Salai Valley Johor Bahru

Opened in August 2020 and located in Johor Bahru, Salai Valley is known for their Masak Lemak Salai dishes. Daging salai simply means “smoked meat”. Masak lemak is a type of Malay cuisine. This meal type is well known in the Malay countries, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore.

Masak Lemak is cooked using coconut milk and this type of food includes the use of meat and vegetables. There are a variety of masak lemak dishes which consist of spicy, non-spicy, savory or sweet.

For starters you can have the Jemput-Jemput Jempol (RM7.90). This is one of the simplest finger food yet extremely tasty. Having the jemput-jemput by itself is a 6/10 but here’s how you can make it 10/10. The dish is served with a bowl of their lomak cili api gravy, dip the jemput-jemput inside and you’d be mind blown!

They also have Roti Canai Ujang (rm6.90) and Lempeng Garing Milah (RM6.90). - both these dishes look very alike but flavor wise it’s rather different. The crispy roti canai gives you such a nostalgia feel. And the lempeng if translated to English it means “pancake”, but this pancake is not like the ones you usually have. The lempeng is very crispy on the outside but soft on the inside and make sure you dip both the roti canai and lempeng into the gravy. 

One thing that’s for sure is that at Salai Valley your tastebuds will be on fire because of the spiciness. But if you love spicy food, then this will be the place for you. Not only is it spicy, but it’s extremely flavorful and bursting with flavors from the spices. 

Here at Salai Valley, their menu is made up of everything Salai and Lemak Cili Api - but we’re not complaining because it is so good. They’ve got 6 different kinds of proteins for you to have. First is the Lomak Cili Api Ikan Keli Salai (RM12.90). The fish was still crispy as the gravy will only be poured on the fish when it’s being served. Another very unique yet a crowd favorite is the Lomak Cili Api Telur Itik (RM8.90). It is served with a plate of rice, ulam kampung and pineapple sambal belacan. Next we tried the Lomak Cili Api Ikan Patin Salai (RM19.90). The meat was tender and very delicious. 

The Lomak Cili Api Daging Salai (RM22.90). This is a must try! The part of the meat that’s used in this dish is the topside of the beef which is the long, inner muscle of the cow's thigh which makes for a lean cut. The meat is so tender that it breaks down and melts in your mouth. Another very popular dish here is the Lomak Cili Api Itik Salai (RM18.90), the duck meat is cooked to perfection in the gravy and every bite packs a punch because of the spiciness from the gravy and tenderness of the meat. Lastly, the Lomak Cili Api Ayam Kampung Salai (RM15.90), even though they used ayam kampung the meat wasn’t tough and was very easy to eat as the meat was very fine. 

If you’re someone who can't make up their mind and want to try everything, then you can order their Set Dulang. You get to make a choice of what meat you’d like to have or you can mix it up and have 3-4 different meat on one plate. It’s a dish that’s to be shared with 2-3 people. 

When you’re here, don’t forget to also try their Nasi Goreng Itik Salai (RM13.90) and Nasi Goreng Daging Salai (RM15.90). Imagine the meat being so delicious in the masak cili api, whatmore when it’s fried. Both of the fried rice has a very distinct smoky taste which enhances the flavor in the meat and also the fried rice. 

Another great thing about this place is that they have a kids menu available. You have an option of choosing either you’d want the Kids Meal 1 (RM9.90) which is made up of a fried chicken, potato wedges, chicken cocktail sausages and a cup of Farm Fresh chocolate milk. For the Kids Meal 2 (RM9.90) you’ll get 4 pieces chicken nuggets, potato wedges, chicken cocktail sausages and a cup of Farm Fresh chocolate milk. 

When Malaysia first went into lockdown the one thing we saw everyone doing was the “Dalgona Coffee” challenge, if you haven’t heard about it before it’s basically whipped coffee topped on a glass of milk. At Salai Valley they not only have Dalgona Coffee but they also have Dalgona Strawberry, Dalgona Horlicks, Dalgona Nutella, Dalgona Green Tea and Dalgona Milo. All these drinks are priced at RM10.90 each. It’s not common for you to find these drinks in any restaurant so make sure you give it a try!