Chicken Rendang & Nasi Lemak at the Old China Cafe, Jalan Bilai Polis

This place features on all the ‘must eats’ in KL pages and frequently crops up as an essential place to try Nonya food. After a lot of wandering around the rainy streets of KL’s Chinatown and gesturing with local shop keepers we found the restaurant which sits in a traditional and historic Chinese shop house.
It was quiet when we arrived which surprised me given it’s prominence on the web and we quickly discerned it was more of a tourist spot (though still a very attractive and low- key atmosphere).
We ordered the lobak to share (fried beancurd sheets stuffed with carrot, turnip and pork) which was served with a spicy/sweet chilli jam- these were hot, crispy, salty and very moreish. I went for the Nonya chicken rendang which was very similar to a Thai red curry which surprised me; I was expecting a dish with more spices and fewer herbal/citrus notes. It was rich and creamy from the coconut milk and came with several chunky pieces of chicken. I wonder whether being chicken, the spice paste is lighter/fresher than the richer aromatic paste used for say a beef rendang? I’m certainly not an expert in Malaysian food by any means so would be more than happy to hear your thoughts. My husband settled on the nasi lemak for his meal, which was beautifully presented and came with the usual assortment of ikan bilis (fried anchovies), peanuts, boiled egg, cucumber, sambal, some of the chicken rendang and some puffed crackers. The beautiful blue colour of the nasi kerabu speckled throughout the rice is a natural colouring from a flower. The textures within this dish are incredible; soft, crunchy, chewy with huge contrast between the very salty and the sweet.
The food (excluding drinks) bill came in at 34MYR (about £6.50) which was good value for the quality of food, presentation and ambience. It’s perhaps not the best place to eat if you are looking to eat where the locals eat but for beautifully prepared, tasty food in an interesting building, it’s a great choice.