TeeKaapi Indian Cuisine @ Batu Caves, Selangor

TeeKaapi Indian Cuisine is a restaurant that is located in Eco Sky which is just beside Taman Wahyu, Batu Caves. What attracted me here is the fact that they serve Indian Style Shell Out and that too on Banana Leaf, the South Indian way. Having heard that such a thing is available here, we made it a point to drop by this evening.

The Restaurant in Eco Sky

Since this building is relatively new, parking is easily available as the commercial area is not fully taken up. Their set up is quite posh and the tables are nicely spaced out and that enables you to have conversations without being worried about being noisy. Besides that, private room is available too for private functions. 

Their menu has a mix of North and South Indian dishes and some fusion dishes. Vegetarian options are there but they are relatively limited. Prices seem reasonable for the concept. Since we had made our mind to go for the Shell Out, we did not take much time at looking at the other available options. 

Orange Cordial

White Rice

This shell out set is for four pax and therefore, it comes with four portions of white rice and four glasses of orange cordial. 

Indian Shell Out @ RM 100.00

This Indian Shell Out is available only on weekends and it priced at RM 100.00 per set. It comes with some fish, crabs, squid, shrimps, veggies, corn, chicken, mussels and clams. Please do prepared to wait as this preparation is made from scratch and would take some time. For me, that is good since everything would be fresh.

It is really rare to see this kind of Indian Shell Out and that too one that is being served on Banana Leaves. For me, it was a wonderful meal. The mix of fish, clams, mussels, shrimps, squid, crabs, chicken, veggies and corn that came in a mildly spicy sambal like preparation was just heavenly. It was so good and I wouldn't mind returning again for another round of excellent food. Do note that this is only available during the weekends and a set for four pax is priced at RM 100.00 . Excellent food and lovely ambiance. 

Address: Ground Floor, Eco Sky, Jalan Ipoh, Taman Wahyu, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor.

Business Hours: 1000 - 2300 Tuesday - Sunday

Restoran D Maduras @ Batu Caves, Selangor

Restoran D Maduras is one of my favourite restaurants. I particularly love their Thali Meals that is served during lunch hours. This restaurant is located in Taman Sunway Batu Caves, just a few doors away from the Batu Caves Temple and one turning before Taman Industri Bolton. 

Restoran D Maduras Located In Taman Sunway Batu Caves

Coffee Tarik

This is the first time that we are coming here for breakfast. We are on a road trip heading towards Kuantan and since it's quite a distance away before we are able to get some decent meals, we decided to drop by for breakfast. Surprisingly, it was full hours. I had always been thinking that this restaurant is only famous for lunch and I had least expected them to be this popular for breakfast. There was so much to choose from. Even for a simple Mee Hoon dish, there were a few varieties and that's something impressive. In fact, we had to wait close to ten minutes before being able to find a place to sit. Finally after getting a table, we placed our orders. I had ordered the above Coffee and it was quite good. Perfect flavours and it was not too sweet. My rating for this shall be 9/10. 

Mee Hoon & Ulunthu Vadai with Coconut Chutney

Thosai,  Sambar, Coconut Chutney & Ulunthu Vadai 

We took a variety of items and they were all reasonably priced. Their Fried Mee Hoon was good. This was the spicy version that we had taken and it was really nice. My rating for it shall be 8/10. Their Ulunthu Vadai was excellent too. Almost similar to the one's that you get in India and it surely deserves a rating of 8/10. Their Coconut Chutney had some room for improvement as I felt that it lacked spices. This I would rate at 6/10. Their Sambar was impressive as always and my rating for it shall be 8/10. 

Despite being a restaurant that is famous for their Thali Meals, D Maduras also has a very good crowd for breakfast. Lot's of choices in terms of variety and their prices are reasonable. My only complaint would be that their service levels can be a little disorganised during peak hours. Otherwise, it's a lovely restaurant to patronise. 

Address: No. 2, Jalan SM 1, Taman Sunway Batu Caves, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor.

