Sambal Hijau

Sambal Hijau

Jalan Sungai Penchala

Kampung Sungai Penchala

60000 Taman Tun Dr Ismail

+60126962639

(Coordinates: E101° 37' 33.3" N3° 9' 45.0")

It’s a lazy late morning and with nothing planned in particular we headed out to Taman Tun with Sambal Hijau in mind. A good friend of ours from Taman Tun (yes, it’s you Edwin) suggested we give this place a try.

Along the main road at Sungai Penchala and right beside a yellowish mosque, even at the stroke of noon Sambal Hijau was already drawing a large crowd. Ample parking can be found at the back of the restaurant albeit via a pot-hole ridden red lateritic slip road (drive slowly or risk scraping the undercarriage of your vehicle).

 

along the main road at Sungai Penchala

 

beside a mosque

 

first thing you see

 

spoilt for choice

  

vast array of dishes to select from

 

so many possibilities

 

eye-catching logo

The first thing that strikes you as you walk into the restaurant is the rows and rows of dishes! Being spoilt for choice is a massive understatement here at Sambal Hijau. Brendan had both the Fried and Barbecued Chicken with his white rice; Cat had the Fried Tilapia with her fried rice while I sampled the ¹Ikan Bawal braised in tomato sauce. Cat and I both had ample servings of the excellent ²Sambal Tempoyak

¹Silver Pomfret

²made from the fermented durian fruit, coconut milk and sauce typically made from a variety of chilli peppers along with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, sugar, lime juice, and rice vinegar or other vinegars

my ikan bawal with white rice

 

Brendan's fried AND barbecued chicken

 

Cat's fried tilapia

 

our beverages

 

bon appetit!

 

a little pricey

The verdict? Apart from the Sambal Tempoyak everything was your typical run of the mill Malay fare, and maybe it’s because our visit here was just off the back of our recent trip to Kuala Terengganu (where the Malay cuisine was simply exquisite) we honestly believed the dishes here were nothing extraordinary. The main attraction here one would think is the fact that you are spoilt for choice when it comes to dishes served, while in truth  taste wise it was pretty unremarkable. 

The damage? Including a round of Iced Black Coffee for me and Iced Lemon Tea for Brendan and Cat the total came to RM35.50, while within the realms of the everyday food for the everyday person we considered it steep bearing in mind Sambal Hijau is actually just a normal Malay Mixed Rice restaurant.