[Dec 2022 UPDATE: BM Yam Rice was added to the 2023 Michelin Guide KL and Penang list. Check out our Michelin post here]
[Non-halal] On the way back from Penang island, we stopped by Bukit Mertajam to check out the famous BM Yam Rice.
We’ve eaten at a stall in Publika’s Eat Food Village in KL – but it pales in comparison to the original one in Bukit Mertajam. According to a reader, the stall in Publika is not even related to this.
Read on to find out more.
BM Yam Rice in Bukit Mertajam
Bukit Mertajam – located on mainland Penang – is known for some famous food. These include the BM Best Cendol, Ali Nasi Kandar and the Rojak Orang Hitam Putih stall.
However, BM Yam Rice is probably the most familiar to KL-ites as there is a scattering of restaurants in the Klang Valley that bear the same name (although, there is no relation).
After binge-ing on various good food on Penang Island, we decided to stop by Bukit Mertajam to eat at the original branch.
BM Yam Rice is popular
Despite arriving for a late lunch at 2pm on a Monday, the place was packed. Clearly, we were not the only ones thinking about this spot as there were still droves of customers coming in to dine after we arrived.
At about 2.20pm, the owners had to turn down arriving customers as there was no more capacity and food left to serve.
Hence, we advise you to come early before 12pm to beat the crowd.
Take a sit, wait your turn
The ordering system here is quite interesting. You’d be given a number, after which you’ll be led to an unoccupied table.
The order is only taken closer to your turn – which is about 40 minutes of waiting time since we sat. The food was served 10 minutes later after our order was taken.
Granted, it was a super busy period for them. Thankfully, we had a heavy breakfast before we left Penang so we were not frustrated (or hangry).
If you plan to come on a busy day – be prepared to wait for at least 50 minutes.
Better than the KL fare
Overall, we found the food to be leaps and bounds better than the KL branch.
Let’s start with the soup. As opposed to Publika’s soup which is predominantly sour, we found the broth here to be pleasantly balanced and palatable.
It just had a good balance of sweetness and peppery savouriness, with only a hint of tang from the mustard greens. We could also taste the pork essence in the soup, which made it very appetising.
They even offer free soup refills!
They were also very generous with the ingredients, which include pork belly slices, meatballs, intestines, liver and kidney. They all tasted fresh and delicious.
Egg and pork knuckle in soy sauce
We also enjoyed the egg and pork knuckles in soy sauce. The knuckle was tender and flavourful – and we could tell that they used a good quality soy sauce mix.
Yam rice
Finally, we found the yam rice to be delicious and flavourful. However, we did find the distribution of yam pieces to be uneven (Ming hardly got any in her bowl).
We thought the rice tasted very similar to the one in Publika. However, we do find Publika’s branch to be more generous with the yam pieces.
Verdict
All in, we really enjoyed the food here despite the long waiting period. If you’re looking for a good lunch spot on mainland Penang, we won’t hesitate to recommend this place.
You could also drop by Ang Ang’s Roastery – a café based in Bukit Mertajam.
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