capitol cafe nasi lemak — *Doesn’t this look delicious? Come let’s eat some Nasi Lemak*

After being in Malaysia for a couple of days, I really wanted to find a place where I can have a solid plate of Nasi Lemak, Malaysia’s national dish. My search has brought me to Capitol Cafe, located in Bukit Bintang, the heart of Kuala Lumpur near the Pavilion Shopping Mall (Where Uncle Roger’s restaurant is located).

Capitol Cafe claims to have THE absolute best Nasi Lemak in all of Malaysia, but is it true? Well taste is subjective but today I want to bring you guys along with me to see if the Nasi Lemak here is really good or not.

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The Best Nasi Lemak in Malaysia?

capitol cafe kuala lumpur — *Capitol Cafe is a restaurant that seems to be stuck in the past, very charming and cozy, I think*

Capitol Cafe is a local restaurant that resembles the nostalgic and rustic charms of the decades gone by. The dark wooden chairs, marbled round tables, and checkered mosaic floor files makes you feel like you are dining at your Chinese grandma’s house.

And we all know that grandma makes the best food! Don’t question me about this claim of “Best Nasi Lemak”, Capitol Cafe said so themselves, in fact it is their slogan that they’ve stated on their logos and even on the front page of their menu!

Even so, I really love the aethestics and atmosphere of Capitol Cafe, vintage and nostalgic, though I wasn’t born during that era, I still appreciate it.

Capitol Cafe’s Menu

Capitol Cafe’s menu is surprisingly varied considering they specialise in just one dish. There are different types of Nasi Lemaks, from their signature special Capitol Nasi Lemak with fried chicken, sambal shrimp, and a fried egg, to some unique versions like an Indonesian style chicken curry Nasi Lemak. Capitol Cafe even has a fried fish option.

Aside from Nasi Lemak, there are also some… let’s say “Western-inspired” dishes on the menu like a Western breakfast set, a salmon steak, and a pretty tasty looking Hainanese Chicken Chop.

Capitol Cafe even has a page dedicated to the Thai Pad Krapao! I think that’s pretty random to be honest, but sure.

Another speciality of Capitol Cafe is their breakfast offerings, Roti Bakar (Toasted Bread with Buttter and Kaya), half boiled eggs, soft pillow steamed buns, and of course coffee and tea.

Capitol Cafe’s Pricing

I think that Capitol Cafe’s pricing is a pretty fair considering the restaurant is in central Kuala Lumpur and right next to a luxury shopping district. You can expect to pay about 15-20 MYR depending on the dish, the portions you get are pretty filling as well. I’d say overall the pricing is good value.

Nasi Lemak Ayam + Sambal Prawn Petai

Capitol Cafe special nasi lemak ayam — *This is the most beautiful plate of Nasi Lemak I have ever seen*

I of course couldn’t resist the allure of Capitol Cafe’s signature dish, the Special Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken and a Sambal Shrimp Petai. It comes with fried chicken, shrimp, fried anchovies (Ikan Billis), peanuts, and a fried egg (also a few slices of cucumber).

I want to take a second to mention the rice, because that’s what makes Nasi Lemak special. The rice is cooked in coconut milk, giving it a fragrant coconut-y aroma with a subtle hint of sweetness. I’ll be honest, the coconut flavor isn’t that pronounced, it’s more like a subtle aroma. Eating the rice with the various sambals and other strong flavored items like the anchioves covers the flavor of the rice making it almost indistinguishable from normal rice.

capitol cafe sambal prawn petai — *Give me more that that sambal chili sauce please*

What I really like is the Sambal Shrimp Petai, Petai is the stink beans and contrary to the name, these stink beans aren’t that bad. The shrimp is nice and fresh, bursting with spicy and umami flavor from the sambal. Though I’d say the sambal is a little too salty for me.

I also like the fried chicken, it’s battered in a nice thin and crispy coating and the chicken meat itself is not dry at all, rather juicy and meaty. Eating it with the huge dollop of sambal that Capitol Cafe includes with your Nasi Lemak is the way to go.

I think the best move though is to mix in your spicy sambal with your rice and make sure that each grain is fully coated in that luscious sambal. And of course don’t forget to add your fried anchovies and peanuts to give your bite a nice crunchy textural contrast as well as some flavors of saltiness and nuttiness.

Overall I’d say this is a solid plate of Nasi Lemak, though there wasn’t anything that really “wowed”, it still was really delicious.

Roti Bakar (Toast Bread w/ Butter + Kaya)

capitol cafe roti bakar — *Toasty bread, sweet jammy kaya, and thick slices of butter, what could be better?*

On the menu it says that the Roti Bakar is a recommended breakfast item and so I ordered it.

Two slices of toasted white bread, filled with a nice spread of a coconut (or pandan?) kaya custard, and some generous slices of butter.

The only other time I’ve big chunks of butter just laid between 2 slices of bread was in South Korea where the bakeries there really like to serve this bread, red bean, and butter sandwich. Personally, I find huge chunks of butter in a sandwich intimidating but I’m being open minded here.

To my surprise the butter was quite pleasant, adding a nice milky richness to the sweet kaya jam. And combined with the warm toasty, crunchy bread. Nothing can beat it.

It’s such a simple dish but it encompasses all the major food groups for an energetic breakfast, carbs, fats, and sugar, minus the coffee but we’ll get to that…

Though I can’t help but feel a little bit guilty eating raw butter like this but whatever, my personal travel slogan is “Vacation calories aren’t real calories”.

Kopi Ping (Iced Coffee)

I went to Capitol Cafe for breakfast and you know me, I gotta start my day with a nice cup of coffee. I ordered ice coffee which includes milk.

Now… I am a coffee snob, but I still appreciate a good iced coffee from your local auntie’s street side coffee stall. I got to say that Capitol Cafe’s Iced coffee leaves something to be desired. The coffee is bitter and sweet, but in an unpleasant way where the flavors don’t balance in harmony. Actually it’s very sweet.

Not my cup of tea coffee but others may like it.

Conclusion

Pros

A good variety in the menu, breakfast items, Thai food, Nasi Lemak, western dishes, etc…
The pricing is fair and affordable, and the portions are large and filling
Every dish tasted good, especially the sambal, very strong and flavorful

Cons

While the food is good, it’s not really anything mind blowing

Overall I recommend you dine at Capitol Cafe, the menu is varied, the price is good, and the food tastes delicious. Though I wouldn’t say that it’s the “Best Nasi Lemak in Malaysia” it’s still a pretty damn good plate of Nasi Lemak.

Capitol Cafe | 7.5 / 10

Phone: +60 3 2110 5591

Location: 46, Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Opening Hours: 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Mon - Sun (Closed Friday)

Pricing: ~20 MYR | $$

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