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 old spelling of “Chinta” fits well with the ambience.

Our lunch was brought to us on an enamel floral tray. On it were: daging salai gulai lemak, ayam rose (masak merah), ayam rendang hijau, asam pedas ikan tenggiri, sambal udang and kerabu pucuk paku. We also ordered the mee rebus Johor.

We had the old-school Long’s ais krim soda and sarsi (made in Malacca) 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.

There was a touch of finesse 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 the chilli. It was so good we wished there was more gravy, even though it is rendang!

The daging salai gulai lemak was executed well. The tender beef had a smoky aroma and blended perfectly with the rich coconut curry.

I liked that all the dishes 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 it.

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 was an excellent spicy salad with balanced flavours – one of the best I’ve had. All these were served in floral plates that harked back to our mothers’ or grandmothers’ time.

I loved the mee rebus Johor for its spiced sweet potato gravy scented with herbs, generously topped with flour crispies, dried prawns, tofu slices and a hard-boiled egg.

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.

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

The Chinoz layer was sublime, with chocolate and red velvet cake in alternating layers with cream. The Bundt was a lovely moist butter cake studded with blueberries.

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, ulam, salted egg and rice, with kuih at the end.

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.

Chinta by Chinoz is located at 24 Jalan Kemuja, Bukit Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. It is open daily from 10am to 9pm. Contact 03-2201 3756 for enquiries. – July 29, 2023.

* 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.