KL eats: Move over Ramly, here comes the Oblong Burger!
Ramly burger stall at Ampang Jaya 7-11
One of the things that the venerable Malaysian Tourism Minister should have claimed as truly Malaysian is the Ramly Burger. Nobody will ever dispute that the Ramly Burger is a Malaysian invention. In fact, I would go on to say that it is one of the Shiokest things that Malaysia has ever produced. In case Mr Ramly has not been conferred a Datukship, I think he should. Datuk Ramly has created a burger that can hit the spot where many an expensive gourmet burger have missed.
Now, if you have only tried Ramly burgers from the Pasar Malams in Singapore, then you really have not tried a Ramly burger. It really is not the same. The thing that makes a Ramly a Ramly is not the Ramly wrapper, but the Ramly meat pattie. That pattie is made from a very special animal called the Malaysian cow. That's right, they are the ones you see chewing on cow grass by the roadside whenever you drive up north. That cow (or at least the parts of it that don't make it to the butcher), together with the Ramly spices make for one heck of a delicious pattie. Unfortunately, our AVA have doubts about the palatability of their patties, so they are banned from being imported into Singapore. So the Ramly Burgers here are only Ramly on the outside but Aussie on the inside, much like a Porsche with a Kia engine.
Shallow frying an egg with the double patties in margarine
But a real Ramly pattie is only one part of the equation. The other big part of the equation is a healthy slathering of Planta margarine. Yes, the Ramly pattie, eggs and bread are all literally deep fried in Planta margarine. This stuff is so bad for you that its gotta be good right?
Yep!
I am sort of glad that you can only find the Ramly Burger in Malaysia because if it was found in Singapore, I would probably eat it too often. Yes it is good, so good that I finished a whole double Ramly after a whole evening of eating!
Introducing the Sempoii Oblong Burger!
But wait, it gets better!
We were told that there is a new brand of Malaysian burger which is threatening Datuk Ramly. The new kid on the block is Datuk Sempoii who chose to differentiate himself by making oblong shaped patties, aptly known as the Oblong Burger. You will notice on the banner that they proudly proclaim that their patties are made of 90% pure meat! Sounds good, but it really makes you wonder what the rest of the 10% is made of. And the other thing is, if they are proud of the fact that they are 90% pure meat, than what percentage of the Ramly pattie is actually meat?
Planta and Oblong Patties - a deadly combination
The oblong burger is made much the same way as the Ramly. The patties are first shallow fried in Planta Margarine, then wrapped with an egg and placed on top of a hot dog bun with a generous squeeze of chilli sauce, margarine and BBQ sauce.
Ugly but truly adorable - the Oblong Burger
We were all quite surprised that the burger was even better than the Ramly Burger. The pattie was more beefy than the Ramly burger (90% pure meat remember?) and though it is probably the ugliest burger you will ever get to lay eyes on , MAN IT WAS GOOD! Seriously seriously good. Good enough to risk your life for 10 minutes of sheer pleasure. Seriously.
Got to experience MH (Malaysian Hospitality) flying MAS
Anyway, I think Malaysia is a treasure trove of eats just waiting to be discovered. The thing is that Malaysian food is more similar to Singapore food than Thailand or Indonesia. So you can find a lot of stuff which are familiar yet novel at the same time. The best thing is that all the wonderful places are only a short flight away such that you can do food trips over the weekend. So besides KL and Penang, I have my radar set on Ipoh and Kuching next! Do write in if you have any recommendations for these places!
Ampang, KL
(in front of 7-11)
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27 comments:
Wow, Ramly burger is my hubby's fav food in pasar malam.
Too bad this is sooo far away. We really should hire such "foreign talent" n pay them good $$ to cook such burgers in sg.
Much better than throwing $$ to hire PRC nationals who know nothing about this food.
Well, we need to smuggle in the Ramly Patties as well.
But I am sure some enterprising guy could look into importing Oblong Burger into Singapore.
