Muar delights at Tanaair

Tagged as ‘a new concept store by Broom’, their interior decorators deserve top marks for nailing the ambience of the space convincingly, including a patio dining area. Very different from sister cafe Broom Artistry but just as warm and welcoming with its gorgeous kampung-inspired decor. Timber is used inside and outside to create the rustic look, contrasted against the grey cement floor with long wooden benches and and round tables for dining and bird cages hung up at the side for added aesthetics.

Tanaair features Muar delights, with robust hearty flavours that’s a fiesta in the mouth, including local kopi and tea at upmarket prices starting from RM6.

The simple menu offers 4 rice options – nasi lemak (kosong), nasi lemak Ayam berempah, nasi minyak (RM7.50) and pulut (RM4.50), to go with either ayam gulai or rendang, or similarly, beef or lamb.

Because it’s basmati rice, the grains are long and separate. Personally, normal rice would have served just as well for me, being stickier and will absorb the coconut milk fragrance better. It’s also the most expensive basic nasi lemak around PJ at RM9.80 (without chicken) and with ayam berempah at RM19.80. Sambal is crowd-pleasing, hardly sweet (whew) or too spicy, though I would have preferred a punchier version. 

That being said, I can’t fault the flavours – the chicken rendang was superb, fragrant with herbs and spices, rich and thick while the berempah version,  though it didn’t have much of a crispy skin, was beautifully moist and luscious to the bite. 

We loved the sambal bendi (ladies fingers) (RM10.20), wished more of the sambal to go around. The gulai sayur (RM12.30) was very lemak (creamy) and rich. I was expecting something more like lodeh but this was like Negri masak lomak style with a tinge of sweet, with barely any taste of spice. Not my fav but I imagine others might like this. 

A pleasant place to hang out, the resto was consistently full. A good place to bring foreign guests, the menu also has tea time snacks such as pisang goreng and local desserts like cendol and the famed Muar otak-otak. Prices are slightly on the high side but that’s how much many cafes charge these days. Nice to have a place like Tanaair for the gentrified Taman Paramount, but as with all things, it comes at a cost.

Add: 35, Jalan 20/13, Taman Paramount, Petaling Jaya. Hp: 010-656 9889