If you’re longing some good traditional Malay (and pretty economical) food in the heart of KL, look no further than the nasi lemak (rice with coconut cream) and ikan bakar (BBQ fish) at Tanglin food court. Located just a stone’s throw away from the magnificent national mosque.

the stall is always packed with hungry people

We went there a few weekends ago, as usual, there is a queue in front of the famous Nasi Lemak Tanglin stall. I ordered a piece of curry chicken and some sambal squid in my nasi lemak. To make the meal complete, we also got ourselves some stingray ikan bakar from the next stall.

True to its reputation, the nasi lemak was very good. The rice not too hard, and the sambal very creamy and aromatic. The chicken was pretty decent, and the squid cooked to the illusive texture that isn’t springy nor rubbery.

these ikan bakar and nasi lemak are absolutely delicious

The ikan bakar, though not nearly as famous as the nasi lemak, proved to be an excellent side that went very well with the main dish. While the fish is grilled just like any other places, the sauce that came with it was really superb. It was very spicy and full of asam flavor. If the nasi lemak massages your taste buds, the ikan bakar with the sauce really hits them hard and gives you a wake up call on a lazy Sunday morning. It was awesome.

Tanglin food court is located near KL bird park and butterfly park

Price wise, the food court is on par with most other Malay stalls. The meal, with a Teh Ais, costs about RM 10. It was a RM 10 well spent.

Address:
Kompleks Makan Tanglin
Jalan Cendarasari, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 016-650 8494 (Zainol)

Tags:  delicious,  food-court,  grilled-fish,  ikan-bakar,  malay-food,  nasi-lemak,  stalls,  traditional-food

Posted by KY | 10 Comments »

Working at the KLCC area basically dictates that I usually frequent Wisma Sentral for lunch. Afterall, it breaks the bank to satisfy the stomach at the KLCC food courts and restaurants otherwise. Hence it was a delight to find out there was a new establishment in the building busiest around lunch time, the Ikan Bakar Portugis (Portuguese style BBQ fish).

a pretty small establishment just next to the main elevator area

I went to the place on friday after 1pm, the best time as our muslim brothers are at the mosque and thus the place is not too packed. Then again, it is Puasa month now, so that might not be a factor at all anyway (in fact, I’m not sure if the place is open for business at regular hour during Puasa month. update - open for regular business during puasa month)

The menu is simple enough, starting from RM 4.50 to RM 6.50 for seafood and rice. There are sting ray, tilapia, squid, lala, prawn, and other combinations such as sotong with petai, sting ray with lala, and so forth. I ordered the string ray with petai (twisted cluster bean) and a glass of sea coconut drink.

string ray with petai, yumm

Since every dish is freshly cooked, I had to wait for some 10 minutes before lunch is served. The smell that attacked my nose was first indication that lunch was going to be good. Fish + sambal + petai can never go wrong for me. The string ray and petai were very well cooked, with plenty of excellent sambal on top. For a Malay dish, the ikan bakar was not overly spicy. The rice was of nice and soft texture and goes down well mixing with the fish and sambal. It was a very good lunch.

here is how to get to wisma sentral

My lunch combination and drink cost me RM 7.50. Slightly high for Wisma Sentral standard, but definately worth it. Still a lot cheaper a plate of mixed rice with 3 items at the food court anyway. Give it a try if you are around KLCC.

Tags:  ikan-bakar,  klcc,  portugese,  wisma-sentral

Posted by KY | 14 Comments »

The news on the tragic end of the Croc Hunter Steve Irwin came pretty shocking to many of us. To pay tribute to the fun and whacky celebrity conservationist, I’ve decided to head to Chow Yang for a meal of Stingray ikan bakar. I think I’m not the only one who did this.

are you hungry for some ikan bakar?

I went over to the stall and picked up a slab of stingray and top it with some okra (ladies finger). Other types of vege you can choose to accompany your fish are long bean, petai, onion, and kacang botol (winged bean). You can also choose to have all of those veges as the side as well.

Although it’s called ikan bakar, the fish is not exactly grilled over fire. Instead, the guy pan fry the fish with a piece of banana leaf in between while applying the sambal paste on top. About half way through, a wok cover is used to blanket the fish while some water is squirted on just next to the fish, creating a steam. I believe this is how the fish is kept from being too dry while getting it cooked thoroughly. This cooking method is different from the Malay style ikan bakar I had near KLCC.

so tender you can just chew down the cartilage with the meat

The result was a fully cooked and very tender stingray meat with plenty of flavor from the sambal paste. The okra on top has a different texture and taste to serve as a very great compliment to the fish. Some sourish and spicey sauce with onion accompany the dish as well. The stuff is so delicious even the mat salleh loves it.

Chow Yang at SS2, just behind KAYU

The dish costs me RM 13, pretty fair price. While Chow Yang opens 24 hours daily, this stall operates at night only.

Tags:  chow-yang,  ikan-bakar,  SS2 SS3 SS4,  stingray

Posted by KY | 12 Comments »