Chinta by Chinoz aces it with Malay favourites

There’s an old-world feel about Chinta by Chinoz, a new Malay eatery in Bukit Bangsar. We delight in the burnished teak cake counter, Chinese medical hall cupboard, collapsible teak chairs, and a collection of antique brass bowls and trays, among others.

The Blueberry Bundt Cake on a brass stand. In the background is an antique cupboard and chest of drawers

The old spelling of Chinta fits well with the ambience. Besides, the food was carried out on a round enamel flower tray for our lunch. On it were: Daging Salai Gulai Lemak, Ayam Rose (masak merah), Ayam Rendang Hijau, Asam Pedas Ikan Tenggiri, Sambal Udang and Kerabu Pucuk Paku. There was also Mee Rebus Johor.

Old school drinks like Long’s ais krim soda and sarsi at Chinta. On the right is Sarbat Pulau Pinang, of rose syrup and coconut water

We had the old-school Long’s ais krim soda and sarsi (made in Melaka) to quench our thirst, as well as Sarbat Pulau Pinang, which is a blend of spiced rose syrup and coconut water, with agar agar strips inside.

Ayam Rendang Hijau — hot, fragrant and delicious

There was a touch of fineness in the dishes we had, particularly the Ayam Rendang Hijau. It had lots of oomph, with the fragrance of herbs and spices, and heat of chilli. It was so good that we wished there was more gravy with the chicken though it’s a rendang!

Ayam Rose or ayam masak merah

The Daging Salai Gulai Lemak was done well. The tender beef had a smoky aroma and perfectly blended with the rich coconut curry.

Daging Salai Gulai Lemak — smoky and rich

I liked it that all the dishes we had were never sweet, with nicely tuned flavours. I would have expected the usual sweetness in the Ayam Rose (masak merah) but it just had a hint of that.

Asam Pedas Ikan Tenggiri

Ayam Pedas Ikan Tenggiri was hot and lightly sour, with ladies fingers lightly cooked in the curry. The Sambal Udang was naturally sweet with onions and we enjoyed the fresh prawns in the hot gravy.

Kerabu Pucuk Paku — with well-tuned flavours

Kerabu Pucuk Paku was an excellent spicy salad, with balanced flavours – one pf the best I’ve had. All these were served in floral plates that harked back to our mother’s or grandmother’s time.

Johor Mee Rebus, a fine rendition

I loved the Johor Mee Rebus for its fine, spiced sweet potato gravy scented with herbs, generously topped with flour crispies with dried prawns, tofu slices and hard boiled egg.

Gula Hangus — a lightly sweet kuih with its colour from caramel

Dessert for our Malay lunch had to be kuih. There was the flower-shaped Kuih Lapis that looked as good as it tasted and the dark Gula Hangus, made with caramel.

Kuih Lapis — so fine, so good

There was the draw of four cakes on the counter, sitting pretty on brass stands. We picked two – the Blueberry Bundt Cake and the Chinoz Layer. The second already made its name at Chinoz on the Park which closed a few months ago, after 24 years.

The beautifully iced Chinoz Layer. It has alternating layers of chococolate, red velvet and cream. A cake that’s been so popular at Chinoz, that it’s now at Chinta

Hence the owners – Teng Wee Jeh and Sandra Samad — started Chinta by Chinoz.

Blueberry Bundt Cake, left and the delectable Chinoz Layer

The Chinoz Layer is sublime, with chocolate and velvet cake in alternating layers with cream. The Blueberry Bundt is a lovely moist butter cake studded with blueberries.

A view of the restaurant interior

Our dishes were from the a la carte menu but there is a Nasi Campur set lunch at RM23++. For instance, you could have the Nasi Campur Salai which gives you Daging Salai Gulai Lemak, Sambal Tumis Udang, sambal belacan and ulam, salted egg, rice and kuih at the end.

Collapsible teak chairs at Chinta

The old Chinoz favourites are on the menu too, such as the House Cured Salt Beef on rye bread, Wagyu Steak Sandwich, Potato Gnocchi and Angel Hair Prawn Aglio Olio.