This outlet offers Middle Eastern dishes at half the price charged at Lebanese restaurants in the Klang Valley.
My buddy Zakri ?Billy? Baharuddin had informed me of this eatery after he made it his regular haunt.
Meaty set: The chicken and lamb combination platter.
“Eh bradder, I found this makan place while looking for a place to have dinner with my family and ever since, we have been eating here almost every day lah!
“They serve the Arabic mandey (rice with meat) at prices that will blow your mind away,”he said.
I trust this guy when it comes to good halal food and made arrangements with him to give the cafe a try.
Medan Selera Jalan Duta (GPS N 03 10.440, E 101 40.331) is located off Jalan Duta and the nearest landmark is the Federal Territory mosque.
Cafe Arab is located on the second floor, right above the food court.
This is a self-service makan place and the dishes offered here are roasted chicken, chicken Kabsah and lamb Kabsah.
Now, what’s interesting is the set meals for three which you can order at RM30 per set.
This means, three people can eat in a single-seating.
So, after asking around, the highly recommended dish is the roast chicken and lamb Kabsah combination.
For a party of two, the bill came up to RM29 for the combination platter.
Drinks are provided free-of-charge and my obvious choice was the bottomless Teh Arab.
When it comes to quality, I would rate the chicken and lamb combination platter at 6 out of 10 on the Samo-scale.
I found the lamb to be very good as it was soft and tender. Its also full of flavour and went down really well with the long grain rice that came with it.
As for the chicken, it was a little bit dry for my taste, but a spicy tomato-based dip that was served together, made up for it.
My benchmark for good Middle Eastern food is the Al-Rawsha restaurant near the Kampung Pandan roundabout.
But for the budget-concious person, the Cafe Arab is definitely worth a try.
Apart from the lamb and chicken sets, there are other dishes listed on their website at www.nasiarab.com
The cafe opens from Monday to Saturday from 11am – 11pm.
