Nasi Lemak Wanjo Kampung Bharu: This Nasi Lemak Spot in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) is So Wildly Popular That It Has 10k Reviews and Has IKEA-fied Its Operations! (But Is It Worth the Hype?)
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This article is part of the Kuala Lumpur (KL) Food Trip 2024 series Check out the installments in this series: Itik Salai Mashtar (Smoked Duck Curry Outside KL) | Keria Gula Melaka Sg Ramal (Sweet Potato Doughnuts Near Itik Salai Mashtar) | Restoran Wong Mei Kee (Cantonese Roast Meats)
Considered as Malaysia’s national dish, Nasi Lemak is a dish consisting of boiled or fried egg, cucumber, ikan bilis (fried anchovies), peanuts, sambal (chili sauce), and of course the nasi or rice, which is cooked in santan (coconut milk) and flavored with pandan (screwpine) leaves. It’s usually paired with various sides, in which ayam goreng (fried chicken) is the most popular. Imagine the flavors and textures!
[Nasi Lemak]
One of the most popular nasi lemak spots in Kuala Lumpur (KL) is Nasi Lemak Wanjo Kampung Bharu. Formerly called Nasi Lemak Mak Wanjo, Wanjo is a nasi lemak institution founded in the 1960s. It is one of the oldest shops in Kampung Baru (literally “new village”), a residential area that’s home to traditional Malay wooden houses.
[Nasi Lemak Wanjo Kampung Bharu]
When I first visited KL, I tried as many nasi lemak spots as I can, including Nasi Lemak Tanglin and Village Park Restaurant (read about my experience here). But for some reason, Wanjo didn’t appear in my research. It’s only after my trip that I learned about it, being featured by food vloggers. So in our recent trip to the Malaysian capital, we made sure to visit it.
The nasi lemak spot used to be an open-air restaurant only. Due to its popularity, its has expanded to include air-conditioned areas. Oddly, you will have to pay one Malaysian ringgit to enter it. But I would gladly pay it to avoid the Malaysian heat!
[Inside Wanjo’s Air-Conditioned Room]
While Wanjo has become wildly popular (it has a 4.1-star rating at Google with more than ten thousand reviews as of this time of writing!), there are some not-so-great feedback. One is by Singaporean food blogger Alderic, who finds the rice “not lemak” and the sambal sweet (although he finds the sides good). (Update: Another is by a writer of SETHLUI.com, which is a food blog I trust when it comes to Malaysian and Singaporean food.)
So is Wanjo overhyped? We went to find out.
To order, customers will have to queue and point to their desired dishes, cafeteria-style. In fact, it reminds me of IKEA’s Swedish Restaurant (especially with the LED monitors constantly showing Wanjo’s dishes).
[The Ordering Counter at Wanjo]
My wife and I each got a plate of nasi lemak. Here are my thoughts on its basic elements: The rice is fluffy but has a faint coconut taste. I wish it had more flavor from coconut and aromatics. The cucumbers and ikan bilis add crunch to the meal, and the sambal is spicy but overwhelmingly sweet (some people prefer it that way).
My plate has Daging Rending (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices), Paru (fried cow lungs), and Sotong (squid in sambal sauce).
[My Plate of Nasi Lemak]
The rendang, although it’s not the best I’ve tried, has tender chunks of beef.
The cow lungs are chewy and flavored with Malay spices, while the squid is sweet, spicy, and soft.
My wife got Ayam Goreng which is flavorful but is on the dry side, and Begedil (deep-fried potato patties), which is soft and seasoned with different herbs (I think that there’s parsley and mint).
To wash down our meal, I got Cold Teh (pulled milk tea), which is creamy and refreshing. You cannot go wrong with an iced cold milk tea, especially in the Malaysian heat!
Wanjo also makes fruit shakes. However, the mango shake was sold out during our visit!
So is Nasi Lemak Wanjo Kampung Bharu overhyped? I think so. The rice, which is one of the major components of a nasi lemak, leaves more to be desired, and the sides, while good, aren’t stellar. But will I recommend that you pay it a visit? That depends.
If you haven’t ever tried nasi lemak and you have limited time, then make Wanjo your option. It has decent food and an air-conditioned space, and is tourist-friendly (many tourists visit Wanjo). But if you have the time to drive and to queue, I would suggest that you visit Nasi Lemak Tanglin in KL or Village Park Restaurant in the neighboring Petaling Jaya (or both!) instead.
Is Wanjo worth the hype for you? What nasi lemak spots do you think deserve more recognition? Comment them below!
Address: 8 Jalan Raja Muda Musa, Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Operating Hours: Daily, 6AM-12AM | Contact No.: +60 11-6336 1963 | Facebook | Instagram