Hajah Maimunah Restaurant
Ernie wanted to have Malay/Indonesian Padang cuisine at House of Minang, but it was closed for renovations. I remembered my office room-mate, Yas, telling me to try this place called Hjh Maimunah, so I asked around and was directed to this lane off North Bridge Road.
Come on. Tell me honestly who hasn’t heard of the famous Hjh Maimunah?
They’ve been around since the 90s and delighting diners for decades and the people keep going back for more everytime so you know they must be doing something right.
With a wide variety of traditional Malay dishes, I reckon you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else to take your family and friends for a good ol’ makan session with all your classic favourites.
And it’s very economic too! That whole spread above is enough to feed a small family and all for $20!
We’ve personally been visiting for years. Maybe not so much for me when I was younger but definitely more since I met my darling wife who would bring me on lunch dates to Hjh Maimunah so we could have some good food.
This is one of the all-time favourites of so many people out there and at Hjh Maimunah it’s quite obvious why this sells out quickly almost every time.I know that “Mum cooks it best” but if you’re ever hankering for Ayam Lemak Cili Padi outside of home, I think that this is probably the best version you can find out there today. Until I find another version outside that is this good, this is tops in my books.The lemak looks watery when you get it but don’t let that fool you. It’s packed full of flavour and the lemak flavour is going to make you go “Wow”.And it’s quite spicy too! If you look closely at the picture, you can see that they use the green variety of Cili Padi and apparently that makes a big difference here. I’m so used to the red version but this is really really good! The chicken itself is really tender and the flavour of the gravy really penetrates into the meat.We asked for ‘peha’ but for some reason we got drumsticks instead but it was still really good. Oh well. Be sure to choose your pieces of chicken wisely!
Another traditional Malay dish we always have with our nasi campur is Sambal Goreng.Maybe I got the wrong scoop but it was mostly tauhu and not enough veggies for me.
The taste was okay but I’m guessing this one of the few dishes that a lot of people still order because it’s pretty much a one-stop with your nasi
Paru Goreng with my nasi. Whether it’s Nasi Campur or Nasi Jenganan or Nasi Rawon, I simply gotta have it!!
But I’m really fussy when it comes to my Paru Goreng. I don’t mind those big pieces which they fry up but I kinda prefer if it’s not cut so thick. I prefer a thinner cut so that when they fry, it gets (at least a little) crispy. And luckily for me, the Paru Goreng here is awesome!
They also have a Belado version of the Paru by the way in case you’re interested.
And speaking of Belado
We actually wanted to have a nice ol’ Bagedil which is a staple with our Nasi Campur but unfortunately they were all out of Bagedil when we visited. So we settled on the next best form of potato we could find.
The Kentang Belado at Hjh Maimunah comes with quite a fair bit of ikan bilis (anchovies) as you can see from the picture above. And if you’re worried about the spicy factor, don’t worry so much. The belado is not that spicy to be perfectly honest. It’s got the chilli flavour… but not that spicy.
Actually, my darling wife is the one who had this dish. I’m not much of a fan to be honest.
But she orders this everytime we come to Hjh Maimunah and I’ve heard from so many people that Hjh Maimunah serves one of the Lemak Siput Sedut!
The siput is fresh and of a decent size. The lemak itself is bursting with spicy flavour.
This appears to be a definite must-have if you’re lucky enough that it’s available when you visit.
And last but not least, I went back in because I wanted to get some Goreng Pisang but it was all out.
And then I saw something that I couldn’t resist…
he challenge with Kuih Lopes is making sure the rice is cooked thoroughly while ensuring it doesn’t get too hard.
The version here is superb! Nice and not too soft or hard. Just right!Drown it in brown sugar syrup aka gula melaka and top with grated fresh coconut and you’re all set!
One of the better ones I’ve had!
Adam’s Verdict:
Ayam Lemak Cili Padi 5/5 — Sambal Goreng 2/5 — Paru Goreng 4.5/5
Kentang Belado 2/5 — Ulaman 4/5 — Kueh Lopes 4/5
Maryah’s Verdict:
Ayam Lemak Cili Padi 5/5 — Sambal Goreng 2/5 –Kentang Belado 3/5 — Ulaman 4/5
Lemak Siput Sedut 5/5 — Kueh Lopes 4/5
Sometimes you just want a taste of the traditional and it’s good to know that there’s at least once place you can go if you really need to… Hjh Maimunah!
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