Nominate and vote for your favourite nasi lemak eatery

BY YASMIN AHMAD KAMIL AND FARAH FAZANNA ZULZAHA

In November, you can vote for the best nasi lemak in The Star People’s Food Awards.

STARTING Nov 1, log on to Metro Online Broadcast (MOB) to nominate your favourite nasi lemak eatery for The Star People’s Food Awards.

You stand a chance to win attractive prizes such as hotel stays and dining vouchers.

Those who nominate, vote or successfully share a link are automatically entered into a race to win prizes.

Nominations are open for the first 10 days of the month (Nov 1 to 10), followed by voting from Nov 15 until the end of the month.

This week, MOB features two popular nasi lemak eateries.

Fazaitul, who runs the eatery at Kompleks Medan Tanglin, says her family’s nasi lemak grew from humble beginnings.

NASI LEMAK TANGLIN,

Jalan Cenderasari, Kuala Lumpur.

PLENTY has been said about Nasi Lemak Tanglin on the Internet.

Located near SMK (P) Methodist, the famous eatery has been touted for having one of the best nasi lemak servings in the city.

Those keen to visit the stall should go early, as the lines are long.

When I arrived before 9am on a Friday morning, there was a beeline.

Guests are spoilt for choice as Nasi Lemak Tanglin offers a variety of dishes

Despite their business hours being until noon, they ran out of rice by 10.30am.

From squid to prawns, fried eggs and chicken sambal, guests have a variety of dishes to choose from.

Fazaitul Akhma Zainal Abidin, 30, who currently runs the eatery at Kompleks Medan Tanglin, said her family’s nasi lemak business grew from humble beginnings.

In 1948, her paternal grandmother used to sell nasi lemak under a large tree, nearby the food court where they currently operate.

Her father continued to sell nasi lemak under the tree before she took over the business in 2006.

Fazaitul is uncertain about the origin of the recipes but she said her grandmother grew up in Indonesia before moving to Singapore when she was 12.

Some of the dishes available include squid, beef rendang, fried eggs or eggsambal, fried chicken and chicken sambal.

The warm rice cooked in coconut milk with sambal chicken was tasty. The squid was average.

Giving the dish added texture is the peanuts and ikan bilis. The highlight is the sambal, which is tasty, moderately spicy and has a slight sweetness to it.

They provide value-for-money meals if that is what people are looking for in the area.

While patrons can have their meal within the food court, there are also chairs and tables behind the food court for guests to eat under the canopy of trees or tents.

Business hours are from 7am to noon, and 3pm to 7pm on weekends, 7am to noon on weekends and public holidays.

Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa staff showing off the basic plate of nasi lemak – rice, sambal and eggs.

NASI LEMAK ANTARABANGSA

4, Jalan Raja Muda Musa, Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

NASI Lemak Antarabangsa in Kampung Baru is popular with many people.

Nestled within a row of shops, Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa is easily missed, if not for the long queues even until late at night.

Customers have many dishes to choose from, ranging from paru goreng, chicken or beef rendang, sambal ikan bilis and ayam goreng rempah.

However, the squid sambal is the best-selling dish (top pic), said owner Abdul Halim Jamaluddin.

“It is my mother’s recipe, and we follow it properly to ensure the taste does not change,” he said.

The nasi lemak, consisting of cucumber slices, fried anchovies and sambal and side dish of chicken rendang and squid sambal were very good, considering that a plate costs RM10.10.

A good sambal is the backbone in any nasi lemak, and the one at Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa is slightly on the sweet side.

The stall opens from 5pm to noon the next day.