Nalé • The Nasi Lemak Company — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

You have to be pretty confident to open a Resturant with practically a single dish on offer. That’s the premise of Nale - short for Nasi Lemak? It is after all our unofficial national dish.

And how do they rate? Well the Nasi Lemak is pretty decent. The rice isn’t very aromatic but it comes in nice individually separated grains. The anchovies and peanuts are fresh and crunchy. And you get 3 slices of pretty large cucumber too.

Most importantly for me is the Sambal. This was on the mild side and somewhat sweet. This may be a crowd pleaser but does not earn any points from me. I also asked for another serving of their Sambal Hijau and this too turned out mild and sweetish. They do have a Sambal Superhot that I didn’t try, so hopefully that’s better than the two I tried.

Beef Rendang and Beef Gulai were both well cooked and tender. The beef in the rendang had absorbed the coconut flavours. The gulai was creamy. Both however were not particularly spicy, so no top marks for either.

The Fried Chicken was doused in a gravy, so you couldn’t really discern the freshness of the fried chicken. The gravy was the same as the beef Gulai?

A side order of Sambal Terung (eggplant) was well prepared. The eggplant cubes had been quickly fried and resulted in a creamy texture. The sambal however was the sweetish non-spicy variety, so no to marks again.

Overall I came away rather disappointed. If only they could get the spice level up, this could be a top notch franchise. But judging from the lunch crowds here, they don’t seem to be doing too badly either. I might return for that Superhot...

Disappointing Experience with Unprofessional Staff and Poor Quality Food

I recently visited this restaurant, where I ordered two set meals worth almost RM 100. Despite the fact that there was only one other table occupied, the food took a long time to arrive. As I was hungry, I decided to take out a small bun from my bag while waiting. The waiter, a black man wearing a cap and face mask, immediately stopped me in a rude manner, insisting that no outside food was allowed. I understand restaurant policies, but this felt excessive given I was waiting for my meal and was only having a small snack.

It was frustrating to be treated with such disdain, especially when the restaurant was practically empty. I also noticed another staff member, a lady with short hair (possibly the cook), giving us an unpleasant stare and humming as if we were trying to eat for free. This lack of warmth or hospitality was shocking.

The food itself was disappointing. The sambal and gulai gravies tasted like they were reheated from pre-cooked meals, and the long beans in the gulai were overcooked. The eggs were also overcooked, not resembling the ones in the menu pictures. The fried anchovies weren’t crispy and seemed like they weren’t freshly made. The lemon ice tasted bitter.

Overall, this was the worst dining experience I’ve had. The owner should seriously reconsider how they train their staff to engage with customers. Without good service, it’s no surprise the place was so empty. I won’t be returning and certainly wouldn’t recommend...

The secret to any good nasi lemak is the sambal and so it was with NALE, The Nasi Lemak Company’s owner who toiled countless hours experimenting with the right ingredients to come up with his own concoction of what he called the NALE Sauce, plus 6 other sambals to go with his dishes. The outlet in Pavilion Damansara Heights was only opened in January this year and was already teeming with diners around lunch time in the normally quiet Mall. We had to wait about 10 minutes before getting a vacant table (for 3). The restaurant is stylish, with sharp lines and clever use of materials and lights to give the place a “classy” feel. We ordered the following; Gulia Sotong Hijau, Sambal Terung Ikan Bilis, Gulai Sayor Special and Wagyu (Aussie MB9 grade) Bakar. Aside from the fact that the dipping sauces were somewhat special and added to the tastes of the beef, the dishes itself were not particularly special; the sotong was, in my opinion a bit too tough (overcooked?), the ikan bilis was too hard and not crispy at all (some places do get it right). The Wagyu beef? Not the melt in your mouth type. Service though was good, as was the feel...