It's 12:50 on a Saturday afternoon. We're sitting in our idling car, checking our watches every other minute or so, just like the folks in the ten or so other cars squeezed into this parking lot in Tanjung Malim. At exactly 1pm rolling metal doors sound the alarm, and we join the surge towards Andri's entrance.
We're newbies, so we don't fully appreciate the urgency of the situation. Dave grabs a table by the door and leisurely pulls out his camera and lenses. I amble over to the queue forming behind the glass display case, noting my excellent position at number 5 in line. But it doesn't move. Those at the front of the queue point to dish after dish after dish, asking for three or four spoonfuls of each. Food is fast disappearing from serving platters. The folks in front of me begin to shuffle their feet. They cough nervously. Behind me there's more agitation, maybe even a bit of grumbling.
When I finally take my place at the front of the queue I understand what's got my fellows worked up. I've been advised to order the sambal petai ('stink' beans in chile sauce) - and, in fact, I've just overheard the men behind me agreeing that the dish is superb. But it's gone. We've driven an hour for this lunch. The place has only been open for fifteen minutes and the sambal petai is gone. How could this be?!
Then, the chef gamely scrapes the corners of the pan and comes up with one last little bit. For us. Sorry, guys.
OK. That was a close one. Deep breath. Settle down, I tell myself. We've got our petai. What now? It's a huge, baffling array of dishes laid out before me. What's this? What's that? I ask. I can feel the collective impatience building behind me like a thunderhead. All right, all right ... I've been told to go for the chicken as well. So, chicken rendang (which, 10 minutes later, will also be gone) and gulai ayam (chicken in mild coconut curry - sold out by 1:45) it is. The crispy fried fish, several varieties, seem popular. I go for a plate of bite-sized specimens.
And eggplant smothered in chilies, always a favorite.
A dish of salted sliced cucumber, a plate of ulam (blanched veggies - wing beans, cabbage, okra, long beans) and some fresh sambal round out our feast. I'm glad to retreat to the safety of the table, well away from the hungry eyes boring a hole in my back.
But wait. Other tables are positively groaning under the weight of the dishes atop them. Our selection looks Spartan in comparison, but I can't bear the thought of returning to the back of the queue, now some twelve people long long. Luckily Dave has struck up a conversation with a London-trained tailor with family connections (his mom was the original owner of Andri's). He heartily recommends the dendeng (sun-dried beef, deep-fried and served with red chilies and onions), strides over to the display, grabs the platter so Dave can take a photo, and then dishes up a couple of portions for us.
We tuck in, and immediately understand what all the fuss is about. This is easily the best nasi Padang we've ever eaten - outside of Padang, that is. Everything sparkles with freshness, with layers of flavor that can result only from the utmost attention to every detail. This is home cooking of the highest order.
Chicken rendang slides right off the bone, and is smothered in an almost chocolate-y sauce rich with tens of dried spices. It tastes like it's been cooking for a day, or longer. The dendeng is a spectacular feat - dried beef that is chewy but not at all dry, not a tooth-buster. Caramelized, half-crispy onion rings add sweet complexity to this meaty, spicy dish. Eggplant (is it roasted? boiled?) is so yielding and creamy it could be pureed; the vegetable's mildness is a fine foil to the heat of chopped chilies with a hint of lime juice. The fish are a surprise - not at all greasy, shatteringly crisp, fishy but not overly so (they'd make a perfect beer snack). Spooning up the last of the lusciously coconuty sauce from our ayam gulai, we're genuinely sad to see this meal come to a close.
Andri's is one of many establishments that sprung up years ago along the old Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh highway. The best ones, like this kedai makanan and Bidor's famous duck noodle shop, still pull in the crowds even though the newish North-South highway has lured most traffic from the trunk road. Malaysians will always detour for a good meal.
In spite of the fact that I stole the last bit of sambal petai from right under their noses, the diners at the table next to ours happily share reminiscences of long-ago pit stops. 'I never minded the drive to Penang,' one tells us, 'because it meant I could stop at Andri's for lunch.' Today marks his first visit in five years. 'But it's still the same, as good as ever,' he says, wiping his mouth with a grin.
Who's Andri, anyway? We thought it was this man, and so did the EatingAsia reader who steered us to this find.
But no, this is Anasrul, the owner of Andri's. His aunt opened the restaurant about twenty years ago. When she was ready to retire she sold the business to her nephew and schooled his wife in the art of preparing sublime Minang dishes. Anasrul's wife Wilastieli, working with three assistants, starts on the day's menu at 6:30am. Her chicken dishes rely on kampung ('village') chicken - scrawny, sinewy, free-range birds with a flavor far superior to that of fat, puffy farmed birds - special-ordered and delivered to the restaurant every night. And everything is cooked over an old-fashioned wood fire. Anasrul says it's the wood smoke that makes his wife's food extra tasty.
The masses appear to agree. A few years ago a restaurateur eager to reproduce Andri's dishes in KL offered Anasrul a blank check for his aunt's recipes. To the city's loss, he declined.
We probe a bit about the identity of the restaurant's namesake, but never do get to the bottom of it. But really, with food like this, who cares who the restaurant is named after? It's 2:30pm. And there's barely a morsel left on the display.
Heartfelt (and belly-felt) thanks to CS for directing us to this little gem.
