[NON-HALAL]

It is helmed by Suresh Gnanasekaran, who has made it his mission to serve as many patrons as he can in a day.

Starting as early at 8am and selling out before 3pm, what makes this stall stand out is not just Suresh’s warm hospitality or the long queues that start right at opening time.

It’s also the signature dish of pork varuval, which caused quite a kerfuffle on Malaysian social media recently.

But Suresh, speaking to FMT Lifestyle recently, shrugged it off as “largely an online” matter. “It wasn’t even close to being as bad as some people made it seem,” he said. “It was a very small group of people.”

The pork varuval at Pumbaa is prepared at home by his 63-year-old mother and Suresh works hard with two of his employees to fill out trays of the meat at his stall.

What makes the pork so tender and easy on the palate? “We boil the meat for an hour plus in a lot of ginger and galangal,” Suresh let on.

If the never-ending queue was not a clear enough sign of how popular the dish is, Suresh said there have been instances of patrons flying in from outstation just to sample it.

“There was a family of seven who flew down from Brunei for lunch,” he said. “The saddest part was they arrived when the pork was sold out.”

But he suggested that if they were willing to wait, he would return home immediately to cook a fresh portion of pork varuval – just for them. And the family agreed.

It should be noted that if you’d like to have a taste of Suresh’s cooking, you must be willing to wait a fair bit because of the queues.

Additionally, if you are hankering for Pumbaa’s nasi lemak rather than its nasi kandar, you’ll have to be there early, especially if you want to secure yourself a portion of pork varuval or rendang. These get sold out quickly, but they do get replenished if you’re patient.

“Homey” is one word that would appropriately describe Suresh’s cooking.

FMT Lifestyle ordered two plates of nasi kandar, one with mutton and the other with prawns. Both came with steaming hot rice drenched in curry, perfect meals to enjoy with your fingertips.

The mutton varuval served with the first nasi kandar was generous with the meat portions. And the accompanying bean sprouts gave the meal a much welcomed crunch.

Perhaps you should order yourself a side of fried chicken, as this reviewer did. Enjoy picking apart at the crunchy outer layer before you dig into the savoury meat.

As for the prawn option, it’s quite an ode to the crustacean. Each piece is a juicy and fresh treat.

Of course, who would want to miss out on the pork varuval, the dish that made the place so famous or infamous?

Pork has a certain tenderness that even mutton cannot beat and this is as clear as day at Pumbaa’s, especially when the flavours of the thick spicy gravy that coats the meat, seep in.

Pumbaa’s is indeed a place worth any Malaysian foodie’s visit.

Pumbaa’s Nasi Lemak and Nasi Kandar [NON-HALAL]
Good Old Days Restaurant,
2, Jalan SS 22/21, Damansara Jaya,
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Business hours:
8am-3pm (Closed on Mondays)