D’Rubinah @ Punggol

Ordered the 2 pc naan set with keema. I would definitely repurchase this but should order the 1 pc naan set instead as the portion was really big. The chicken in the briyani was soooo tender. Portion for this is huge too.

Great place to hang out after a pool session at Punggol Billiards. They’re open till late and have cozy outdoor seating facing the forest, which adds to the chill vibe. The staff are friendly and always serve with a smile. Plus, the satay is delicious.

Kitty and I stopped by D'Rubinah @ Punggol for dinner before our cycling trip to the Marina Bay Gardens for the Mid-Autumn Lantern display. We had never been to this restaurant before, even though we live in Punggol. We were welcomed by friendly staff upon entering the restaurant. The space was spacious, with cool air conditioning and outdoor seating. We were greeted by the supervisor, Shayan, who recommended the Nasi Lemak as their signature dish. Initially, I had planned to order the coin prata, but Shayan convinced us to try their specialty. I chose the mutton briyani, which came with a hot pot, a plate, some crackers, and a small salad. Shayan explained that the plate was for scooping the briyani from the hot pot, but I found it odd that the hot pot wasn't even heated. I could touch it with my bare hands, so I ended up eating directly from the hot pot. The portion of briyani rice was generous, but the mutton was unfortunately quite small compared to the amount of rice. The curry seemed like the right portion. The papadum served with the briyani was a highlight for both Kitty and me. It was flavorful and complemented the briyani perfectly. We both agreed that it was one of the best papadums we'd had. The briyani itself was quite good, definitely one of the better ones we've tried. It wasn't perfect, but it was tasty. However, I think they could improve by either heating the hot pot or heating up the rice before serving it. Shayan mentioned that they heat the rice in the microwave before putting it in the hot pot, but I feel like using the hot pot as a container instead of heating the food properly might affect the taste of the rice. Next, we tried the nasi lemak, which was definitely the star of the show. The chicken was cooked perfectly - crispy on the outside, smooth and juicy on the inside. However, the rice was served cold, which unfortunately detracted from the experience. The rice had a good coconut flavor but was served cold. The supervisor suggested that we might have left the nasi lemak on the table for a while before eating, but we tried it right away when it was served. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the chili sauce for the nasi lemak. I think the chili could be improved to better complement the nasi lemak. If the rice could be served hot, it would greatly enhance this dish. While we appreciated the good service and delicious papadum, the cold rice and chili sauce held the nasi lemak back. I think their nasi lemak could be a true star if they served it hot and improved the chili sauce.

Pretty good food served here. The satay and naan are delicious. Be careful with the curry that comes with the Biryani as it is quite spicy hot. The prices are a little bit on the high side but probably due to the rental there. On the whole, we had an enjoyable evening here.