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Monday 22 June 2015

Nasi Lemak Tanglin @ Jalan Cenderasari

After watching an episode of a Nasi Lemak battle between Village Park Nasi Lemak and Nasi Lemak Tanglin @ Jalan Cenderasari on Food Wars Asia recently, I decided to check out the latter as I've not eaten it before (as this original nasi lemak place is in an area that I don't usually come to).

Arriving at the place (there's ample parking) on a late Sunday morning, we immediately saw a queue of about 20 - 30 people lining up already in what looked like a food court although there was only one other stall opened that Sunday morning.

Actually, the stall is pretty small but there are many workers, so service is fast and furious and the queue moves quite quickly (we probably waited in line for about 10 - 15 minutes).  The wait turned out to be a breeze coz you have buskers keeping you 'entertained' with their fairly good rendition of English songs (there was another group of buskers singing Malay, Chinese and English songs in the alfresco dining area outside).

While waiting in line, we quickly made up our mind of what we wanted but all hopes were dashed when we reached the serving counter.  They had run out of almost everything....daging (beef rendang), ayam (chicken), ikan (fish) and even begedil (potato patty)...I asked! :'(

Looking at their "waktu perniagaan" (business hours) sign, we realised why....they close at 12 noon on weekends and public holidays...and we were there close to 11am (late comers can't be choosers)!

Their food and drink prices are displayed on a board behind the counter (so, you can mathematically count how much your plate will cost starting with the base "nasi lemak biasa" (the basic plain nasi lemak) @ RM2.  By the way, that's the daughter of the boss (in the blue apron).

This was my son's plate of Nasi Lemak with Sotong @ RM5.50 (with a request for less sambal).  My husband had the Nasi Lemak with Hati & Telur @ RM6 (no choice as there weren't any rendang or chicken left)! T_T  Although I must warn you that the serving portions are pretty small and one with a good appetite may need two plates to be fully satisfied.

As for me, I ordered a plate with 'everything that was left' minus the paru (I don't eat lungs).  This was my plate of Nasi Lemak with Sotong (squid), Telur (egg) & Hati (liver and heart) @ RM8.50 (I asked for just 2 pieces of hati, so the price was RM2 instead of the standard 3 pieces serving @ RM3).

Let's start with the basics....the nasi lemak (the "santan" aka coconut milk infused rice) and standard condiments of crispy ikan bilis (fried anchovies), crunchy peanuts and cucumber.  The steamed rice, which was fluffy with nicely separated grains, had a good aroma and a fragrant taste of santan...just lovely!  I liked the fact that the ikan bilis and nuts had more ikan bilis than nuts (unlike some places where it's all nuts and hardly any ikan bilis).

The sambal was slightly sweet but wasn't spicy at all (that's why they scoop a lot of it on the plate, but if you can't take that much sambal, remember to request for less).

The sambal sotong, in a sweet and spicy gravy, was (luckily) the only thing that was left but, at least, I was heartened by the fact that the sotong was in the biggest container, so it must be really good...and it was!  The sotong was super tender (I love it this way, almost falling apart) and the sambal that it was cooked in was also delicious (but those wanting the sambal to be on the spicier side would find this level of spice rather mild). 

I added a hard-boiled egg @ RM1 but this was not the usual hard-boiled egg (served at other nasi lemak stalls) but what looked like a crumbed egg that has been deep fried.  I'm not sure why they took the trouble to fry the egg as it didn't bring about a different taste to the egg except that the outer layer had a slightly more chewy texture (similar to the outer layer of a fish cake).

I also added on two pieces of hati @ RM2 which turned out to be over-fried with a fairly hard and chewy texture...something you can definitely skip having here.  But then, even if you have hati elsewhere (be it nasi lemak or Malay rice stalls), they'll probably be fried until overdone as well coz that's how they usually do it (quite unlike how the Chinese hawkers like to keep it soft and tender).

My Personal Opinion

So, who won the nasi lemak battle in Food Wars Asia, you ask?  Well, I think the right one did!  To me, a good nasi lemak should be judged on only two things....one is the rice and the other is the sambal.  And, for me, I preferred Nasi Lemak Tanglin's sambal (with a more authentic kampong-style taste and not too sweet) and rice (fluffy with a good dose of santan flavour).

