Best nasi lemak in KL

Tanglin’s nasi lemak is no secret to KLites but you’ll still get the feeling that you’ve stumbled upon a hidden treasure just behind the KL Bird Park. If you like your sambal moderately spicy and a little sweet, Tanglin’s version is wildly addictive. You know what this means: more rice!

What makes this TOKL Food Awards winner one of the best nasi lemak joints in town? It isn’t the clout (our ex-PMs have dined here), necessarily, or the fluffy rice. It’s the overall presentation – sambal, crunchy anchovies and a whole fried chicken leg – that elevates this street staple to a restaurant-quality dish.

When in Klang, eat like a Klangite and have the packed nasi lemak at Chong Kok Kopitiam. It's a simple mound of fluffy rice topped with spicy sambal, fried ikan bilis and a hard-boiled egg wedge, but it's hugely comforting. Prepare to share a table with strangers (and have a conversation about the nasi lemak while you're at it).

Here's a nasi lemak joint the tourists don't know about – yet. While some nasi lemak places tempt you with rendang and sambal sotong, a plate of nasi lemak at Mali's Corner will make you forget about fancy add-ons. The rice is consistently fluffy and fragrant, the ikan bilis crunchy, and the sambal achieves that ideal balance between spicy and sweet. Complete the experience with Mali's ayam goreng. 

There are so many things we love about this Chinese-style nasi lemak, and it all comes down to the variety of side dishes available. The dry pork curry is the stall’s claim to fame, plus there are two types of chicken to choose from – the fragrant chicken rendang, and the ayam masak merah. Trust us, you’ll find it difficult to limit yourself to just a couple of side dishes, because there are also options like sambal sotong, chilli prawn, fried eggs, stir-fried kangkung, stir-fried cabbage, luncheon meat, hotdogs, fish cakes, and even sambal petai.

Lips don’t lie – Yati’s fiesty sambal may just leave you with a (pleasant) stinging sensation. The battle of the best nasi lemak stalls – between Suri and Yati – at Selera Jaya 223 rages on, but the latter triumphs with fragrant rice and a punchier sambal.

RM1 nasi lemak bungkus, they (still) exist! At Warung Rindu, that is, which sells a few hundred packets of nasi lemak daily: a banana leaf pyramid, unfolding to a mound of white rice cooked in coconut milk, a slice of omelette, a side of sweet-spicy sambal ikan bilis, cucumber cuts and peanuts. 

Many take away, especially the early morning crowd en route to work and the supper hunters late at night, but you could opt to dine-in for a fuller, albeit no-frills nasi lemak experience. Add a protein to your plate, like burung puyuh goreng (the star of the show when it’s available), paru goreng, or sambal sotong. Or, you know, the crispy, juicy ayam goreng is more than fine too.