Hard Wood Kafe

Yes, the logo of this place is definitely a nod to a rather well-known franchise and the well cheeky name. Owned by Batu Keras Enterprise, Hard Wood is one of those places that confounds you at first with a secluded location and garden (?) furniture. Who cares when the food here is finger-sucking good!

By Honey

Photography by FriedChillies

Posted on Wed, February 17, 2010 - 10:23:16 PM

For some odd reason, Negeri Sembilan always gets a little left out when we are doing roadtrips. Perhaps because people glaze over it en route to Melaka or it's always been rather relaxed and humble when it comes to their dishes. Do not be fooled, there's good food to be had here like smoked meats in rich savoury broths, spicy rubs on fried chicken and masak assam like I used to have when I was a little girl.

So when I dropped down to visit my expecting friend and future godchild, I took the opportunity to get my paws on some good Minang cooking. She took me to Hard Wood. This eatery is a little strange, it appears to be selling garden furniture and statuary (I was quite taken by a matching pair of stone lynx) but no one seems to be there to buy anything except eat. Afterall the tagline is "a special taste in an unusual place". There's a handsome wooden barn of sorts where the food is laid out. Best of all is the lagu-lagu rakyat (Negori folk songs) playing from out the speakers, usually a mum berating her lazy son (named Jang) and hopeless crushes on rich girls (engko anok orang kayo, aku drebar bas)...

On to the food. The colours are rich, a smorgasbord of vermillions, fresh greens and sunny yellows. It's hard to have restraint here. The first thing I attacked was the ikan keli goreng (fried catfish). Negeri Sembilan style is to slather it within an inch of its life with a turmeric and cili padi paste then submerge it in hot oil. I found this a little on the salty side but inside the fish was white and tender.

The good stuff here is the daging salai masak lemak- smoked beef stirred lazily in a rich gravy. The mushrooms in the same gravy is delicious, mellow and tasty making you pour more and more of it on your rice.

"Tastes like assam pedas from my childhood"

We also went for the rendang, a cross between a rendang minang and a rendang pedas. This was more fragrant rather than spicy without too much kerisik taste, surprisingly good. I fell in love with the masak assam here. It's done with a light hand and tastes of the good stuff I used to eat at home (my mum is afterall from Linggi). How she taught me to eat assam pedas is to drizzle the red gravy on rice, add a splash of light soy sauce and a dash of sugar. This is a lethal combo since it opens your appetite up like a sunflower soaking the sun's morning rays. Luckily assam pedas is not half as cholesterol laden as masak lemak.

We also had the sambal belacan (spicy and fresh tasting) that my friend rolled around with sprigs of ulam raja and kacang botol in her soft white rice. They also have siput sedut, sambal tumis sotong, tempe goreng and masak lemak ayam kampung if you are not into beef.

As we sat back and patted our swollen bellies I was alarmed that I was actually contemplating dessert. Something about eating spicy-rich food that makes you hanker for something a little sweet. The only dessert they have here is tapai (slightly fermented rice pudding). And what a great tapai it is- soft, freshly made with just a hint of fermentation. They serve it with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Usually I don't eat my tapai with ice cream but it was a great match! Maybe because the day was hot and the creaminess of the ice cream complemented the subtle heat of the tapai like a dream.

This place is near enough to drive from KL for lunch. Do take a small nap first before you brave the highway back to KL.

Cost: About RM18-20 per head
Open for lunch (nasi campur) and dinner (ala carte)

Pros: Delicious homecooked food in nice leafy surroundings

Cons: Quite expensive for nasi campur and you might go home with 2 stone giant cats that does nothing for your home deco

Address: No. 60 (Lot 48), Persiaran S2B2, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan

Telephone: Nor Farina: 013- 350 8867

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