Adam Road Nasi Lemak: Stall No. 1 vs Stall No. 2 (The Ultimate Battle)

If you go to Adam Road food centre, the first thing you'll notice is two long queues, side by side. They belong to (arguably) the two most popular and famous nasi lemak stalls in Singapore. And if it's your first time there, you'll probably have a hard time deciding which stall to eat from. But one thing's for sure: if you're at Adam Road for the first time, you have gotta eat nasi lemak and nothing else. Other things can wait. So here's the comparison review - one thing at a time. I'll use ratings (out of 10) so it's easier to tell which is better. But first, let's identify both stalls.

Adam's Nasi Lemak is situated at No. 1 Adam Road, while Selera Rasa (No. 1 Nasi Lemak) is situated at No. 2 Adam Road (which explains the confusion). I wanted to order the Adam's Special ($4, consists of chicken wing, bergedil, egg, ikan bilis, peanuts, achar and mutton rendang). Unfortunately, it was sold out so i got the sutra special ($4, instead of the bergedil and mutton rendang, it comes with otah). The auntie only charged me $3.50 cuz the otah was small that day, so I must say she is kinda honest. At Selera Rasa, I ordered the Royal Flush ($4.50, consists of chicken wing, otah, bergedil, egg and ikan bilis). Upon ordering, you can ask for their sambal sotong and achar as well (available until sold out). And the best thing is, they come without extra cost! Usually an addition of sambal sotong can cost at least another dollar. But Selera really knows how to pamper their customers. Comparing each ingredient, I can only say that personal preference matters. It really depends on what you think is the most important in nasi lemak, because each stall has its strengths. Many people say that chilli is the most important, so i'll start with that.

Chilli

Adam's Nasi Lemak: I love the chilli. Although it's not spicy, it's goes very well with the rice and ikan bilis. (7.5/10)

Selera Rasa: The chilli is really sweet and mild. Too mild for my liking. I still like my spice and this is not really equipped with the true Malay flavor. (6.5/10)

Rice

Adam's Nasi Lemak: The rice that I tried was a little cold and separated. Don't get me wrong, rice that does not stick is good, but this one was quite stiff and a little hard. Very fragrant though. Compared to Selera, this version is much more sinful due to the larger quantity of coconut milk added. Definitely the more fragrant choice. (7.5/10)

Selera Rasa: It hits you in the face how good nasi lemak can get when you try the first mouthful of rice at Selera. How often can you find short grain basmati rice at nasi lemak stalls? Adam's uses basmati too, but its the medium grain variant. However, after you've chowed down 1/4 of your rice, it kinda loses the fragrance. I think it's due to the lack of coconut milk used. But all in all, I like it better cuz the rice is healthier and easier to down. (9/10)

Chicken Wing

Adam's Nasi Lemak: The chicken wing is seasoned with a lot of pepper. Too peppery and not crispy enough for my liking. But if you like your pepper, this might be the wing for you. Not too oily, not too jelat. (6/10)

Selera Rasa: This chicken wing is soo crispy and oh-so-good. Yet, being someone who won't stop until I've had my fill of crispy goodness, this is not something that I can have more than one at a time. It's way too oily. Very good, but gotta stop at one b4 the jelat feeling hits. (8/10)

Otah

Adam's Nasi Lemak: The otah is good, but nothing to shout about. Very smooth without any irritating bits of fish bone or chilli. (7/10)
Selera Rasa: The otah that I had was bigger and with more texture. Equally good, but once again, you don't have to go all the way to Adam Road to have this. (7/10)

Ikan Bilis

Adam's Nasi Lemak: Very crispy, very good with chilli. (8/10)

Selera Rasa: Selera provides the chewy version of the tiny fish. Good too, but I prefer crispy. (7.5/10)

Egg

Adam's Nasi Lemak: Must we compare the egg too? haha..Adam's version is a little too oily for me. But I like the yolk. Its the 'cooked but not too cooked' type. I won't rate this one. It's really just egg after all.
Selera Rasa: Once again, quite oily and presentation does not match up to the other ingredients. My dad thinks its too small.

Bergedil, Sambal Sotong, Achar (Selera Rasa)

I did not manage to try the bergedil at Adam's, but it is 1/2 the size of Selera's and doesnt look quite appetizing. Its the yellow kind, whilst I prefer the brown crispy type. I did not try their other dishes (but the fish cake in their photos is more generous than what the auntie provides - she only gives 2 tiny pieces). The sambal sotong is quite tough and chewy, didn't really enjoy it. But it's free, and the sambal is really good, so no complains there. I really love the achar - every bite is full of crunch and really refreshing. Be sure to ask for it.

Overall, I would go for Selera Rasa because of the friendly uncle (actually the auntie at Adam's is quite friendly too), the larger variety, nicer presentation imo, and most importantly, the queue that actually moves (like 3 times faster)! You will get quite frustrated while queuing at Adam's because the queue hardly moves, and it only gets worst when some people (queuing behind you)decide to find acquaintance with people (queuing in front of you) and ask them to order another 3 more packets for them. You can almost hear my silent screaming when that happened. That's when I remember I'm in Singapore. Oh the unique culture. Oh how I lament!

Adam's Nasi Lemak

No 1 Adam Road Food Centre

8.30am to 9.00pm

Closed on Tuesdays

Selera Rasa (No.1 Nasi Lemak)

No 2 Adam Road Food Centre

7am to 10pm

Monday to Sunday

*For easier viewing and differentiation: the white plate belongs to Adam Road and the green, Selera Rasa. Btw, despite my complaints, I urge everyone reading this to go try either stall at least once. This is how nasi lemak should taste like, without the luncheon meat and taiwan sausage that you get from the $1.90 chinese nasi lemak stalls.