Nasi Lemak Bumbung: RM9 nasi lemak ayam goreng with creamy sunny-side-up, available till 12am

Nasi Lemak Bumbung had been on my radar for ages, but I never got around to trying it — until recently. It’s one of Petaling Jaya‘s top nasi lemak spots, boasting a 4.1-star rating from over 6K Google reviews (at time of writing) and a regular feature on recommendation lists. Reading the reviews, however, almost made me turn around and hop on the opposite LRT line home.

Nestled in a random alley in Seapark, the place has its fair share of scathing comments. Dirty, smelly, overrated, and serving terrible nasi lemak — one reviewer even blamed it for their bout of diarrhea. A friend of mine warned me to stay cautious if I dared to commute there. Still, I braved the journey with an open mind (and a grumpy plus-one I dragged out of bed). 

Arriving at Nasi Lemak Bumbung left me absolutely floored — for all the right reasons! Despite being tucked away in an alley (or lorong), the area was much nicer and cleaner than I had expected. It wasn’t smelly at all, even after a downpour right before we arrived. In fact, the grey walls, decorated with pots of greenery, and the moody blue post-rain skies gave the place a cool urban vibe — straight out of an Oscar-baiting dystopian film.

The workers immediately spotted the confusion on our faces (we weren’t sure if the stall was even open) and greeted us warmly from afar before guiding us to our seats. They took our orders right away, and, to my delight, the food arrived piping hot in less than 10 minutes. After a back-breaking 1-hour train ride, I was more than ready to dig in.

What I tried at Nasi Lemak Bumbung

I kept it simple — Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng, thigh part, thank you very much. For RM9, the plate arrived swiftly, and I was pleasantly surprised by the generous portions — especially the heap of cucumber slices. All the nasi lemak essentials were there, topped with a sunny-side-up egg perched atop the coconut rice — way better than the usual hard-boiled egg, if you ask me.

First things first: the rice. At first glance, it looked a bit underwhelming, reminding me of sad diabetic rice. But one bite changed everything — proof that you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The coconut rice was fluffy, with just the right richness from the santan. The flavour leaned more towards the subtle aroma of pandan leaves, rather than the bold punch of ginger.

The sambal, I’ll admit, looked questionable at first. It was super runny, almost like the curry-like dip you’d get with roti canai, and I half-suspected they’d mixed it with something else. But once again, I learned my lesson: never judge too quickly. Despite not tasting like the traditional Malay nasi lemak sambal, it was — frankly, damn good.

The dish had a strong sour flavour, but instead of tamarind paste (which I don’t like), they used air asam jawa, giving it a delicious tang. It immediately reminded me of my mom’s sambal udang. Under the sourness was a gentle sweetness from the onions, which were sliced generously into the sambal, along with a subtle heat.

The fried chicken’s dark brown colour initially caught me off guard — it looked almost burnt. But it turned out to be the result of an abundance of spices used in the marinade. Texture-wise, it was a bit on the dry side, and I had to wrestle with it a little to cut a piece. Thankfully, it wasn’t overcooked to the point of ruining the experience, so I couldn’t complain too much.

From the first bite, it was a flavour explosion. I could instantly pick up on the spices commonly used in rempeyek — cumin, fennel seeds, and plenty of coriander. While I enjoyed it, I could see how the strong flavours might be too much for those with milder palates.

My favourite part of the dish was the peanuts and ikan bilis. At Nasi Lemak Bumbung, they take it up a notch by frying both with spices, crispy dried shallots, and loads of red chilli flakes. It added a much-needed punch to the dish. Every bite was a perfect medley of tangy, spicy, and savoury flavours. And let’s not forget the creamy egg yolk from the sunny-side-up egg — it elevated the dish even further.

Fun fact: you can also order goreng mamak dishes alongside your teh ais kaw at Nasi Lemak Bumbung. My friend tried the Kuey Teow Goreng Ayam (RM11), which came with a sunny-side-up egg as well. While the dish tasted okay, it wasn’t really my cup of tea. The chicken was served as a whole piece instead of being chopped up and mixed into the noodles like I’m used to.

Final thoughts

While it’s not the best nasi lemak I’ve ever had, I can confidently say that Nasi Lemak Bumbung is far from overrated. Everyone should try it at least once. For the price, getting a full plate of Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng is an absolute steal. If I lived in the area, this would definitely be a regular lepak spot for me.

Expected damage: RM6 — RM11 per pax

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