Contributed by Brian Lee: Old China Cafe @ Petaling Street

This Chinatown restaurant is one of Kuala Lumpur's historical landmarks. Housed in an authentic Chinese shop house, the café is locally famous for its Nonya cuisine originating from the Chinese straits community of Melaka and Penang. It also serves Southeast Asian dishes. Once a guildhall, the café's interior walls are decorated with old photos and antiques reflecting the history of the local Chinese community. Menu highlights include the laksa or any of the Nonya curries.

Old China Cafe
No. 11, Jalan Balai Polis, Kuala Lumpur
Wilayah Persekutuan, 50000
Tel: 03-2072-5915

Old China Cafe is a café-restaurant that serves Southeast Asian cuisine. The premises of our café and gallery is actually the old guild hall of the Selangor and Federal Territory Laundry Association. The guild was set up at the turn of the century and moved to this part of Chinatown in the 1920s.

Malaccan Nonya food has evolved since the 15th century to become a highly distinct cuisine that has absorbed influences from the Chinese, Malay, Portuguese, Dutch and even the English. Likewise, if Malaccan Nonya food also had Indonesian influences then Penang Nyonya cuisine has certainly benefited from Siamese influences.