A Decade Later: Revisiting Cibiuk Kajang

Ten years ago, I walked into Cibiuk Kajang and left with tears streaming down my face—not from sadness, but from the fiery sambal that made this place unforgettable. It was a culinary experience that etched itself into memory. But after a long hiatus, especially post-Covid lockdowns, my recent visit felt like a shadow of its former self.

Atmosphere & Service

The once-vibrant ambiance now feels dim and subdued. While service was fair and the QR ordering system worked efficiently, the energy that used to define this outlet seems to have faded.

The Sambal Station: A Diminished Legacy

Previously the crown jewel of the restaurant, the Sambal Station now offers just four small bowls—none of which packed the heat or complexity I remembered. The blanched vegetables (carrots, long beans, bitter gourd) lacked freshness and crunch, making the experience feel underwhelming.

What We Ate

Nasi Liwet with Ayam Bakar
The shallot-infused rice was still fragrant and satisfying. The chicken, though smaller, retained its sweet-spicy glaze. Sides of cucumber, salad leaf, fried tofu, and tempeh were decent. A tomato sambal was provided, but again, it lacked the fiery punch.

Nasi with Lele Goreng (Ikan Keli)

Similar sides as the Nasi Liwet. The fish was small but acceptable. The tofu stood out—crispy outside, soft inside. The tempeh, however, didn’t impress.

Avocado Blend
A creamy, cooling drink that helped balance the mild sambal heat. Recommended.

Final Thoughts

This visit was tinged with nostalgia and a bit of disappointment. The food wasn’t bad, but compared to the early days, the spark has dimmed. Prices have risen, and quality has slipped. For longtime fans, it’s hard not to measure today’s experience against the golden past.

Lakeside Hometaste Restaurant (tepi rumah)

Front Entrance to Lakeside Hometaste Restaurant (side of a house next to lake)

On a cloudy late Sunday morning, decided to go food hunting in Sg. Chua with my partner-in-crime, the unexplored territories. Following my GPS to a so called 'free range chicken' place nearby - which we presumed had closed, we accidently found this place as there were many cars parked there. We decided to try it out. It is right opposite the lake from the famous Thai restaurant, A-Wet.

Loh Pan-Mee before adding black vinegar

Basically its a noodle place with most of them going for pan-mee base. There was Yee Mee, Pan Mee, Loh Mee, Curry Mee served dry (kon lo) or soupy. I tried the Loh Pan Mee in thick Pan Mee (they also have thin Pan-mee) - which I found it to be tasty but a little thick on the broth. My PIC went for Kon Lo Pan Mee which was quite tasty too. Side dishes were fried dumpling and fish ball soup. Fried dumpling was a little small but very tasty where as the fish ball soup was big but the fish ball lack the springy texture and ordinary in taste. I do intend to try other side dishes next time there.

Kon-loh Pan-Mee & fish ball soup

The airy spacious enviroment was a plus point, it has lots of fans too, clean and nice. There was a constant flow of customers but it was not crowded/congested. 

This place gave me the feeling you were seated at the verendah of your house, overlooking the lake in front and enjoying your Sunday morning brunch. They also make lovely kampung styled kopi-ais which went great with the meal. Nice place, nice food and some SYTs to serve you - what else could you ask for? BTW. I was told, there have been in business since 2015, so its not that new.

Fried dumplings

Sunday Breakfast - Roti Canai & Nasi Lemak

So what does a foodie do on a lazy weekend? Sunday breakfast starts on Saturday night, 'spying' on other foodie's post for some breakfast ideas. I spotted one untested in Sg. Chua titled Roti Canai 17 as 'one of the best food places in Kajang' - OMG! and I didn't know about it! Set alarm for early breakfast and jumped out of bed and headed there on this lazy Sunday morning, so here goes - my field report.

Finding the place was easy, just look for Sek. Agama near the Old Town White Coffee place, it is right next to the school.

Go to Jalan Wan Siew in Sg. Chua, at the traffic lights turn left if you are coming from Bangi/Giant Supermarket/SILK Highway, look out for the Sek. Agama signage on the left. You should see Roti Canai 17 as you turn left here. Ample parking around the shop. If you are coming from Sg. Chua main road/Kajang town, you turn right at the traffic lights in Jalan Wan Siew.

