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!!!!!

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Mr & Mrs FoodPacker OFFICIAL LAUNCH!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the review of "Nasi Kandar Week" where we try to taste 5 nasi kandar dishes in 5 days before the fasting month arrives, also in accordance with the launching of our humble food blog as of 8/8/2011. =D

The list of shops goes(first to last visited):
1)Raihan Nasi Kandar(Shah Alam)
2)Zainul Nasi Kandar(Petaling Jaya)
3)Fareed Line Clear Nasi Kandar(Sg. Buloh)
4)Restoran Kudu bin Abdullah(Jln TAR)
5)Yaseen Nasi Kandar(Jln TAR)

And the result goes(best to worst):
Fareed>Zainul>Kudu>Raihan>Yaseen

Fareed grabs the award for:
-Best nasi kandar
-Best food variety
-Best curry mixture
-Best bumbu

Zainul grabs the award for:
-Best size of chicken
-Best queueing and parking convenience (easy to find parking and queue under the roof, NOT the sun)

Kudu grabs the award for:
-Best drink

That's all folks! Now we're ready for fasting month! Our stomach needs the rest after all of these. No more nasi kandar for the next 2-3 months LOL. Enjoy reading the blog! More posts will come up soon. Happy Ramadhan everyone from Dila and Abu! (^o^)

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Raihan Nasi Kandar @ Shah Alam

This post is a part of "Nasi Kandar Week" in accordance with Mr & Mrs Foodpacker's official launch, where we try to find out which shop serves the best nasi kandar in KL/Klang area. Click the link below to view the Top 5 and the winner of nasi kandar supremacy!

http://foodpassionistaaa.blogspot.com/2011/08/mr-mrs-foodpacker-official-launch.html


Credit to Andy Goh for additional info.

Our first nasi kandar marathon in accordance with welcoming the fasting month of Ramadhan (in 1 week time) starts of with an infamous nasi kandar shop called the Nasi Kandar Ganja aka Raihan Nasi Kandar. It is not what you think, they do not sell w*ed here. Instead, they serve bumbu (the remains of chicken marinade after being fried) together with their nasi kandar that is said to be highly addictive, thus the name ganja.



A newer and more estabilished premise. Used to only be a small shop between car workshops and food manufacturers. Located within 100meters from the old site. Operational hours: 10am-7pm on Mon-Sat. 10am-3pm on Sun.




What are nasi kandar shops without its queues. Long queue but the line moves fast. Max waiting time- 5minutes only. It would take longer to find a parking. Be warned that the level of difficulty in finding a space here is EXTREMELY HARD.




Ayam goreng berempah. First item you are presented with after the long queues, the most basic ingredient for any nasi  kandar. The small ones are what's left after all the big chicken are grabbed away. But no worries, there are big chicken just not in this picture and we got them on our plate =D




The process goes- First, they will put the curry mixture on standard set which include rice and sayur kobis without even asking which curry you prefer. Second, choose your chicken and they will chop it and put it on your plate. Third, pick any other extra items you want (from piture above) to be added to your dish (note: you got to take the bumbu yourself). Fourth, pay for your dish. Last, get your beverage from the self-service beverage counter.




This is absolutely ridiculous if you ask me. Self service beverage counter? The cashier will shout you order from the counter and whether they get the order or not is based on your luck. They didn't get mine and I had to get their attention (wasn't easy) and repeated what I want.

 


Ganja(the crispy bumbu on the left), sayur kacang, two ayam goreng berempah, sayur peria and sayur kobis. Ganja was too salty, so was the chicken and the curry mixture as well. everything was salty salty salty. Peria was burnt.

 


Ganja, sayur kobis, kacang buncis and ayam goreng berempah. The saltiness gave me a headache. Wish I had more veggie to save this disaster.


Dishing it out: I was highly dissapointed with this one, made it my first visit of all the nasi kandar shops hoping for it to taste good but I was convinced otherwise. Don't really know what was all the hype around the ganja. I have tasted a better bumbu than this one. The selection of food too is not impressive. They do not have any big fish, prawns, crabs and my favourite fish eggs (though a friend of mine says he's seen fish eggs before, maybe it was not there during my visit). No papadom sighted anywhere too. The overall saltiness leaves you no space to taste anything else on the dish. Price paid was RM23 for two person.

Coming back for more value: NO but I will give it 1 more chance and see if my next visit is as "salty" as this one.
Crowd: YES
Cleanliness: DIRTY they made my sirap bandung using tab water.. hope it's sterelized.. floors and washing area are filthy
Service: BAD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N3.08081,E101.56112


View Raihan 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!)

