Nasi Lemak Tanglin @ Jalan Tun Perak

When I was reminded by phonghongbakes that a Nasi Lemak Tanglin (original recipe since 1948) opened up near her, I was reminded of just how much I've missed eating their impressive nasi lemak.  So, I was elated when I found them on ShopeeFood recently (and I was not out of distance for them to reach me...yay!).

The branch I first ate at was at their original outlet in Jalan Cenderasari.....and this outlet is well known to be perpetually crowded all the time (I witnessed that myself when I was there).  So, not wanting to be in an overly crowded place (in these post-pandemic times) and having to queue but still with a desire to eat it, delivery is the next best option.  I tekan tekan (press) my phone to order from the Jalan Cenderasari branch and noted that delivery was RM8 (haiya, I still have to pay RM3 after offsetting a RM5 delivery discount).  I'm quite kedekut (stingy) when it comes to paying for delivery coz I'd always add that charge to my food (in my head) and find that it becomes no longer worth it especially if you order for one person only! >.<

Just as I was about to confirm my order, I decided to click on the restaurant's info button and found that they have a third branch (the second one is in Bukit Damansara as informed by my blogger friend) in the city centre at Jalan Tun Perak (and, guess what, the delivery fee is cheaper at only RM6).  Nasib baik I belum tekan (luckily I've not confirmed) my order yet...hehe!

So, I quickly changed and confirmed my order with Nasi Lemak Tanglin @ Jalan Tun Perak and got myself the Nasi Lemak + Daging @ RM13.50.  This, incidentally, was what we wanted to try when we visited the Jalan Cenderasari outlet the first time but it ran out when we got there late morning.

Their daging is actually beef rendang lah....and they gave two good-sized chunks of it (if you're not a big-eater, one chunk is more than enough for breakfast, so you might want to share your other chunk). ^_~  When I had to ply it apart with my fork and spoon, I thought...oh oh....it must be tough.  Surprisingly it wasn't.  It was still fairly tender but not to the extent of fall apart tender as some would prefer.  The rendang flavours however were spot on. ^.^

As for the sambal, it was difficult to ascertain the flavour on its own as it was mixed in with all the rendang sauce already.  All I know is that it didn't feel spicy at all (and based on my previous review, the sambal was lightly sweet but more savoury).  The rice tasted even more delicious with all the sambal and rendang sauce all mixed together (eat it like nasi kandar style...lol).  Though it was just a tad salty for me (should be fine for others), I still enjoyed it overall.

If you're someone who always feels that some nasi lemak vendors are too stingy with ikan bilis (fried anchovies) and nuts, you certainly won't have cause for complaint here.  They were so abundant, it was too much for me.  They were big ones, not necessarily good quality though (coz I can see the strip than runs through the ikan bilis is black, not white) but at least they were crunchy and not hard.

In order to be eligible for the RM5 off discount voucher for the delivery fee (that I bought), my total order had to be at least RM15, so I went with a second pack of Nasi Lemak + Telur Bali @ RM7.90 (might as well satisfy myself cukup-cukup, eh?).  With that, I also got a RM4 discount off the food.

What is this telur Bali you might ask?  Well, I was wondering the same thing myself too....egg from Bali? Kekeke!  Anyway, it looked like a crumbed (and fried) hard-boiled egg cooked in sambal...but tasted no different from any sambal-cooked hard-boiled egg (except this one had a slightly firmer bite)...just the name sounding a bit more intriguing, that's all.

This packet of nasi lemak however tasted a lot more spicier than the earlier one with beef rendang.  Not sure if it's because they gave a lot more sambal for this (than the one with rendang) or the spiciness was from the sambal in the telur Bali.  Definitely preferred the one with beef rendang.

One thing that caught me by surprise was just how hefty the portions were although I did manage to finish my packet for breakfast, I'd rather have a smaller breakfast portion at a lower price.  I remember the serving portions to be really small when I dined in at their outlet (and even commented in my earlier review) that one might need two plates to be fully satisfied.  Then again, the dine-in prices (then) were also a lot cheaper than the delivery prices (now).  So, be warned that the big portion sizes are more suitable for lunch rather than breakfast.

After such a heavy breakfast, I could barely finish my second packet for lunch.  When a nasi lemak comes served on a banana leaf, I keep my portion for later along with the banana leaf.  There's no throwing away a banana leaf for the aroma it lends to the food (perceived or otherwise...haha) + food always seem less oily when it rests on a banana leaf (like banana leaf rice), don't you think? ;D

My Personal Opinion

Tanglin's nasi lemak is still one of my favourites although I don't eat it often enough because of the location but now that it's on ShopeeFood, that could be a different story.

