Arabian House Restaurant

I’d noticed a new Middle Eastern restaurant at Taman Putra, Kajang about a month now. It’s located near the SILK Highway Sg Chua toll plaza. Take the last exit on the left just before the toll plaza heading towards Putrajaya and the restaurant is just on the left side of the exit. It’s brightly lit but does not have much in terms of Middle Eastern décor. 

The waiters are mostly Middle Eastern too and there’s some communication problem when ordering. Best to indicate the numbers on the menu once you’ve made your selection. Asking for explanations of the menu items is not advisable unless you speak Arabic. On our maiden visit, we decided to have a rice and chicken dish and some barbeque meats / mixed grill. Blame it on a menu that is not very clear but both dishes came served with rice.

The ‘Kapsa’ chicken (RM12) was described as ‘tender chicken meat stewed with fragrant rice’. Sounds a bit like briyani? The chicken was truly cooked till tender and practically dropping off the bone. The rice was imbued with the flavors of the chicken and was tasty and flavorful. No gravy was necessary although id did seem rather dry by Asian standards. Highly recommended.

The Mix Grill (RM15) consisted of kebabs and barbeque meats. The lamb kebab was probably the tastiest lamb I’ve ever eaten. Slowly cooked and moist inside, the lamb had also been nicely marinated. Highly recommended. The chicken pieces had a spicy marinade and was similarly moist inside. Highly recommended too. There was a third kebab which was quite pale in color which I assumed was minced chicken. This too was moist inside but lacked the flavors of the lamb and chicken pieces. Overall a great introduction to Middle Eastern grilled kebabs and meats. Served with long grain rice and a sauce on the side, it was good to the last grain. Very good.

The lemon juice with mint drink (RM6) was just the right drink for the hot weather and to end a great meal for Ros. 

I had the Turkish coffee (RM4). If you’ve never had Turkish coffee, be warned that the coffee grains are not strained out. It also has a bitter aftertaste. But I’m a coffee addict so I’ll take my coffee in any style or form. 

We spotted three Middle Eastern cooks in the kitchen. A rotating grill for the grilled chicken and a barbeque pit for the grilled kebabs could be seen too. Overall very authentic and tasty Middle Eastern food. We’ll be returning to try more from their extensive menu. Now, if only we could speak Arabic……..

Location : 1G Jalan Putra Kajang 5, Taman Putra Kajang, 43000 Kajang, Selangor
Contact : 03-87343476

Sahara Tent at Alamanda, Putrajaya

It was Chinese New Year season as Ros and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary recently. We were pretty much sick of Chinese food so I gave Ros a choice of Western, Japanese or Middle Eastern. She chose the latter - but the 'Middle Eastern' places around Kajang are generally pretty basic and functional, not exactly conducive for a special celebration. So we decided to venture a little further to Putrajaya.

Located within the Alamanda shopping complex in Putrajaya is Sahara Tent, an award winning Middle Eastern restaurant which gained fame in Malaysia at its flagship outlet located at the Fortuna Hotel, off Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. The entire area was later turned into Ain Arabia or Arab Quarter by DBKL. Sahara Tent's flagship outlet recently moved out to the main Jalan Sultan Ismail thoroughfare, near the old Finnegan's pub. In terms of décor, Sahara Tent @ Alamanda scores very high – fabrics and tapestries decorate the walls, Arabian carpets and artifacts are strewn around the outlet and even the lighting uses Arabian colored glass light fittings. Several group dining areas resemble a desert tent – very appropriate for a restaurant that takes its name from a desert tent. Service too was great – I think the wait staff were mainly Filipino and spoke pretty good English – a real plus point in this day and age of foreign workers.

We ordered the Meze Platter. Now I had ordered the same item at their flagship outlet in KL and the six items were served on several small platters – hummus, murtabel, chef's special eggplant, tabouleh, fattoush and waraq-enab. Here, the items were served on a single platter – but I should say, with sufficient portions to be shared by two. No complaints in that sense.

The hummus or mashed chickpea with olive oil was smooth and creamy with a tinge of bitterness. Scooped up with some bread, this is a dish synonymous with Middle eastern food for me. Murtabel on the other hand is mashed eggplant. I could not identify the seasoning but it was served with olive oil an olive on top. We liked the hummus better.

