Reposted from the web

Summary: This Kuala Lumpur halal food map issue 8 explains how halal certification works in Malaysia, then follows the author through desserts, Vietnamese food, Lebanese food, Iranian rice, burgers, pastries, coffee, and family-friendly Muslim dining around Ampang.

In previous issues of my Kuala Lumpur Halal Food Map, I've covered how to find halal restaurants in Malaysia. This time, I'll focus on explaining it further. Very few restaurants in Malaysia have official halal certification. Usually, only large chains or big establishments display the certification mark. Most small street-side eateries don't have it. This is because Malaysia doesn't allow private businesses to self-certify as halal. To get certified, you have to pay a fee. The official price is only a few hundred Malaysian ringgit. But if you go through an agent, it can cost tens of thousands. You can guess why there's such a big difference.

So, to save money, many restaurant owners hint that their place is halal in other ways. They might hire waitstaff who wear headscarves or write 'no pork' on the menu. Malaysians know this is common practice and don't only eat at places with official halal certification. Of course, some Malaysians do only eat at certified places. I don't get too hung up on this issue myself. I also don't think it's necessary to question the halal status of food too deeply. For more on this, see the article 'Egypt's Grand Mufti: Don't Be Overly Inquisitive About Whether Meat is Halal.' I've also discussed food issues in my video series.

Here's the list of restaurants featured in this issue:

1. Sugirl Desserts (Malaysian desserts)

2. RUYI ONE (Vietnamese)

3. AL-Amar (Lebanese)

4. MODU (Korean)

5. NASI KANDAR UMAR (Indian)

6. WALLANCE (Fast food)

7. Hai Ji Beef Pan-Fried Buns

8. piccoli lotti (Italian ice cream)

9. Jibby chow (Cantonese dim sum)

10. UNIVERSAL BAKEHOUSE (Bakery)

1. Sugirl Desserts



Mid Valley Megamall is the hardest mall to find parking at in Kuala Lumpur. I came here on a quiet Thursday afternoon and spent over an hour circling before finding a spot. I highly recommend taking public transport if you visit. This small Nanyang-style dessert shop is located at the top of the stairs on the third floor of the mall. It's not too crowded here, making it a nice spot to relax.



This dessert reminds me of the dessert chain Honeymoon Dessert back home. Its flavor is light and sweet, but this shop's desserts have more of a Southeast Asian flair.



Address: Lot T-045A, 3rd Floor, The Boulevard Office Mid Valley City, Mid Valley City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

2. RUYI ONE



A new shopping district has opened in Ampang’s education hub. We’ve been here many times; the Spanish restaurant we ate at last time is in this area. It’s not too crowded yet, and there are many boutique shops to explore. This place is one of them, serving Vietnamese food.



We came to this small shop because we wanted to drink Vietnamese coffee and have a casual meal.



This restaurant serves no pork and no alcohol. The coffee is delicious.







I visited Vietnam once and had a wonderful time. There are no halal Vietnamese restaurants in Beijing yet, so finding one in Kuala Lumpur is a must-try.



Vietnamese cuisine has a few signature dishes. The first is the Vietnamese sandwich, along with spring rolls and pho.



The spring rolls and pho here are quite authentic. After all, Malaysia and Vietnam are neighbors, so the flavors aren't too different.



Address: Unit G-15, Ground Floor, The Campus Ampang, Lot 7706, Jalan Kolam Air Lama, Mukim, Hulu Kelang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor

3. AL-Amar



This is a Lebanese restaurant on the sixth floor of Pavilion mall, decorated exquisitely. Pavilion is a popular shopping area swarming with tourists and is very lively.



When taking children out to eat in Kuala Lumpur, I prefer Arabic restaurants. The Mandi rice or grilled chicken here are suitable for kids because they aren't spicy.





Lebanese salads are also good for children. Fahim, for example, loves the cucumbers and tomatoes in the salad.



This is a small portion of Mandi chicken rice. The chicken is especially tender, and it comes with cashews and raisins. The children really like it.

Address: Lot 6.10, level 6, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 168, Jln Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

4. MODU



MODU is a new Korean restaurant in the TRX mall that's really popular right now. You'll probably wait about an hour for lunch, but you can grab a number at the counter and explore the mall. Your phone will get a notification when your table is ready, and the staff will also call you.





This halal sign means they're applying for certification, but it hasn't been approved yet.



Looking at the menu, it's hard to tell exactly what each dish is.



Most of the diners here are young Asian women. There are definitely a lot of Koreans here.



The restaurant has a lot of space, the decor is really nice, and the staff are very friendly.



We chose a clay pot chicken soup and a black chicken soup. They come with a bowl of sticky rice and side dishes. This chicken has sticky rice stuffed inside, and the soup is really fresh and very mild.



It has ginseng in it, which is great for women's health. A set meal costs about 70 Malaysian ringgit.



The chicken is small, perfect for one person. The meat just falls off the bone – it melts in your mouth.



Address: Lot L2T.04.0, Level 2, The Exchange TRX, Persiaran TRX, Imbi, 55188 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

5. NASI KANDAR UMAR



Nasi Kandar, or 'pole rice,' is a common fast food in Malaysia. It's a specialty of Indian Muslims, about as popular as Lanzhou beef noodles are back home. Most of these stalls are halal.



You just tell the server what you want on your plate, then pay at the cashier. A plate of rice usually costs around ten ringgit, and with a milk tea, it's usually under twenty.



The only downside is that this rice is usually a bit spicy, so it's not great for kids. But I go for it when I can't decide what else to eat.

Address: 37 3G, Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

6. WALLACE



Wallace is a fast-food joint selling burgers and fried chicken. This new spot is celebrating its opening with a deal: three burgers for just 9.9 ringgit.



These burger joints are a hit with everyone in Kuala Lumpur, young and old. Almost all of them are halal, including McDonald's and KFC.



Wallace's fried chicken burgers taste pretty good. The best part is the price – three for 9.9 ringgit. You can't ask for more than that.



My son hasn't quite fallen in love with burgers and fries yet. I wonder if he'll like them later on.



Address: M5A, 11, Jalan Pandan Indah 4/1, Pandan Indah, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

7. Hai Ji Beef Pan-Fried Buns



Next to Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles on Petaling Street, there's a shop called Hai Ji Beef Pan-Fried Buns. These buns are a bit bigger than the ones from Henan and Shandong. They taste great. Petaling Street is a hub for Chinese food, mainly serving Chinese cuisine.



Address: 38, Jalan Sultan, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

8. PICCOLI LOTTI



This Italian ice cream shop on the first floor of Ampang Point is run by Malays. Italian ice cream is famous, mainly because they use good quality milk and don't add extra water. This shop's ice cream is just like that, with over ten flavors to choose from.



On hot days, I love visiting dessert shops like this. They usually also have various coffee drinks and seating areas. Kids love them too.



Address: Ground Floor, Ampang Point

9. JIBBY CHOW



A new Cantonese-style tea restaurant has opened at Ampang Point. This place serves dim sum all day, so we could still enjoy it even though we arrived in the afternoon.



Everyone eating here is Malay. Malays really love Cantonese morning tea.



The shop's decor features traditional Chinese cultural elements, but the servers are all Malay.







You can sit here all afternoon with a pot of Pu'er tea and a few dim sum dishes.



The soup dumplings, char siu bao, and shaomai here are all delicious and steamed fresh.



The chicken char siu bao has a dim sum-like texture and a sweet flavor. It's not quite as good as the lamb char siu bao at Guangzhou Hui Muslim restaurants, which is truly exceptional.



Address: Level 2, Ampang Learning City.

10. UNIVERSAL BAKEHOUSE



This popular bakery in Ampang Learning City has many branches and is usually packed. However, the branch we visited in Ampang wasn't too crowded.



These kinds of fancy bakeries are very popular in Malaysia, especially with young women who love to take photos here.





I like to eat bread with coffee for breakfast, along with a light salad. It leaves me feeling refreshed.



Actually, this shop has very few types of bread. I don't understand why it's so popular.



When you dine in, they give you butter. I like to eat bread with butter, just like I do for breakfast at the hotel.



Their coffee is also quite good. There are several other specialty coffee shops in Ampang Learning City that I'll check out later.

Address: Level 1, Ampang Learning City. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This 2025 Guangzhou halal food map follows Xiaobei, Shangbu, no-alcohol halal dining, Asia International Hotel, Cantonese morning tea, Baghdad Cuisine, American-style barbecue, Xinjiang Mansion, Hui Muslim Restaurant, Antalya, MADO, Indonesian food, Lebanese food, and Middle Eastern restaurants.

I have been to Guangzhou at least five times. This time, a business trip gave me the chance to dine at several high-quality restaurants. I have a feeling that the variety of halal food in Guangzhou is now close to that of Beijing. It is worth noting that most halal restaurants in Guangzhou do not sell alcohol, which is extremely rare in Beijing. As both are top-tier cities, I think Guangzhou manages this because of an unspoken agreement among the restaurants. In the Xiaobei and Shangbu areas, where many halal restaurants are clustered, most do not sell alcohol. However, restaurants outside these areas do. This is just like in Xi'an, where halal restaurants in the Muslim Quarter (Huifang) do not sell alcohol, but those that open elsewhere do. This kind of agreement seems unlikely in Beijing, where most halal restaurants operate like lone wolves and find it hard to reach such a consensus.

The list of restaurants introduced in this issue is as follows:

1. Asia International Hotel · Asia Fengcai Xinjiang Restaurant

2. Yishanggong Cantonese Morning Tea (Guangshi Zaocha)

3. Baghdad Cuisine Restaurant

4. Yiyun Niudao American-style Barbecue

5. Xinjiang Mansion Cantonese Morning Tea (Guangshi Zaocha)

6. Hui Muslim Restaurant (Huimin Fandian)

7. Ma Xiaohuo Handmade Pulled Noodles (Lamian) and Barbecue

8. ANTALYA Turkish Restaurant

9. MADO Turkish Ice Cream Shop

10. Xianglan Indonesian Restaurant

11. Saba Restaurant

12. AL MANARA Lebanese Restaurant

13. ARMADA Middle Eastern Cuisine

1. Asia International Hotel · Asia Fengcai Xinjiang Restaurant



I heard before coming that the Asia International Hotel in Guangzhou had a halal restaurant, so I specifically stayed there for one night. It is an old five-star hotel located in Xiaobei. The facilities are quite dated, which felt like a big drop compared to the Mandarin Oriental where I stayed the night before. However, the hotel has an excellent location and view. The 45th floor is a revolving buffet restaurant where breakfast is served, and the hotel has a dedicated halal section.



Most guests staying at this hotel are foreigners, primarily Arabs, so there is also an Arabic restaurant on the first floor.



A Xinjiang restaurant called Asia Fengcai opened on the ninth floor of the hotel. Even though it is inside a five-star hotel, the prices are quite affordable, with an average cost of around 100 yuan per person.





Asia Fengcai is run by people from Ningxia, so the restaurant serves both Ningxia-style northwestern dishes and Xinjiang cuisine.



I tried the peppercorn chicken (jiaomaji) and hand-grabbed meat (shouzhuarou) for you, and both tasted good. The peppercorn chicken is on the spicier side.



Their hand-grabbed rice (shouzhuafan) is also excellent. They use quality ingredients and include everything that should be in it, which earned praise from my friend.



2. Yishanggong Cantonese Morning Tea (Guangshi Zaocha)



Yishanggong is the third halal morning tea restaurant in Guangzhou. It is also in Xiaobei, just 400 meters from the Asia International Hotel. I ate there twice and basically tried everything on the menu. Compared to the Xinjiang Building, this place is not as refined, but it has its own style. The service is better than at the Hui Muslim Restaurant (Huimin Fandian), and overall, it offers great value for money.



Morning tea is served from 7:00 to 15:00. You get a 22% discount if you pay before 10:00, and a 12% discount if you pay before 12:00. They only serve morning tea during the day, but switch to Korean barbecue and hot pot for dinner.



The servers here help rinse the bowls for you, which saves me the trouble. I would not mind skipping it, but rinsing bowls is a local habit for people in Guangzhou.



Of all the dim sum I tried here, I did not like their chicken char siu bao. I think the lamb char siu bao at the Hui Muslim restaurant tastes better. Everything else was delicious, and the dim sum is made to order, not pre-made.



The waitress wears a hijab and is very warm and attentive. The restaurant is alcohol-free.































3. Baghdad Cuisine Restaurant



The number of foreign restaurants in Xiaobei rivals Sanlitun in Beijing. This one serves Iraqi food, and I also found Amman, Guinean, and Liberian restaurants nearby, which are cuisines you cannot find in Beijing.



Baghdad Restaurant is on the fourth floor, right above the Amman restaurant.



A friend invited me to eat here because her crush is an Iraqi guy who is currently in Baghdad.





They serve a complimentary bowl of lentil soup before the meal, which helps with digestion.





We ordered grilled pomfret and a lamb leg rice dish. The lamb leg rice was especially good; the lamb was tender and juicy, and the long-grain rice was fluffy and not sticky.





4. Yiyun Niudao American-style Barbecue



A brother from Guangzhou brought me here. He said it is rare to find halal American-style barbecue in China, so he wanted me to try it. The last time I had halal American barbecue was in Dubai, and that meal was truly satisfying.



This shop is in Shangbu, an area where Yunnan Hui Muslims gather. Yunnan people rarely move north; they prefer coming to Guangzhou and Sanya. This shop does not sell alcohol.



My friend recommended the slow-roasted Angus steak and roasted lamb chops. They smell great. The slow-cooked Angus has a strong smoky flavor, and the lamb chops are tender and have no gamey taste. Even without alcohol, the shop is very busy. You have to wait in line during peak hours. It is best to book ahead for barbecue so you do not miss out.



