Craving for Kelantanese food? There are plenty of places in Kuala Lumpur that serves Kelantanese cuisines or delicacies from the East Coast of Malaysia but if you are looking for those that are not only authentic but decently priced, there’s one place that I would highly recommend you to go to; the Fatimah Food Cafe.
Founded by Datuk Abd Ghani Salleh and his wife, the cafe was named in honour of his beloved mother-in-law. This restaurant has been in operation for the past three years and has received encouraging response, especially from Menara MARA tenants and nearby offices.
Conveniently located at Level 4 of Busana@Menara MARA (Primiera Hotel Kuala Lumpur) in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur, the cafe focuses on serving the best of Kelantanese delicacies.
Their menu is pretty impressive, and here’s highlighting what’s worth your calories over there; Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Dagang, Laksam and Nasi Lemak.
Nasi Kerabu is one of the many popular dish which is mostly served at the East Coast of Malaysia. Literally translated as rice salad and this dish usually comes with blue coloured rice and all sort of ulams (Malay herbs and vegetables) and meat floss with a touch of the budu and sambal on top of it. The correct way to enjoy the Nasi Kerabu is by mixing the rice and the condiments of ‘ulam’, sauce and whatever meat floss/coconut floss together well as if you would do with a Western Salad before eating them up. This is simply a divine and wholesome treat that actually helps you cleanse your palate and helps you with your disgestion, but not everyone will like the minty and herbal scents that came from the ‘ulam’. I used to hate this rice dish as a child, but as I grew older, I come to appreciate the taste and the novel experience and crave for a good plate of Nasi Ulam Kelantan every now and then. The one served in Fatimah Food Cafe is one of the best Nasi Kerabu in Kuala Lumpur I’ve tasted so far.
Nasi Dagang is a Malay traditional dish that consists of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and acar (pickled cucumber and carrots) on the side. It is a well-known breakfast food in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia and also popular in southern Thai provinces like Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. I can’t really tell you how this dish taste like as I gave this a miss during my visit to Fatimah Food Cafe in favour of their Nasi Kerabu, but seeing my friends polishing their Nasi Dagang off from their plate assures me that the Nasi Dagang should be good as well.
Laksam, also known as Laksei in Kelantan and Laksang in Terengganu is a type of rolled noodles dish that originates from Kelantan and Terengganu. Laksam noodles made from rice flour and eaten with creamy gravy. In comparison to other varieties of traditional noodles in Malaysia, Laksam is pretty much a rare find, especially if you are living in Kuala Lumpur. Fatimah Food Cafe serves pretty good Laksam; with flavourful and creamy gravy that tasted so rich on the palate, so if you are craving for a nice bowl of authentic Laksam, Fatimah Food Cafe is definitely the place that you’ll need to drop by.
Nasi Lemak, the all time favourite Malaysian coconut milk rice dish is also available here at the cafe for those who prefers something that they are familar with instead of the Kelantanese delicacies.
Assorted tidbits and snacks like traditional Malay cookies, meat floss and bottled sambals are also sold here at Fatimah Food Cafe.
Hot Honey Lemon Drink is highly recommended beverage over here. Sweet, sourish and soothing, the concoction also provides nourishment for the body and is especially great to combat heaty body as well as sore throat.
What’s interesting about Datuk Abd Ghani Salleh is that apart from being passionate about food, he is also a huge fan of travel and fashion. Wishing to share his interest with likeminded people, Datuk Abd Ghani Salleh opens the First Time Around boutique. The boutique is located just next to Fatimah Food Cafe, at level 4 of Busana@Menara MARA. According to Datuk Abd Ghani Salleh, traveling overseas is exciting and he will usually take the opportunity to bring back fancy and rare accessories from abroad to sell in the First Time Around Boutique.
The boutique is unique and different from other competiting boutiques in Busana@Menara MARA. First Time Around offers tees in fanciful prints and daring patterns that cannot be found elsewhere. Women’s bags are also sold here at reasonable prices. The range of leather bag is priced between RM100-300 and PVC / PU bag is below RM100.
Visiting the boutique with my son after our meal at Fatimah Food Cafe proves to be highly rewarding. These are our fashionable finds, beautiful tees in black with floral prints and artful patterns.
What do you think? Isn’t this cool? The T- shirt price is pretty much affordable and starts from RM40 per piece.
I have always been a glutton and a little vain pot, and being able to indulge in great food and fashion at the same time is like having the best of both worlds and I highly recommend this place not only for foodies but for fashion junkies as well.
For more information on both of the cafe and boutique, check out the information below:
Fatimah Food Cafe & First Time Around Boutique
Address: Aras 4, Busana, Menara MARA, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.
Business hours: 8am– 6pm (Monday -Friday)
Contact no: 019-3764222
Delivery service: Honestbee& FoodPanda
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/fatimahfood/
Instagram:www.instagram.com/kafefatimahfood