Lombok, an island East of Bali in Indonesia, is the birthplace of ayam bakar taliwang, the inspiration behind Nasi Lemak Taliwang in Yishun, Singapore. Lombok is also a place where Khairul Kamal, who used to work in a multinational technology company, currently works to build houses for tsunami survivors. That’s where this journey starts. 

Looking for Lombok is about how Singaporeans as a people continue to draw inspiration from our neighbours till today. On the other hand, we also continue to contribute what we can to our neighbours. Looking for Lombok explores how Singapore relies heavily on working together with other countries, in this case, Indonesia, to keep its economy growing.

Deep within the notorious town of Yishun in Singapore, lies a hawker centre with a stall that’s been grilling the latest great spicy chicken to come to these shores. We see shots of the flaming grill as the chicken thigh is grilled. The next shot shows the plating of the dish and the pouring of the taliwang sambal.

Noorman Mubarak, a Singaporean hawker proudly fronts his stall that continues to grow since they opened in 2017. Noorman is interviewed introducing himself, his history growing up with hawker parents and how he started the business. He reveals his previous job as a flight steward with his wife who is Indonesian. Noorman then tells the story of how he first tried ayam taliwang in Indonesia and describes his feelings about it. He also gives away the fact that he actually doesn’t eat spicy food but gives an exception for ayam taliwang.

A scene of a plane flying goes on screen as we are transported to Lombok, Indonesia. There is a montage of different ways ayam bakar taliwang is sold and prepared in Lombok. We discuss with a local from Lombok about the origins of the dish. The dish is named after Karang Taliwang in Mataram, a place in Lombok. Next, we are shown how the dish is eaten in Lombok. Everyone including the camera crew gets a taste of it. We also see their reactions. We could get some mild comedy from the reactions to the spicy food.

The local shares that they are a survivor of the tsunami and earthquake in 2018. They share how their lives have changed after the natural disaster. We get more accounts of the tragedy and how the locals have moved on since then. Now, they are getting their house rebuilt by a team that includes a Singaporean by the name of Khairul Kamal.

We discover that Khairul used to work in a multinational technology company and quit his job to build homes in Lombok for the locals. There would be photographs of him working at his previous job to substantiate his story. He would then describe his turning point which led him here. We also discover his wish for the future. The next scene would show how he relates to the local we interviewed previously. They decide to go eat together. They head off to a warung for ayam bakar taliwang.

There is a match cut to the Singaporean hawker centre showing the nasl lemak ayam taliwang. We show Noorman and his wife Puti Andam Dewi presenting their dish. We hear a voiceover, “Living in Singapore, it’s easy to get swept away by the fast-paced lifestyle on our island. Sometimes we forget how interconnected we are to our neighbours. Next time you look at your plate, think about how different cultures create and share their ideas to bring these gifts to us.”

The voiceover plays over several shots of people and places that we visited earlier in the documentary.