Village Park was opened in 2003 by Mohd Shamil Ngoh bin Abdullah, a Chinese-Muslim Singaporean transplant in KL. It’s one of the most popular nasi lemak spots in KL and sells Malay-style nasi lemak (less oily/rich compared to Chinese or Nyonya versions), with a variety of Malay side-dishes, including its famous “ayam goreng berempah” (spiced fried chicken). All the dishes are personally marinated and prepared by the fussy owner himself.
A line of famous Malaysian personalities frequent this place, including Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei, squash queen Nicol David, to past & present Malaysian Prime Ministers from Dr Mahathir, to Abdullah Badawi and now Najib Tun Razak.
Customers queue at the serving counter to place their orders and select their choice of side-dishes:
The most popular accompaniment to the nasi lemak is the “ayam goreng berempah”, crisp-fried spice-marinated chicken - always popular here as the high turnover of business here ensures a steady supply of fresh-from-the-fryer pieces of super-crisp-skinned fried chicken.
A standard order of the nasi lemak with fried spice-marinated chicken will also include groundnuts, “ikan bilis” (crisp-fried anchovies), slivers of fresh cucumbers, hard-boiled/fried egg, and a generous dollop of spicy sambal sauce.
Nothing better to wash all that down one’s throat than mugs of hot local beverages like “teh tarik” (frothy “pulled” milk tea) or “kopi tarik” (the coffee version of the same). Malaysian beverages are usually served sweetened, unless one specifies “tanpa gula” (no sugar) or “kurang manis” (meaning “less sweet”).
Address
Village Park Restaurant
Damansara Uptown
5, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: +603-7710-7860
Opening hours: 7am-8pm (Mon-Sat), 7am-6pm (Sun).