Hi Ieat,
Malaysian food regulation requires all meat patties to be minimum 60% meat (i.e. any thing or any part of an animal that is edible). Factory Manufacturers tend to use mechanical debone meat, fats, off-cuts-meats for cost reasons to make up these 60% in any form of combination. In the case of Ramly, the main source of meat is definitely not from Malaysia. Malaysia doesn't have enough beef to support Ramly's production volume. Not sure about food regulation in Singapore, but I am sure AVA has a valid reason for their doubts. Removing the egg, the chilli sauce, the mayonnaise, the bbq sauce, what you get is the truest taste of a burger patty. No offence to the burger stall operators, but they can't get any business from me. Perhaps I know too much. :(
Ah, ignorance is bliss.
It's 90% because the other 10% is fat. You need fat to bind the beef into a patty. No patty is 100% meat: it would just fall apart into ground meat.
Can you find this oblong burger in JB? I'm gonna be in SG in December but cannot make the trip to KL....
No way in hell is the 10 percent just fat lol! They probably add up the fat into the 90 percent. More like additives and filler.
I just finished a semester with a food safety module, taught by the just-retired head of AVA, Dr Chua Sin Bin, and he told us lots of reasons why Malaysian pork and beef are banned. Suffice to say, I quite agree with him. No point risking quality assurance over just subjective improvement in taste.
Anyone has he location of Ramly burger in JB? KL too far to go atm.
Hey tj, can you write to my email to give me the details of the Malaysian Pork and Beef thing please?
There's a store near my house in Penang that sells the oblong patties wholesale - RM15 for 10 patties. So I can enjoy the oblong burger at home!
Isn't margarine harmful to our body ?
No, margarine is not harmful to our body unless we eat it. Heehehe :)
Oh, I looked through my notes to give you the answer but I realised I was mistaken. It's only Malaysian pork that's banned, beef is ok as long as it's from accredited sources, ie farms that meet the safety requirements. Not that many of these around though and most certainly not the cows by the road. You can check the list of countries and what we can get from them here http://www.ava.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/2CFF1FE3-8D20-4E7A-BC89-6368076F427B/25360/ApprovedMeatCountries091012.pdf
As for pork, it's because of the Nipah virus mainly, which everyone knows about.Come to think of it, it's been ten years since Nipah virus emerged, maybe people forgot about it.
I don't recall the exact details of the stuff the lecturer shared, I'll have to email him and get back to you.
Oops read the table wrong, it should be that Malaysia can only export to us:
1. Mutton and beef processed meat products.
2. Chicken from accredited, verified to be safe, licensed sources.
No pork at all allowed. So actually one can bring that Ramly burger over...
I'm from Kuching. Kuching laksa is the best, Kuching Kolo Mee is the best (totally different from the one you find in Sarawak Kolok Mee at Vivo City)...Kuching is the food paradise!!
the oblong burger looks damn solid.... hmm, must go malaysia again soon, what makes a ramly is not only the patties, is the patties + the planta + the correct method of cooking the patties(sg ramly got ONE killer weaknest, they pre-cook the bloody patties first! the horror!!!) + the maggi seasoning + the curry powder! and of course the bread and the egg(double egg!! die faster)!
oh yeah, for those that don't know, the Ampang Jaya 7-11 ramly stall is considered the holy grail of ramly burger(something like Hillstreet CKT). I personally never manage to make the trip there yet, still trying to, Dr Tay done it alr ah?
leslie, i've been a great fan of ur blog for some time, but never thought of leaving a comment. BUT, this post is SO FUNNY (and so mouth watering too, as always) that i was COMPELLED to leave a comment. luv ur blog. the food scene in s'pore is so diverse, colorful and fun (nyc (where i live) pales in comparison, i tell u), and u depict it so well. keep up the great work! i'm curing my cravings with ur blog.
If you are heading to Ipoh, do visit a famous small town called Tanjung Tualang which is extremely famous for its Big Head Prawns. There are several restaurants but most of them "chop carrot". I've singled out a few restaurants that do not "chop carrot" and yet serve the best prawns you will ever eat in your life.
