Yummy-licious Food Hidden in Setapak’s Nooks and Crannies

Food is the best gift sent from heaven, don’t you agree? When we are stressed, we eat – desserts specifically –, and when we are happy, we eat, when we are sad, we eat too! So no matter what you are feeling, food will always be there for you (finally something that you can COUNT ON!). Amazing is it not? To say food is a gift from heaven itself is truly an understatement.

Everybody loves good food – and those who don’t probably have something strange going on in their heads –, aside from beds in the morning, delicious yummies are probably the second strongest magnet ever. Good, yummy, delicious food – be it savouries or desserts – should be shared out so that everyone can have a taste of the yummy-licious food.

As you can see the title says ‘nook and crannies’, meaning these delicious jewels are hidden somewhere in places that you may not know in the Setapak area. So my mission in this post, is to unveil the jewels for everyone to enjoy!

*Sequence not based on rating.

Jewel No. 1: Thai Food Home Recipe

If you’re a Thai food lover, then you are surely going to be in for a pleasant experience. This Thai restaurant here serves delicious authentic Thai food worth every single cent, and with a portion that is capable for two to share. Of course if it is too delicious for you, then sharing is not an option or else it will not be enough to satisfy your yearning taste buds.

Although they serve authentic Thai food, you can still find a bit of Western taste mingled into its cuisine, as they serve spaghettis pan-fried with flavourful spices in the Thai-way too. Allow me to show you some pictures of a Thai-Western dish:

This is one of the spaghettis they serve, the notorious Yellow Curry Spaghetti, specially cooked with the heart and soul. This dish provides a complex, robust flavour with the spices in place, leaving you dwelling in dreamy yummy-land. The dish itself contains seafood and also pork, and in a generous amount. It is also rated to be 4 out of 5 for spiciness, so if you’re a spicy-lover, by all means try it.

This is another version of spaghetti served by them, namely the Green Curry Spaghetti. The ingredients are the same as the Yellow Curry, except for the spices that brings out the flavour of course. This dish is much less spicier than the Yellow Curry Spaghetti, so if you’re feeling a bit adventurous in trying new dishes but not adventurous enough to go for some really spicy ones, then I recommend you to try this dish.

There are also a wide variety of other dishes to choose from, and let’s not forget about Tom Yam, the spicy and flavourful Thai soup. It was regretful that no pictures of the Tom Yam dish were taken as it was too delicious to stop to let the camera have its fill first, hence the lack of a picture. Also, if you are planning to pay this restaurant a visit, a must try would be the Stir Fried Seafood Tom Yam, absolutely delectable.

Details of the restaurant if you would like to visit:

Address: Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Gombak, Taman Tai Onn, Lot 5909 Jalan Chong Hwa, Gombak 3 3/4, 53000.

Operation Hours: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Closed on Sundays.

Price Range: RM 5 – RM 8

*Non-halal

Jewel No. 2: ??? (Hao Da Wan) Noodles Food Stand

Source: Facebook -??? Setapak

This is another place where you will be able to get good food at a good price. Hao Da Wan or in other words, Big Bowl (directly translated) sells delicious noodles such as Asam Laksa, Curry Noodles, Lor Pan Mee, and so on; the traditional Chinese noodles that you can find, but wholly taste of homemade sauces, you won’t get this taste anywhere else as this is the only store. However, the store serves different type of noodles on different days, so you won’t be able to just choose to go on someday and expect them to have that noodles on that day.

If you’re a noodle-person, although given the trouble of the lack of daily availability, you should definitely try out their noodles. Although most of the time this place would be filled with people, but trust me that it’s worth the wait. Now let’s show you some delicious looking pictures, shall we?

Source: Facebook -??? Setapak

This is their Asam Laksa, with toppings given in a very generous manner. Not to mention that the portion itself is also pretty generous. Their Asam Laksa is only available on Mondays, and with very limited supply. By the time it reaches 10:30AM or so, it would have been finished. With such a reputation, you should try it without a doubt. (The smell itself will lure you in!)

Source: Facebook -??? Setapak

Mmm… Look at dem’ prawns! This is a bowl of Prawn Noodles, with a choice of either yellow mee or beehoon. Their Prawn Noodles are only available on Thursdays, so if you’re into Prawn Noodles, make sure you clear your schedule for a date with this delicious beauty!

As I was saying, their menu varies according to the days in a week. You may refer to the schedule below:

So ladies and gentlemen, I would suggest you plan ahead before you head there to avoid getting a disappointment

Details of the restaurant if you would like to visit:

Address: Jalan Perusahawan Ringan, 53300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Operation Hours: 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM/Until sold out

Closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Price Range: RM 5.50 – RM 7

*Non-halal

Jewel No. 3:  Miss Ellie’s Tea House

Last but not least, this vintage English style tea house – Miss Ellie’s Tea House. This tea house serves a variety of desserts to go with their never ending list of teas, as well as hot meals for a higher satisfaction for the tummy. Its peaceful and calm ambience makes it the perfect place for high tea with friends and family just to chill out.

