After spending way too much energy and sweat on our futsal last night, we decided to head to the famous Jalan 223 nasi lemak place for some well deserved recuperation session. Even though it was already past 11pm on a weekday, the Selera Jaya 223 food court is bustling with activity, there are so many hungry ghosts packed in the area you would think there’s a sideshow going on.

futsal buddies: Dree, Jeff, Shiang, and Terence

The main attraction at this place is the nasi lemak. There are two types, the nasi lemak with blue print a little sweeter and wetter, while the red print version is slightly drier but more spicy. They come with half a hard boiled egg and some fried anchovies. Since there are so many customers dining at the area, the nasi lemak is always still hot for consumption, a nasi lemak panas is always better than the nasi lemak at room temperature.

I’ve tried both versions and they are really tasty, with no fuss and no frill. You can’t beat the value at RM 1 per packet either.

2 types of nasi lemak, otak-otak, and a set of half boil egg

Half boiled egg is another item that they do very well here. Just look at the picture above, perfect boiling, and you don’t even need to crack the eggs yourself. My buddy Shiang insisted that using the half boil eggs as gravy for the nasi lemak is the way to go. I didn’t try that myself, sinful, sinful.

the most “Kao” milo ice ever

As for drinks, the milo ice is definitely the most “kao” you can get anywhere. I thought filling 1/3 of my glass with milo powder is pretty “kao” already, over here they do it at almost 1/2 glass. It is a bit crazy if you ask me.

The otak-otak, while fresh and served hot, is really not up to par as compared to those I had in some other places (most notably those Suanie brought from Johor). However, I do eat it once in a while just to refresh my taste bud. They do taste a little too sweet.

the food court is situated just across Amway building at Jalan 223

If you’re looking for a midnight indulgence with an original local theme, this is definitely the place to be.

Tags:  dining,  Eats,  egg,  food,  jalan 223,  mamak,  midnight snack,  milo,  nasi-lemak,  otak-otak

Posted by KY | 34 Comments »

I found myself at Plaza Damas last weekend. After several hours of attending to certain business, it was suddenly dinner time. We decided that perhaps it would be a good idea to explore something at this comfortably small but elegant mall instead of heading elsewhere to quiet down the little growling sound from my stomach that is starting to get annoying.

“Fish Satay” in lemon grass

We past several restaurants before deciding upon Penang Village. Being from Penang island, I am always skeptical towards restaurants that claim to serve Penang food. However, I was feeling a little adventurous that day, and whatever food I could see from those customers that are already eating certainly looks inviting.

nice ambiance and surprisingly good food

The menu is simple and illustrated with enough photos of the dishes to guide those who can’t read English or Malay. We ended up ordering 5 items for the two of us, nasi lemak with beef, nasi tomato with lamb, kailan (vegetable) with salted fish, fish satay, and otak-otak.

beef nasi lemak and lamb nasi tomato

Even though it was a weekend evening, the food didn’t take more than 10 minutes to come. The nasi tomato and nasi lemak came with pretty good meat curry (rendang and kurma), the rice tasted very authentic and even the presentation was rather high class. A small glass of acar accompanied the rice.

The otak-otak served is of the Penang variety, for the uninitiated, it is a type of steamed fish paste with mixture of traditional spices. The otak-otak was not oily and nor over powering, just nice and a good companion to the rice dishes.

I especially like the interesting “fish satay” served on a lemon grass stick. It reminded me of the same thing I had at Bumbubali (a Balinese restaurant at Puchong), very succulent and delicious. The taste of fish cake and the core infused with lemon grass aroma was simply brilliant. This would be my must-order at Penang Village.

Penang otak-otak, kailan with salted fish, fish satay

The rice dishes were around RM 12+ each with the other dishes slightly cheaper. The dinner costs RM 60+ for the two of us, 5 dishes and 1 drink. A pretty decent price for the quality of food and location. I am not too sure about their other classic dishes like Char Kueh Teow, but if they can have similar quality it wouldn’t be disappointing.

Plaza Damas is located at Sri Hartamas

Other than Plaza Damas, Penang Village has branches at USJ 9, TTDI, Alamanda Putrajaya Mall, and a couple other locations at Indonesia too.

Address:
Hartamas Shopping Centre (Plaza Damas)
Lot G8B&9, Sri Hartamas, KL
Tel: 03-6201 9816

Tags:  dining,  fish cake,  food,  lemon grass,  nasi tomato,  nasi-lemak,  otak-otak,  Penang,  satay

Posted by KY | 8 Comments »

Despite staying only 5 minutes away, it somehow took me this long to get to know about this famous nasi lemak at Seapark. Located just next to Maybank at Petaling Jaya’s Seapark (SS21), this Mamak stall opens at around dinner time till late.

nasi lemak with excellent fried chicken

After missing my first chance of eating at this place due to a completely full stomach some weeks ago, I decided that we should give it a try even though it was “Human Day”, 7th day of Chinese New Year. Kerol was complaining a bit, but since she just had some awesome Japanese food at Raku Zen for lunch, nasi lemak should be a perfect choice for dinner (as I explained to her). So the six of us went to the stall and each of us ordered nasi lemak with fried chicken.

outdoor setting, make sure it is not raining..

The nasi lemak came within a couple minutes, with all the ingredients still very warm. There’s the traditional ikan bilis (anchovies), fried peanuts, fragrance rice, sambal, with the not so traditional fried chicken and a very nicely done sunny side up egg.

The sambal was not overly spicy and carried a slightly sweet taste, which goes pretty well with the fried chicken and egg. The chicken itself was actually very delicious, deep fried with crunchy skin and very nice marinate. As for the egg, anyone who loves a runny yolk would not want to miss this.

the nasi lemak stall is located at Seapark, not far from the old KFC

Other than nasi lemak, I have heard that the mee goreng is pretty special as well. A plate of nasi lemak with fried chicken goes for RM 4.50, a pretty fair price I think. Do make sure that it isn’t raining when you go there as the place is completely outdoor.

Masak-Masak also reviewed this place before.

Tags:  delicious,  food,  malaysian-food,  nasi-lemak,  outdoor,  seapark,  supper

Posted by KY | 38 Comments »

Just a couple of days before the start of Ramadhan, I had a chance to accompany one of my friends to have one of her last dinners before sunset in the coming month. We went to Kelana Jaya just outside the older and smaller Giant hypermart where a row of Malay hawkers operate in the evening.

nasi lemak kukus with ayam rempah (chicken with spices)

I can’t keep my eyes off the very good looking ayam rempah as soon as I saw it, I knew that would be my dinner. After buying some deep fried cempedak for appertizer in a neighboring stall, I ordered a plate of nasi lemak kukus with the ayam rempah while my friend ordered the Malay chicken rice. The word “kukus”, according to this particular lady (not an authority in the Malay language by any means), refers to the wooden container the rice is cooked in. I suppose the wooden container gives the rice a hint of flavor normal electrical cooker just wouldn’t do.

as the awek eats

The nasi lemak was served hot, and the chicken was very good. Plenty of rempah (spices) accompanied the chicken and compliments the rice very well. I also added an egg (sunny side top) to go with the chicken. I usually prefer the warm version of nasi lemak instead of the more common type that is served at room temperature.

this hawker stall is just opposite the small Giant at Kelana Jaya

The relatively simple yet fulfilling dinner costs around RM 5 with drinks included.

Tags:  giant,  Halal Food,  kelana-jaya,  KJ,  kukus,  nasi-lemak

Posted by KY | 10 Comments »

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 »