Even their Xinjiang kvass (gewasi) tastes great. It is a non-alcoholic fermented drink that pairs perfectly with barbecue. The shop is not expensive, with an average cost of about 100 yuan per person.





Next, I filmed some restaurants near Shangbu. They mostly serve Yunnan flavors, including Zhaotong small meat skewers (xiaorouchuan).















5. Xinjiang Mansion Cantonese Morning Tea (Guangshi Zaocha)



Many people recommend the Hui Muslim Restaurant when talking about morning tea in Guangzhou. If I had to choose, I prefer the morning tea at the Xinjiang Building. Although they have not been making Cantonese morning tea for long, their food variety and service are better than the Hui Muslim Restaurant.



The morning tea here includes traditional Cantonese dishes and some new creations, especially those using Xinjiang ingredients. This is easier for northern tourists to enjoy, as outsiders might not be used to many authentic local snacks.



Morning tea originally just meant drinking tea in the morning. However, people started pairing it with snacks, and these snacks became so rich that they are now the soul of morning tea.



After sitting down, the waiter will follow the rules and ask what tea you want. You can choose from black tea, green tea, flower tea, or Pu'er. You are also welcome to bring your own tea bags. Then, they give you a menu to check off the snacks you want.



The first step of morning tea is washing the tea set. The basin in the top right corner is not for trash, but for cleaning tableware. Even though the tea set is already clean, Guangzhou locals like to scald it with hot water again. I follow the local custom and do the same, even though I do not really worry about whether the dishes are clean.



Cordyceps flower and Qingyuan chicken porridge (chongcaohua qingyuan huaji zhou)

Breakfast in Beijing, specifically in Niujie, is always soy milk, fried dough cakes (youbing), lamb offal soup (yangza), fried tofu soup (doupaotang), and baked flatbread with fried dough (huoshao jia youbing). This is not friendly for someone like me who goes to the gym every day. I like to change my meals up, so breakfast is the hardest part of my day. If I want a balanced breakfast, I have to make it myself.



Steamed chicken feet with golden garlic sauce (jinjiang suanxiang zheng fengzhua)

If you eat morning tea alone in Guangzhou, you can order about three dishes based on the portion sizes. You can eat something different every day for about half a month. After that, you can start the cycle over again, which gives people a reason to get up early every day.



Qingyuan chicken bun (qingyuan jirou bao)

Cantonese morning tea is mostly light and contains no spicy flavors, making it suitable for children and people with sensitive stomachs.



Beef short ribs in black pepper sauce (heijiao shaozhi niuzaigu)

Morning tea is served from 7:00 AM to 11:30 AM. On weekdays, you mostly see local Guangzhou people drinking tea. They have money and time. According to my Guangzhou friends, they do not care much about how they dress. They might go out in a worn-out tank top and flip-flops, but they are very particular about food. They believe that what you put in your stomach is what really matters, which shows the practical nature of Guangzhou people.



Supreme shrimp and chicken dumpling (xianxia jili shaomai huang)

My taste preferences have changed over the years. I do not have much of an appetite for large, heavy-flavored meals anymore. I focus more on healthy eating and prefer light, small, and delicate food. My love for Cantonese morning tea grows every day, but unfortunately, I cannot find it in Beijing yet.



Mango coconut milk cake (xiangmang yezhigao)

I once had Wuzhong morning tea in Wuzhong, Ningxia, and I think this is a very promising and innovative way to do breakfast.



Pan-fried curry beef buns (shengjian gali niurou bao)

If you are trying Cantonese morning tea for the first time, I think you must order the barbecue pork buns (chashao bao) and pan-fried buns (shengjian bao). Rice noodle rolls (changfen), shrimp dumplings (xiajiao), and steamed chicken feet (zheng fengzhua) are also the best dishes to represent Cantonese cuisine. You might not get used to the taste, but you should definitely try them.



Thai-style chilled durian mochi (taishi bingpi xue liulian)

You should also try the small Cantonese desserts. They are delicately made and look beautiful. They come in portions of three, which is a hint that you should bring two friends along.



Swan-shaped durian pastry (tiane liulian su)

This swan-shaped durian pastry is a new addition. When I came here last time, it was just the regular gold-medal durian pastry (jinpai liulian su), so they really put effort into the shape this time.



Pan-fried water chestnut cake (xiangjian mati gao)



Beef brisket egg noodles (niunan tang danmian)

Cantonese-style noodle soup and rice noodle rolls have a fresh, slightly sweet taste that many women enjoy. I don't particularly like them, as I prefer the salty and savory style of Northwest Chinese noodles, but since I am in Guangzhou, it is worth trying a bite.



Chestnut and mushroom chicken rice noodle rolls (jinli xianggu jirou changfen)

The yogurt cake and egg tarts are a kind of innovative fusion dish because they use dairy products from Xinjiang. Green vegetables hold an important place in Cantonese cuisine. Guangzhou people must have green vegetables with their meals, and here, green vegetables only refer to leafy greens; gourds and root vegetables do not count.



Xinjiang smooth yogurt cake (suannai gao)



Xinjiang milk egg tart (puta)



Boiled Ningxia choy sum (caixin)

People in Guangzhou care a lot about healthy eating. They want fresh ingredients and balanced nutrition. They cook with all kinds of land and sea animals. You can find these dishes at morning tea, which lasts until lunch. After a midday break, people go back for afternoon tea. When it gets dark and cool outside, there is a late-night snack culture. You can spend the whole day eating.



Original juice bamboo shoot shrimp dumpling (xiajiao huang)



Mango pomelo sago (yangzhi ganlu)



Malay satay beef tripe (jinjian du)



Dried fish and peanut congee (chaiyu huasheng zhou)



Healthy sesame cake (zhima gao)



Southeast Asian shrimp red rice noodle roll (hongmi changfen)

6. Hui Muslim Restaurant (Huimin Fandian)



Huimin Restaurant is a state-run Guangzhou classic that has been open for over half a century. Most of the customers are local people from the neighborhood. I asked my local friends in Guangzhou, and they approve of the food quality here. They serve morning tea, afternoon tea, and regular meals. If you come for morning tea on a weekday, you get a discount.



Inside the restaurant, a sign says they serve Hui Muslims before 9 a.m., but when I arrived before 9, I mostly saw local residents of all backgrounds. The restaurant has a strong state-run vibe, and the service is okay. The tea set is not as fancy as the one at Xinjiang Mansion. You only get one teacup and one teapot, and the space is smaller and noisier.



Lamb barbecue bun (yangrou chashaobao)

For Cantonese-style dim sum, the Hui Muslim restaurant makes it more authentic. Take this lamb barbecue bun, for example; it is the only one of its kind in Guangzhou. Barbecue pork (chashao) means roasting meat on a fork, then wrapping it in dough to make a bun. When steamed, the top of the bun splits open naturally. I eat this every time I come here, as it is hard to find such authentic and delicious barbecue buns once you leave this restaurant.



Chicken broth soup dumpling (jizhi xiaolongbao)

Soup dumplings are one of my favorite breakfasts. When my appetite is not fully awake in the morning, I prefer delicate flour-based snacks. I might not have the appetite to finish a large steamed bun.



Job's tears and beef tripe porridge (yizhao niudu zhou)

In Beijing, I would never expect to find such a variety of nutritious porridge for breakfast. I have to complain about the porridge here, though. It does not taste like it was freshly cooked this morning; it tastes like it was reheated from a pre-made batch. Freshly cooked porridge has a thicker texture, and this place is not as good as Xinjiang Mansion in that regard.



Coconut sticky rice cake (yexiang nuomici)

The dim sum tastes pretty good, but it looks plain. It is not as refined as the food at Xinjiang Mansion, so it is not great for taking photos to post on social media. Many friends have told me the service at the Hui Muslim restaurant is bad. I did not experience that myself, but in terms of small details, Xinjiang Mansion is definitely more comfortable for dining.



Curry beef rice noodle roll (gali niurou changfen)



Shrimp salad dumplings (shalü mingxia jiao)

The dim sum platter I had today tasted a bit salty; it wasn't this salty before.



Three-item dim sum platter

7. Ma Xiaohuo Handmade Pulled Noodles and Barbecue



I ended up at this shop by accident. I was catching up with a friend at a cafe, but they felt the air conditioning was too strong, so we moved outside. Suddenly, a storm hit Guangzhou. We ducked into this little shop to escape the rain, ordered some food, and were surprised by how good it was.



My friend had a bowl of pulled noodles (lamian), and I ordered a portion of Xinjiang rice noodles (xinjiang mifen). The rice noodles came with plenty of toppings and tasted great. The shop was clean and bright. Although it was small, the dining experience was very comfortable. It is a chain, and there are currently three branches in Guangzhou.



8. ANTALYA Turkish Restaurant



Antalya Restaurant's Liede branch was the first place we chose for our team building. The second floor has Central Asian-style decor where you take off your shoes and sit on carpets. You used to be able to experience this at Rumi's Secret in Beijing, but unfortunately, that location closed. However, a new Rumi's Secret opened in Urumqi, and I visited it the year before last; the environment there is even better.



For Middle Eastern cuisine, black tea and baklava are must-haves, along with my favorite Turkish coffee. Whether it is day or night, I always have a cup whenever I eat Turkish food.





Besides its rich texture and coffee grounds, a highlight of Turkish coffee is the cup. It must not be served in a clear glass; it has to be in an exquisite porcelain cup to be authentic.



Hummus (yingzuidou ni)

The overall feel of this restaurant is just like Rumi's Secret, and the prices are similar, averaging about 200 yuan per person. The flavors are a bit localized and lighter, which suits Chinese tastes better.



Chicken leg with Arabic rice.



Hollow balloon bread.



Mixed chicken and beef kebab platter.



Cheese flatbread (pide).



Lamb patty with yogurt.

I have to say a few words about this final ice cream; it is not as good as MADO, a Turkish ice cream brand that uses goat milk. I will introduce the MADO ice cream shop in Guangzhou specifically later.



Ice cream.

9. MADO Turkish Ice Cream and Coffee Shop.



MADO is very famous, and I had heard of it for a long time. I still remember the rich milky flavor of the MADO ice cream I ate in Beijing. Before coming here, I checked and found that there are two branches in Guangzhou. We ate at MADO twice because most of the members in my Guangzhou group are women who love it, so I had to arrange it.



The ice cream shop has a wide variety of sweets and also serves full meals. It is Turkish cuisine, but the quality of the meals is not as good as the ice cream, so I suggest only eating ice cream there.



When you enter the shop, you can order ice cream first. You can mix and match from over twenty flavors. You can order a four-layer serving with four different flavors, which is the best value.



You can also sprinkle various toppings on the ice cream. I like the original handmade ice cream the best; it has the silkiest texture and a full milky flavor. The other flavored ice creams are not as good as the original.



The girls love the raspberry flavor. Raspberries are red, sweet, and tart, and Lu Xun even mentioned them in his writing.



The Turkish restaurants in Guangzhou are mostly filled with foreigners who enjoy chatting and smoking shisha in the cafes.



Sultan's Boat

If you see the colorful ice cream on the menu and don't know what to pick, I suggest getting the handmade ice cream in the original flavor. It is the best and does not need any extra toppings.



Handmade ice cream



The Turkish coffee is made so delicately and even comes with a small flower for decoration. I felt happy as soon as I walked into this shop, and eating dessert always puts me in a good mood. I really hope they open a branch in Beijing, where many people still love eating ice cream even in the winter.



Shepherd's salad

The main courses are just average and do not taste as good as those at Turkish restaurants that specialize in full meals. It is better to come here for afternoon tea or a late-night snack to have ice cream and desserts.



Mexican grilled meat wrap



Turkish stuffed flatbread (pide)

10. Xianglan Indonesian Restaurant



Ever since the Southeast Asian halal restaurants in Beijing all closed down, I have not been able to find authentic Nanyang-style food near my home. The last time I had Indonesian food was in Kuala Lumpur, but I did not even eat Indonesian food this good while I was in Indonesia.



The first reason to recommend this place is that it made the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. This is Michelin's list for affordable restaurants, with an average cost per person under 100 yuan. Being on this list in a food city like Guangzhou really says something.



I think everything on their menu is a specialty. Basically every dish is delicious, including the drinks. I don't know how the owner and the chef manage to hit the mark so perfectly for every diner's taste buds.



Fresh lime and lemongrass soda and pandan coconut custard cake (pandan ruanxin yezhigao).

Many friends highly recommended this place to me before I even arrived in Guangzhou. My taste matches the general public's, so I had high expectations, but it was only after tasting it myself that I realized it truly lives up to its reputation.



Bali crispy duck (Bali dao zangzang ya).

Although this restaurant has many dishes, the portions are small. This is perfect for someone like me who wants to try new things without wasting food. Also, they don't sell alcohol, which gives me peace of mind while eating. The staff mentioned that the owner is an Indonesian Chinese.



Black nut beef soup rice (heirouguo niurou tangfan).

Since I have traveled in Indonesia, I know that traditional Indonesian food doesn't usually focus on presentation. However, this restaurant has clearly adapted to the local style in Guangzhou. They pay close attention to color combinations in every dish, so they look great in photos.



Rambutan beef fried rice (hongmaodan niurou chaofan).

There is only one Xianglan Indonesian restaurant left in Guangzhou, and you have to wait in line during meal times.



Seafood turmeric rice (haixian hui huangjiangfan).



Grilled chicken with candlenut garlic sauce (shili suanrongjiang kaoji).



Lemongrass and turmeric fried chicken (xiangmao huangjiang zha tuji).



Kaya and avocado toast (kaye niuyouguo kao tusi).



Snack platter.

11. Saba Restaurant



The name makes it clear this is a Southeast Asian restaurant, but they also serve Middle Eastern food. My friend and I chose this place because we once traveled to Sabah together and have many great memories. Meeting up in Guangzhou now, things feel just like they used to.