Tabbouleh is one of the 2 salads served on the platter and is a salad served with bulgur (a type of wheat). It has a slight bitter taste which may have come from parsley in the salad and sourness from lemon. Fattoush is the other salad on the platter. This had diced cucumber, tomato, onion and crispy bread pieces in a tangy salad dressing. Very appetizing.

Another inclusion on the platter was described as Chef's Special. From what I could make out, it was grilled eggplant with onion and chilli, tomato and capsicum. It had a tangy taste as well, and we both liked this. There were also two pieces of vine wrapped rice parcel (or waraq-enab). Vine leaves are a little bitter, so be warned.

 

For our main, we had the Chicken Briyani – nice long grained rice full of flavor topped with a moist and tender piece of chicken. Excellent in terms of taste. The accompanying tomato gravy was bland and tasteless – strictly for those who must moisten their rice with some gravy !

To complete the meal, we ordered some sweet dessert - baklava. This was supposed to be freshly made with crispy and crumbly pastry and sweet syrup. Here it was pre-made and refrigerated so the filo pastry had gone hard. My advice - avoid ordering this.

Overall, the food was pretty good (excluding the dessert), ambiance was great and prices were moderate. We'll return to explore the menu further.

Location : Sahara Tent Restaurant at the Ground Floor of Alamanda, Putrajaya located near the fountain area on the outside of the complex.

Warong Afgan, Paksitani Food!

Blue Roof - Afgan's Warong, glamour-less Pakistani food

Thanks to Thomas and his heads-up from The Star some months ago, I was introduced to this nameless warong by the roadside leading to Batu 9, Cheras (Suntex/Masterskills University). The writer of that Star newspaper article on this warong wrote about the authenticity of the food served here, and I have to agree - I have not seen or tasted anything like that here in Malaysia, right down to the dressing of the men who cook and serve you these food!

The freshly baked bread, long beans and teh tarik

Perhaps, this is the most authentic Pakistani simpleton food available here in Malaysia. There is not much to select from, the bread (more like naan) is just perfect. There is an art in making good bread. From the mixing and the roughing up of the dough, to the time it is left to set in and the final preparation of the dough before it is baked (I noted the use of the fingers to make that holes on the bread that makes the bread a little crisp when baked), its all part and parcel of perfect bread - this is what Afgan's (Afgan is his name, but he is from Pakistan) warong has to offer. Each perfectly crafted bread is priced at RM1.50 and to me, its a full meal for an adult.

Before you run out to Afgan's warong, let me warn you - the food choice here is limited and its aimed at the working class, nothing fancy. On the menu, bread (freshly baked in his clay oven), 'kebab' and 2-3 types of gravy - I was lucky to have long beans dry curry today, it complemented the bread - very nice. Kebab is kinda different - its made of minced beef and vegetables, made to a burger like patty, then fried in a shallow wok.

Closeup of the kebab - it is like beef burger patty, with some egg tossed on it before serving

Towards the end of the preperation, Afgan breaks an egg and gently pours it over the cooked patty, flips it over and the rest of the egg goes on it - its was interesting to watch him doing this. The final 'kebab' was black in colour, kind of burnt-out but tasted kinda nice - there was no burnt-out taste at all. Thus, don't judge a book by its cover - taste it first! The kebab is normally served with mint sauce and the bread - a full meal. My long beans curry was extra. All in - RM8.50 - including 'teh tarik' to wash it down. I must say, the tea was very nice too.

The Kebab (lime to taste) served with mint sauce

If you are looking for 'authentic simpleton Pakistani food', this is the place to be. Don't expect spicy southern Indian or mamak type of food, it is different. I recommend the 'kebab', the freshly baked bread and a side dish - check his displayed pre-cooked offerings for the day, could be interesting. Don't forget the teh tarik to wash it down.

Located along the road leading to Bt.9, from Taman Murni/Grand Saga Cheras Highway interchange

How to get there? Exit off the Cheras Highway at the Taman Murni Interchange and head back towards Bt.9 town, i.e. go left as you exit the Cheras highway. It is about 200 meter from the highway, can't miss it. Look out for that blue roof warong.