Business Hours: 0700 - 2300 Daily

Restoran Al-Esfan Bistro @ Batu Caves, Selangor

Restoran Al-Esfan is a pretty famous chain of Indian Muslim restaurants that has a strong presence in the Klang Valley. Though I have never visited any one of their outlets in the past, I do remember seeing them in numerous locations. Today, I happened to be in Batu Caves area during lunch and their restaurant was just across the street. Since it was already lunch hour, I decided on giving this place a try. 

Their Restaurant in Batu Caves Area

Teh O Ais @ RM 1.50

This restaurant had a typical Malaysian restaurant set up. Just like most Indian Muslim restaurants, the concept was similar. Head over to the curries station, pick your items and then pay later. They did have a decent spread but there wasn't much options for vegetarians. Most of their items were non vegetarian dishes except for one or two vegetables. 

My Lunch @ RM 7.10

I had some rice, a slice of Curried Tenggiri Fish, some Fish Curry, Cabbage Perattal and some Fried Bitter Gourd. For this lot, I was charged RM 7.10 . Honestly, I feel that their prices are on the high side. I could have had a similar meal for slightly over RM 5.00 anywhere else.  

Rice & Fish Curry

Sliced Tenggiri Fish

Their Fish Curry was decent. I felt that they were sufficiently spiced and not too diluted. Taste wise it was something that I had enjoyed too. Similarly, their Curried Fish was good too. Not overcooked and it was just right. My rating for both the above shall be 7/10. 

Fried Bitter Gourd

Stir Fried Cabbbage

Fried Bitter Gourd was good. Loved the marination they were crisp and tasty. Went perfectly well with the Fish Curry. Their Cabbage Peratttal was good as well. I would rate both at 8/10. 

I find the food here to be decent. The vegetables as well as the fish that I had were nice. Even their curries were good. My only grievance would be the slightly high prices for a day to day restaurant. Otherwise, a decent restaurant to have your meals. 

Address: 24, Jalan SBC2, Kawasan Industri Batu Caves, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor.

Business Hours: 24 Hours Daily

Pawada Corned Mutton @ Batu Caves, Selangor

I am a huge fan of Corned Mutton and ever since Barkath Store stopped importing the Carters Brand Corned Mutton due to it's high price, I had been searching for this everywhere. What we commonly get nowadays is only Corned Beef . You do get Corned Chicken at some foreign supermarkets in Mont Kiara but not Corned Mutton. 

Corned Mutton from Amaxmall

Locally Made By Pawada

Finally I discovered this brand called Pawada, a Malaysian company that has it's roots in Sarawak. Having started as a company that grows pepper, today they manufacture a number of other items as well. I have not seen these on the shelves yet but Amaxmall, an e-commerce company does sell them online. In fact, under the same brand, they have Corned Beef, Corned Mutton, Corned Chicken and Corned Haruan. If you go for the large can, it's being sold at RM 18.00 but they do have a combo set that is priced at RM 45.00 which comes with two large cans and one small can. I placed my orders online and it was delivered in a breeze. Thumbs up to Amaxmall for the speedy service. 

Less Fat

Compared to the one's that we get from Australia, this one had less fat but it wasn't as flaky. It was more like a hybrid between Luncheon Meat and Corned Mutton. 

This Corned Mutton was slightly different to the one's that we get from Australia and New Zealand. It wasn't as flaky and it was like a mix between Luncheon Meat and Corned Mutton. Taste wise, they had also added sugar at the factory, probably to suit the local taste buds. I would say that it wasn't really close to Carters but still something is better than nothing. Good job to Pawada for introducing this item that I had long missed. To order this Corned Mutton, you could place your orders at https://amaxmall.com/  since they are not yet available on the shelves. 

Javaplate @ Selayang, Selangor

This morning I happened to be in Selayang for an early meeting and by 9.30 am, the meeting was over. That was when I came into Selayang Mall in search of a place to have breakfast. You may be wondering why the mall since there are so many stalls out there. To be honest, I have tried most of the places and for the sake of trying something new, I ventured into this mall. 

