When we arrived for a weekday lunch, the place was so packed with the office crowd, the friendly and efficient service staff seated us in the neighboring eatery, though we could select our dishes from the Café Oriental menu. Kudos to service staff with initiative. Café Oriental is a new little nook tucked in the corner of Amara and, from what we could see from where we sat, is simply dressed with marble top tables reminiscent of the coffee shops of old. The fish bee hoon soup—a recommendation by the waiter—was generous in volume with plenty of noodles, and thick slices of fish in a tasty broth. We were impressed by the portions and it was delicious, but it was not out of the ordinary. The liberal portion of the Penang kuay teow was tasty and full of ingredients. The durian chendol was an extremely good way to end our meal, leaving us begging for more. It was chock-a-block with durian meat, giving a rich creamy texture to the dessert among the crunchy red beans and green jelly. Funnily enough, it was not that sweet, which made it even more delicious. Here’s a nice place if you don’t mind paying hotel prices for decent local food.
Cafe Oriental is open 24 hours every day.
