KAJANG, April 15 — It is a simple food, really. A tender cut of meat first marinated then skewered on sticks of bamboo. Grilled over charcoal, the smoke imparting an inimitable aroma.
You can almost sense the crackle of the open flames in every bite.
At least, that is how we feel about the satay at Restoran Satay Putera Kajang. In a town famed for its satay, we are spoiled for choice, of course.
This eatery, however, came with a recommendation from a friend who happens to be a longtime Kajang resident; always trust the locals, we say.
Past the grilling station at the entrance, discover a colourful interior within. — Picture by CK Lim
The restaurant is easy to find; you can’t miss its location right in front of Stadium Kajang MRT station. Past the grilling station at the entrance (more on that later), you enter beneath a solitary red lantern to discover a colourful interior within.
Bottles of different shapes and sizes hang from a handmade trellis against one wall. Another wall has a painting of a herd of elephants grazing (their grey hides faded, as the paint bears a proud weather-worn lustre). Leafy ferns crouched near the edge of one roof.
It is an entirely eclectic décor and not one might assume is customary for a satay joint.
Which is part of the charm, surely.
Grilling satay over charcoal (left). Packing orders for delivery and pick-up. — Pictures by CK Lim
One could dine in or order ahead for pick-up. Their entire operation is superbly efficient.
Returning to the grilling station near the entrance, you can observe how the kitchen crew grills skewers of satay over charcoal. There are, in fact, huge bags packed with sticks of marinated satay ready for them to grab and grill to order.
Another staff member stands at a separate station packing cooked satay for delivery and pick-up orders. We are one of those pick-up orders, having called ahead.
Our orders were ready when we arrived — how’s that for speedy customer service?
Plenty of tables for dine-in customers. — Picture by CK Lim
For dine-in customers, there are plenty of tables. Here, again, the furnishing has a tinge of mild gentrification, with lamps made from bamboo fish traps and an incongruous map of Asia on one wall.
The wide, round marble top tables and the plastic chairs imbue the space with more of an authentic old-school ambience, to be honest. I look forward to having a meal on the premises during my next visit, the better to sample their intense Kopi Kaw and frothy Teh Klasik.
But for now, we belong to the pick-up category of customers. Which, depending on which segment of our food scene you happen to patronise, can either be as good as dining in or present a far inferior experience.
(Take, for example, my favourite food crawl of all time — a day of eating along Jalan Tengkera in Melaka. You really must enjoy Tranquerah’s famous prawn crackers and fish ball noodles and freshly made, piping hot putu piring on the spot.)
Trio of satays (left to right): Beef, chicken and lamb. — Picture by CK Lim
Gladly, that is absolutely not the case with satay. I would even venture to argue that the test of a good satay is how well it holds up as a takeaway order, to savour in the comfort of one’s home.
Properly packed, there is no need to heat the skewers up; they ought to be still pleasantly warm. (Some might even prefer these at room temperature, if they had burned their tongues before on satay hot from the grill.)
We ordered three types of satay: beef, chicken and lamb. A carnitarian’s trinity.
The tenderloin cut was used for the beef satay, sans any fillers so we got more bang for our buck, meat-wise. Similarly, the chicken satay was made with chicken thigh to ensure a tender rather than chewy bite.
The ‘otak-otak’ is sourced from a reputable supplier in Muar. — Picture by CK Lim
Our favourite of the three was the lamb satay: nuggets of Australian lamb leg meat suffused with the shop’s secret marinade. Good enough to eat on its own — but never skip dipping each skewer into the moreish satay kuah (gravy).
Indeed, there is a flavour that one can only describe as “satay” itself — the taste of smoke and spices.
Satay Putera Kajang also does a less commonly found fish satay, but most of us prefer our grilled fish in the form of ikan bakar. (Another experience for another day, perhaps.)
To complete our meal, we also had some of their otak-otak, which is sourced from a reputable supplier in Muar. This benefited from the same experienced charcoal grilling though their satay remains the star of the show.
The rainbow-hued ‘muhibbah’ mural. — Picture by CK Lim
Besides satay and otak-otak, the restaurant also offers a variety of wok fried noodles and rice dishes. From Penang style char kway teow and char mee to Hokkien yee mee and kampung fried rice, one will not lack for starches if one were to skip the ketupat (but why would you?).
Ultimately enjoying a meal of satay feels like an act of communion, an intimate exchange of thoughts and tastes as we shoot the breeze and savour the meat.
This reminds me of the rainbow-hued muhibbah mural at the restaurant earlier. We took some time to appreciate the images of our multicultural dances. Isn’t that the spirit of a good meal too, sharing with those around us, generously and joyfully?
Restoran Satay Putera Kajang 沙爹王子
26 & 27, Jalan Mendaling,
Bandar Kajang,
Kajang, Selangor
Open Tue-Thu 11:30am-8pm; Fri 11:30am-9pm; Sat-Sun 11:30am-9pm; Mon closed
Phone: 03-8733 8330
For delivery or pickup:
https://app.eats365pos.com/my/en/restoransatayputerakajang
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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