Javaplate Located On The Lower Ground Floor

This mall used to be a very happening place in the 90's. Sadly, with all those new malls that have been coming up, this mall sort off lost it's glory. It was in recent years that they had refurbished this place and given it a new look. Still, the old glamour isn't there anymore. Javaplate is an Indo-Malay Warung Concept Stall that is located on the Lower Ground Floor of this mall. In fact, they have taken up a relatively large space. I was here when the mall just opened and the staffs were seen preparing everything.Despite that, they did have a few walks in's who did takeaways. 

The Menu

The Menu

They didn't have too many dishes and I was told that only a handful of their signature dishes were offered at this outlet. Even then, at this hour, only Nasi Lemak was available. So I ordered that along with a coffee. It's all self service here so you place your orders at the cashier, pay for them, and once they are ready, collect the dishes and move to your table. 

Nasi Lemak Ayam @ RM 5.50

Their Nasi Lemak was typically the Nasi Lemak Bungkus which is laid on a plate and served. One could go with the Fried Chicken or choose to just have the Nasi Lemak on it's own. I wouldn't complain about the prices as this is a mall and the entire place is air-conditioned. As for me, comfort justifies the price. 

Spicy Sambal

The Nasi Lemak was really good. Lot's of anchovies, a quarter of a hard boiled egg and the sambal was really spicy which was to my liking. The rice too was aromatic and had that starchy flavour to it. This is definitely a good plate of Nasi Lemak and I would rate this at 8/10. 

Fried Chicken

The Fried Chicken however was horrible. I assume that it must have been fried yesterday evening. The meat was stiff, it lacked flavours and it tasted very cold so much so I left the majority of it as it was a put off. Nope, I would not recommend their Fried Chicken. Perhaps, they may fry new ones later. I do not know as I am just assuming. But this one was definitely left overs. If I were to rate their Fried Chicken, I would give this a 3/10. 

Local Coffee @ RM 2.50

The Coffee was good. In fact, for one that was fixed by an Indonesian girl, it was really good and very close in taste to the ones that we get in Indian Muslim restaurants. I would definitely give this a 8/10 as well. 

Based on what I had tried this morning, their Nasi Lemak is one that I would recommend but please skip the Fried Chicken. That one was horrible. If I get a chance, I would definitely love to taste their other signature dishes that is available for lunch.

Address: Lot LG 03, Selayang Mall Shopping Centre, Jalan SU 9, Taman Selayang Utama,

                68100 Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Rojak & Cendol Tiga Rasa (Cendol Taman Wahyu) @ Taman Wahyu, Kuala Lumpur

The name Rojak & Cendol Tiga Rasa may be alien to most people but this place is also famously known as Rojak & Cendol Taman Wahyu. Located along Jalan Kuching just before the recently constructed overhead bridge heading into 5th Mile Jalan Ipoh, this humble set up receives a few hundred customers daily and their only two dishes would be Cendol and Rojak. I have passed this way so often and have always found the place to be packed with customers. In fact, just another 50 meters away, there is another truck selling the same but when you compare the number of customers at any point in time, the latter is nowhere close to these guys. Since I had some extra time at my perusal, I decided on dropping by and giving the place a try. 

A Simple Truck Parked By The Side Of The Road

Cutlery In Tupperware's To Keep Them Clean From The Dust

They operate from just a small truck but I was very impressed with the set up and here's why. It wasn't like any other Rojak & Cendol truck set up. They had cleared up the entire place and set up tents with 15 tables. That shows the volume of customers they get on a daily basis. Even today when I walked in, there were close to 40 customers who were having their meals and that doesn't include those who were standing while waiting for their takeaways. Besides that, they have a staff count of 7 people to serve their customers and that's excluding the 3 staffs who were preparing the dishes. Another strong indication that the place is doing so well. Any other Rojak truck would at most have 2 people manning it. Besides this, the entire place is fenced up with a special gate for customers who are accessing via Jalan Kuching. This saves a lot of time for their customers who alternatively would need to get into Taman Wahyu and only then get to access this stall. What a presence of mind. Another thing that impressed me was the cutlery. They were all placed in tupperware's to keep them dust proof. As far as the customer service was concerned, they were super quick. As you walk in, there's already someone beside you waiting to take the orders. 

