IF THERE is a makan place in Petaling Jaya that can give Zainul nasi kandar in the new town area a run for its money, then it would be a stall in Taman Aman.
But, before I proceed, both nasi kandar places are, by no means, anywhere near the ‘real thing’ in Penang.
So, before I get a mouthful from Captain Penang and his sidekick the Butterworth Boy Wonder, let me say that the nasi kandar in the Klang Valley can only be labelled as “noteworthy”.
Friendly neighbour hoodstall: Ariff nasi kandar has been around for some 30years.Okay, so, there I was, hung up on a dry day and trying hard to source for materials to pen my column.
I’ve covered a bit on what’s good around Petaling Jaya and learned that there is a makan place in Taman Aman serving lunch at decent prices.
Without hesitation, I consulted my buddy Zakri ‘Billy’ Baharuddin and found kedai nasi kandar Ariff or better known as ATS curry house.
“Ah, kedai ni, Sam, boleh tahan, tapi Zainul is better la..,” he said.
I jumped at his invitation to savour Ariff’s nasi kandar and made a beeline for the stall in Taman Aman.
Even before lunch hour, this place is already packed with people.
A good indicator of the quality of the food served here is the Chinese crowd.
I can see some elderly couples including a bunch of Ah Peks (uncles) hanging out over a plate of hot rice and some meat dishes.
While queuing up, a Malay guy in his mid-40s asked: “Eh, but apa ni? Nak kasi keluar paper ka?”
Bent on keeping my cover, I told him that I took some snapshots to show them to my overseas friend.
We sat facing each other and it was obvious that this suspicious guy was feeling uneasy while I was chatting with Zakri.
I ordered a plate of nasi briyani ayam (RM7.50) while my partner had a plate of nasi kandar with sotong goreng and kari kambing (RM8.50) that this place is famous for.
Taste-wise, my nasi briyani was only so-so.
Fast service: A worker at the stall preparing a plate of nasi briyani for a customer.The rice was clumpy and the piece of chicken I had was dry.
Zakri on the other hand, was enjoying his nasi kandar and gave it six out of 10 on the ‘Billy-scale’.
Our bill came up to RM19 for two plates of rice including drinks.
Ariff nasi kandar has been around the Jalan 22/49 neighbourhood for nearly three decades and the GPS coordinates are: N 03 05 955, E 101 37 497.
