If you’re in the Macpherson area and have a craving for local delights like Nasi Lemak and Mee Rebus, there’s a new cafe you need to check out. While these dishes are staples at hawker centers, the cafe setting allows for a higher price point and subsequently a boost in quality. It is in these settings that local dishes can be taken to the next level, showcasing how they can be elevated beyond their humble origins.
But, fret not. The prices remain competitive for the cafe setting. Hot drinks are priced at less than $2 and main dishes like their nasi lemak are around $7-$8. It is no wonder that the place is packed out, or should I say, “Fullybooked” during lunch hour. Not bad for a cafe that has only been opened a few months.
Chef Jason with Boss/Founder Bai Le
Please note that if you visited the cafe before the end of March, the food might have been quite different. Most online reviews were written before Chef Jason took over. The dishes we feature today are all his recipes. So, if you based your visit on previous reviews, you’ll likely have an entirely new experience now. Chef Jason hails from Johor and has been a chef for many years. At one stage, he had even owned a few eateries in Johor.
Local Dishes Served in Chic Cafe
I was very impressed with the curries at Fullybooked. They are what make their Nasi Lemak exceptional. The rice and sambal chili are excellent, but it’s their curry chicken and chicken rendang that truly elevate the dish. Both are crafted with rempah made from scratch in-house, and a blend of Malaysian spices which is why their curry chicken is very different from the typical versions you find at economic rice stalls. 4.25/5
Another dish well worth trying is the Mee Rebus. It is the chef’s own recipe and the gravy is thick and rich. Its too bad he wasn’t able to do it with mashed sweet potatoes as per his original recipe but it is still a delicious rendition of the dish. 4/5
As mentioned previously, all the rempah for the dishes are made in-house. The mee siam is also very competent and a very popular dish at the stall. It was good but not exceptional. 4/5
I find this dish very comforting! It’s a wonder why not many places have done this before. After all, both chee cheong fun and chye poh are readily available, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to replace the usual chwee kueh rice cakes with chee cheong fun, which is also made from rice. Their chye poh is pretty tasty, making for a nice morning or afternoon snack! 4/5
Kaya Toast
Unfortunately, their kaya toast is rather average. The kaya, sourced from a factory, lacks distinctiveness, just like at many other places. Given that they make all their curry rempah in-house, I had high hopes they would do the same for their kaya.
The saving grace of the kaya toast is its crispiness from being toasted over an open grill. I’ve tried to encourage the owner to join my mission to “MAKE KAYA TOAST GREAT AGAIN!” Hopefully, they will take up the challenge! 3.5/5
Conclusion
At first glance, this place resembles any modern café that serves cakes and espresso-style coffee. However, the menu showcases an array of local dishes made from scratch in the kitchen and are very good! It might feel a bit disorienting at first, but once you taste the food, you’ll quickly forget about the industrial chic decor. It’s a shame that they don’t make their own kaya as it would have been the perfect place for afternoon tea!
