Any day is a good day to celebrate the beauty of our country with the one thing that most definitely unites us – our love for food.
And what better food unites us than our national dish, Nasi Lemak.
So here’s a countdown of the Top 5 lip-smackingly good Nasi Lemak joints in the Klang Valley, in no particular order.
Village Park Restaurant
It would be blasphemous to come up with a list of Nasi Lemak joints without including the coconut rice institution that is Village Park Restaurant.
Located in crowded Damansara Uptown, the restaurant’s signature Nasi Lemak has earned accolades, including winning the Time Out KL Food Awards 2014 and being voted as serving the Best Ayam Goreng by Blogger’s Choice in 2011.
Started by a Chinese-Muslim husband and wife duo, the Nasi Lemak here is revered more for the delicious fried chicken that is served with the dish rather than the santan rice or sambal.
Speaking of which, the sambal here is neither too spicy nor too bland, keeping both spice-lovers and others happy.
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday: 6.30am – 7.30pm
Saturday & Sunday: 6.30am – 6pm
Nasi Lemak Wanjo
There are a few options when it comes to Nasi Lemak in Kampung Baru but Nasi Lemak Wanjo is definitely the most respected, even more than Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa next door.
Formerly known as Nasi Lemak Mak Wanjo, this humble eatery has been operating for 55 years after starting out as a regular roadside stall. Today Nasi Lemak Wanjo is highly regarded as the best Nasi Lemak in Kuala Lumpur.
Like most Nasi Lemak stalls, you will be served a standard plate of Nasi Lemak consisting of santan rice and other essentials like ikan bilis, boiled egg, and slices of cucumber.
But there are side dishes aplenty to add more pizzaz to your plate.
Opening hours:
Daily: 6.30am – 1am
Closed daily: 12pm – 3pm
Nasi Lemak Bumbung
Nasi Lemak Bumbung is also affectionately called Nasi Lemak Babi – but only because of two things – the food here is “sedap gila babi” (unbelievably delicious), and its located near a Bak Kut Teh stall.
Nasi Lemak Bumbung is a favourite among nocturnal PJ-ites. Don’t expect the sambal here to coddle you – it is designed to burn the tongue of the unaccustomed right off the first bite.
And the Nasi Lemak here comes with a Telur Mata Kerbau (egg done sunny side up) instead of the usual hard boiled egg.
Opening hours:
Monday: Saturday: 5.30pm – 4am
Sunday: 5.30pm – 12am
Nasi Lemak Tanglin
Believe it or not Nasi Lemak Tanglin was featured on Michele Lean’s Food Wars Asia, where it was up for the “Best Nasi Lemak in Malaysia” title against none other than Village Park Restaurant. Nasi Lemak Tanglin emerged the winners!
This speaks volumes of the restaurant’s history, dating back to when it first opened its doors in 1948 with various types of sambal and rendang recipes that they have perfected through the years.
Cheekily located right in front of Tanglin Clinic, the eatery is a devilish temptation to the patients who pass by.
The portions here may be smaller in comparison to other vendors, but what Tanglin lacks in size, it makes up for in robust flavours.
Opening hours:
Daily: 7am – 1pm
Nasi Lemak Peel Road
Going strong for 40 years, this non-halal Nasi Lemak eatery features arguably the best wild boar curry and pork rendang this side of town.
Now imagine all that deliciousness paired with fragrant Nasi Lemak. The stall also has other “chap fan” (mixed rice) dishes and two choices of sambal – spicy and non-spicy.
Opening hours:
Wednesday – Saturday: 2.30pm – 8.30pm
This article first appeared in uppre.com