Old China Cafe

I would recommend this place if you are a newbie to Malaysian food.
This quaint café has a very classical styled décor, so, there are plenty of photo ops.
The food choices are decent, however, I believe that the level of spiciness is kept at a minimum as most of their clientele are foreign tourists. I spotted a few locals requesting for chilli (my table included).
I was very delighted with the dessert! The sago gula melaka was very good for the price of RM6.90. Their tiny bowl of Santan Durian set us back RM13.90, however, the seedless and sweet flesh mixed with santan gives the dessert an enhanced smooth texture. Very enjoyable though kinda pricey for something so small.

I was so excited for this meal. It had been a long time coming.
Two years ago on vacay in KL I heard Old China Café was one of the tastiest, most beautiful, historical etc etc. But each time we tried something got in the way. our last night we arrived too late and were turned away at the door. Cry!
So two years later, back in KL and Old China Café is first on my list. I’m sooo happy as we sit down, the restaurant is so calm, clean and perfectly fitted out with antique furniture and soft lighting I feel like we’re in Instagram. We sip tiger beers and order our favourites: laksa and beef rendang. And Chinese veggies for balance.
When the food arrives I actually applaud a little bit and «yaaaay!» like I’m on a Japanese variety show. So happy. I watch my husband try the laksa. «Umai!» I taste it and agree — yum! Lime (kalamansi?)-zingy coconut soup filled with all the tasty things — half a boiled egg, shrimp, fish cakes, soft fried tofu, chicken. Perfect.
Next, the rendang. The first taste and smell is amazing — coconut and lemongrass heaven. Then I chew. Huh?! The beef is thin-​sliced and tough, like an overcooked stir fry. Well, at least the flavor is amazing, I think. But this is definitely NOT beef rendang! How could they mess up such a staple dish? I asked the waiter if it was different to their usual rendang. Don’t know what I was expecting him to say — they ran out of amazing melt-​in-​your-​mouth slow-​cooked perfection so they whipped up this chewy substitute at the last minute? He answered that they also had a chicken rendang. Not sure if my question was lost in translation or not, but yep, chicken rendang. Go for the chicken rendang.
I read in some other reviews that Old China Café isn’t what it used to be. Ahhh if only we’d made it in two years ago, before they got sloppy with their beef rendang…

This is a beautiful restaurant that deserves more attention. I am glad the next door Ali, Muthu & Ah Huk was closed for holiday.
The décor is so beautifully done to make you feel you are really in Old China.
The food was very good, and service was very attentive, yet casual.
Every detail about this place is just lovely (check out their beautiful open toilet upstairs).
I think it is also a good sign that there are a lot of Chinese people here.
I had a great time, definitely coming back here.

Good food,
Good prices, respectful service colourful establishment, would go again!
Right off of Petaling street!

Walking around KL, we stumbled upon Old China Café (OCC) near the Police Station. Having heard of OCC before, we decided to walk in and give it a try.
The setting inside is beautifully done, with antique tables and chairs adorning fresh flowers. OCC is quite dimly lit, which gives it a rather calming ambiance overall.
We only snacked and ordered drinks this time around. The drinks weren’t fantastic; my watermelon juice was not chilled and lacked sweetness. The OCC white coffee was not bad though. I tried the Lemongrass drink for the first time, and I must say I’m not a big fan of the lemongrass taste as a drink. It’s served with a small pot of sugar syrup which did not made the drink any better for me.
We also ordered a plate of lobak (meat roll with vegetable). I am not very keen of OCC’s lobak because the skin was too crisp and there weren’t enough meat in the rolls. The chilli sauce which was meant to enhance the flavour didn’t seem to bring out any.
However, the fried noodle which the table next to us ordered looked pretty great, but we were already too stuffed to down another plate of carbohydrates.
The waiter who served us was friendly and efficient, which made our experience at OCC a little better.
I might just go back to try out their other dishes the next time I’m around the block. Getting here via public transport is convenient. Just drop off at the Pasar Seni LRT Station or get off the bus when it has arrive at Pasar Seni. Then walk through Chinatown, cross the main road, walk through a row of shops and at the end, turn left. The police station will be on your right. Old China Café is your left as you continue walking.

I didn’t quite know what to expect of this Old China Café but when I stepped into this café… It was pretty awesome. Old push-​swing doors, black and white photos, etc — the setting created a very warm ambiance with lots of nostalgia feels.
Looking at the menu, I thought the prices were quite alright but considering we weren’t hungry, we only went for drinks and an appetizer to share. I had the OCC White Coffee which was just average. My friends had the watermelon juice and fresh lemongrass, both of which were below average I thought. We had the lobak appetizer to share — again, was quite disappointed.
However, I think I would like to go to this café again because I really like the setting — and maybe, I will try their main dishes and hopefully, they won’t disappoint.

Old China Café is a heritage restaurant in KL, and possibly one of the oldest restaurant to be operating in the city. It looks its age, which isn’t a bad thing at all. They’ve hung a lot of old photos and displayed many nostalgic décor items that have aged together with the restaurant. It’s nice when you need a quick trip down memory lane.
However, I think the standards of food there have gone down. Back in the day, Old China used to serve really good Nyonya-​Chinese food. But these days, things are a little sloppy. The flavours aren’t as robust and the menu change doesn’t help. The staff are a bit abrupt which I also don’t appreciate in a setting that’s supposed to ignite fond memories.
I’m also bummed that they closed the tea house on the first floor. It used to be a nice respite from the heat and noise of the city.

I was on assignment that day and found this little restaurant that caught my attention.
I told myself I am having lunch here once I get my assignment done.
I managed to finish my assignment early and found my way there for my nasi lemak lunch.
The interior of Old China was dimly lit but it create relax atmosphere. Old antique furniture are placed as decorative and if I am not mistaken for sale too.
As soon as my nasi lemak arrived, I went into my world of indulgence but soon came back to reality when the first spoon was fed into my mouth.
The rice, sambal and condiment was just alright but the chicken was overcooked. Too dry and tasteless.
Another disappointing nasi lemak. Look forward and move on to the next nasi lemak adventure.