When we walked in, the restaurant was playing Quran recitations, and they do not serve alcohol. I was surprised to see that most of the diners were Black. Since my first visit to Guangzhou in 2015, I noticed that over 80 percent of the friends (dosti) at Friday prayers (Jumu'ah) were Black. Today, the number of Black people in Guangzhou has dropped by more than half, and it is rare to see them at Friday prayers now.



Tom yum soup (dongyingong tang).

The menu starts with Thai dishes, followed by Chinese and Western food. I chose the tom yum soup, and they actually served it in a small hot pot.



Pineapple fried rice (boluo chaofan).

I loved eating pineapple fried rice when I traveled in Malaysia. The version here was just okay. Maybe the setting was wrong, so it didn't taste right. Sometimes you need the right mood to enjoy good food.



Lemon tilapia (ningmeng luofeiyu).

I picked dishes we had eaten while traveling in Thailand and Malaysia to reminisce about our time wandering the world.

12. AL MANARA Lebanese Restaurant



Guangzhou used to have two Lebanese restaurants. I went to the other one only to find it had closed. This shop is a roadside storefront with no main dining hall, just a few tables set up outside. It is very simple.



Chickpea puree (hummus) with Arabic flatbread (khubz)

A lady from Northeast China works here and speaks fluent Arabic. The person grilling the meat is a Lebanese Arab.



Chickpea fritter (falafel) chicken wrap

This Lebanese restaurant does not have as nice an environment as Alameen in Beijing, but the taste is authentic and the prices are affordable. Overall, it is not as good as the Lebanese restaurants in Beijing, which makes me feel a bit better.



Lemon mint drink

13. ARMADA Middle Eastern Cuisine



Most halal Western restaurants in Guangzhou are run by Turkish people. This place, Armada, is the same and is located near Xiaobei.



Assorted flavor soup (mercimek corbasi)

My friends in Guangzhou had never been to this shop, so I brought them here to check it out. Once inside, I noticed the waitresses were wearing headscarves (hijab). It is an alcohol-free restaurant.



Shepherd's salad



Rose black tea



The ladies love drinking rose black tea. I saw a Moroccan specialty tagine on the menu, so I ordered it. Guangzhou used to have a Moroccan restaurant, but it closed down during the pandemic.



Chicken and eggplant tagine

The restaurant's grilled meat and meals are all delicious, better than the main courses at MADO.



Mixed grilled meat platter



Cheese and tenderloin pizza view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal food guide maps real restaurants visited by the author, including a Hui Muslim-run Speed Pizza, Fujian beef dishes, and Turkish Qubbe, with practical notes for Muslim travelers looking for authentic halal food in Beijing.



— Hello, Travel —

As usual, before I share restaurant details, I want to answer some questions I get asked often:

1. The Yahya official account is not a marketing page. I have no team; I run it myself. Yahya is my religious name, and it is a name specifically for Muslim men (so, to clear up the rumors, I am not a young lady).

2. I am not a professional food critic. My job has nothing to do with travel or food. I list my profession at the end of my articles, and writing about halal food is just a hobby.

3. I only write about restaurants I have actually visited. Even if a place is famous, I won't write about it if I haven't eaten there. Just because I write about a restaurant doesn't mean I think it is delicious. Taste is very subjective, so I rarely praise or criticize dishes.

4. If you want to find a restaurant address, use Gaode Maps, Baidu Maps, or Dazhong Dianping to search for the name to get the address and phone number. I only add notes about the address if you cannot find it online.

5. Unless otherwise noted, halal restaurants in Beijing sell alcohol. There are only a handful of restaurants that do not serve alcohol.

6. I am from Beijing.

1

Western-style fast food: Speed Pizza



The Joy Breeze (Huiju) mall in Daxing District has had many surprises lately, and this Speed Pizza is one of them. Speed Pizza is a chain brand, and their other locations are not halal. Only this shop on the second floor of Joy Breeze is run by Hui Muslims. At first, when I heard the owner was a Hui Muslim, I was a bit worried—you know why. When I came to check, the server brought out the ingredient packaging from the kitchen that had the halal label on it, and that put my mind at ease.



Coincidentally, the owner of this shop is the son and daughter-in-law of the family behind the Jingnan No. 1 Hot Pot (Jingnan Diyi Shuan) in the Xueying Hui Muslim village. I know the family, and their hot pot place is quite famous in the southern part of the city. The ingredients for the Speed Pizza at Joy Breeze come from their family.



Screenshot of my chat with the owner

After adding the owner on WeChat, I learned they run three shops in Joy Breeze. Besides Speed Pizza, Lou Sanshao and Niujiufen are also halal. Because they are chain brands, they don't display a halal sign, but the ingredients are delivered separately.



Signature cheese pizza

Following the staff's recommendation, I ordered the cheese pizza. The crust is thin, and they are generous with the cheese, which has a rich milky flavor. The pizza comes with a small cup of honey. You can add it if you like, but don't add too much or it will be too sweet.



Pan-seared salmon salad



Honey-glazed rice cake boneless fried chicken

The restaurant has good food and service. It is great to see halal restaurants moving toward this business model. By copying the management style of famous restaurant brands and just focusing on controlling the quality of ingredients, they have a real chance to grow and succeed.



Lou Sanshao

Both Lou Sanshao and Niu Jiufen are on the third floor of the Joy City mall. Lou Sanshao is a modern Beijing-style restaurant, and Niu Jiufen is a Fujian beef restaurant.

2

Fujian Cuisine: Niu Jiufen



Niu Jiufen is a chain restaurant serving Fujian cuisine. Only this location on the third floor of Joy City is halal. There is no halal sign in the shop, but the ingredients come from their own farm in Xueying.



As far as I know, there are no halal Fujian restaurants even in Fujian. Fujian cuisine has always been a blank spot on my halal food map, so I was lucky to satisfy my taste buds at Niu Jiufen.



Looking at the Niu Jiufen menu, they only serve beef dishes and vegetarian food. You must order their signature Chinese-style beef ribs.



The beef ribs come in small and large portions. I ordered the small one because I was afraid of wasting food, but it turns out two people could easily finish the large portion.



Seaweed jelly (shihuagao)

Seaweed jelly (shihuagao) is a specialty drink from Fujian and a Quanzhou intangible cultural heritage. It is made by boiling seaweed powder. It has a light, slightly sweet taste and is great for cooling down in the summer.



Grapefruit sparkling water



Beef ribs for two

The beef ribs are soft and tender, showing the skill of Hui Muslims in stewing beef. You can take the big bones home, and you do not have to worry about the meat being tough. The beef broth is delicious mixed with rice; a young man could eat three bowls of rice with it.



Lettuce with scallion oil and fried shallots

Lettuce with scallion oil and fried shallots is the most popular vegetable dish recommended by the restaurant. If you were in the south, they would definitely use lard, but here they use beef fat.



Spicy beef rib pot

The spicy beef rib pot has dried bean curd sticks (fuzhu) and fried tofu puffs (doupao) on top, with beef underneath. The chili is quite spicy but very fragrant. It is another dish that goes well with rice. When I shared the photos on social media, even friends from Shaxian, Fujian, agreed that it looked very authentic to Fujian.

3

Turkish Cuisine · Qubbe



The head chef from the Turkish Embassy opened a new Turkish restaurant near Xinyuanli. I organized over twenty friends (dosti) to visit and try the food.



As more people signed up for the dinner, I worried there wouldn't be enough space. Once I arrived, I realized I worried for nothing. The restaurant is very large and can seat 100 people at once.



Mixed Grilled Meat

This signature mixed grilled meat platter is the longest one I have ever eaten, nearly a meter long. The menu says it serves 10 people for 2,228 yuan, but I tested it myself and found it is plenty for 20 people. Some netizens complained about why the chili peppers were charred. Actually, this is a traditional way to eat them. In the Middle East, Mexico, and Sichuan, China, people char peppers because it lowers the heat and brings out the flavor. There is scientific evidence for this, so peppers must be charred to be fragrant.



Filet Mignon

They have filet mignon here for 388 yuan a serving. The meat is very tender, and you can choose how you want it cooked.



Hollow Bread

They have a special oven, and all the bread is baked to order, so the service is a bit slow. When the bread arrives, steaming hot and smelling of fresh wheat, you realize the wait is worth it.



Sweet Potato Fries



Rotating Grilled Beef Burger

This is the famous Turkish kebab. The meat is stacked on a spit and rotates constantly on the grill. It is sliced off and tucked into bread. Students who have studied in Europe will find this very familiar.



Cheese Pita Bread

My favorite pita bread flavor is cheese. Pita bread is like a boat-shaped stuffed pie, made the same way.



Feta Cheese Salad

We ate four types of salad, including arugula salad, shepherd's salad, and feta cheese salad. The cheese salad is the most unique because the cheese is sour.



MADO ice cream

For dessert, we had MADO ice cream. It comes from Turkey and is made with pure goat milk. It tastes much better than Haagen-Dazs. It costs 38 yuan per scoop, and my friends loved it.



Kubei Turkish Restaurant really captures the authentic flavors of Turkey. The restaurant has a strong Turkish style, and even the tableware is flown in from Turkey. Ambassadors from Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries attended the opening, which shows the quality is reliable.

4

Turkish Cuisine: Istanbul Restaurant



Istanbul Restaurant has reopened. It operated in Jianguomen for over ten years before closing for more than two years. This place is special to me because we used to go on dates here before we got married. The new location is near Sanlitun.



Compared to Kubei, this place is more affordable. Kubei costs about 300 yuan per person, while this place is just over 100 yuan.



The restaurant still has a blue Mediterranean style, but it is much more spacious and brighter than before.



Turkish coffee

Turkish coffee is boiled and very strong. Turkish people often tell fortunes based on the patterns the coffee grounds leave at the bottom of the cup. Of course, this is just a custom left over from the age of ignorance.



Doner kebab (donaer kaorou)

This is a mix of chicken and lamb, and you need to eat it wrapped in bread.



Beef pita bread



Rice pudding

Rice pudding is a dessert that originated in the Middle East. It is made with rice, butter, and milk, and it is a bit like a thick, dehydrated porridge.

5

Arabic Cuisine: ZAYTON Restaurant in the Village



Zaitun is the transliteration of the Arabic word for olive tree. The restaurant is in Sanlitun, and both the chef and the owner are Palestinian.



Arabic chicken wrap

This place is very good. The Arabic chicken wrap tastes just as good as the ones I had abroad, and the price is quite affordable at 50 yuan per person. This is likely because they share space with the bar next door and don't have their own dining room, just a small kitchen, so you have to sit outside, which keeps costs low.



Arabic coffee

Arabic coffee is more bitter than Turkish coffee and has a sour taste. People who don't like coffee might find it hard to drink, but I can handle it.



The Arabic grilled meat wrap is also very fragrant. I told the chef it was delicious, and he said it wasn't the best yet, and that it would be even better when I come back next time to eat it fresh off the grill.

6

Ningxia Cuisine: Huiweigong Silk Road Food



I have recommended Ali Restaurant's Ningxia dishes before, but I recently found another Ningxia-style restaurant. The owner is from Jingyuan, and the lamb in the shop comes from Yanchi tan sheep in Ningxia.



Huiweigong is a family chain with four locations in Qingniancheng, Xiguomao, Yayuncun, and Sanyuanqiao.



Dawukou cold noodles (liangpi)

Dawukou cold noodles are quite famous in Ningxia and are a must-order cold dish at any Ningxia restaurant.



Clear-stewed lamb chops

Clear-stewed lamb chops are all about the quality of the meat. You only need to add a little salt to stew them, and Ningxia lamb has no gamey smell.



Homemade farm-style vermicelli

Stir-fried vermicelli with minced meat is a common home-cooked dish in the Xihaigu region. The local specialty is potatoes, and vermicelli made from high-quality potato starch tastes great.



Hand-pulled noodle pieces (mianpian)

After finishing the dishes, end the meal with a bowl of noodle pieces to feel full.

7

Pangasius fish hot pot (suobianyu huoguo) and Bobo fish



Pangasius fish hot pot has been very popular in Beijing for the past few years. A Bobo fish restaurant opened in Xiguanshi Village in Changping, specializing in this dish. Pangasius fish has smooth skin, tender meat, and very few bones. It has no small bones, making it easy and delicious to eat.



The restaurant features Hello Kitty decorations and a pink color scheme throughout. I guess the owner's daughter designed it.



You can help yourself to the dipping sauces, with eight different flavors to mix and match.



The shop is currently running a promotion where vegetable dishes are free.



Two people can easily finish a large pot of fish. The fish is already cooked when it arrives, and you can add vegetables to the pot after you finish the fish. I recommend the spicy flavor.



Xinxin Cake Shop

If you think Xiguanshi in Changping is too far to travel for just one restaurant, you are wrong. Xiguanshi is a village for Hui Muslims, and there is plenty of halal food there. Please look at the photos below.





Northeast-style barbecue (dongbei shaokao)



Sister Hong's beef sesame flatbread (hongjie niurou shaobing)



Door-nail meat pie (mending roubing)



Knife-cut noodles (daoxiaomian)



Xiaoqi Skewer Hot Pot (xiaoqi chuanchuanxiang)



Pan-fried buns (shuijianbao)



Halal supermarket



Huashunzhai meat pie (huashunzhai roubing)

That is all for this episode. Next time, we plan to cover halal food around Beijing, insha'sha'Allah. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Seoul halal food guide looks beyond Itaewon's nightlife and follows the Muslim street around Seoul Central Mosque, with Punjab restaurant, curry lamb chops, Korean halal bibimbap, halal meat shops, food prices, and the local Muslim community.

When people think of Itaewon, they may think of the nightlife and party scene there. But few people would have thought that this is also the location of the first mosque in modern Korea. It is surrounded by a large number of halal restaurants from various countries, as well as beef and mutton shops and halal supermarkets.

