The Green Rice That Grew With Us
It all began with a tiny window in Kampung Ayer, where Mama Ong, who had no cooking background at all, started selling nasi lemak with plain white rice. It wasn’t nice, but her heart was in every pack. The neighbours, were very honest with their feedback. She took their comments, and kept trying.
She kept improving - day after day, until one day, out of curiosity, she poured pandan juice into the rice. Slowly, it became her little signature. Regulars started calling it nasi hijau, and the name stuck since then.
Mama Ong made every pack by hand with her family. One by one, they passed through that little window. Over the years, she moved from one spot to another, always selling through the window, until she finally found a space that felt right. That little window eventually grew into what we now call The Green Rice.
Today, children who once came with pocket money now return as parents. And just like that, Mama Ong’s green rice continues to warm hearts, one pack at a time.
Mama Ong in her small home kitchen, cooking up batches of green rice before the restaurant doors ever opened
Our humble home-based spot at simpang 181 where we served the green rice through this little window for over 10 years
Our lucky cat in the old house kitchen, a gentle companion who saw The Green Rice grow from home beginnings. She’s no longer with us, but she’ll always be part of our family
With zero real experience in restaurant management, just determination (and maybe a bit of clueless bravery), we turned a blank space into our first official restaurant. Renovating, designing, snapping our own food photos, we did it all ourselves to prepare for The Green Rice’s opening
The very first day of The Green Rice on 22 March 2021, run by our little family with a lot of nervous smiles
Not long after opening, covid changed everything - masks on, distancing, no dine-in. Thanks to our regulars who are used to takeaway, we managed to get through the challenging times
Dr. Deeni from RTB sat down with Mama Ong to hear the journey of The Green Rice - a story of family, hard work, and a passion for using quality ingredients she believes in, serving the familiar flavors until now
After lots of trial runs and back-and-forth, we received our halal certification on time! We’re happy to welcome more diners to try our meals ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞
Our team completed food safety training and updated our practices with support from DARe and Aerete Solutions Sdn Bhd. We passed the Bureau Veritas audits and proudly earned our HACCP certification
It's a cozy bowl of rice under a homey roof, embraced by a heart, now officially registered and ready to represent our story. Shaped like the character 合 (hé), symbolizes "coming together", it's about together and sharing moments that feel like home (´ ᴗ `ʃ♡ƪ)
Awarded by Brunei Food Award, we're happy that our nasi lemak earned a top 5 spot in 2021!
We are happy to showcase at the China-ASEAN Young Entrepreneur Fair, connecting, learning, and exploring exciting new opportunities!