Saudagar Kambing Bakar

Genius master stroke, or a mistake made by an amateur entrepreneur? You'll have to visit Saudagar Kambing Bakar and find out yourself.

-------

For the 5 pax of us (4 adults & 1 child), it was an unplanned early dinner last night. I had a large late lunch so was looking forward to a cuppa.

Nasi goreng kambing, kambing ala carte set (with rice) and calamari set (also with rice) was the order.

Portions were plenty, as the online reviews will confirm. & meals were somewhat better than your average cafe. So, food made the grade. And all who were hungry, were now happy.

It must be said though. I'm in no way a coffee connosuier. I'm just your regular Joe that takes your regular cup of Joe. & I was looking to have my evening fix.

So we were definitely disappointed when the physical AND online menus both showed that no hot brews were available. Aw man, this sucks, or so I thought.

With dinner done, the missus was now ready for dessert. Ummm when are women never ready for dessert, is the more existential question right? But that's definitely another posting for another day.

So off she goes, lips smacking, ready to pounce on a victim in the cake display chiller, when she speaks with a waitress and is told that coffee IS available. Thank God!

So we have some salted egg yolk thingie (not bad). Share a hazelnut latte (slightly sweeter, & less creamier than most, with amateurish artwork).

Continue enjoying the time spent with our kids. Lounging in the entire ambience of hotel lobby music, customers eating, & chatting. Laughing away.

& it suddenly sorta gives me a sense of something familiar. Sort of like ... being comfy, at home?

Well obviously not like home. But it was now peak dinner time. So the place was becoming packed with families coming in, on the eve of a public holiday.

You have a reasonable amount of parking 'spots', considering you're parking directly outside people's houses though. But that's the norm in Malaysia anyway right? 

Faux red bricks and a feature wall with wood decor. Slightly colder than usual indoor seating. Outdoor seating had separate sections to please the dinner crowd and the coffee crowd. 

& you can dine here in your jammies. Heck, if you were renting next door, you'd definitely waltz in wearing your kain sarung! Coz I would. 

Ummm, ok, maybe. But the diners here were dressed down. All comfy. & ready to widen their waistlines.

While it may please your palate, it isn't exactly kind on your wallet. Granted it's cheaper than most posh places.

But it isn't your typical price point for a place in the middle of a kampung that's quickly losing its identity.

The nasi goreng was in the high twenties but could feed a family of four! (kidding). My 14 year old growing boy, who's btw taller & skinnier than me, polished it all off on his own (really!).

If it were a meal meant for my wife & I, we'd definitely share that. & even then we'd struggle to finish it all. Coz she usually forces me to finish up hence my waistline now.

So that's the thing. The place. The meals. & everything else. Isn't exactly typical.

Per namesake, their focus is kambing bakar. Check. They got this right.

The coffee, dessert, location, ambience, etc. were the add ons. They didn't need to stand out. They just needed to suffice. & suffice, they did.

What else isn't typical? Well, I dunno about you, but I don't have a split unit air cond - in the bathroom! 

I get creature comforts. I do. But freezing your fanny when you're on the throne? Ummm no thank you. Plus, the surau was sizable enough but had smaller units than the bathroom. Go figure.

While my theory is arresting any unwanted aroma that may waft away, up into the atmosphere of patrons dining above, I could be wrong.

Maybe the people here prefer doing the deed while being comfortably cold at 17°c. In any case, if you gotta go when you gotta go: you have been warned.

So is it home away from home? Again no. But it did give me a place to rest & relax. Unwind & free my mind. Most importantly. With family. & good food. That was the familiar feeling I got.

Not home. But comfort.

So say what you will. The diners here came in droves. As an entrepreneur & looking at the commercial sense of the location, well, it didn't much. & from the technical standpoint, the food overall was only above average. Which was fair enough.

But these were moot points. Considering that many people were willing to part with their hard earned money. Even in these hard times.

So if you're looking for a cosy atmosphere. Off the beaten path in Shah Alam. That's tucked away in between houses. & fill up your tummy with some mouth-watering, delicious morsels of chargrilled goat meat. Take that trip to Saudagar Kambing Bakar now!