Renowned 1960s nasi padang spot at Kampong Glam opens new food court stall in the West

Sabar Menanti along North Bridge Road near Kampong Glam is a renowned nasi padang spot that first operated as an unknown street stall in the 1920s. It later transitioned into a dine-in eatery in the 1960s. Current owner, Iszahar, a 3rd-Gen who took over his mother's business in late 2022 has just opened a new food court stall over at Apex @ Henderson called Surya.
Iszahar, an ex-shipping broker with 15 years in the industry, traded his sharp business suits and cologne for casual wear and the aroma of rendang after hours spent in the kitchen. 'Setting up Surya, which I named after my late sister, has always been on my mind,' he shared.
He added, 'She meant a lot in our family and her legacy and spirit will continue to live on through Surya.'
Iszahar wanted to ensure that Sabar Menanti was stable and running properly before proceeding to make Surya a dream come true.
'Coincidentally, my late sister was staying at Henderson and teaching at a school nearby. When there was an opportunity to open at Apex @ Henderson, I grabbed it!' He exclaimed.
Another reason he opened Surya was to keep up with the times and veer away from old, traditional cooking methods his mother still practices to this day at Sabar Menanti. Iszahar partners with Rudy who also owns ASAP & Co, an award-winning Halal steakhouse at Far East Square.
Muslim-owned Surya features the same signature dishes from Sabar Menanti, but at lower prices. Feast on their signatures like the Beef (S$5), (S$5), and (S$5).
To promote healthier eating, Iszahar has future plans to offer more greens on the menu which will be rolled out in the upcoming months.
You can also choose an array of chillies to add some heat to your plates of nasi padang like sambal balado and belacan.
For the first plate, I chose Beef (S$5), Stingray (S$5), (S$1.70), and (S$1.70).
The stingray was exceptionally tender and the tangy, spicy notes of the sauce was well balanced. It was my first time trying stingray prepared this way, and I highly recommend it!
Though the beef rendang was rich in flavour and the spices were well-balanced, I found myself wishing the meat had been a touch more tender.
We also tried their (S$5), (S$6), (S$1.70) and (S$1.70).
If you're like me and have no idea what Ayam Kolio is, it turns out to be a dish similar to Thai red curry, infused with the warm, earthy notes of turmeric. It was creamy and reminded me of a more robust version of ayam kurma — 2 thumbs up!
Seafood fans will love the tasty Sotong Sambal and I loved how textural the pucuk ubi (cassava leaves) was.
Bukit Merah residents who find North Bridge Road a bit too out of the way can now enjoy Surya at the more convenient Chill Bar food court, located at Apex @ Henderson.
Do note that Surya only opens from Mondays to Fridays (8am to 4pm). You're advised to drop by early to avoid disappointment. Happy feasting!
We tried Singapore's best-rated nasi padang
The post Renowned 1960s nasi padang spot at Kampong Glam opens new food court stall in the West appeared first on SETHLUI.com.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Business of Fashion

6 hours ago

• Business of Fashion

This Week: Nike's Earnings and Jonathan Anderson's Dior Debut

We're all economics nerds in a post-Liberation Day world, so in a sense, this week's big reveal will be the Conference Board's monthly gauge of US consumer confidence, due out Tuesday. That survey will only tell us something about whether people are shopping, however. To find out what they'll be buying, we have Nike and Dior. Nike's Multifaceted Turnaround What's Happening: Nike reports fourth-quarter and full-year results on June 26. Analysts have an average forecast for sales to drop 15 percent for the quarter and 11 percent for the year, along with a sharp contraction in profits. Eye on the Horizon: Most have written off Nike's fiscal 2025, and will be instead watching for whether the sportswear giant releases guidance for the coming year, along with CEO Elliott Hill's outlook on the earnings call Thursday afternoon. FOMO: Nike watchers assume it's only a matter of time before the brand enters a new golden age, or at least halts its decline. Exactly when that will happen is the billion-dollar question; in a research note, UBS said Nike's stock may even be priced artificially high because investors worry they'll mistime the rebound (remarkable, given shares are trading close to an eight-year low). That dynamic provides Nike leadership a bit of breathing room to implement their plans, though it also increases the consequences if they push out their turnaround timeline. ADVERTISEMENT About Those Plans…: Nike learned the hard way why you don't put all your eggs in one basket, after its retro sneaker boom went bust. Along with marking down holdover Dunks, Nike is seeding numerous potential comeback efforts, including its (yes, retro) Vomero running shoe, the soccer cleat-inspired Cryoshots and reviving women's basketball sneakers with a signature shoe from the WNBA's A'ja Wilson. And of course there's NikeSkims, the new lifestyle sub-brand with Kim Kardashian. Even Nike-owned Converse is pitching in with a much talked about (though still unreleased) sneaker with basketball star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Patience Please: Any or all of these efforts could be the next great Nike franchise, but it will take years of meticulous execution to pull off. We'll find out Thursday if the company is confident enough in its plans to put a date on its return to form. A Big Debut at Dior Jonathan Anderson speaking at BoF Voices in 2023. (Getty Images) What's Happening: Jonathan Anderson makes his much-anticipated Dior debut with a men's show in Paris on June 27, the first and perhaps the biggest in a series of major designer debuts slated for the coming months. A Long Time Coming: Anderson was named creative director of Dior Men's in April, though his long-rumoured appointment to replace Maria Grazia Chiuri wasn't made official until earlier this month. Debuting with a men's show, rather than couture or women's, could be seen as a 'soft launch,' though given the many months of anticipation and the stakes, his collection won't lack for attention. Needing a Spark: The luxury sector is mired in its worst downturn in years. LVMH's brands, which initially defied the trend, are now struggling to keep customers engaged just like everyone else (though declines, while significant, are nowhere near the carnage at Gucci or Burberry). Creative directors can only do so much, but having the right vision and products makes the changes to supply chains and pricing architecture needed to revive the industry's prospects go down easier. The Week Ahead wants to hear from you! Send tips, suggestions, complaints and compliments to

