A $2 plate of nasi lemak is a rare find these days. The humble dish has been elevated by The Coconut Club and the Les Amis Group’s new eatery Lemak Boys, where it’s served with premium ingredients and a just-as-premium price tag starting from $12.50.

But you can still get wallet-friendly nasi lemak in Singapore. From now till Nov 16, Little India cafe Makan House by Ollella is offering its new Nasi Lemak at an introductory promotional price of $2 (usual price $3.50 a la carte).

There are of course some caveats. You can only get the nasi lemak at $2 with every purchase of the cafe’s XL Chicken Cutlet ($6). Each customer is limited to a maximum of two nasi lemak packets per order. Also, it’s takeaway-only (no dining-in or delivery).

For $2/ $3.50, Ollella’s nasi lemak — served on a piece of banana leaf — is pretty substantial. It comes with a portion of lemak enough butterfly pea-stained basmati rice, half a hardboiled egg, cucumbers, sugar-coated fried peanuts and anchovies, and two types of chilli: house-made sambal belacan and sambal ijo (which is made with green chillies).

But the pièce de résistance of the dish is a handmade Otah Bergedil, a deep-fried nugget of Indonesian brastagi potatoes mashed with house-made mackerel otah and spices like lemongrass rempah and kaffir lime leaves. It’s so good that one little munchkin isn’t enough. We ordered another a la carte round ($5 for four pieces). The rich, meaty Mackerel Otah is also available as a plump, 10cm-long grilled slab ($4 each).

Despite the nasi lemak’s low price, the cafe’s Indonesian-born owner, Marcella Tanuwijaya, had chosen to use pricier basmati rice over the typical jasmine rice to get sedap, coconut milk-infused loose grains. “When cooked in santan (coconut milk), jasmine rice clumps up more than basmati rice due to its higher sugar content,” she explains.

While the nasi lemak will satiate an average-sized appetite, we reckon big eaters will need two portions to fill up. You can also top up extra rice and chilli for your nasi lemak ($1 per serving).

Unlike the usual Taiwanese-style fried chicken cutlet (for which we’ve ranked eight brands from worst to best), Marcella’s version of the XL Chicken Cutlet ($6) is an oversized piece of ayam goreng berempah (Bahasa Melayu for spiced fried chicken). The boneless chicken thigh is marinated with a medley of spices that includes cumin, shallots, garlic and curry powder, then deep-fried till golden. Our fried chook was still juicy and tender when we bit into a piece. It has a punchier, more fragrant kick than its Taiwanese counterpart, which is usually seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and occasionally, chilli powder. Extremely shiok stuff.

$2 Nasi Lemak available till Nov 16. 454 Race Course Rd, S218697. Tel: 6917-7273. Open daily except Tues, 10.30am-6.30pm. www.ollella.com.

PHOTOS: YIP JIEYING/ OLLELLA