Rojak @ RM 4.00

Typical Malaysian Rojak

Their Rojak was pretty good and for RM 4.00, the portions were huge and they never were stingy with the ingredients. Even the Tofu and cake was added in abundance. The gravy was medium coarse just the way I love it. Mildly sweet and mildly spicy, it was just a perfect plate of Rojak and I would give this a 8/10. 

Cendol @ RM 2.50

This Is Their Basic Cendol

A basic bowl of Cendol is priced at RM 2.50 and this comes with corn, red bean and kidney beans. Of course you could go for additional add on's like pulut etc. and the price varies accordingly. Their Cendol was beautiful. Not too sweet, creamy and perfect for the hot afternoon. I would give this a 9/10. 

In summary, this is definitely a great pit stop to make when you're travelling on Jalan Kuching. Both their Cendol and Rojak were good and the prices were very reasonable. On another note, here's something that had happened after my stop here. Well, it was my first time to this stall and I don't really know the place too well. Sadly, my car couldn't start as I was trying to leave as the starter motor was giving trouble. I then walked over to one of the staffs and asked if there was a mechanic nearby to which he said there's one which is around 4 KM's away. I just came back to my car and tried making a few phone calls and that was when the owner himself walked over to us. He then asked us what the trouble was and then offered to drive his car up to the mechanic's place and he really did that. He left and in a matter of minutes, was back with a mechanic. After checking, it was just a wiring issue that connects to the starter motor and the mechanic only charged me RM 10.00 . And then, this owner drove him back to his workshop and returned. I offered him some money but he refused to accept. Well, that is so kind of him and I felt that I must at least mention about his kindness here. I doubt any one else would have done the same. I was not even his frequent customer and he offered to go out of the way to help. Well, now I have surely become his loyal customer and going forward, I would definitely make a stop at this place every time I pass this way. Not just for the great Cendol but also to show my gratitude for his act of kindness. Thank you Sir!

Address: Taman Wahyu, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 1800 Daily

Restoran De' Daun @ Selayang, Selangor

It was by chance that I stumbled upon this restaurant while looking for a place to have breakfast in Selayang and I am so glad that I did. Before talking through more about my experience here, let me first give an introduction to this place. Restoran De' Daun is located in Taman Paragon Utama, not too far away from the junction that turns into FRIM. If you are driving on the inside road, you can't miss this place as it is clearly visible from the road. They start as early as 8 am and business goes on till around 10.30 pm. Throughout the day, the menu changes. 

The Restaurant Along Jalan Paragon Utama 1

Lovely Designs

The restaurant was beautifully designed and it looked more like a banquet than a day to day restaurant. Breakfast isn't their main business and therefore there wasn't much of a crowd then. The main business starts with lunch where they have a variety of Malay and Kelantanese dishes and then it slows down again for tea and picks up again for dinner. For dinner, they offer both Malay and Western cuisine. I was there around 10 am and as mentioned earlier, it was for breakfast. They only had a handful of dishes like Nasi Lemak, Mee Goreng, Lontong etc and being a fan of Nasi Lemak, I just couldn't resist. The dishes were stacked on the shelves along with some curries. On the side table, as and when the lunch dishes were ready, they too were being placed there and they looked extremely good as well. The staffs were very friendly as if they had known you for years. It seemed more like a usual neighbourhood restaurant as all the customers were joking around and being chatty with the staffs as if they are there daily. That atmosphere was so lively.  

Coffee @ RM 1.80

After having collected my Nasi Lemak and add on, I returned to one of the tables and ordered my drink and in about 1 minute, my coffee was served. There weren't many customers and the staffs were very efficient as well and that made my dining experience a pleasurable one. Coffee was good and the pricing was quite standard. In fact, I must say that it was quite a bold drink and not one that was too sweet. My rating for this shall be 8/10. 

Nasi Lemak Bungkus @ RM 2.00 per packet

It's just the standard Nasi Lemak Bungkus that is on offer here and it's priced at RM 2.00 per packet but it was so good so much so I had three packs. Nothing extraordinary ingredients wise. Just the usual Sambal, peanuts, cucumber and egg but the Sambal was extremely good and spicy. I think, this is surely one of the best Nasi Lemak Bungkus that I have tasted. Just amazing and one that I would highly recommend. My rating for this would be a 9/10. 

