Heritage Village recently won a Best Nasi Lemak award on The Star People’s Food Awards and it was very surprising to me. When ensogo was offering a deal voucher, I jumped at the opportunity to try Heritage Village's fare.
I was surprised to find Penang's famous duck egg char kuey teow in the menu. Did not order this as our mission was to try the nasi lemak.
Their drinks menu was the kopitiam and mamak standard with options from Pat Poh Leong Cha to 3 Layer Tea which LC and I both love.
I was curious to try their Nasi Lemak Sambal Sotong to see how they measure up to my favorite from my office's carpark nasi lemak. The lady who mans the stall has disappeared for good so I'm quite sad that my craving for her spicy sambal will no longer be filled.
LC opted for the Nasi Lemak King Combo with the whole works of Sambal Sotong, Chicken Rendang and Acar Awak.
On top of all that, we ordered a portion of beef rendang and a Lobak platter. I have never equated Nasi Lemak = Nyonya food before so I was very eager to try what they were bringing to the table.
Chinese patrons made up 80% of the patrons at Heritage Village so it was amusing that a halal Nyonya place ended up attracting more Chinese than otherwise.
The decor was very old school with tiffin carriers and thermal flasks. The brick counter of the drinks section gives you a sense of nostalgia - houses and buildings no longer have that geometrical brick pattern that used to provide ventilation and privacy.
The 3 layer tea served was nice - the tea was kaw and the gula melaka was of good quality. The balance of milky, sweet and tart was good.
My Nasi Lemak Sambal Sotong had cuttlefish that was too chewy and the sambal it was cooked in was rather bland. There was no fragrance of sotong in the sambal. Sad to say that my carpark nasi lemak lady has better nasi lemak sambal sotong.
The nasi lemak's sambal was neither spicy or tasty enough. On top of that, they were stingy with it (look at that small tablespoon of sambal!) so we kept asking for more and they came in tiny one-person saucers.
LC's plate looked me interesting than mine. The chicken rendang was fragrant and quite flavorful while the chicken well cooked and moist. It failed to impress LC who said it was no big deal.
The highlight of the meal was the beef rendang. The rendang was fragrant and tasty and the beef tender. The chicken lobak was okay with a hint of Chinese five spice powder and crispy skin. The tofu was no big deal. The sauce that accompanied the lobak didn't help to enhance the lobak dish. I prefer the halal lobak at Lorong Seratus Tahun. Heritage Village's looks rather pathetic and not appetizing.
I failed to see how the nasi lemak at Heritage Village managed to win a Best Nasi Lemak award as I have fonder memories of wet market and roadside nasi lemak stalls and Heritage Village does not come close. On top of that, paying RM12.90 for mediocre nasi lemak sambal sotong is rather excessive to me.