"Teaspoon Sambal & 1 Piece Of Cucumber" — TikToker Sighs At S'pore Nasi Lemak Serving
After trying out the nasi lemak in Singapore, she suggested flying back to Malaysia and never looking back.
By Suraya Athira — 21 Jul 2022, 12:04 PM
Known for her "…So You Don't Have To" videos, TikTok influencer @ivor_xianz shared her disappointment after trying Singapore's Ponggol Nasi Lemak in one of her recent videos as part of her "Ivor Going Places" series
The 59-second video starts with Ivor posing in front of the famous Merlion statue with a voiceover saying "Trying out Singaporean food so you don’t have to." She then proceeds with saying that it is her first time in Singapore and she did not know what to eat.
"Cause I heard the local food is not that nice compared to Malaysian food," she explains.
Taking Grab cars to go around Singapore, drivers told her that Malaysian food is better than Singaporean food
The video follows a clip of Ivor in a Grab car asking the driver, "Do you think Singapore or KL food tastes better?" to which the driver replies, "Singapore… wait, KL [food tastes] better."
Ivor asks a second Grab driver if he has been to Penang, to which he replies, "Penang, yes. Many, many times."
Ivor then proceeds to ask the driver whether he prefers Penang food or Singaporean food.
The driver answers, "Of course Malaysia. Penang rojak [is] also different, nasi kandar [is] also different."
When asked for a suggestion for a place that sells tasty nasi lemak, the driver enthusiastically recommended Ponggol Nasi Lemak for Ivor to try
Following the suggestion, Ivor then went to the restaurant that is located in Jalan Besar.
Once arrived, she describes the place as "(selling) economic rice and nasi kandar style," with a clip of the cook deep-frying chicken in the kitchen.
She included a clip of dishes available for customers to pick from before listing the ones that she chose for her nasi lemak which are fried chicken, eggs, a tempura prawn, and vegetables.
Then, a clip of the most-awaited nasi lemak appears at the price of SGD8 (RM21).
"Only [a] slice of a cucumber and [a] teaspoon of sambal," she sighs.
Besides the small portions of cucumber and sambal, Ivor also commented on the taste of both the rice and sambal
"The fried chicken is good but the rice doesn't really have the coconut fragrance as it should."
She is also seen as utterly appalled by the taste of the sambal when she describes it as "sweet".
Let down by the nasi lemak in Singapore, the video shows Ivor getting up, packing her bag, and flying back to Malaysia
She says in the next clip, "I know a better place that serves better nasi lemak."
"Take a flight back to Malaysia and don't ever look back!" she says dramatically while enjoying nasi lemak at Village Park in Damansara Uptown, Petaling Jaya.
Satisfied with what she ordered, she praises the serving of nasi lemak in that restaurant saying, "Look at the generous amount of sambal and the fried chicken," while enjoying the food.
Netizens agreed with her judgement about Ponggol Nasi Lemak
They think that the portion of the sambal is not worth the price.
A TikTok user commented, "It makes me sad when seeing the portion of the sambal."
"RM21 for that is a crime," said another person.
Some netizens think that Ivor went to the wrong place in Singapore to try nasi lemak
A person said, "In Singapore, you must buy nasi lemak from Malay stalls, not from these franchises."
Another user shared the same opinion when they said, "I have to agree with you that Malaysian food tastes superior, but why would you go to a Chinese store for nasi lemak?"
In fact, a netizen even suggested she try nasi lemak from other places in Singapore instead, such as Crave Nasi Lemak, Qi Ji, or Lee Wee & Brothers.
