Nasi Arab @ D'Arab Cafe, Section 7, Shah Alam

1. Arabic tea made with mint leaves, cardamom pods and cloves, 2. the simple yet alluring chicken kabsah

One of the best things in being a foodie is people tend to share with you, great tips on where to eat all the time. Recently, Splashie Boy's family have been talking about this amazing find in Shah Alam - a place that sold Middle Eastern food right smack in Malay suburbia. Being a great fan of that type of cuisine, we enthusiastically tracked this place down after vague descriptions given by them. We're awfully glad we made the effort, as food was superb and best of all, very reasonably priced.

the aromatic lamb aukdah

The place may not look much in terms of the set up - just a simple lot in a food court. Nor did the food look impressive BUT taste the food and it will knock your tastebuds like hitting a jackpot in a slot machine. Ting! Ting! Ting! Our tastebuds went on overload with the food.

We absolutely loved the fragrant lamb aukdah (RM9 with bread) - shredded lamb fried with potatoes, tomatoes and onions. Even the simple looking chicken kabsah (RM10 for a set with briyani rice) - boiled chicken with spices comes with meat that is fork tender and so tasty, you'll have no trouble finishing the huge portions.

the sauce here is addictively good

What made the food even more special was this spicy and tangy sauce made with tomatoes, garlic and bird's eye chillies - an addictive concoction that I kept eating non-stop. Seems the stall owners also has another outlet in Bangi and they opened this place to cater to the huge Arabic student population in nearby UITM. I guess it must work as when we were eating a very late lunch there, a group of Arabic students were also eating there.

For us, we found the prices were very reasonable as the portions served were enormous. As they mainly cater to students, they try to offer the best deals here. Most of the items range from RM3 to RM17. They are usually sets that are served with either rice or bread and consists of liver, omelette, roast chicken, chicken and lamb kabsah, chicken and lamb aukdah, hummus and foal - a type of red bean dip. The most expensive item on the menu is lamb hanith (RM17 with rice) - fork tender and delicious lamb with spices, cooked in a foil packet. The hummus is pretty decent here but not as smooth as other places.

If you love Middle Eastern food, give this place a try as it is totally worth a drive to Shah Alam. The lady who served us, claims she used to work in the Middle East for 25 years hence she learnt to make such excellent dishes at such reasonable prices. For more pictures, see my Flickr set.

D'Arab Cafe
Lot 3, Kompleks Anjung 7
Jalan Zikron B 7/B
Section 7
Shah Alam

Tel: 017-6821700/019-3375959

LT Cafe
Lot 8, Food Court 2
Uniten Bangi
Selangor

Tel: 019-2122401

(Halal. The Shah Alam outlet is open from 11am to 11pm daily. Stall is located within a food court, which is right next to Unisel. To get here, from the Federal Highway, turn left when you see Kampung Jawa. At the traffic light, take a right turn and go straight until you see signs to Unisel. Take a right turn after Unisel's entrance and go straight up, you will pass a Shell Station on your right. Make a U-turn at first right turn and after the Shell station, make a left turn. You will see the food court at the back of Unisel. For the map, see this link.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.