Is it still possible to get breakfast for under RM5 in Klang Valley? We tapao-ed

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In case you haven’t heard, Menu Rahmah is a thing now. It’s basically a government initiative where participating eateries nationwide would offer dishes at RM5 or less for lunch and dinner. It’s not just rice and kicap – you get rice, a side of protein (usually chicken or fish), some veggies and a drink. Even a basic nasi goreng’s costs at least RM7 anywhere in the Klang Valley, so that’s pretty good for five bucks.

From what we could tell, the initiative was met with thunderous applause from local netizens, cuz hey, bajet lunch and dinner. What about breakfast, though? Can us Klang Valley-ites get a decent breakfast for RM5 or less? Well, we got everyone from the CILISOS office to buy breakfast from their neighborhoods with two caveats:

They can’t spend more than RM5; and
They can’t get fast food

Here’s what they got.

1. Roti Canai (RM1.30)

Location: Kelana Jaya, PJ

Let’s start with the most basic of basic breakfasts: roti canai. Honestly, pretty good for the price, and since there’s some veggies in the daal, the meal’s not completely unhealthy. Also, our writer who bought this pointed out you can get two half-boiled eggs at the same mamak for another RM1.30, if you’re feeling fancy.

2. Curry Chee Cheong Fun (RM4.50)

Location: Taman Megah, PJ

While our editor complained about the sad quantity of taufu and fish cakes that came with the chee cheong fun, he didn’t completely hate it:

“The curry sauce was actually really good, and the fish paste was definitely a good quality one,” – Uihua, aspiring e-Sports athlete

He also mentioned that affordable breakfast options were limited to two kopitiams in his area, but that didn’t stop him from buying…

3. Assorted Paus (RM4.80)

Location: Taman Megah, PJ

Our editor spent RM4.80 for a char siew pau (RM2.50) and a kaya pau (RM2.30). According to him, the meat in the char siew pau didn’t taste like real meat:

“Think he (the vendor) gave vegetarian char siew by mistake. It had the texture of mushrooms, which worries me if it was actual meat,” – UiHua, rat gourmet from Ratatouille

… and the kaya tak cukup in the kaya pau.

4. Coconut Tarts (RM2.50)

Location: TTDI, PJ

One of our video producers lives in TTDI, which she describes as a “boujee area” where many things won’t fit the RM5 budget. The stalls that sell good, cheap food often sell out quick.

Not being an early worm, she only managed to get the only thing left at one of those stalls, a coconut tart. Pastry for breakfast is still A+ in our books.

5. Roti Jala (RM4)

Location: Bangsar South, KL

Despite the word “Bangsar” being in Bangsar South’s name, there’s a surprising number of stalls that sell affordable food in the area, especially near the Universiti LRT station. That’s where one of our video editors got her roti jala, and it was apparently so good that it made her like curry.

6. Tau Suan (RM4.50)

Location: SS15, Subang Jaya

For the uninitiated among y’all, tau suan is a dessert made up of split mung bean soup and you tiao (otherwise known as chakoi in Malay). Apparently, it takes a lot of effort to make tau suan, so not many places sell it these days.

7. Karipaps (RM1)

Location: Subang Jaya, Selangor

That’s right, ONE RINGGIT for a karipap. Many of us were shocked when we heard, but our ex-writer, Kyle, said RM1 karipaps are a dime a dozen in Subang. Let us know in the comments if your area has karipaps for that price too.

8. Lo Mai Gai (RM4.80)

Location: Putra Heights, KL

Cainis people will be familiar with this one – glutinous rice with soy sauce, chicken, and mushrooms. Well, this lo mai gai had only half a mushroom, and our ex-staff was visibly disappointed when she unpacked it for lunch. When asked if she would buy it again, her response was:

“Probably not lo, my guy,” – Ee Pfen, ex-CILISOS employee

Yeah, lame, we know.

9. Mee Goreng (RM3)

Location: Shah Alam

Our Soscili writer had to scoot around quite a bit to find something under RM5 in his area, but he found it in the most unexpected of places – a Petronas in Seksyen 12.

In terms of taste, the takeout is basically the gastronomic equivalent of RON95 – “not too good and not too bad, okay je.”

10. Fishballs & Luncheon Meat (RM5)

Location: Seri Kembangan, Selangor

Not sure if our subeditor thought the food he bought were cooked by Chef Wan, but here’s his review, word for word:

“Taste overall exceeds expectations. The luncheon meat – I’ve always been a fan of processed meat. As for the fishballs, the size is a bit small. I can barely register each ball as they disappeared down my hungry throat.”

“It is like youth; fleeting, ethereal, and you don’t realize how good it was until you revisit it in your memory much later.” – Mr. B, fan of processed meat. And big balls.

Need we say more?

11. Tauhu Begedil (RM5) @ Cheras, KL

Location: Cheras, KL

This writer never had tauhu begedil prior to joining CILISOS, and now that he’s been introduced to it, he always buys it whenever he gets the chance. Not too shabby, second best tauhu begedil he’s ever had. Bonus points: the spicy sauce came in a nifty little container, so the tauhus stay crunchy.

12. Nasi Lemak (RM5)

Location: Damansara Damai, PJ

For the last entry, we have the classic nasi lemak. Our head of business development got a nasi lemak sotong for RM5 from a stall near her apartment, and they don’t just sell nasi lemak: they also have a variety of kuih that falls within the RM5 budget.

As an aside, there’s a really cool thing about Mak Uda’s stall – more well-off customers can help out those in need by paying it forward. Essentially, they can choose to pre-pay for the RM1 nasi lemak in advance, and the needy can just go to her stall to have a meal if they need.

You can still get breakfast for RM5, but the pool might be shrinking

Having gone through this little experiment, it’s pretty clear that you can still get breakfast for RM5 within the Klang Valley, but the choices you’ll have going forward will probably slowly diminish, like the number of hairs on this writer’s head. The older ones in the CILISOS team remember being able to snag a pack of chicken rice for RM5 back in the early 2000s, and the very same chicken rice will often go for RM8 nowadays.

That’s just the reality of the situation, that’s how inflation works, and because of that, some of the owners of eateries that’s participating in the Menu Rahmah initiative have voiced their concerns:

“My main concern is the cost of chicken and fish, which are essential sources of nutrients for a balanced meal. I am worried that I may not be able to provide the meal in the long run if prices go up again,” – Mohd Rafee Abdullah, restaurant owner in an interview with The Star

With the rate of inflation projected to stay elevated this year, we won’t be surprised if there’s less sambal in our breakfast nasi lemak come December 2023.