MORE than 10 years ago, she taught Gordon Ramsay how to cook beef rendang using her “agak-agak” method. You should watch their fiery interaction and naughty exchange in a YouTube video.

She also played host to the late Anthony Bourdain on two occasions – for an episode in No Reservations and his award-winning series Parts Unknown – at her Aunty Aini’s Garden Cafe in Nilai.

We did not meet the formidable Aunty Aini at her cafe tucked away in a kampung.

At the weekend, it is packed with diners and no reservation is allowed, so we waited our turn amid the cool greens surrounding the cafe.

We got our table and ordered with a vengeance – gulai lemak tempoyak ikan merah, gulai lemak cili api daging salai, asam pedas jenahak, sambal tumis petai sotong, rendang itik salai and kerabu pucuk paku.

The long drive and wait there were worth it. I was so happy with the gulai lemak tempoyak ikan merah (RM20.50), with the aroma of the fermented durian coming through the mild creamy curry tinged with turmeric.

I couldn’t get enough of the curry, which was lightly sweet. Picking a fish fillet instead of the fish head was the right thing to do.

Masak lemak cili api is a Negri Sembilan speciality, and we made sure we had this, in the gulai lemak cili api daging salai (RM17.50).

There were small chunks of smoked beef in the tangy fragrant and hot curry. I thought the beef would have tasted better thinly sliced, soaking in all the flavours of the curry.

Asam pedas jenahak (RM19.50) lived up to its name, being sharply sour and hot and whetting the appetite.

Sambal tumis petai sotong (RM17) had springy, soft and smooth squid fried in red hot sambal with petai.

You could eat a lot of rice with both these dishes.

We should have ordered the famous beef rendang Aunty Aini cooked with Gordon Ramsay.

Instead, we had rendang itik salai (RM19). It was excellent – there was lots of oomph in the rendang smoked duck. The tender meat fell off the bone, well infused with the delicious flavours of the rendang gravy.

Kerabu pucuk paku (RM9.50) was so good. The fern shoots were young and supple, tossed with toasted coconut, pounded dried shrimps, sambal belacan and lime juice.

I turned up some mussels in this well-balanced hot and sour pucuk paku salad, adding a natural sweetness to it.

For all the food and three rose syrups with lime drinks, we paid RM125. We will be back for the famous beef rendang, sup ekor, laksa Johor and more gulai lemak tempoyak.

While Negri Sembilan dishes are Aunty Aini’s forte, she also has a western menu offering burgers, lamb chops, steaks, pasta and soups.

The cafe is located at Batu 16 Jalan Sepang, Kampung Chelet, Nilai, Negri Sembilan; tel 06 799 1276, 012 307 5834. – May 28, 2022.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.