One establishment that we had been going past a number of times would be that of Nanyang Recipe 南洋风味; these folks are located along Keong Saik Road with the establishment taking over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Killiney Kopitiam there. The establishment does stand out quite a fair bit from the other F&B establishments that are located on the same street; whilst most of the dining establishments situated along Keong Saik Road do seem to be a little bit more upscale, Nanyang Recipe does carry a rather raw mom-and-pop charm for its space — the signboard being one that seems to carry a bit of nostalgia in the way that it is being designed despite being seemingly just a vinyl wrap, while the interior of the establishment is fairly basic with white walls and concrete floors; the walls adorned with large posters of the various food items they have to offer. The dining furniture comprises of mostly simple foldable tables and plastic stools; the tables being configured in a manner to suit patrons visiting the establishment in pairs or in groups of four (4) pax. The food menu at Nanyang Recipe does feature dim sum, rice / noodle dishes, sandwich and soup; this is aside from the Hainanese Toast offerings that they have to offer — for beverages, these folks had also split its menu into Local / Traditional Beverages, Specialty Beverages and Others.

Visiting Nanyang Recipe during weekday lunch hours, we had decided to give a slightly more substantial item a go — the Hainanese Curry Rice was an item that caught our attention; perhaps so for our love of all things curry and also likely since it really has been quite a while since the last time that we have had true-blue Hainanese Curry Rice as well. The menu at Nanyang Recipe does not describe the elements that would come with their various dishes; that being said, it can be observed that the Hainanese Curry Rice comes with white rice that is doused in curry gravy, a sunny side-up, and fried chicken cutlet. One thing about the Hainanese Curry Rice at Nanyang Recipe is how it isn’t exactly the most classic rendition of the dish; the Hainanese Curry Rice from Nanyang Recipe coming with fried chicken cutlet rather than one that comes with pork, while there is also a lack of braised gravy that comes along with the curry gravy drenched atop the rice. Also missing would be the inclusion of braised vegetables as well. To their credit, there was sufficient curry gravy that was drenched atop the entire portion of rice; the curry here does come with a good hint of the spices whilst one can also spot traces of dried shrimp that gave the curry a slight umami-ness — it does come with an adequate kick of spiciness which should do just about right for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness, all that while also not being too jelak. The fried chicken cutlet does come crisp and tender though we did feel that the fried batter was a little bit tougher than we expected, though was not overly greasy. The sunny side-up does come in a fairly neat aesthetic that reminds us more of such eggs that comes with western breakfast than the ones typically served up at Hainanese curry rice specialty stores, though the egg yolk does come fully-cooked here. Also included with the Hainanese Curry Rice would be chunks of curry potato which we thought could do better being cooked slightly longer in the curry for a softer consistency.

We had also decided to give the Taro Butter Toast a go during the same visit to Nanyang Recipe — this is especially so considering how we are intrigued with versions of Hainanese Toast that comes spread with Yam Paste / Orh Nee; us being fans of Yam Paste / Orh Nee that first made its appearance in the local F&B scene being introduced by SuuKee Coffee. Using the same brown sugar toast that one can typically find being served up at commercialised establishments that offers Hainanese breakfast toast, the toast does come expectedly crisp; all that whilst coming with taro paste and a slab of butter in between. The taro paste here comes with a paste-y consistency with a slightly purple hue; all of that coming with that familiar earthiness without being overly sweet — the salted butter adding a saltish note to everything else. We also went for the Kopi (Iced) during our visit to Nanyang Recipe; the Kopi (Iced) does come with a good kick of caffeine whilst being sufficiently so without being overly so; quite decent for an establishment of its type. One thing about Nanyang Recipe is how the concept does feel like one that lacked a bit of direction — whilst serving a large variety of dishes to cater to a wider audience, Nanyang Recipe felt like an establishment that lacked a theme despite its Nanyang Kopitiam-style sort of operations that leaves passers by more confused than interested with the establishment. Prices of its fare is also considered rather exorbitant for the same that one would be able to find in a hawker centre / food court / coffeeshop setting; the prices of their rice / noodle dishes, sandwich and soup offerings ranging from $7.30 to $10.90 — the lowest-priced being the Roti Prata and the highest-priced being the Chicken Drumlet with Fried Egg and Fries. Our order of the Hainanese Curry Rice is priced at $9.30; this is also not forgetting how Nanyang Recipe isn’t an air-conditioned eatery. Whilst there are some attempt to serve up an innovative menu especially with its Hainanese Toast offerings in an effort to draw some attention from potential patrons, the way in which the food items at Nanyang Recipe are priced coupled with its non air conditioned nature, the lack of a theme and the lack of social media presence does present a challenge for Nanyang Recipe in the long run.