Warong M. Nasir

There was a Malay wedding at my void deck earlier today, and somehow or another the enticing smells of Malay dishes being cooked and prepared downstairs were more than enough to get a Nasi Padang craving going for the whole family. We initially intended to head to our favourite "Sabar Menanti", but I thought we should be a little bit more adventurous and try something new. Hence, Warong M. Nasir.


I made a reservation for us yesterday but realied that there wasn't much of a need to since it was still quite empty at eleven on a Sunday morning. I knew that they don't have much of a practice in taking reservations (I'm sure they won't during weekday lunch hours) but I tried anyways and I guess weekends are probably quite the exceptions. The indoor seating is certainly more comfortable than the tables facing the main road, though it's a wonder why they were playing some of the latest English pop tunes instead of... Indonesian music perhaps, to add to the atmosphere. By the time we arrived, most of the dishes were already out and everything did look real good. Admittedly, there's a wee bit more variety at Sabar Menanti as compared to Warong M. Nasir, but the usual dishes like the curries and rendangs were all there alright. It's good to come early too because I would like to think that it's the time when the food is at its freshest.

Bergedil: 4/5


For the uninitiated, these are fried mashed potato patties. Usually bergedils come with some minced meat, but most places even like Warong M. Nasir here would just settle with some onions, onion leaves and peppers. Overall it was alright, just not fulfilling its original identity as a potato and meat patty.

Fried Eggs: 3.75/5


It's just fried eggs yes, but I found the addition of onions and chillis within the eggs quite creative.

Fried Chicken: 4/5


I liked the fried chicken because it wasn't very dry and the marinate was quite tasty as well. I have to add though that this is one of the few dishes we had that seems better than Sabar Menanti's.

Tahu Telor: 3.75/5


Pretty good, but I normally have it without the peanut gravy and I prefer it that way. The tofu was soft on the inside while the flour covering was crispy.

Brinjals with Chilli: 2.5/5


My parents shared this, but they mentioned that it would taste better if the sambal chilli was cooked together with the brinjals rather than merely being added on top.

Beef Rendang: 2.5/5


It's difficult to make out what exactly it is from the picture, but underneath the gravy is thick slices of beef. "Rendang" shouldn't be confused with the typical Malay curry, inasmuch as coconut milk and spices are used to prepare it as well. I didn't quite like the rendang here because it had too much of a "satay" taste to it. Moreover, there was too much fats on the meat.

Service
Very good and polite. The staff came by our table twice to ask if we had enough gravy to go with our rice.

Price
Around $40 for all of the dishes, four plates of rice, two teas and one Coke.
If it isn't enough for you, you might like to get some Malay kuehs (traditional cakes) or biscuits found at the front counter.

Place
69 Kiliney Road.