Although overall the food is a tad salty for me, I'm sure others would be ok with its more robust flavours.  My favourite is still the sotong (squid) but the daging is good too especially the rendang flavours.  An add-on telur Bali could offer something different from the standard hard-boiled egg.

Other nasi lemak choices include ayam Bali, ayam gulai, ayam goreng (fried chicken), kerang (cockles), paru (cow lungs) and limpa (cow spleen) if you prefer these options.  They also offer some noodle dishes, lauk and Nasi Padang (for lunch on weekdays).

This is certainly worthy to be in my saved list on ShopeeFood for nasi lemak (along with Mak Su Corner) even if the flavours are a bit robust but since it's good, I'll see past that.....but I think I'll need to order this for lunch and not breakfast! ^o^

Nasi Lemak Tanglin

10 Jalan Tun Perak

City Centre

50050 Kuala Lumpur

Mak Su Corner @ Taman Shamelin Perkasa

Oh, how I've missed nasi lemak during the Puasa month.  Ya, you still can get it in the evenings but going out to the Ramadan Bazaar wasn't something I was comfortable doing seeing that it would be super crowded.

Moreover, eating nasi lemak in the evenings is just not the same as eating it in the mornings.....it's the breakfast of champions (lol) as far as many Malaysians are concerned!

Now that Raya is over, the nasi lemak stalls and shops are back in business and I can satisfy my weekly cravings for nasi lemak.  And one new shop or stall I tried was this Mak Su Corner @ Taman Shamelin Perkasa on ShopeeFood.

For my first sampling, I got two orders of nasi lemak to try starting with the plain nasi lemak or what we call Nasi Lemak Biasa (or Kosong) @ RM2.90.  Eating a plain nasi lemak is always the best introduction into how good a shop's nasi lemak is as there's no where to hide...they have to nail two key components and that's the rice and the sambal.

Let's start with the nasi (or rice).  Although the rice was not particularly lemak with the taste of santan (coconut milk), I liked that it was nicely cooked with the grains well separated and fluffy.  The rice was of a fairly good quality with almost no (or very little) broken grains.  But it doesn't always come with a banana leaf underneath though.

The sambal (packed separately) was one of the few nasi lemak sambal I've eaten that's more spicy than sweet but not too spicy overall.  It's also slightly more watery than some of the ones I've had but certainly not watered down in taste.  The ikan bilis (fried anchovies) were fragrant, just that it was a little hard and not super crispy, but no kacang (not that I mind).

Of course I had to get the Nasi Lemak Sotong (Squid) @ RM7.90 since sotong sambal is always my no. 1 favorite lauk when it comes to nasi lemak.  I have to say they gave a very sizeable portion of the sotong.  It was tender and utterly delicious.  It has to be good (coz when I checked later, the sotong was the first to run out!).

The sotong sambal was good enough for two portions of nasi.  What you see in the box (earlier) was just half of the sotong which was sufficient since the portion of rice was rather small.  I suppose the small portion is ok for breakfast since we'd usually don't want something too heavy in the morning (though some might disagree...hehe) but for lunch you might want to double up on the rice.

The sambal for the nasi lemak is spicier than the sotong sambal.  I liked the taste of the sotong sambal more as it had a slightly sweeter note.  This packet of nasi also came with another packet of sambal as if we didn't have enough sambal already with the sotong sambal...kekeke.  This is surely one place you don't need to ask for more sambal as one portion of sambal (or sambal sotong) is sufficient for two packs of nasi lemak each (so you could say I had enough sambal for 6 packs of nasi lemak...lol!).

Next, I got the Nasi Lemak Kerang (Cockles) @ RM7.90 to try.  Again, both the sambal and kerang were packed separately.  The sambal kerang was nice too with medium-sized cockles, not too spicy with a hint of sweetness.

In comparison, the portion of sambal kerang was slightly lesser than the sambal sotong but still good enough for two packets of nasi lemak (if you're not too greedy).

During my second round of orders, the nasi lemak came laid on top of a piece of banana leaf.  Ah, good...extra aroma from the banana leaves! ;)  Not only that but it came with timun (cucumbers) as well this round.

For my third delivery, I got the Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang @ RM7.90 and this time the packaging was the least impressive (it came in those el cheapo plastic packaging that I dislike so much and there was no banana leaf either).

