Line Clear Nasi Kandar @ Jalan Penang

Penang is vastly known for its most famous dish "Nasi Kandar" Being called such was because "people go from house to house while 'kandar'ing food on their backs to sell" When one speaks of the BEST nasi kandar ini Penang, we avoid looking at the famous franchises that has spread along almost every street in KL such as Nasi Kandar Pelita or Nasi Kandar Kayu. Much can be said about what commercialization has done to the taste of the original nasi kandar.Instead, we seek for the one which is "locally" known for serving the best and most authentic Nasi Kandar, Penang has to offer, with no franchise and no commercialized taste, right to the very origin! And this is the one we found.

***Pictures are from several visits

The legendary hallway.. cramped on the busy road of Jalan Penang. It is pretty easy to miss. Operational hours: 24 hours

Parking wise, there is a pay parking lot right opposite of it. Capitalism makes everything convenient!

Don't be too happy when you see this sign. THIS is where you start queuing during peak hours! Sometime even further behind, and if it rains.. God helps us all. (or you can bring an umbrella)

The narrow entrance makes it hard for customers to enter the shop, especially when the beverage counter is right infront and they are always "excuse me"-ing themselves to serve drinks.

PACKED. This was during a weekend. Maximum waiting time: 30 minutes. Secret tip #1: If you bring a party of more than 5 people, talk to the staff  (and depending on the level of crowd) they will ask you to take a seat and UNFAIR nice enough, they would go to your table and take your order. Just be sure to ask them to "banjir" your rice with curry, or else they would come plain as they would place the condiments (chicken, fish, veggie etc) you ordered on separate individual plates.

Middle of the line! We can almost see the food from here! No? Not yet? Okay....

Yup.. can't complain the staff's awesome showmanship! haha they seem to be used to tourists and so they treat everyone with a big smile like the happy travelers we are! The good thing about a narrow hallway is that everything seem to pass by you when you're queuing. And so we found this amazing spectacle being prepared in the kitchen.. want to know what it is? Coming up in a few pictures more! =D  

Oh man.. still not there yet? Okay.. Let's take a look at some other pictures first.. Secret tip #2:  If the crowd is to massive and you come with at least another companion by your side.. It is best to ask him/her to reserve a seat for you first while you are queuing (It is that 'competitive' to get a seat there.. better safe than eating your nasi kandar standing)

Oh goodness me.. look at the size of those squids! One of the many complete array of dishes from sea to land that this shop has to offer. Surely would have ordered these if not for Mr Foodpacker's allergy towards them. 

Is it just me.. or are we getting further from the food counter? haha the mind starts playing with you after all the commotion while queuing.. To name a few: "SEJUK!!" from beverage counter, the classical "PANAS!!" from the kitchen and some grumpy uncles eagerly waiting for his turn standing so close behind you that they are literally breathing down your neck.. 

Will you look at that O_o  Fried fish head infamously known to cost a ton, yet not many can resists such a beauty..

Pay close attention to the amount of meat in these babies.. These fish heads are SOOO heavy that trying to pick them up with one hand didn't even make it budge!

Finally!!!! FRONT OF THE LINE! "Time to order me loads of food so that it'll be worth the wait" will be running through your head.

Most important ingredient of all and to us the ONE thing that separates this restaurant from the rest of its competitors worldwide.. Ayam goreng!!

A slightly messy set up there.. but it is what it is and you asked for it- an authentic Nasi Kandar shop! =D
They have some telur dadar, telur mata kerbau, some fried chicken with spices and daging masak hitam.

Just in case some of you were wondering what was the spectacle we saw in the picture before.. this is it!
HUGH PRAWNS!!!!!
Never before have we laid our eyes on any other prawns bigger than this elsewhere.

Vegetables and variety of offerings on the other side of the table.

The mesmerizing nasi briyani to go with your meal.. we prefer to eat ours with white rice as the taste of each condiment would stand out more that way :)

The much improved seatings now expand all the way to the back of the shop. All seatings are under a roof, no worries of the rain there. But don't look for privacy here as most of the time, you'll end up sharing the table with another customer.
Also, it seems that there are much complains about the hygiene of the shop.. but with our bare eyes as witness, and considering the number of customer they had on that day.. proved that the critics were 80% wrong. The shop was quite clean to us =) 

Papadom. A Nasi Kandar's best friend. Crispy and heavenly textured at its best.

Ayam goreng and sayur kacang hijau. RM6. We prefer the green veggie than the yellow one as it is more watery and juicy.

Ayam goreng and sayur kuning. RM6. Without 'kicap', thus no black gravy. Mrs Foodpacker doesn't like sweet food ;)

Ayam goreng, sayur kacang hijau and telur ikan. RM8.20. Look at the very generous amount of telur ikan given T_T

Ayam goreng x2, sayur kuning and bendi. RM12.10. Again without 'kicap' gravy. Sambal belacan literally poured on the other chicken.. just the way Mrs Foodpacker likes it!

Udang kari. RM30. This is RM30 a pop! haha double statement for double effect! A friend mentioned  that he was unsure whether this is a prawn or a lobster =P 

The size of the prawn compared to the other dishes we were having. HUGE HUGE HUGE One can't help but to simply feel excited and immediately order this prawn once we saw its size.

