Update: This business has ceased its operations.
Nuri Simply Indonesian Food is an Indonesian-based restaurant franchise specializing in Indonesian cuisine. There is a new outlet located at intersection between Burmah Road (Jalan Burma) and Cantonment Road (Jalan Cantonment) in Pulau Tikus, George Town.
Nuri uses the self-service fast food concept. Food is ordered and served at the counter. Like economy rice concept, the available dishes are displayed behind the glass panel for customers to choose from. The difference is that the staff helps with the serving.
There are ample of dining tables as the restaurant occupies two levels.
We ordered two sets of Nuri 2 Meal Set for RM12.50 each. Each set includes a choice of two meat dishes, Gado-gado, Sambal Belacan, rice and a choice of carbonated beverage.
For the first set, we had Ikan Acar Kuning and Daging Rendang as meat dishes.
The Ikan Acar Kuning is a whole fried mackerel garnished with a type of pickling made from long beans chili peppers, vinegar and other spices. The pickling results in sweet and sour flavors, yielding a taste which is reasonably acceptable.
The Daging Rendang is a spicy beef stew infused with flavors from local spices such as turmeric, chili peppers and garlic. While the flavor is okay, we are disappointed that the serving portion is rather small.
As for the second set, the meat dishes are Ikan Goreng and Ayam Semur. Actually these are the only viable options remaining because other dishes are unavailable or unappealing (for example, egg dishes).
The Ikan Goreng is also a whole fried mackerel fish with onions, shallots and chili peppers stuffed inside. The stuff fillings are quite decent in taste, but the fish itself remains mostly plain.
Ayam Semur is a stewed chicken marinated with sweet soy sauce, giving the dish a savory and appetizing flavor. The meat is quite enjoyable but it turns out too dry.
Each meal set comes with a serving of Gado-gado, a type of Indonesian salad made from potatoes, bean curd, boiled eggs, bean sprouts and lettuce. The salad dressing is peanut sauce, similar to those used for satay.
The Gado-gado is quite a nice salad. It is sweet and has some buttery taste from the crushed peanuts. In fact, rojak lovers should find this dish quite delightful.
As for the Sambal Belacan, the condiment is quite strong in flavor due to the rich diversity of Indonesian spices. However, the Sambal Belacan here is quite oily; I prefer less oil for better effect. The spiciness can be overpowering for those who are not accustomed to Indonesian cuisine.
Our choice is drinks are the F&N Sarsi and F&N Zappel.
Overall, the dishes at Nuri are not too impressive except for the Ayam Semur and Gado-gado. I think it is not necessary to have many dishes available, but instead just focusing on a handful which are exceptionally good.
The location of Nuri is problematic despite the fact that it is located at a busy intersection. Especially with the recent one-way traffic directions, getting here and finding a parking are major turn-offs. The restaurant needs to move to a more accessible location or heavily rely on food delivery method.
One positive note is that the restaurant crew is friendly and welcoming.