We must’ve walked past JomBali Cafe (kopitiam = coffee shop) on the ground floor of Tesco Mutiara a thousand times. But we’ve never stopped in until a couple of weeks back when we decided to have brunch there.

They serve their nasi lemak, rice cooked in coconut milk, in a basket with a banana leaf. Very rustic. A basket is better than a plate because it keeps everything together. Prawn crackers in a nasi lemak - that’s rather unusual but I like it.

This is the chicken rendang version we had. The sambal (chilly paste) is wickedly spicy with chunks of onions and a distinctly Indonesian flavor.

This is the nasi lemak with the beef rendang. I’m not much of a beef lover but my son says the beef is quite tender.

The interesting thing is they allow you a free refill of rice with each nasi lemak. That’s a lot of carb, I know. But my teens have ravenous appetites and the helping of rendang is big enough to go with another bowl of rice.

In times like these, when everyone’s trying to cut back, rm7.90 is very worth it for a nasi lemak with free rice refill.

The drinks are pricey though, more so than other kopitiams. But they’re quite thick and not watered down. The iced lemon tea and lime juice (right) are pretty good.

I didn’t try their coffee. Imagine going to a kopitiam and not ordering coffee !

If you liked this post, subscribe to our RSS feed for more recipes, restaurant reviews and mouth-watering updates. If you've tried this recipe or restaurant, drop us your comment or feedback.