The prawn after peeling off its shell! After looking at this visual.. my mind kind of tricked me to think that the prawn tasted like chicken haha it must be because of the size. Tasted really fresh! No we can hold our head high and tell our friends that, "We've eaten a prawn THISSSSSSSSSSS big" XD

Fish head curry. RM80. It takes them a while to prepare this dish for you.. approximately 8-10 minutes. But no worries, the satisfaction is guaranteed as the fish head will STILL remain hot and warm even after 30 minutes! Look at the thick creamy curry.. don't you just feel like bathing in them? =O~

Looking at the size of the fish head, this meal can be shared up to 6 people! They come with sprinkles of sliced onions and bendi.  After it came to our table, we sort of started a trend because other tables started to order them too! Anyway, this fish head curry was VERY SPICY! (not an exaggeration) to the extent that sweat was dripping all over Mr Foodpacker's face when he ate it! 
P/s: Be sure to order lots of ice drinks if you plan to take this on. And order lots of them one shot because if it's too crowded, it might take a while for your drinks to arrive! and wiping tissues on your tongue doesn't help.   

Tender white meat straight from the sea into the curry! hehe Don't be surprised by how much meat this fish has.. when you are done with one side, just flip it over and you have a completely new side of meat to enjoy! Just be careful when you scoop the fish apart as it tends to break into smaller pieces and sink into the curry. Then it will be hard to differentiate between the meat and bones.

The famous faces that has been here. Now and then an artist would always check in @Nasi Kandar Line Clear into their social networking websites.

And the list goes on and on and on. Should give you an idea of how famous this place is.

 

You can check their Facebook page too if you want!

Last but not least, if you are thinking twice to come here because of the long queue.. Here is a glimpse of hope for you! Not so bad during non-peak hours ey? Don't give up to easily! Plan your time right and you can enjoy every dish this shop has to offer at your disposal! ;)

Dishing it out: Taste wise it is probably THE BEST NASI KANDAR WE HAVE EVER TASTED! It is highly addictive and at a point of time you will notice nobody will talk on your table because they are too busy eating the wholesome meal! Given the circumstance of how nasi kandar is normally judged -as a whole- each ingredient in a plate of nasi kandar served here combines well together as a complete an authentic nasi kandar dish. They have to offer everything you want and more.. most complete array of dishes from animal and plants living from land to sea! Don't say you've tasted the best nasi kandar before you have a taste of Line Clear. Trust us, once you have a taste of this, you would be begging to come back to Penang for their Nasi Kandar.

As a side note, we once tried to search for a nasi kandar restaurant that can beat Line Clear and we made it our promotional launch for Mr & Mrs Foodpacker food blog. We called it "Nasi Kandar week" and we tried 5 alleged best nasi kandar in KL/Klang in 1 week! To our demise, we couldn't find another replacement for Line Clear  and it still remains the best nasi kandar we know.. but we found some other pretty good shops too and one of them came pretty close to the taste of Line Clear.. it is called "Fareed Line Clear".. YUP THE IRONY

Coming back for more value: ABSOLUTELY YES the days we spent out of Penang are the days we keep thinking of Line Clear
Crowd: YES
Cleanliness: MODERATE
Service: GOOD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N05.41965,E100.33265


View Line Clear Nasi Kandar in a larger map

If you'd like to know the COMPLETE ADDRESS of the restaurant, please click on the "Location" tab below. (After Facebook comments and right before Blogger comments, its in between!)

Tel: 04 261 4440

..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Facebook Blogger Plugin: Bloggerized by Ab Ab Enhanced by Mr and Mrs Foodpacker

Me'nate Steak House / Hub @ Ampang

We first got to know of this shop from a friend. At that time, we were discussing the topic of "Where is the best wagyu beef you've tasted".. Not because we are avid fans of wagyu beef, sincerely the only ones we've tasted before was both from Tony Romas: Wagyu beef burger (RM50+/-) and Wagyu steak (RM120+/-). Being a prime/expensive type of steak (which recently became famous over the past year) we only had a few 'opportunity' to taste it.. Specifically speaking, Mrs Foodpacker's monthly get-salary-treat-bf meals! haha XD and this is one of those meals.. at the "House of Wagyu", Me'nate Steak House!

A Western speciality restaurant (steaks nonetheless!) run by Malay. Odd indeed, but let's see how they fair up ;) Operational hours: to 10.30pm

The open aired inside seatings. From hard wood chairs to plastics. A simple concept which makes you feel like you'll be dining fresh meat straight from the farm!

One of the best properties if this restaurant.. free flow drinks! The hot Milo is absolutely delicious after a heavy meal..

Freezers which store all the fresh meat! Here is where you can survey the types of meat that you want they have. Not all parts of meat seen in the menu is necessarily in stock for you (subject to availability) thus it is best to choose you meat first before you even sit down to take a look at the menu. Specify how you'd like them to be cooked or you can ask the staff for the recommended level of cooking for each type/part of meat.

