Entree Kibbles: Lax Lax Restaurant - Nasi Lemak with Crispy Pork Lard @ 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya [Malaysia]

To be very frank, I was craving for Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng from Village Park Restaurant on my last day in Petaling Jaya but the allure of something supposedly better popped out, and it's tempting to note that its location was literally just a few minutes' walk from our hotel.

Lax Lax Restaurant - a high review score of 4.8 on Google Map, although there were only 48 reviewers. The one thing that caught my attention was that the operator had redefined our beloved nasi lemak by adding one of the world's top ten healthiest food; pork lard!

Let's scan QR code for the menu.

After a discussion with Alex, we decided to go with the local signature set for two persons, which granted us five sticks of pork satay, two mains and two desserts; for just RM 80!

Even though there were Japanese dishes on the menu, I would say the foods would be more fusion local and Japanese cuisine. By the way, another draw for Lax Lax restaurant was that it's pet friendly. Pity my visit was on a weekday when most people would be working.

Pork Satay - when it comes to satay, my choice would always be pork satay unless I am at a halal certified eatery. From the look of the satay, I lamented the lack of fat; a key element to their unmatched satisfaction compared to other types of meat.

Full of turmeric aroma, the meat was packed with herbs (as evidenced by their strands) and a delight to have when dipped into the thick and chunky pineapple peanut gravy! Again, it would have been perfect with segments of glistening pork fat.

Pork Lard Nasi Lemak - this was the version with apple chicken rendang and while I already knew there were pork lards, I didn't expect them to be pressed into the rice! Nevertheless, I happily popped one piece into my mouth; hm.... not the fresh, crisp, sinful type; it's drier and not as tasty.

Chicken rendang was average; the gravy could have been heavier to compensate for the lack of marination for the chicken meat. This was a pity as rendang in Malaysia should have been nicer than what I have in Singapore.

Another version of the pork lard nasi lemak; this time with unconventional roast pork (siew yoke)! By the way, I love the onsen egg although a part of me would have also enjoyed a sunny side up with crisp edges! Enjoying the pickled vegetables too, which was like achar. The only thing lacking in my opinion would be peanuts!

A beautiful slab of roast pork that could have beaten down many of those roasted delight stalls; sinfully fatty with that satisfying crunch as my teeth bit through as cackling skin! Between the chicken rendang and roast pork, the latter was the clear winner!

Sambal makes or breaks a plate of nasi lemak and the dry sambal at Lax Laz, while being flavorful, lacked the sweetness I would have relished better with the rice.

Mini Cendol - the neon green, said to be homemade chendol was a major visual turnoff as it seemed to be screaming artificial coloring; turned out to be bitter tasting, and it didn't help that the red beans weren't too tasty too. I would have gone with just plain ice drenched with their 100% pure gula melaka from Melaka.

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There were just too much rice for me to stomach, especially when I had already grabbed breakfast just mere hours ago. To me, I love the play on fusion cuisine as it could result in a flavorful clash of flavors but for Alex, a traditionalist, this type of nasi lemak wasn't his cup of tea. I like the roast pork nasi lemak although deep in my heart, I was thinking of the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng from Village Park Restaurant.

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