Nasi Lemak Saleha @ Ampang

I've heard about Nasi Lemak Saleha for quite a while now but have never tried until now....via delivery...and that's because we went to their branch in Dataran Pandan Prima (near Tesco Ampang) once and found the place really crowded.  It seems they started as a small warung in Kampong Pandan before relocating here (they also have another branch in Taman Sri Rampai).

The Ampang branch was full of delivery riders (waiting to pick-up orders) and dine-in customers with tables spilling onto the sidewalks and street (and that was before the Movement Control Order, of course).  Not only was it crowded but it didn't look in tip-top shape (their other branch looks a lot more cleaner and spacious from photos), at least not enough for me to want to dine-in.

So, fast forward a couple of months and a check on their Facebook revealed they have their own ordering platform via www.nasilemaksaleha.com.  The menu prices seem slightly lower than those charged by other delivery partners if you order directly from them (minimum order value is RM30) with a RM10 delivery fee...but the delivery charges will be waived for a first time order.

I wasted no time in putting my fingers to work....click, click, click...and wa-la, my order came delivered by LalaMove and on schedule.  Even though there's a branch in Ampang nearer to me, I noticed that my order came from their Taman Sri Rampai branch (well, that's what the ordering website said...perhaps, that's their main branch for delivery).

I ensured that I put in an order amount that would qualify me for free first-time delivery.  My order total came to RM34.50 and I keyed in the code WELCOME10 for free delivery.

They say you can judge a good nasi lemak by having it in its most humble form...and that is a packet of nasi lemak bungkus.  So, the Nasi Lemak Daun Pisang @ RM2.35 was what I was most eager to try + I really like it this way....in all its simplicity without any special add-on lauk.

For a simple packet of nasi lemak biasa to work, the two most important components have to deliver....the rice...and the sambal! ;)  You can smell and taste that the rice had a fairly good dose of santan (coconut milk) in it except that the texture of the coconut milk-infused rice was a bit soft.  And because of the slightly mushy rice, you actually get a bigger portion of rice as it tends to clump together when compacted, so you'll need a bit of force to press down (separate) the rice.  I would have preferred firmer rice with nicely separated grains but I'd still give them props for the fragrant, santan-y rice.

The spicy-sweet sambal was good too, slightly spicy for my taste buds but tolerable and also very addictive...you just want to keep eating more.  It had a good hint of sweetness from the onions cooked with the ikan bilis (dried anchovies) in the sambal.

Our next order was the Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam @ RM11.19 (don't ask me why their prices have weird numbers like this but those are the prices stated in their website).  First thing I noticed was that the sambal and lauk were packed separately.  I like (and prefer) that coz, for people like me who may not be able to take the spiciness of their sambal/lauk, we can then eat the amount we're comfortable with.

The chicken rendang nasi lemak came with rendang ayam, santan-infused rice, sambal, hard-boiled egg, cucumber and fried ikan bilis but no kacang (peanuts)....ran out of kacang so early in the day? :P

As for the rendang ayam, I got a drumstick because I left a special remark on my order to make sure I got my preferred chicken part...hee..hee (don't think that would have been possible if it was via FoodPanda or GrabFood).  The rendang gravy had good flavours and was especially nice (wished there was more of it) while the chicken meat was tender too, not super tender but tender enough.

The Nasi Lemak Sambal Sotong @ RM10.25 came with the same condiments of a standard packet of nasi lemak with a separately packed and very generous portion of sambal sotong.

Let me show you how generous a portion...there were at least 8 good-sized pieces of sotong which was cooked till sufficiently tender.

Not only were they generous with the sotong pieces, they were generous with the sotong gravy too which was a little less spicy and also not as thick as the sambal.  The sambal sotong was terrific as well.

I also got an extra order of Rendang Daging @ RM6.38 just to see how it tastes but was a bit disappointed that the serving size was rather small for the price paid (ok-lah, I get it, beef is expensive).  Maybe next time I should just order this with the nasi lemak and not as an add-on.

The serving of the beef rendang shown here compared to the squid sambal side by side will give you a better indication of its quantity.

I was extremely happy with the flavours of the rendang though as it was really good (not overpowered by too much lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves or tumeric leaves like some can be) and the beef was adequately tender (again not super tender but tender enough).  I would have loved if there was more of that lovely kerisik (toasted grated coconut) rendang gravy.

The rendang daging ended up as something extra to eat with the remaining packets of nasi lemak bungkus just that the smallish amount wasn't quite enough. :(

There was even enough sambal sotong to go with the other packet of nasi lemak bungkus.

You can also order extra sides of ayam rendang, sotong sambal, ayam masak merah and paru berempah (all at RM6.38 a portion) and ayam goreng berempah (at RM5.16 a piece) or order them as an add-on to your nasi lemak proper.  Besides nasi lemak, they also offer Mee Rebus Johor, Mee Kari Nyonya, Bihun Sup Utara, Penang Assam Laksa, Char Kuey Teow Udang and Mee Goreng Ayam.

If there was something I'm not thrilled about (other than the slightly mushy rice), it would probably be the standard condiments (other than the half hard-boiled egg which, incidentally, was beautifully cooked...with no black ring around the yolk).  Their meagre portion of fried ikan bilis (you can see from the photos I added my own), no kacang and 1 - 2 slices of cucumber seems rather kedekut (stingy) to me (I'm sure they can give more)...after all, this is a RM10 packet of nasi lemak! ;P

Overall, the above order should be sufficient to feed a family of two (even three) as the rice portions are generous enough to satiate an average eater.  Even their nasi lemak daun pandan, great as breakfast, can satisfy as a light lunch too (or satisfy someone with a better appetite as an add-on to their nasi lemak meal).

Since one can order direct from their website (with their deliveries handled by LalaMove), anyone can order it as it's not location bound.  If you have an iron stomach, you can even order extra nasi lemak bungkus/lauk for eating later.  I've kept the nasi lemak bungkus for breakfast the next day and it still tasted good (just remove the newspaper wrapping and re-steam the rice still wrapped in pandan leaves).

My Personal Opinion

I finally got to try Nasi Lemak Saleha and was happy with the outcome.  The plain nasi lemak turned out well with its addictive sambal and I've no complaints on the three types of lauk accompaniments either.

All three (rendang ayam, rendang daging & sotong sambal) I had were equally satisfying, so it depends on what you really fancy.  For me, I prefer the beef rendang (first) and sotong sambal (second) and that's only because I've had a truly awesome nasi lemak sotong (from a street vendor near where I stay) that is unrivalled by anything better.

As you'd expect, the prices are shop prices which means it won't be half as cheap as those you'd get from those gerai nasi lemak di tepi jalan (street stalls).  I like to think of it as a reasonably-priced nasi lemak that I can enjoy anytime of the day, not just in the mornings.

From my positive experience, you bet I'll be ordering this for delivery again but may have to choose to go with FoodPanda or GrabFood now that I've used up my first-time free delivery offer already.  P/S: Probably best to order delivery as there are so many unhappy reviews on their atrocious service during dine-in.

Nasi Lemak Saleha (Ampang)

No. 3 Jalan Pandan Prima 3

Pandan Prima Square

68000 Ampang

Selangor

or

Nasi Lemak Saleha (Taman Sri Rampai)

No. 2 Jalan Seri Rejang 4

Taman Sri Rampai

53300 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 017-747 0100