Another reason NOT to go through their menu first before you survey their freezer is because.. the prices stated in the menu are per 100grams, slightly giving you the illusion and hope that your steak's going to cost cheap! Imagine how Mr Foodpacker's face was when they slammed this RM179.40 piece of meat on the table! HAHA (this particular meat was Wagyu beef which in the menu ranges around RM20-RM65 max per 100 grams depending on parts)
**Queue in sad song for Mrs Foodpacker's purse**

Wagyu tenderloin (bottom) striploin (top). Ranges from  RM100 to RM200 for striploin and RM130 to RM200 for tenderloin. The best Wagyu comes from tenderloin, hence the price. Pricing from most expensive to least: Tenderloin>Ribeye>Striploin>Sub-primal>Non-primal

Angus ribeye. Ranges from RM70 to RM100. They said that the tenderloin is normally not available for Angus.Pricing from most expensive to least: Tenderloin>Ribeye>Striploin>Sub-primal>Non-primal

Grass fed ribeye. Ranges from RM40 to RM60. Pricing from most expensive to least (grain fed): Tenderloin>RIbeye>Striploin>T-Bone>O.P.Ribs>Sub-primal>Non-primal

Grain fed ribeye (not in picture) ranges from RM40 to RM70.Pricing from most expensive to least (grass fed): Tenderloin>Ribeye>Striploin

Lamb rack and lamb loin. Ranges from RM30 to RM70. Pricing from most expensive to least: Rack>Leg>Loin>Shoulder>Ribs>Shank>Neck

These were what we chose out of the many. Though they might be a dime in a dozen, they are still a dime each ;)
Angus ribeye. RM70.20
Wagyu tenderloin. RM133.90
Lamb rack. RM49.90

The degree of cooking provided by the shop. Injecting a bit sense of humour into the menu. Reff: Well Done. We're guessing they are not  such big fans (which is exactly how most Malaysian like it =P)

Mashed potatoes. FOC. Comes with the dish. 1 steak = 2 scoops of mashed potatoes. If you ordered a big platter (all steaks served on a single plate) this is the amount of mashed you get! Yummy indeed, cute small scoops of potatoes that go effortlessly into your mouth. First item that we instantly finished on the table!

Beef Aglio Olio. RM18.80. Not your ordinary aglio olio pasta.. It is a VERY BEEFY pasta. We immediately wanted to order another one of this after we finished it! (But we decided not to as to save space for the other meals =P) If you are looking  for an authentic olio pasta that sticks close to the Italian roots, this is not the one. But if you are looking for something that suits more to the Malaysian tongue.. this is definitely an excellent fusion! Minced meat was used instead of bacon in this one.

Lamb rack (left): Medium well
Angus ribeye (middle/top): Medium
Wagyu tenderloin (right): Medium
All cooking degrees were chosen based on staff recommendation.
They should know best how to cook their own meat!

Wagyu tenderloin. RM133.90. 

Angus ribeye. RM70.20.

Lamb rack. RM49.90.
Probably not the best part of lamb to order. This one had many small and long inedible tendons.

Some black pepper gravy to go with the steak.. served warm on goes well with any steak. 

A cut from Wagyu tenderloin. You thought that the more expensive meat has the better taste? haha this one had a better texture than Angus. Which is what wagyu is known for anyway, high quality soft meat. Taste wise?

A cut from Angus ribeye. Simply tasted better than Wagyu! but lacking in texture. The heavily covered marinade might be the source of flavour.
NOTE: Based on our visit, and their style of cooking. It is safe to say, MEDIUM WELL is the best way to go on any steak. Trust us.. unless you are an steak eating expert, medium well is the most optimal level of softness and hardness inside out (that is edible, with no traces of blood)

And just in case if you ever think of running away from the shop without paying    

Dishing it out: At this restaurant you can eat every part of a meat on every type of meat you can possibly think of! But it is best to only stick to their steaks as we found their lamb to be quite normal. Service is fast, meals arrived only in 5-10 minutes after ordering! Which left us wondering the type of technology they have back in the kitchen that can cook a steak that fast! Though for the price we are paying for, the management should put in more effort to provide the customers with a better eating environment (we hardly think they can't afford it) This restaurant also serves as a grocey where one can buy meat at 30% the displayed price (minus cooking labour) Aside from steaks and ribs, they also sells sausages, bacon and much more.

On the downside, we would say that the dishes in this shop are HEAVILY priced. Which is pretty weird considering the fact that all the meat comes from their own farm and that should have been enough to bring down the cost to a considerable amount. Always pays to bring a big bag of cash when you dine here, because you can never expect how high the prices can fly up to. Or you can always opt for Tony Romas, a world renowned franchise which sells Wagyu steak at only RM120 =P


Coming back for more value: MAYBE for Beef aglio olio
Crowd: NO
Cleanliness: CLEAN
Service: GOOD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N3.160795,E101.758692


View Larger Map

If you'd like to know the COMPLETE ADDRESS of the restaurant, please click on the "Location" tab below. (After Facebook comments and right before Blogger comments, its in between!)

Tel: 03 4251 3460

..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Facebook Blogger Plugin: Bloggerized by Ab Ab Enhanced by Mr and Mrs Foodpacker