The Punjab restaurant in the second picture is what I would recommend. The Pakistani brother I met here took me there. It is located near the mosque. There are Indian and Pakistani flags on the facade, indicating that this is a restaurant that specializes in South Asian Indian and Pakistani cuisine.





I most recommend the curry lamb chops (picture 3). It is full of spices and soft in the mouth. It is worth trying. It is also served with vegetables and eaten rolled in naan bread, which has a rich taste.



Picture 4 is a Korean halal restaurant called Eid, where I ordered a bibimbap (Picture 5). There was a table full of side dishes, including spicy cabbage, dried fish, shredded cabbage, etc.





On top of the white rice in the copper bowl was another pile of vegetables, including bracken, cooked pumpkin, oyster mushrooms, bean sprouts, and beef. There's a fried egg on top. You have to mix them together when eating, but I'm really not used to iron chopsticks.

I had a big appetite and was still not full even after finishing the meal, so I ordered another plate of squid (Picture 6).



When I was about to leave Seoul, I went to a Malaysian restaurant (Picture 7) and ordered a bowl of stewed chicken. However, it was not as delicious as I expected. Also, the chili sauce that comes with it is too spicy. Is this the spiciness of Southeast Asia?



Pictures 8, 9 and 10 show the halal beef and mutton shop and halal ingredients shop over there. I have also researched the prices of beef and mutton here. Steak costs about 82.5 yuan per kilogram. Frozen lamb chops and lamb neck cost about 50 yuan per kilogram. Chicken is about 35 yuan per kilogram.





I don’t know if everyone thinks this price is expensive.

Picture 11, as I mentioned in the previous picture and article, there is a Muslim school in the Seoul Central Mosque, and there is also a school bus parked there. It shows that some Korean Muslims send their children here to receive some basic education. Picture 11 is a clothing store, and the owner is a Muslim.





When walking around the mosque, you can also see some old Muslim people sitting in front of the shop chatting. This shows that South Korea has formed a certain size of Muslim community, and the pattern of living around the mosque has been formed. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Kuala Lumpur halal food map issue 8 explains how halal certification works in Malaysia, then follows the author through desserts, Vietnamese food, Lebanese food, Iranian rice, burgers, pastries, coffee, and family-friendly Muslim dining around Ampang.

In previous issues of my Kuala Lumpur Halal Food Map, I've covered how to find halal restaurants in Malaysia. This time, I'll focus on explaining it further. Very few restaurants in Malaysia have official halal certification. Usually, only large chains or big establishments display the certification mark. Most small street-side eateries don't have it. This is because Malaysia doesn't allow private businesses to self-certify as halal. To get certified, you have to pay a fee. The official price is only a few hundred Malaysian ringgit. But if you go through an agent, it can cost tens of thousands. You can guess why there's such a big difference.

So, to save money, many restaurant owners hint that their place is halal in other ways. They might hire waitstaff who wear headscarves or write 'no pork' on the menu. Malaysians know this is common practice and don't only eat at places with official halal certification. Of course, some Malaysians do only eat at certified places. I don't get too hung up on this issue myself. I also don't think it's necessary to question the halal status of food too deeply. For more on this, see the article 'Egypt's Grand Mufti: Don't Be Overly Inquisitive About Whether Meat is Halal.' I've also discussed food issues in my video series.

Here's the list of restaurants featured in this issue:

1. Sugirl Desserts (Malaysian desserts)

2. RUYI ONE (Vietnamese)

3. AL-Amar (Lebanese)

4. MODU (Korean)

5. NASI KANDAR UMAR (Indian)

6. WALLANCE (Fast food)

7. Hai Ji Beef Pan-Fried Buns

8. piccoli lotti (Italian ice cream)

9. Jibby chow (Cantonese dim sum)

10. UNIVERSAL BAKEHOUSE (Bakery)

1. Sugirl Desserts



Mid Valley Megamall is the hardest mall to find parking at in Kuala Lumpur. I came here on a quiet Thursday afternoon and spent over an hour circling before finding a spot. I highly recommend taking public transport if you visit. This small Nanyang-style dessert shop is located at the top of the stairs on the third floor of the mall. It's not too crowded here, making it a nice spot to relax.



This dessert reminds me of the dessert chain Honeymoon Dessert back home. Its flavor is light and sweet, but this shop's desserts have more of a Southeast Asian flair.



Address: Lot T-045A, 3rd Floor, The Boulevard Office Mid Valley City, Mid Valley City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

2. RUYI ONE



A new shopping district has opened in Ampang’s education hub. We’ve been here many times; the Spanish restaurant we ate at last time is in this area. It’s not too crowded yet, and there are many boutique shops to explore. This place is one of them, serving Vietnamese food.



We came to this small shop because we wanted to drink Vietnamese coffee and have a casual meal.



This restaurant serves no pork and no alcohol. The coffee is delicious.







I visited Vietnam once and had a wonderful time. There are no halal Vietnamese restaurants in Beijing yet, so finding one in Kuala Lumpur is a must-try.



Vietnamese cuisine has a few signature dishes. The first is the Vietnamese sandwich, along with spring rolls and pho.



The spring rolls and pho here are quite authentic. After all, Malaysia and Vietnam are neighbors, so the flavors aren't too different.



Address: Unit G-15, Ground Floor, The Campus Ampang, Lot 7706, Jalan Kolam Air Lama, Mukim, Hulu Kelang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor

3. AL-Amar



This is a Lebanese restaurant on the sixth floor of Pavilion mall, decorated exquisitely. Pavilion is a popular shopping area swarming with tourists and is very lively.



When taking children out to eat in Kuala Lumpur, I prefer Arabic restaurants. The Mandi rice or grilled chicken here are suitable for kids because they aren't spicy.





Lebanese salads are also good for children. Fahim, for example, loves the cucumbers and tomatoes in the salad.



This is a small portion of Mandi chicken rice. The chicken is especially tender, and it comes with cashews and raisins. The children really like it.

Address: Lot 6.10, level 6, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 168, Jln Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

4. MODU



MODU is a new Korean restaurant in the TRX mall that's really popular right now. You'll probably wait about an hour for lunch, but you can grab a number at the counter and explore the mall. Your phone will get a notification when your table is ready, and the staff will also call you.





This halal sign means they're applying for certification, but it hasn't been approved yet.



Looking at the menu, it's hard to tell exactly what each dish is.



Most of the diners here are young Asian women. There are definitely a lot of Koreans here.



The restaurant has a lot of space, the decor is really nice, and the staff are very friendly.



We chose a clay pot chicken soup and a black chicken soup. They come with a bowl of sticky rice and side dishes. This chicken has sticky rice stuffed inside, and the soup is really fresh and very mild.



It has ginseng in it, which is great for women's health. A set meal costs about 70 Malaysian ringgit.



The chicken is small, perfect for one person. The meat just falls off the bone – it melts in your mouth.



Address: Lot L2T.04.0, Level 2, The Exchange TRX, Persiaran TRX, Imbi, 55188 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

5. NASI KANDAR UMAR



Nasi Kandar, or 'pole rice,' is a common fast food in Malaysia. It's a specialty of Indian Muslims, about as popular as Lanzhou beef noodles are back home. Most of these stalls are halal.



You just tell the server what you want on your plate, then pay at the cashier. A plate of rice usually costs around ten ringgit, and with a milk tea, it's usually under twenty.



The only downside is that this rice is usually a bit spicy, so it's not great for kids. But I go for it when I can't decide what else to eat.

Address: 37 3G, Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

6. WALLACE



Wallace is a fast-food joint selling burgers and fried chicken. This new spot is celebrating its opening with a deal: three burgers for just 9.9 ringgit.



These burger joints are a hit with everyone in Kuala Lumpur, young and old. Almost all of them are halal, including McDonald's and KFC.



Wallace's fried chicken burgers taste pretty good. The best part is the price – three for 9.9 ringgit. You can't ask for more than that.



My son hasn't quite fallen in love with burgers and fries yet. I wonder if he'll like them later on.



Address: M5A, 11, Jalan Pandan Indah 4/1, Pandan Indah, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

7. Hai Ji Beef Pan-Fried Buns



Next to Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles on Petaling Street, there's a shop called Hai Ji Beef Pan-Fried Buns. These buns are a bit bigger than the ones from Henan and Shandong. They taste great. Petaling Street is a hub for Chinese food, mainly serving Chinese cuisine.



Address: 38, Jalan Sultan, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

8. PICCOLI LOTTI



This Italian ice cream shop on the first floor of Ampang Point is run by Malays. Italian ice cream is famous, mainly because they use good quality milk and don't add extra water. This shop's ice cream is just like that, with over ten flavors to choose from.



On hot days, I love visiting dessert shops like this. They usually also have various coffee drinks and seating areas. Kids love them too.



Address: Ground Floor, Ampang Point

9. JIBBY CHOW



A new Cantonese-style tea restaurant has opened at Ampang Point. This place serves dim sum all day, so we could still enjoy it even though we arrived in the afternoon.



Everyone eating here is Malay. Malays really love Cantonese morning tea.



The shop's decor features traditional Chinese cultural elements, but the servers are all Malay.







You can sit here all afternoon with a pot of Pu'er tea and a few dim sum dishes.



The soup dumplings, char siu bao, and shaomai here are all delicious and steamed fresh.



The chicken char siu bao has a dim sum-like texture and a sweet flavor. It's not quite as good as the lamb char siu bao at Guangzhou Hui Muslim restaurants, which is truly exceptional.



Address: Level 2, Ampang Learning City.

10. UNIVERSAL BAKEHOUSE



This popular bakery in Ampang Learning City has many branches and is usually packed. However, the branch we visited in Ampang wasn't too crowded.



These kinds of fancy bakeries are very popular in Malaysia, especially with young women who love to take photos here.





I like to eat bread with coffee for breakfast, along with a light salad. It leaves me feeling refreshed.



Actually, this shop has very few types of bread. I don't understand why it's so popular.



When you dine in, they give you butter. I like to eat bread with butter, just like I do for breakfast at the hotel.



Their coffee is also quite good. There are several other specialty coffee shops in Ampang Learning City that I'll check out later.

Address: Level 1, Ampang Learning City. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Kuala Lumpur halal food map issue 6 follows the author's long stay near KLCC and covers Chef Eyad smoked barbecue, IKEA, The Chicken Rice Shop, Shawarma City, Sprezzatura Kafe, Supamala Sichuan hot pot, Bake With Yen, Monster Sushi, Grumpy Bagels, Nando's, and family-friendly Muslim travel meals.

Recently, I came to Kuala Lumpur while accompanying my child during their studies. I stayed for a long time and dug into the restaurants near my home. After this period of exploration, I found that my taste has completely failed in Malaysia. If I am in China, if I think a restaurant's food tastes good, then most people will find it delicious, and my taste is relatively close to the masses. However, in Kuala Lumpur, I don’t think the restaurants that locals like to eat are delicious, especially the Malay cuisine. I have tried several local popular online restaurants in succession, but they all turned out to be disappointing. Malay people have a strong taste, and most of their dishes are salty, spicy and fried. I still prefer lighter dishes, but the Middle Eastern cuisine I have eaten in Kuala Lumpur is very delicious and almost never lets me down.

Early review:

Kuala Lumpur Halal Food Map (Issue 5)

Kuala Lumpur Halal Food Map (Issue 4)

Kuala Lumpur Halal Food Map (Issue 3)

Kuala Lumpur Halal Food Map (Issue 2)

The restaurants in this issue are as follows:

1. Chef Eyad (smoked barbecue)

2. IKEA (Swedish restaurant)

3. THE CHICKEN RICE SHOP (Hainan Chicken Rice)

4. SHAWARMA CITY (Turkish & Syrian cuisine)

5. SPREZZATURA KAFE (light meal)

6. SUPAMALA (Sichuan hot pot)

7. Bake With Yen Chow Kit (baking supplies supermarket)

8. MONSTER SUSHI (conveyor belt sushi)

9. GRUMPY BAGELS (bakery shop)

10. Nando's (roast chicken)

1. Chef Eyad (smoked barbecue)



This is a Middle Eastern-style smoked barbecue restaurant, not far from the apartment where I live, with the Twin Towers in the background. I often pass by it, and then I thought of checking out the store. I was pleasantly surprised and have already visited it for the second time.



Most restaurants in Malaysia do not have halal certification, because the official unified halal certification is very expensive, tens of thousands of ringgit, so restaurants will use some obscure ways to express halal, because restaurants without certification are not allowed to label halal without authorization.



This kind of charcoal-smoked barbecue is also American-style barbecue, but it’s better to emphasize American-style here than just mention smoke.



This store is still an international chain store, but its branches are all open in Middle Eastern countries. We had a particularly delicious American barbecue restaurant in Dubai, and we couldn’t forget it after we returned home. We didn’t expect there to be one right outside our doorstep.



The first time I came alone, I saw an American-style burger on the menu and decided to order a beef one.



This smoked beef burger is very delicious. It has two layers of meat, one layer of patty and one layer of smoked beef. The quality of the beef is excellent, it is all lean meat, and it is grilled to a soft and chewy texture.





In a restaurant opened by Arabs, tabouli salad is an indispensable part of the salad.



Cherry tomato and mint salad, this is my second choice.



The second time our family of three came to eat, I chose a 250g smoked roast beef. The set meal came with a naan, a rice, a salad, and a plate of hummus sauce. The meat was so tender that Fahim also ate a lot. He especially liked to eat naan bread. I remembered that when we were in Egypt, he ate naan bread every day. The flat bread in Egypt only cost 20 cents a piece.



This shop is very particular, each cake comes with a bag.



This set is just enough for the three of us. If you have a big appetite, you can choose the 500g set, which will come with more side dishes.







His Kunafa dessert is actually the original flavor without added sugar. It tastes not sweet at all. If you want it sweet, just dip it in the syrup in the small dish.

