My top 10 breakfast and lunch places in Bandar Mahkota Cheras

I've been frequenting the Bandar Mahkota Cheras (BMC) and Sg Long (SL) areas on Saturdays for the last few years and have had the opportunity to try various breakfast and lunch spots. BMC and SL are predominantly Chinese areas so the food outlets are primarily Chinese with some Western, Indian, Mamak (a unique Malaysian cuisine actually) with only a spattering of Malay stalls (no proper Malay restaurant I believe). 

There are many coffee shops and cafes , but most produce (with a few exceptions) average or mediocre food for the masses. I personally prefer the shops which specialise in particular dishes as they tend to make them well.

Here's my list of favorites in BMC in no particular order. Follow the links for location and other details on Google Maps.

1. Family Pho (Vietnamese)

Run by a Vietnamese family, this place has been around for some time. Besides the ubiquitous Pho, their Bahn Mi sandwich is worth trying too. Full meals with dishes are available too and what I've tried so far has been good.  

2. Yeng Kee Noodle House 2 

This is a branch of a noodles house from Taman Yulek Cheras. Their various fish head noodles are good and regulars even store their bottles of rice wine at the shop, to be added to the noodles for extra aroma and taste. My favourite here however are the Tendon Pork Noodles soup. The pork slices have an extraordinary texture and the broth is light and refreshing. Highly recommended.

3. Restoran Wa Bao Zai Claypot Chicken Rice 

This is a recent discovery and the Claypot Chicken Rice ticked all the right boxes - slightly burnt crust, tender well cooked chicken, pork sausages and add-on salted fish. Their Chicken Soup in Coconut was good and is recommended as well. The owner's wife is Vietnamese and she sells fresh Vietnamese tea and cashew nuts at the counter. 

4. SK Pork Noodles

A branch of the famous Seri Kembangan Pork Noodles, this is another regular go-to places for pork noodles in BMC.

5. Rojak Stall at 63 Food Station

A hard working Chinese guy runs this stall single-handedly and manages to serve a very good version of the Mamak style rojak. 

6. Beef Noodles at 63 Food Station

The chef at this stall is pretty old but his expertise shows in the flavourful beef noodle broth which has been boiled for hours. All the meat and innards are tender, and the slices of melon melt in your mouth. Highly recommended. 

7. Hock Kee Ulu Yam Loh Mee 

Their signature Ulu Yam Loh Mee is good. But my favorite here is their Hokkien Mee. Cooked with hand made thick noodles with generous amounts of pork lard, this noodle might be even better than the other famous speciality Hokkien noodles place down the road. Give it a try and tell me what you think.

8. Nasi Kandar Pokok Cheri 

The most authentic Nasi Kandar or Mamak restaurant in BMC. It will not earn any points for the dark and dingy interior but the food, especially the curries, bring me back to Penang. Have your favourite dishes and don't forget to tell them to "banjir" the rice with "kuah campur".

9. Woo Pin Fish Head Noodles

Another branch of a famous fish head noodle shop from Taman Desa, this place lives up to the reputation of its original shop. Good fish head noodles which are well executed.

10. Ah Teo Pan Mee & Zhu Ro Fen

There are a few pan mee shops around BMC, some with queues for tables. But I personally like the pan mee here. Both the sop and dry versions are good. Also good are their Pork Noodles and Curry Mee. 

Do give them a try and let me know in the comments if you have any other favourites that are not on this list.

CLOSED- Kafe Vietnam @ Bandar Puteri Puchong

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone celebrating! It's a long weekend and with most Chinese restaurants closed, we decided to venture further for something different. That's how we ended up in a quiet part of Bandar Puteri Puchong is a nice little cafe  called Kafe Vietnam. Note the mannequin dressed in Ao Dai (traditional Viet costume) outside that seems to be calling you to enter.

 

The quintessential Vietnamese starter - Cuon Tom or fresh spring rolls - with fresh herbs and prawns - a great start to any meal. Dip it in the spicy peanut sauce for full effect.

Fresh spring rolls - RM7.90

Next, Goi Rau Cau Tom Thit - a pork, prawn and jelly salad. Sounds weird on paper but it came together very well on the dish. Best when scooped up and eaten with the provided prawn crackers. 

Salad of prawn, pork and jelly served with crackers _RM13.90

Another quintessential Vietnamese dish, Bahn Xeo - a crispy crepe with various fillings. This one came with slices of pork and prawns. Best eaten wrapped in the salad leaves and dipped in the accompanying chilli sauce. 

