KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 – I had seen The Secret Foodsmith post up their food on Facebook for some time but since orders weren't available all the time, I decided to wait a little longer.
From this year onwards, Florence Wong who runs this home-based venture, has decided to offer her food on a weekly basis.
You have a choice of Nyonya nasi ulam on Tuesdays and nasi kerabu on Wednesdays. Apparently she started making her own version of nasi kerabu after trying a restaurant offering that left her dissatisfied.
For next week, orders have been opened with limited quantities for March 2 and 3. You can place your orders by Saturday or until it is sold out.
I had ordered the Nyonya nasi ulam with ayam percik for RM24. Even though Wong admits she doesn't have a Nyonya family background, her nasi ulam is really good, passing the test whereby the herbs are finely cut.
Apparently she uses an assortment of 10 fresh herbs -- sourced from the local vendors near her home – to create her nasi ulam.
The grains are slightly yellowish from the use of turmeric. You also have deep fried salted fish cut into small cubes giving the rice, a pop of salty flavour.
Enjoy the herbed rice with the sambal belacan on the side. It's a little mild which suits me perfectly. You can add on the sambal for an extra RM1.
What I felt was exceptional was the ayam percik. Pull apart the oven-grilled chicken to discover juicy, just cooked meat. You'll want to eat this with your hands to get at every delicious morsel.
While the chicken is not done true blue Kelantan style with the traditional white gravy or barbecued over a charcoal grill, this version is incredibly tasty. The gravy it uses is more KL style with an orange hue gravy with the use of chillies.
If you love the ayam percik as much as me, you can order extra ayam percik for RM11. Wong uses whole chicken legs to make her ayam percik.
For her second offering, it's pairing nasi kerabu with the ayam percik or tempeh percik for RM23. There is also a kerabu salad version for those avoiding carbohydrates, paired with either ayam or tempeh percik for RM24.
I was curious about the vegetarian offering of tempeh percik since I do love anything to do with tempeh. Alas, there was a mix up with my orders and I ended up with ayam percik again. It wasn't a total disaster as I do like their ayam percik.
Even though it's also rice mixed with herbs, what makes it different is the kerisik ikan. The condiment is painstakingly made by Wong. It's a tedious job where you need to watch the fire while dry frying the grated coconut until it's toasted. You will also find flaked fish pieces and pounded dried prawns.
Mix the rice with the kuah tumis to give the whole ensemble more flavour. The sambal lada on the side is a tongue tingling addition. You can also add on more ingredients to your boxed lunch. The tempeh percik is RM11 while the kerisik ikan is RM5. For the sauces, it's RM1 per packet.
If you're looking for a celebration meal to share at home, you can also order their platters. They're made to order and the nasi ulam is served with grilled chicken leg, salted egg, tempeh and fried ikan kembung.
You can either self collect via drive through from Pantai Hillpark or get the food delivered via a third party. Delivery charges are borne by you. The lunch is ready from noon to 2pm.
The Secret Foodsmith, Pantai Hill Park, Kuala Lumpur. You can WhatsApp 010-2254259 to order your food. Instagram: @thesecretfoodsmith Facebook: @TheSecretFoodsmith
