Friday, April 20, 2007

Nasi Lemak Mak Wanjor @ Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur



I confess, I ain't no fan of Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa. For years I have heard about their legendary food and the queues of people flocking their stall. However when I tasted it for the first time, I was shocked. The sambal tasted just like it came out from the packet of chili boh. It was numbingly spicy but the taste was flat. Sorry to those who are fans but honestly, there's much better nasi lemak elsewhere.



Feeling dissapointed with Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa, I was steered towards this place just down the road from it by a Kampung Baru resident. Mak Wanjor is a simple set up - just a few metal trays of curries and sambals set up at a roadside stall. You pick and choose what you wish to order and they will assemble it for you. Either pack back in brown paper lined with banana leaf or eat inside where tables and chairs are located.



What's really good is the fluffy rice grains with a faint hint of the coconut milk it's steamed in. The not too thick sambal is slightly sweetish with ikan bilis (anchovies) in it. Mix it with the rice to get a fully satisfying meal. I tend to like the fried chicken here - juicy and fragrant with spices. They also serve sambal sotong, paru (cow lungs), kerang (cockles), rendang and etc.

Nasi Lemak Mak Wanjor
Jalan Raja Muda Musa
Kampung Baru
Kuala Lumpur

(Halal. Open in the morning and the evenings. Closes on Sunday)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

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15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hallo ! Pertama kali di sini wo banyak masakan di sini! Syabas ! Mungkin ada chan bolih mari kampung yang asli seperti di perak tentu syok makanan melayu sini ! You should come and try nice food in small towns sure best than big town. Terima Kasih !

Precious Pea said...

Heard so much about the Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa, both good and bad reviews. Probably they are so famous, they don't care about the quality anymore. Am a big big fan or nasi lemak, especially with sambal sotong and you managed to capture the photo of a big tray of delicious looking sotong. Yumzzz!!! I normally ask for Janggut banyak-banyak.

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

How do u rate this against Tanglin? I also don't care much for Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa, although we used to eat a lot of it several years back when we were burning the midnight oil trying to get accounts out! (Comfort food mah)

fatboybakes said...

i've never tried NLA sober before. everytime i've been there, i probably rolled out of the car, crawled to the counter, got my food, ate, and probably didnt stay in very long.

hey, boo, is this place facing a padang? many many MANY years ago, a friend brought me to a place in kg baru, and i've been looking for it ever since, like that lost love that you once chanced upon in a fleeting embrace. the sweetish sambal was the clue.

Tummythoz said...

Haven't tried NLA yet. Heard about it a lot tho. Also heard that the service staff can be quite snobbish too.
precious pea, hi-5! Luv luv luv janggut too. Somehow noticed that most will opt for the body instead.

tankiasu said...

Never try any food in Kampung Baru before. Shall organize an makan expedition into the area soon!

Babe_KL said...

i have stopped liking NLA for years already (err more than 7-8 years perhaps)! totally jatuh standard.

Unknown said...

its so bad to read your blog in London ah...makes me so hungry for malaysian food! gave up today and drove round hunting down a malaysian restaurant today for nasi lemak AND hainanese chicken rice all in 1 sitting- feeling very fat (but very satisfied!!) now :D

Rasa Malaysia said...

Oh my Malay sambal cuttlefish...this is simply the best but I couldn't tell what kind of cuttlefish they use to make this...I supposed it's the dried ones we Chinese used to boil soup but somehow they can make the texture softer and nicer...secret recipe I guess.

wmw said...

We have the others to eat, the one at Taman Rakyat in Klang and Pakcik Wahab's in SS2 :o)

Unknown said...

Hmm the sambal is like straight from the pack of chilli boh? sounds horrible.

the sambal sotong from this stall nampak sedap lah...

boo_licious said...

manjung - hiya! I can imagine how nice small town food tastes as I used to travel to those places too. Thanks for the reminder and when I do have the time, I will definitely make a trip up north.

precious pea - I think NL antarabangsa is all hype. Food really not nice and very stuck up too. I like the janggut too. My fav part of the sotong versus the thick body.

lemongrass - the rice here is nicer than tanglin but sambalwise, tanglin is better as they have a slight nutty taste to it.

fatboybakes - must be the alcohol mix hence it's nicer. I know which place you're talking abt. I'll trade you the name and how to get there for one piece of entremet, ok?

tummythoz - they're terrible. Scolded us when we snapped pixs somemore.

tankiasu - if you love street food and Malay food then you shld have a Kg Baru food crawl.

babe - well, I never ate them before till recently and it was BAD!

viv - ooops! I am sorry. Glad you satisfied yr cravings though. Sounds like a great meal you had.

rasa malaysia - think they add a secret ingredient to it to make it softer. Some of them are chewy versus tender.

wmw - thxs for the reminder. Klang Nasi Lemak and Tong Yuen! Yummmy!

keropok man - well, it tasted like that. Really yucks ok? Couldn't even finish one plate.

KakLong said...

The Kg Baru Lontong also not bad guys...u all should try it !!

Unknown said...

Bru je lpas mkn nasi lemak mak wanjor,tk sdap mne pon smbal nasi lemak.nasi lemak tak complete,telor n kacang tkde..kalu nk telor kena cas...spatutnya nasi lemak kena ada kacang ikan bilis n telor...saya bole bagi 2bintang jela

Unknown said...

Bru je lpas mkn nasi lemak mak wanjor,tk sdap mne pon smbal nasi lemak.nasi lemak tak complete,telor n kacang tkde..kalu nk telor kena cas...spatutnya nasi lemak kena ada kacang ikan bilis n telor...saya bole bagi 2bintang jela

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