PETALING JAYA, Sept 4 — In this small food court at PJ Old Town, you will find the most satisfying lunch at Nasi Bakaq Berantu.
The first sign that you have walked into the right place is the tantalising smell from the hot, smoky grill.
It's that unmistakable aroma of charred meat and fats smell that starts those saliva ducts working overtime.
Maybe that is why I walked up to the eatery and in a daze, I ordered their signature Nasi Bakaq Ayam (RM10).
I guess quite a few people have discovered this place as they had an assembly line of boxes filled with rice, vegetables, sambal and that grilled chicken.
Lunch hit my table after a few minutes. You get rice, vegetables (lettuce and sliced cucumbers), a piece of chicken and that all important sambal.
I zoomed into the piece of chicken and it didn't disappoint as it was well marinated and charred on the grill for a smokey hit.
On its own, it's just juicy meat but the magic happens when you douse it with their sambal. It's a cross between spicy and sweet with some soy sauce that makes it something you cannot stop eating.
Apparently, it's their own special recipe: A unique mix of flavours from the owners' Penang and Kelantan heritage.
They also serve you a tasty chicken soup on the side too so have that, if you find the rice too dry. The dark brown hue for the broth may make you think it's too salty but it isn't at all. It's pretty well balanced and tasty.
You can also help yourself to the drinks they prepare too. On the first visit, it was sirap ais and another visit, it was a fruit cordial drink. It's the perfect cool drink to chase away those tingles on my tongue from the spicy sambal.
It's hard to choose which one I prefer, chicken or beef.
The Nasi Bakaq Daging (RM12) is also excellent with tender, well marinated meat. Here, they sliced the meat making it easy to eat with your rice.
And if you like a deeper taste, the Nasi Bakaq Kambing (RM17) is great. I find the flavour of the meat to be the best here.
One caveat though. It's not super tender so use your fingers to pull apart the meat to enjoy it. Those flimsy cutlery just won't cut it. Small matter indeed as eating it with your hands means you can add more of the sambal.
When I was eating there, I noticed many customers ordered their Mee Celup.
That got me curious so I visited again for the noodles that are popular in Kelantan.
Essentially it uses the elements from the rice dish. You have the chicken broth as the base for the noodles. There's a choice of kuey teow, bee hoon and mee. You can even have it with Maggi mee.
It's topped with either chicken or beef. It's RM8 for the chicken and RM9 for the beef option.
With a dollop of that killer sambal, it's a bowl of noodles you will be happy with. I reckon this will be the perfect antidote to perk up a dreary rainy day since it'll warm up the body.
The stall also serves Nasi Sup Daging or Nasi Sup Ayam too.
Apparently the owners have been in business for 12 years at Wisma Ali Bawal along Jalan Tandang, selling a variety of cooked dishes for those who worked there. With a rent increase, they moved to this place in July this year.
You can also find them in the vicinity of Help University campus in Subang Bestari where they operate from a food truck selling grilled items.
They are also on all GrabFood, ShopeeFood and Food Panda delivery platforms, making it easy to get your fix. You can also WhatsApp them to order thee food.
Nasi Bakaq Berantu, Stall No.22, Medan Selera Jati, Jalan 1/12 (Opposite Good Shepherd Lutheran Church), Section 1, Off Jalan Othman, Petaling Jaya. Open: 12pm to 3pm. Closed on Sunday. Their location at Subang Bestari is 40, Jalan Nova U5/50, Subang Bestari, Shah Alam. Open: 5pm to 11pm. Closed on Sunday. Tel: 011-11512964. Instagram: @nasibakaqberantu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbbkad
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