Warong Nasi Pariaman

[ Food Review — Revisiting my ultimate fav nasi padang place! ] I’m not shy about my love for Pariaman, one of the nasi padang bulwarks that line Kandahar Street. (To jog your memory, it’s the place where the crown family of Johor used to drive down for takeouts pre-covid. You know it’s good if you’re dinin’ with royalty!)

If I adore Pariaman so, why haven’t I visited it more? (The last time I was there was in 2019, yikes.) Well, the place isn’t the most accessible with/without a car, and it tends to sell out just after noon.

Today, not only do I get to revisit Pariaman’s exhilarating flavours, I get to bring friends along as well! The downside? They aren’t big on spice. The silver lining? Compared to other places, Pariaman focuses more on taste curation than amping up the spice — in other words, chilli is but a facet of the kitchen’s spice mélange.

Wanna visit but feel intimidated by their sheer variety? To reduce your chances of awkward gawking and unintended gaffes, here’re two dishes you must try:

If you wish to taste the pinnacle of the kitchen’s prowess, this is it: Ayam Bakar. Wait, isn’t ayam bakar supposed to be red with a crust of sticky-sweet black sauce à la Taliwang’s?

Yes, and no. Ayam bakar translates as grilled chicken, and like with many other grilled dishes, there’s more than one way of doing it! Pariaman d o e s grill its chicken, but after that, they steep and cook the pieces in a golden turmeric sauce, letting the flavours suffuse and marinate the chicken until its interior is tender and juicy. It’s also suitable for those with low spice tolerance!

The 2nd dish you have to get is Ikan Goreng Belado. Don’t be tempted by the rich gulai alternative — if you’re a newcomer, go straight for this to full appreciate the heat control (fire and spice) and fish.

Keep the belado (chilli) on if you can handle the heat, if not simply scrape it off. It’s a nice complement, but what you’re really here to appreciate is the goreng (frying) technique. You won’t get any super bony pieces here — each chunk is made of supple flesh, kept succulent by the taut cover of rough and delectably briny skin.

Next visit: Nangka (jackfruit) curry! (Sold out today, sigh.)

Dishes ordered (clockwise from top): Sotong Kalio (Squid), Acar+Ikan Bilis Kacang, Begedil, Ikan Goreng Belado, Ayam Gulai (Chicken Curry), Ayam Bakar, Sambal Goreng + not pictured: Terung Belado (Eggplant)

Heard so much about their food and has been wanting to come for a while now. Finally headed down for lunch around 3+ with an empty stomach so I ordered quite a bit: beef rendang, vegetables lodeh, sambal goreng, sotong, ayam bakar and bergedil for two pax. Was so hungry that i forgot to snap a pic.

Overall, their food was quite salty, especially the rendang. Not sure if it was just that day but couldn’t bring myself to finish it as other dishes was salty as well.. even the bergedil. Weird. Other dishes were really mediocre and even the chili was pretty mild and do not have the kick to it. Despite being pricier, I will choose Hajjah Maimunah anyday for the variety and taste. Honestly, very disappointed :(

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While their stall front was serving small dishes to walk in like myself, they loading containers and containers of takeaways to cars. .
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Everything was good but just the ayam Masak was rather cold. The spices used in the dishes gave a good kick to the palate. Right before my mouth was on fire, the milk tea came to the rescue.

The popular "Ikan Panggang" at this famous eatery comes doused in inky "kicap manis" and smothered in chunkily-chopped raw onions and chillies. A splotch of "sambal belado" completes the essential condiments.
I did, however, detect a lack of smokiness and that essential blackened char to the fish skin in today's order. Which left me a little disappointed I have to say. Hopefully, it's just a one-off.

Another round of food sampling with food such as Ayam Bakar, Bagedel, Rendang Daging, Ayam Gulai, Sambal, Cucumber and Roasted Peanuts.
Although the redang looked dry, it was very tender and flavourful.
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Event : Kampong Galem Food Trail with Khir Johari
Organizer : Singapore Heritage Festival 2016
Conducted by : Malay Heritage Centre @MalayHeritage
Date : 7 May 2016
Time : 9am - 12pm
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Warong Nasi Pariaman (1969) Pte Ltd
Address 🏠 : 736/ 738 North Bridge Road, Singapore 🇸🇬 198 704
Tel ☎️ : 6292 2374
Open 💈 : 7.30am - 10.30pm
MRT 🚇 : Bugis (DT14/ EW12)
Website : www.pariaman.com.sg

Previously, it was a tough struggle between Minang and Hjh Maimunah and now with Warong Nasi Pariaman being added into the mix, it's gonna give me an even bigger headache. Flavours between the three varies with Warong specializing in a drier version of their Beef Rendang, different lemak-ness in the Ayam Bakar and flavour profile of that Sayur Nangka, which is a curry made with young jackfruit.

Warong Nasi Pariaman
Address: 742, North Bridge Road, Singapore 198710