Bahn Xeo - RM15.90

For many, Pho is to Vietnamese food what laksa is to Malaysian food. There are many variations, and this this premium version of Pho Bo Dac Biet came with tender slices of beef, brisket, tendons and beef balls in a light but flavorful broth. Add whatever herbs and vegetables you wish and a squeeze of lime or some chilli padi or fish sauce. This would be a perfect brunch for me.

Pho Bo Dac Biet - RM16.90

A dish that is found everywhere in Vietnam is Com Tam (broken rice), almost like chicken rice in Malaysia. Usually served with pork chop or fried chicken, other side dishes are a sunny side up and runny egg, a slice of steamed minced pork and egg, pickled vegetables and slices of tomato and cucumber. The marinated pork chop here is flavorful and is a perfect foil for the broken rice. A simple dish that I could happily eat everyday.     

Com Tam - RM14.90

Another noodle dish, Bun Moc is a rice noodles soup with various pork ball, minced pork slices, pork cuts and sprinkling of fresh spring onions and herbs as well as fried shallots. Again, you can add fresh herbs, lime or chillies to your own taste but for me, the stock was flavorful enough as it was.  

Bun Moc - RM14.90

For the Lunar New Year or Tet Festival as it is known in Vietnam, a rice dumpling similar to the Chinese chang is served. They did not have the dumpling but we sampled Com Chien La Sen a fried rice in lotus leaf. The lotus leaf imparts a lovely fragrance to the rice, which is fried with slices of pork sausages.  

Com Chien La Sen (Fried Rice in Lotus Leaf) - RM19.90 for 2 pax

The iced coffee is thick, strong and sweet just like in Vietnam. Highly recommended as well. You can also pick up Vietnamese coffee, instant noodles, fish sauce, rice paper, pickles and a few other  supplies from the store. 

 

A lovely place for a weekend brunch, we understand that it is considerable crowded at dinner time.  

 

Overall, this was a great find. The food took me back to my trip to Ho Chi Minh City. We spotted groups of Vietnamese workers eating here too, so the food must be pretty authentic for them to be here too. Service was lovely too since it was pretty quiet when we visited.  Possibly the best Vietnamese restaurant in Klang Valley? Give it a try and tell us what you think.

 

Location : No 1, Jalan Puteri 4/1, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong

Contact : 03-80527472  

FB Link :  https://www.facebook.com/kafevietnam?ref=ts&fref=ts

Banh Mi @ Bandar Puteri, Puchong

After my recent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I have been on the lookout for nice Vietnamese food in Klang Valley. After reading about this place on Eat Drink KL blog, I was tempted to give it a try.

Located behind the Columbia Asia hospital in Bandar Puteri, this is a relatively quiet neighborhood for a restaurant, far from the hustle (and parking madness) of the Bandar Puteri town centre. Lots of parking in this vicinity.

They have a very limited menu - maybe less than 15 items, of which half are choices of Banh Mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwiches). You can have it with choice of pork (bacon or grilled pork), fish, chicken, egg or a combination of these (on request).

Banh Mi with bacon - RM6.80

Banh Mi with grilled chicken - RM6.60

Banh Mi with Grilled Pork - RM6.60

I liked the grilled chicken and grilled pork as these had the added smoky aroma and flavors from the grilling. Recommended.

Also available are rice sets with braised pork belly or lemongrass chicken. I tried the lemongrass chicken which was served with stir fried bitter gourd with egg and a vegetable soup. The chicken was nice and tasty but if would have been better if it was served with hot steaming rice instead of the lukewarm rice I got.

Lemongrass chicken with rice set - RM6.80

Lastly, we had the Bo Kho or beef stew. Served with a baguette, the stew was nice but not as thick and flavorful as I anticipated.

Stew beef with baguette set - RM6.60

Special mention about the unique decor made with real unused baguettes. The baguettes are made fresh daily so the unused ones get used as decor for the shop. Brilliant! It's a small non air-cond cafe so it does get stuffy in the afternoon.

The entire operation is run by Vietnamese so you're ensured of an authentic experience. Vietnamese drip coffee (hot or iced) and Ice Lime Tea are available and are recommended as well.

Location : No 21, Jalan Puteru 7/9, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor (opposite the Bandar Puteri Police Station)
Contact : 012-3225548 (Cindy Pham)
Website : www.banhmi.com.my
Operating hours : 10.30 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. (closed once a month)