Here I am once again on another foodie adventure in my hometown of Kluang, Johor. Although it is a small town, Kluang has many hidden gems when it comes to food. One such place was introduced by my uncle today and this restaurant serves good Malay food.
Che Ta and my uncle were classmates in the same secondary school. He told me that her food packs a whole lot of punch as the food preparation methods are very traditional. I obviously jumped at the chance to treat my palate to some delicious Malay dishes.
Being the glutton that I am, I decided to order quite a number of dishes touted as specialties by the owner herself.
Her grilled seafood is one which patrons return to time and again. I had to restrain myself from just choosing two which were Pari Bakar (grilled stingray, RM12) and Sotong Bakar (grilled squid, RM9). The sambal (chili paste) was both sweet and spicy at the same time. Restoran 1001 also specializes in Kerang Bakar and Kerang Rebus (cockles either grilled or steamed, served with spicy soy sauce or tamarind sauce). I intend on paying a second visit just to savor these savory shellfish.
Moving on to the Ayam Goreng Kunyit (Fried Turmeric Chicken, RM6). The chicken was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, redolent of turmeric and lemongrass. Tossed along with fried onions, chillies, long beans and carrots, the dish was lip-smackingly good till the last bit. I could even devour a plate all on its own!
As a lover of spicy and sour foods, I always head for a decadent bowl of tom yam (hot and sour soup). Restoran 1001's soup was definitely not a disappointment. The Tom Yam Campur (mixed hot and sour soup, RM7) was marvelous! I slurped every last drop! Not being too spicy as to overpower the ingredients, it was balanced in its piquancy and umami tones. Generous helpings of seafood and chicken were added to the soup, making it worth your buck.
The star of the show was the Nasi Goreng Kampung (roughly translated as village-style fried rice, RM6). The rice was nice and dry, each grain separated. Sometimes, fried rice can be so wrong in many levels when the rice is soggy but you won't find this here. Given a hidden spicy kick of pounded birds eye chillies and a salty edge from lashings of anchovies, this fried rice left me awestruck. For those of you who love fried rice, you should come over here and order a plate of utter goodness.
For drinks, we had the house specialty, fresh pineapple juice (RM4 per glass). The unique thing here in Restoran 1001 is that their juice has 100% NO SUGAR OR WATER ADDED! You get 100% PURE pineapple juice. The restaurant uses the MD2 pineapple strain. Medium-sized, these pineapples have natural sugars that dissipate into the juice, making sugar redundant to sweeten it. The pineapples are specially sourced from FIMA Ayer Hitam daily.
At first, I didn't quite believe there were no additions to the juice, but I was invited by Che Ta herself to join her as she made the juice. Freshly squeezed and with just ice for a chill, the juice was so refreshing. It takes 1 pineapple for a glass of juice. Restoran 1001 also sells bottles of their freshly squeezed juice made to order (RM5). If you are in the Kluang area, they have COD as well!
With a total bill of RM49 for 3 pax, I have to say that prices of the dishes were reasonable and food was equally tasty. For your fix of Malay food, do drop by Restoran 1001, and don't forget to ask for the sweet and friendly owner, Che Ta, who is ever-happy to have a chat with her customers. The restaurant is located along the same road as the Gurdwara Sahib and is difficult to miss.
Tel.: 019 - 744 7020 (Che Ta)
No comments:
Post a Comment