Sate Padang Uwo Kampau @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Previously, there used to be only one Sate Padang vendor found in Tanjung Malim and he used to be operating from a pushcart in Kampung Ketoyong. Now, we have another one and this guy operates from a much more modern looking stall and is located in Taman Universiti, along Jalan U1, where all the restaurants are located. Again, one that I found by chance as I happened to drive through this place. Being a fan of Sate Padang, how could I resist.

The Sate Padang Cart Located In Taman Universiti, Tanjung Malim

A Small Table Is Available For Dine In's

Located Opposite Restoran De'5 Merah

Sate Gravy Kept Warm

This is a much more modern looking cart with the Minangkabau style roof design. His cart is parked by the side of the road, near the parking bay and is right opposite Restoran De'5 Merah. It would be difficult to miss this stall as it is brightly lit up. He operates from Sundays to Fridays. These days, most restaurants in town are closed on Saturdays because of the Pasar Malam that happens in town and it just doesn't make sense for this guy to stay open as there would be hardly any customers. Most of his customers do takeaways except for a handful who prefer to eat there. For such customers, he has a plastic table set up with a few chairs. Not a very comfortable seating but good for a quick meal. Just like the other vendor, the Sate's are grilled at home and here all he needs to do is warm them up, add the gravy and he's done. This keeps the waiting time short and is also the common practice in Padang, West Sumatra. Other regions in Indonesia may prepare their Sates' differently according to their own tradition. Variety wise, he has both Chicken and Beef Sates' and these are priced at 60 sen each and Nasi Impit at RM 1.00 per set. I wasn't in the mood to dine in and so, it was a takeaway. Having placed my orders, it took him less than 10 minutes to prepare.

Sate Padang With Gravy

Chicken Sate

I ordered 5 sticks of Chicken Sate and 1 set of Nasi Impit and this cost me RM 4.00 . It may seem like a little but trust me, it is as good as a full meal. Packaging were the standard banana leaf and newspaper wrap. It is actually an art to pack it that way without allowing any of the gravy to spill. The Chicken Sate's were good, moderately spicy and were just perfect with the gravy.

Nasi Impit

Thick and Spicy Gravy

The Nasi Impit was great too. For Sate Padang, the key item is the gravy and that would decide if the dish was to stand out or flop and in this case, it was extremely good. Comparing this preparation to the other one in Kampung Ketoyong, this one was way better. The gravy was filled with spices and chilies and it was so aromatic and tasty. For me, I would rate this at 9.5/10 . Definitely one that I would highly recommend!!!

Address: Along Jalan U1, Taman Universiti, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1900 - 2230 Sunday - Friday

Sate Padang @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

I am one who uses the FourSquare application aggressively, mainly to post food tips in places that I have checked in and tried. As such, as I was in Jalan Ketoyong and was trying to check in to a place, I noticed a location that mentioned Sate Padang Stall in Kampung Ketoyong and was taken by surprise. Firstly, I am an Indonesian food fan and being one that had traveled to all nook and corner of Indonesia, I always look out for good Indonesian diners in Malaysia and was truly surprised to find this spot in my very own hometown, Tanjung Malim which I never knew about. Kampung Ketoyong is located at the very end of Jalan Ketoyong, just before it connects to the old trunk road heading to Ipoh and was a mere 3 minutes drive from where I was. Having arrived there, I was shocked to see an Indonesian style push cart situated under a large tree.

Burger Stall and the Sate Padang Stall

A Common Push Cart Found In Indonesia

Located Right In Front Of These Shops

The place was quiet with just a Burger Stall and this Sate Padang push cart located right in front of those shops shown above. Having parked my car, I walked up to this gentleman and struck a conversation with him in Indonesian and yes, he is from Medan and so this means that his preparation style does not use beef to make the rice floor broth but uses chicken instead. He works as a contract worker during the day and come nights, he runs this stall. An elderly gentleman and is truly a hardworking lad. Apparently he has been running this stall for over a year now. I wonder how I had missed this favourite of mine. He lives in Kampung Ketoyong and usually arrives here around 8 pm. Per day, he makes about 500 sticks and they would mostly be sold out by 10.30 pm. And that statement was evident by the crowd that were waiting for their orders this evening. I arrived at 8 pm sharp and there were easily 12 people ahead of me and since he is all by himself, it can take a while for him to prepare. Prices were cheap and they follow the typical Indonesian style; it's always the Sate with some Ketupat added and a combination of three different gravies. Not like the Malaysian Satay. And yes, he uses the real Ketupat and not those Nasi Impit. 

