Tupai Tupai Restaurant & Cafe

**No photos for this review**

Tupai is the Malay word for squirrel. The double usage of some Malay words meant many, so Tupai Tupai means more than one squirrel.

This was an "accident" choice actually. Last nite, it was already past 9pm, hubby asked what do I feel like having. I told him Taiwanese or Shanghainese dumplings after thinking of Renee's. Conversation went like this...

Hubby: Where to find them?
Me: Hmm so late already, by the time we reach Ampang Point they would be closing.
Hubby: How about Sg Wang (a very old but not dated shopping mall)?
Me: Nahhh, not Esquire Kitchen too, cos closing soon too.
Hubby: How about the sui kow (another type of dumpling but this one serve in soup) at Sg Besi?
Me: Nope I dun want those type and that place don't have nice sui kow plus its expensive.
Hubby: So how lahhh??
Me: Do you think I'm pregnant??
Hubby: No, I don't remembering you being this picky during pregnancy.
Me: Well, different pregnancy, different behaviour!
Hubby: But this is worst than having such demands. Its more like you've got so many REQUIREMENTS!!
Me: Hahahaha... ok, I'm NOT preggy.
(by then we were passing by Jalan Hang Tuah Fire Station)
Me: How about going for Hokkien Char since we're already here?
Hubby: OK

After driving past the shop, all the available parking lots been taken up, including the illegal spaces. So drove thru the lane and thought of coming out of Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka. Darn, forgot they've blocked the road. No choice but to turn right instead.

Me: Eh there's a place call Tupai Tupai here
Hubby: What's that??
Me: Restaurant serving local food.
Hubby: Ok let's try.

So there we went... Gosh its FREE parking... so hard to find such places in the city. One plus point there hehehe. Saw the signboard and apparently the place belonged to some Malay press association or something.

The place is amazing. Basically look like a rustic kampung with the attap roof. Took a seat and soak in the ambience. The floors are completely built on silts and its entirely made out of wooden planks. Can hear creaking sounds each time people walked pass by. True to their tagline "Suasana di Rimba Kuala Lumpur" (Forest in Kuala Lumpur), the place looked as if its situated in the middle of a forest. It's amazing to find this place hidden right in the middle of the city.

Wahh they've got a few elevated wakaf (did I got the right Malay word here of a pavilion?) and it has low table. One need to sit bersila (cross legged in Malay) style. Cushions are provided.

Hubby being a real joker last nite, he asked the waitress, Miss A.

Hubby: Eh tempat tu (pointing to the wakaf) bila duduk, kaki akan tergantung ya?
(he meant since its elevated, when seated there, will the legs be left dangling thru the floorboard ala Japanese style) LOL
Miss A: Tak, tak. Kena duduk bersila. (No, No, need to sit cross legged)

After placing our orders, hubby went to the Gents. When he came back, he was laughing.

Hubby: The toilet here is meant for 7 footers!!!
Me: Huh???
Hubby: They placed the urinal so high up that only 7 footers would be able to shoot in there!! LOL
Me: Oh dear hahahaha...

Miss A came delivering our fresh starfruit juice (RM3.50) which were absolutely lousy cos they're so watered down!!!

Hubby: Tandas sini untuk orang tinggi lampai ya?
(The toilet here is meant for tall people?)
Miss A trying to hide her laughter: Ya lah, boleh guna tandas dalam bilik-bilik kecil
(Yes, can use those water closet inside the cubicles)
Hubby: Macam ini lebih baik jangan bina itu itu errr tempat kencing tu.
(Like that may as well don't build the urinals - he didn't know what urinal was known as in Malay)
Miss A: Itu tak tau lah
(She quickly walked away before hubby continue to ask her more sarky stuff. I was busy coughing away cos this happened when I was sipping my juice. I got chocked!!)

Came the bubur lambuk (rice porridge with minced meat and spices ala Malay which is usually available during Ramadhan {fasting month for the Muslims} month). Both hubby and I stared into the bowl, then to each other, then to the waiter whom delivered it.

