Bapak Beriani literally means the Father of Briyani and it so happens that they are state champions for briyani in Johor. Their speciality is Briyani Kambing with fall of the bone meat and 100% basmathi rice. Their other speciality is a hard to make tasty Briyani Udang Galah in which all our plates were picked clean. They know their briyanis. That’s why they are the “Bapak” of Briyanis.
” The Briyani Expert in Creating Great Flavours ”
Founder “Bapak” is En. Rosnan and the “Mak” is Puan Rashidah or better known as Kak Ida. Together they run Bapak Beriani and its been 4 years now. Hailing from an education & food production background, Abang Rosnan started researching for a tasty briyani paste and landed on this winning formula. He left his work to concentrate on Bapak Beriani full time and Kak Ida joined later.
This is a Malay styled briyani rice. It’s cooked with lighter spices than their indian counterparts. So it’s more like nasi minyak and sweeter in taste. Diving straight into their briyani kambing, the thick gravy is tasty and not too overpowering in “kambing” taste which we absolutely love. Such a good balance. The basmathi rice is cooked with fresh ingredients and we happily detect minyak sapi (ghee) being used in their rice. This expensive ingredient is way better than oil and gives a better flavour heft & taste to the rice.
The briyani kambing gravy, yes… more gravylike rather than curry feels healthier and leaner. We managed to find out that Abang Rosnan uses a special technique where his meat broth laden with kambing cuts are chilled until the fats solidify on the surface. This artery clogging fat is skimmed & removed, and broth is used in various parts of his briyani including the gravy and rice giving more flavour to the dish.
The other best seller is their Nasi Beriani Udang Galah. The briyani gravy is specially tweaked to be more suitable for seafood so it’s a tad sweeter. Although we prefer the kambing, very surprised that they are able to create this new taste and make it quite tasty. The udang galah is fresh, sweet & crunchy so it’s a lovely dish to eat.
The pandemic has not been kind to his business. Bapak Beriani saw a drastic 80% drop is sales since the lockdown and they only managed to cling at survival through sheer determination, ad-hoc food delivery services and street pop-up stalls nearby. Although they have another branch, their PLUS stall was their main source of income. Thank God that Kak Ida & Abang Rosnan are still in business.
Abang Rosnan believes that to be successful, he needs to always add value for his customers and create great taste profiles for them. That’s why Bapak Beriani were the State Champions under FAMA’s Pencarian Makanan Sajian Popular Johor a couple of years back. This lead to Bapak’s latest innovation which was Nasi Briyani Udang Sepit Biru. So, what is this?
Udang Sepit Biru are huge freshwater prawns available only in nearby Sungai Muar & Pagoh. It’s caught by the local fishermen along the river and Bapak Briyani cooks them using his new & secret briyani formulation. Kak Ida manages to prepare this dish in a way that preserves the freshness of the prawns and the flesh is sweet & still crunchy to the bite. We love it. But these prawns do not come cheap and the prices are calculated in grams. (RM19 per 100gms at publication). Also you need to order one day in advance (Call Abang Rosnan at +60 17-250 5670) so that Bapak can prep the Sepit Biru prawn briyani nice and fresh for you.
As you see the R&R Pagoh sign welcoming you into Johor, stop by Abang Rosnan & Kak Ida’s Bapak Beriani stall to start your gastronomic dining experience in Johor cooked for you by bona-fide state champions. It’s “Bapak Punya Sedaplah” (Malay slang for “The Food is Really Good”)
The pandemic has devastated many small businesses. FriedChillies is urgently collaborating with PLUS to highlight FIVE great eats that we love along the North South Expressway and the food heroes behind these tasty dishes. One purchase may be small but the impact goes not only to the owner but also stall workers, delivery guy & continues to their local suppliers and others that depend on them. Small businesses, if they close… they are gone forever. You will never get a chance to eat their food ever again.
Bapak Beriani
FOODSTERS VERDICT
| Address | Bapak Beriani, Stall No. 9, R&R Pagoh (Southbound), Lebuhraya Utara Selatan, Pagoh, Johor |
| Open | 8am to 8pm daily |
| Pro | Tasty Johorean styled briyani |
| Cons | Some flagship items need to be pre-ordered |
| Price Range | RM8 – RM20 per plate |
| Parking | Easy |
| Certification | Muslim Owned |