Warungs (small street side food stalls) and fresh fruits vendors punctuate busy Jalan Kong Kong in rustic Kampung Kong Kong (Masai). While driving along Jalan Kong Kong, feasting one’s eyes on the varieties of Malaysian street food, from plump roasting chicken over an open charcoal grill to the traditional satay, whets one’s appetite. We were primed to pull over at any time, needing just any half reasonable excuse.
What caught my attention was smoke bellowing from the satay stall – like a smoke signal to stop for a snack. Even with the car windows wound up, the fragrant aroma of roasting meat over hot coals entered the car, triggering the primeval instinct to stop for food.
This satay stall has an especially cosy and welcoming atmosphere, not just because of its homely stall setup, but also because of its warm-hearted stall owners. Customers are welcomed with a big smile and orders are taken cheerfully. The stall owner added an extra fan to our side of the dinning area to make our stay more comfortable. We felt more like guests at someone’s home than customers at a food stall.
The satay stall serves the usual varieties of chicken, lamb or beef satay. Complimentary fresh cucumber slices and kutupat (white rice cooked in satchels made with pandan leaves) were served shortly after the order was made. The glistening satay arrived next on a banana leaf, and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it!
I first tried the chicken satay. The sugary marinade was caramelised on the surface of the satay, giving it an almost candy-like taste. The chicken satay was roasted to a chewy texture. The satay was purposely made with small pieces of both lean chicken meat and chicken skin. The chicken skin added texture as well as sweetness and flavour of the satay.
The chewy beef satay with lean meat and fat skewered together was just as good as the chicken satay; also nicely caramelised with a sugary marinade. The sugary coating on the satay could have been easily burnt by the hot coals firing the grill; however, the skillful chef took effort to make sure that everything was grilled just right.
The peanut sauce was deliciously peanut-ty and not oily. Bits of peanuts can be found abundantly in the sauce, yet the sauce was not too dry or chunky. A good balance of flavours to match the sweet satay!
The kutupat was one of the best I have ever tasted; perhaps it was home-made! The grains of rice can still be seen and yet they remained in the nice diamond shape held together by weaved pandan leaves. Not only was the tender and smooth texture of the rice perfect, the fragrance of coconut milk, pandan leaves and rice combined together very well to give the whole dish it’s complete praise.
Each satay costs RM0.50.
This is the perfect after dinner snack in a homely warm setting. I am sure to stop by after seafood at the seaside seafood restaurant in Kampung Kong Kong ☻
Restaurant name: 1 Malaysia Satay (warung)
Address: Warung along Jalan Kong Kong
GPS: 1.522679, 103.928840
Hours: 6:00pm to midnight
Hours: 6:00pm to midnight
Halal
Date visited: 1 Feb 2012
13Oct2013@9pmSaturday: Cannot locate 1MalaysiaSatay using given GPS co-ordinates. How many km on KongKong kmstone? Will try again next time by asking locals. If I succeed next time, I will update GPS. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks George. As this is an old post, I am not sure if they are still there or are still in business. Thanks for the help and update if you come across them.
DeleteFinally, I found the 1MalaysiaSatay and this is the GPS:
Delete1.522679, 103.928840.
The stall as depicted in your photo appears unchanged. My verdict of the satay: average.
I love good satay anytime. For the BEST SATAY in Johor, I recommend Ah Hui's satay in Pontian's old hawker centre. Locals at the centre will know and direct you to the stall which is adjacent to the only open air restuarant. I liked the sauce which is thick with nice texture and aromatic with the right taste. The other food at the centre is generally aok and very reasonably priced. YOU MUST TRY. (Note: I understand the satay is now run by someone else as Ah Hui contracted cancer. Anyway, it still taste almost the same as before. While there, you may want to try the satay at the corner shop immediately next to the hawker centre. This owner used to be Ah Hui's competitor at the hawker centre. To me, they both are good.)
Thanks George for the info. I have updated the GPS with your info.
DeleteI will definitely a visit to Ah Hui when I am in Pontian. Appreciate your tip off very much,
Wish you a Happy New Year :D
Thanks to you and your Johorkaki which gave me valuable insight into Johor good food at reasonable prices. I have recommended Johorkaki to all my friends and relatives. Well done.
Delete