But, if it was specifically a fried chicken nasi lemak challenge, then probably Village Park would have taken it home coz their chicken is really good! ;)

So, if you're ever in the area, drop by this one and original stall...and get the 'must have' sambal sotong which I highly recommend.  I would want to return to try their chicken and rendang one day (although the dining comfort/cleanliness isn't entirely to my liking).

Nasi Lemak Tanglin
Tanglin Food Court
Jalan Cenderasari
Tasik Perdana
50480 Kuala Lumpur

23 comments:

  1. How you know, you never had the fried chicken here yet. Don't make the verdict first. :P

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    1. Yes, I wouldn't know....that's why I said probably! :P Anyway, I don't think they offer fried chicken. I read somewhere that their chicken comes in gulai, sambal or merah form only.

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  2. Tanglin? For a while, I thought that's in Singapore. That's a Chinese nasi lemak stall, right? We have a few here too - one that is pretty good, that guy from the peninsula - probably married a local and stayed back for good.

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    1. A sambal with an authentic kampong taste cannot be a Chinese nasi lemak stall lah! :D

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  3. ooo, heheh, i must confess, the sambal at tanglin didn't quite work for me and the rice felt a bit too wet, but i am definitely in the minority, so that's OK :D

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    1. Heh, it's ok if the sambal didn't work for you....to each his own! I find myself in the minority at some food places too :)

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  4. That oil left in the bottom of the dishes doesn't look very appealing.

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    1. Unfortunately, many of the sambals tend to be on the oily side.

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  5. Too bad there was hardly anything left. Next time must go there earlier :) I love paru by the way. In fact I like the whole works hah..hah...

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    1. I doubt our timing will allow us to get there any earlier. Oh, you love paru...that's something I don't eat as I find it really chewy and rubbery :(

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  6. I've never eaten here before but I love Village Park Nasi Lemak. :)

    If you think that this is better, it's definitely worth a try!

    How is the lunch hour rush? Village Park is always so packed it's hard to find a table unless you go slightly before 12 pm.

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    1. I went on a Sunday + they close at 12 noon (please check their business hours in the photo above). Yeah, you can give it a try...perhaps you can "tapau" as their dining conditions aren't exactly pleasant.

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  7. I tried looking for this place before but sesat..must attempt again

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    1. Hope your next attempt is more successful! :)

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  8. Did you go during Ramadan? Were they open their usual hours?

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    1. I was there on a Sunday before Ramadhan....almost towards closing time. Didn't know that they close at 12 noon on weekends and public holidays.

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  9. Hello,
    thank you for posting.
    Your blog is so inspiring me and one of my fave guide everytime I go to KL.
    Btw for this one, how to get there from Bukit Bintang?
    I will go to KL this august and my hotel is around bukit bintang area.
    Can I go to this place by public transport?

    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting my blog...it's comments like these that motivate me to continue blogging.

      I don't travel by public transport, so I would not be able to assist you in this instance. All I know is that this place is probably about 10-15 minutes away by taxi depending on traffic (or 4 - 5 km from where you stay in Bukit Bintang). So, maybe you can take a cab there?

      Check my post on Restoran Win Heng Seng...maybe you can try this place which is much nearer to Bukit Bintang. This coffee shop has a nasi lemak stall outside which is pretty good too, plus various noodles like char kway teow, wantan mee and pork noodles...and they have very lovely egg tarts too.

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    2. Hi, thank you for response.

      Ok then, I would take a cab to there.
      Noted for your recommendation Restoran Win Heng Seng.
      Keep posting :)

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    3. You're welcome. You might also want to check my posts on the other coffee shop (Mei Sin)...lots of choices, just as good (open for breakfast & lunch), Fatt Kee (for Hokkien-style fried noodles) and Ampang Yong Tau Foo (the latter two for dinner only). All these shops are in Imbi and near to where you stay.

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  10. Just went on Dec 21. It was plain horrible and not worth all the attention. Only saving grace was the sotong. Definitely not coming back anymore. And expensive, too!

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    1. Sorry to hear that you didn't like the food here. So, what did you try (beside the sotong) that was plain horrible? As with all places that are famous, prices will sure be in the higher bracket but, then again, nasi lemak is quite expensive these days (a nasi lemak with sotong from a roadside stall now easily cost RM4.50 already).

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  11. This is my favourite place for nasi lemak before i know Village Park. I feel the same way like you did, I like Village Park fried chicken more. Now I only go to Village Park bcos it doesn't matter if I'm a late comer, they still have their nasi lemak supply

    http://www.fatindays.com

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