La Vie En Rouge
Also known as ‘Sayeed’s Place’ or ‘The Lebanese’
A tiny sidewalk cafe tucked into a lane that runs off Jalan Hang Kasturi. As this is a sidewalk cafe (or cafe trottoir as the owner calls it), there is no inside seating; just four small tables in the laneway. It is very picturesque and tourists will often stop and sit at the tables to pose for selfies.
The menu is a Lebanese / international fusion, and the owner cooks, serves and cleans everything himself in a tiny kitchen, so things can take a while to arrive. The sole operator is also responsive to customer requests, so if you like the shawarma bread crispy - just ask. Drinks are not listed on the menu, but Arabic coffee is served on request. Sayeed will pop out to a nearby store to get anything else you might want to order (100+, coke, water, beer).
I generally stick with the chicken calzone when I eat at Sayeed’s place, but looking around at what other people eat, the salads look fresh and tasty and the hummus servings are larger than I would expect. Next time I go, I’m going to try the lamb, coconut and pineapple curry.
My Iranian friend had heard about this place from local shopkeepers, and wanted to try it for herself, but she always walked past it because she thought that all the red lanterns hanging outside meant it was a Chinese restaurant.
Beyond the hole in the wall kitchen is a bohemian budget backpacker lodge, so there is a lot of shoulder-rubbing with the younger baba cool traveller-types. The menu prices reflect the shoestring budgets of many of the backpacker guests, so not only is it tasty, cool and trendy - it’s also cheap, tasty, cool and trendy.