Restoran De'5 Merah @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

This is another one of those newly established restaurants in Tanjung Malim and is located in Taman Universiti. Previously, this unit was occupied by Garden Deli and it's very unfortunate that they had to wind down despite having been in business for almost 10 years. Well, in business there is no certainty that once you're doing well, you would always be doing equally well. Since I am on a mission to try out all these new places, I planned on checking this place out tonight. 

Restoran De'5 Merah in Taman Universiti, Tanjung Malim

Clean

Beautiful Deco.... The Advantage Of Taken Over From An Established Restaurant

I was here rather early this evening and the crowd was slowly picking up, most of them being university students and by the time my orders arrived, the place was crowded. One of their biggest advantage here is the deco, having taken over from the previous owners who have clearly spent quite a bit on renovations and upkeep. I do hope that the upkeep continues. The place was clean and the staffs were very friendly and attentive. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Being a smoker, I decided to be seated outdoors and having noticed me walking in, one of the waitresses rushed towards me with their menu. Great customer service indeed.

Special Menu

Their Menu

Their Menu

Their Menu

The attraction that brought me here this evening was their banner which read 'Maggi Ketam' which is a unique dish. After having gone through their menu and confirmed by the waitress, I learnt that that was dish that was to be shared with 3 to 4 pax and they did not have the solo version of it. Then, I decided to try another dish from their specials and that was their Nasi Goreng Kampung Special. I am a huge fan of this dish and truly wanted to see what was so special about this preparation. Even the price for this dish was almost double. In fact, all the items here seem to be 50 cents to RM 1 more than other places. Well, if the food is really good, they why bother the slight premium. I then registered my orders and waited for the dish.

Teh O Ice @ RM 1.50

I am impressed at the speed at which these guys are working. My drink literally took 3 minutes only and in that time, it was fixed and served. That's super fast and no, I was not the only customer then. In fact, they easily had around 30 customers by that time. The drink was good, no complains and I would rate this at 9/10 .

Nasi Goreng Kampung Special @ RM 8.00

When the dish was served, it was a wow response from me. Firstly, the food looked and smelled so good and it came with extras like Fried Ikan Rebus, Belacan Chili Paste, Omelette and some soup. Secondly, it was served in less than 10 minutes from the time of order. That was another impressive record. 

Heavenly!!!

Truly, the best Kampung Fried Rice that I have tasted in Tanjung Malim, and maybe even the Klang Valley. Look at those ingredients..... spinach, fried anchovies, chicken, cuttlefish..... and the preparation was so tasty. It would be a sin if I rated this anything less than a 10/10 . 

Fried Ikan Rebus

Another one of my favourites that I have not had in a very long time. Those days, my late grandmother used to prepare these at home and after her passing on, I have not had this and that's like in 20 years now. It felt so good to have this again today and it was fried to a crisp. Loved it and I would rate this at 10/10 .

Sambal Belacan

Wow!!! Another Wow this was!!! Thick chili paste and it was prepared with a generous amount of belacan. Truly one that will sting you and I just enjoyed it so much. Another one that I would rate at 10/10 .

Complimentary Soup

Again, not the usual clear soup. This one was made with lots of spices and cooked with chicken bones. It tasted so good and was addictive. Another one that I would rate at 10/10 .

In short, I am so happy that I came here tonight. Truly, the best Nasi Goreng Kampung in town and worth every cent!!! For sure I am recommending this place to all my friends and would be coming again with my Dad.  I am confident that he would love this dish as well. If you happen to be in Tanjung Malim, then this is a must try restaurant. I am not sure how the other dishes are like but based on the one that I have tried and looking at the daily crowd, I am guessing that those should be very good too. For now, this is the best Nasi Goreng Kampung in Tanjung Malim!!!

Address: No. 5, Jalan U1, Taman Universiti, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1430 - 0200 ( Sunday - Friday)