CHUUP Cafe used to be my go-to place whenever I needed a convenient lunch or dinner stop. 

I never got tired of its homestyle food, which includes dishes like the Hainanese chicken rice, Grandma’s pork Chuup, and aglio olio spaghettini with lemon grass and pork strips. These are still on the menu seven years later, which is a testament to their popularity.

We were at Chuup earlier this year, when dine-in was allowed, for the Hainanese chicken rice balls (RM15.90). These rice balls, famous in Malacca, are a rare find in the Klang Valley area.

The smooth and luscious kampong (village) chicken was the perfect pairing with the moist and aromatic chicken rice balls. The hot ginger dip and garlic chilli sauce that came with the dish elevated the taste further. 

We also indulged in some Chuup popiah (RM4.30). Topped with fried shallots, which was generously filled with braised bangkuang (yam bean), dried shrimps, crispy fried lard, beansprouts, lettuce, omelette strips, and beansprouts. The aroma and crunchy texture of the fried lard and zesty chili sauce were lovely complements to the dish. 

The pork satay (RM6) is my personal all-time favourite. The pork was marinated with turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, and other spices for three days to achieve its juiciness, tenderness, and aroma.

Paired with a delicious Hainanese pineapple peanut sauce, the satay can be a meal on its own (in a double or triple portion).

Another attraction is Chuup’s siew yuk (roast pork) nasi kerabu (RM17). The crispiness of the roast pork skin was an added delight to a rice dish that was a melange of textures, flavours, and lovely aromas. 

The dish featured blue rice tinted naturally with bunga telang (butterfly pea flower), along with fried lard, salted egg, salted fish, kerisik (toasted grated coconut), long beans and four-angled beans ulam (salad), four-angled beans, bunga kantan (torch ginger flower), kaffir lime leaves, together with a sambal and gulai gravy.

The roast pork took centre stage of course, but the dish is also available with fried chicken or gulai chicken, both at RM22. 

The Nasi kerabu is available on Thursdays while chicken rice is served on the weekends.

At our most recent encounter with Chuup this week, we ordered takeaways of the Chuup nasi lemak with pork rendang, mee Hailam, and the fire hog meal.

The most distinctive part of the Chuup nasi lemak (RM15.90) was the fragrant rice, which was well-cooked with coconut milk and pandan.  

The nasi lemak came up to mark and went so well with the tender and spicy pork rendang chunks, accompanied by sambal, acar, blanched kangkung, egg, fish crackers, peanuts, and ikan bilis.

The fire hog meal (RM32) is grilled pork ribs served with sweet potato fries. The rib sits in a marinade of garlic, ginger juice, black pepper and other ingredients for two days before being braised and grilled in Ibu Lusy’s kicap manis (sweet soy sauce).

Ibu Lusy is the mother of Karen Wong, who assists her father Wong Hee Heng, who is the executive chef of Chuup, in the cooking.

Karen’s mother hails from Jakarta, a place that served as the inspiration for the family recipe behind the ribs. The calamansi juice added a tart lift to the sweet and savoury tender ribs, which was also served with a fiery sambal terasi (shrimp paste) and sweet soy sauce.

The meat was tender and flavourful, especially the charred bits. The sweet potato fries went perfectly with the ribs.

Chuup’s food is reflective of the Hainanese heritage of its owners, whose grandparents and great grandparents were in the food business. 

The mee Hailam (RM15.90) recipe comes from Karen’s great grandmother, who ran the Merdeka Restaurant in Brickfields a long time ago.

The yellow noodles are fried in searing heat in the wok with prawns, fishcake and chicken slices, then braised in a special sauce. It is served with a yummy dried prawn sambal.

Other popular dishes at Chuup include grandma’s pork Chuup, roasted pork roulade (available during Christmas and Chinese New Year, and which requires pre-ordering), ayam bakar Ibu Lusy, Kiam Wu Hor Yoke (Hainanese stewed pork belly with tofu, salted fish, garlic and ginger), and Hainanese Bak Zhan (glutinous rice dumpling seasoned with dried cuttlefish, dried shrimps and other goodies, wrapped and steamed in banana leaves).

Chuup is located at 40 Jalan SS22/25, Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya. Contact 019 7733 282 for takeaways. It is closed on Tuesday. – August 21, 2021.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.