642

*This is my StarMetro Beriyani post, with more pictures for viewing pleasure.

While most people eat to live, I live to eat. I can be quite fussy about what I eat, and I refuse to settle for mediocrity. In fact, I am known to go all out in search of good food. I recently had a poor version of the famous Batu Pahat nasi beriyani in KL, and left the restaurant RM12 poorer and very dissatisfied.The following weekend, I convinced rif and two of our friends to go all the way to Batu Pahat for nasi beriyani. There are many shops that claim to serve the best nasi beriyani, but according to many people, Mohd Shah’s Baryani, located at Gerai Niaga Peserai (opposite the Putra Specialist Hospital), is the best. (The spelling of beriyani varies from shop to shop — from beriani, briyani and bariani to baryani.)
Inside this humble stall were big metal pots of mutton and chicken, and, of course, the nasi beriyani. The queue was long, but service was fast, so I did not have to wait long for my plate of Nasi Baryani Kambing (RM5.50).The beriyani looked appetising, with a generous serving of mutton on the side. However, I found the rice somewhat ordinary — it was not fragrant or creamy enough. The mutton, on the other hand, was quite delicious. Redolent of spices, the chunks of meat were tender, thick and robust in flavour, proof that it had been cooked for hours.Next to the mutton, the chicken paled in comparison. While it was well flavoured and falling off the bone, it did not have the oomph factor, like the mutton.Before I was done with my nasi beriyani, KC talked about another good beriyani place called Restoran Bariani Power that was just a 10-minute drive away. Since we had come all the way here, I thought, “What the heck, let’s go!”

We reached the restaurant at 1.30pm, and it was packed with people. They had run out of bariani gam, so I settled for the nasi bariani daging (RM7).
The beef was well cooked, softly flaky and infused with spices. Here, the rice was creamy, moist and springy to the touch. This dish was an amazing combination of aroma, texture and flavour, and I relished every bite.I love eating acar buah, so I ordered a plate (RM2.50) to go with my rice. The dalcar that came with the rice was really rich and flavoursome. I drenched my rice with it, and it was truly satisfying.They do a mean sirap bandung (RM2.50) here, using ice-cream soda. It was thick, rich and fizzy all in one sip, unlike the sweet, milky version I had been drinking all this while. According to rif, sirap ban-dung should be made with rose syrup, evaporated milk and ice-cream soda. The evaporated milk makes the drink creamy, while the ice-cream soda gives it fizz and a vanilla flavour.

I found the people at Bariani Power very arrogant, so do not expect service with a smile. To summarise, both the beriyani were good, but the nasi beriyani from Bariani Power is tastier. Would I drive all the way to Batu Pahat for nasi beriyani again? You bet!

Baryani Mohd Shah
Ambiance: 4/10
Price: 7/10
Food: 6/10
Verdict: If the rice was creamier, it would have been very good.

Restoran Bariani Power
Ambiance: 5/10
Price: 5/10
Food: 7/10
Verdict: Good nasi beriyani, but awful service.

Nasi Baryani Mohd Shah (Stall No. 14)
Gerai Niaga Peserai,
Jln Muar, Batu Pahat, Johor,
Tel: 07-413 8322
GPS Coordinates: N1 51.477 E102 55.336

Restoran BP Bariani Power
No. 18, Jalan Tukas Dua,
Taman Soga, Batu Pahat.
Tel: 07-438 8987, 012-712 0987
GPS coordinates: N 1 50.212 E 102 56.068.