Nurul Sate Batang Pinang: Hidden Johor breakfast spot in Puchong serving tenderloin satay, kacang pool & outstanding laksa

One thing I love about living in Malaysia is that you can eat almost anything for breakfast. From a light pack of kueh to a full plate of nasi campur, no one will judge your questionable life choices and I think that’s beautiful.

So when I caught wind of a breakfast place selling satay as early as 7.30am, I immediately made plans to visit.

My trip to Nurul Sate Batang Pinang was both fascinating and stressful. If you think TTDI and Bangsar are bad traffic-wise, I would say that driving around Puchong is like getting sucked into Minecraft’s backrooms. 

As I navigated the narrow Jalan Tempinis, I quickly understood why people call this place a “hidden gem.” Without the help of social media, I would’ve never known there was a Johor breakfast spot tucked deep in this quiet kampung neighbourhood.

Stepping through the white gate felt like entering a whole new world — the place was huge! To my left was an open area that looked like a kenduri kahwin dining space, and to my right was a small, single-storey brick building nearly covered in potted plants.

What I tried at Nurul Sate Batang Pinang

When it comes to Johor breakfast, kacang pool is a must — no question about it. So, we kicked things off with the Roti Kacang Pool Set (RM10) as an appetiser. At first, I thought the prices were a bit steep for a breakfast spot, but the generous portions quickly changed my mind. 

If you’re not familiar with this dish, kacang pool is a Malaysian take on the Middle Eastern breakfast classic, Ful Medames. This traditional recipe typically features fava beans and aromatic spices.

The set included 3 slices of toasted white bread, a sunny-side-up egg, and a small bowl of kacang pool.

For the size of the bowl, the chopped raw red onions and green chillies were just the right amount — not too overwhelming for your palate. I was surprised to find the pieces of kacang pool still intact in the mixture. The gravy was on the runnier side, and the minced chicken blended so well into the sauce that I initially mistook it for eggs.

I’d only ever had kacang pool with ground beef before, so this was a new experience. Still, the first bite was promising. The bread was toasted just right — crispy on the outside but still fluffy on the inside — and the runny yolk was a nice touch, as always.

However, the gravy was a bit underwhelming. I couldn’t detect any of the classic kacang pool spices, like cumin or fennel. There was also a hint of something like chilli sauce or ketchup, which left me a bit puzzled. But I enjoyed every bite anyway — after all, it’s still kacang pool.

Can you really say you’ve been there if  you haven’t tried their Lontong Sate Daging Batang Pinang (RM15.80)?  After spending the past 2 weeks seeing this dish only through my phone screen, I absolutely had to order it.

The lontong came with 3 sticks of tenderloin satay which were already smothered in peanut sauce. Like the Roti Kacang Pool, the portion was almost as big as my head!

In my opinion, you can only truly judge a satay place by trying their beef satay, so that’s what I did. Unlike the ones you find at pasar malam, these didn’t include a piece of fat between the meat.

The beef was tender and easy to chew, though I’ve had softer satay from cheaper cuts, so it wasn’t anything extraordinary. However, the kuah kacang had a very generous ratio of peanuts to sauce, giving each bite a satisfying crunch and a pleasant mouthfeel.

The lontong itself was packed with ingredients — bite-sized tempeh, 4 huge pieces of nasi impit, vegetables, and vermicelli noodles.

I took the first bite with a small dab of sambal lontong, which added the perfect savoury kick to balance the sweetness of the dish.

The kuah lemak was thin and went down smoothly, which I liked. However, I started to feel slightly jelak halfway through because of the sweetness of the broth. The peanut sauce was also quite sweet, and together, the dish became a bit too much for my taste.

We ended our food hunt with their signature Laksa Johor (RM13.90), which was so loaded with ingredients that I was shocked when I first carried it to the table. In true Johor style, it featured spaghetti noodles — piled high with raw red onions, cucumber, taugeh, bunga kantan, and green beans.

From the first bite, it felt like an explosion of flavours in my mouth. Everything was perfectly balanced — the rich fishiness of the well-blended herring, the kick from the spices, and the freshness of the vegetables, all wrapped up in the swirl of noodles.

We paired it with sambal belacan, which, to my surprise, burned my tongue — even though I generally have a high tolerance for spice.

Final thoughts

Overall, the whole experience was quite satisfying. Despite not being a bestseller, their Laksa Johor was undoubtedly the star of the show. For the other 2 dishes, I dare say that there are other places serving better versions.

Though I must say that if I live nearby, I would consider myself lucky to have an appealing breakfast spot just around the corner.

Nevertheless, the taste of the laksa is definitely too unforgettable for me to not to stop by Nurul Sate Batang Pinang again if I ever drive through the area in the future.

Expected damage: RM10 – RM15.80 per pax

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