Nasi-Don — signature pork belly + black pepper pork ($14.80)!
Nasi-Don City Hall: two coconut-rice don bowls, signature braised pork belly and black pepper pork, with sambal, ikan bilis, peanuts, fried items and achar. $7.90 + $6.90.
Lunch with BB at Nasi-Don, City Hall: signature pork belly + black pepper pork, $14.80 total. 😋
What was in the bowls:
- Signature pork belly bowl ($7.90): braised pork belly slices over coconut rice, with sambal, ikan bilis and peanuts, a fried item, achar (pickles) and scallion
- Black pepper pork bowl ($6.90): peppery sliced pork over the same coconut rice base, with the same nasi lemak accompaniments
Nasi-Don is a fusion concept that crosses nasi lemak with the Japanese donburi format: coconut rice (the nasi lemak base) in a don bowl, topped with a protein of your choice and the classic nasi lemak sides. It is the kind of idea that sounds gimmicky and works because the foundations are sound, coconut rice is coconut rice, and the sambal-ikan-bilis-peanut trio is the heart of nasi lemak regardless of what bowl it sits in.
The coconut rice (nasi lemak) is the test: rice cooked in coconut milk with pandan and a little salt, so each grain is fragrant and rich. The sambal is the other half of the dish’s soul, a sweet-spicy chilli paste that makes or breaks any nasi lemak, and the ikan bilis and peanuts add the salty crunch.
The two proteins show the build-your-own range: the braised pork belly is the soft, savoury-sweet comfort hit, while the black pepper pork brings the peppery kick. Both work over the coconut rice, the richness of the rice carrying either direction.
At $14.80 for two protein don bowls at a City Hall mall, this is fair fusion-concept pricing.
Overall: 4.2 / 5. 😋👍🏼 The coconut rice with sambal under the braised pork belly was the standout bowl. Fusion concept that works, would re-order.