What caught our eyes was, its an Indian shop but there was a Chinese altar outside the shop and Indian deity inside the shop. What gives? This was seen pasted on the wall and I guess explains the reson for it being so. 

Religion aside, we came for the food. So as per the 'norm' with other patrons, we ordered roti canai, roti telor and nasi lemak, plus an extra plate of 'kari ayam', which was served in a big plate, a whole drumstick. Nasi Lemak + chicken curry was RM6.00 - not bad for the size.

To down it all, we had teh tarik & teh ais - the tea was excellant I must confess. Roti canai was off the mill, nothing spectecular - I felt it was rather 'thin'. The dhal curry plus 'sambal' was so - so, but freshly made and fast service. They used the same 'sambal' used in the nasi lemak - which was just onions, no ikan bilis sighted. Nothing great, but not bad too to be fair. My Kajang roti canai reference is this mamak stall next to the old APEX building near Crystal Oriental Hotel, beside the river (behind Texas Chicken). The freshly made roti canai and 'kari ikan' is the best I have tasted in Kajang and its cheap!, comes with 60" LED TV entertainment too ;-)

Now for the nasi lemak - it tasted average, I won't write home about it. I just found their fried egg was very small/thin and didn't fell like a full egg. The plus point, there was fried 'kacang' and 'ikan bilis' the traditional way, how we all remember nasi lemak to be. The rice was done well.

Now when you have eaten Kak Maznah's Nasi Lemak in Sek. 5, Bangi (behind the Shell Station along Jalan Reko), that really sets the standard of 1st Class Nasi Lemak, possibly the best I have eaten (ever) - this turns out to be very average - then again, I have been spoilt with the best. We took a dig on the curry chicken, it was a nice generous drumstick but to a seasoned taste-bud, the curry lack the Indian finesse. To me, it tasted like the curry powder used was not properly 'fried till the oil separated', thus giving it this 'curry powder taste'.  However, this curry seem popular among patrons. Also, there was those going for the mutton curry - both popular.

Chicken Curry/Kari Ayam

Roti Telur with Dhal Curry/Sambal

BTW. We also did spot other Indian food like Tosai but did not have the oppurtunity to try it. I plan to give it a 2nd try to see how other Indian food tasted, perhaps even lunch spread. We can sure do with a nice Indian restaurant in Kajang. Ravi's Corner, Basil Leaf and Sri Pandi just don't cut out anymore.

Roti Canai 17
6, Lorong Kajang Raya 2,
Taman Kajang Raya,
43000 Kajang

Y Y Fish Ball Noodles @ Pearl Avenue, Sg Chua

Rainy days always give me cravings for something hot and soupy. With the current rainy spell, we decided to visit YY Fish Ball Noodles at Pearl Avenue for a bowl of hot noodles. 

 

It has the look of a kopitiam / cafe. Simple and  clean.

 

First up, the 'Special" Seafood Noodle Soup. It came with about 5 springy fish balls, fresh pomfret fish slices and several medium sized prawns. All the seafood were fresh and tasty. The soup was clear and slightly sweet from the fresh seafood. Some green vegetables gave a healthy balance and the topping of spring onions with fried shallots lent the noodles a lovely fragrance. Add some chilli padi if you need some heat. This really hit the spot for me, although it was a tad expensive at RM16.50 a bowl. 

 

Next up was the fried fish head noodles. The fish head was fresh and juicy. You can have the noodles with or without the evaporated milk. I had it with and it lent a nice creaminess to the soup. The preserved vegetables however made the soup a little salty. The mee hoon had a nice bite. A tad expensive also at RM10.50. 

 

We ordered a side dish of Braised Fried Pork Belly (RM11 for a small portion which was quite generous actually).  It was crispy on the outside and moist inside. The meat had absorbed the lovely marinade flavors during the braising and this was brought out by being fried. This is a recommended dish.

 

Lime and Sour Plum and Hot Barley drinks to wash it all down.

