You know what really bothers me? When a foreign restaurant comes to Malaysia, we have to fork out more for downsized portions and the food often does not taste as authentic. And yet we as the consumers are not expected to complain or make comparisons (to the original) but should feel grateful instead – simply because we are ‘blessed’ with a new restaurant in town.
Recently, I noticed that there are some food bloggers with a sizeable following who always write good things while ignoring the other equally important factor: value for money. Maybe because they never had to pay (or could claim it back later) for the tab. How do I know, you ask? Well, I have been blogging long enough to know how the system works.
With that out of my chest let’s get straight to the food at Naughty Nuri’s. Even though I had been to Bali, I did not have the luxury of time to visit their original branch at Ubud. But among the 9 of us who ate at Desa Sri Hartamas’ Naughty Nuri’s, two had tried the original one before.
One of the must-order here is The Almighty Nuri’s 1995 Signature BBQ Spare Ribs @ RM39 which was marinated with Balinese spice and char grilled. What you see above is the portion for 1 slab. Although it was said to not match the original’s (as expected), I thought it was still good enough with a nice smoky flavour – even better when dipped into the spicy black sauce.
I don’t think there’s anything mighty about the Almighty Nuri’s BBQ Pork Chop @ RM23. It looked like something from the kids menu if you ask me. RM1 for scale.
Grilled Hog Sausage Platter @ RM35 – everyone enjoyed this but I will let you decide whether this is even worth the price tag.
Ibu Nuri Inspired Grilled Australian Grass Fed 100 days Sirloin Steak @ RM38. I asked for medium rare but was served medium well. I guess it’d be a real challenge to get the doneness right with such a thinly-cut steak.
Jimbaran Style Inspired Pan Seared Crispy Skin Norwegian Salmon @ RM28 – another kiddie sized dish. Does the Naughty Nuri’s management expect their customers to order seconds, or even thirds just to be full?
Deconstructed Asian Caesar Salad @ RM18 – vegetables must be really expensive.
The only dish I thought to have a respectable portion was the Indonesian Style Mee Goreng @ RM18. It certainly reminded me of the delicious mee goreng I had in Bali, except the spiciness was very much toned down.
Overall there’s nothing wrong about the food here, most of them were enjoyable but I just couldn’t bring myself to terms with the price they are charging for the ridiculous portion size. Sad to say because of that I am not going to return to Naughty Nuri’s again, I honestly felt cheated. For the same amount of money paid, there are far better alternatives in Desa Sri Hartamas to go for similar offerings.
Naughty Nuri’s
2 Gr Floor, Jalan 24/70A
Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 KL
Tel: 019-3399611
Business hours: 4pm – 2am
Finally, a blogger that speaks the mind of a consumer. I feel the same way too, the portion just doesn’t match the value we paid for it. I don’t see the extra premium for it. Keep it up vkeong.
I couldn’t agree more! Everything is true to its words. I suppose we’re paying the extra “premium” for watching the novelty of them “shaking” the cocktail around. Not that I have anything against their food, the price isn’t really worth its value. Let’s see how it goes the next couple of weeks when their full menu comes into play. :)
Actually the price & serving size is very similar to their original place @ Ubud. In fact, the ambience of the environment here is sooo much better; the one in Ubud is like a roadside stall in an old dinghy dim 1 storey shop. At least here you will get the ribs no matter what time u arrive, the ribs are gone as early as 7pm in Ubud.
From what I Googled, the ribs at the original Ubud branch is about 2-3 times the size that was served to us here, and for about half the price (after converting to IDR)
Yeah! Our full rack here is slightly smaller than Ubud’s half-rack ribs… lol.
Thank you for calling a spade…a spade and not making us readers have to read between the lines. Anyway, heeding your words and have decided to head to another restaurant this weekend instead of Naughty Nuri’s. We don’t mind forking out for a good meal but not for one that leaves us feeling ripped off.
Thanks for your honest review. I had a burger in the Ubud branch a few weeks ago, my friend had spare ribs and that was definitely one of the worst i ever had in Bali, ribs also not special at all.
Its typical one of these places that got famous with tourists and now are always full despite quality down but it is trendy to go there….
Tried the original ribs at Ubud and I remember the mouth watering juicy ribs was much bigger and looks nicer than the one in the photo above. I have not tried the food in this outlet but it seems to me that saving my money to make a trip to Bali is a better option.
It’s been few years since my trip to Bali and honestly, I have not found any ribs that is better than the original Naughty Nuri in Ubud…. not yet :-)
Well Done and thank you for a proper review. I believe in value for money so I would not be visiting this place anytime soon.
Continue your good work :_
I went there about a month ago. Then left a feedback on their website on 1) taste was not as good as the ones in Ubud and 2) the ribs size was so much smaller. Then I received a reply from the owner that 1) the taste was approved by Ibu Nuri herself and said 2) that my batch of ribs was maybe one of the odd ones out in terms of size. What a load of bull…
My friends went the weekend after me and gave the same feedback. Taste and size. One more thing, their original outlet in bali is also famous for their mojito. Don’t bother with theirs here, it’s watered down and over-priced….
Thanks for the review! I just came back from Bali two days ago and had just tried Naughty Nuri’s in Ubud. Judging from your photos, these seem a lot smaller than the ones they serve in the original restaurant!
Oh wow thank you for this review. It seems like there really is nothing to justify their prices ! That’s really disappointing.
About 2 wk ago we celebrated belated Father’s Day. it was the most disappointing we went there about 6pm there was 8 adult .the portion was so small so pricey we spend more than rm650. what most sad less than 2 hrs we were requested to leave. bcos there were people waiting. After spending so much n we were still hungry n had to go home early,had Maggie mee. Sad we though my husband n son would have a good time but we ended feeling cheated and disgusted I would never ever think spending my money at naughty Nuri . most expensive not value for money.