Rumah Sayang at JEM - Interview Chef Lo Part 2

Other Rumah Sayang Signatures recommended by Chef Lo include:

1. Nasi Ayam Merah ($6) - made up of Chicken fried with Sambal Chili paste added, served with Achar, Sambal Goreng, Omelette egg, 
2. Nonya Laksa ($4.50) - served with dried shrimp, has distinct dried shrimp flavor, fresh coconut fragrant, 
3. Penang Kway Teow ($7) made using chicken ham, prawn, fish cakes, egg, with a tinge of spiciness, mild sourly flavor, 
4. Nasi Pattaya ($7.50) which is adapted here to be less spicy than those served in Malaysia, uses Penang Belachan in the Sambal Belachan chili paste, with fresh shallots to give an added appetizing flavor, 
5. Sweet & Sour Garoupa fried with tomato chili sauce added
6. Sambal Kang Kong
7. Assam Petai
8. Hotplate Tauhu using Black Bean Paste sauce

During the 13 years stint at Red Ginger, owner Jimmy  Lim often send Chef Lo on short stints at some of the F&B establishments owned by his brothers to pick up some other recipes and techniques, cooking styles for use back at Red Ginger. Chef Lo believes that there is ample room to grow for he Asian, Peranakan, Malaysian , Nasi Padang Cuisine here in Singapore as the diners here love spicy food. 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Interview Chef Lo Part 1

Chef Lo started out working at kitchens in Malaysia since he was 16 years old, and brings with him about 27 years' experience as a Chef. Chef Lo hails from Perak, Malaysia and arrived to work in Singapore when he was just 28 years old.

Whilst Chef Lo was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he worked at an F&B establishment and was its Chef specializing in Cantonese Cuisine. Among his specialties were the Steam Sambal Fish, Butter Prawn, Oat Prawn. 

Chef Lo has since worked at Red Ginger for 13 years, since in his 20's. To get inspiration for new dishes, Chef Lo visits other restaurants to try out new dishes and adapt them at Red Ginger. 

Here at the new restaurant at JEM, Rumah Sayang serves Key Signatures dishes which includes these below :

1. Curry Fish Head, 
2. Nonya Chap Chye (great for those who cannot take spicy hot sambal belachan chili), 
3. Nonya Fried Rice served with Chicken Satay (Chef Lo fries the fresh chili with dried shrimps to enhance the flavor), 
4. Tahu Goreng (with crunchy peanut bits), 
5. Nonya Curry Chicken with generous dose of fresh Tumeric and fresh coconut juice (prepared by vendors delivered fresh daily).
6. Sambal Fried Fish with lemongrass (full of lemonly fragrance)
7. Sambal Prawn with Petai beans in Assam juice  to give appetising taste
8. KL Hokkien Mee also known as Tai Lo Mein served with vegetables, seafood, diced chicken meat.

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Background and Origins

Background - Rumah Sayang is owned by husband and wife team of Jimmy Lim and Lily Chan. Jimmy

used to work for Cold Storage for a good ten years before he started a canteen at IMM for IMM staff. 

Jimmy went on to expand his business into operating Red Ginger at Level 1, IMM serving Nasi Padang,  Peranakan Cuisine with Red Ginger obtaining Halal Certification to provide additional choice of dining for Muslim diners. 

Jimmy Lim comes from a family of 8 boys. His brothers are involve in the Food & Beverage industry for many years, one of whom runs the famous Wan Chai HongKong Tea Room. 

One of the success factors of Jimmy's restaurants Red Ginger and Rumah Sayang lies in his team of loyal, experienced, chefs who are well trained in Asian, Malay, Peranakan, Malaysian Cuisines: veteran Malaysian Malay Chef Mdm Lia who works with him for more than 22 years, Malaysian Chinese Chef Lo who works with him for about 14 years, his own son Chef Jordan Lim, who has great passion for cooking Peranakan Nonya, Malay Cuisine. 

(L-R : Chef Lo, Chef Jordan Lim )
Rumah Sayang is located at:  
JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 
Singapore (608549)
Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Curry Fish Head $18

Curry Fish Head ($18): If you only have time for a dish at Rumah Sayang you must not miss trying out their Signature Curry Fish Head. Core ingredients include : Fish head, tomatoes, lady's fingers, brinjal, long beans, curry paste (lots of fresh Tumeric, fresh young ginger, old ginger, galangal, garlic, chili, dried chili, chili padi, candle-nuts, shallots, onions, curry powder).

