Harummanis: This modern Malay restaurant in Kampong Gelam is out to redefine Malay cuisine

Sitting down in a nicely furnished restaurant with fancy cutlery and all the proper trimmings isn’t typically the image that comes to mind when one imagines Malay food. Instead, you might be thinking of tucking into a glorious, messy plate of nasi padang at your favourite hawker stall. 

Indeed, Malay food is often perceived as affordable, fast and delicious. And while these are all well and true, Chef Akmal Anuar has something different in mind.

Enter Harummanis – the newest restaurant addition to the Kampong Gelam district, serving modern and elevated Malay cuisine. This is the first local restaurant opened by the Singapore-born chef, following his string of award-winning joints in Dubai including the Michelin-starred 11 Woodfire, as well as 3 Fils, which was named the best restaurant in the Middle East and North Africa in 2022.

[Malay cuisine is known for its] warmth and simplicity. But there’s actually a lot of sophistication that goes towards what we cook. Malay dishes always relate to something very cheap, and I intend to change that.

Chef Akmal’s journey in Dubai started 12 years ago, when he jetted off to the Middle East following an offer to join the pan-Asian restaurant Zengo. He then set up his own consultancy, White Rice Co., in 2020, which now has six restaurants in the UAE and New York under its belt. Before that, Chef Akmal was the head chef at Iggy’s and a commis chef at Les Amis in Singapore. He has even cooked for the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and former President Halimah Yacob.

All this to say that, despite Chef Akmal’s long and illustrious career across fine-dining stalwarts, Harummanis is not about glorified ayam masak putih or pretentious renditions of traditional dishes. Instead, it’s a compilation of Chef Akmal’s years of experience, whether it be in the Japanese and modern European flourishes in the dishes, or unique methods of cooking. More importantly, the restaurant has a clear aim of bringing modern Malay cuisine closer to the heart of the Malay community in Singapore.

[I wanted to present] Malay dining in a more comfortable setting. Our dishes here are very authentic, but we use better ingredients, better plates. We provide service, we have nice furniture. And we’re located in Kampong Gelam, which is very linked to the Malay community.

In dishes like the ketoprak ($20), Chef Akmal puts a twist on the traditional Indonesian salad made of tofu and bean sprouts, replacing the usual peanut sauce with Japanese sesame sauce and adding kombu. And with the batang pinang ($24), he incorporates wagyu beef tenderloin, spicy petis, jicama and white truffle in a Malay rendition of beef carpaccio. Takeaways are equally welcome. Chef Akmal recommends the epok-epok ($24) – a Malay curry puff if you will – made with French puff pastry and stuffed with wagyu mince and potatoes. The rawon ($35), a beef soup, is also a good option: “Eat it with jasmine rice or keep it in the chiller and microwave it the next day. Anytime is a good time to have rawon,” he quips.

Despite the fancier setting, Harummanis comes from humble beginnings. The restaurant is eponymously named after Chef Akmal’s family’s hawker stall at Teck Whye, which has been around since 1992. You could say that his first job and exposure to the food industry was helping out at his parents’ stall during his childhood years. Perhaps this explains his grit and no-nonsense approach to work. When asked what advice he’ll give to budding chefs, he says:

Stick to what you intend to do. Work with a good boss. And of course, put in the hours.

On Chef Akmal’s thoughts on how the local dining scene has evolved over the decade that he’s been abroad, he says “There are a lot more serious restaurants, more variety. Before, there were only low-end or high-end joints. Now, there are a lot in the middle. Competition is crazy and it’s a little oversaturated, but it’s always good for tourism.” “Service needs to be on par though,” he comments. “Singapore has a lot of good restaurants, but not enough good service.” In his view, the lack of manpower is a “major factor” as to why some restaurants here may not be as up to par as those in other parts of the world just yet.

Yet when asked his favourite restaurant in Singapore, Chef Akmal looks visibly distressed. Debating with his wife Inez over their list of contenders, he eventually decides on Puncak – a casual eatery at Far East Plaza which serves his favourite beef hor fun. And with Ramadan in full swing now, Chef Akmal also plans to stop by the various bazaars to get his yearly fix of “anything that’s fried or unhealthy”, including his must-haves – dendeng and kueh lapis.

Chef Akmal’s personal story and professional achievements mean he is equally well-acquainted with your everyday cheap eateries as he is with the latest openings and buzz in the culinary world. But with Harummanis, his goal is clear and simple:

I just want to have a Malay restaurant that is on par with many of the great restaurants in Singapore and globally.