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Breakfast. That first meal of the day (and my favourite meal, next to supper), can be varied depending on your preference: light or heavy, savoury or sweet. The possibilities are endless but the usual suspects are nasi lemak, roti bakar, oatmeal and roti canai. However, would you consider satay to be breakfast material? Sate 7 Pagi, a restaurant located in Taman Seri Serdang, Seri Kembangan definitely thinks so.
As the name implies, the restaurant opens at 7am and serves satay, lontong, kacang pool, and other Johorean delights for breakfast.
When I arrived at Sate 7 Pagi at 8am, there was already a crowd of people dutifully lining up for their orders. You will see a notice on the protocol— line up and order, get your number and collect food from the counter next to the kitchen.
As you wait in line, there’s an extensive selection of kuih muih to sway those of you with a sweet tooth. You can find delicious Malaysian delicacies such as kuih koci pulut hitam, kuih tepung gomak, kuih pulut serunding, kuih bakar, talam durian, keria gula Melaka, apam ros and more.
What I tried at Sate 7 Pagi
I knew my ravenous appetite wouldn’t be satiated with just a couple of sticks of satay, so I decided to try the nasi lemak. Instead of my usual Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah order, I opted for the Nasi Lemak Sambal Sotong (RM9.60) instead.
The Nasi Lemak Sambal Sotong came with all the signature nasi lemak sides: boiled egg, cucumber slices, sambal and fried peanuts. But I quickly noticed that my favourite side was missing— the fried anchovies. This left me with a twinge of disappointment as I enjoy a good crunch and saltiness of freshly fried anchovies in my nasi lemak.
Thankfully, the rest of the sides saved the dish. The rice was fluffy and the not-overly-spicy sambal was addictive when combined with the rice. I also liked how it was more savoury rather than sweet, like those you find at other stalls. The sotong was soft and delicious, and you’d definitely return for more.
Nasi lemak wiped clean, I moved on to the highlight of the meal— the freshly grilled Beef Satay (RM12.90 for 5 sticks). Fun fact, the satay here is marinated with a special homemade marinade for 12 hours before it’s grilled on hot charcoal. As the meat is grilled, the fats drip onto the charcoal thus giving out a tantalising aroma that had me drooling.
You have the choice of chicken or beef satay and it comes with a side of peanut sauce. The beef satay was excellent. The meat was tender and well-marinated so it only needed a little of the peanut sauce for taste.
My first bite of the beef had me nearly chomping through the stick as I am used to biting down on satays hard. But the meat here was different. I didn’t even have to pull the skewers away as my teeth clamped onto the meat. The meat was really juicy and tender.
The satay was beautifully charred, with a balance of savoury and sweet that assures you that this stall knows what they’re doing. Dunk it in peanut sauce for a generous dollop and tear it off the stick. I usually don’t dunk my satay in peanut sauce but this gravy was really addictive.
Final thoughts
If you’re looking for satay, don’t bother driving all the way to Kajang to satisfy your meaty cravings. Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner, Sate 7 Pagi has got your satay needs covered. Trust me, 5 sticks don’t suffice— you’re going to want to order more. If you think that you’re going to be judged for eating satay at 7am, trust me you won’t.
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