How it is prepared : The fish head is cooked ala minute, it is first cooked in hot water till 70% fully cooked for 5-7 minutes in medium heat, then transferred to the curry paste to simmer at low to medium heat for 5 minutes, then ready to serve in the claypot. 

Food Tasting Notes: I like it that this fish head is cooked my favourite Nonya Peranakan style. By looking at the color of the curry gravy, you would have concluded Chef Lo uses a lot of fresh Tumeric to create that beautiful rich yellow hue. The gravy is thick and creamy. The vegetables are cooked thoroughly, the fish meat is tender and fresh, and is sweet to the taste. 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Sambal Prawns $13.50

This is the Sambal Prawns ($13.50) with Petai beans and onions served at Rumah Sayang, prepared by Chef Lo. The core ingredients for this dish include: fresh large prawns, fresh onions, Petai beans, Assam paste, sambal paste. 

Food Tasting Notes : Chef Lo uses fresh juicy large prawns that are butterflied and de-veined. The prawns are bigger in size than those used in the Penang Kway Teow and Laksa. The fresh onions are sliced thinly and fully infused with the flavor of the Assam paste. The Assam paste has a distinct dried shrimp flavor in it, very flavorful, mildly salty, not that spicy at all. This dish taste sweet largely in part due to generous dose of the onions. The Petai beans are fried al dente and lends a crunchy bite to this dish. The sourly taste comes from Assam paste, sweetness comes from the onions and sweet prawns. Overall a great comfort dish to savor. 

 Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Tahu Goreng $4

Tahu Goreng ($4) at Rumah Sayang at JEM is made with core ingredients: Tau hu, peanut, ginger flower, lime juice, lemon juice, chili, sugar, Thai chili sauce, plum sauce, fresh chili padi, orange color sugar (commonly used in puttu mayam) that gives the gravy a strong orange hue. 

How it is prepared : The ingredients for the gravy are only blended lightly to maintain a crunchy texture. This is the authentic Malay version of Tahu Goreng where no suntan is used in the gravy. Only when diners order, then the warm gravy is drizzled onto the ala minute fried Tau hu. 

Food Tasting Notes : The Tau hu is beautifully fried, the texture is so smooth, silky, soft, with a melt in your mouth feel. The gravy containing Thai Chili sauce, lime juice, lemon juice, ginger flower, with fresh chili blended lightly together with the peanuts tastes sweet, spicy, and is crunchy. The color of the gravy is more reddish than brown. This is one dish that is unforgettable and I strongly recommend you must order, both the presentation and taste are great, and indeed made a lasting impression - the after taste of the peanut lingers in my palate long after I had savored the dish.  

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938 

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Achar

The Achar served at Rumah Sayang made with chili paste, lime, assam, white vinegar, a dash of meed red curry powder to give it a mildly reddish color. The cucumber, pineapple and carrot is infused with the vinegar and tastes crunchy and vinegary, very appetising. The Achar gravy is mildly sweet because Chef Lo uses a dash of sugar in it. 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Laksa $4.50

This is the Laksa ($4.50) served at Rumah Sayang at JEM. I can straightaway confirm that Chef Lo uses a lot of tumeric in this dish as can be seen from the bright yellow color of the Laksa gravy. The Nonya Laksa that Chef Lo at Rumah Sayang uses is the thick vermicelli. The other core ingredients added are : thinly sliced fish cakes, tau pok, tau gay, fresh large prawns.

Now tumeric is an Asian spice used as a core ingredient in making rempah for use in making curry. Here is a bird's eye view of the benefits of using this spice in our food. 

Food Tasting Notes : The Laksa gravy tastes moderately spicy, with a distinct coconut flavor in it, and spots a bright yellow hue, understandably a fair amount of turmeric is used here. The texture of the gravy is smooth, watery, with a dash of laksa curry leaves that adds to the give it a distinct aroma. 
The two large prawns are fresh, juicy and turgid, yet tender to the bite. The tau pok is cooked thoroughly till tender, and is chewy to the bite. The fish cake is sliced thinly and tender, does not taste fishy at all.