Business Insider

a day ago

• Business Insider

Aliko Dangote eyes Namibia for the next big investment move amid pan-African expansion

Aliko Dangote, billionaire and one of the most prominent African investors, is considering Namibia as a potential destination for his group's extensive investment portfolio. Billionaire Aliko Dangote considers Namibia for expanding his investment portfolio. His investment approach emphasizes Africa-wide economic self-reliance and development. Namibia is implementing strategies in green hydrogen and private sector collaborations. Fresh off the completion of what is now the world's largest oil refinery, Dangote hinted at his plans to expand into Namibia during a high-level meeting with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in Windhoek this week. The visit marks another step in the Dangote Group 's ongoing expansion into energy and industrial markets across over a dozen African countries, including South Africa, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Tanzania. ' Africa is Africa. It's not about Nigeria alone. If we sit back, there is no entrepreneur; whether from Japan, the U.S., or elsewhere, who can come and build our continent for us. ' The billionaire said. Why Namibia? Dangote's interest in the southern African nation aligns with its emerging green hydrogen strategy and energy ambitions, as well as its renewed focus on pan-African private sector partnerships. Most notably, he announced the completion of a 650,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery, now the largest in the world, alongside significant production capacities for polypropylene, fertilizer, LPG, and other industrial products. He stated, " We now have oil and gas. We've just finished building the largest refinery ever built, not just in Africa, but globally." 'We produce one million tonnes of polypropylene, carbon black feedstock, LPG, sulphate chips, and a fertilizer capacity of over three million tonnes; the second largest in the world." He added. The billionaire investor highlighted his $620 million investment in South Africa as part of a broader strategy to promote economic self-reliance and intra-African trade, stating,"It's not about Nigeria; it's about Africa. We must show that it can be done, and done by us." In response to his comments, President Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasized the need for African-owned investments to drive value addition and job creation. She said: " We are too few to be poor, considering the resources we have; both human and natural." "We don't want to be seen as a rich continent with poor people. African entrepreneurs like you give hope to the young ones that it is possible." She added. In a potential investor-wooing effort, she invited Dangote to consider Namibia as "a home away from home" and affirmed the country's readiness to support African-led investment projects with long-term local impact. 'When we meet successful African entrepreneurs like you, it is not just business; it is inspiration,' she said. 'Namibia is ready for this kind of partnership.' Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

Yahoo

2 days ago

• Yahoo

Tesla Robotaxis Will Reportedly Get a Quiet Launch: Just 10 Cars in Select Areas

PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. Tesla's robotaxis are expected to roll out on June 22, but you may not be able to catch one immediately. The launch is going to be very limited in terms of both cars and operational area, the Financial Times reports. At launch, Tesla's ride-hailing service will use only 10 Model Y cars, which will be geo-fenced to avoid Austin's most challenging roads and areas. Additionally, the cars will be monitored by remote teleoperators who can take control of vehicles in case they run into trouble. No further details have been shared about the upcoming robotaxi service, possibly because Tesla has reportedly tried to block public access to it. The reported fleet, however, falls at the lower end of the 10–20 cars CEO Elon Musk mentioned previously. The project has been delayed for years now, and safety may have a major role to play. The automaker is currently being investigated for crashes linked to its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology. Earlier this month, Musk said the company was 'being super paranoid about safety' and suggested the robotaxi launch could be pushed beyond June 22. When it comes to regulations, though, Tesla has the all-clear from the Department of Transportation (DOT). It was spotted testing the driverless Model Ys in Austin earlier this month. Before that, in April, the automaker had conducted internal tests for employees in Austin and San Francisco. Google-owned rival Waymo, on the other hand, has become operational in multiple cities and has a fleet of 1,500 autonomous vehicles (AVs). It entered Tesla's home turf Austin in March, following a month-long trial with users who voluntarily signed up. We are just a few days away from the launch date, but Tesla has yet to provide details about a trial program. According to a New York Times report from earlier this week, analysts expect Tesla's robotaxis to be initially limited to company employees and invited guests. They might not be available to the general public 'for several months.'