Overall, it was a little pricey but you do get freash and and tasty seafood in the noodles. Good for a rainy evening meal. Give it a try.

Location :  PA-S-37, Pearl Avenue, Jalan Pasir Emas, Kajang, Sg Chua, 43000

Fook Loy Restaurant @ Sg Chua

Another leisurely Sunday family lunch, this time at Fook Loy in Sg Chua. This is a restaurant that has remained the same over the years. This is what we had:-

 

Their signature must-order dish - prawns in fresh coconut. This is NOT a Thai style tom yam, so you have to get your expectations right. Fresh medium sized prawns are cooked in a spicy broth, using fresh coconut water. The coconut water and fresh prawns impart a delicate sweetness to the soup. Don't forget to scoop up the soup, it's the best part and good to the last drop. RM55 for a large serving for 13 persons.

  

Fook Loy serves roasted duck and chicken rice at lunch time for a quick lunch. Their duck is worth ordering, and this half duck portion (RM23) came with a tangy lemon sauce. Recommended.

 Another signature dish, braised taufoo with seafood. Nice.

 

Steamed pak su kong  fish. The fish was fresh (the use live fish from tanks), but the sauce was rather bland. The fish is RM5 per 100g.

 

We asked for the roasted chicken (RM46 for a whole bird) to be served with a Thai style kerabu gravy. The chicken was rather dry and the gravy was not sufficiently spicy/piquant or sweet. This was quite disappointing. 

 

For vegetable, we had the stir fried bean sprouts with green dragon leaf (Ching Long Chai). A simple dish with different textrures and tastes. Well executed.

The lunch cost us RM255 for 7 dishes (we also had a claypot pork with salted fish dish) with rice and tea for 13 persons. Overall, the food was good, but not outstanding. As I mentioned earlier, this is a restaurant that has remained very much unchanged over the years, which in the ever evolving food scene and with customers having more discerning palates, is not a good thing. 

Location : No 61, Jalan Kima (Kg Bukit Angkat), Sg Chua, Kajang (at the junction of the road leading to the Jade Hills project)
Contact : 03-87333985

Hajah Restaurant @ Sg. Ramal Luar

Here's one for all of you working or living around Sg Ramal, Sg Chua, Serdang or even Putrajaya. If you're looking for authentic and simple Malay food, look no further than Hajah Restaurant.

 

Don't be fooled by the dilapidated shack looks - the spread of good food here will be enough to entice you.

 

 At noon time, you can have rice with various lauk (dishes) and some fresh ulam (raw vegetables).  

 

 Make a bee-line for the fried kampung (free-range) chicken or...

 

....ikan bakar (grilled fish). 

Rice with pajeri nenas and lauk ayam kampung

Nice vegetable salad with peanut sauce a-la gado-gado

    

Don't forget the cecah for the ikan bakar. The fish goes well with the dark soy sauce with cili padi or sambal belacan. The latter is not for the faint hearted as it really packs a punch. Keep the tissues close at hand.

The damage for everything including 2 iced lime drinks was only RM13.00. Good food and good price too. Two thumbs up for Hajah Restaurant.

Location : Lot 9406, Jalan Persiaran Sg Chua, Sg Ramal Luar, 43000 Kajang, Selangor.

Takuya Japanese Restaurant

Our first visit to this new Japanese restaurant in Sg Chua:-

The set with salmon sashimi and stir fried beef (RM22). Came with salad, miso soup, cold tofu and chawan mushi. All were decent but not particularly outstanding.

Ros had the set with tempura prawns and unagi (RM28) with the same side dishes. Unagi was good but tempura was oily and the oil has a certain smell (overused oil?).

Close-up of the unagi

We also tried the a Spider Maki (RM22) which is a crispy fried soft shell crab roll with avocado slices. The soft shell crab was crispy but the roll was not well made, causing it to break up when picked up. Overall, it was pretty average.

Spider maki

They had some sad piano music playing when we got there and it depressed me to the point that I had to ask them to change the music. Not the right music for a Japanese restaurant.Overall the food and experience was pretty average. They won't beat Koya in Bandar Mahkota for the crown for best Japanese restaurant in the Kajang area.