Address: Chef Eyad Star Boulevard KLCC

2. IKEA (Swedish restaurant)



The IKEA restaurant in Kuala Lumpur has halal certification. It was also my first time to dine at IKEA. I used to visit Huiju IKEA in Beijing, but I would only eat ice cream and drinks there.



The IKEA restaurant in Kuala Lumpur is very popular. You have to queue up to get a meal tray during lunch time. It is popular because of its high cost performance. A lunch only costs RM20 and there are unlimited drinks.



I feel that there are many more people coming to eat than buying furniture, and it is difficult to find a seat during peak dining hours.



People say IKEA's restaurants are also outsourced, with no rent, but IKEA has a profit-sharing agreement with the restaurant.



The variety of dishes is particularly rich. to Swedish meatballs, there are also some localized Malay dishes and desserts.



The process is the same as eating in the school cafeteria. Take a plate and tell the waiter what you want to eat and how much you want. He will help you prepare your meal, then go to the cashier to pay. If you want to drink, you can get a drink cup, and if you want to drink coffee, you can get a coffee cup.



I definitely still prefer this healthy light meal. Salmon and pasta are also children’s favorites.



People say this meatball is the most popular. The waiter will ask you how many you want to eat, tell the number, and then he will serve you with broccoli and mashed potatoes.



Another popular item is the grilled chicken wings. The chicken wings are huge and taste good. They were very comfortable to eat at IKEA and the two of them spent only RM40.

Address: IKEA Cheras (IKEA)

3. THE CHICKEN RICE SHOP (Hainan Chicken Rice)



This store is located on the second floor of AK Shopping Mall. I have eaten from their takeout before. Because there are so many people there at noon, I have to queue up, so I can order takeout faster.



With halal certification, this is more common in chain fast food restaurants and requires the restaurant to have a certain level of strength.



The Hainanese Chicken Rice Set, which comes with a portion of sour chili, a portion of chicken soup, and a portion of fried bean sprouts, is also around RM20.



Their taste is more suitable for Chinese people, especially southerners.



Address: The Chicken Rice Shop Avenue K

4. SHAWARMA CITY



This is another grilled daddy shop with the Twin Towers on its back. You can see the Twin Towers in the background of the sign. Because there are so many shawarma shops like this in Malaysia, I didn’t pay attention. I passed by several times without going in. A few days ago, Fahim had been eating Pizza Hut pasta for a week. I was really tired of it, so I wanted to give him a change of taste. It happened that this shop was very close to my home, so I came here.



Because there are many non-spicy rice dishes for children in Middle Eastern restaurants, and I like them very much myself, so when I don’t know what to eat, this is a good choice.



You can choose from all the dishes on the menu of this store. I picked a chicken one. The most popular one in Malaysia is chicken, because Indians here or some Chinese who believe in local religions do not eat beef.





For their chicken rice, there was so much chicken that it covered the rice, and the grilled chicken was so delicious that Fahim finished the whole plate of chicken. And when asked the next day if he wanted to eat pasta or hand-picked rice, he switched to hand-picked rice.

Address: Shawarma City KLCC

5. SPREZZATURA KAFE



This kind of quiet cafe with few people is my favorite place to go in Kuala Lumpur. The simple sandwiches provided are also my favorite light meals. This shop is a simple coffee shop next to the clinic I discovered when I took Fahim to get a flu shot.



Because it was noon time, all the nearby Malay food stalls were crowded with people. Only this shop looked deserted, so I came in.



This kind of healthy light breakfast that I like is not very recognized by the locals, but in Canada and the United Kingdom, the most popular breakfast restaurants in the morning have this kind of light breakfast, and you have to queue up.



This store actually has a good reputation on Google, but the parking fee here is too expensive, charging RM4 for half an hour, and the parking fee in this place has to be paid at the self-service machine in the lobby with a card, which is very troublesome.





Fortunately, the coffee and sandwiches taste very good. This set meal costs only RM30, which is already very expensive for office workers.

Address: Sprezzatura Coffee Phileo Buna Market (Sprezzatura Cafe)

6. SUPAMALA (Sichuan hot pot)



I've been missing Beijing's shabu-shabu recently, and I haven't found any particularly delicious hot pot restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, so I did a search and found this restaurant, which should be classified as Sichuan-style hot pot.



The environment of the restaurant is quite exquisite. It opened not long ago and the service of the staff is also very attentive.





This dipping station has more Nanyang characteristics, with various seafood sauces and Southeast Asian specialties, but no sesame sauce.



When we first arrived, we were at the first table. It didn’t take long for the store to be filled with people, all of them office workers who came to eat at noon. This store has buffets at different prices, as well as a la carte, and we chose a la carte.



I remember the buffet starts at more than 50 ringgit per person, and there are several more expensive ones.





You can choose from four kinds of soup bases. The dipping sauces and soup bases in this store are very good, but the presentation of the ingredients is really not flattering, because the price of this store is mid-to-high-end in Kuala Lumpur, with per capita consumption of more than 150 ringgit, but this product is definitely not available in Beijing.



Moreover, the portion of the dish was really too small. The two of us added many more dishes, and we ate a total of more than 300 ringgit before we were barely full, with nothing left.







To be honest, the seafood and squid here are very fresh, and the meatballs taste better than those at home, but the beef and mutton are just not that good.







This brown sugar glutinous rice cake is not very authentic either. It is flat in appearance and tasteless.



So I say that domestic hot pot rolls are still very good. This kind of restaurant will definitely not survive for three months in Beijing, but the business is very good in Malaysia. Domestic hot pot restaurant owners may consider coming to Kuala Lumpur to make a roll.



Address: 50, Jalan Raja Abdullah, Chow Kit, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

7. Bake With Yen Chow Kit



This is a halal supermarket that specializes in baking supplies and ingredients. Baking is very popular in Kuala Lumpur, and most of them are halal shops, so this kind of raw material supermarket exists.



Moreover, the raw materials in this store are sold very cheaply, including all kinds of seasonings and flour.



Baking molds, colorings, almond flour, etc. are all available. The entire site is halal, so you can buy with confidence.



There are also many Chinese clerks, which makes communication easy.





Address: Bake with Yen Chow Kit

8. MONSTER SUSHI



When I'm walking my baby shopping, and I don't know what to eat, I'll go to a Japanese restaurant.



This is a very cute conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Most Japanese food restaurants in Kuala Lumpur are relatively affordable. The per capita consumption of this small restaurant is only RM50.





Conveyor belt sushi is suitable for children. You can eat whichever one looks pretty. After you finish the meal, you will pay according to the color of the plate. You can also order a la carte.



This set meal is neither salty nor spicy and is suitable for all ages.



The fried rice is also very tasty.



I really can’t resist the temptation of freshly squeezed juice in Kuala Lumpur, a bottle of which costs less than ten ringgit.

Address: Sushi Monster Setapak Central

9. GRUMPY BAGELS



This is a new Internet celebrity roasting and coffee shop in Kuala Lumpur. The owner is a retired flight attendant and is quite popular on Xiaohongshu.



The location is relatively secluded. It is located in a bungalow in an alley. The surrounding area is not busy, but the store's business is very good.



We arrived early in the morning, there were not many vacancies, and the parking space at the door was also tight.



I didn’t see the proprietress that day. People say the proprietress likes to post videos of herself baking on Xiaohongshu, which has attracted many fans.



We packed several kinds of bagels. They tasted good to eat on the road, but their products were a little more expensive, with a bagel costing ten ringgits.



The decoration of the store is relatively simple and simple, and it looks very comfortable. However, compared to cafes in China, the environment is not as outstanding. It can only be said that competition among Chinese catering companies is fierce.







The styles of cakes look very ordinary, but the business of this shop is really good, and the proprietress is very attentive in running it.



That's the boss lady in the photo. Their way of living and working is very enviable.

Address: Grumpy Bagels

10. Nando's (roast chicken)



This grilled chicken restaurant was the restaurant where we ate on our first date in Malaysia. It was 10 years ago. At that time, we only focused on people-watching and had no impression of the taste of the food. Now that we live in Kuala Lumpur, we occasionally order takeaway from their restaurant because my son also likes the meat and vegetable combination of this chicken rice.



You can choose any flavor, make sure it is not spicy, and you can also match the side dishes inside. This store is a large chain and can be found in many shopping malls.



Fahim likes to eat green beans and chicken, but he doesn’t like to eat vegetables, so we can only try our best to provide him with nutritious meals. Fortunately, he lives near KLCC, so there are more restaurants to choose from.



Address: Nando's view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This 2025 Guangzhou halal food map follows Xiaobei, Shangbu, no-alcohol halal dining, Asia International Hotel, Cantonese morning tea, Baghdad Cuisine, American-style barbecue, Xinjiang Mansion, Hui Muslim Restaurant, Antalya, MADO, Indonesian food, Lebanese food, and Middle Eastern restaurants.

I have been to Guangzhou at least five times. This time, a business trip gave me the chance to dine at several high-quality restaurants. I have a feeling that the variety of halal food in Guangzhou is now close to that of Beijing. It is worth noting that most halal restaurants in Guangzhou do not sell alcohol, which is extremely rare in Beijing. As both are top-tier cities, I think Guangzhou manages this because of an unspoken agreement among the restaurants. In the Xiaobei and Shangbu areas, where many halal restaurants are clustered, most do not sell alcohol. However, restaurants outside these areas do. This is just like in Xi'an, where halal restaurants in the Muslim Quarter (Huifang) do not sell alcohol, but those that open elsewhere do. This kind of agreement seems unlikely in Beijing, where most halal restaurants operate like lone wolves and find it hard to reach such a consensus.

The list of restaurants introduced in this issue is as follows:

1. Asia International Hotel · Asia Fengcai Xinjiang Restaurant

2. Yishanggong Cantonese Morning Tea (Guangshi Zaocha)

3. Baghdad Cuisine Restaurant

4. Yiyun Niudao American-style Barbecue

5. Xinjiang Mansion Cantonese Morning Tea (Guangshi Zaocha)

6. Hui Muslim Restaurant (Huimin Fandian)

7. Ma Xiaohuo Handmade Pulled Noodles (Lamian) and Barbecue

8. ANTALYA Turkish Restaurant

9. MADO Turkish Ice Cream Shop

10. Xianglan Indonesian Restaurant

11. Saba Restaurant

12. AL MANARA Lebanese Restaurant

13. ARMADA Middle Eastern Cuisine

1. Asia International Hotel · Asia Fengcai Xinjiang Restaurant



I heard before coming that the Asia International Hotel in Guangzhou had a halal restaurant, so I specifically stayed there for one night. It is an old five-star hotel located in Xiaobei. The facilities are quite dated, which felt like a big drop compared to the Mandarin Oriental where I stayed the night before. However, the hotel has an excellent location and view. The 45th floor is a revolving buffet restaurant where breakfast is served, and the hotel has a dedicated halal section.



Most guests staying at this hotel are foreigners, primarily Arabs, so there is also an Arabic restaurant on the first floor.



A Xinjiang restaurant called Asia Fengcai opened on the ninth floor of the hotel. Even though it is inside a five-star hotel, the prices are quite affordable, with an average cost of around 100 yuan per person.





Asia Fengcai is run by people from Ningxia, so the restaurant serves both Ningxia-style northwestern dishes and Xinjiang cuisine.



I tried the peppercorn chicken (jiaomaji) and hand-grabbed meat (shouzhuarou) for you, and both tasted good. The peppercorn chicken is on the spicier side.



Their hand-grabbed rice (shouzhuafan) is also excellent. They use quality ingredients and include everything that should be in it, which earned praise from my friend.



2. Yishanggong Cantonese Morning Tea (Guangshi Zaocha)



Yishanggong is the third halal morning tea restaurant in Guangzhou. It is also in Xiaobei, just 400 meters from the Asia International Hotel. I ate there twice and basically tried everything on the menu. Compared to the Xinjiang Building, this place is not as refined, but it has its own style. The service is better than at the Hui Muslim Restaurant (Huimin Fandian), and overall, it offers great value for money.



Morning tea is served from 7:00 to 15:00. You get a 22% discount if you pay before 10:00, and a 12% discount if you pay before 12:00. They only serve morning tea during the day, but switch to Korean barbecue and hot pot for dinner.



The servers here help rinse the bowls for you, which saves me the trouble. I would not mind skipping it, but rinsing bowls is a local habit for people in Guangzhou.



Of all the dim sum I tried here, I did not like their chicken char siu bao. I think the lamb char siu bao at the Hui Muslim restaurant tastes better. Everything else was delicious, and the dim sum is made to order, not pre-made.



The waitress wears a hijab and is very warm and attentive. The restaurant is alcohol-free.































3. Baghdad Cuisine Restaurant



The number of foreign restaurants in Xiaobei rivals Sanlitun in Beijing. This one serves Iraqi food, and I also found Amman, Guinean, and Liberian restaurants nearby, which are cuisines you cannot find in Beijing.



Baghdad Restaurant is on the fourth floor, right above the Amman restaurant.



A friend invited me to eat here because her crush is an Iraqi guy who is currently in Baghdad.





They serve a complimentary bowl of lentil soup before the meal, which helps with digestion.





We ordered grilled pomfret and a lamb leg rice dish. The lamb leg rice was especially good; the lamb was tender and juicy, and the long-grain rice was fluffy and not sticky.





4. Yiyun Niudao American-style Barbecue



A brother from Guangzhou brought me here. He said it is rare to find halal American-style barbecue in China, so he wanted me to try it. The last time I had halal American barbecue was in Dubai, and that meal was truly satisfying.



This shop is in Shangbu, an area where Yunnan Hui Muslims gather. Yunnan people rarely move north; they prefer coming to Guangzhou and Sanya. This shop does not sell alcohol.



My friend recommended the slow-roasted Angus steak and roasted lamb chops. They smell great. The slow-cooked Angus has a strong smoky flavor, and the lamb chops are tender and have no gamey taste. Even without alcohol, the shop is very busy. You have to wait in line during peak hours. It is best to book ahead for barbecue so you do not miss out.