I really hate this el cheapo plastic box as it's difficult to eat out from + I need to attack the ayam rendang with a fork and spoon, so I had to pour it out onto a plate.  This packaging also cannot withstand heat, so (if your food is hot) your hands won't be able to hold onto the box.  Sometimes when I tapau Malay rice (and they use this type of plastic box) and the rice is super hot, they have to give us a plate to rest the box on otherwise the rice box is just too hot to hold onto with our hands.

I left a remark on my ShopeeFood order....tolong bagi drumstick, boleh? :D  And I got what I asked for.  For some reason, when it comes to chicken that's cooked till tender, I somehow prefer drumstick to thigh coz I feel geli eating the fat on the thigh and skin (if it's fried till crispy, then it's a different story-lah).  This ayam rendang was cooked till tender and the flavours of the rendang sauce was spot on.  Would I have liked the chicken to be cooked even softer?  Sure.

Besides nasi lemak, they also have nasi kukus ayam dara, nasi ayam & ikan keli penyet and nasi briyani with different lauk on their menu but I've never tried since these are offered only later in the day and not in the mornings when I want to have my nasi lemak.

My Personal Opinion

Although roadside nasi lemak stalls can be found abundantly in any housing area, this one will be saved into my ShopeeFood favourite list for those days when I'm too lazy to drive out to tapau from the stalls.

Not only does it taste good, I like their clean and environment-friendly paper-type packaging too (when that's available).  This certainly puts some restaurants to shame who charges over RM10 for a box of food but yet pack them in cheap plastic packaging.  Only downside is that they can be a little inconsistent with their packaging depending what's available (sometimes paper box, sometimes cheap plastic box, sometimes no banana leaf and sometimes no timun).

A more than decent nasi lemak with nice packaging and the prices are very reasonable too (after taking into account discount vouchers from ShopeeFood).  There'll be repeat orders in future, for sure.

Mak Su Corner

1 Jalan 11/91

Taman Shamelin Perkasa

56100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 017-351 5172

Kafei Dian @ Pandan Indah

I first got to know about this kafei dian (which literally means kopitiam) when they opened in Chinatown (Petaling Street) in 2019 with their old-school coffee shop vibe of cement floors, wooden chairs, marbled and tiled table tops with lots of greenery.

And sometime last year, they opened a branch in my neighbourhood, Kafe Dian @ Pandan Indah.  My sister-in-law informed me of them coz she happened to pass by and was invited in to try some of their food, yam cake in particular.

One of their most popular dishes is their Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang @ RM11.90 served with half a hard-boiled egg, crispy ikan bilis & groundnuts, sambal and a refreshing acar (pickled vegetables of carrot, onions, pineapple, cucumber & chillies).

I'd consider the ayam rendang good (but a bit spicy lah) for a Chinese version.  The sambal was also spicy seeing that it's from a Chinese eatery.  The green-coloured, pandan-infused rice didn't have much of a santan aroma and the consistency was a little sticky and starchy.  I'm guessing that there must be some glutinous rice in the mix.  If you're looking for santan-flavoured rice, you won't get it here.

Next, I gave their Nasi Lemak with Fried Ikan Kembong @ RM11.90 a try.  It was served with the same condiments as the earlier nasi lemak ayam rendang.

Their ikan kembong (fried Indian mackerel) was super, super crispy....too crispy if you ask me until it was over-fried and the slit on the fish made the flesh dry out even more.  My preference would be for the fish to be crisp and fragrant around the edges while the flesh remains slightly moist.

And again, I was tempted by yet another fish dish, their Fried Tenggiri Fish + Rice @ RM16.90.  Why not?....since I love fried fish (and I enjoyed this fish more than the fried ikan kembong.

The tenggiri (Spanish mackerel or kau yue) was fresh and nicely fried with some ginger shreds.  I think they can afford to give a little bit more veggie, don't you think?  They call the veggies Penang Mengkuang Char (similar to stir-fried yam bean with dried squid, Chinese mushrooms and shredded carrot).

What I found a bit weird was that it came served with an assam broth (I'm guessing it's the same one you get with assam laksa) as a sauce since, overall, it didn't have any sauce.  This was probably an afterthought to throw in this assam broth since the dish may be difficult to consume (for some, me included) when it's predominantly dry.

