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 »

Everyone who knows anything about Satay (or sate) knows that Kajang serves them best, just like Klang has the best bak kut teh. However, Kajang is not exactly located at the heart of Klang Valley, and fuel prices being at this level, it make sense to find closer alternatives. Luckily, some of the famous Kajang satay houses have expanded their operations to friendlier locations, and one of the most prominent and successful satay restaurants, Haji Samuri, can be found at Damansara Uptown, among other places (see the wiki link for more locations).

satay in peanut sauce with sambal

Unlike the traditional satay places that are often associated with shacks and less than hygienic dining condition with plenty of flies and weather unfriendly location, Sate Haji Samuri is a mid standard restaurant with clean and comfortable interior. A place worthy of bringing your in-laws, perhaps.

For dinner, instead of the more common chicken, beef, and mutton satays, I also ordered a couple sticks of the rarer rabbit and deer meat variety. There are also tripe, liver, and fish satay, but my stomach is only so big. We also ordered a couple ketupats to go along with the meat.

9 different sateys to choose from

It did take a while before the food came, mostly because the meat is BBQed on demand, especially for the less popular rabbit and deer varieties. However, it was definitely worth the short wait, the satays came steaming hot and tasted very good. I like the fact that they give you unlimited very thick peanut sauce and have the sambal (chili paste) separate so you can cater for your own level of spiciness. The ketupat complimented the satay’s meaty and spicy peanut sauce with a more blunt taste very well, and there’s the standard fresh shallots and cucumber to complete the dish. It was very delicious.

After sampling 5 different types of meat, my favorite is still chicken and beef. The rabbit meat tends to be a little dry due to the lack of fats (see rabbit starvation for more info). Mutton and deer meat were just average, in my opinion.

ketupat is usually the side dish that goes well with satey

The price per stick ranges from RM 0.60 (chicken, beef) to RM 1.60 (rabbit), and RM 0.80 for one ketupat. Pretty reasonably priced, considering the generous portion of meat on each stick.

Another equally good satay place can be found at Ampang, but only offering chicken and beef satays. If you’re into some non-halal pork satay, try Kedai Satay Xiang Ji at Melaka.

Sate Haji Samuri is just a couple kilometers from 1-utama

Address:
No. 79, Jalan 21/37,
Damansara Uptown,
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7710 5318

Tags:  damansara,  haji-samuri,  kajang,  ketupat,  malay-food,  peanut-sauce,  satay,  sate,  uptown

Posted by KY | 15 Comments »