Top In Asia | Nasi Lemak Wanjo, Kampung Baru

I first learnt about Nasi Lemak Wanjo in Kampung Baru from the producer and his team for Best. Ever, when I was recording a few segments for the series. They said that it is truly a frontrunner when it comes to the nasi lemak game, so Nasi Lemak Wanjo has been on our list for a while.

We made sure to arrive early at Nasi Lemak Wanjo to avoid to the crowd. This was at 8.30am.

We were told it’s very crowded throughout the day, especially for supper so Jien and I made our way there early in the morning on a weekend. At 8.30am, the crowd was manageable so we didn’t need to wait in queue for too long to place our order.

As it was still fairly early in the morning, we opted to share a plate of nasi lemak ayam rendang (RM10.80) and added on a serving of bergedil (RM4) and sambal sotong (RM4.70). The rice at Nasi Lemak Wanjo is by far one of the most aromatic and lemak I’ve eaten. It’s good enough on its own even.

Early birds

Sambal is both spicy and sweet, with good caramelisation from the shallots. I also enjoyed the sambal sotong as the sambal base is sweet, spicy and lemak, while the cuttlefish is cooked till nice and tender. If you’re a fan of sambal sotong, you should try Nasi Lemak Wanjo’s version.

Fat rice with chickpeas, squid sambal and grilled

The ayam rendang gravy is adequately thick and rich, with a good aroma from the ground spices, kaffir lime leaves and buah keras. Chicken is also tender and seasoned enough so the meat has flavour at the centre.

Not a fan of the bergedil because they added a bit too much coriander

I wasn’t a fan of the bergedil because they added way too much coriander (daun sup) into the potato mix. The flavour was mostly peppery and sharp, which Jien and I weren’t a fan of. I guess if you love your coriander, you’ll like this. If you dislike coriander, skip this entirely.

By 9am, there was already a fairly long queue

Service is friendly and the queue management system is pretty commendable. By 9am, there was already a long queue of customers waiting to order – both dine-in and takeaway (separate queue section). That said, the queue moves fast so you won’t need to wait long to get to the front of the line.