Loyal diners have trusted Village Park Restaurant’s nasi lemak for 24 years, and now you can take its essence home in a jar
Plenty of restaurants earn a following. Village Park Restaurant has kept one since 2002. Founder Dato Sri Dr Mohd Shamil Ngoh Abdullah attributes this loyalty to a stubborn kind of consistency. Every plate of nasi lemak should taste the way it did the last time you came. This is why young families now bring their own children, and why those who moved overseas still head here first on their return.
Same plate, every time
That means no shortcuts, even as costs rise. The anchovies are blue- eyed, the peanuts first grade and the cucumbers premium. Nothing is recycled and nothing is left over, and prices stay within reach of everyday diners. Dato Sri Shamil still cooks the sambal himself.
Signature flavours, now in a jar
That same discipline has now travelled beyond the dining room. Customers abroad have been telling Dato Sri Shamil how much they miss this nasi lemak when they’re away. So Village Park, with ITP Foods, has bottled four staples into its first retail range. Sambal petai, a chilli relish with stink beans, and sambal ikan bilis, its anchovy cousin, is made from fresh chillies and onions. The signature kaya, a coconut jam, is slow-cooked for around eight hours with fragrant pandan leaves, eggs and coconut milk, with a Musang King durian version for those who like their spreads bolder. There are no artificial preservatives, colouring or flavouring in any of them.
A souvenir worth carrying
If you’re visiting Malaysia over the holidays, skip the generic souvenir aisle and get these jars for family back home or for yourself. They are gifts that taste like the trip itself, long after the festive season ends. The range is also available at the restaurant and selected Village Grocer outlets, with the Musang King Durian Kaya sold at selected outlets only.
Village Park Restaurant is open daily from 6.30am–5.30pm; 5 Jln SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya.
