JM Bariani

If you like variety, this is the place for you. As the name suggests, it’s claim to fame is the bariani served up with meat, ranging from beef, chicken or lamb. The dish comes with some really spicy chili sauce with a hint of lime, it’s quite good actually with a sizable portion of meat. We also had Popcorn chicken just because it’s not very commonly found though it’s just deep fried chicken bits exactly like the favorite movie snack. This spot is perfect for the office crowd as the service is fast and the food decent so you can get in and out within an hour. For the main meal, they serve noodles and rice dishes priced around RM 10– RM 15, slightly higher than the regular kopitiam. I would say nothing special. The fried kuay teow was a tad too oily and noodles were limp but the cantonese style yee mee was not too bad though we would have preferred a thicker gravy. The rice varieties fared a little better, you can go for the sweet & sour beef rice or Rendang chicken rice but stay away from the congee or be very disappointed. I wouldn’t say this restaurant is bad, it really is decent and cooks up well enough to feed the hunger pains if you’re not too fussy. We didn’t try anything else, saving the appetite for the pisang goreng stall down the road.

I love briyani and when I was younger the only reason I even went to weddings was for the food! Nowadays there are many briyani restaurants or stalls so I can satisfy my craving practically anytime.
JM Bariani in Kelana Jaya is in the same row as Sari Ratu and Subway, just across the road from the huge Post Office in KJ. Parking can be a real pain though and not just during peak hours but ALL THE TIME. I mean, there are 3 restaurants in this row and 2 banks and yet there are so few parking spots.
Anyway, the food here is honestly just average to me. The ayam goreng is pretty good and the Ayam Masak Merah gravy is very good but other than that its not really that spectacular. I for one am not a fan of their acar so I always tell them to leave it out as I don’t eat it. And their other gravies are actually very very oily. Sometimes when I order take-​out, I have to drain a layer of oil from the gravy before eating it.
But being that it’s close to my parents’ house and service is friendly and fast, I do still go here occasionally to satisfy my briyani cravings.

One other thing a Johorean is proud of would be the Nasi Bariani. So, I was really excited when I heard there’s a nasi bariani house in Kelana Jaya serving delicious Muar-​style nasi bariani. The restaurant is located nearby to the Giant Hypermarket in Kelana Jaya, along the row of shop lots facing McDonalds.
The place is pretty spacious, and the staffs were friendly too. For a nasi bariani, the pricing is definitely not cheap. The Chicken Nasi Bariani is calling for RM14, but it’s worth every penny spent. The rice was fluffy and fragrance and the portion were big too. My 2 favourite would have to be the Nasi Bariani Kambing (RM15.70) and Nasi Bariani Ayam Merah (RM14). If you like gamey then you really should go for the lamb; or else, the gravy of the ayam merah would be a great choice to pair with the fluffy rice too. Apart from their usual nasi bariani, they have some «specials» that are only available on certain days too; for example, Nasi Bariani Gam Daging, Nasi Bariani Gam Ayam, and Nasi Bariani Gam Kambing.
Overall, it’s few of the decent bariani places I’ve had in PJ/​KL area. However, the pricing were a little too high for me and this would definitely make me think twice before going back there again.