Monday, December 22, 2025

The Hungry Tapir

Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (Recommended)

Address: 135, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PhUR53KFMD6V9ukF6
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)


🍵 Matcha Kosong (Ice, Zero Sugar) = RM15.00 + RM2.00
🍡 Mama's Satay = RM28.00
🍚 Tapir's Nasi Lemak (Addon Cauliflower Rice) = RM27.00 + RM4.00

Service Charge 10% = RM7.60
SST 6% = RM4.56

For Strict Vegans, you'll be glad to know this place Does Not Serve Eggs. 🚫🥚

📋 Here is the Full Menu of the Eatery/Restaurant.

Prices are Accurate as of the Date of the Post.

During my Food Holiday Trips, I always try my best to find at least 1 Vegetarian Eatery so I thought I would look for one right in the Central KL Area. 🥬🇲🇾 
My Eyes really lighted up when I found this Atas Vegan Restoran that is actually Highly Reviewed in Food Blogs written about this Place. 🤔 This is apparently a Well Known Vegan Restaurant in KL. 🇲🇾

Protip 1:
This Place is Not Only Pure Vegan, they are Zero Egg 🙅‍♂️🥚 and don't even use Cow Milk. 🙅‍♂️🥛 Interestingly though, they do serve Alcohol here. 🥂 I have never associated Alcohol Liqueur to be Vegan, although come to think of it, it also makes sense because Alcohol is really just made of Fermented Grains or Fruit after all. 🌾🍇🤔 So if you don't mind that this place serves Alcohol, 🥂 this is actually a Suitable Place for you if you are actually a Strict Vegan. 🤔 In fact, this is the First Eatery that I've encountered so far in Malaysia that is actually suitable for Strict Vegans. 🇲🇾

Protip 2:
If you were to visit this Restoran on a Weekend, I highly recommend that you do a Reservation 🤔 because this place is actually Packed and Crowded on a Sunday Evening when I visited! 😳 So please do a Reservation instead of Walk-In to avoid any Disappointments. 🤔 You can use the "Reserve a Table" Function in Google Maps as I've done. Very Straightforward and Easy. 👍

The Actual Restaurant itself is located in Central KL, 🇲🇾 and is along a series of More Upmarket Boutique F&B Pubbing Street that isn't unlike our own Singapore's Keong Saik Street, Clark Quay etc type of Place. 🤔 
The Outside of the Restaurant really looks Very Non-Descript and you do need to climb a Flight of Stairs 🧗so you might want to take note if you have any Mobility Issues. 🤔

Once I entered the Actual Restaurant however, I felt like I've entered into a Completely Different Dimension... 🤯

Interior of the Restaurant.

As soon as I stepped in, there is a Very Well-Spoken, Polite and Friendly Pinoy Lady Staff right at the Entrance welcoming me speaking in Perfect English. 😄 She held an Ipad and checked my Appointment. No Blur Blur, No Waste of Time, they were READY for me the moment I stepped in. 👍 Impressive.

The Whole Restaurant is an Air-Conditioned, ❄️ Very Upmarket Ang Mo Styled Restaurant with a Very Pubby sort of Feel. 🍾🥂 Because the Background Music they played in this Place were some South American Latino type of Chill Chill Easy Listening Tunes, it also gave a Latino South American Vibe to it. 🎵🎶 
Really Beautifully Renovated and Decorated, you can refer to my Video Walkthrough of the Place to get a Feel. 🎥 Every Staff here were Very Polite, Friendly and were All Smiles when I requested to take Videos of the Place. 😄

Because of the Prominent "Pinkish" Sort of Lighting they used in this Place, 🏮 Hahaha I would describe this Place as like being in a "Cozy Pink Forest" if it makes any sense. 😅 When I was here, I also observed the Clientele and I would say 90% of the Customers here are Mostly Caucasians/Europeans rather than Malaysian Locals. 🤔 I reckon that this Restaurant should be a Popular Hangout for Expats working in KL. 🤔

Although Alcohol is served here, this is Not a Rowdy or Noisy Pub. 👍 Everyone behaved themselves properly making this actually Family Friendly as I could see some Customers even bringing their Kids along. 👦👧 This was an Atas, Comfortable, Upmarket Elegant Restaurant. 👍 
Hahaha, I did notice that I'm the only Solo Diner here, 😅 as the other Customers either came as a Family or as a Couple. 😅 That said, I never felt Awkward or Out of Place as Everyone minded their own Business and I enjoyed this place at my own pace. 👍