Even their Xinjiang kvass (gewasi) tastes great. It is a non-alcoholic fermented drink that pairs perfectly with barbecue. The shop is not expensive, with an average cost of about 100 yuan per person.





Next, I filmed some restaurants near Shangbu. They mostly serve Yunnan flavors, including Zhaotong small meat skewers (xiaorouchuan).















5. Xinjiang Mansion Cantonese Morning Tea (Guangshi Zaocha)



Many people recommend the Hui Muslim Restaurant when talking about morning tea in Guangzhou. If I had to choose, I prefer the morning tea at the Xinjiang Building. Although they have not been making Cantonese morning tea for long, their food variety and service are better than the Hui Muslim Restaurant.



The morning tea here includes traditional Cantonese dishes and some new creations, especially those using Xinjiang ingredients. This is easier for northern tourists to enjoy, as outsiders might not be used to many authentic local snacks.



Morning tea originally just meant drinking tea in the morning. However, people started pairing it with snacks, and these snacks became so rich that they are now the soul of morning tea.



After sitting down, the waiter will follow the rules and ask what tea you want. You can choose from black tea, green tea, flower tea, or Pu'er. You are also welcome to bring your own tea bags. Then, they give you a menu to check off the snacks you want.



The first step of morning tea is washing the tea set. The basin in the top right corner is not for trash, but for cleaning tableware. Even though the tea set is already clean, Guangzhou locals like to scald it with hot water again. I follow the local custom and do the same, even though I do not really worry about whether the dishes are clean.



Cordyceps flower and Qingyuan chicken porridge (chongcaohua qingyuan huaji zhou)

Breakfast in Beijing, specifically in Niujie, is always soy milk, fried dough cakes (youbing), lamb offal soup (yangza), fried tofu soup (doupaotang), and baked flatbread with fried dough (huoshao jia youbing). This is not friendly for someone like me who goes to the gym every day. I like to change my meals up, so breakfast is the hardest part of my day. If I want a balanced breakfast, I have to make it myself.



Steamed chicken feet with golden garlic sauce (jinjiang suanxiang zheng fengzhua)

If you eat morning tea alone in Guangzhou, you can order about three dishes based on the portion sizes. You can eat something different every day for about half a month. After that, you can start the cycle over again, which gives people a reason to get up early every day.



Qingyuan chicken bun (qingyuan jirou bao)

Cantonese morning tea is mostly light and contains no spicy flavors, making it suitable for children and people with sensitive stomachs.



Beef short ribs in black pepper sauce (heijiao shaozhi niuzaigu)

Morning tea is served from 7:00 AM to 11:30 AM. On weekdays, you mostly see local Guangzhou people drinking tea. They have money and time. According to my Guangzhou friends, they do not care much about how they dress. They might go out in a worn-out tank top and flip-flops, but they are very particular about food. They believe that what you put in your stomach is what really matters, which shows the practical nature of Guangzhou people.



Supreme shrimp and chicken dumpling (xianxia jili shaomai huang)

My taste preferences have changed over the years. I do not have much of an appetite for large, heavy-flavored meals anymore. I focus more on healthy eating and prefer light, small, and delicate food. My love for Cantonese morning tea grows every day, but unfortunately, I cannot find it in Beijing yet.



Mango coconut milk cake (xiangmang yezhigao)

I once had Wuzhong morning tea in Wuzhong, Ningxia, and I think this is a very promising and innovative way to do breakfast.



Pan-fried curry beef buns (shengjian gali niurou bao)

If you are trying Cantonese morning tea for the first time, I think you must order the barbecue pork buns (chashao bao) and pan-fried buns (shengjian bao). Rice noodle rolls (changfen), shrimp dumplings (xiajiao), and steamed chicken feet (zheng fengzhua) are also the best dishes to represent Cantonese cuisine. You might not get used to the taste, but you should definitely try them.



Thai-style chilled durian mochi (taishi bingpi xue liulian)

You should also try the small Cantonese desserts. They are delicately made and look beautiful. They come in portions of three, which is a hint that you should bring two friends along.



Swan-shaped durian pastry (tiane liulian su)

This swan-shaped durian pastry is a new addition. When I came here last time, it was just the regular gold-medal durian pastry (jinpai liulian su), so they really put effort into the shape this time.



Pan-fried water chestnut cake (xiangjian mati gao)



Beef brisket egg noodles (niunan tang danmian)

Cantonese-style noodle soup and rice noodle rolls have a fresh, slightly sweet taste that many women enjoy. I don't particularly like them, as I prefer the salty and savory style of Northwest Chinese noodles, but since I am in Guangzhou, it is worth trying a bite.



Chestnut and mushroom chicken rice noodle rolls (jinli xianggu jirou changfen)

The yogurt cake and egg tarts are a kind of innovative fusion dish because they use dairy products from Xinjiang. Green vegetables hold an important place in Cantonese cuisine. Guangzhou people must have green vegetables with their meals, and here, green vegetables only refer to leafy greens; gourds and root vegetables do not count.



Xinjiang smooth yogurt cake (suannai gao)



Xinjiang milk egg tart (puta)



Boiled Ningxia choy sum (caixin)

People in Guangzhou care a lot about healthy eating. They want fresh ingredients and balanced nutrition. They cook with all kinds of land and sea animals. You can find these dishes at morning tea, which lasts until lunch. After a midday break, people go back for afternoon tea. When it gets dark and cool outside, there is a late-night snack culture. You can spend the whole day eating.



Original juice bamboo shoot shrimp dumpling (xiajiao huang)



Mango pomelo sago (yangzhi ganlu)



Malay satay beef tripe (jinjian du)



Dried fish and peanut congee (chaiyu huasheng zhou)



Healthy sesame cake (zhima gao)



Southeast Asian shrimp red rice noodle roll (hongmi changfen)

6. Hui Muslim Restaurant (Huimin Fandian)



Huimin Restaurant is a state-run Guangzhou classic that has been open for over half a century. Most of the customers are local people from the neighborhood. I asked my local friends in Guangzhou, and they approve of the food quality here. They serve morning tea, afternoon tea, and regular meals. If you come for morning tea on a weekday, you get a discount.



Inside the restaurant, a sign says they serve Hui Muslims before 9 a.m., but when I arrived before 9, I mostly saw local residents of all backgrounds. The restaurant has a strong state-run vibe, and the service is okay. The tea set is not as fancy as the one at Xinjiang Mansion. You only get one teacup and one teapot, and the space is smaller and noisier.



Lamb barbecue bun (yangrou chashaobao)

For Cantonese-style dim sum, the Hui Muslim restaurant makes it more authentic. Take this lamb barbecue bun, for example; it is the only one of its kind in Guangzhou. Barbecue pork (chashao) means roasting meat on a fork, then wrapping it in dough to make a bun. When steamed, the top of the bun splits open naturally. I eat this every time I come here, as it is hard to find such authentic and delicious barbecue buns once you leave this restaurant.



Chicken broth soup dumpling (jizhi xiaolongbao)

Soup dumplings are one of my favorite breakfasts. When my appetite is not fully awake in the morning, I prefer delicate flour-based snacks. I might not have the appetite to finish a large steamed bun.



Job's tears and beef tripe porridge (yizhao niudu zhou)

In Beijing, I would never expect to find such a variety of nutritious porridge for breakfast. I have to complain about the porridge here, though. It does not taste like it was freshly cooked this morning; it tastes like it was reheated from a pre-made batch. Freshly cooked porridge has a thicker texture, and this place is not as good as Xinjiang Mansion in that regard.



Coconut sticky rice cake (yexiang nuomici)

The dim sum tastes pretty good, but it looks plain. It is not as refined as the food at Xinjiang Mansion, so it is not great for taking photos to post on social media. Many friends have told me the service at the Hui Muslim restaurant is bad. I did not experience that myself, but in terms of small details, Xinjiang Mansion is definitely more comfortable for dining.



Curry beef rice noodle roll (gali niurou changfen)



Shrimp salad dumplings (shalü mingxia jiao)

The dim sum platter I had today tasted a bit salty; it wasn't this salty before.



Three-item dim sum platter

7. Ma Xiaohuo Handmade Pulled Noodles and Barbecue



I ended up at this shop by accident. I was catching up with a friend at a cafe, but they felt the air conditioning was too strong, so we moved outside. Suddenly, a storm hit Guangzhou. We ducked into this little shop to escape the rain, ordered some food, and were surprised by how good it was.



My friend had a bowl of pulled noodles (lamian), and I ordered a portion of Xinjiang rice noodles (xinjiang mifen). The rice noodles came with plenty of toppings and tasted great. The shop was clean and bright. Although it was small, the dining experience was very comfortable. It is a chain, and there are currently three branches in Guangzhou.



8. ANTALYA Turkish Restaurant



Antalya Restaurant's Liede branch was the first place we chose for our team building. The second floor has Central Asian-style decor where you take off your shoes and sit on carpets. You used to be able to experience this at Rumi's Secret in Beijing, but unfortunately, that location closed. However, a new Rumi's Secret opened in Urumqi, and I visited it the year before last; the environment there is even better.



For Middle Eastern cuisine, black tea and baklava are must-haves, along with my favorite Turkish coffee. Whether it is day or night, I always have a cup whenever I eat Turkish food.





Besides its rich texture and coffee grounds, a highlight of Turkish coffee is the cup. It must not be served in a clear glass; it has to be in an exquisite porcelain cup to be authentic.



Hummus (yingzuidou ni)

The overall feel of this restaurant is just like Rumi's Secret, and the prices are similar, averaging about 200 yuan per person. The flavors are a bit localized and lighter, which suits Chinese tastes better.



Chicken leg with Arabic rice.



Hollow balloon bread.



Mixed chicken and beef kebab platter.



Cheese flatbread (pide).



Lamb patty with yogurt.

I have to say a few words about this final ice cream; it is not as good as MADO, a Turkish ice cream brand that uses goat milk. I will introduce the MADO ice cream shop in Guangzhou specifically later.



Ice cream.

9. MADO Turkish Ice Cream and Coffee Shop.



MADO is very famous, and I had heard of it for a long time. I still remember the rich milky flavor of the MADO ice cream I ate in Beijing. Before coming here, I checked and found that there are two branches in Guangzhou. We ate at MADO twice because most of the members in my Guangzhou group are women who love it, so I had to arrange it.



The ice cream shop has a wide variety of sweets and also serves full meals. It is Turkish cuisine, but the quality of the meals is not as good as the ice cream, so I suggest only eating ice cream there.



When you enter the shop, you can order ice cream first. You can mix and match from over twenty flavors. You can order a four-layer serving with four different flavors, which is the best value.



You can also sprinkle various toppings on the ice cream. I like the original handmade ice cream the best; it has the silkiest texture and a full milky flavor. The other flavored ice creams are not as good as the original.



The girls love the raspberry flavor. Raspberries are red, sweet, and tart, and Lu Xun even mentioned them in his writing.



The Turkish restaurants in Guangzhou are mostly filled with foreigners who enjoy chatting and smoking shisha in the cafes.



Sultan's Boat

If you see the colorful ice cream on the menu and don't know what to pick, I suggest getting the handmade ice cream in the original flavor. It is the best and does not need any extra toppings.



Handmade ice cream



The Turkish coffee is made so delicately and even comes with a small flower for decoration. I felt happy as soon as I walked into this shop, and eating dessert always puts me in a good mood. I really hope they open a branch in Beijing, where many people still love eating ice cream even in the winter.



Shepherd's salad

The main courses are just average and do not taste as good as those at Turkish restaurants that specialize in full meals. It is better to come here for afternoon tea or a late-night snack to have ice cream and desserts.



Mexican grilled meat wrap



Turkish stuffed flatbread (pide)

10. Xianglan Indonesian Restaurant



Ever since the Southeast Asian halal restaurants in Beijing all closed down, I have not been able to find authentic Nanyang-style food near my home. The last time I had Indonesian food was in Kuala Lumpur, but I did not even eat Indonesian food this good while I was in Indonesia.



The first reason to recommend this place is that it made the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. This is Michelin's list for affordable restaurants, with an average cost per person under 100 yuan. Being on this list in a food city like Guangzhou really says something.



I think everything on their menu is a specialty. Basically every dish is delicious, including the drinks. I don't know how the owner and the chef manage to hit the mark so perfectly for every diner's taste buds.



Fresh lime and lemongrass soda and pandan coconut custard cake (pandan ruanxin yezhigao).

Many friends highly recommended this place to me before I even arrived in Guangzhou. My taste matches the general public's, so I had high expectations, but it was only after tasting it myself that I realized it truly lives up to its reputation.



Bali crispy duck (Bali dao zangzang ya).

Although this restaurant has many dishes, the portions are small. This is perfect for someone like me who wants to try new things without wasting food. Also, they don't sell alcohol, which gives me peace of mind while eating. The staff mentioned that the owner is an Indonesian Chinese.



Black nut beef soup rice (heirouguo niurou tangfan).

Since I have traveled in Indonesia, I know that traditional Indonesian food doesn't usually focus on presentation. However, this restaurant has clearly adapted to the local style in Guangzhou. They pay close attention to color combinations in every dish, so they look great in photos.



Rambutan beef fried rice (hongmaodan niurou chaofan).

There is only one Xianglan Indonesian restaurant left in Guangzhou, and you have to wait in line during meal times.



Seafood turmeric rice (haixian hui huangjiangfan).



Grilled chicken with candlenut garlic sauce (shili suanrongjiang kaoji).



Lemongrass and turmeric fried chicken (xiangmao huangjiang zha tuji).



Kaya and avocado toast (kaye niuyouguo kao tusi).



Snack platter.

