The Rundown
Alor Setar's famous nasi kandar joint is finally in town, and we hightailed down to this outpost in the city centre to see what’s the buzz. Despite its nasi lemak namesake, the pièce de résistance here is actually truly Malaysian pork-free nasi kandar with influences from Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine. You're in for a feast at Nasi Lemak Ong, where the daily spread sees over 25 meat, seafood and vegetable dishes to choose from.
The Vibe
Nasi Lemak Ong sits on the eighth floor of Pavilion Elite, where its spacious dining area sees long and large tables occupying most of the room. You can’t miss the bright yellow bar, which features the dishes in a tempting lineup. Spot also the roti station right next to it and watch as the servers knead and flip your roti to perfection. As the newly opened restaurant is still getting into the groove of operations, table service is a little slow — go up to the bar to find out more about the dishes on offer.
What’s Good
Join the queue and choose what you want for an individual plate, or order from the menu for bigger portions meant for sharing. Either way, start with rice; Nasi Lemak Ong serves two types. The fragrant Yellow Rice (RM2.50) adds an extra layer of flavour to the curries, while the White Rice (RM1.50) is great for absorbing all of that goodness up. Protein choices are abundant, and the sweet and juicy Honey Chicken (RM5.50) was our immediate favourite. For those who like their nasi kandar with some spunk, the Curry Mutton (RM16) makes a wise order. The spicy curry is rich and very flavourful, and the meat falls apart at the touch of the fork.
Burppler Foodgazer is a fan of the “tender, sweet and plump” Grilled Giant Prawn (RM32) as well as the Black Sauce Beef (RM13) that he describes as “thick and heavy without being too sweet.” Don’t skimp on the greens when you’re filling up your plate as the refreshing Cucumber & Pineapple Kerabu (RM7) works well to cut through the heavy spices. But if you’re looking for more heat, the unsuspecting Fried Lady Finger (RM3) delivers. For the finishing blow that every plate of nasi kandar warrants, ladle a mix of curry gravy over your rice. We hear that they make all of their curries sans coconut milk, so consider this a guilt-free meal.
Nasi Lemak Ong also does really great breads. A must-try is the Black Roti (RM3.50), with the dark colour that comes from charcoal powder mixed into the flour. The bread is extremely crispy on the outside while still soft inside. It's served with three curries and spicy-sweet sambal on the side for dunking. Another interesting dish that stands out is the Roti Goreng (RM5.50) — think maggi goreng, with chopped up roti in place of noodles. The savoury dish packs a nice crunch too!
If you’re planning to pop by, note that Nasi Lemak Ong offers lunch sets (with either chicken, beef, mutton or catfish) from RM14.90 with a drink. Also in line with the opening, enjoy a cup of teh tarik for only RM1, available all day until the end of June.
Find out what the Burpple community thinks about Nasi Lemak Ong here!