Egg Sambal @ RM 1.00 each

They had the usual fried eggs and this Egg Sambal and I chose the latter as one of my add on's. The egg was good and non greasy. This sambal however tasted different to the one found in the Nasi Lemak and taste wise, it contrasted and blended in so well with the other sambal. Again, very impressed and would give this a perfect 10/10.

Even after my breakfast, I sat for almost an hour watching the Malay drama on ASTRO and the staffs had no issues with that. In fact, they even served me some free iced water. I am already falling in love with this place. The food is good, the staffs are amazing and the ambiance is excellent. I don't even mind working from this restaurant. That was how cosy it felt. If you are around Selayang, please do give this restaurant a try and I hope that you'd enjoy the place as much as I did this morning. 

Address: No. 16, Jalan Paragon Utama 1, Taman Paragon Utama,  Selayang,

                68100 Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0800 - 2230 Daily

D Santap Asam Pedas @ Batu Caves, Selangor

Recently, I was informed by a friend that there is a good place for Nasi Lemak in Sunway Batu Caves area. After doing a little bit of research, I found out that it is the famous Asam Pedas restaurant that is located beside one of my favourite South Indian restaurants, D Maduras and the name of this restaurant is D Santap. I wonder what is it with that 'D' that so many of them seem to be adopting. Having had some work at EPF this morning, I decided to drop by for breakfast since they are only two rows away.

The Restaurant in Taman Sunway Batu Caves

Nice Spacious Concept

Cleanliness Was Good

I arrived sometime around 10.30 am and by then many have already had their breakfast and there were just a handful of customers. Some of their Indonesian staffs were busy preparing the Asam Pedas for lunch and a Bangladeshi guy was making Roti Canai. Seriously, that was one odd looking Roti Canai and it looked like he was using 1 liter of oil for each Roti Canai. I checked with another staff and he mentioned that Nasi Lemak was available. I then placed my orders and moved over to a table. The set up is quite good actually. The place was clean and the open air concept that they had adopted added greater ventilation inside the restaurant and I hardly felt the heat from outside. Finding this place is quite simple. Assuming you are coming from Batu Caves, keep going straight and once you come to the temple, keep left and avoid the flyover. You would then be passing Divine Life Society, Lord Ayyappan Cave Temple on your left and within a short distance, you would be able to sight this restaurant, again on your left. 

Coffee @ RM 1.50

Coffee was good. Definitely not the best that we get at those Indian Muslim restaurants. Still, I would say it was a well fixed drink. Not too much milk and tasted bolder, just the way I like it. This I would rate at 7/10 .

Nasi Lemak @ RM 2.50

It didn't take them too long to send the Nasi Lemak over. At a glance, it looked good and smelled good. The only sight that I didn't like was the old Banana Leaf used. That seemed like one from the week before. Otherwise, it surely looked good. 

The Aroma Was Awesome

The rice was definitely one that was cooked with the right amount of coconut milk as it did taste good. The only setback with it was the fact that it was slightly undercooked. I wonder how they could do such a blunder but it is what it is. If only that was right, then it would have been perfect. For this undercooked preparation, I would rate it at 3/10. Assuming it was properly cooked, then I might have given this a 8.5/10 .

Fried Peanuts Were Fresh And Crispy

Sambal Was Super Good

The fried peanuts were fresh and crispy. And the sambal, that was super good!!! Extremely spicy just the way I love it and the taste was just heavenly. They were also very generous with the amount of belacan added to the preparation. There were no anchovies in it but plain onions and ground chilies. This was a total saviour to the undercooked rice. It was so good that I didn't mind finishing up the entire plate. Truly potent stuff!!! The sambal, I shall rate it at 9/10 . 

If only the rice was properly done, then this would have been bliss. Otherwise, nothing else to complain about the dish. I still have mixed feelings if I should boldly recommend this. The sambal was awesome. No doubt about that. But the rice? Was it an 'only today' accident or does it happen every now and then. Unconvinced, I shall just not cast my vote of confidence.

Address: No. 1, Jalan SM 1, Taman Sunway Batu Caves, 

                68100 Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0800 - 2200 Daily