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

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Zainul Nasi Kandar @ Petaling Jaya

This post is a part of "Nasi Kandar Week" in accordance with Mr & Mrs Foodpacker's official launch, where we try to find out which shop serves the best nasi kandar in KL/Klang area. Click the link below to view the Top 5 and the winner of nasi kandar supremacy!

http://foodpassionistaaa.blogspot.com/2011/08/mr-mrs-foodpacker-official-launch.html


The second installment of our "Nasi Kandar Week". Told to be the nasi kandar shop which beats the legendary status of Nasi Kandar Line Clear in Penang, we went on the road to put that theory to a test.




Zainul Nasi Kandar is located in Komplek C, Emporium Makan dan Tempat Letak Kereta PJ (a market-like blue and yellow building) so you won't be able to spot the shop while driving. Max waiting time- 10minutes only. Operational hours: 11am- before dark (4pm-6pm I'd say)

 


Choices of menu available. Standard set include rice and taugeh, though the traditional bendi is spotted back in the kitchen. Our telur ikan is still nowhere to be spotted :(




The size of these chickens beat KFC. They will ask whether you want the big or small chicken. The small chicken is basically half of the big chicken. (They will cut it right infront of you) We ordered 2 big chickens =D~




Finally some big players from the sea for the hardcore eating fans.

 


Taugeh, bergedil(ontop), ayam goreng berempah. The taugeh is too crunchy indicating it is not cooked. Mrs Foodpacker suggested that they simply soak them into hot water before serving. Chicken is HUGE but it's rare that you can get both quantity and quality in one package. Hence, the chicken tastes just above average.

  


Ayam goreng berempah, taugeh and bergedil. Looks the same as above, taste the same as above. The bergedil is a very nice addition to the dish. Overall the items blend well together with the mixture of curry.

 


A plesant surprise after the horrible bumbu at Raihan Nasi Kandar. This bumbu is crucnhier, less oily and most importantly not as SALTY. I added a second order of bumbu for free and the pakcik was more than willing to give them. :)



Dishing it out: Zainul had a lot more variety than Raihan based on their seafood and meat selection. But like Raihan, they do not serve prawns and crabs. The bumbu was definitely a lot better than Raihan's but one more level up, and it would have been salty. Total paid was RM16.50 but the makcik counted as only RM16 as she was lazy to give out coins (you can tell how well the business is doing) As for it's status for being compared better than Nasi Kandar Line Clear in Penang.. sad to say, I beg to differ. Not the same sensation. :(

Coming back for more value: YES for the chicken, not because you miss Line Clear.
Crowd: YES
Cleanliness: MODERATE
Service: VERY GOOD freindly staff and more importantly no self service beverage counter (Reff- Raihan)
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N3.10078,E101.64586


View Zainul 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!)

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

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Fareed Line Clear Nasi Kandar @ Sg. Buloh (EXTENDED)

This post is a part of "Nasi Kandar Week" in accordance with Mr & Mrs Foodpacker's official launch, where we try to find out which shop serves the best nasi kandar in KL/Klang area. Click the link below to view the Top 5 and the winner of nasi kandar supremacy!

http://foodpassionistaaa.blogspot.com/2011/08/mr-mrs-foodpacker-official-launch.html


There are TWO (2) parts to this post. 
Part 1: The Stall
Part 2: The Restaurant (newly opened)

Part 1: The Stall

The newcomer in the battle for nasi kandar supremacy this year goes by the name of Fareed Nasi Kandar Line Clear. Don't mistaken it for Line Clear in Penang as this has nothing to do with it whatsoever. Maybe they plagarised the word "line clear" to get more 'ongg' for business. But whatever the reason is, it surely is working..



Situated beside a road with no actual brick and mortar, this shop often gets its visitors from truck drivers and factory workers. You will encounter many big trucks on the road as you make your way there. Max waiting time- 10minutes only. Operational hours: 11.30am- 3pm. Closed on Sundays.





Their eating area is covered by canopy. If it rains, they will take one of the unused canopy to cover the queueing line. Doesn't apply for sunny days, so bring you own umbrella unless you want a free tan.





As you are queueing, you are able to smell the delicious fragant coming from their fried chicken.





Unlike other nasi kandar served with white rice, Fareed's is yellow in color. Herbs and tomatoes are spotted in the mixture.




Most selection of dishes I've seen so far. They have sotong, big fish, daging manis, crabs, prawns and most importantly my telur ikan! =D

 


Papadom, telur ikan, daging manis, ayam goreng berempah with bumbu and sayur kacang. RM6.50. The chicken is not too small nor too big that it preserves its taste. Daging manis is tender and tastes great. The curry mixture is the best among all nasi kandar shops so far and they are quite generous with its quantity. The only negative thing I have to say is, the rice is a little bit soggy.

