Sate Kajang Hj. Samuri @ Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya

This restaurant or chain of restaurants as it is today needs no introduction at all. It has been in Malaysia for many years now and has made it's name in the Sate business. Sate Kajang Hj. Samuri started off it's business in Kajang, Selangor and today has branches throughout the country and specifically having small outlets in most highway rest areas. Today, this entry is about a visit to one of their outlets which is located in Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya.

The Outlet in Damansara Utama

Interior of the restaurant

This outlet is one of the first outlets to be opened in Kuala Lumpur. The restaurant occupies both the Ground and First floors. As it was almost 10 pm when we arrived today, the crowd was bearable and we managed to find a table on the Ground Floor itself. If we come during peak hours, we would need to queue for a table and sometimes it could take up to an hour before a table is allocated.

Ordering is Self Service now

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

Self Service For The Sauce & Nasi Impit

Previously, they used to come up to your table and take the orders but nowadays, as their business has grown, they have made the ordering process self service. One would need to queue up at the counter, place the orders, pay for them and then collect the Peanut Sauce and Nasi Impit back to your table. Besides the usual Chicken and Beef Sate, they also offer Rabbit, Fish (Tilapia), Mutton, Beef Tripe and Chicken Liver & Gizzard Sate's too. Previously there used to be Venison and Ostrich sate's too but that has been removed from the menu. Besides Sate, they have also included a number of local dishes to the menu as well. Well come to think about it, there isn't much of a service here. Most if not all of their staffs are Indonesians and they are here just to do their job and there isn't much fraternising with customers or the personalised service element that one would expect is any other restaurant. Its plain simple trade and nothing more.

Their Iconic Peanut Sauce

Closer Look At The Peanut Sauce

Chili Paste

Mixed and Served According To Individual Preference

One of the many reasons this sate is famous is for the Peanut Sauce. It also comes with some Chilly Paste which you would add to your helping of the sauce to your preferred taste. Here, the Peanut Sauce is a little sweet, not too thick and is just about right. Personally, I prefer it with more chilly so I add more of this Chilly Paste. The Sate is later dipped into the Peanut Sauce and eaten. I would rate their Peanut Sauce at 9/10 .

Nasi Impit @ RM 1.50

This is another side dish that is quite common when having Sate. It is compressed rice and in Malay known as Nasi Impit. There is also some cucumber slices here. These are also dipped into the peanut sauce and eaten along with the Sate. I find their Nasi Impit slightly dry. My rating for this would simply be 7.8/10 .

Sirap Bandung @ RM 1.80

The Sirap Bandung was very well prepared and it had a decent and acceptable amount of ice in it. Some places would fill the glass with two thirds ice and the remainder would be the drink but that was not the case here. The drink deserves a rating of 8.8/10 . 

Nescafe @ RM 2.20

The Nescafe was priced at RM 2.20 per glass and again it was nicely fixed and deserves a rating of 8.8/10 .

Our Platter of Chicken and Fish Sate's

It was a long wait as it took them almost 45 minutes before the Sate's arrived. We ordered some Chicken Sate's and two Fish Sate's, just to try them out. I wanted to order some Mutton Sate but unfortunately, it was sold out. Anyway, that is not a big deal as personally I am not a great fan of their Mutton Sate. I have tried it before and find it a tad too hard and to some extent tasteless. I just wanted to get some as my friend that accompanied me tonight had not tried it before. 

Fish Sate @ RM 0.80 per skewer

Their Fish Sate is made from farm cultivated Tilapia Fish. To me, it tasted a little odd. It was thinly sliced and very brittle as it breaks off from the skewer quite easily. Taste wise, it was nothing to shout about and does not really give you the fulfillment of having eaten a chunk of meat on a skewer. I just found it to be barely okay. I would rate their Fish Sate at 4/10 .

Chicken Sate @ RM 0.80 per skewer

The Chicken Sate's were nice, though not the best that I have eaten and I am very sure that many would be able to vouch for this. I think it is the brand name that sells itself now more than the quality of the Sate's. The Sate's have definitely shrunk in size over the years but the taste has been consistent. I would rate their Chicken Sate's at 8.9/10 .

In a nutshell, what is still good here is the Peanut Sauce and in my opinion, that is the key selling product and not the tastes of the sate's. The second selling point here is the variety of sate's available here that is not available elsewhere. Though there are many other places that serve better Chicken and Mutton sate, people still do come here for the above two reasons. Another reason that this brand still sells well is their geographical spread. They have stalls and restaurants in every nook and corner of the Klang Valley thus making it easy for customers to reach them. These advantages are definitely helping them in maintaining their status quo of being Malaysia's No.1 sate outlet. 

Address: No. 79 & 79M, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Opening Hours: 1100 - 0000 Daily

Telephone: +603 7710 5318