When it comes to Food, this Place is also Pretty Serious about their Menu. 📃🤔 As you can see in the Photo Collection, they go out of their way to try to Cater to Every Type of Dietary Needs. 😳 Even the Friendly Pinoy Lady Staff who attended to me let me know exactly what goes on in the Dishes I ordered. 👍 Very Knowledgeable, the Staffs here know what they are selling. 👍 If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Because this Place is so Atas, I specifically requested for all of the Dishes to be served up together and I'm happy to report that they are able to do it. 👍 It took a Total of 19 Mins which although felt very long, was still alright because of the Elevated Level of Customers when I was there. 👍 I took the time to slowly explore and took in the Beauty of this Place while I waited. 😄




🍵 Matcha Kosong (Ice, Zero Sugar) = RM15.00 + RM2.00


Wow this is Rich and Robust! 😋 The Amount of Green Tea used in this is Very Gao Gao. 😳

Its so Gao that you can even taste the Fine Gritty Powdery Texture of Matcha as you drink this. 🌱😳 This is not 意思意思 "Matcha-Flavoured". This is actually Matcha as it is. 👍




🍡 Mama's Satay = RM28.00


This Dish is prominently featured in the Various Food Reviews I've read about this place so I gave it a try. 🤔 Beautifully Presented, its served with 6 Sticks with 3 Pieces of "Chicken/Ayam Meat" each. 🐔🍡 
Visually, the "Meat Fiber" really looks like Chicken, 🐔 but the Actual Bite Texture resembles more like a Firm Fishball. 🍡 So while this thing looks like a Satay, the actual thing feels like you're eating a Stick of Fishball, 🍡 which is a Very Funny Thing to say because remember, this is Vegan and these are NOT Fishballs. 🤯

These "Meat" have this Very Turmeric Barbequey sort of Aroma and Taste and this Spice Mix they used is what they use to try to sell you that its a "Ayam Satay" 🐔🍡 and it almost succeeds but unfortunately its the Bite Texture that betrays it because to me, this taste more like a Fishball that has the Spice Flavouring of a Ayam Satay. 🍡🤔


The Peanut Sauce is Very Good though. 🥜🍯 While its not the Very Malay-Styled 马来风味 type of Flavour, they used ALOT of Peanuts in this. 🥜🤔 Very Thick and Creamy, this is a Very Gritty Sauce with a Mild Spiciness. 🌶️ I have no issues with this Peanut Sauce and I feel it would pair well even if they serve it as a Dip with a Real Meat Satay. 🍡👍


Eating this Faux Satay with this Peanut Sauce 🥜🍯 still doesn't hide the fact that I still found the Bite Texture more like a Fishball than Chicken. 🍡😅 To be fair, the Fishball-ness Texture is slightly reduced if you add this Sauce.

Nothing really Special about the Ketupat here, 🍚 it tastes just like a Regular Satay Ketupat. Onion and Cucumber Pieces here work well as the Palette Cleanser of the Dish. 🧅🥒

🍚 Tapir's Nasi Lemak (Addon Cauliflower Rice) = RM27.00 + RM4.00

The Actual Main Signature of this Place is something called their Pink Burger 🍔 which has been featured in the Various Food Blogs, but I did not order that because I am very intrigued about tasting their Cauliflower Rice 🥬🍚 which I ordered to replace Regular Rice.

Cauliflower Rice is something that I myself have tried to make as I ventured on my Personal Keto Journey. 🤔 And because I made this before, no matter what I do, the Texture is still abit Nua Nua 💦 so I am intrigued how a Professional Restaurant would approach this. 🤔

🍚 Quality of the Cauliflower Rice

And....apparently the Cauliflower Rice here is also Nua Nua. 🍚😅 Not only Nua Nua but its even Wetter and Mushier than my version. 💦😅 The one here tastes exactly like those Pureed Cauliflower Mush that you'd normally get from a Hospital Meal. 🏥 Hahaha I guess they also find it hard to extract all the Moisture out too. 💦😅

That said, what they do though is to flavour it with some Sauce Mix. 🍯🤔 Saltish and Onioney and not a Trace of Coconut Milk at all, 🙅‍♂️🥥 completely does not even try to replicate the Lemak-ness you expect from a Regular Nasi Lemak. 🍚🤔 Unless it is really Strictly Medically Required for you, I personally don't feel its worth to upgrade your Regular Rice to Cauliflower Rice. 🤔


Rest of the Ingredients in this Nasi Lemak

Sambal looks and smells like Regular Nasi Lemak Sambal 🌶️ and is the type that has Onioney Pieces within. 🧅 What I am surprised is that this tasted Sweet, 😳 although Not Super Sweet. Despite this Dish being Keto, I wonder if they used Real Sugar in this? 🤔 Because this Sweetness doesn't taste like those used in a Sugar-Sub like Eryithritol.

