KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — Here I go again on another walkabout, this time in search of good eats within 600 metres from the Kampung Baru LRT station.
Between tucking into nasi lemak, tom yam and mango sticky rice, I observed the makcik, pakcik and young women manning the food outlets along Jalan Raja Muda Musa, which incidentally, is where the majority of the food outlets are clustered at.
Some were friendly and happy to chit-chat, but most were preoccupied with business.
Numerous eateries and open-air restaurants offering predominantly Malay and Thai cuisine line both sides of Jalan Raja Muda Musa. Options vary from nasi kerabu to satay and nasi campur as well as bubur nasi berlauk, a dish that seems to be synonymous with Kampung Baru. Just like nasi campur (rice with a selection of dishes), there is a range of dishes to choose from but instead of rice, they are taken with porridge.
Yes, delicious choices are aplenty in Kampung Baru and I reckon that most, if not all, offer decent fare but which would be the locals’ favourites?
One makcik I chatted with while chowing down on excellent meat skewers from Sate Padang Pak Saf sang praises of Suraya Seafood. I’d visited the restaurant during Ramadan and the crowd was crazy. But subsequent visits on weekday evenings saw the place just as hectic and noisy with almost non-existent service; somehow it still draws in a steady crowd.
Once you’ve had a meal there, you’d understand why. Suraya Seafood offers variety and fresh, delicious food at reasonable prices. The menu is primarily Malay plus a handful of Thai-influenced dishes. A table at the entrance is dedicated to all versions of kerabu (Asian salad) and its pandan glutinous rice with sweet mango is a house favourite.
Kerang bakar (grilled cockles) is hard to come by nowadays but one can be assured of a decent serving of them here.
Two other outlets favoured for good food plus great variety are Kak Som and Chunburi Seafood Kampung Baru. Both offer addictive nasi kerabu, nasi dagang and laksam as well as the typical nasi campur dishes. Nasi kerabu is rice cooked with bunga telang (butterfly pea flower) to give it that distinctive blue hue and accompanied by a variety of shredded raw herbs and vegetables. The other elements in the dish are coconut flakes for that toasty flavour and splashes of sambal and budu (fish sauce). Try this if you don’t mind raw vegetables; otherwise you might want to dig into nasi dagang — rice steamed in coconut milk, served with fish curry, hard-boiled egg and pickled vegetables — instead.
At Chunburi Seafood, the kuih stand is popular and the sheer number of colourful sweet treats dazzles. Give in to temptation and try at least five types!
Gerai Pak Lang Ikan Bakar stood out from the other nasi campur outlets for its impressive array of grilled fish. Equally impressive is the long table laden with trays of beef, chicken, fish, cow lung, vegetable and various other ingredients cooked in different ways. The raw vegetables, or ulam, are paired with up to four choices of sambal.
If nasi lemak is what you’re after, there are two choices — Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa Kampung Baru or Nasi Lemak Wanjor. I prefer the latter. Begin constructing your meal with the basics — rice, a half-boiled egg, fried anchovies, peanuts and cucumber. Then heap on your preferred lauk from the wide selection on display such as sambal sotong, chicken rendang, fried chicken and whatever else you fancy. I recommend piling on the sweet spicy sambal for a good kick.
Nasi Briyani Gam An-Nur caught my attention as it is the only outlet offering Johorean cuisine in Kampung Baru. I love laksa Johor but it isn’t easily available in KL so I would order it whenever I see it on a menu. An-Nur’s version was satisfying enough, rich and thick with fish. For RM6, it was a generous portion too.
* For more gastronomic adventures — keep up with Rebecca on www.RebeccaSaw.com and instagram.com/wackybecky.
Local food aside, at Medan Selera Pintu Gerbang Amir (A Station Steak House) one can tuck into hearty portions of pasta, chicken chop, steaks and grilled lamb for under RM40. However, flavours are very much localised so do set your expectations accordingly.
Gerai Pak Lang Ikan Bakar; Chunburi Seafood; Nasi Briyani Gam An-Nur; Nasi Lemak Wanjor; Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa; Sate Padang Pak Saf; Suraya Seafood; Kak Som; Medan Selera Pintu Gerbang Amir (A Station Steak House)
Jalan Raja Muda Musa, Kampung Baru
From the station: Exit the fare gates and take the escalator up to the street level. Once you’re at street level, turn right and walk along Jalan Haji Hassan Salleh. The road will curve to the right. Walk on and at the junction you will see Chunburi Seafood opposite you. Pak Saf Sate Padang is on your left (evenings only). Turn left and you’ll find yourself on Jalan Raja Muda Musa. All the food outlets are on this road.
