Mad Ayam Kampung, Cyberjaya: A Paradise of Kampung Chicken Dishes

For those who work or live in Cyberjaya, Restoran Mad Ayam Kampung at Biz Avenue II, NeoCyber has long been a favourite lunch spot. Run by a family, the restaurant has been operating since around 2016 and was once featured on TV3's Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan.

Its appeal lies in the huge choice of dishes, with dozens served nasi campur-style (mixed rice). What sets it apart is that every chicken-based dish here uses ayam kampung (free-range village chicken), not regular chicken, true to the restaurant's name.

The absolute must-have is the ayam goreng kampung (fried kampung chicken). It's tasty even on its own; the meat is tender, not tough, and the pieces are fairly big for kampung chicken. We also took the masak lemak ayam kampung in a thick yellow coconut gravy that's rich and lovely poured over rice. The gulai daging (beef curry), one of the best-sellers, is ladled straight from a big wok, with tender beef and a well-spiced gravy.

There's also siput sedut masak lemak (sea snails in coconut gravy), arranged in bowls so they're easy to take, and keli balado (catfish in spicy sambal) with bits that are still crispy. On the side, there's sweet-spicy sambal kacang bilis (peanut and anchovy sambal), cabbage, and ulam (raw salad greens) to dip in sambal belacan or budu.

Come early if you want to have lunch here. When we arrived, it was only just past 11, but the place was already crowded, and the popular dishes usually run out fast.