Nadia Tomyam @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Nadia Tomyam is not a new restaurant in Tanjung Malim. It's just a recently re-branded place. Previously, this was known as Shahirah Tomyam and it had recently undergone some branding change. Not sure the reason for this exercise as everything else remains the same, including the stakeholders. This restaurant is located in Taman Bernam Baru which is just along the old trunk road heading to Proton City. I have never tried the food here, even when it was under the old name. Since I was here this evening to collect my laundry (which just happens to be their neighbours), I decided to drop by for some early dinner.

Nadia Tomyam in Taman Bernam Baru

Just Two Tables Outdoors

A Sink For Convenience

Indoors

Indoors

Indoors

We were here at about 6 pm and the place was already crowded. Seems that this is a Kelantanese establishment, like most other Tomyam places out there. The furniture and fittings were not new, they were the very same old ones. Some of them seemed pretty bad. It would be good if they could spend a little just to improve these minor things. All their staffs were Kelantanese too. Despite being well staffed, service was a little slow. In fact I had a tough time 'catching' their attention and to get them to come over and hand me the menu. After numerous attempts, one girl came over and dropped the menu and this was after approximately 15 minutes of waiting. If I was busy or perhaps had something to attend to after this, then I would have surely walked out heading to another restaurant. Besides dine ins, there were many takeaways and all of their customers seemed like Kelantanese too.

The Menu....Still Carries The Old Name

Their Menu

Their Menu

Set Meals

Their Menu

Drinks Menu

As you could see, the menu still carried the old name. The only amendments seen here is the prices. All others were very much the same. They did have some set meals but they were all catering for large groups and it seemed a little on the expensive side as well. Having decided on what to have, we managed to get another girl to get our orders. This is an interesting part. She's probably in her early 20's, sweet looking but she did not wear a smile on her face. In fact, non of the staffs did. The best part was while taking orders, she actually slid her hands into her t-shirt and started scratching her armpit. It was absolutely hilarious to watch that. And that's not like a quick one but probably lasted one long minute or so and she didn't seem to bother. Well, at that time, I was just hoping that the cook doesn't do the same too.

Teh O @ RM 1.00

Teh O @ RM 1.00

Sirap Bandung @ RM 2.00

Sirap Bandung @ RM 2.00

It took them somewhere around 12 minutes from the time of order to get the drinks to be sent over to the table. The problem was with the person preparing the drinks. He was slow, definitely dead slow and if only he was thrown in an Indian Muslim restaurant to just work for a day, I would not be surprised if he just quits at the end of the day. Snail speed it was. The drinks however were nice. The Teh O was decent and I would rate it at 7/10. The Sirap Bandung however was excellent and I would rate this at 9/10 .

White Rice @ RM 1.50 per plate

White Rice @ RM 1.50 per plate

Finally after a 20 minutes wait, the food arrived. I won't say that it was very long as they had a long order list and so, the timing was just acceptable. White Rice is charged at RM 1.50 per plate and the portions were decent. 

Sambal Belacan

Sambal Belacan

The above Sambal Belacan was provided complimentary and this is customary in all Tomyam restaurants. Their preparation was just okay. It mainly lacked Belacan  and was a little watery. Not too spicy either. I would rate this at 5/10 .

Telur Dadar @ RM 1.50

Telur Dadar @ RM 1.50

This again was just okay. Two main setbacks. One, it was overly greasy. That in itself would give it a pungent taste. Secondly, there were lumps of salt scattered across the egg and that was the killer. Imagine biting a lump of salt and how that would feel like. Otherwise, it was fine. The cook should have been a little more careful with that. I would only rate this at 4/10 . 

Kailan Ikan Masin @ RM 4.50

Kailan Ikan Masin @ RM 4.50

For those who have been following me for a while, I am sure that you would have known by now that I just loved this dish and end up ordering the same every time I head to a Tomyam place. On the other hand, it is also good as I get to taste a particular dish in all the Tomyam places and that becomes my common yardstick across all. Coming back to this preparation, it was good. In fact it definitely is one of the better ones that I have tried in town. The leaves were also fresh and green. It could have been very much better if they had been lavish with the Salted Fish chunks but still, it was a very good preparation and I would rate this at 9.2/10 .

Tomyam Ayam @ RM 4.50

Tomyam Ayam @ RM 4.50

Tomyam Ayam @ RM 4.50

This was also very good and it came loaded with lot's of ingredients. The soup was a tad spicy and is not suitable for those who can't take spicy food. For those who love spicy food, then you'd love this. It had very balanced notes to it and the aftertaste would have just wanted you to have more and more. The portions were also huge. Definitely a dish that I would recommend here and would rate it at 9.6/10 .

Sotong Goreng Kunyit @ RM 5.00

Sotong Goreng Kunyit @ RM 5.00

This was also very nice and I would not be wrong if I said that this is the best preparation that I have tried for this dish. Rich with vegetables and spices, it was amazingly good! I would rate this at 9.8/10 .

Overall, I think they generally serve some good food here but it is just the lack of professionalism on the part of their staffs. To cite another example, when one of the girl's brought the food, she just chucked the plates on the table and went off. Not only for us, but every single table. If only that was done in a Banana Leaf Restaurant, that would be taken as a major insult. Perhaps someone should just guide them on these etiquette as not everyone is lenient about these things. Even I am not. Otherwise, it was a good meal.

Address: No. 34, Jalan Bernam Baru 1, Taman Bernam Baru, 

                35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1700 - 0200 Daily