11. Saba Restaurant



The name makes it clear this is a Southeast Asian restaurant, but they also serve Middle Eastern food. My friend and I chose this place because we once traveled to Sabah together and have many great memories. Meeting up in Guangzhou now, things feel just like they used to.



When we walked in, the restaurant was playing Quran recitations, and they do not serve alcohol. I was surprised to see that most of the diners were Black. Since my first visit to Guangzhou in 2015, I noticed that over 80 percent of the friends (dosti) at Friday prayers (Jumu'ah) were Black. Today, the number of Black people in Guangzhou has dropped by more than half, and it is rare to see them at Friday prayers now.



Tom yum soup (dongyingong tang).

The menu starts with Thai dishes, followed by Chinese and Western food. I chose the tom yum soup, and they actually served it in a small hot pot.



Pineapple fried rice (boluo chaofan).

I loved eating pineapple fried rice when I traveled in Malaysia. The version here was just okay. Maybe the setting was wrong, so it didn't taste right. Sometimes you need the right mood to enjoy good food.



Lemon tilapia (ningmeng luofeiyu).

I picked dishes we had eaten while traveling in Thailand and Malaysia to reminisce about our time wandering the world.

12. AL MANARA Lebanese Restaurant



Guangzhou used to have two Lebanese restaurants. I went to the other one only to find it had closed. This shop is a roadside storefront with no main dining hall, just a few tables set up outside. It is very simple.



Chickpea puree (hummus) with Arabic flatbread (khubz)

A lady from Northeast China works here and speaks fluent Arabic. The person grilling the meat is a Lebanese Arab.



Chickpea fritter (falafel) chicken wrap

This Lebanese restaurant does not have as nice an environment as Alameen in Beijing, but the taste is authentic and the prices are affordable. Overall, it is not as good as the Lebanese restaurants in Beijing, which makes me feel a bit better.



Lemon mint drink

13. ARMADA Middle Eastern Cuisine



Most halal Western restaurants in Guangzhou are run by Turkish people. This place, Armada, is the same and is located near Xiaobei.



Assorted flavor soup (mercimek corbasi)

My friends in Guangzhou had never been to this shop, so I brought them here to check it out. Once inside, I noticed the waitresses were wearing headscarves (hijab). It is an alcohol-free restaurant.



Shepherd's salad



Rose black tea



The ladies love drinking rose black tea. I saw a Moroccan specialty tagine on the menu, so I ordered it. Guangzhou used to have a Moroccan restaurant, but it closed down during the pandemic.



Chicken and eggplant tagine

The restaurant's grilled meat and meals are all delicious, better than the main courses at MADO.



Mixed grilled meat platter



Cheese and tenderloin pizza view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Tianjin halal food map part 5 covers Alishu Pizza and Pasta, Yanchunlou Restaurant, Chengcheng Charcoal BBQ, AINY Western Casual Dining, Muyi Nuobona Western Restaurant, Haishiwan Restaurant, desserts, seafood, and family-style Western halal dining.

This is the fifth installment of my Tianjin halal food map. It covers six restaurants I visited while traveling back and forth to Tianjin five times recently.

The halal restaurants in Tianjin I visited this time are:

1. Alishu Pizza and Pasta

2. Yanchunlou Restaurant

3. Chengcheng Charcoal BBQ

4. AINY Western Casual Dining

5. Muyi Nuobona Western Restaurant

6. Haishiwan Restaurant

1. Alishu Pizza and Pasta



Tianjin has many small, family-run Western restaurants like this. They are usually located near residential neighborhoods and offer great value. None of the small Western restaurants I visited sell alcohol. The owners are all locals from Tianjin. It is strange that Beijing does not have any similar restaurants.



When I am in Malaysia, I often take my children to Western restaurants for pasta. Kids seem to love pasta and french fries.







This shop serves baked beef rice with cheese and pizza, costing about 30 yuan per serving.



Two people can eat until they are full for about 100 yuan. People say this shop used to have several branches, but this is the only one left.



2. Yanchunlou Restaurant



Some internet users called this the best halal restaurant in Tianjin, so we made a special trip to try it while passing through the city.



The restaurant has a fancy atmosphere and displays many collectibles inside.





Many people come here because of its reputation, so you have to wait in line for a table.





We tried the traditional stir-stir-fried meat liver and kidney (bao liang yang), braised oxtail, and shrimp with gluten. The taste was just okay and quite ordinary. It was not as amazing as people said online and fell short compared to Hongbinlou. However, the price is reasonable at about 150 yuan per person.









3. Chengcheng Charcoal BBQ



This shop was a surprise. I came here because my classmate was having a baby at a nearby maternity center, and we just picked the closest place. I did not expect it to be so good.



This place is a great value. Two people can eat plenty of meat for less than 200 yuan.





I highly recommend the rice mixed in a basin. It costs just over ten yuan, and the rice grains are distinct, which is the texture I like.



4. AINY Western Casual Dining



This small shop is a lot like the first one. It is even smaller, but it has been open for nearly 10 years.



They even write their menu by hand.



Two people can share a seafood pizza, a black pepper pasta, and a large order of fries for about 100 yuan. It tastes pretty good.



5. Muyi Nuobona Western Restaurant



Muyi and Nuobona Western Restaurant are two restaurants with different styles run by the same owner. They are both in the same building. Muyi is a Chinese restaurant, and Nuobona is a Western restaurant.



We tried the Nuobona Western Restaurant this time. The food and the atmosphere were great. People say their Chinese food is also very delicious.







The best thing about Nuobona is the fireplace they use to bake pizzas. The pizza that comes out of it smells amazing.







I tried the famous French dish of baked snails (escargot) for the first time. It tasted quite good, just like eating sea snails.







Even though the food and the environment are quite fancy, the prices are not high. You can eat for about 100 yuan per person. Prices in Tianjin are generally lower than in Beijing.

6. Haishiwan Restaurant



We found this Western restaurant based on online reviews.







We ordered a wide variety of dishes here and tried almost all their signature items. However, the taste does not compare to Nuobona. This is a budget-friendly Western restaurant. It is definitely much cheaper than other places, costing only about 50 yuan per person, so you cannot expect too much from the flavor.



Still, their dishes look great in photos.

















This huge cup of dessert was so sugary and rich that everyone could only manage one small bite before they were full. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Kuala Lumpur halal food guide part 5 maps KLCC and airport-area halal restaurants, including Cafe Espresso, Taste of India, Chicken Chop Station, Little Penang Cafe, PADI HOUSE, BAPE CAFE, Burger & Lobster, YUZU, Kenny Hills, De Wan, and more places the author tried during a 20-day Malaysia trip.

I spent the 2025 New Year in Malaysia for 20 days. I mostly stayed around KLCC. After my previous posts on halal food in Kuala Lumpur, I finally feel like I understand the food scene around the Petronas Twin Towers. The restaurant scene in Malaysia is very competitive. I have only recommended five lists so far, and some restaurants from the earlier ones have already closed. Still, the turnover is slower than in Beijing. When it comes to how competitive the restaurant industry is, if China claims second place, no other country would dare claim first.

1. CAFE ESPRESSO

2. TASTE OF INDIA

3. CHICKEN CHOP STATION

4. Mengda Mini Bowl

5. Little Penang Cafe (Xiao Bingcheng Meishiguan)

6. PADI HOUSE

7. Dotty’s

8. BAPE CAFE

9. BURGER & LOBSTER

10. BUNGKUS KAWKAW

11. YUZU

12. Old Oil Ghost (Lao You Gui Gui)

13. Chateraise

14. XVI

15. KENNY HILLS

16. De Wan

1. CAFE ESPRESSO



This cafe is near the boarding gates after security for international departures at Kuala Lumpur Airport. The airport has two security checks. There is a simple check when you enter, and a stricter one near the boarding gates. You cannot bring drinks through the second check, even if you bought them at the airport. I once had to throw away a coffee I just bought because I was told I could not bring it through.



Luckily, the coffee at this cafe after the final security check tastes great and is cheap. If you want coffee at Kuala Lumpur Airport, it is best to buy it at the boarding gate. If you buy it before security, remember to leave at least half an hour to reach the gate because the security line can be long.

2. TASTE OF INDIA



This shop is in the dining area after the first security check for international departures at Kuala Lumpur Airport. It is an Indian-style fast food restaurant that is very popular with passengers. You often have to wait in line during meal times. A biryani rice set costs about 40 RMB. It tastes very good, though the portion is small.



3. CHICKEN CHOP STATION



On the G floor of Wisma Central—the G floor is what we call the first floor in China; if you press 1 in a Kuala Lumpur elevator, you actually go to the second floor—there is an Italian fast food restaurant. It is packed every noon because the food is delicious and cheap. A meal costs no more than 10 Malaysian Ringgit.



My son loves pasta and french fries, especially pasta in different shapes. This shop is very close to me, so I buy them for him. The shop has no menu. You just grab a plate, pick what you want to eat, and then walk to the cashier to pay. They also have free drinks.





This big combo plate only costs 10 yuan. If you just buy pasta for your child, it only costs 5 yuan.





4. Mengda Mini Bowl



Right next to the pasta shop, there is a newly opened Chinese halal small-bowl dish (xiaowancai) restaurant called Mengda. Mengda refers to Mengda Mountain in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, Qinghai Province, which is a Salar community. This shop is run by Salar people from Qinghai and is owned by the same people as the Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle (lamian) shop next door.



Small-bowl dishes are various Chinese stir-fries served in small bowls for you to choose from. This lets you try several dishes in one meal without wasting food. Mengda small-bowl dishes are mostly salty, fresh, and spicy Sichuan-style, which is a flavor Southeast Asians enjoy.





In the small-bowl dish shop, you can also order from the noodle shop menu next door because the two shops are connected. Besides Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, the noodle shop has various stir-fried noodles, mixed noodles, big plate chicken (dapanji), dumplings, and kebabs. The food is very good and the business is busy. Friends who are not used to Southeast Asian food can come here to eat.



The small-bowl dish shop also has a drink bar with various lemon teas, fruit teas, and other drinks. People in tropical regions love drinking beverages and pair them with every meal. The restaurant is easy to find. It is right next to the KLCC Twin Towers, in the street-level shops of the Central Building.

5. Little Penang Cafe (Xiao Bingcheng Meishiguan)



Since I spend all my time near the KLCC Twin Towers, my daily life revolves around this area. I have almost eaten at every restaurant inside the Twin Towers. The food inside the Twin Towers is generally fine. I have never seen any restaurant here sell pork. I only saw one area in the Isetan supermarket on the B1 floor marked for non-halal food, and the only non-halal meat there is pork.



This shop is on the 4th floor of the Twin Towers. You can guess from the name that it is a Nyonya restaurant. It is very busy at lunchtime and you have to wait in line.





Their food is really delicious. This combo meal only costs a little over 20 Malaysian ringgit, which is a better deal than what we ate in Penang. Nyonya food is mostly salty and spicy, which is very suitable for friends from the south to try.



6. PADI HOUSE



I posted on social media that I was visiting a lot of cafes for this food map. Because of my job, I can work from anywhere in the world as long as I have internet. These cafes have air conditioning, WiFi, and the drinks are very cheap—about half the price of those in Beijing. I love that I can eat and drink there.



This is my favorite shop. It is right at the entrance of the Isetan mall and connects to the Petronas Twin Towers. I really like their healthy breakfast. It starts at 7:30 a.m., which is very early for Kuala Lumpur, where most shops do not open until after 10:00 a.m.



Breakfast is served all day until 10:00 p.m. This soft-boiled hot spring egg (onsen tamago) is one of the things I eat for breakfast. The set costs 10 ringgit and includes a cup of coffee.



If it is not mealtime, I like to order two drinks: a coffee and a juice. The juice is 10 ringgit and the coffee is 5 to 7 ringgit, totaling about 20 yuan. In Beijing, this combination of fresh juice and coffee would cost at least 50 yuan.



I can stay here all afternoon. If I get hungry from drinking, I order a snack. My son loves these crispy shrimp crackers (xiapian).



7. Dotty’s



Dotty’s is right across from Padi. I don't think the drinks at Dotty’s are as good as Padi’s, and it is too noisy inside. Locals seem to prefer Dotty’s. Neither shop sells alcohol; they are Western-style cafes that also serve simple Malaysian-style meals.



The drink prices here are a little higher than at Padi. A small can of mixed fruit juice costs over 20 ringgit, and the coffee tastes very average. I only came here once and go to Padi every other time.



8. BAPE CAFE



Bape is a trendy Japanese clothing brand, which stands for a bathing ape. Bape is considered the high-end line of Aape. I was surprised to find they opened a cafe in Kuala Lumpur.



This cafe doesn't look fancy at all, the prices are very affordable, and I found the taste of the drinks quite ordinary.



They serve light meals, coffee, and desserts, so I ordered a piece of chocolate that features their brand logo.



To be honest, it wasn't very good, so I only ate half. This piece of chocolate cost about 40 RMB.



The coffee was also very average, and I don't like using these disposable cups. The shop is on the G floor of the Petronas Twin Towers, near the entrance to the KLCC Park fountain.

9. BURGER & LOBSTER



Next to Bape is this American burger and lobster restaurant, both located at the G floor entrance of the Twin Towers. I have only tried their burgers, which are truly delicious and high quality, but they are expensive. This burger costs about 100 RMB.



10. BUNGKUS KAWKAW



There is a very popular pulled tea (teh tarik) shop on the B1 floor of the Twin Towers. Pulled tea is Malaysian milk tea. I have had it a few times and it is really tasty and cheap, costing only 5 MYR per cup with many flavors to choose from.



The shop is always busy and full of customers, so I usually get it to go and grab one of their signature snacks to go with it.



11. YUZU



This is a Japanese restaurant on the 4th floor of the Twin Towers. There are at least four Japanese restaurants in the Twin Towers, and each one has a slightly different style.



