✍️19 Jan 2025. Wak Kentut is without doubt Johor's largest and most successful nasi lemak brand. It had humble beginnings, with two original stalls in 2012 - one at Susur Kulai 2 and the second at the old Kulai railway station (KTM).
The old Susur Kulai 2 stall is still there but expanded by at least five times its original size. The KTM stall has moved to the Kulai Bus Terminal. Besides these two originals from 2012, today Wak Kentut has spun off another 6, so there are a total of 8 WK outlets now ๐ช
That's a phenomenal nasi lemak success story.
I took bus T30 from JB Sentral to Kulai Bus Terminal. Fare is RM4.10 and time required is slightly more than one hour. Took the same bus on the return trip.
I blogged about both original stalls back in 2012, and have been enjoying Wak Kentut's nasi lemak since. Also featured them in Find Dining with Johor Kaki in 2016.
Today, came to Kulai to revisit my favourite food stalls here. You know, we often hear that "standard drop" when a brand is passed from generation to generation, or expanded aggressively.
What about Wak Kentut?
This standalone Wak Kentut stall is within eye shot just across the road from Kulai Bus Terminal.
I could actually smell the aroma of chicken frying in hot oil from the road intersection (when I was passing an hour earlier).
The menu.
They now have other dishes besides their famous nasi lemak.
I was here at 2pm after the lunch rush was over. The fried chicken were scattered around the tray like cold leftovers.
Didn't look very appetising ๐
From the left, sambal, fried peanut, cucumber, and fried egg.
If I didn't know the Wak Kentut brand, I would have walked away actually ๐ค
Anyway, I gotta do what I gotta do but still spared myself the over-fried egg.
First things first, the rice. They were warm not overly starchy, didn't clump together, rich with coconut sweetness balanced with savoury saltiness.
Nice!
I wished the fried chicken was piping hot but it can't be helped as I was here off peak.
But oh man... The browned batter outside was crisp and gently crackly with a mild savouriness and spice flavour.
The white inside was tender and moist with a subtle chicky sweetness.
Good ๐
And, that sambal had a complex blend of well balanced sweet, anchovy umami, savoury and spicy hot flavours.
Three strikes, it's a knock out! ๐ฅ ๐ฅ ๐ฅ
Power lah..... this Wak Kentut.
The peanuts, cucumber, what not, don't need to say any more.
Confirm Good.
Yes! Wak Kentut stays in my book as one of Johor's best nasi lemak.
Stall name: Nasi Lemak Basmahti Wak Kentut Ira KTM Kulai
Address: 1337, Jalan Lengkongan, Taman Kulai, 81000 Kulai, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia
Tel: +6013 647 4600
Hours: 6am - 12 midnight
Stall name: Nasi Lemak Wak Kentut (main stall)
Address: 2130, Jalan Susur Kulai 2, Taman Kulai Besar, 81000 Kulai, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia
Tel: +6012 754 3818
Hours: 3pm - 11:45pm
Written by Tony Boey on 19 Jan 2025
✍11 Feb 2019. Wak Kentut Nasi Lemak was one of the first places l blogged way back in early 2012. Wak Kentut is now the biggest name in nasi lemak in Johor.
Today, Wak Kentut has perhaps near to 50 tables with tables lining both sides of the road which are often full and overflowing with customers.
The nasi lemak set is still the same simple rice, fried chicken, sambal, peanut and cucumber. That's it and that's great.
The rice is the way l remembered it - flavoursome and aromatic as the tender nutty grains were well infused with the goodness of coconut milk and pandan leaf. Not too starchy nor overly greasy.
The fiery looking sambal chili too was the same tasty blend of anchovy savoury and mildly sweet with a gentle spicy kick.
The fried chicken seemed a bit different from my memory of it. Today, the light brown crust outside was hard and brittle, and doesn't have much flavour except for a bit of subtle saltiness.
Many people like Wak Kentut's freshly fried chicken because of the super crisp and crunchy crust.
The meat was tender, moist but not juicy. There was also not much taste in the meat except for a slight saltiness. Truth be told, the taste was a little flat.
A small detail - the cucumber slices used to be skinned and sweeter. Today, the cucumber slices come with the green slightly bitter skin.
Information for you ๐ Johor's most famous nasi lemak. Superb coconut rice. Their crispy fried chicken is popular though l didn't like it that much. Street side ambiance is charming. Worth trying if you are in Kulai.
Restaurant name: Nasi Lemak Wak Kentut
Address: 2130, Jalan Susur Kulai 2, Taman Kulai Besar, Johor
GPS: 1°39'07.6"N 103°36'36.5"E ๐ 1.652105, 103.610124
Waze: Nasi Lemak Wak Kentut
Tel: +60 12-754 3818
Hours: 5:00pm - 12:00 midnight
Halal
Date visited: 11 Feb 2019
Information for you ๐ Johor's most famous nasi lemak. Superb coconut rice. Their crispy fried chicken is popular though l didn't like it that much. Street side ambiance is charming. Worth trying if you are in Kulai.