 



Papadom, two ayam goreng berempah with bumbu and sayur kobis. RM7.50. Unlike Raihan or Zainul this bumbu is not salty at all making it the best bumbu of all three! Highly addictive. This is the TRUE ganja.



Dishing it out: After eating there, it became on of my instant nasi kandar favourite below Line Clear in Penang. Though the taste is not the same, but it does come close :) After I was done, I felt like I wanted another plate. That's how good it was. No wonder TV3 hired them as food caterer for some of their shows. Total damage was RM16 with two drinks at RM1 each.

Coming back for more value: ABSOLUTELY YES
Crowd: YES
Cleanliness: MODERATE i saw them reusing some of the dirty plates as they only have to put a layer of plastic on top of them to serve the rice
Service: VERY GOOD they gave me free papadom for the journey back home! =D
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N3.23194,E101.56196


View Fareed 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!)

Part 2: The Restaurant

We were surprised to know from their facebook page (which they had newly created) that Fareed Line Clear Nasi Kandar has now opened a new brick and mortar restaurant of their own! (business must be good) So we've decided to check them out, being such big fans from our first memorable visit to their stall.

It is located not too far away from their stall in Sg. Buloh. When you are exiting the stall (not restaurant), you would notice a long winding road right ahead of you. That is where it is situated a little further to the right. Similarly if you are coming from the main road, instead of turning right to enter the parking of the stall, make a right turn instead to the winding road and the new restaurant shouldn't be too far ahead on your right. (It is literally around 200-300meters away only) Operational hours: 7am to 12pm daily. Closed temporarily on Friday 12.30pm to 2.30pm for Friday prayers.

Still sticking to their yellow nasi kandar roots. No lines seen here, maybe it was not peak hour yet.

Like its stall, it is still serving one of the most complete array of nasi kandar items. They have almost everything one can as for. Chicken, beef, fish, fish head, squid, prawns, crab (u name it) all cooked in more than 1 cooking style! Click picture to enlarge.

Oh yeah! Mr Foodpacker's favourite fish egg!

Freshly cooked fried chicken. This time brought all the way from the kitchen at the back. No more live cooking demonstration =P

Unlike the Fareed Line Clear stall, you are able to choose from more than just 2 or 3 selections of drinks. Thank God!

Now they can afford the luxury of providing more seats! If you are not in the mood to eat nasi kandar, now you can order any other dishes from the kitchen too! Eg: Tomyam, tandoori, fried rice/mee, rojak, nasi lemak, roti canai (i think you get the idea) Sort of like a fusion between a nasi kandar and a mamak restaurant!

The outside seating. Just in case you come on a Friday and the shop is about to close for Friday prayers, the outside seating will still be available to you. You don't have to rush your meal.

Plate 1: Ayam goreng and sayur kubis. RM5. Being a person who does not favour sweet meals, Mrs Foodpacker had requested her dish to be without sos kicap. (If you do not like sweet meals too, don't forget to remove the kuah ayam masak merah from the equation as well as it is also sweet  =P) Nonetheless, it was clearly an honest mistake by the staff and the manager was nice enough to replace her rice with a completely new plate without additional charge =)

Plate 2: Two pieces of ayam goreng, sayur kacang panjang and extra rice. RM8.50.

The much needed papadom. A plate of nasi kandar would not be complete without these!

Anyone up for desserts? They serve donuts here too XD

Dishing it out: The difference we saw in the system as compared to its stall is that you do not pay immediately for your food right after you pick them. The person who takes your food is not the same person who prices them. There is a certain degree of weakness that we saw in this system, whereby the person who comes to your table to calculate how much your plate costs, does not necessarily know what you have actually taken. For example, during our visit they did not notice our additional order of chicken and extra rice on Plate 2, until we called them over to correct the receipt.

Without a doubt, this new restaurant boosts more seatings and extended hours to get your dose of nasi kandar. It is more convenient to the customers as it is more comfortable and they can order more food and drinks aside from the regular nasi kandar. However, if you are a raw and hardcore nasi kandar fan like us, we still prefer to eat at their stall more as it provides a better environment (the mamak element is not there) and "feel" to eat nasi kandar. Then you are truly ready to enjoy a plate of nasi kandar like a real enthusiast =)


Coming back for more value: YES
Crowd: YES
Cleanliness: MODERATE
Service: VERY GOOD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N3.22922,E101.56211


View Restaurant Fareed Line Clear Nasi Kandar in a larger map

COMPLETE ADDRESS: No 1, Jalan BRP 8/1d, Bukit Rahman Putra, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.

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

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