Close to Devi’s office is a very typical Kopitiam.
Like many others, it serves some good local coffee. I suggest having it hot
instead with ice as hot coffee gives you the real authentic taste. Frankly
speaking I’m not a coffee guy but local coffee is always an exception.
Now the real knock-out about this kopitiam is the
Indonesian “Nasi Padang”. All the time when Devi and I pay a visit here, Beef
“Rendang” is always our choice. The beef can be a little tough sometimes but
the sambal is just GLOURIOUS....the blend of spices in this dish is just rich,
lots of “things” going on in there but all the spices just know their
roles....it’s like several different stories that leads to one and end with a
grand finale...
Ok now hand gesture does not work here....you can do
any fancy signs with your hand and only thing you’ll get in return will be some
blank looks....It’s all self service here folks.....
There are many, many more others dishes available
as well....Chicken dishes itself would be like 4-5 types i.e curry, sweet, deep
fried, stir-fried etc...more options of fish, mutton and vegetables; cooked or
raw including some “ulam” (local salad)
accompanied with some sambal like “belacan” sambal.
However I have to say that the No.1 dish that
brings most of the crowd in is their fried fish. One will have the whole fish
right from the head to the tail and it is accompanied with deep fried shallots
(that is mixed with spices)....So if you wanna go all crazy and “drunk” with
spices, this is the place to go....
How we usually take our “makan” there is by having
a plate of white rice, put in some curry of our choice but not “banjir”, beef
“Rendang” with its sambal, “begedil” (like a cutlet mixed with potatoes, beef
and spices) and a vegetable. White rice would be like a “canvas” for all the
side dishes to blend in and give a KNOCKOUT....We usually go for water instead
of other drinks as they can potentially overwhelms/kill the meal i.e having a
glass of coke or sprite just don’t well with the spices.
Once “makan” is over, have a hot cup of coffee and
then go home and “pengsan” on your bed....
Price can be a little pricey but hey....you’re
paying for some good stuff here....only open during lunch time and best to go
by 12pm as the crowd starts to show up on bus loads by 1pm....However we went
yesterday (Friday for the first time), there were a few empty tables around 1pm
so sometimes it’s your luck la....
This joint is located at the “T” section of
Transfer Road and Argyil Road....when you’re at this inter-section, you will
see a Caltex station. There are 3 food outlets right opposite the station (2 of
them are “kopitiam”s) that are closely tied down together....keep a close look
for “RESTORAN NASI PADANG MINANG” (it’s the 3rd food outlet from the
intersection)....To reconfirm this, the road at the side of this kopitiam is
“Jalan Sekerat”....gosh can I go anymore details than this?....happy hunting
and enjoy.....
Translation
Kopitam – Local Chinese coffee shop
Nasi Padang – A yummy wholesome meal introduced by
the Indonesians: a plate of white rice with an array of side dishes and curries
Rendang – a spicy meat dish which takes hours to
prepare. Some of the ingredients are coconut milk, chilli, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemon grass, garlic, shallot and chilli pepper
Sambal – spicy thick curry
Belacan – Shrimp paste and NO!!!...it’s not
yucky....it‘s God’s sent folks
Makan – local term of “grab a bite to eat”
Banjir – refers to how we like to have our curry with
our rice. “Banjir” means pouring tonnes of curry and instead of munching you
would probably be drinking
Pengsan - Faint
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