The Seafood Fried Rice @ RM13.50 came with prawns, fried egg, fish cake slices and carrot bits.  You can detect a light hint of wok hei but otherwise the rice was just bland.  The prawns texture was the overly crunchy type which didn't have any flavour in them (aka frozen farmed/lower quality prawns).  Let's just say you can get tastier and cheaper fried rice from any siew chow stall and they will be heads and shoulders above this one.

Other than the nice egg layer on top, the Penang Fried Kway Teow @ RM10.50 wasn't very successful either. The noodles didn't look nor taste like they were well fried, so don't expect any charred flavour or wok hei. Again, the dish was accompanied by crunchy, frozen prawns that were devoid of flavour.

I saw quite a few people order the (Dried) Shrimp Curry Chee Cheong Fun @ RM5, so I thought I'd give it a go.  Unfortunately, the curry was not the thick kind.  Don't underestimate the little bit of chilli sauce provided as it packs quite a punch to the overall taste.  It was a just ok curry chee cheong fun but certainly not quite in the league of Yap Hup Kee's chee cheong fun by a country mile.

The Yam/Taro Cake @ RM4.30 (for 2 pcs) had a balance texture of smooth with bits of yam pieces within it.  I was glad to see it come with a good sprinkling of minced dried prawns, fried shallots, fresh peanuts, chopped spring onions and tiny bits of fresh red chillies.  This (incidentally) is not on their menu...you have to get them from the counter already pre-packed.

Though it wasn't the best yam cake I've had, it was still a very decent yam cake by many standards and probably the best you can find in my neighbourhood even though there weren't much fragrance in the dried prawns and the fried shallots were no longer crispy.

Of course, when one comes to a kopitiam like this, an order of Half-Boiled (Kampong) Eggs @ RM3 is a must.....but their eggs were served barely lukewarm.

That tells me it's probably done sous-vide style sitting in a temperature-controlled bath which means no human error of overcooked eggs but also not piping hot fresh out of boiling water.  I like mine so hot it would burn my fingers when I hold on to the egg to try and crack it...lol! :D  If you're one who likes their half-boiled eggs piping hot, this one isn't quite for you. >.<

This was their Toasted Bun with Butter & Kaya @ RM3.  Their inhouse-made kaya was slightly sweet for my taste buds but should be just right for the masses.  The kaya didn't give me that homemade vibe but a decent kaya by commercial standards nevertheless, more sweet than fragrant.

A breakfast of a freshly toasted bun (or bread) lathered with copious amounts of kaya complete with cubes (or slices) of cold butter and enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee on-site (not necessarily this one) is what I miss most with no dine-in. :'(

I can't say I'm totally on board with the taste of their Iced Black Coffee @ RM3.50 nor their Hot Cham (combination of coffee + milk tea) @ RM2.90 though.

My Personal Opinion

Nothing I've tried so far is inedible or bad tasting....but neither could I say that something I had was particularly good either.  The food is generally decent or average at best, so don't have too high an expectation when you dine here.  It's a place where the ambience and comfort is a notch above what you'd get in a typical old-school coffee shop.  Although prices seem reasonable for the type of food charged, some will find the portions a little small (a single dish may not be enough).

I suppose you could say that they're a jack of all trades but master of none as I noticed that they have quite a variety on their menu but you can't put your finger on what they're especially good at since no one dish stood out enough (of all the dishes I've tried thus far) for me to say....yes, this one is better than the other (similar) one I had before.

Still, it has given me and my family an extra option on where to dine for some of our meals.  So, perhaps I'll just say what I won't mind having again here...and that would be the yam cake, toasted bun with butter & kaya, fried tenggiri and ayam rendang.

Kafei Dian

No 1 & 3 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/4

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Nasi Lemak Bamboo @ SS2 PJ

When phonghongbakes wrote a post on Nasi Lemak Bamboo @ SS2 PJ, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I ventured there coz I love to eat nasi lemak to begin with + it's located on a jalan (road) which is a familiar hunting ground for us when it comes to food.

Originating from Sabah, this flavour of Sabahan reached our shores with their first branch outside of Sabah in PJ (opened in late November 2020).  They have since opened another branch in Sri Petaling with more franchise outlets to open soon.

We actually came here twice.  The first was a disappointment because we found a queue waiting to be seated...and we didn't want to wait.  The second time, we arrived not long after they were opened and found no queue.  We got one of the last available tables...and that's when I noticed everyone who was sitting down wasn't eating yet coz the 'queue' has moved inside...meaning everyone was 'queuing' inside instead for their food...lol!

