After living away from Singapore for so long, I have started to miss my hometownโs cuisine. Namely, nasi lemak. The cravings for my hometownโs food only became stronger after I become pregnant. So, what was the most logical thing to do? Find a restaurant that served authentic Malay food. I scoured the internet for anything close to home in Seoul. My search came to an end when The Makan appeared with Nasi Lemak in Seoul to save the day!
The Makan
For those who do not know what โMakanโ means, itโs Malay for โEatโ. At The Makan, they serve Malaysian-styled Nasi Lemak and other Malaysian dishes.
Now between Singapore and Malaysia, there was always the question of โwhere nasi lemak originated from, โ or โwhose nasi lemak is betterโ. Personally, I was just craving for it so much that I did not really care about those two points. And well, there are far more Malay restaurants than there are Singaporean ones in Korea. So, I put aside my pride. I just really wanted Nasi Lemak!
Located in Songpa-Gu, this hidden gem is tucked away in a corner of the main street. Fairly easy to find, if you keep your eyes peeled for it. The moment I stepped into the restaurant, a wave of familiarity hit me. It was beautifully decorated to feel warm and homey. Some of the decor had Malay elements to it. It warmed my heart with nostalgia to see some of it there, such as the โwayang kulitโ, which is Malay for shadow puppets. Not wanting to waste much time, my husband and I sat down in a booth and waited for the menu to be served.
Our Order
After receiving the menu, I was filled with excitement as I flipped through the pages to see familiar dishes. However, the thing that caught my eye was that they had Teh Tarik! Teh Tarik is a popular hot milk tea beverage that you will be able to find in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Teh Tarik literally means โpulled teaโ in Malay. Seeing this on the menu, I had to get it! But I was skeptical. Did they really โpullโ the tea? Or, did they just mix it and call it Teh Tarik? I snuck a peek at them making the drink and my heart fluttered!
Teh Tarik
They really โpulledโ it! I was so pleasantly relieved by that sight. All my worries vanished. My husband and I decided to pick three different dishes after that. We went with the Nasi Lemak with chicken, Char Kway Teow, and Kangkung Belachan. I was tempted to get the Nasi Goreng Kampung, but since we already had one rice dish, we went with noodles instead. While waiting for our food, my teh tarik arrived.
I could not wait to taste the frothy, warm milk tea. In Singapore, whenever I had this drink, I always had to wait for it to cool down because it was always made ready to burn the skin off of your tongue. However, at The Makan, they served it at the perfect temperature so that I could enjoy it immediately. I was content with drinking just the drink alone, but the moment the rest of the dishes were out, my mouth started to water.
The Food: Real Nasi Lemak in Seoul
Kangkung Belachan in Seoul
The first dish that came out was the Kangkung Belachan. Kangkung is the Malay term for water spinach and belachan generally refers to a Malay variety of fermented shrimp paste.
It is packed with aromatic umami flavor and is a must-order dish every time we were out in Singapore. Not wanting to keep my tummy waiting, I took a bunch of it between my chopsticks and shoved it into my mouth. The nostalgic taste enveloped my taste buds and I swear I could feel my eyes water a bit. It was every bit the same as back home! My husband had the same sentiments as I, and he too could not stop reaching for it.
Nasi Lemak in Seoul
Next up, was the main star of the show. Nasi Lemak!
Bouncing off my seat in excitement, I gazed hungrily at the work of art before me. I was so happy to feast my eyes upon something I had grown up with, after three years of being away from my homeland. I quickly mixed the ingredients together while my husband worked on getting the meat off the chicken.
When the first spoonful hit my tongue, I was a mess! The fragrant coconut rice was spot on and their sambal sauce was heavenly! Add in the crunch of the ikan bilis, which were the fried anchovies, and the toasted peanuts, and boom! A party of textures and flavors! The sambal sauce blew me away though. It was the perfect blend of spicy with a natural sweetness to it. Heavenly!
Char Kway Teow in Seoul
Lastly, we had the Char Kway Teow. I was slightly underwhelmed by the dish, but my husband devoured the entire plate on his own. The sauce was delicious and tasted similar to the one I had before back home.
The noodles were cooked to perfection and the meat was succulent. The reason for my feeling underwhelmed was most probably because the Nasi Lemak was extremely flavorful. However, despite that, I cannot deny that it was indeed delicious.
Final Thoughts
To all of my Malaysian or Singaporean friends out there in South Korea, if you are looking for a place to satisfy some of your homesick cravings, I recommend giving The Makan a visit. You will definitely not regret it and your stomach will probably thank you! For those who are interested in trying authentic Nasi Lemak, please check this place out as well!
Nasi Lemak in Seoul: Location
The Makan (๋ ๋ง์นธ) Address: 98-6, Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul 1F Korean address: ์์ธ ์กํ๊ตฌ ์ฌ๋ฆผํฝ๋ก32๊ธธ 37-4 1์ธต Operating Hours: Mon: 05:30 PM - 10:00 PM Tue-Sat: 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM Break: 03:00 PM - 5:30 PM Closed: Sundays
Want to try more South East Asian cuisine in Seoul? Click Here for information about Kitchen SHIOK, a Singaporean restaurant.