He Also Sells Bakso

Busy Preparing Order By Order

Customer's Patiently Waiting

The minimum order starts at RM 2.00 and this goes to unlimited. I am not sure the number of Sate's one would get for that price but came my turn, I had informed him that I would like to have 10 Chicken Sate's along with the Ketupat set and after having packed them for me, he mentioned that the price was RM 5.00 . That's really cheap! 10 sticks of Chicken Sate plus a full Ketupat. Of course the skewers were smaller than what you get here but once again, let me reiterate that this is Sate Padang and this is exactly how you would get it there. You could also mention how spicy you want the gravy to be. Please note that since this is a push cart, there's no place to sit and have your meal here and they are all solely meant for takeaways.

Packed and Brought Home

Lovely Sate Padang.... Messy As They Should Just Be

Comes With A Mix Of Three Different Gravies

Delicious

True Minangkabau Cuisine

The Sate's had been wonderfully packed in a banana leaf wrapping and secured with rubber bands to avoid spillage. Unpacked, it was such a lovely sight to look at. Messy, aromatic and the gravies mixed thoroughly.... just the way they should be. Assuming they had not been messy, then it's not authentic for sure. I had asked for extra chilies and he had done just that. For those who do not know, there are three varieties to Sate Padang and they are Sate Padang, Sate Pariamman and Sate Padang Panjang and all three differ in taste and looks. This was the Sate Padang variety. Some people use beef broth as one of the main gravies but as mentioned earlier, this gentleman assured me that he does not and so, it is suitable to even those non beef eaters. And being one who is very familiar with Indonesian cuisine myself, I can easily differentiate if the usual beef plus offal broth had been added. As mentioned earlier, those from Medan would usually use Chicken or Lamb instead of Beef as there are quite a number of Hindus in this North Sumatran Province. The overall dish is spicy by nature. The marination of those chicken cubes as well as the gravies are spicy and that chili paste that I had mentioned is an extra boost for spicy food lovers. The gravy's main characteristic is the thick yellow sauce made from rice flour mixed with chicken, turmeric, ginger, garlic, coriander, galangal root, cumin, curry powder and salt. And these ingredients give the gravy a very unique taste. If you love your Satay's to be sweet like the Malaysian one (or the one's found in some other Indonesian provinces), then this would not be suitable for you but if your're in for some super spicy Sate, then this is it. Coming back to this preparation, it was just perfect. The Chicken was perfect, the Ketupat was perfect and so were the gravies. As a package, it was just explosive and reminded me of the many months spent in West Sumatra. I would rate this preparation at 9.5/10 .Highly recommended!

If you love Sate Padang, then this would be a place that I would highly recommend. Good food, very reasonable prices and that gentleman was so soft spoken and nice to all his customers. Loved his attitude!

Address: Kampung Ketoyong, Off Jalan Ketoyong, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 2000 - 2230 Daily (Off Days Are Not Certain)

Restoran Sari Ratu @ Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya

Restoran Sari Ratu is a chain of restaurants serving authentic Nasi Padang with their head office being located in Jakarta. They started their first outlet in Desa Pandan sometime in the year 2004 and ever since have established more outlets in the Klang Valley and now have six outlets in Malaysia and a few more in Singapore. Today I visited their outlet in Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara for dinner. This is not my first visit here. I have been here about two years ago when they first opened this outlet and after that, this is my second visit. Being an Indonesian food lover, I am not sure why I had not visited them more often but here I am today.

Restoran Sari Ratu in Kota Damansara

Outdoor Seats Are Available

More Outdoor Seating

It is quite easy to spot this restaurant in Dataran Sunway. They occupy a corner unit facing The Strand and directly opposite them is the new Nasi Kandar D'Naina. The restaurant is also very brightly lit up and hence it is impossible to miss them. 

Entrance To The Restaurant

Interior Of The Restaurant

The Food On Display

Interior of the Restaurant

The restaurant has a very large seating capacity both indoor and outdoor. The indoors are fully air conditioned and is very clean. The service here too is very efficient and you are greeted the moment you walk pass the door and someone is there to personally attend to you. I was here quite early and at that time, I was alone in the restaurant. By 8 pm, crowd started coming in and the restaurant was almost half full.

