Rumah Makan Minang Maimbau

Rumah Makan Minang Maimbau

519 Jalan SS 9A/12

Sungai Way

47300 Petaling Jaya

(Coordinates: E101° 36' 55.3" N3° 5' 22.6")

Our only experiences with Minang cuisine have been limited to Capital Café and Restoran Padang, both located within a stone’s throw away from our apartment. While we’ve never had any complaints about the dishes at these eateries we thought we’d broaden our horizons where Minang cookery was concerned.

A quick check online yielded this quirkily-named shop in Sungei Way, a place that is quite unfamiliar to us. Apparently Maimbau Minang means "Minang Calling" or "Minang Invitation". Punching in the coordinates, we set off in a pretty roundabout fashion given that our cheap GPS navigator forced us into several false turns before finally arriving at our destination. We did not complaint since we were given the opportunity to properly explore Sungai Way.

 

Minang Maimbau, which means...

 

... Minang 'calling', or...

 

... Minang 'inviting' us over

 

pretty deserted during lunchtime

Despite arriving at the shop at peak lunchtime, we were pretty much the only ones eating there apart from a few stragglers only having drinks, and surmised that they catered to the weekday and dinnertime patrons. 

 

our first time here

 

Brendan had the...

 

... chicken curry (or gulai), no surprises there right?

 

quite an extensive variety of dishes

 

but not quite in the league of Minang cuisine we're used to

Brendan had the Gulai Ayam with white rice; Cat tried the Fried Cat Fish with white rice while I sampled the Fried Chicken with a (reduced portion) of white rice and a fried egg (the yoke was later donated to Brendan).

 

only in Malaysia beverages

 

Brendan's gulai (curry) chicken

 

Cat's fried cat fish (am I the only that thinks this is funny?)

 

my fried chicken and egg

 

'selamat makan'? or it is 'jemput sila'?

The verdict? Let's just say that we now understand the hype surrounding Capital Café and Restoran Padang and leave it at that. That’s not to say that we did not enjoy our dishes at Minang Maimbau; rather we felt that the cooking here is a watered down version and closer to the Malay variety rather than the authentic Minang dishes we’re so used to. And here’s the kicker; price-wise together with a round of Iced Lemon Tea for Brendan and Cat and an Iced Nescafe for moi the total came to a unbelievably easy on the pocket RM17.60, which in hindsight made sense given the neighbourhood it’s located in. Minang Maimbau would be a great alternative for those living in the Petaling Jaya area and are not inclined to make a trip up to KL for Capital Café and Restoran Padang.