Even though this tea house is located in a rather secluded area, never underestimate the crowd that it receives, because even on weekdays the shop could be filled with patrons during the afternoon! It would be more difficult to get a seat during the weekends unless you head over there early as reservations aren’t allowed. So if you’re planning for a soothing and relaxing weekend over tea, better be an early bird for it.

A look on the inside:

Warning: Vintage overloading. A lot of vintage elements are used in this tea house, with a little mixture of modernity in it as well – got to say it’s a pretty nice mix-n-match done here. Also, this place is pretty decent for loads of photos – or specifically speaking, selfies – to be taken with all the lovely decorations in place (Ka-chak).

Now a look on the food they serve, shall we?

This yummy looking dish is Beef Spaghetti Bolognese. It’s disappointing that they don’t serve it in chicken, but not to worry, there are actually a lot other delicious food that you can try, especially their Bangers and Mash!

A must try for the B&M, those chicken sausages are absolutely mouth-watering, and that itself is an understatement. The sausages are served on top of the mashed potatoes and salads on the side, with their homemade onion sauce to go with it.

And now le dessert! This tofu-like dessert is known as Pandan Panna Cotta, it is actually a dessert similar to the consistency of a pudding. Every single bite comes with a rich, creamy coconut and pandan flavour, and it will send you – and me, definitely – over the rainbow. The panna cotta is topped with honey dew cubes, accompanied by other fruit cubes and strawberries on the side and finally showered in syrup for that happy ending.

You know, I used to think that if one wanted to eat scones, one would need to go to Cameron ighlands, which I thought was the only place that served scones. So can you imagine the delight I felt when I saw Miss Ellie’s serving scones as well? Their scones are soft on the inside and a tad crunchy on the outside. The taste was spot on, nothing too sweet on its own so that it will go well with the condiments: whipped cream and berry jam. The scones come in 4 different flavours, such as plain, chocolate and so on.

Ah, Crème Brulee, another dessert that lifts your mood with its sweetness. BUT, this is no ordinary crème brulee, this is DURIAN crème brulee, and it is a to-die-for dessert for durian lovers. The durian flesh is abundant in this dessert, every bite you take comes with a flavourful durian wash-over for your taste buds. Even though the flesh is in it, the smooth texture is not one bit affected.

*Vanilla flavour is the main flavour, please let the waiter know if you would like to try durian flavour.

Details of the restaurant if you would like to visit:

Address: 7, Jalan H 3, Taman Melawati, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur.

Operation Hours: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Price Range: Average

*Halal restaurant

Jewel No. 4: ??? (Zi Zhi Mian) Food Stand

Here is another noodle store selling deliciously cooked Chinese-style noodles. They serve a wide variety of noodles, Fuk Gin Chao (Hokkien fried noodles), Guong Fu Chao Yin Yong (Cantonese fried mixed noodles), and more. Notice that they even have the Cantonese Mee Sua! Not much places serve this you know.

The environment may not be a very comfortable place to be considering how HOT Malaysia is, but trust me when I say that their noodles will make it worth it. Their signature dish is their Fuk Gin Chao, they really put their heart into making a hearty, delicious and satisfying dish for their customers by adding in a generous amount of pork, and also some amount of prawns (although not as much, but still considered a lot more than those served in shopping malls). Adding on, the ingredients that are supposed to be in an authentic Fuk Gin Chao dish are all included into their dish, not one is missing. Even their honesty alone is worth the trip to try.

Nevertheless, the portion is seriously HUGE! Don’t even try ordering an a la carte each if you have an average or tiny stomach – you may not be able to finish it.

Details of the restaurant if you would like to visit:

Search Google Maps for: ??????? Ayer Panas Hawker Center

Address: Jalan Ayer Jemeh, Setapak, 53200 Kuala Lumpur.

Operation Hours: 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM

Price Range: RM 7 – 14

*Non-halal restaurant

There are actually more places other than those which have been featured here, but we can’t suggest everything that is available, so we recommended these 4 jewels according to our taste buds and wallet gurus. If it was possible then more photos would have been added but I suppose that would make this into a photo album rather than a post, so for more details be sure to venture there yourself! Bring your friends along for a good food hunt, and hopefully you’ve enjoyed this post and will enjoy the food you encounter at Setapak. Happy eating away! 

PS: Have a thing for hipster cafes? Try visiting these hidden gems in Kota Kemuning (which is a hidden township itself)!

By Denise Goh
August 18, 2015 | Food & Beverages