Choosing The Dishes

A Good Variety

More Dishes To Choose From

My Orders

The way they serve here is slightly different from other Padang restaurants. Usually, all the available dishes are placed on the table and you pick what you want to eat and you are charged accordingly. I asked them why they do not practice that here. The waitress informed me that they used to do it initially but then the Malaysian crowd construes that to be not so hygienic as the served food that was untouched is usually put back to be served for someone else. Malaysians prefer to walk up to the counter and choose the dishes they want and then those selected dishes are sent to the tables. Interesting to know how they have changed their culture just to suit the local needs. I was told that that is also the case with their branches in Singapore but in Indonesia, they still practice the traditional way. Well, this seems like a very logical explanation to me and it was no big deal for me to walk up to the display and choose the dishes. They definitely have quite a number of dishes to offer and they all looked delicious. I ordered a number of dishes and then the order was repeated and she handed me a chit finalising my orders. With that, I returned to my table. 

Teh Botol @ RM 3.50

Teh Botol is a common drink in Indonesia and it is typically Jasmine Tea. Here they did not have the bottled version but this was still good. Definitely still the original brand and it tasted great.

White Rice @ RM 1.80

The White Rice came at RM 1.80 per plate. To me, this seems slightly expensive but then we have to remember that this is a specialty restaurant and the prices here would definitely be slightly premium.

Sambal Hijau @ RM 3.50

Food started arriving in ten minutes from order time. Sambal Hijau is one of my all time favourite Minangkabau dishes. It is a spicy dish made from ground green chilies and anchovies. Here, this dish was wonderfully prepared and it was really delicious. Not too spicy for me and had a slight gingery aftertaste. I would rate this dish at 9.3/10 .

Gulai Kambing @ RM 12.00

Chunks of Mutton and Big Bones in the dish

The Gulai Kambing was excellently prepared. It came with loads of mutton in a thick gravy cooked with marrow. The gravy was really good and tasted quite similar to the Indian Mutton Curry. The mutton itself was perfectly cooked to be soft and tender. I enjoyed this dish very much and definitely this was one of the best Mutton Curries that I have had in an Indonesian restaurant. I would rate this dish at 9.8/10 .

Asam Pedas Ikan Tenggiri @ RM 7.00

Huge Chunk of Mackerel

The Asam Pedas again was flawless. The Curry was quite spicy and was sour at the same time, just the way Asam Pedas should be. It was served with a huge chunk of Mackerel but of course you could choose other fishes or meat too. There is absolutely nothing to comment about this dish as it was perfect and very delicious. I ended up drinking the gravy as if it was some soup. I would rate this dish at 9.8/10 .

Gulai Telur Ikan @ RM 6.00

Lavish Amounts of Fish Eggs

Although all the dishes were good, this dish was extra ordinary. It was so good that I am lost for words to describe it. The gravy was thick and creamy and cooked along with the fish eggs which made the dish taste really good. Definitely a must try dish for all fish egg lovers out there. I would rate this dish at a perfect 10/10.

Their Outlets

On the whole, it was a very satisfying meal for me. I love Indonesian food so much and this was really a feast to my taste buds. Having come here this time and tasted their food, I am surely hooked on to their cooking and I would definitely return here more often. An excellent place to have Nasi Padang in Malaysia. 

Address: 47-1, Ground Floor, Jalan PJU 5/12, Dataran Sunway, 47810 Kota Damansara,

                Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 6141 6165

Opening Hours: 1100 - 2200 Daily

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SariRatuRestaurant

Website: http://www.sariratu.com/undercons/

Rumah Makan Siang Malam: Masakan Padang @ Jakarta Pusat, Jakarta

Nasi Padang, the Minagkabau Cuisine originating from the West Sumatran province has been my all time favourite and every time I am in Indonesia, this is a must do thing for me. It is one of those cuisines that I could live on everyday as my staple diet. This time around, we decided to try out this place called Rumah Makan Siang Malam that is located in Jakarta Pusat area, quite close to MONAS which is the National Monument of Indonesia. 

Entrance to the Restaurant

The Restaurant and the Parking Area

As it is commonly frequented by many, this restaurant does provide ample parking spots for customers. The Minangkabau architecture is clearly visible at the entrance though the rest of the building is modern in design. Do note that they also provide delivery's to homes and offices in the surrounding areas. 

Food Items Are Stacked and Clearly Displayed

All Busy At Work

Air Conditioned Area is also Available

Teh Botol

The restaurant has a huge dining area which has been divided into two sections, open space and air conditioned area. Smoking is allowed in the open space but not in the air conditioned area though you may find some actually smoking in there. The above Teh Botol or Bottled Tea is a must try drink in Indonesia. It is a very common drink among the locals and it tastes really good and refreshing. Commonly available, it is my favourite when I am in Indonesia. 

