30 July 2010

The best Nasi Lemak in Brighton

There seems to be an unlimited supply of takeaway restaurants, new menus are dropped into our post box every day. I always write little comments on takeaway menus, its an efficient way to remember the good ones. Last week, the new kid in the box was a self claimed authentic Indonesian restaurant Warung Tujuh. Now this is very exciting as there's no other Indonesian restaurants in Brighton. Studying the menu, you'll find that they actually do a mixture of Indonesian, Malaysian and Balinese cuisine.

They don't currently do home deliveries. So we made a trip to the centrally located newly refurbished venue. The first thing we noticed is their shiny clean cutleries, "its a good sign." Dan was impressed. The drinks menu though could be improved by adding some authentic teas, coffee and fresh coconut juice(?)..etc.

The Nasi Lemak (£10.95) caught my eyes. (Its regarded as the national heritage of Malaysia so if you haven't tried it, should definitely give it a go.) The last time I had it was 2yrs ago in Sydney China town at a Malaysian restaurant that does all sorts of roti canai! The verdict? The little salted fishes and peanuts were impressive, the satay sauce was just what it should be. But the salad has been westernised, it would be better with some leafy greens. The rendang daging was a bit tough. Its a good effort overall.


The other main dish we ordered was the Ikan Bumbu Bali (£8.95). It is a Balinese pan fried Sea Bream with a red hot sauce. Personally I'm not a big fan of slapping sauces on fishes. The taste of a fresh fish is so divine no other sauces should be required to disguise it! Anyway, the verdict? The Sea Bream was really fresh and nicely cooked (not over cooked making the meat tough). The sauce tasted homely with lemon grass and ginger. The dish tasted better than it looked!



Dan's wine suggestions for this style of cuisine: A Pinot Gris or a Sylvaner from the producer Hugel. The wines from Alsace are fresh, floral and complement the spices and herbs typical of these dishes. 


The restaurant have a 20% off promotion on at the moment. No home delivery yet though.

Address: Warung Tujuh, 7 Pool Valley, Brighton, BN1 1NJ