Nasi kandar is one of the messiest yet tastiest meals one can have. When I say messy, I mean a plate filled with meat, vegetables and rice overflowing with curries, or 'nasi banjir'. With that said, I set out to the heart of KL, looking for what I heard was the best nasi kandar in town.

At first glance, this restaurant doesn’t give much of an impression, a small typical ‘mamak’ eatery tucked away in the corner of a street. Looking a little closer, I was surprised to see that it was chock full of people. It was as if everyone in KL had chosen to have lunch there. The queue of people waiting to ‘bungkus’ their food stretched till the street! I guess the food here must really be all that!

I noticed that most people were ordering the soy sauce chicken, mutton ribs curry and the spicy beef, so I followed suit. The food arrived almost immediately in separate little dishes, leaving room for me to mix and match my food. Don’t worry; I did my fellow nasi kandar foodies proud by placing all the meat and veggies on the plate, and drowning my rice with the curry mixture. They also gave me a plate of cucumbers and sambal to go with my food. “ Ini sambal pedas, timun untuk sejuk mulut”, explains the waiter. In other words, the sambal is meant for those who love it spicy, while the cucumber is meant to cool the mouth after.

I piled my spoon high with my curry soaked rice, bits of meat and the vegetable, cabbage cooked with dried chilies and turmeric. First mouthful and bam! I was in heaven! No wonder nasi kandar is so popular. The mixture of curries and rice that bursts in your mouth, the soft texture of chicken, mutton and beef bits…wow! This is the first place that I’ve eaten where the cabbage wasn’t over cooked. It was crunchy and sweet, with a tinge of heat.

"Need an excuse not to work after lunch?"

The beef was soft with a slightly sweet and spicy flavour. The chicken was coated with savoury soy sauce which, I expected to be salty but wasn’t. However, to me, mutton is what makes a meal. And, it was good I tell ya! Soft, tender, melts in your mouth, linger in your thoughts kind of flavour and texture. Yummy! Also, a helping of the sambal is just what you need if you want that extra ‘oomph’ in your meal.

A good way to keep oneself entertained while eating is to watch the take-away nasi kandar guy do his mixing. This guy’s a professional speed demon! He has a system that goes a little something like this. Rice, meat, curry, curry, veggie, ‘bungkus’… rice, meat, curry, curry, veggie, ‘bungkus’. Phew! What a workout.

Mr. Haji Ibramsha opened Restoran Nasi Kandar Pulau Pinang Haji Ibramsha more than forty years ago when he first came to Malaysia from India. These days, his trusted employees run the restaurant while he manages it all the way from India. One regular boasts that he has been coming to this restaurant for years. He even brings his foreign business colleagues to eat here as he wants them to taste what true Malaysian nasi kandar is all about. “Do they leave well and truly satisfied?” I asked. “No, they leave wanting to come back for more.”


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Nasi Kandar Hj. Ibramsha

                   

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