The thought of being confined in a room for days, frantically scribbling notes and memorizing facts in preparation for an examination marathon scares the s^_^ out of many, I'm sure. I decompress by lunching well, not luxuriously but well. During this period, I rediscovered the love for the portable, polystyrene packs of mixed rice (think stir-fried kangkung, sweet and sour pork, bittergourd with salted black beans and steamed eggs). What's there not to love about a palm-sized container of white rice, topped with all the dishes of your choice at a mere S$2.70 - S$4.00? The real happy value meal, if you ask me.
And inevitably, between clause 3.2.4.6.1.8 and 3.8.6.3.7.1 of the neverending man-made rules, the exhausted mind started wandering far beyond the books.
At one point, it went back to Bangi, on a Sunday in March. We were here to check out an infamous briyani restaurant, Anje. To me, Bangi is an unchartered territory and never had I envisioned this developing town to be filled with restaurants of attractive signboards and for some, renown as well. There must be a handful of them boasting the BEST briyani around but since we were new here, we decided on the tried and tested.
It's only a matter of choice of meat to go with the saffron-coloured rice. I went for the ayam kampung (free-range chicken) - fried and subsequently rendered in a sweet (from the heaps of minced shallot), heavily spiced (chilli, cumin, cinnamon, fennel, etc) gravy. Briyani is about that spoonful combination of dense, sticky sauce, velvety (or fatty) dalchar, crunchy achar and warm, fluffy briyani rice. In my opinion, Anje delivered but perhaps a gravy accentuated with a few more pinches of salt would have appeased my palate more. They offer interesting dishes like Mee Bandung and Mee Rebus as well.
As dangerous as it may sound, the mind wanders too, when we drive. Soon enough, we found ourselves at the nearby Uniten. I took notice of a note stuck next to the light and ceiling fan switches at the canteen. It literally means - Switch off the lights during daytime. Avoid wastage. It is a Satanic practice. Interesting choice of words from the university owned by an electricity utility company, I must say.
I'm definitely looking forward to wandering around Bangi again, in search of good Malay food. Soon after the last leg of my marathon, hopefully.
Restoran Anje Nasi Beriani Gam Johor
15, Jalan SS 15/1C
Bandar Baru Bangi
43560 Selangor
Malaysia
11 comments:
The original Happy Meals, indeed! Clever, you.
P.S. Beautiful shots of the suis lampu yang perlu dipadamkan... :)
Well, I always knew wasting electricity is bad... but to find out that it's actually satanic?? Haha.... Interesting.
wheres the fans!??
Two more days to go. Gambateh :)
Wahh...banyaknya suis or was that actually a suis wallpaper arr??? Looks good lerrr! Heard so much about this GAM rice but never tasted it before.
oh god u hav to take exams again? :( at least u've got those happy value meals to keep u sustained. same thing in oz cost an average of $6-8-- and not as varied in their choice of dishes too.
yum yum briyani gam! ooo and good luck!
Bangi is a place that I never been to...it's too far from my home (u know it, haha!!) & I cant't think what attract me to go there also :P
kenny, thanks, bro! the switches were really inspiring. i just hafta snap 'em. ;D
j, hahaha, that's what i thought too! found in uniten summore! ;D
joe, oh, i wanted to snap that too but too many already!!! haha.
xiu long bao, sushi+ramen+udon+chips..*burpz*
precious pea, do give it a try when you get back! there are many briyani restaurants there. i almost pengsan. haha!
jun, and this is not the last semester, unfortunately. sigh. :( on the other hand, the mixed rice kept me sane. i guess there's more variety of dishes in this region. i bet u miss 'em, ya! ;D
sc, yummy indeed! and thanks for the wishes. glad i can breathe now..hehe
mimi, ya lor, thank goodness i got a friend who knows this place well. if not, i'll be lost too. maybe i should get a gps..hehehe
Never tasted Johor's Briyani Gam, though I was having this perception that either the rice is of the pulut variety, or the sauces damn starchy.
Hmm.
j2kfm, i had the same thought as you as well. then, i was told that gam means the rice and the lauk are cooked together in the same periuk. hence, gam (combined). ;D
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