Helmed by a team whose friendly members hail from Mukah to Miri, Daro to Kuching, Kedey Kamek is an excellent envoy for Sarawak cuisine. Start with Nasi Goreng Dabai, fried rice made devilishly delicious with dabai, Sarawak's closest counterpart to olives, with a bitter-briny butteriness. Order it as a Sarawak Special (RM14.90), complete with ikan terubuk masin, salted toli shad fish that's crisp and fleshy with tiny, slender bones. This is our favourite fried rice so far of 2020, a sure-fire should-order.
Also not often seen in KL is the Linut (RM5.90), a Melanau tribal staple, a starchy-sticky substance extracted from the pith of the sago palm's trunk. Roll the gooey linut around a pair of chopsticks, then dunk it into a pungent sauce that balances out its blandness - this could be an acquired taste, but it's one worth trying.
Kedey Kamek flies in key ingredients from Sarawak, including the paste for its laksa, a bright-and-light rendition, simple and soulful - order it with ambal, the equivalent of bamboo clam, harvested from Sarawak's shores (RM9 for a large portion).
The Mi Kolok merits mention too - you can order it as a Super Special Abis (RM9.90) topped with both beef and chicken, as well as a big bowl brimming with beef bone soup and vegetables on the side.
To round out your Borneo experience, sip on an off-menu secret beverage - Teh C Peng, cold tea layered with evaporated milk and lovely, aromatic gula apong, Sarawak's nipah palm sugar that's evocative of gula Melaka.
Kedey Kamek
16, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 2, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Open Monday-Saturday, 11am-3pm, 5pm-11pm.
This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com