PETALING JAYA, Aug 23 — As the sun sets, it’s time for satay.
It’s one of those unwritten rules, partly due to the weather, since sweltering over a hot fire when the sun’s rays are at its strongest feels ridiculous.
For me, those meat skewers licked by the flames from a charcoal fire are visually a feast for social media.
What I always liked about satay is how I can also eat my fill of meat minus the carbohydrates.
At Restoran Gembira MJ, John Satay has built a strong fan base for their satay. Their unique selling point is pork satay, since this meat variant isn’t available everywhere.
The brand traces its origins to Taiping, where they have two stalls at Medan Selera Tai Hu and Kedai Kopi Prima Coffee Shop.
Currently, in the Klang Valley, there are two stalls opened in partnership, this one at Restoran Gembira MJ and Restoran Hao Kee in Puchong BK5.
In a previous interview with Sin Chew, founder Celine Teoh shared how she started this stall using a recipe she came up with after many tweaks and experiments.
The stall is named after her son John who runs the business as Teoh is more focused on her printing business. The satay is prepared in Taiping and shipped to the Klang Valley stalls.
At this PJ stall, you get two types of pork satay. Both use the same base, where you get sliced pork and fat threaded through a bamboo stick. The fat helps to keep the meat juicy.
One is tinged yellow from turmeric and marinated for at least one day with coriander, garlic and lemongrass, which is the Thai style pork satay.
Get this version rather than the pale brown one as it’s packed with more flavour.
Not a fan of pork satay? There are other meat options.
The chicken satay seems to be a safe choice. When I was queueing to place my order, almost everyone ahead of me would add on a portion of chicken satay.
Here, beef satay is like an unwanted child. I didn’t even know it was also offered until much later.
Maybe it’s because there is mutton satay so the beef one is sidelined. Flavours are stronger with the mutton satay and they do a great job with it as the meat is tender.
What you will find is with Teoh’s method of grilling, this creates a juicier satay and it is not overly burnt with too many charred bits.
The skewers are served with cucumber and onions, while the peanut sauce is served in a separate disposable container.
It isn’t the most fragrant sauce though, with a lesser ratio of toasted peanuts and milder spices but it still does a passable job of adding another layer of flavour to the marinated meat skewers.
One will have to be patient to get your hands on this satay as the stall does get overwhelmed with orders.
If you’re hungry, just order your main meal from Ernie’s Western Food.
The vibe here can be rather chill, depending on where you park yourself at this coffee shop.
If you get a seat behind the place, where it’s a covered alley, be prepared for a party zone where there will be bottles of beer and old Chinese songs throughout the night.
And if you’re a night owl who expects the party to go on till late, just be warned that most things wind down here by 10pm.
Expect to fork out RM1.30 for the chicken satay, while both types of pork satay are priced at RM1.70 each. For the beef and mutton satay, it’s RM2 per skewer.
John Satay, Restoran Gembira MJ, No. 1, Jalan SS26/9, Taman Mayang Jaya, Petaling Jaya. Open: 6pm to 10pm. Closed every second Monday of the month. Facebook: @johnsataytaiping
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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