Strange but you can find great food in a weirdest of places- like a carpark. A hot, congested carpark. That's the thing about KL, a good plate of nasi campur with freshly grilled fish is never far if you know where to look.
“In the car park…and make sure you go during lunchtime and not a minute later because the food disappears fast…oh that sambal…I could just drink it on it’s own, ” my colleague replied with a distant look in her eyes.
My curiosity was peaked from this conversation and I just knew that I had to try the mysterious ikan bakar place located in the car park behind the Estana Curry House on Sultan Ismail. It was still two hours till lunch and I was eagerly counting down the minutes, after all places that usually taste best are in the most obscure locations.
To find this gem you have to walk through the hot dusty car park meandering past the vehicles parked in any which way. It’s situated in the little section in the corner of the lot by the trees. A tattered tin roof along with barebones tables and chairs scattered around is the scene you’ll find once you arrive, along with a crowd lining up for food and waiting for available tables. The area that is most crowded is where the food is laid out and this is where you have to use some elbow action to be able to grab at the best dishes and pieces of fish. This shack serves typical nasi campur with a huge array of Malay dishes freshly prepared each day.
From fried chicken to beef rendang, kangkung belacan to spicy tofu just about any dish can be found here during lunch but it gets snapped up pretty fast. By 1:45pm you’ll be lucky to get a little sauce leftover from the dishes with your rice.
The piece de resistance here though is the ikan bakar which is grilled right on the spot just before the lunch crowd trolls in. Different types of fish are marinated overnight and then grilled to charred perfection.
"Oh that sambal…I could just drink it on it’s own"
My fish of choice is the ikan pari (stingray) which is firm and absorbs the marinade well. All of the different types of fish are served topped with a spicy sambal and a tamarind liquid containing chopped raw onions and sliced chilli padi. These two sauces combined can make an ordinary fish taste like a spectacular dish; so when paired with the ikan pari the taste sensation is truly out of this world.
The fish, skin charred black from the grill is sweet, sour, and spicy all at the same time. This flavour symphony is a tease to the senses urging you to take more bites. The pleasurable rise of heat from the chilli padi is subdued by the firm flesh of the fish with alternate notes of sweet tangy onions and sour tamarind. The rice then cleanses the flavour in your mouth only to go through the whole symphony again.
Along with the fish, other dishes I tend to regularly go for are the beef rendang, lady fingers sautéed in garlic and spices, beansprouts with ikan bilis, kangkung belacan, tofu sambal, and bitter gourd fritters. The rendang here is fragrant, tender, and rich with santan; just the way I like it! The veggie dishes here are fresh and don’t taste or feel like they’ve been sitting around drowning in oil and sauce; instead they are very crisp and tasty. The tofu sambal is made with Japanese tofu and is very silky with a very spicy edge. These dishes will have your eyes tearing and your tummy laughing, the perfect combination when enjoying a typical Malay sensation.
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A full plate of yummy things
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Foodster's Verdict
Ikan Bakar behind Estana
Taste
Address:
Carpark directly behind Estana Curry House, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur Tel:
Open:
11am - 2pm
Pros:
Pretty much everything here is good
Cons:
Come late, you just get a dribble of sauce, ooh and it's hot too
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