I was travelling back to Tanjung Malim from Penang and it was almost 9.30 pm. A rather long drive it was and I was starving. One option would be to head back into town which was another 10 minutes away or to have my dinner at the Ulu Bernam Rest Area. After some contemplation, I decided on the latter. My rational was solely based on my level of tiredness. If I was to head back into town, that's another distance that I would have to do and then come back all the way to get home. So, the rest area seemed like the best option as I was almost there. Being a place that is so familiar to me, I have tried the food at all the stalls there except for this one, Stall No. 10 which happens to be an Indian Muslim stall selling rice and curries and it goes by the name of Nasi Kandar Spices.
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| My Meal @ RM 5.80 |
Choices were many and it seemed like it wasn't a great day for them business wise. This I am assuming based on the quantity that's still seen on the food counter. The staffs were Indonesians and they were not really familiar with the names of the dishes as I was mentioning to them. The reason for me to do so is because I am unable to get the food items myself and would have to point to them to get it for me. I believe this is done to control the quantity one takes. Good in a way when business is great, otherwise on a day like this, you would definitely get a lot of leftovers. What happens to those I don't really know. So, I had selected my food items and the total came to RM 8.95 . Paid for them and then off to have my meal.
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| Fish Curry |
Now, let's look at the dishes one by one. To start off, I had asked the waiter to make it 'banjir' and even then, this was the amount of Fish Curry that he had poured onto my plate. Well, initially I was furious but later on, and that is after tasting it, I was so thankful that he did just that. This was because the Fish Curry didn't taste like Fish Curry, instead it tasted so wierd that it seemed like some herbal medicinal soup that you'd get from those Chinese Medical Halls. Terrible it was and I had to take that whole lot of rice out and push it aside. As for this so called Fish Curry, I would give it a 1/10. Even their rice seemed so cold and dry like it was cooked some 18 hours ago and left in the fridge. Why can't they use rice warmers instead. That's something that would not cost them much. End of the day, if the food is good and served hot, business would only be better for them.
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| Fried Egg |
Their Fried Egg was nothing great as well. A very thin slice of egg it was. I guess the 50 cents coin would be thicker than this one. It may seem like a huge piece based on the area on the plate that it covers but you would not have had the satisfaction of having eaten an egg with this one. A waste of money and I would rate this at 2/10.
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| Tempeh With Anchovies and Potatoes |
Paper thin cuts of potatoes were fried with tempeh and anchovies in a somewhat sweet and spicy paste. This preparation was decent despite the fact that they have skimped on the ingredients. However, it did taste 'old'. Yes, it tasted like one that was prepared the day before, reheated and served again today. That was very noticeable especially with the tempeh and anchovies. Taste wise, I would give this a 4/10.
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| Tofu Sambal |
As for their Tofu Sambal, this was the hardest tofu that I have come across in my life. The outer layers were thick like a carton box, even the inside was terribly dry and the tofu had lost it's suppleness. Surely not yesterdays. Must be one from the day before yesterday. Yes, that was how horrible it was. And that so called sambal. Sigh. I don't even know where to start and where to end. Horrible is the word. This, deserves nothing but a 1/10.
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| Pekedil Kentang |
The Pekedil Kentang or Indonesian Style Potato Cutlet was the only one that tasted good. Not the best but it was way better than the rest. This was like sky high in taste compared to anything else that I have had at this stall. The ingredients were just perfect, fried to just the right level and it tasted just the way it should. Thus far, this is the only one that I would recommend at this stall and for this Pekedil, I would give it a 7/10.
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| Ayam Masak Kicap @ RM 3.10 |
Their Ayam Masak Kicap was my worst nightmare. From outside the counter it looked good but when it was served, I had a shock. Just look at the amount of oil on that plate. And please do not be misguided by the size of that thing. There was literally nothing there meat wise. Just a large carcass with a very thin layer of meat that had shrunk due to being cooked multiple times. I am very certain that this was some other day's Fried Chicken that had been converted into this Ayam Masak Kicap and that conversion, wasn't something that happened overnight. It was after a few days that this happened. Not one that was edible and I would give this a 1/10.
Overall, it was a massive mistake to have my meal at this stall and I am permanently blacklisting these guys. I will never ever come to this stall again. Looking at their prices, they are surely very reasonable and I think PLUS regulates them on an annual basis. My suggestion to PLUS, please also do an unscheduled taste test randomly every now and then you'd be able to improve the quality of your rest areas. This is the first time that I have left most of my food untouched as it was just not edible. Totally regret coming here and this would surely be my last.
Address: Stall No. 10, Hentian Sebelah Ulu Bernam (Arah Selatan),
35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 24 Hours Daily
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