PETALING JAYA, Nov 6 — It’s hard to beat home cooking, especially when it comes to Malay food.

In the right hands, it’s transformed into soul food, reaching deep into your heart (and stomach).

A little bird had nudged me to visit Omak Restaurant & Cafe where the food was described as incredibly good.

In Mutiara Damansara though, good food is packed into every square metre of the place.

One can feed on all sorts of deliciousness from nasi kukus, ikan patin tempoyak, asam pedas fish, Sarawak food and the list goes on.

With a name like Omak, the slang for "mother”, the bar was set high for that home-style touch.

Here, the woman owner knows everyone by name. She adds a sparkling layer of personality to the service here, introducing unknown dishes to customers too.

If you’re lucky, you may also see the friendly Kopi, her faithful feline companion who struts around the place.

Once you walk up to the counter where all the dishes are laid out, the distinct yellow hue for their masak lemak cili api dishes signals you have stepped into the realm of "masakan Ngori”.

Choices such as daging salai, siput sedut, ayam kampung goreng, and telur itik can be found bathed in that coconut rich gulai made with lemongrass, turmeric and bird-eye chillies.

What’s unusual are the sneaky, unexpected additions in the gulai like daun pegaga with daging, batang keladi with siput sedut, and pineapple with kampung chicken.

One can order the food hidang style to share or just pile up your chosen goodies on your plate. The spread here isn’t those mammoth ones but curated to showcase their specialties.

Taking centrestage is their Daging and Pucuk Pegaga Masak Lemak Cili Api. The beef chunks are a varied bunch. Some have a tender bite, while others require a bit more chewing.

It’s a small matter since the gulai is fragrant with an underlying burn that begs to be eaten with lots of rice.

A meal is balanced with some subtle dishes, like the Labu dan Pucuk Manis Masak Putih. Here the chunks of pumpkin are sweet and soft, blending well with the light coconut milk gravy and vegetables.

An unusual item was the Tempe dan Kentang Balado. It’s dominated by the fried potatoes rather than the fermented soybeans, coated in a mild chilli sauce.

Once you start eating it, you will happily relish the soft potato wedges with pops of crunch from the tempe.

It’s hard to choose which item I like more, either the Tempoyak Daun Kayu or the Tempoyak Goreng. Both are flavour bombs that put my meal into overdrive with just a spoonful.

I first tried the Tempoyak Daun Kayu that I really enjoyed with its subtle durian flavour, which seemed to lend a creamy texture to the dish with the vegetables and bits of petai.

Then I was given a taste of their Tempoyak Goreng. This packed a fiery punch with chopped chillies and petai balanced out with sliced onions and a touch of the fermented durian.

It pairs perfectly with their Ayam Kampung Goreng (RM8.50) with its juicy meat. Who needs ketchup or chilli sauce when you can have the punchy flavours from the Tempoyak Goreng.

Keli Balado was also an eye opener for me.

My choice for ikan bakar or grilled fish is usually ikan keli or the ugly catfish with its hard head. For me, when it’s grilled well, the fine flesh turns into a silky soft texture reminiscent of say fresh Japanese eel or anago.

However, I often find it poor value for my money since all I can enjoy is the flesh, which isn’t a lot.

Enter Keli Balado (RM8). Here, it’s deep fried till every part is super crispy. You can enjoy its bones, fins and skin.

The compromise is the flesh isn’t so silky anymore but you get to enjoy the entire fish, by crunching down on every part. Some serious ikan keli lovers even finish off that super hard head too!

There’s also a small selection of kuih at the counter. The Kuih Keria was good and lightly crusted with sugar. Even the Kuih Koci Santan had a nice, chewy skin and grated coconut filling mixed with gula Melaka syrup.

Prices here tend to be higher though but you do get better quality food compared to the usual nasi Melayu places.

A hidang meal for two persons with Daging and Pucuk Pegaga Masak Lemak Cili Api, Ayam Kampung Goreng, Labu dan Pucuk Manis Masak Putih, Tempoyak Daun Kayu, Tempe dan Kentang Balado and kuih plus drinks will set you back by RM43.

Omak Restaurant & Cafe, 8-1, Jalan PJU 7/16a, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

Open: 11am to 4pm. Closed on Sunday.

Facebook: @OmakLovers Instagram: @omakrestaurantandcafe

This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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