Nasi Lemak is bad for you. As all things 'bad', it is also one of the most delicious thing that has ever been 'invented' in this lifetime. Once upon a time, I had nasi lemak every single day that I put on 4kg in two months. I'm extremely short ok, therefore an additional 4kg on my 4-foot-nothing frame is considered as hefty. But I lost some of that weight when I fell sick due to food poisoning a couple of weeks after that (ironic!), and I managed to keep that post-sickness weight ever since.

Aaaaanyway. I pretty much know what kind of nasi lemak I like, though it may differ from other people preference. First and foremost, is the sambal. I like 'em hot and thick, but not oily. The second criteria that makes a good nasi lemak is the rice. The individual grain must not be sticking together like a sushi rice consistency. I like the grains separated, and with a little bit of 'lemak' flavour from the coconut milk. Then there are the other supporting factors of a good nasi lemak like crunchy ikan bilis, fried peanuts, juicy cucumber slices, and the hard boiled egg (no preferences here... egg is egg).

I'm giving arbitrary rating to the nasi lemaks that I've tasted thus far:

1. Pakcik stall at the morning market of Jalan San Peng. This nasi lemak has the biggest portion of rice ever, and the Pakcik lets you add in the sambal yourself, as much as you want. AND it's only RM1. Value for money! Unfortunately his sambal is usually too oily for my taste. So, 3 stars.

2. Makcik stall opposite of Masjid Jamek STAR LRT station, Burger King side. Tasteless sambal. Blahhhh. Burnt peanuts, but really crunchy ikan bilis. 1/2 star.

3. Malay couple stall opposite of Masjid Jamek STAR LRT station, McDonald's side. Very tasty for a RM1 nasi lemak. The sambal is hot but a little bit oily, and the rice is a bit sticky. There's always a long queue to get to it, so you need to allocate some queuing time. Also, there's always the possibility that the food might run out when it's your turn. SAD. Am still feeling the pain today. 3 stars.

4. Cold Storage nasi lemak. With 5% government tax, one regular nasi lemak will cost you RM2... not worth it, IMO. The sambal is tasty, but the rice grains stick together like sushi rice. The cucumber slices are dried with raisin-like texture, and the ikan bilis tasted like burnt charcoal. 1 star!

5. Hoca Coffee nasi lemak. Yum! Though it costs RM3 for a regular nasi lemak, it's definitely one of the best out there. You need to buy it early though, 'cause these sells like hot cakes! I had one this morning, and I walked so fast that you would've thought I was late for work, when I was just hurrying to grab myself the nasi lemak before they ran out of stock. 5 stars.

6. Aseana Nasi Lemak. High-end nasi lemak with high-end price tag. Don't remember the price exactly, but it's in the range of  RM15-20. My colleague treated me this on the first week of joining MS, and am suitably impressed. Hahah. This nasi lemak comes with chicken rendang also, and it's quite tasty. IMO, the portion was too big! I couldn't finish it all! What a waste of good food. 4 stars.

7. Cybercafe of Villa Putra's, Jalan Putra. This one is near my sister's place. RM1.50 for a regular nasi lemak, but it's nothing to shout about. 2 stars.

8. Mother and son stall, opposite Maybank at Jalan Kenanga. At this stall, they put in curry gravy with your nasi lemak by default. You need to request for no curry if you're a purist. For a RM1 nasi lemak, I think this is the best one out there. Grains not sticking to each other, sambal is just the right level of hot and not oily, and the ikan bilis is sooo crunchy. Too bad this stall only opens in the evening and I only have nasi lemak for dinner on certain and very rare occasions... like, if I want to sleep for 10 hours straight. Because that's what happened the last time I had one for dinner. 5 stars.

And that is all. For now. By the power of Grayskull, I will not rest until I find the greatest nasi lemak in town!