Well, at least queuing when one is seated isn't that bad.  The shop is basically self service, so you need to order at the counter and self pick up your food and drinks from two different counters.  I would have preferred for the food to be served to us at the table.

Well, our first order has to be none other than their Nasi Lemak Bamboo Kari Seafood @ RM16.90 as that's obviously what they're best known for (otherwise it wouldn't be in the shop's name...hehe!).  This was how it was served.  It arrived with an inverted bamboo on a rattan tray lined with waxed paper laden with the usual toppings of hard-boiled egg, fried ikan bilis & peanuts, cucumber and sambal.

When I lifted up the bamboo cylinder, the contents melimpah keluar (flowed out) with steaming hot rice mixed with prawns, sotong (squid) and sambal that was wrapped in banana leaves.  They made this by lining the hollow bamboo with banana leaves before filling it up with cooked rice and seafood curry to be steamed.

You know me, the food already gets off to a flying start when it arrives piping hot.  The seafood of squid and prawns were adequately fresh and it was a generous amount of seafood for the price.

The medium-sized prawns had a slightly (very slight) bouncy texture when I bit into it and were only mildly sweet, not near the low quality of frozen prawns but also not quite the good quality, sweet tasting fresh prawns that I know.

What looked like small squids turned out to be baby cuttlefish.  They seemed like baby octopus initially but taking a closer look and based on size of the tentacles to body ratio, they're more likely to be baby cuttlefish (they call it sotong katak?).  The cuttlefish had a nice, soft texture.

The seafood curry is very light tasting, not the robustly flavoured kari we know, so those expecting traditional curry flavours will be disappointed.  The curry has this light, sourish tang to it (with kaffir lime leaves)...nothing quite like a savoury curry but I quite enjoyed it eaten together with the sambal.  The sambal is more on the sweet side rather than spicy which works for me but some will prefer it spicier and more savoury (like my husband).  Mix the curry with the sambal for a delicious mouthful.

I wanted to try the Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang for our other choice but it was not available that morning.  Not sure why since we were there when they opened shop, so they couldn't have run out of it already.  Perhaps it wasn't ready yet which leads to the next question....why wasn't it ready? >_<

So, we chose the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng @ RM12.90 instead.  It was served with a whole fried chicken leg with the same condiments of hard-boiled egg, fried crispy anchovies & peanuts, cucumber and sambal.

The coating on the deep-fried whole chicken leg was very crunchy but the meat could do with more seasoning and flavour (according to my spouse) though it was alright for me.  The batter coating of this fried chicken is crunchy but a bit hard and seemed a little over-fried.  It's not as good as Village Park's Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng (which I prefer) where the batter coating is finer and much crispier with better flavours in both the coating and the meat.

I was able to taste the santan in the rice a bit more with this one coz it was not doused in the seafood curry. The ikan bilis weren't of the best quality though they managed to be crispy but a tad hard.

I ordered a Mee Siam Kosong @ RM5 to go (for my lunch later).  The plain mee siam came with a few slivers of omelette.  The mee siam may look deceptively simple but I did enjoy it as the flavours were nicely balanced between sour and not too spicy.  Something light and appetite inducing.

The Hainan Kopi (Cold) @ RM3.50 is as decent as it can be for an establishment like this.  They also have on their menu mee rebus, soto ayam, sotong goreng, cucur udang, otak-otak, cendol, soft-boiled eggs & Hainanese toast.  They've recently added nasi lemak rendang daging to the menu (now this I'm interested).

My Personal Opinion

For me, it's the uniqueness of the seafood curry in a bamboo that differentiates it from the rest of the nasi lemak joints (although nasi lemak served in a bamboo isn't something new as it has been done before). Nevertheless, if you're someone who enjoys eating seafood (like me) and who doesn't mind a light tasting, faintly sourish, appetite inducing curry, then this is the very thing you should order when you're here. ^o^

But their ayam goreng is not quite in the same league as say Village Park's fried chicken.  I've not had their nasi lemak ayam rendang and certainly wouldn't mind trying their rendang daging on my next visit.

Overall, it's a pleasant enough nasi lemak (I'm referring to their signature dish, of course) though many will probably say they can find many other better tasting nasi lemak than this.  Nasi lemak is just one of those dishes that everyone tends to have their own favourite and it's difficult to convince them otherwise. ^_~

Update:  This branch is permanently closed but they have other branches elsewhere (google to find out where)

Nasi Lemak Bamboo

28 Jalan SS2/66

47300 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: 016-801 3007