Kuala Lumpur - AS I see it, nasi kandar is a day meal and having them at night is a no-no for me although most restaurants operate round the clock. Unlike some people, having a nasi kandar meal to me is a serious business (really serious!) and as far as I am concerned, nothing beats the one served at Restoran Yaseen Nasi Kandar Penang in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.
In my humble opinion this is by far the most authentic nasi kandar. This is the real deal as far as nasi kandar is concerned and you can take my word for this!
For the uninitiated, Restoran Yaseen Nasi Kandar Penang is located just a few doors away from a Honda outlet and almost opposite of a Sony boutique, and a stone‘s throw from the now famous Tune Hotel which is located at the Jalan Sultan Ismail-Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman traffic lights near Maju Junction.
As I have travelled the length and breadth of our country, Yaseen‘s nasi kandar is the best (and still is) and totally resembles the nasi kandar used to be hawked by Indian Muslim peddlars along the famous Jalan Mesjid Kapitan Keling in Penang and the ones served at Restoran Kassim Nasi Kandar or the Restoran Craven A near Komtar.
Those days the Indian Muslims in Penang or Mamak as we fondly called them ply their trade on foot with a five foot long piece of wood (or sometimes rattan) to carry two wooden food containers, mostly hardened and large-sized brown-coloured round basket.
The Malay word to describe the act of carrying them containers is “mengandar” or simply to “kandar” hence the name Nasi Kandar. It is also a description for a balancing act of the containers. The piece of wood which is supposed to stabilise the load is placed across the shoulder with the rice in the front container and its condiments in the back, or sometimes the other way around.
However, these days “mobile” nasi kandar are no longer around for the business is now more organised with uniformed waiters and cultured shops since the trade has been upgraded and commercialised to a more comfortable environment and in a better establishment in Penang.
Nasi kandar business has also spread its wings to the rest of the country and the world, even to Down Under and Chennai in India! These days, it‘s common to see a nasi kandar restaurant around the corner in our vicinity and they could even be one near your house.
My question is, are these the real thing? I will get back to this later.
Back to Yaseen, where I have been having my meal since 1980 when I was still a college student in Sungei Besi. I was introduced to this shop by my Alor Star-born father.
My standard meal these days – breakfast, brunch or lunch will be a full plate of nasi kandar, a piece of crispy fried pomfret (the front part), a piece of fried egg and all around kuah (gravy) from the other dishes with extra “kuah hitam” besides the fish curry.
The best part is the “a little bit of this kuah and a little bit of that kuah” from the other dishes onto your serving that really pulls it off. Part of it is also due to the competency of the mamak in sprinkling your plate with the mostly tablespoon-size kuahs.
On the side (or on smaller plate) is a medium-sized chilli fried squid (with roe inside) to be cut into smaller pieces or sometimes medium-sized chilli fried crab. Also on the side are a fresh (or sometimes not so fresh) long green jalapeno and a plate of three-piece appallam if you ask for it.
The best drink to go with the meal is a hot teh-o but I simply prefer a glass of warm water and later a glass of black local coffee to wash down the food, especially the aftertaste of fried fish head.
For this complete meal, between RM8 and RM12 (depending on the size of the squid or crab) will change hands from mine to the cashier‘s at the counter.
I don‘t mind travelling kilometres away (and brave myself through the notorious traffic snarls) from my Kuala Lumpur house in Taman Sri Gombak or elsewhere just to have my breakfast, brunch or lunch and leave after its all done.
If I was on the way back from Alor Star to Gombak, I will drive the extra kilometres just to have the nasi kandar first before hitting home.
Why I had earlier vouched for Yaseen? After much travelling and having tasted almost all nasi kandar everywhere and anywhere, Yaseen‘s offering still fascinates me in terms of the rice and lauk.
Neighbouring nasi kandar joints along the same Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (up until The Coliseum) do not live up to my expectation and taste as I was always rather disappointed after having a meal there.
To date there are four other nasi kandar joints altogether beginning from the one before Yaseen if you are driving from Chow Kit (making head count from the Pizza Hut outlet) up to the one opposite what was formerly the Selangor Emporium, near The Coliseum.
One may argue that there are now many new nasi kandar eateries operating in prime areas such as Taipan in USJ, The Curve in Damansara, Bangsar and along Jalan Ampang where nasi kandar is being served in a bungalow!
Yes, these are nasi kandar to Kuala Lumpur folks but to me they are simply “Designer Nasi Kandar”. These joints are simply too good, too clean and too neat to be described as the real thing and they do not make the “kuah hitam” like they use to in Yaseen and back there in Penang.
If you happen to be in Penang and you want to get the real taste of nasi kandar then please drop by Restoran Kassim Nasi Kandar (among the pioneers) near Komtar, the under-the-tree Nasi Kandar Mesjid Kapitan Keling or the famous Line Clear Nasi Kandar near Chicago Tailor. Still, Yaseen rates better.
I have been arguing with my Penang folks that the best nasi kandar joint is NOT in Penang but in Kuala Lumpur. I had for a fact tasted almost all the joints on the island and the mainland but still nothing beats Yaseen.
My verdict – Nasi Kandar at Yaseen is simply first class! This restaurant is flanked by both Khutu Mohamad Nasi Kandar Penang (underneath the Internasional Hotel) a few doors on the left and the Raja Alavddin Nasi Kandar Penang quite a few doors away to the right but please make no mistake about Yaseen which is right in the centre and the obvious queue outside the joint is a signature!
Should you have any doubt please get yourself down there for a meal and don‘t forget to ask the mamak, “itu kuah hitam kasi lebih!”. BY ZUKRI VALENTENO
Source: http://thestar.com.my (September 15, 2008)