Botak Nasi Lemak — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

I was strolling along Taman Universiti and I chance upon the famous "Botak Nasi Lemak" located at SS3/37.

I have eaten many times their nasi bungkus at the Medan Selera food court. It was absolutely fabulous, authentic sambal and the whole works.

Today I decided to walk into their new joint located in a shop. Rather gloomy looking though.

I ordered "nasi lemak biasa" (basic nasi lemak) with additional "telor goreng". The fried egg looks really miserable and pathetic.

And I had my first scoop. Nay! It is far out. Not my kind of nasi lemak. I have tasted many nasi lemak bungkus in the kampong and the sambal is outstanding. So is the rice.

At "Botak Nasi Lemak" the rice looks mediocre. And no oomph as what a nasi lemak should be. The lemak rice should be flavourful but it's not.

The sambal is a total write off. Not only is it watery, it's devoid of sambal, the vital ingredient and highlight in nasi lemak (rice cooked with coconut milk).

The Ikan bilis was not anywhere near crispy. It's hard. I have to be real careful with my bite. It should not be on my plate.

Verdict : Can give this nasi lemak haven a miss. Your palate will thank you for that. I am flabbergasted as why can't we be served a decent plate of nasi lemak when there's no secret at all in...

Upon arrival, I realised that the shop enforces self-service so I have to queue up and place my order. What made it more unpleasant was the fact that the workers were working really slow. The shop was far from crowded and the queue wasn't long but the wait was abnormally long. This was also evident from the patrons queuing before me as they actually complained to the shop operator about the long waiting time. I definitely think this area could be better improved. Moving on to the food, I ordered the famous nasi lemak ayam goreng with sotong sambal. The rice was fragrant and its texture was grainy so that was a good start for the taste. The pieces of sotong was supple and had a good bounce to each bite. The sambal was aromatic enough, wasn't overly spicy or sweet and consistency was okay as it wasn't too thick or watery. As for the ayam goreng, I think the spices used were good but the flavours just didn't permeate into the chicken meat unfortunately. Overall, a good nasi lemak but not a great one in my opinion. Do I think this is the second best nasi lemak in PJ? Probably not but if you're in the area and somehow managed to find a car park, you can...

Botak has come a long way from his humble stall at Selera Wawasan at SS3/33. His food was somehow better in the old place, but as they say, fame doesn't always mean much better. The current food now is still good, just not as how it used to be. So for those 1st time eating here or never tried the original place, it's very different.

I've tried both, therefore, can say that the taste has changed a little. But, still good la. His mee goreng needs to be a little more dry, maybe its not him cooking now. The fried chicken is nice, taste seaps well into the meat, which is hard to find nowadays. Overall, its still a great place for nasi lemak, just avoid coming during peak hours or weekends as it can get really crowded. My style of eating comfortably is way before lunch, and I need to come back again one of these days.

Edit: oh, those comparing to village park, bumbung and so on, please take note that its no better. Most claim they 'know' nasi lemak well, and truth be told, majority of the so called famous nasi lemak are just viral-famous only. You need to experience & understand the origins and basics of nasi lemak before you know what's nice or...