I’ve heard a great deal about the nasi lemak near San Peng flat, but Pudu isn’t my favourite place to venture into unless rif is driving. We were around the area when he decided to give this place a try.

San Peng Nasi Lemak

Non halal dishes

A Chinese auntie manages this nasi lemak stall with her daughter and the place was crowded on a Sunday night. Pork is served here so expect to see innards with curry, fried luncheon meat, pork curry and lap cheong. Truth be told, I’m generally skeptical about Chinese style nasi lemak because the sambal often lacks oomph.

Tell the auntie what you want and she’ll scoop the items for you

Nasi lemak with curry chicken, fried egg and cockles sambal

Reservations aside, I got myself a plate of nasi lemak with curry chicken, cockles sambal, fried egg and plenty of curry gravy. You can opt to omit the roasted peanuts and ikan bilis, but it ain’t nasi lemak without those two items. As expected, the sambal was on the sweet and mild side, and it didn’t pack a punch.

Lackluster sambal (left) but good cockles sambal (right)

However, the cockles sambal was tasty and happened to be my favourite dish that night. The curry chicken and fried egg were pretty standard, so nothing to shout about there. All in, it was a hearty plate of nasi lemak.

rif’s order: Lap cheong, fried egg and luncheon meat with nasi lemak

rif added lap cheong, luncheon meat and fried egg to his nasi lemak. The lap cheong was too chewy for my liking and I’m generally not a fan of luncheon meat. I find it too ‘processed’, but he loves it.

The coconut rice was quite ‘lemak’, nicely cooked and fragrant from the addition of pandan leaves. A pity the curries weren’t spicy enough – we like our curries robustly flavoured and packed with punch.

The above came up to about RM16 inclusive of a herbal tea. While pricing is reasonable, I still prefer going to my regular place for nasi lemak. If you want a non-halal version of nasi lemak, this is an option.

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Ambiance: 4/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 5.5/10 (non halal)
Verdict: Besides the cockles curry, I found the nasi lemak just alright.

San Peng Nasi Lemak
Off Jalan San Peng,
Pudu 52100,
Kuala Lumpur.
(opposite San Peng flats)
GPS Coordinates: N 3 07.971 E 101 42.708