19-05-2025
Ashhryshoshedap: JB's XL salted egg pasta & belacan fried rice with 12K+ reviews — overrated or must-try?
Ashhryshoshedap had been on my radar for quite a while — all thanks to Jason Chen's review. If you're not familiar with Jason, he's a well-known Malaysian food critic, famous for his honest yet constructive takes. But honestly, if you haven't heard of him… where have you been?
Now, let's talk about that name. I wasn't exactly thrilled by it. Saying Ashhryshoshedap out loud to my friends felt like baby talk, almost. A little awkward, a lot confusing. But hey, I'm not here to critique branding decisions. I came to Johor Bahru with one mission: to eat.
To my surprise, the place was bigger than expected. There's even an upstairs dining area if you need more space. A little heads-up: you'll need to remove your shoes at the entrance, so maybe leave the holey socks at home.
Browsing the menu was… certainly something. You have to scan a QR code to access it but navigating it was a nightmare. The categories were all over the place, and the quirky, chaotic dish names didn't help. We did have a good laugh, but it definitely took us longer than it should've to just place an order.
Naturally, we went for the dish Jason raved about: Salted Egg Clam Spaghetti (RM29.90). Or, in its full birth name: Spaghetti Salted Egg Clam Creamy Bismillah Yummy (Sweet Creamy & Spicy). See what I mean?
Price-wise, things leaned toward the steeper side, but the portion made up for it; the plate practically took over ¾ of our table. And the moment it landed, the unmistakable aroma of salted egg and curry leaves hit us hard — in a good way.
The pasta was cooked beautifully al dente. But the mouthfeel made me certain that the brand used was Prego. A bit plasticky in texture, not exactly premium. Understandable, though, for a casual eatery.
As for the sauce… it was intense. Think Super Ring snack kind of cheesy-salty-spicy. Tasty? Yes. But probably better suited as a dip than a pasta sauce. The salted egg and curry notes came through strong, but fair warning: it was paprika-heavy. My friends with low spice tolerance were sweating bullets with every bite, holding on to the table like Jack with that door in Titanic.
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The clams were fresh and juicy, but otherwise unremarkable.
Next up: a crowd-favourite classic — Nasi Goreng Belacan (RM29.90). Or as the menu puts it: Nasgor Mantan TAK Move On! (Belacan & Spicy). Whatever that means.
The presentation was certainly flawless. Plump, ruby-red prawns. Juicy cherry tomatoes. Crisp cucumber slices. It looked like a 10/10 dish — and it almost was.
The first bite was nothing short of heavenly. The rice was fluffy, well-seasoned, spicy, savoury, and packed with umami. Absolute delight. My only complaint: the belacan flavour was painfully subtle. It tasted more like regular Nasi Goreng Kampung. Perhaps they used sambal belacan rather than pure belacan for the paste?
But the real surprise was the generous amount of squid in the dish as I dug further into the mountain of rice. Fresh ones, mind you. I just wish they'd served it with a side of sambal belacan to really elevate the dish even more.
One thing that I could confirm about Ashhryshoshedap: a total nightmare for those with a more delicate palate. The flavours were a punch on the throat, though for someone like me, it was spot on. While I wasn't a fan of the Salted Egg Spaghetti, the Belacan Fried Rice definitely stole my heart (and stomach).
If you're planning to visit, make sure to never order one dish per each person unless you're a big eater.
Expected damage: RM29.90 – RM80 per pax
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