fantasy. Among a sea of gravies which would greet you at the front of the stall, my favourite is the vegetable curry but I must tell you that the fish curry gravy and chicken curry are pretty kickass too. If you don’t know what you want, just ask for a bit of everything to go with the Rendang gravy and Sotong Ink gravy on your rice, and not forgetting the chili sauces. If you are a hard core Nasi Padang “devotee”, I urge you to visit Mr Ghulam with a really empty stomach because you might need the space to complete 2 plates of rice.
Take a card, wait for your turn, have your Nasi Padang orgasm and leave. No more, no less.
Former Lorong 1 Geylang Nasi Padang
Price: $15(for 3)
Recommendation: Rendang, Black Sotong with eggs, Ayam Masak Merah(chilli chicken) and many others.
Conclusion: One of my Nasi Padang fix places before I lost them. Authentic taste but you must like chilli to enjoy this meal. Queues can be long after 7 so try to be early. Most of the items are sold out by 9 so don’t be too late! The flavours and tastes are pretty well balanced and it’s one of those Nasi Padang stalls where I always yearn for more after having a meal.
Likes:The chilli sauce and gravies are kickassly sedap!
Dislikes: Would be good if they can do Ayam Goreng to go along with my meal.
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Food: 8/10   Authenticty: 9/10 Value: 7.5/10  Service: 8.5/10 Ambience: 7/10 Cleanliness: 7/10 Overall: 7.75/10  |
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