Location : No 9-G, Jalan Berjaya 11, Taman Berjaya, Sg Chua, Kajang
Contact : 03-8734 1818
No pork served

The best places to eat in Kajang for 2012

As we come to the end of 2012, we would like to list our favorite restaurants. These are the places that we keep returning to. These are listed in no order of priority. Click on the links to take you back to our earlier reviews.

Chinese Restaurants
1. Wan Fatt behind Jalan Mendaling, Kajang -they are scheduled to move from their current location soon as the premises will make way for the MRT project. We will keep you posted on their new location.
2. Sing Kee at Bandar Teknologi, Jalan Semenyih
3. Min Kee at Broga – our regular family gathering place, great for the braised eight treasure duck
4. Fook Loy in Sg Chua
5. Sin Tai Mah in Semenyih, famous for their ‘lai sar yee’

Indian Restaurants
Unfortunately, we are still looking – please send us your feedback if you have found any worth mentioning.

Malay Restaurants
1. Satay Haji Samuri, the flag bearer for Kajang satay
2. Satay UK in Bandar Baru Bangi, good not only for satay but also for their signature Urat Ketin (UK) soup and Malay dishes.

Thai Restaurants
Only one worth mentioning - A’Wet Thai at Sg Chua

Indonesian Restaurants
These are sprouting up everywhere now, mostly selling Ayam Penyet. But our pick is Rumah Makan Cibiuk at Taman Putra, Sg Chua – possibly our best new find of 2012.

Japanese Restaurants
Koya Japanese Restaurant in Bandar Mahkota, Cheras. Pretty decent Japanese food at reasonable prices.

Happy eating and do keep the suggestions coming. Happy New Year!

Rumah Makan Cibiuk

Kajang is honored to be the location of the first Rumah Makan Cibiuk franchise restaurant in Malaysia. Originally from the Cibiuk district in the Garut region of Java, the restaurant has expanded to over 40 franchise restaurants all over Indonesia. From their website, the story goes that  the Malaysian entrepreneur who opened the restaurant in Kajang, first ate at Cibiuk's Bandung outlet during a shopping trip there and was so enamored by the food, inspiring the set-up of the franchise here in Malaysia.

Cibiuk has the tagline "Rajanya Sambal" which can be translated as The King of Sambal or The Sambal is King (you decide). And the sambal literally takes center stage, placed on a pedestal in the middle of the restaurant, where you can help yourself to a variety of sambal and fresh salad (lalapan or ulam). Be warned that some of the sambal really pack a punch - think tongue numbing pungency and profuse sweating; you get the picture.

Varieties of sambal with some fresh salad

Various rice sets are available for single diners, two or four persons. There are also a-la carte options which we have not explored yet. First up was the Nasi Liwet Kastrol (for 2 persons). The menu really could do with a translation of the unfamiliar Indonesian terms in English or Malay as I had no idea what Nasi Liwet or Kastrol was when I first ordered this. Nasi Liwet turned out to be rice cooked in chicken stock and coconut milk and topped with fried shallots, cili padi (birds eye chilli) and some fresh basil leaves. It may be close cousin to our own nasi lemak and the rice was tasty enough to be eaten on its own. Kastrol is actually the pot in which the rice is served in.

The nasi liwet served in a kastrol

The set came with fried chicken, tempe, tauhu, salted fish (although the tempe was missing in our set), lalapan and more sambal. The fried chicken is done perfectly in true Indonesian style, piping hot and crispy on the outside and moist and juicy inside. The chicken is not the broiler variety and has a nice texture and bite, possibly a kampong (free range) variety. This was a great choice for us to begin your journey into Cibiuk's Sundanese cuisine and is highly recommended.

The nasi liwet set for 2 persons

On another visit, we had the Nasi Bakar Pulen Komplit set. The nasi bakar is actually cooked rice rolled in a banana leaf  wrap and then grilled. The grilling imparts the aroma of the banana leaf into the rice. The rice was nice and tasty too, almost like the tasty nasi liwet we had before. The grilled chicken had a nice caramelized outer skin, partly due to a sweetish sauce the chicken had apparently been dipped in. The tempe, tauhoo and lalapan made an appearance here too. This too is a good set which we highly recommend.

