Illustration by Fig & Ginger, drawn from the review. The venue's own photo is on its way.
Malay coffee shop (nasi lemak) in Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur
Village Park Restaurant
The Chicken Thigh That Built a Queue
Village Park is not in Kuala Lumpur. It sits in Damansara Uptown in Petaling Jaya, a short taxi ride west of the city, and people make that ride for one plate of rice. Shamil Ngoh Abdullah and his wife Aishah Chong opened the place in 2002, and the queue has been forming on the pavement ever since.
The plate is the plate. Coconut rice, fluffy but firm, fragrant enough to smell from the door. Sambal on the sweet side, which purists grumble about and then finish anyway. Anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, egg. Then the reason for the line: ayam goreng berempah, a whole chicken thigh rubbed with spices and fried hard, coming out of the fryer in constant batches so it reaches you crackling. If you are more of a red meat person, the beef rendang is soft, sweet and savoury. Wash it all down with teh tarik.
This is a working restaurant, not a lounge. Staff seat you fast, the food arrives fast, and a sign on the wall makes it clear that laptops are not welcome. Read the newspaper cuttings on the wall while you wait. In 2026 the building itself went to auction, and the city held its breath, but the restaurant has given no sign of going anywhere. Go early and go hungry.
- Order this
- Nasi lemak with ayam goreng berempah, Beef rendang on the side, Teh tarik
- The damage
- $
- Go
- Early on a weekday morning, well before the lunch queue; it opens at 6.30 a.m.
- Find it
- 5 Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
- Website
- therakyatpost.com