White Rice

To those that are not familiar with Nasi Padang, here you would get all their available dishes being served at your table. The deal is simply this. If it is a gravy or vegetable and you happen to take, then they would charge you for the entire plate. If it is a meat piece regardless of weather it is fish, beef or chicken, there would usually be two pieces in a single plate and you could just take one and they would charge you for one only. If you happen to take both, then you would be charged for both. This is a very good concept as it gives you the flexibility, provided you are in a decently sized group, to try all the dishes without having to pay huge prices. What has not been touched and the remains from the meat dishes are then sent back to the display counter. Some may argue that it is not hygienic but all these years that I have had this, I have not had any health issues so far. Similarly, as you can see from the above photo, the rice portion is not too huge and hence when there are two people dining like us today, they would serve four plates of white rice whereby if you need top ups, you could just take it from what has already been served. 

Ikan Bilis In Green Chilies

This was one of our favourite dishes here. It is typically Anchovies that are slightly large being deep fried to a crispy level and sauteed with green chilies making it salty yet slightly spicy. Even children would love this dish. It is something that you could not stop munching. I would rate this dish at 9.4/10 .

Sambal

This is a super spicy dish that is only suitable to those that love chilies and extremely spicy sides. For spicy food lovers, it would go very well with white rice. I found this sambal heavenly. I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Steamed Chicken in Clear Soup

This dish was slightly on the above average side. It would have been better if it was served with the soup as then the taste from the soup would have been able to be locked in for a longer time. Since it was served out of the soup, it tasted rather bland. I would rate this at only 6.5/10 .

Beef in Clear Soup

Since both of us do not eat beef, we had to pass this dish and hence I am not able to comment on it.

Fish Head Curry....Minangkabau Style

This is a specialty item at this restaurant and they are very famous for this. Their Fish Head was really huge and there was a good deal of meat attached to it. The Curry though it seems yellow in colour, was rich in fatty coconut milk which gave a slight sweet taste and yet still very spicy. I absolutely enjoyed this. I would rate this at 9.7/10 .

Fried Fish

This Fried Fish was quite decent but nothing marvelous. It was the usual fried fish except that it was fried to a very crisp level. Wort trying if you love fish. I would rate this at 7/10 .

Green Chili Sambal

This dish was another gastronomical treat for me. The Green Chili Sambal was absolutely delicious and I literally finished the whole plate myself. It was very delicious. I would rate this at 10/10 .

Fried Fish with Sambal

This was much better than the earlier fried fish as the sambal gave it a very exotic flavour. Do note that this is very spicy and if you cannot tolerate spicy food, then it is best to avoid this dish. Otherwise, it was very good. I would rate this at 8.8/10 .

Fish Curry

Once again, cooked in the same Minangkabau Curry like the earlier Fish Head, this tasted equally good. For those who do not like Fish Head, then this is a better alternative. I would rate this dish at 9.4/10 .

Chicken Curry

A non spicy dish that would suit everyone. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the curry was really good, except that it was slightly on the fatty side. May be a setback for those who are health conscious. Otherwise, a very nice dish. I would rate this dish at 8.5/10 .

Fish Egg Curry

Being a fish egg lover, this was absolutely delicious. That curry literally tasted like the Sri Lankan curry called Sothi which is sometimes found in Tamil Restaurants in Malaysia nowadays. Sothi is a curry that is prepared mainly using coconut milk. Imagine having fish egg in that curry, that was how this tasted and it was delicious. I would rate this at 10/10 .

Green Vegetables

This dish was nice but not excellent. I have tried this elsewhere where they also add peanuts and small anchovies in it which have greatly tasted better. Here, those were lacking and hence it tasted quite ordinary. I would rate this dish at 6/10 .

Spicy Anchovies

Another excellent dish! For this dish, the anchovies used were not too huge like the first dish and that played well in it's benefit. This was it was even more crispy and the sambal attached better to the fish thus giving a crispy, salty and spicy taste. I would rate this dish at 9.7/10 .

Ayam Pop

Ayam Pop is a common terminology used for Crispy Fried Chicken in Indonesia. I found the chicken here to be slightly on the dry side and it tasted just above average. Nothing exciting about this dish. I would rate this dish at 6/10 .

Me taking a break from eating

Most of the dishes were done

As I really love Minang food, I made sure that I tried all the dishes except for the beef dish. The bill for our meal today came to IDR 88,000 which is close to around RM 22.00 which is something that you would never get in Malaysia. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here and I would definitely recommend this restaurant. 

Address: Jl. Veteran Raya No. 7B - C, Jakarta Pusat, Jakarta.

Telephone: (021) 344 7078 and 0813 9995 8038