The nasi timbel ayam bakar set

Another rice set that we have tried is the Nasi Timbel Komplit Lele Goreng. I was told that nasi timbel means rice wrapped into a packet. And that was just what it was, plain white rice wrapped into a packet with banana leaf. Lele goreng is the ubiquitous Indonesian favorite ikan keli  deep fried until crispy. Accompanied again by the tempe, tauhoo and lalapan. It was good but not particularly outstanding.

Nasi timbel komplit lele goreng

If you like some soup to accompany your meal, you could try the Sop Buntut literally translated as Backside Soup. Don't worry though, it is actually a flavorful Oxtail Soup served with several thick slices of fried emping floating on the top. Good but not outstanding.

Sop Buntut

A really good antidote after all the fiery sambals is the Jus Alpukat which is Avocado Juice. This is dependent on the availability of avocado which I was told is shipped in regularly from Indonesia. Do check if it is available as the creamy avocado really soothes the burning tongue after the pungency of the sambal takes effect.

Jus Alpukat

Prices are pretty reasonable and Teh-O is served gratis (free). The new restaurant is open sided and is thus airy, cool  and comfortable at dinner time. Low tables are available for those who prefer to sit on the floor (on a raised platform) for a more authentic kampong feel. 

Overall, this is one of our best finds for 2012 and I'm sure it's a place we will be returning to more often in 2013, especially to try their a-la carte menu. 

Location : No 1G Kajang Putra, Jalan Putra 6, 43000 Kajang (it is located near the Sg Ramal Toll booth off the Silk Highway. Easiest way to get here is via the Silk Highway from Jalan Bukit, Jalan Reko or Sg Chua heading towards Putrajaya, exit just before the Sg Ramal Toll and the restaurant is just on the left side of the highway).
Contact : 012-4570061 / 012-3617348
Website : http://cibiuk.my/
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/RumahMakanCibiukMalaysia

Old Man II

During our visit to the Arabian House Restaurant recently, we noticed a place named Old Man II nearby. We have written about the Old Man Restaurant before and that place is located close by too. So we decided to give this new outlet a try and find out if the restaurants are related.

We were given a nice menu with an extensive selection. It reminded us of Esquire Kitchen. There were many one dish rice or noodle options as well as a la-carte choices. We decided to go with the latter and ordered some of their signature dishes:-

First up was their House Special Steamed Tilapia (RM23). Well this house must be very tolerant to chillies as we found this to be pretty spicy and pungent. The fish was fresh and tasty though. You'll enjoy this if you like the spicy stuff.

The Mongolian Style Pork (RM15) had slices of pork stir-fried with lots of onions, black pepper and curry leave (?) as well as a sprinkling of chilli padi. Hmmmmm...I never knew they had curry leaves in Mongolia? Putting aside the rather inappropriate name of the dish, it tasted pretty interesting actually.

Four Treasure Tofu (RM13) had fried pieces of silken tofu topped with a sauce that had carrots, green beans, red peppers and fish paste (the four treasures?). Pretty decent.

The Shrimp Omelette or Foo Yong Tan (RM10) came with plump and juicy prawns. Nicely executed.

The Stir Fried Lotus Root came with mushrooms, celery, green beans, carrots and cashew nuts as well. Nicely done too.

After the searing hot chilli, we needed something sweet to cool off. The Vietnamese Iced Coffee I ordered was too sweet and not strong enough. The Longan and Sea Coconut too was rather sweet. However the fresh Kedondong Juice served with Assam Boi, was the right choice to cool down.

We found the cooks to be quite restrained in the use of salt (which I personally think is a good thing) and we assume not much MSG was used as well. Overall the results were rather mixed but it certainly warrants more visits. And yes, they appear to be under the same management as the Old Man Restaurant nearby as we spotted a couple of familiar faces here.

Location : No 21-G, Jalan Putra 3, Taman Putra Kajang, Sg Chua, Kajang
Contact : 013-2802898

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