Nasi Kerabu @ Sambal Inc., The Starling

I have been wanting to visit Sambal Inc. @ A Foodie's Nest, The Starling but my brother told me that their nasi kerabu is not the nasi kerabu that meets the standards of we people from the east coast. Hah!

So that discouraged me. I trust my brother's judgement as we have similar tastes (except when it comes to cheese). That was last year or the year before.

For the past 2-3 weeks I have been having a nice time eating whatever I liked (mostly carbs heh..heh...). This is a strategy that some people use for metabolic reset (also known as "all in"). You free fall (and have to accept that you will gain substantial weight) and you come to a set point where your body tells you enough is enough. That's when you don't feel like eating as much and are satisfied with smaller portions.

Never mind that I have put on 7kgs post MCO. Who cares? I am not living up to anybody's standards. But....I do feel the strain of the extra weight and the bloated feeling after consuming too much food from outside. My pants are getting a bit too snug and I am experiencing those "stop! stop!" signals.

Next month I am cutting down on carbs and testing out an eating plan just to review its efficacy. No weird stuff or supplements, just natural wholesome foods (cooked at home  and with bone broth fasting) and I shall share my results.

So before I go on a temporary carbo restriction, I thought why not test for myself the nasi kerabu at Sambal Inc.

Although I was the only one at the cafe (can you spot my selipar Jepun?) I chose to seat at the single seater (in spite of the spotty table) so as not to deprive diners of two parties or more from a bigger table. Cleanliness of table tops could be improved.

Ordering is done and paid at the counter. The menu is simple, they have nasi kerabu and nasi lemak with variations of fried fish and chicken and also some side dishes.

I opted for nasi kerabu with ayam goreng berempah.

The sambal tumis is served separately and I instinctively almost poured the the sambal over the rice but I stopped myself. Taste first!

Upon tasting, I found it rather strange. It does not taste like the sort of sambal tumis that I expect in nasi kerabu. But when I ate it with the nasi kerabu, it tasted all right.

The rice was dry and hard. I could detect fragrant herbs including bunga kantan in the raw vegetables and the kerisik was fresh and crispy. Just mix everything up and add some of the sambal tumis (which was spicy hot).

Oh dear. The plate was chipped in two places. Why didn't they serve me with a good plate?

I came away agreeing with my brother. People who are not from the east coast and who have not eaten authentic Kelantan nasi kerabu might enjoy this judging from the high marks on Google review. Taste is subjective.

On the home front, my two children are getting along just fine. 

What you see in this photo is Belle Belle eating Ah Girl's food. 

Belle Belle is a marauder and finishes her food very fast. When she is done, she goes over to Ah Girl (who takes her own sweet time to eat) and steals her food. Ah Girl being the timid one, simply gives in to Belle Belle.

Every morning after makan, they will take turns chasing each other up and down the stairs. Haiz.....

And this is how they hang out every evening outside my room. I allow Belle Belle some freedom inside the house but she has to sleep inside her cage.