JM Bariani House, SS18, Subang Jaya

Since we were in the vicinity, rif and I decided to go to JM Bariani House for lunch. The restaurant is tucked in a row of shop houses at SS18, Subang Jaya. Thank goodness for air-conditioning, as it was really hot outside!They serve nasi bariani gam ayam (chicken) on Wednesdays and nasi bariani gam kambing (lamb) on Saturdays. We were there on a Sunday afternoon, so only the normal bariani was available.I ordered the lamb bariani (RM11.40) while rif had the chicken bariani (RM10.40). We also shared some tauhu bakar (RM4.50), which was fried bean curd skin stuffed with bean sprouts, cucumber, mengkuang and chunky peanut sauce.The rice was fragrant from the use of ghee and spices. It was also moist, well separated and fluffy. The rice grains are shorter and rounder compared to the one at Sri Ghazal Briyani. I stole a bite (OK, maybe more than one bite) of rif?s chicken, and it was quite good. The gravy was hearty, spicy and infused with aromatic spices, and the chicken was nice and tender.But the star of the meal was definitely the lamb. Cooked for a few hours, the meat was fork tender, and easy to pull apart. The gravy was dark and rich, with the right balance of flavours and spices. There was also no gamey taste or smell in the meat. Two thumbs up!I love pickled fruits so naturally, I enjoyed the acar buah. rif didn't care much for acar, so I got to eat his portion too. =) The dalcar was tastier than the one we had in Sri Ghazal. This version was thicker and more flavourful. I found the tauhu bakar average. It was crispy on the outside and the vegetables were crunchy and juicy. Hoverer, the peanut sauce could have been a bit spicier - this was too mild for me.The Sirap Bandung (RM3.50) was overrated. It tasted very watered down. rif (who tried it before) told me the standard has dropped.

Our bill came up to RM33.40 inclusive of 10% service charge. Not cheap, but I think it?s hard to find cheap and good briyani/bariani/beriani (which one is correct?) these days.

Ambiance: 6.5/10
Price: 4/10
Food: 7.5/10 (halal)
Verdict: Order the bariani kambing. Kam-biiiinggggg! Yum...

21 & 21A
Jalan SS18/6,
Subang Jaya
03 5634 4660
www.jmbariani.com