McDonald’s Nasi Lemak Burger Comeback: No Queue For Now

11am: Barely a crowd at relaunch hour, save for a few oblivious stragglers who ordered their usual Filet-O-Fish meals. In anticipation of the demand, McDonald’s had set up a cordoned-off area for the queue, complete with cute celebratory balloon flowers. Alas, there was nary a line to be seen. A quick check with the managers at the fast food chain’s outlets at *Scape, Tampines Mall and Toa Payoh HDB Centre also proved that things were equally quiet there at lunchtime. Perhaps most people haven't heard the news yet.

11.30am: Two store managers dressed in chefs’ outfits bust out trays of Nasi Lemak Burgers cut into bite-sized pieces and placed on faux leaf plates (the kind you usually eat traditional nasi lemak from). They offer the burgers as free samples to customers. Cute!

12pm: The usual lunch crowd descends. Folks start to order the Nasi Lemak Burger Feast Set ($9.10, which includes the Bandung McFizz, regular fries and a Coconut Pie dessert). "Just yesterday, my friend asked me when the burger was coming back. I knew it was returning end August from [last week’s] 8 DAYS’ article, so when I saw the news online this morning, I decided to come down to eat it again," says Jane Ng, 29, a HR executive and fan of the locally-themed burger.

12.40pm: We overhear a McDonald’s staff member reporting to their outlet manager that 76 Nasi Lemak Burgers have been sold so far. “That’s not a lot leh,” remarks the manager. Perhaps it’ll be a different story during dinner, tonight. Meanwhile the kitchen is in a tizzy churning out the Nasi Lemak Burgers. We tried filming the process, but were stopped by a staff member who said videos aren’t allowed as “competitors have been dropping by to take videos”. Darn.

1pm: The lunch crowd has died down. We chat with a few more customers who ordered the Nasi Lemak Burger. "I wanted to try it back when it first launched, but I happened to be ill then, so I didn't get a chance. Once I learned that it was available again this morning, I decided to come by,” says Jovine Sum, 47, a supply chain manager. “I find the lemak (Malay for ‘richness’) flavour in this burger not strong enough. Maybe I'm a typical Nyonya, so lemak to me means something [very obviously rich], like rendang with lots of coconut flakes.”

We tried the Nasi Lemak Burger (from $5.95) when it first launched and found it to be a decent, creative take on a traditional plate of nasi lemak. After eating it again today, we’re pleased to report that it’s just as yummy the second time around. The burger’s tender, rich chicken thigh patty infused with coconut milk and spices remains shiok. However, the sambal on it tastes somewhat milder and less potent this time.

The Criss Cut Fries which used to accompany the burger will be replaced with new potato wedges on Sept 7, so we were served regular fries today instead. Meanwhile, we remained as unsure about the crispy Coconut Pie ($1.20) stuffed with chewy nata de coco cubes and a rather artificial coconut flavour. We prefer the Chendol McFlurry ($3), soft serve vanilla ice cream (albeit too faintly) spiked with gula melaka and firm chendol jelly ‘worms’. We washed it all down with the bubbly Bandung McFizz (from $3), which is still as thirst quenching as ever.

Besides the upcoming potato wedges, there’s another new item on the menu: a Sweet Corn Ice Cream Cone ($1), only available at McDonald’s dessert kiosks (sadly, the outlet we visited didn’t have one). Excuse us while we go off in search of a cone to try — we'll let you know if it's worth the calories. Watch this space.

The Nasi Lemak Burger is available at all McDonald's outlets after breakfast hours, while stocks last.