I tried Xiaxue's new pink nasi lemak that comes with heart-shaped fishcakes, here are my honest thoughts

Spicy, spunky and loud. 

Those are the words some may use to describe local influencer Wendy Cheng, who is better known by her pseudonym Xiaxue. 

But this time, we're talking about her latest venture Pink Coconut, which specialises in nasi lemak. 

Yes, it's Xiaxue's turn to dive into the local F&B scene despite not having a background in the industry. 

The 39-year-old shared the news in an Instagram reel on Wednesday (Jan 3). 

"Introducing Pink Coconut Nasi Lemak, my very own nasi lemak brand!" she said excitedly. 

It isn't just any nasi lemak either. 

The coconut rice is a bright hue of pink, and each dish comes with two heart-shaped fishcakes — very on-brand. 

In the reel, Xiaxue revealed that she collaborated with Global Cloud Business, a virtual F&B creator, to design the brand and menu. 

The entire process of perfecting the recipe took "six long months". 

She used family recipes 

In an interview with Global Cloud Business that was shared on their website, Xiaxue said the recipes actually have sentimental value to her.  

"I have always wanted to sell nasi lemak as I have some recipes shared from my family," she said. 

The content creator also admitted that she has "zero experience" with F&B but still wanted to give this a shot. 

"I'm not entirely sure how it's all going to turn out, but I wanted to share this journey with you, whether it ends in success (fingers crossed) or, well, a learning experience!"

To get a feel of the industry, Xiaxue reached out to her secondary school friend, Randall Ang, who is the deputy managing director of local brand BoBo Fish Ball, as well as the founder of Global Cloud Business. 

And instead of just giving her advice, Randall offered to work with Xiaxue.

On top of that, as he already has a fishball factory, he even helped her create her heart-shaped fishcakes. 

Want to try her pink nasi lemak? You can only order it on delivery platforms like Foodpanda. 

"Instead of setting up a traditional Nasi Lemak stall, we're all about the delivery business. And I love it because, let's face it, I'm always ordering food delivery myself!" 

Taste test time 

I've seen green pandan-coloured nasi lemak before, as well as blue pea nasi lemak, but pink is a shade that's completely new to me. 

So you bet I was curious about whether the food would taste as good as it looks. 

For mains, I ordered the Original Chicken Wings Nasi Lemak ($9.90) and Beef Rendang Nasi Lemak ($12). 

Apart from that, I added a side of Super Star Sambal Petai ($5.20). 

I have to say, the packaging left a pretty good impression on me. 

I really liked the cloudy pink boxes - once again, very on-brand for Xiaxue - as well as the logo, which featured a coconut husk containing a serving of nasi lemak. 

To start off, I tried the Original Chicken Wings Nasi Lemak, which came with the pink coconut rice, sambal, hae bee hiam (dried shrimp with sambal), ikan bilis and peanuts, heart-shaped fish cake, and of course, the chicken wings. 

I was the most curious about the pink coconut rice — would it taste any different from regular coconut rice? 

The answer is no. But it was decent and had a mild coconut taste. I also liked how the rice wasn't greasy and on the fluffier side. 

My only gripe was that some parts of the rice were a little mushy, but I figured that was caused by the condensation formed in the box. 

If you enjoy eating sambal that leaves your tongue tingling and your eyes watering, the one that comes with this nasi lemak isn't the one for you. 

But for people like me who can't take spice, it was a good amount of heat. 

The hae bee hiam wasn't spicy either and had a good amount of umami. 

Protein-wise, the chicken wings were lightly battered, and I was surprised to find that they were still pretty crispy despite the half-an-hour journey it took to arrive from the cloud kitchen. 

However, the seasoning, while decent, was nothing very mind-blowing.

I'm a sucker for things that come in cute shapes, so I was really excited by the heart-shaped fishcakes. 

They tasted like your regular BoBo fishcakes, but those have always been good, so I'm not complaining. 

Something that may not be up everyone's alley, though, is the ikan bilis and peanuts. 

They're on the sweeter side, and while I personally quite liked it, my colleague wasn't a fan and felt that it was a little odd. To each their own. 

Similar to the Original Chicken Wings Nasi Lemak, the Beef Rendang Nasi Lemak came with pink coconut rice, sambal, hae bee hiam, ikan bilis and peanuts and heart-shaped fish cake.

The only difference was the protein. 

I'll be honest and say that on first impression, I was not very enticed by the beef rendang as it looked like it was on the drier side. 

And there is nothing I detest more than tough, hard-to-chew beef. 

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the beef was actually pretty tender and had a good fat-to-meat ratio. 

My colleague was also pretty impressed, and we agreed that we preferred the beef to the chicken wings. 

I'll also be frank and say that I'm not the biggest fan of petai, which is also known as a bitter bean. 

I've only tried it on two occasions, and I have to say, the pungent smell and flavours take a little getting used to. 

As for Xiaxue, she's a huge fan of the spicy dish. 

"In the world of flavors, sambal petai is my fiery muse. The blend of chili, shrimp paste, garlic, shallots, and petai beans creates an irresistible symphony of tastes and textures," she told Global Cloud Business in an interview. 

She also thinks it's an excellent complementary dish for the nasi lemak. 

And I must say, she was right. 

Upon opening the box of petai, I was hit by a strong stench that resembled poster paint. 

But when I tasted the dish, it was actually pretty nice. 

Tart, acidic and a little spicy, the flavours went well with the fragrant coconut rice and the savouriness from the proteins. 

In fact, I liked it so much that I didn't mind eating it on its own. 

However, the portion size was a little small. I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually wish that there was more petai! 

To conclude, I'd say that the nasi lemak was surprisingly decent. 

It's admittedly a little on the pricier side, especially when you compare it to what you can find in a hawker centre setting.

But the portion size was reasonable, and there are quite a number of components to the dish. For instance, not all nasi lemak places include fishcakes and hae bee hiam. 

So, would I eat this again? I honestly wouldn't mind. It may not be the first nasi lemak spot that would come to my mind, though, and I would more likely gravitate to my usual nasi lemak haunts. 

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melissateo@asiaone.com