Rumah Sayang is located at:  
JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Nonya Fried Rice $7.50

The Nonya Fried Rice ($7.50) is served with fried rice, two sticks of chicken satay, fried sunny side up egg on the side, a side salad of onions and cucumber strips. It differs from the Nasi Pattaya because Chef Lo uses Tom Yam paste and Thai chili sauce, lime leaves, onions in the Nonya Fried Rice. The core ingredients used in Nonya Fried Rice are : eggs, onions, lime leaves, Thai white rice, diced prawns, diced chicken breast, chicken ham, cabbage, lemongrass, good grade dried shrimp, Tom Yam paste, Thai chili sauce.

How it is prepared : To make the fried rice, the onion is first marinated with the lemongrass and lime leaf and fried together with the Thai fragrant whole grain white rice, to it is added the Tom Yam paste, followed by other core ingredients : prawns, cabbage, chicken ham, diced chicken breast, onion, dried shrimp. 

To prepare the dried shrimp for use in the fried rice, the dried shrimp is deep fried, then pounded, and seasoned with sugar and salt to enhance the flavor. 

The Tom Yam paste in the fried rice is made using Thai fish sauce, lemongrass, onion, lime leaf - and fried together with the pounded dried shrimp to form the paste. 

The chicken used in the chicken satay is marinated overnight at IMM Central Kitchen with a whole lot of good stuff including key Indian spices : star anise, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, fennel seeds, cardamom, a little pepper, salt, sugar. The chicken pieces are skewed individually on a weekly basis at the IMM Central Kitchen and then delivered to the outlets. When the Nonya Fried Rice order is placed, the chicken satay is first deep fried, then grilled and cooked to perfection, and served immediately.

At IMM Central Kitchen, the peanut satay sauce is made weekly using key Indian spices: star anise, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, fennel seeds, cardamom, a little pepper, salt, sugar and blended lightly with whole peanuts and set to marinate overnight. Chef Jordan shared that the peanut gravy for the chicken satay is specially made with the peanuts blended at low speed for a little while only in order to give a not too smooth texture and a more crunchier bite. According to Chef Jordan : the peanut satay sauce is very concentrated with generous dose of crunchy peanut bits, home made and stewed and is more crunchy than the Tahu Goreng (which is made with Thai Chili sauce). The satay sauce exudes a strong peanut flavor. 

Food Tasting Notes : Just as the fried rice is being served, I can smell an intense Tom Yam flavor. The Thai rice is fried with Tom Yam paste, lime leaf, lemongrass, onion, shallots, (a bit of ) fish sauce, - the taste is mildly sweet, not spicy at all as no chili is used. The Tom Yam paste gives a very appetizing bite to it.  Core ingredients used in the fried rice are fried egg, prawns (not butterflied, not de-veined, they are blanched 70%, then diced and cooked with fried rice as per order), onions, chicken ham (lends a sweet taste), cabbage, lemongrass, chicken breast meat. The sweet taste of this Nonya Fried Rice differs from the Nasi Pattaya in that the Nasi Pattaya is spicy sweet. 
The chicken satay is very well marinated, is tender and juicy. The satay sauce is made using peanut, garlic, onions, shallots, lemongrass, no Ginger flower, has a distinct lemongrass fragrance, tastes very sweet, nutty, due to the generous dose of peanuts used in the sauce, is very flavorful, tastes more sweeter than spicy. I would liken the taste of the peanut satay sauce more inclined to the Javanese style. 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Nasi Pattaya $7.50

The Nasi Pattaya ($7.50) served at Rumah Sayang at JEM is made with core ingredients : fried rice, seafood, 70% blanched and diced fresh prawns (not butterflied not de-veined), diced (frozen) chicken breast meat, chicken ham, eggs, silver fish, long beans that are thinly sliced, a little pepper, sambal tomis (lends a bitter, sweet, spicy flavor) with special Nasi Pattaya chili paste (made with garlic, chili, ginger, dried shrimp, dried fried ikan bilis, a dash of  chili padi), tomato paste.

