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here may be many words that come to mind when one thinks of
the First White Rajah, James Brooke, but there's only one word that prevails in mine. Adventure.
It must have been interesting to have first laid eyes on Kuching as he travelled through the Sarawak River on a schooner he splurged most if not all of his inheritance
money on.
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| The Royalist |
As the culture shock sank in from seeing jungle life and wooden houses all around
him, I wonder if our adventurer imagined the Kuching he saw that day so many
years ago, could ever be the thriving modern city it is today.
Some things though, never change. We’re very lucky that for
the time being regardless of modernity, we still have places like “My Village
Barok” that reflects the culture of old that is still alive in Kuching today.
It is also the place where I’ve been tipped off that serves rather delicious
Nasi Ayam Penyet.
To get here, you’ll need to make your way to Kampung Boyan
either by car or by sampan. But if I did not make the theme of this article
clear, it is adventure. Take the sampan. You won’t regret it. I will not be
responsible, mind you if something happens to you on that sampan. Unless of course you have fun. I'll take responsibility for that.
You’ll need to take a sampan from the pier closest to the
7-11 in the Kuching Waterfront. There, you’ll pay 50 cents to cross the river.
Rides are RM1 instead of 50 cents if you’re travelling past 7pm. Once you’re
across, go behind the visible food court on your right, and this restaurant
will be on your left.
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| Chair = 1. Me = 0. |
Once there, find yourself a seat and enjoy the artwork and
atmosphere while waiting for your order to be taken. Today though as I
mentioned, Nasi Ayam Penyet is what we’re looking for. If you have time, also
try the Kambing (Lamb) variation. You’ll notice in the menu that there isn't such a thing as Nasi Ayam Penyet as it’s called Nasi Ayam Kemek here. Trust me, it's the
same thing.
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| RM 9 |
At first glance, you’ll notice that this isn’t your
conventional plate of Nasi Ayam Penyet. Gone is the fried chicken, and in its
place is one that’s grilled over a barbeque. Although this means that the usual
crunchy texture you get from the chicken you’re used to is missing, it is not a
huge problem as the chicken is packed filled with flavour.
The chicken is coated with a sweet and salty sauce that
receives a beautiful caramelization when barbequed. The meat is tender from the
“Penyet-ing” it receives while also allowing for better absorption of the
marinade that leads to a juicy and delicious chicken.
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| RM 15 |
The same can be said of the lamb, which comes in generous
portion and tender goodness. It retains that same marinade that brings
caramelization, while being cooked well to achieve juiciness instead of being as
thin and hard as a hockey puck. This is anything but a hockey puck.
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| That tenderness though |
In most cases, what usually makes or breaks a good plate of
Nasi Ayam Penyet is the sambal. This isn't the case here as the protein too is capable of
carrying the dish. This does not mean though, that the sambal is a push-over in any way.
The sambal is mildly sweet and savoury but understandably
not as tasty as most, due the nature of the already flavourful protein. What it is
missing though, is the usual sourness from the sambal paste and lime that’s
usually present in sambals of this nature to lift the dish.
Regardless of the missing balance, it packs an upper cut of spiciness.
The heat is no joke and if you’re not someone who can take the heat, you’ll
need to request for them to separate the sambal from the protein. Why? Because they'll pour a generous spread for you on your protein along with another side helping of the sauce.
For those who enjoy heat though, this will be a treat and changes need not be made.
Among other things, what you have on the side is the much ignored ulam of cabbage and ulam raja or "the King's Salad". Though only mildly fragrant, having all these elements come together as you munch on your protein and rice will bring an earthy herby flavour from the ulam raja, and crunch from the cabbage.
What does it mean? Everything combined equals deliciousness.
Needless to say though different from the typical Nasi Ayam Penyet, I'd come back here to eat this in a heartbeat.
Once all is said and done, my final advice for you is this. Eat. With. Your. Hands.
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| This also goes without saying, please wash your hands before and after your meal. |
My Village Barok can be found in the Google Map Location below and is open everyday from 5pm to 12 midnight.
As usual, if you've stayed this long.. Here's some behind the scene stuff from this trip! :)
