I ventured to the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (aka. Jalan TAR) area for lunch with my colleagues one day...
(It's a bit out of our comfort zone but there were errands to be done, and the rest of us didn't mind tagging along for the very mini road trip)
They wanted to eat Nasi Padang at the Capital Cafe... and at first, I was kinda dreading the thought of eating such a heavy meal at some hot, stuffy, packed little restaurant but well, I wasn't driving that day so I really had no right to complain....
:)
First of all, let's get this out of the way:
Mini language lesson (Malay/ Indonesian):
NASI PADANG
Minangkabau styled mixed rice, believed to have originated from the region of Padang, Indonesia.
(Source: Various, pieced together with the help of Google)
:)
Ok.
So, Capital Cafe is located roughly opposite (on the other side of the road) of the Secret Recipe at the base of Sogo Shopping Center KL.... Looking at the facade of the restaurant, I found it really nostalgic and charming:
The crowd puller is the little Nasi Padang stall inside, which is quite famous amongst KL-ites. Apparently, they have been opened since 1956!
(WOAH)
(That's more than 50 years in business! O_O....)
As you can see, it's PACKED inside during a weekday lunch hour so it was a bit difficult finding a table. Otherwise, the restaurant was surprisingly comfortable - fairly clean and was airy (from its high ceiling?):
There were almost too many choices at the stall - ranging from curries (chicken/mutton/fish/etc) to rendang to fried chicken/fish to various vegetables and tempeh/ tofu:
Basically this is how it works:
- You just line up at the stall.
- When it's your turn, the friendly serving girl will ask you what you want.
- She will heap everything you choose onto some rice and pass it to you.
- About one step away, there will be a guy who assess how much your meal costs and you pay him.
- Grab a fork and spoon, sit down and eat! (Hopefully you came with friends and they managed to "book" a table while you get the food)
After much deliberation (and too little self control) I ended up with a big plate of rice with beef rendang, fried four angle beans and some fried tempeh:
And guess what? All this only cost me a very reasonable RM 6.50!:
Tastewise: Everything was good....
- The beef rendang was tender and tasty (not super tender but definitely tender enough!),
- The fried four angle beans were fragrant, fresh and crunchy, and
- The tempeh was ok.
Overall, I really enjoyed my meal there. :)
(I just wish it were a little closer to my office so that I could try it out more often - I was told that the fried chicken there is really nice)
If Nasi Padang is not really your thing, there are other stalls there serving fried kuey teow, rojak, mee hailam and kaya toast...
(I think they also have satay later at night? Well, so I hear...)
So, it's: Really good value for money, yummy Nasi Padang with lots of variety, wonderfully rustic yet comfortable old shop BUT can be very packed and hard to find a table (during peak hours) and surrounding area can be quite jammed.....
(PS/ Sorry the photos are kinda blur. I used my camera phone and it was quite dim inside the restaurant)
Summary Information:
Nasi Padang @ Capital Cafe, Jalan TAR, KL
Opening Hours: 10am to 8pm (closed on Sundays and some public holidays)
Phone: 012-358 5736
Address: 213, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, 50100 Kuala Lumpur (Approx. Opposite Sogo)
HALAL
Nasi Padang @ Capital Cafe, Jalan TAR, KL
Opening Hours: 10am to 8pm (closed on Sundays and some public holidays)
Phone: 012-358 5736
Address: 213, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, 50100 Kuala Lumpur (Approx. Opposite Sogo)
HALAL
MAP:
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OTHER REVIEWS:
- ...yang ingin kukongsi...
- Cerita RASSA Manchester
- Rasa Rasa
TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Nasi Padang, Capital Cafe, Local Food, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malay, Coffeeshop, Capitol Cafe, Kedai Makanan Capital, KL, Kuala Lumpur
Posts
Yes, I have tried the Mee Rojak before, stumbling upon this shop unknowingly while walking around the area.
ReplyDeleteNasi Padang.. when i eat that, i will normally end up taking curry fish or fried dried fish instead of chicken.. :)
ReplyDeleteyum, very appetising...
ReplyDeletethis place is actually a 5-minute walk from my office ... but i've never eaten here!
ReplyDeleteohh the nasi padang in indonesia is small plates of dishes everywhere on ur table for sharing!
ReplyDeleteto J2Kfm:
ReplyDeleteOoh, mee rojak sounds interesting. Have not tried that before.... :)
to reanaclaire:
Mmmm. Fishhhh.
Actually, I like fish but always too lazy/scared of fish bones so I always choose chicken or beef :)
to eml^^mel:
And it's good because so many choices there. :D
to Sean:
Oh cool. Well I hope you like it if you go try it out... Also, I'll give you a call if I'm ever in your part of town again. Then maybe we can do lunch?
:)
to "joe" who is constantly craving:
I guess the concept here is slightly different? Everything is piled at the stall and you choose from there.
Quite a no. of eating places in Jln TAR have that old-world charm. But to venture into that area on a weekday is madness, haha! Maybe on a weekend...
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing this place out. I usually head over to that part once a month. Will make it a point to look see this place. :)
ReplyDeleteto PureGlutton:
ReplyDeleteLOL. True! Luckily I wasn't driving that day (and we made it a point to leave office earlier than usual) so it wasn't so bad... :)
to qwazymonkey:
No probs!
(Sharing is caring, right?)
Hope that you'll like it when you do check it out. :)
oh wow...love this kind of coffee shop...
ReplyDeleteooo la la...my fav nasi padang...miss it to much....must find my way to jalan tar.
to vialentino:
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it! :)
Look forward to seeing you blog on it....
I was hoping that it opens on Sunday :( and the fact that it opens at 10am already deter me from going.. traffic and parking in that area is not for the faint of heart!
ReplyDeleteOoh, food looks good. And with the crowd, you can never go wrong.
ReplyDeleteSomeone told me that around that shop there is a really good mee rebus as well.
to thule aka leo:
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... Well you could always park in Maju Junction and walk over?
At least you wont be caught in the (sometimes really) crazy jam surrounding Sogo. :)
to eatbitemunch:
haha.. Yeah. Usually a big crowd is a good indication that the food is yummy. :)
I wish it wasn't so far from my office - I want to try the other food there too!