Warung Saga @ Jalan Mahamoodiah, Johor

I love a good nasi lemak and had it not been for dining under the cherry tree, I may not have understood what I should be benchmarking against.







Tracking down Warung Saga is no walk in the park, infact we had to drive very slowly so we would not miss this standalone shop.









Warung Saga is so famous, even the guide books and their heritage trail has given them a spot! A must visit so say the locals, their royal dignitaries and anyone who loves classic Malay dishes.









Ordering is done at the counter and food gets served almost immediately.











Nasi Lemak arrived in a lack lustre fashion, rice with sliced ginger, half a boiled egg, ikan bilis and a dollop of belachan. Based on looks, we are definitely not talking about a life changing dish here. And magic happens. The inclusion of ginger in rice is ingenious to say the least, from the fragrance to the mild warmth in every spoonful to the sweet belachan, we are definitely talking about the best of its kind. No fuss, no frills, just simple and good coconut rice in banana leaf.











Chicken Curry was unlike the usual rendangs and nonya curry chickens, it was slightly blackened and given a good spice rub - tantalizing!











Beehoon goreng or dry mee siam was tasty on its own without any additional ingredients. And truly, less is more.











Lontong was a second favourite, with those melt in the mouth rice cakes - be damned those hard and stiff ketupats that I have consumed in the name of enjoying satay with its full works. The watery gravy and radish sticks were sufficiently delicious for this to be a must order.







Hearty mee soto with lime and so unbelievably tasty with so few ingredients. 









I found my next favourite nasi lemak hangout and it was fun naming all these politicians on the wall.


Warung Saga
No. 5, Jalan Mahamoodiah