Restoran Lung Seng 龙成 is 1 such restaurant. If I remember correctly, price is around RM$55 - RM$65 for 1 kg of big head prawns. Remember to order it as 干煎虾 (dry fry prawns). It is the best prawns I've ever eaten in my life. Every single one of my friends whom I've brought to this restaurant are hooked on this.
It's so good that we will drive up from KL to Tanjung Tualang, Ipoh just to eat this for lunch and drive back to SG. Yeah, it's really that good.
I've googled and found quite a few blogs on it. Here's 1 of them: http://preciouspea.blogspot.com/2009/05/lung-seng-seafood-restaurant-tanjung.html
Keywords are "Tanjung Tualang" and "甘煎虾". Actually just the keyword "Tanjun Tualang" will do as the town is extremely well known for the prawns.
One last thing is do take note of the prices of the prawns that some of the restaurants are offering as this place is a known tourist attraction. A guide is RM$55 - RM$65 for 1 kg of big head prawns.
Sad to say, I can't find any zi char stalls or restaurants in SG that is able to produce prawn dishes of similar standards. Seems like Tanjung Tualang is the only place as of now. Ahhh.. I'm drooling now...
Thanks for the info on Ipoh! Definitely on my radar!
in ipoh, look out for this restaurant called "restoran up and up" - the BEST assam fish head and sambal prawns with petai ever. i'm not sure about the address, but it's in a building opposite a row of banks, and is located on level 3. when on the ground level, you'll notice a stall selling a dessert similar to "cheng tng" for RM3. ask them to bring it up to the restaurant for you - it's MUCH better than any cheng tng in singapore, but i don't know what makes it so special, it just tastes different.
also try the curry mee near the police station - it should be very famous. please "ga liu" (cantonese for 'add ingredients') and try the pigs ear. awesome.
and, do pop by the famous old town kopitiam (not the air-conditioned ripoffs we get in singapore, KL and even australia). it's literally situated in the old town, at a street corner. best coffee and kaya toast. also try the "gai dan gou" - egg cake, sandwiched with a thin layer of kaya. yummm.
if all else fails (because i know i've given very vague locations - i'm usually driven around in ipoh, sorry about that!), visit restoran kong heng (it's actually a kopitiam). the standard of food there is generally above average and everything there is worth trying.
oh, one last place: do check out indulgence restaurant. it's western food, and it might not compare to cugini or iggy's, but it's one of ipoh's best cafes. the cakes are top-notch, and so is julie (that's the owner, ask for her if you can and introduce yourself)'s strawberry jam.
have an awesome trip to ipoh and penang!
take care and God bless (:
Planning a trip up Ipoh soon when the school holiday starts.
Thanks for all the makan info in Ipoh, will try to locate the place recommended.
Thanks again, any more recommendation appreciated.
yeah and this one won the ultimate Ramly burger award. official winner.
sloppy and good.
http://www.j2kfm.com/om-burger-ampang-best-mamak-burger/
Don't miss Foh San Dim Sum! The crowds start coming at 9am, so you have to be early. Also, the Kai See Sa Hor Fun at Kong Heng at the old town area!
kai see hor fun at Thean Chun is better, even the BEST in Ipoh, I'd say. it's next to Kong Heng in old town, on Jalan Bandar Timah.
there's never a moment of bore at Foh San, esp on weekends, you've gotta go very early, or very very late. but risk dim sum running out.
http://www.j2kfm.com/foh-san-dim-sum-ipoh-finally/
Restaurant Up and Up is at Jalan Yang Kalsom in town centre. if you know where's Lou Wong, and the police station curry mee (Xin Quan Fang), then you should be able to reach Jalan Yang Kalsom. The building Up & Up is at is called Wisma Kinta.
OM Burger, is so good, so greasy, so sloppy, you'll get an instant heart attack.
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