Hubby: Apasal mangkuk kecil aje?
(How come such a small bowl? - It came in a rice bowl size!!!)
Waiter: Errr, you mau besar punya ke?
(You want a bigger bowl?)
Hubby: Ada tak?
(Got or not?)
Waiter: Errr tak ada lah, satu saiz aje.
(Don't have, come in one size only)
Hubby: **benggang** Tak pe lah
(Never mind)

Aduhai...(an expression in Malay)! This is so funny. Anyway, since it's our first time tasting bubur lambuk and haven't got round tasting the so called Royal Bubur Lambuk endorsed by the previous late Sultan of Selangor (this porridge is distributed free to the Muslims at a mosque in Kampung Baru), so can't comment much on it except that I feel more minced meat and spices could do more justice. And would be perfect if its topped with fresh spring onions plus deep fried shallots.

Came the bamboo lala dish fried ala kum heong (RM12.00) (longish shaped shell fish stir fried in dried shrimp, wee bit of curry powder and lots of curry leaves). Taste not bad. This dish is made famous by the Chinese restaurant. The dishes Tupai Tupai served is kinda of muhhibah (harmony in Malay. Its coined to represent the harmony living of the three major races in Malaysia which are the Malay, Chinese and Indian) a bit. Ohhh gosh, here we go again...

Hubby: Apasal lala ni kurus sangat??
(How come the shell fish so skinny?)
Miss A: Ini memang size dia.
(This is the size)
Hubby: Bukan itu besar besar punya.(Not the big one?)
Miss A: Bukan (She hurriedly went away LOL)
(No)

By then my Spring Onion and Ginger Stir Fry Beef Kueh Teow (RM6.80) (Flat rice noodles stir fried in beef, spring onion and ginger) came, my stomach is filled with all the air I sucked in during all the laughters sarky hubby created. This dish a bit on the salty note. I don't blame them for I've been on a low sodium diet since childhood. Overall, its quite close to those I've tasted in Chinese noodle dai zhau (big fry - stir fry stalls).

Hubby: Eh... how come the porridge got paper one??
(He removed the brownish bits from his mouth and place them on the table to show me)
Me trying to join in his sarkiness: I think its complimentary from the Malay press association (very straight face)
Hubby: Oh yeah horrr... hmmmm...

Anyway, he whacked the whole bowl of porridge. Miss A walked by and hubby waved for her.

Hubby: Err ini... kertas... eh atau surat khabar ke?? Surat khabar hari ni ke??
(This one is paper or newspaper? It is today's newspaper?)
Miss A: Huh??
Hubby: Ni... (pointing to the bit of paper)
Miss A: Sorry ye... nak tambah lagi tak?
(Sorry... do you want to add more porridge)
Hubby caught by surprise: Boleh tambah punya?
(Can add more one?)
Miss A: Boleh
(Can)
Hubby: OK, terima kasih ya tapi tak nak itu surat khabar punya boleh tak??
(OK, thanks but please don't add in any newspaper)

I was nearly choking on my noodles by then. Hubby is an amazing creature. I guess Malaysians are very tolerant lot. I would have stopped after the bit of paper is found.

Miss A came with the porridge and someone wearing batik shirt came by. I assumed he's a manager or something. Without even apologising, he just mentioned that the porridge is complimentary and walked off.

OK and you think that was all the sarkiness??? Wait till you hear this, Tupai Tupai has got a weighing scale right at the entrance (photo taken using my mobile so kinda blur)!!! Yes, don't ask me why and funny I didn't ask them too hehehe. No No, we did not weigh ourselves there ok hahaha


The yellow signage on the left said "Sebelum, Selepas" (Before, After) and the white signage said "Perhatian: Pembaziran melebihi 100gm akan dikenakan bayaran RM10/100gm" (Notice: Wastage more than 100gm will be charged RM10/100gm). We just wondered why the white notice is placed there cos its certainly not the right scale to weight food wastages. Hubby had the cheek to ask me, how do they know which 100gm you've eaten is wastage??? Gossshhh... more air into my tummy!

OK OK conclusion - maybe the white signage was meant for those who are taking the Ramadhan buffet (adult RM33) and it was not supposed to have placed next to the weighing scale ahahaha!!!

I think for this dinner, I had "eaten" more air than the food served at Tupai Tupai. Overall, I think I'll visit again to try other dishes. They've got plenty of ala carte dishes in the menu other than the usual fried noodles and rice. Their signboard said their speciality was ikan bakar (grill fish) but it was only available in teh buffet. Strange isn't it? Great place to have muhibbah lunch, dinner or supper!

Tupai Tupai Restaurant & Cafe
No. 551A Jalan Bukit Petaling
50460 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2143 2525