How it is prepared : This dish is prepared ala minute. Once the order is placed, Chef Lo fries the Thai fragrant whole grain white rice with the rempah (made up of the sambal tomis, tomato paste and the Nasi Pattaya chili paste) in 3-4 minutes, adds in all the rest of the ingredients, then wrap them with a layer of fried egg ( using fork and spoon ) to serve.

Food Tasting Notes : The fried rice has a very fragrant smell that leeks of dried shrimp, and taste sweeter because of the tomato paste that Chef Lo uses. The special sambal tomis lends a spicy mildly bitter tinge that is well balanced by the sweetness that comes from the tomato paste. This dish tastes exactly like Mum's cooking, and is very appetizing in part due to the creative use of both the sweet and spicy pastes combined in the right proportion, and fried using medium heat, to bring out the flavor of the many spices used in the chili paste, lending a uniquely spicy sweet flavor to the dish.  

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - Nonya Curry Chicken $6

Nonya Curry Chicken : At $6 per serving this dish comes served with chicken slow cooked in rempah curry gravy made with core ingredients : chili padi, young ginger, old ginger, garlic, onion, galangal, shallots, tumeric (that gives it a bright yellow color), dried chili, fresh chili, lemongrass. 

How it is prepared : The chicken is first marinated over night. When the Nonya Curry Chicken order has been placed, the chicken is blanched in hot water for 5 minutes to remove any gamey smell, then transferred to the curry gravy to cook for another 15-20 minutes at low fire till the chicken is fully cooked, then the fire is turn off, and the chicken is served.

Food Tasting Notes : The Nonya curry chicken is actually frozen chicken drumstick that is cooked in rempah made from chili padi, young ginger, old ginger, garlic, onion, galangal, shallots, a generous dose of tumeric (that gives it a bright yellow color), dried chili, fresh chili, and tastes more spicy than the laksa because of the dash of chili padi. The gravy is thicker, and has a nutty taste because of the candle-nuts that is added in. The gravy is nicely blended and has a smooth texture. 
Though Chef Lo uses frozen chicken, the meat is slow cooked on low fire and therefore is tender & the skin is actually very tasty. This Nonya curry chicken has special ingredient : lemongrass in its recipe that gives it a lemonly flavor. 
The two main ingredients are: chicken drumstick and potatoes. The potatoes are cooked pretty tender, not too mashy, but still cooked thoroughly and soft to the bite. Chef Lo shares that he use potatoes from Indonesia. 
This dish is a comfort food for those who love thick rich mildly spicy gravy. I personally would love to drizzle the gravy all over my rice and let the rice soaked in all that flavor from the spiced laden gravy. Yummilicious! 

Rumah Sayang is located at :  
JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938

Rumah Sayang at JEM - The Ambience The Menu The Signatures The Promotion

The Ambience 

The restaurant decor theme is Peranakan style, with a series of photos depicting families in Peranakan  clothing and culture displayed on the right hand side of the wall when you first enter. The two mirrors on the left and right of the photos display are design to look like the typical Peranakan home window. 

During the colonial era in Southeast Asia, colorful geometrical ceramic tiles were popular in the British Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. Here at Rumah Sayang the floor tiles are typically Peranakan style with geometrical design aligned neatly on the floor of the restaurant. Marble table tops, wooden Ozzy chairs, high ceiling with parallel wooden bars lining it (furniture and fixtures commonly found in Peranakan homes) also add a distinctive Peranakan flair to the restaurant. 

The Menu 

Some of the Nasi Padang Specialty items include : Nasi Briyani, Nasi Ayam Merah, Nasi Ikan Penyet, Crispy Ayam Penyet, Nonya Curry Chicken, Nasi Lemak. 

Rumah Sayang offers Super Value Set Meals :

Curry Fish Head Set, Toast Bread Set, Mee Rebus Set, Mee Siam Set, Lontong Set, Laksa Set.

The Signatures are popular among regular customers : 

Fried Bee Hoon, Nonya Fried Rice, Nasi Pattaya, Penang Kway Teow, Sambal Sotong, Nonya Chap Chye.

The Signatures 

The Promotion 

Rumah Sayang is located at:  

JEM, #B1-41, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, 

Singapore (608549)

Tel : 63390938