Restaurant name: Nasi Lemak Wak Kentut
Address: 2130, Jalan Susur Kulai 2, Taman Kulai Besar, Johor
GPS: 1°39'07.6"N 103°36'36.5"E ๐ 1.652105, 103.610124
Waze: Nasi Lemak Wak Kentut
Tel: +60 12-754 3818
Hours: 5:00pm - 12:00 midnight
Halal
Date visited: 11 Feb 2019
✍3 May 2012. Wak Kentut means "fart" in English or "ๆพๅฑ" in Chinese but the aroma of fried chicken, sambal chili and coconut rice at this popular nasi lemak stall in Kulai has been drawing in large crowds by their noses.
This very popular nasi lemak stall in Kulai Besar does not have a signboard. The young and energetic towkay known by the nickname "Botak", even though he has a good mop of hair (thicker and blacker than mine), told me that the name of his stall is "Wak Kentut".
Many local people refer to this famous stall as Batu 19 ๅไน้ nasi lemak.
Wak Kentut is famous for their fried chicken. I was fascinated by the meticulous process involved in preparing the simple but delectable dish. Heavy basketfuls full of marinaded and battered chicken pieces were heaved to the frying area at the front of the stall.
Restaurant name: Nasi Lemak Wak Kentut
Address: Jalan Susur Kulai 2, Taman Kulai Besar, Kulai, Johor
GPS: 1.652333,103.609871 / 1°39'08.4"N 103°36'35.5"E
Hours: 5:00pm to9:00pm 12:00 midnight (closed on Sunday)
Halal
Date visited: 2 May 2012, 29 Mar 2014
๐ Click to return to JB Best 100 page
Wak Kentut's nasi lemak looks very simple. The set consists of coconut flavoured rice, a large dollop of sambal, slices of cucumber, and the only available side dish is ayam rempah or Malay fried chicken. But everything on the plate at Wak Kentut - the rice, sambal, chicken, peanuts, and even the cucumber are simply superb.
Wak Kentut is famous for their fried chicken. I was fascinated by the meticulous process involved in preparing the simple but delectable dish. Heavy basketfuls full of marinaded and battered chicken pieces were heaved to the frying area at the front of the stall.
Even dropping the chicken pieces into the furiously boiling hot oil was not an easy thing.
It is crucial to know exactly when is the right time to take the chicken pieces out of the furiously bubbling, boiling oil. This requires great experience and expertise.
The fried chicken is moved over to a wicker basket to cool for a few minutes.
Now, this is the additional step that sets Wak Kentut's fried chicken apart from the ordinary. After the chicken has cooled, it is returned to the boiling oil to be cooked one more time. By double frying the chicken in this way, it ensured that the crust and outer layer of the chicken is crispy while the flesh inside remains tender and succulently sweet with its natural juices.
The chicken are fried in batches and every time a new batch is ready, eager customers will surge forward to pick the specific pieces that they fancy.
The piping hot chicken piece is then chopped into smaller, bite sizes.
Even slicing the cucumber is an art. I believe cutting the cucumber beautifully like this, actually enhances its taste. The fresh cucumber slices at Wak Kentut are refreshing, crunchy and sweet.
The fried chicken at Wak Kentut is simply outstandingly delicious. Crispy on the outside, sweet, tender and juicy inside. It also does not feel greasy unlike those famous franchises ;P
Some nasi lemak stalls are let down by either the quality of their rice or their sambal, but not here at Wak Kentut. The lemak (coconut milk) fragrance of their rice raises to greet the nose. Wak Kentut uses good quality rice grains for their nasi lemak. The rice grains were loose and fluffy at Wak Kentut, not stuck together in sticky lumps as in the average nasi lemak stalls.
Wak Kentut's sambal is also excellent. It has a robust and delightful anchovy flavour. I was surprised that I could not find any anchovies anywhere on the plate even though the anchovy taste and aroma were clearly present. I guess they might have blended it into the sambal. The sambal itself was just mildly spicy hot and not too sweet, and it was delicious when mixed with the coconut flavoured rice.
I just love Wak Kentut's nasi lemak.
->> One of two most popular nasi lemak in Kulai (the other is Yellow Corner). Simple, no frills - just fried chicken, cucumber, anchovies, nuts, coconut rice and sambal but everything on the plate is nice :-D
Address: Jalan Susur Kulai 2, Taman Kulai Besar, Kulai, Johor
GPS: 1.652333,103.609871 / 1°39'08.4"N 103°36'35.5"E
Hours: 5:00pm to
Halal
Date visited: 2 May 2012, 29 Mar 2014
๐ Click to return to JB Best 100 page
Went to eat yesterday 26/3/13. As mentioned the fried chicken was simply yummy and rice tasted good too. Plate of nasi lemak , 2 pcs of fried chicken and a glass of teh o limau panas cost RM7.50 and very good value for money. Was told closing time is 12 midnight. Perhaps they have extended it. My first visit and definitely not my last ! Tq for the recommendation.!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it. I need to revisit soon :)
DeleteI have been made to understand that 100 kg of cucumbers are being served each day they are opened for business.
ReplyDelete