Kedai Makan Andri Masakan Mindang, Highway 1 (the old KL-Ipoh trunk road), Tanjung Malim. Take the N-S highway to the Tanjung Malim exit and turn left to Tj. Malim after the toll. Andri's is on the right, soon after the fourth traffic light, across from a small used car dealership. 1p till the food's sold out (usually 3p or so). Be there at opening on weekends to avoid disappointment - you have been warned. Closed Monday. Tel. 05-459-7944.
Wow. The sambal petai looks delicious; the crispy fried fish are wonderful; but the dendeng really got my mouth watering!
What a find!
Posted by: Nate | 2007.03.23 at 00:20
Hi Robyn,
Nice pics and reviews you have there. I must admit that the fried fish and dendeng looked really appetising.
Posted by: Jason | 2007.03.23 at 13:10
Nate - I'd be hard-pressed to choose a favorite dish from this meal, but the dendeng was particularly inspired. The garnish of onions and the not-too-chewy texture (working aggressively, I could cut it with my spoon) really set it apart.
Jason - thanks, and welcome!
Posted by: Robyn | 2007.03.23 at 13:34
Robyn, you're killing me!!! Read the post at 3 am in a lonely Boston hotel (jet lag. hungry. couldn't sleep). That pix of the petai and of the whole spread triggered all the food memories - I swore I could taste it :) Quick, find out who 'Andri' is.
Posted by: CS | 2007.03.23 at 19:09
I just moved to Negeri Sembilan! So, now I know where to get good food. And I love your pictures...wish I could take pictures that good on my film SLR.
Posted by: Kamelia | 2007.03.25 at 13:18
Sorry CS! You'll just have to make a beeline to Andri's when you're back in KL.
Kamelia - Thanks from Dave (the photographer) re: the photos. We did a post on Seremban beef noodles sometime last summer - check the 'Malaysia beyond KL' item in the sidebar. Happy eating!
Posted by: Robyn | 2007.03.25 at 16:21
ooo... brinjal with chilli. yummy! i see you got the cucumber salad! people overlook it some times but i think it's essential to any nasi padang or banana leaf meal
Posted by: lil star | 2007.03.25 at 19:59
If I thought I could claw my way through this laptop screen and into Andri's, shards of plastic would litter my desk. As it is, I can only read, sigh, and dream.
Posted by: Chubbypanda | 2007.03.26 at 05:33
Robyn, I am so hungry. Your review places me right beside you, the only regret is while we chose the food together, only one of us got to eat :(
Posted by: Cynthia | 2007.03.27 at 05:34
OMG Robyn, you found Andri!!! this has been my favourite Nasi Padang place in the whole world. Long before all the NP invasions in KL!!! My friends and I used to make special trips to Tanjugn Malim just to eat and talk to Andri!!!
I think I msut have taken everyone I love there - my grandparents, friends, exes - and he used to be so amused that I prefer his food to those I have eaten in Indonesia (I used to work in JKT).
I am drooling looking at your pix. The smell and the taste of his food - the gulai ayam, the rendang, the sambal, the aubergines... ai yo yo!!!
He used to close the resto at his whim so we used to call ahead. Unfortunately the last 2 years that I have been back in KL, my schedule has been too hectic to fit in a trip to tanjung malim. But now that you show us he is still around, I am so goign there this summer!
Posted by: Lisa | 2007.03.28 at 17:29
Robyn,
I LOVE your blog! Travel and food being two of my favourite things, your writing and pictures make me positively ache for a visit to KL or at the very least, find a nasi padang joint in toronto!
Keep up the great work!
Posted by: frank | 2007.03.28 at 21:40
lil star - I agree re: the cucumber. I was expecting a sour and sweet acar but plainly salted, it was really more appropriate to the meal. A palate cleanser, if you will.
chubby p - you really need to get back to Asia, buddy!
cynthia - sorry 'bout that! We're working on a scratch 'n sniff button. ;-)
Hi Lisa - I can't claim to have sniffed this one out, a very generous reader pointed us in the direction. But yes - I agree - the food is FANTASTIC, well worth the drive, better than any nasi Padang (that I've tried) in KL, and on par with all the nasi Padang I've eaten in Padang. I only wish it were closer!!!
Frank - thanks and welcome!
Posted by: Robyn | 2007.03.29 at 10:03
Thanks for inviting us along on such a fabulous lunch excursion. Looking at your pictures made my mouth water! There is nothing so exotic newr me so I have to live vicariously or learn how to make some of these dishes myself!
Posted by: Deborah Dowd | 2007.03.31 at 02:43
The foods look delicious! It's also nice to know that eventhough in th law of Malaysia the Minangkabaus are "Malays", they keep their tradition (read:traditional cuisine) safe. :)
Posted by: Ari | 2007.09.06 at 12:27
OMG my parent's house is just about a 100 yards from the restaurant. I grew up in TM. I hardly recognize the town the last time I was there. I have been in the states for about 20 years. Only visiting every 5 years or so. Never realized that the place is still in operation. As a child I walked past the restaurant every day from school. And yeah my mom always try to come up with excuses not being able to cook so that my dad will pity her and get food for supper from there instead! Thanks for bringing back some fond memories.....
Posted by: Saida | 2007.11.16 at 10:30
Ari - Amen to that. This lunch took us back to Sumatra. Very traditional preparations here.
Saida - gosh, small world! Yes, it's still there, and the food is still wonderful. Glad we could take you on this walk down memory lane.
Posted by: Robyn | 2007.11.16 at 18:24
I know who Andri is....he is the first son of Anasrul and Wen.
Posted by: Sitara | 2007.11.25 at 11:39