Profiled by de Groots MediaWhen choosing an Asian restaurant to dine at, my rule has always been to stick with the ones which attract their own. Often they are not the most glamorous restaurants but what they lack in decor they make up for in flavour, and in abundance at that. Every time I’ve walked past Insan’s it has been full to the brim with hungry office and retail workers of all nationalities, but the majority appear to be Malay. With no formal advertising carried out for Insan’s, it seems the food has spoken for itself and the news is spreading quickly. This is traditional Malay food at its best with an added twist from the owner’s homeland: the Christmas and Cocos Islands. All meat used at Insan’s is Halal, which I am beginning to believe is often of better standard than non-Halal meat. Take the Nasi Briyani for instance. A dish commonly seen at traditional Malay weddings, the lamb was so tender I was able to pull it apart with a spoon before scooping up mouthfuls of saffron-infused rice and very more-ish gravy, similar to a curry sauce but with much more flavour.
There’s a wide range of dishes on offer at Insan’s from rice-based meals such as nasi goreng or nasi lemak with fried chicken, to noodle-based meals like mee goreng mamak or kway teow soup. Most dishes have an illuminated photo on the menu board so if you’re unfamiliar with Malay food your decision is made a little easier. All in all, there are about twenty mouth-watering dishes to choose from, but if you have the time (allow 15 to 20 minutes), try the beef or chicken satay sticks. They’re well worth the wait.
Karen Bilsby-Butler, February 2008
