Tiny Food Cafe is a new vegan restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. It opened its doors in Plaza Damas about 6 months ago. There’s a variety of food on the menu from the “Not so TINY Breakfast” and colourful oatmeal to Char Siu Tofu Curry Pasta and a selection of desserts. The price for a dish is on average MYR 20. Recently, I got to try their limited time Raya specials.
Tiny Food Selera Raya Vegan
On the second day of Eid, I had lunch at Tiny Food Cafe KL. I was delighted to find out that they are serving special dishes just for Raya month. I like it when restaurants come up with vegan versions of local food. It’s always interesting to see and taste their experiments.
NASI YUM RENDANG
It’s not Raya without Rendang in Malaysia. So of course we had to try this dish. There are many variations of rendang and this one seems to take on the lighter coloured version, seemingly with more coconut milk. Usually, that might mean a lower spicy level, but this one maintains a certain degree. But it was still tolerable for me. Note that my spice tolerance is not very high but my friend with a higher tolerance said it’s good. They added Hericium (monkeyhead) mushroom in the rendang gravy. Instead of the fake ikan bilis (which I don’t prefer) they used thinly cut fried tempeh instead. And I liked that they’re not stingy with the cucumber and carrot slices. All in all, I’d say it’s delicious, filling, and worth the price!
NASI YUM MASAK MERAH
I thought the Rendang was spicy but this was spicy-er! So warning to those with low spice tolerance. But this is definitely a real good kick for spicy food lovers. There was tempeh in the Masak Merah in addition to the Hericium mushroom. The other side dishes were similar to the ones in Nasi Yum Rendang. I’d have enjoyed this more if it was half as spicy.
PECAL JAWA
Technically, this isn’t a local dish as Pecal Jawa originates in Indonesia. But both cultures share some similarities anyway. This is a good option if you’re not too hungry but still need to eat. Pecal Jawa is basically a salad with peanut sauce. In Tiny’s vegan version, there are (air?) fried tofu and tempe, chopped cucumbers, bean sprouts, long beans, leafy greens, and white radish. I feel like the peanut sauce was bland and could do with more peanuts and other flavouring.
ROSE BANDUNG LATTE
I hope this drink can be in the regular menu because it was SO GOOD. It’s sirap bandung with coffee and oat milk. If you like rose tasting drink, this is for you! And if you can drink coffee, of course. Highly recommend.
Other Vegan Food at Tiny
We ordered a few things from their regular menu. If you can spare a tummy, you must try these.
CAULI BITES
This sharable plate of fried cauliflowers was fantastic. It has the right amount of crisp and flavours. It’s usually served with mayo but there was also the BBQ sauce, which we preferred. This is a great sharing starter dish.
MANGO MATCHA
If you love mango and matcha, you would love this smoothie. Enough said.
PECAN PIE
This Pecan Pie was amazing! I personally love pecan so this was perfect for me. Someone said that this tasted like a Malay dessert called wajik or pulut manis which is made of glutinous rice, sugar and coconut milk. I don’t think I’ve tried that (or maybe I did but forgot) so I can’t say for sure. Nevertheless, the pecan pie is a must try!
(Not So) Tiny Vegan Food in Plaza Damas
Overall, I enjoyed the food! The portion, taste and price are reasonable. Don’t be put off by the restaurant name — the dishes are not tiny! I would like to come again to try the other dishes on their regular menu like the Shakshuka. I can’t fathom a Shakshuka without eggs so that should be interesting. And they have a wide selection of vegan beverages such as coffee, matcha, smoothies and fruit juices. Worth a visit!
