Ayam Kampung Publika

Malay food has always been a staple in my house, forget the sweet and sour pork and egg fried rice, give me that sambal, ‘Ayam Goreng’(Fried Chicken) and a good mix of lauks any day of the week. My cousin, having visited this place, immediately pestered us to make the visit and so we did. Parking here gets scarce fast during lunch time as the mob of office workers begin to leave the cave. The sides are very basic with fried fish, raw veggies, soup and the odd lauk here and there but mix and match and pair it up with their of course signature Ayam Kampung and you’re in for a treat. The servings of rice per plate is also of a hefty portion and what I love most is that we ultimately ended paying around Rm8 per person for a full belly.

This place is packed everyday during lunch and if you’ve never been here before you’d wonder why because the spread of simple and few dishes isn’t exactly impressive on first glance. Don’t be expecting rows and rows of mediocre dishes like every other nasi campur restaurant, however this place is the perfect example of less is more as they’re handful of «lauks» are exactly on point. Seating I’m guessing at least a minimum of 60 people per go, sometimes you’d even have to wait to get a table when it’s packed.
As the given name, this shop is known for their Ayam Kampung Goreng (Fried Free Range Chicken) and its other signature dishes cooked in nostalgic kampong style that includes Sup Tulang, Gulai Kawah, Ikan Bakar, Sambal Tenggiri, and the regular vegetables Fried Terung, Taugeh, Steamed Ladies’ Fingers, along with the obligatory ulams and sambals. The bomb is their «sambal», plenty of tiny red chilli and it’s seeds in soy sauce, where I mostly mix with the belacan. If that still isn’t exciting enough for you, they have a tray of uncut red chillis on the side for you (for someone who is a chilli enthusiast, I don’t even feel the need to venture there) and I expect sweat and a sniffing nose after my lunch each time. The Sup Tulang is undoubtly addictive because of the savory beefiness and tender bits of meat intentionally left on the bones.
If I am not mistaken, the owner is Kelantanese. They don’t serve drinks on an individual basis but instead have jugs of Air Sirap that is free flow and self-​serviced at RM1 per person. Mostly visited by Muslims, I always find it heartwarming when I see especially Chinese counterparts enjoying this delicacy.