Legendary Malaysian nasi lemak attracts crowds queuing for ayam goreng berempah

When it involves Malaysia’s staple dish (nasi lemak, after all), everybody has their favorite spot. But there’s one nasi lemak in Damansara Utama that many locals will unanimously agree is their go-to spot, and it’s none-other than Village Park Restaurant. 

It is so cherished that I’ve a buddy from Singapore who hails Village Park Restaurant as his nasi lemak holy grail— having it as much as 3 days every week each time he travels right down to Malaysia. Some even takeaway the nasi lemak again to Singapore! 

Village Park Restaurant isn’t just standard with vacationers and locals. In truth, a line of well-known Malaysian personalities frequent this place, together with Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei, squash queen Nicol David, and previous Malaysian Prime Ministers from Dr Mahathir, to Abdullah Badawi and Najib Tun Razak.

It’s very simple to identify this restaurant— there’s a relentless stream of GRAB drivers ready to gather the orders and there’s all the time a queue. In truth more often than not, I’d go for a takeaway as a result of getting a desk right here takes fairly an effort. 

What I attempted at Village Park Restaurant

The most well-known dish to have right here is the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng (RM12).

I keep in mind once I was first launched to Village Park Restaurant’s nasi lemak. The server introduced out the plate of Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng to the desk and holy moly… it was the most important piece of ayam goreng berempah I had ever laid eyes on. 

Fast ahead 5 years later, the whopper of a hen nonetheless takes my breath away, particularly with the sight of the additional bits of crunchy spice scattered on prime of the hen. 

What makes the ayam goreng berempah so particular? Every buyer will get a complete hen leg marinated and deep fried in spices akin to lemongrass, turmeric and ginger. It’s crunchy, juicy, has a lightweight crispy crust and bursts with the fragrant flavours of contemporary herbs and spices the second you chunk into it. 

A normal order of nasi lemak with fried spice-marinated hen can even embrace groundnuts, ikan bilis (crisp-fried anchovies), slivers of contemporary cucumbers, half a hard-boiled egg and a beneficiant portion of their signature sambal.

This sambal is freshly ready on a regular basis and leans in direction of the sweeter profile moderately than spicy. This is the place my disappointment kicks in— coming from Penang, I benefit from the kick of a spicy sambal with crispy fried anchovies.

However this candy tasting sambal tends to be a standard incidence in eating places in Klang Valley. This is one thing I nonetheless haven’t gotten used to. However, if you happen to want your sambal to be much less spicy, then you definitely’ll be happy with the one at Village Park Restaurant. 

Anyone would inform you that one plate of Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng is greater than sufficient to tide you until dinner however my insatiable urge for food had a dying want: why not attempt the Ayam Rendang (RM6.90)? 

Thankfully I used to be given a hen thigh as a result of one other complete hen leg would have undoubtedly taken me out. Just the heavenly scent of the hen blanketed within the luscious fatty rendang gravy assured that I had made the suitable resolution. 

The style of the piping scorching hen rendang combined with the gravy and rice cooked in coconut milk was merely a healthful mixture. 

Upon evaluating the two varieties of hen, my extremely controversial opinion can be that the Ayam Rendang was the tastier of the 2. But then once more, maybe it’s because I’m very conversant in the style of their ayam goreng berempah or that I felt the Ayam Rendang was so flavourful and tender. I go away it to you, expensive readers, to resolve. 

Final ideas

In conclusion, would I crown Village Park Restaurant as having one of the best nasi lemak in Malaysia? Maybe if the sambal was a bit spicier, sure. But you’ll actually get your cash’s price for the portion that’s served. 

Oh and just a little heads up… if you happen to’re planning on tucking into the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng for lunch, belief me you’ll be in for just a little siesta proper after. 

Expected harm: RM8 – RM12 per pax

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