I think this place offers good value for money with many set meal options. This combo set includes various classic Japanese dishes and even wagyu beef, where you can choose how you want it cooked. It costs about 130 RMB in total, but the portion is a bit small; someone with a big appetite could probably eat two sets.



12. Old Oil Ghost (Lao You Gui Gui)



Every morning after I drop my son off at kindergarten, I go to this nearby Old Oil Ghost (Lao You Gui Gui) for breakfast. This is a chain brand that sells Chinese-style soy milk, fried dough sticks (youtiao), tofu pudding (doufuhua), and porridge.



They make the dried scallop porridge in the Cantonese dim sum style. The tofu pudding is sweet, and with a fried dough stick, the whole breakfast costs about 10 Malaysian Ringgit.



Old Oil Ghost is a chain, so you can find many locations by searching on a map.



13. Chateraise



This is a cake shop that uses imported Japanese ingredients. I ordered my son's third birthday cake here. The school allows birthday celebrations and small gifts for the children, but they don't allow candy, chocolate, or nuts. Cake and fruit are fine.



Japanese dairy products are very high quality. I once ate local dairy in Hokkaido, and I still remember how good it tasted.



You can order a cake and pick it up the same day. A 21cm fruit cake costs only 170 RMB, which is much cheaper than in Beijing.



This was Fahim's first birthday in Malaysia and the most formal one he has ever had.



14. XVI



There is a cafe near Asy-Syakirin Mosque, and the back of the shop faces the mosque at KLCC.



Sometimes I sit here in the morning, order a coffee, and watch the people walking by on their way to work at the Petronas Twin Towers. Their coffee and bread taste good, and a breakfast set costs 10 yuan.



15. KENNY HILLS



This shop seems to be a famous local dessert chain in Kuala Lumpur. There are two near where I live, and this one is close to Ampang Kindergarten. It is where I go for breakfast after dropping off my child.



The shop is very busy during breakfast hours. The prices are not cheap, but the portions are large.



For two people to have two healthy breakfasts, each with a coffee, it costs about 150 yuan.



16. De Wan



There is a very famous Michelin-rated restaurant in Ampang Shopping Centre that specializes in Malaysian cuisine. Malaysian cuisine here refers to a fusion of Malay, Indian, and Chinese Nyonya dishes.



This restaurant is near my apartment complex. I used to pass by it often but never realized how big it was inside.



The founder, Chef Wan, seems to be quite famous in Malaysia.





The restaurant has a great atmosphere and excellent service. The prices are on the expensive side for the area, with an average cost of about 100 Malaysian ringgit per person.







I can tell their food is authentic, but I don't really like dishes with such heavy seasoning.



Fahim likes the complimentary crispy peanut crackers (huasheng cuibing) they serve.



The fish curry and beef rendang (rendang niurou) are both great with rice. They are fresh, fragrant, and spicy, but the heavy seasoning hides the natural taste of the ingredients. As a tourist, it is a fun experience to try once in a while. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal food guide maps real restaurants visited by the author, including a Hui Muslim-run Speed Pizza, Fujian beef dishes, and Turkish Qubbe, with practical notes for Muslim travelers looking for authentic halal food in Beijing.



— Hello, Travel —

As usual, before I share restaurant details, I want to answer some questions I get asked often:

1. The Yahya official account is not a marketing page. I have no team; I run it myself. Yahya is my religious name, and it is a name specifically for Muslim men (so, to clear up the rumors, I am not a young lady).

2. I am not a professional food critic. My job has nothing to do with travel or food. I list my profession at the end of my articles, and writing about halal food is just a hobby.

3. I only write about restaurants I have actually visited. Even if a place is famous, I won't write about it if I haven't eaten there. Just because I write about a restaurant doesn't mean I think it is delicious. Taste is very subjective, so I rarely praise or criticize dishes.

4. If you want to find a restaurant address, use Gaode Maps, Baidu Maps, or Dazhong Dianping to search for the name to get the address and phone number. I only add notes about the address if you cannot find it online.

5. Unless otherwise noted, halal restaurants in Beijing sell alcohol. There are only a handful of restaurants that do not serve alcohol.

6. I am from Beijing.

1

Western-style fast food: Speed Pizza



The Joy Breeze (Huiju) mall in Daxing District has had many surprises lately, and this Speed Pizza is one of them. Speed Pizza is a chain brand, and their other locations are not halal. Only this shop on the second floor of Joy Breeze is run by Hui Muslims. At first, when I heard the owner was a Hui Muslim, I was a bit worried—you know why. When I came to check, the server brought out the ingredient packaging from the kitchen that had the halal label on it, and that put my mind at ease.



Coincidentally, the owner of this shop is the son and daughter-in-law of the family behind the Jingnan No. 1 Hot Pot (Jingnan Diyi Shuan) in the Xueying Hui Muslim village. I know the family, and their hot pot place is quite famous in the southern part of the city. The ingredients for the Speed Pizza at Joy Breeze come from their family.



Screenshot of my chat with the owner

After adding the owner on WeChat, I learned they run three shops in Joy Breeze. Besides Speed Pizza, Lou Sanshao and Niujiufen are also halal. Because they are chain brands, they don't display a halal sign, but the ingredients are delivered separately.



Signature cheese pizza

Following the staff's recommendation, I ordered the cheese pizza. The crust is thin, and they are generous with the cheese, which has a rich milky flavor. The pizza comes with a small cup of honey. You can add it if you like, but don't add too much or it will be too sweet.



Pan-seared salmon salad



Honey-glazed rice cake boneless fried chicken

The restaurant has good food and service. It is great to see halal restaurants moving toward this business model. By copying the management style of famous restaurant brands and just focusing on controlling the quality of ingredients, they have a real chance to grow and succeed.



Lou Sanshao

Both Lou Sanshao and Niu Jiufen are on the third floor of the Joy City mall. Lou Sanshao is a modern Beijing-style restaurant, and Niu Jiufen is a Fujian beef restaurant.

2

Fujian Cuisine: Niu Jiufen



Niu Jiufen is a chain restaurant serving Fujian cuisine. Only this location on the third floor of Joy City is halal. There is no halal sign in the shop, but the ingredients come from their own farm in Xueying.



As far as I know, there are no halal Fujian restaurants even in Fujian. Fujian cuisine has always been a blank spot on my halal food map, so I was lucky to satisfy my taste buds at Niu Jiufen.



Looking at the Niu Jiufen menu, they only serve beef dishes and vegetarian food. You must order their signature Chinese-style beef ribs.



The beef ribs come in small and large portions. I ordered the small one because I was afraid of wasting food, but it turns out two people could easily finish the large portion.



Seaweed jelly (shihuagao)

Seaweed jelly (shihuagao) is a specialty drink from Fujian and a Quanzhou intangible cultural heritage. It is made by boiling seaweed powder. It has a light, slightly sweet taste and is great for cooling down in the summer.



Grapefruit sparkling water



Beef ribs for two

The beef ribs are soft and tender, showing the skill of Hui Muslims in stewing beef. You can take the big bones home, and you do not have to worry about the meat being tough. The beef broth is delicious mixed with rice; a young man could eat three bowls of rice with it.



Lettuce with scallion oil and fried shallots

Lettuce with scallion oil and fried shallots is the most popular vegetable dish recommended by the restaurant. If you were in the south, they would definitely use lard, but here they use beef fat.



Spicy beef rib pot

The spicy beef rib pot has dried bean curd sticks (fuzhu) and fried tofu puffs (doupao) on top, with beef underneath. The chili is quite spicy but very fragrant. It is another dish that goes well with rice. When I shared the photos on social media, even friends from Shaxian, Fujian, agreed that it looked very authentic to Fujian.

3

Turkish Cuisine · Qubbe



The head chef from the Turkish Embassy opened a new Turkish restaurant near Xinyuanli. I organized over twenty friends (dosti) to visit and try the food.



As more people signed up for the dinner, I worried there wouldn't be enough space. Once I arrived, I realized I worried for nothing. The restaurant is very large and can seat 100 people at once.



Mixed Grilled Meat

This signature mixed grilled meat platter is the longest one I have ever eaten, nearly a meter long. The menu says it serves 10 people for 2,228 yuan, but I tested it myself and found it is plenty for 20 people. Some netizens complained about why the chili peppers were charred. Actually, this is a traditional way to eat them. In the Middle East, Mexico, and Sichuan, China, people char peppers because it lowers the heat and brings out the flavor. There is scientific evidence for this, so peppers must be charred to be fragrant.



Filet Mignon

They have filet mignon here for 388 yuan a serving. The meat is very tender, and you can choose how you want it cooked.



Hollow Bread

They have a special oven, and all the bread is baked to order, so the service is a bit slow. When the bread arrives, steaming hot and smelling of fresh wheat, you realize the wait is worth it.



Sweet Potato Fries



Rotating Grilled Beef Burger

This is the famous Turkish kebab. The meat is stacked on a spit and rotates constantly on the grill. It is sliced off and tucked into bread. Students who have studied in Europe will find this very familiar.



Cheese Pita Bread

My favorite pita bread flavor is cheese. Pita bread is like a boat-shaped stuffed pie, made the same way.



Feta Cheese Salad

We ate four types of salad, including arugula salad, shepherd's salad, and feta cheese salad. The cheese salad is the most unique because the cheese is sour.



MADO ice cream

For dessert, we had MADO ice cream. It comes from Turkey and is made with pure goat milk. It tastes much better than Haagen-Dazs. It costs 38 yuan per scoop, and my friends loved it.



Kubei Turkish Restaurant really captures the authentic flavors of Turkey. The restaurant has a strong Turkish style, and even the tableware is flown in from Turkey. Ambassadors from Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries attended the opening, which shows the quality is reliable.

4

Turkish Cuisine: Istanbul Restaurant



Istanbul Restaurant has reopened. It operated in Jianguomen for over ten years before closing for more than two years. This place is special to me because we used to go on dates here before we got married. The new location is near Sanlitun.



Compared to Kubei, this place is more affordable. Kubei costs about 300 yuan per person, while this place is just over 100 yuan.



The restaurant still has a blue Mediterranean style, but it is much more spacious and brighter than before.



Turkish coffee

Turkish coffee is boiled and very strong. Turkish people often tell fortunes based on the patterns the coffee grounds leave at the bottom of the cup. Of course, this is just a custom left over from the age of ignorance.



Doner kebab (donaer kaorou)

This is a mix of chicken and lamb, and you need to eat it wrapped in bread.



Beef pita bread



Rice pudding

Rice pudding is a dessert that originated in the Middle East. It is made with rice, butter, and milk, and it is a bit like a thick, dehydrated porridge.

5

Arabic Cuisine: ZAYTON Restaurant in the Village



Zaitun is the transliteration of the Arabic word for olive tree. The restaurant is in Sanlitun, and both the chef and the owner are Palestinian.



Arabic chicken wrap

This place is very good. The Arabic chicken wrap tastes just as good as the ones I had abroad, and the price is quite affordable at 50 yuan per person. This is likely because they share space with the bar next door and don't have their own dining room, just a small kitchen, so you have to sit outside, which keeps costs low.



Arabic coffee

Arabic coffee is more bitter than Turkish coffee and has a sour taste. People who don't like coffee might find it hard to drink, but I can handle it.



The Arabic grilled meat wrap is also very fragrant. I told the chef it was delicious, and he said it wasn't the best yet, and that it would be even better when I come back next time to eat it fresh off the grill.

6

Ningxia Cuisine: Huiweigong Silk Road Food



I have recommended Ali Restaurant's Ningxia dishes before, but I recently found another Ningxia-style restaurant. The owner is from Jingyuan, and the lamb in the shop comes from Yanchi tan sheep in Ningxia.



Huiweigong is a family chain with four locations in Qingniancheng, Xiguomao, Yayuncun, and Sanyuanqiao.



Dawukou cold noodles (liangpi)

Dawukou cold noodles are quite famous in Ningxia and are a must-order cold dish at any Ningxia restaurant.



Clear-stewed lamb chops

Clear-stewed lamb chops are all about the quality of the meat. You only need to add a little salt to stew them, and Ningxia lamb has no gamey smell.



Homemade farm-style vermicelli

Stir-fried vermicelli with minced meat is a common home-cooked dish in the Xihaigu region. The local specialty is potatoes, and vermicelli made from high-quality potato starch tastes great.



Hand-pulled noodle pieces (mianpian)

After finishing the dishes, end the meal with a bowl of noodle pieces to feel full.

7

Pangasius fish hot pot (suobianyu huoguo) and Bobo fish



Pangasius fish hot pot has been very popular in Beijing for the past few years. A Bobo fish restaurant opened in Xiguanshi Village in Changping, specializing in this dish. Pangasius fish has smooth skin, tender meat, and very few bones. It has no small bones, making it easy and delicious to eat.



The restaurant features Hello Kitty decorations and a pink color scheme throughout. I guess the owner's daughter designed it.



You can help yourself to the dipping sauces, with eight different flavors to mix and match.



The shop is currently running a promotion where vegetable dishes are free.



Two people can easily finish a large pot of fish. The fish is already cooked when it arrives, and you can add vegetables to the pot after you finish the fish. I recommend the spicy flavor.



Xinxin Cake Shop

If you think Xiguanshi in Changping is too far to travel for just one restaurant, you are wrong. Xiguanshi is a village for Hui Muslims, and there is plenty of halal food there. Please look at the photos below.





Northeast-style barbecue (dongbei shaokao)



Sister Hong's beef sesame flatbread (hongjie niurou shaobing)



Door-nail meat pie (mending roubing)



Knife-cut noodles (daoxiaomian)



Xiaoqi Skewer Hot Pot (xiaoqi chuanchuanxiang)



Pan-fried buns (shuijianbao)



Halal supermarket



Huashunzhai meat pie (huashunzhai roubing)

That is all for this episode. Next time, we plan to cover halal food around Beijing, insha'sha'Allah. view all