Keng Nam Hai (Black Man Nasi Lemak) @ Kepong

In my previous visits to Keng Nam Hai @ Kepong, I discovered a fantastic curry mee (by accident) and a really good rice wine la-la noodles (based on online reviews).  The roasted meat stall (especially the siew yuk) is more than decent too...and these are what we'd usually have when we're here.

But each time I'm here, I've also noticed a steady queue at the Black Man Nasi Lemak stall at the front of the coffee shop.  I can certainly relate to why the stall is called Black Man Nasi Lemak as one can clearly see the resemblance between the stall owner and the caricature in the stall's sign complete with bandana, glasses and beard (when he's not clean shaven) + his darker-than-usual skin tone (for a Chinese).  I actually mistook him for a foreigner until I heard him speaking Chinese.

There were the default condiments of ikan bilis & kacang, shredded carrot & cucumber and half a hard-boiled egg for each plate of nasi lemak.  As for the kar liew (aka additional dishes), I could see (from left to right on the upper shelf) options for luncheon meat, fried egg, sihum (cockle/kerang) sambal, choy poh sambal and (what looked like some kind of) dried spicy pork....and pork chop (on the lower shelf).

I told myself that I must try the nasi lemak on my next visit.  So, I did.  I ordered the Nasi Lemak with chicken rendang, choy poh sambal & curried potatoes.  I don't know how much my plate of nasi lemak cost (probably RM10) as the total came to RM19 including my husband's plate of nasi lemak with pork chop.

The chicken rendang (I asked for thigh) was absolutely tender and delicious.  It can give the Malay version of chicken rendang a good run for its money.  In fact, it was even better than some Malay versions I've eaten. The curried potatoes were equally outstanding with a softness that's almost like a mash consistency.

I can understand why there's a big pot of the curried potatoes (cooked with fragrant curry leaves) as it's a well sought-after accompaniment for the nasi lemak.

The curry encasing the potatoes is also rendang-like (maybe it's from the rendang chicken itself).

If you like rendang-style chicken and potatoes, you won't want to miss these two. ^.^

I pointed to some kind of dried sambal and asked the 'Black Man' what it is and was told that it's choy poh sambal.  Hmmm, I don't think I've had choy poh sambal before.  Choy poh (preserved radish) is something you'd find stir-fried with carrot cake or as a topping for woon chai koh (steamed rice flour cake).  This choy poh concoction was probably fried with some blended chilli paste, dried prawns and onions.  It was really, really tasty...salty but tasty (so you'll need more rice for this). ^_*

For a Chinese-version sambal, I think this one was more than worthy...a lot closer to the benchmark Malay-style sambal and way better than most of the Chinese-made sambal I've eaten.  The rice is decently fragrant too.

My Personal Opinion

If you're looking for a good Chinese nasi lemak with pork on the menu, a sambal and rendang that can give the Malay ones a run for their money....this is a worthy contender, for sure.  It was certainly a lot better than many of the Chinese-made nasi lemak I've tried so far.

I was already thinking what I'd want to try next...the kerang sambal...with those thick cut pieces of luncheon meat (they look like they're of a good quality).

The chicken rendang and choy poh sambal are clear standouts! ;)  So far, I'm not one bit disappointed with the four stalls I've tried here...I'm absolutely thrilled about the rice wine la-la meehoon and the accidental find of a terrific curry laksa. ^o^

Update: I went back for the Black Man Nasi Lemak some two weeks ago and found another nasi lemak stall occupying its place! T_T  I decided to go ahead and post this anyway since the blog post was already near completion in my draft folder.  I've had a reader tell me previously when a shop I patronised relocated, so (who knows), perhaps another reader might tell me where he has moved to. ^_~  I don't think he has called it quits since his nasi lemak is so good (always with a perpetual queue).  Well, in case you bump into him elsewhere, you'll know that this is something worth trying.

Restoran Keng Nam Hai
Pusat Niaga Metro Prima
No 1-G Jalan Prima 1
Kepong
52100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 017-947 1988