LITTLE HERITAGE HOUSE,
23, Ground & First Floor,
Jalan 17/56, 46400, Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7932 1810
Business hours: 10.30am to 3pm;
3pm to 5.30; 6pm to 10.30pm.
Pork free.
THE food business is a tough one to penetrate and sustain. However, if the food is good and the restaurant provides great service but the prices are expensive, would that be enough for customers to return? The jury is still out on that one.
It has been known for restaurants and cafes to shut down even if they fulfil the trifecta criteria – tasty food, cleanliness and competitive pricing.
Even if the establishment is known for having its resident creepy-crawlies but the food is tasty, customers turn a blind eye and keep returning.
Maybe there should be a fourth criteria – location.
Nestled with the residential enclave of Section 17 in Petaling Jaya is a charming restaurant that prides itself for serving authentic Nyonya cuisine; Little Heritage House – Straits Chinese Kitchen.
Little Heritage House – Straits Chinese Kitchen is a timeline concept dining experience dedicated to the revival of Straits Chinese culture in Section 17, Petaling Jaya.
Its managing director and owner C.K. Leo said one of the main reasons they have survived two-and-a-half years is its familiar, home-cooked dishes and the restaurant is pork-free.
“We have had customers ask us why we do not serve pork. The reason is that we prefer to include everyone from all races to come and enjoy our food,” he said.
As you walk into Little Heritage House, you will notice the rare collection of antique bowls and plates from Leo’s heritage – heirlooms, if you will.
Some of the crockery is for sale, says Leo. “I have managed to collect a lot of these rare pieces. Some of them are more than 100 years old,” he added.
Leo’s aunt is the person who rules the roost in the restaurant kitchen. “She has been a home cook for 45 years and I thought it was only fit that she helm our kitchen.”
According to him, a big part of the Baba Nyonya lifestyle is using ingredients (such as petai, ginger, torch ginger and locally grown vegetables and herbs) that are beneficial to one’s health in their menu.
“We ensure quality and freshness in our dishes, we don’t compromise on that,” said Leo.
The restaurant can comfortably seat 50 diners downstairs and 100 on the first floor (which is elegantly decorated with Baba Nyonya paraphernalia).
Assam Tamarind Prawns.
This dining room upstairs is ideal for private and corporate events.
The best selling dishes are the homemade Steamed Otak-Otak, Assam Tumis Stingray and Assam Tamarind Prawns.
You can really taste the fresh herbs and spices in the food.
We also had the Appetiser Platter consisting of fried springrolls, chicken meat rolls, prawn fritters and kerabu prawns; kiam chye arc (salty vegetable duck soup), nasi ulam; jiew hu char (salad of shredded turnip, cuttlefish and carrots) and Inchi Kabin (deep fried chicken).
The Inchi Kabin (deep-fried chicken).
The soup was a nice accompaniment to wash down the food and rest assured you will not taste any MSG here.
For dessert, we had pulut hitam with mata kuching, sago gula melaka, cendol with kidney beans and ais kacang (ABC). You will not be disappointed with the sweets as they are made with fresh coconut milk and palm sugar.
Sago Gula Melaka.
The food might be a tad pricey at Little Heritage House but regular and new customers still patronise the restaurant. Maybe, this is one eatery that will stay on for a long while.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement of StarMetro.
