The Last McDonald’s Singapore Nasi Lemak Burger
UPDATE: The Nasi Lemak Burger is back… For now, so get it while it’s HOT!
I admit it… I MAY have eaten the last McDonald’s Nasi Lemak burger…
At least here in Singapore.
Yes, I’m sad to say it’s true. You’ve heard it correctly. This burger left just as quickly as it entered into our lives and into my mouth. Hell, I just found out about it not that long ago and now it’s gone. It’s a good thing that I decided to try it when I did. I had considered waiting for a better opportunity to present itself to try one of these delicious specialty burgers but decided to go out of my and just go for it.
Fortunately for me, and you, that I did. Because it’s gone now! I even went back and tried ordering another one and was told that there’s no more.
Literally GONE!
NO MORE!
Kaput!
Zilch!
Nada…
What is Nasi Lemak?
Oh well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. It was tasty while it lasted. Though I’ve heard rumblings from locals that perhaps it was not the most authentic nasi lemak anything, but coming from someone who had just recently experienced a proper Malay breakfast… It was a solid McDonald’s attempt at bridging that culinary divide between a South East Asian comfort food and American fast food.
Wait! You don’t know what Nasi Lemak is? I apologize. I was remiss. Allow me to correct such gross negligence on my part and explain in a sentence or two what exactly Nasi Lemak is so you can better appreciate the herculean effort McDonald’s undertook to fuse the 2 cultural dishes.
Nasi lemak is essentially:
- coconut milk
- pandan leaf flavor infused steamed rice served
- thick, spicy and tangy chili anchovy sauce
- literal cornucopia of different side dishes for which ever tickles your fancy ranging from:
- steamed fish cakes
- deep fried fried chicken
- pan fried eggs
- traditional ikan bilis (deep fried anchovies that are crisp, sweet and spicy)
- refreshing cucumber slices
- and more (depending on where you are and who is making it)
That was the simple explanation of something that’s a lot more complicated in flavor that you owe it to yourself to try.
Back to the Nasi Lemak Burger
McDonald’s version of the ubiquitous South East Asian breakfast was a good try. I enjoyed it! Sure, it could have been a little better but I could only imagine the logistics in trying to create the sauce and peanut toppings in a way that would make everyone happy; especially for a limited run burger in a country where everyone’s tastes vary from one end of the spectrum the other.
Take this account with a grain of salt. I didn’t grow up eating this and, for authenticity, am not too familiar with how things should taste. But with that being said, for all those who are reading this not from here, hopefully my California refined taste buds can help bring the flavor across.
- Coconut
- The flavor comes across in the deep fried cereal crusted chicken thigh patty.
- Fried Chicken
- Read above
- Sambal Chili Paste
- The sauce was tangy
- a touch sweet
- not enough spice
- but tasty none the less
- leaving me wanting more
- The sauce was tangy
- Cucumber
- There were slices in there that help break up the richness of everything
- Nasi?
- No rice… Odd because it is called Nasi Lemak and “Nasi” is rice…
- but I guess that’s where the semolina buns come into play
- Egg
- The fried egg was a no nonsense affair
- It was a fried egg
- Nnot quite the one you would expect from their breakfast offerings…
- But a fried egg none the less
- No rice… Odd because it is called Nasi Lemak and “Nasi” is rice…
Would I Do It Again?
Why wouldn’t I do it again? I mean, it was a solid burger though to be fair, I’d be more inclined to eat their McSpicy. That is a burger of burgers if I were to say anything about McDonald’s burgers. I feel almost evil for even talking about it and sharing it with people who have never heard, much less get will ever get the chance to even taste a McSpicy.
But that is another burger for another post.
Either which way, who knows…
McDonald’s might just bring their Nasi Lemak burger back for a more permanent duration.
In the meantime, with the end of the Nasi Lemak burger, they have announced the release of a new EGGcelent McSpicy burger; it’s a McSpicy you all know (or not know) and love BUT now with an egg! I love eggs. I’ll check that out and let you know how that works out.
Also they seem to be coming out with new and different fried pie flavors. I can’t wait. I’ve had a number of different ones already (taro, coconut, apple, etc). I’ll have to write about those too!
Get out there and remember, “You’re going to eat, it might !”
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