I myself have to add ALOT of Sugar-Sub in my Sambal and it still doesn't come close to the Sweetness for this one. 🤔 Spiciness is Elevated and will linger long on the Tongue. 🌶️ Overall not a Bad Quality Sambal, but I have a feeling they used Actual Sugar in this to achieve the Sweetness and is not really appropriate if you are really on a Keto Diet. 🤔

Tempeh is not super crispy but still has a Slight Crunch. 😋 The Raw "Tempehness" is quite Prominent and I'm surprised there is no attempt to Sauce or Salt it to cover up this Rawness. 🤔 If you are someone who don't like your Tempeh to have a Stronger Raw Taste, you might not like this version here. 🤔

The Faux Rendang visually resembles a Chicken Rendang 🐔🍖 but the Bite Texture betrays it because its definitely a Mushroom. 🍄 it's the Gravy they used to try to sell the Illusion. 🍯 This Gravy isn't really Rendang Gravy obviously. Its a Spicy Gravy with Hints of Lemongrass that I've tasted before in some other dishes but I can't quite put my finger on where I eaten this before, but its certainly not a Rendang. 🤔

Spinach Veggie was Nicely Salted and Savoury. 🥬👍 It taste like that Chinese Spinach Dish with Little White Ikan Bilis except that there is no Ikan Bilis in this. I like how they used a Slice of Cucumber to make it into an Adorable Little Bowl to hold the Peanuts. 👍


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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

The Prices for this Place are certainly on the Higher Side. 💵🤔 This is a More Atas Western-Styled Pub/Restaurant type of Vegetarian/Vegan, not your Typical Affordable Kopitiam Vegetarian type of 斋饭. 😅 So I need to set your Expectations first before you start complaining in the Comments that this is Expensive. 💵😅




At the Price of RM17.00 (S$5.20), it is Not Cheap for this Matcha Kosong Drink. 🍵🤔

The Matcha Powder given though is Very Gao Gao and Robust and doesn't taste Dilluted. This is not 意思意思 "Matcha-Flavoured". This is actually Matcha as it is. 🌱👍


At the Price of RM28.00 (S$8.60) is also obviously Not Cheap for this Plate of Faux Satays. 🍡🤔 What I am impressed is although it doesn't land for me because the thing tasted more like a Fishball 🍡 than Ayam Satay. 🐔 That said, I find it already impressive that it still tasted like a Fishball despite the Dish being Vegan. 🥬🤔 At no point during the Meal did I ever feel this was Vegan, so I am impressed with this Culinarily. 👍 If you order this, and have the expectation that you're ordering Sticks of Fishballs 🍡 rather than Satays, 🐔 you will probably accept this more. 😅

At the Price of RM31.00 (S$9.50) for this Faux Nasi Lemak, 🍚🤔 I have alot of Opinions about it. The Asking Price at Sub-S$10 for a Main Dish 主食 in a More Atas Level of Restoran like this is actually quite Reasonable. 👍 
That said, I am Culinarily Unimpressed with how the Cauliflower Rice is handled here. 🍚🤔 Granted it is not easy to Extract Moisture out from it as I've personally tried, but the version here tasted like they didn't even attempt to try. 😅 Wet and Mushy, I am surprised that this is the Type of Quality from a Professional Restoran like this. 💦😅 I will need to try other Restoran version before I reserve my Judgement, but I am not impressed with this Culinarily. 🤔

The Sambal is the other item in this Dish that I am very suspicious of. 🌶️🤔  I have personally made Keto-Friendly Sambal, and the Sweetness provided by a Sugar-Sub cannot provide the Same Level of Sweetness that the Sambal in here taste. 🌶️🤔 If I already use ALOT of Sugar-Sub like Erithrytol for Mine and it still cannot reach even 1/50 of the Sweetness here, I cannot imagine how much Sugar-Sub they actually used for it. 🤔 And I highly doubt they really used that much Sugar-Sub because its just not Financially Viable. 🤔

Now I cannot really confirm, but from the Sweetness, I feel they actually used Real Sugar. 🤔 If you are on a Keto Diet and is Very Strict on your Sugar Intake, I highly recommend not to order this Dish just to be on the Safer Side. 🤔

Overall, other than a Few Items I mentioned like the Cauliflower Rice, I am still impressed with the Level of Culinary Effort with their Dishes. 👍 You will definitely not be fooled by the taste obviously but there is effort. 👍 I may not agree with some of the Culinary Decisions made, but I appreciate that there are Thought and Care being made to the Dishes. 👍

What will make or break this place for you will be the Prices. 💵🤔 Despite how highly raved it is on Food Reviews for this place, they still cannot cover up the Fact that the Prices are Not Cheap even as an Average Singaporean. 🇸🇬😅  If this is what you feel, then this Place is Not for You. 🙅‍♂️

What this Place does for me is the Atas Dining Environment 👍 and the Excellent Friendly, Polite and Welcoming Customer Service 😄 which I have absolutely no issues with. Coming to this Place really felt like I stepped into another Dimension. 😌 This is the Sort of Place that you would take the Effort to Dress Up to visit. 👔👗

Obviously Not a Place that people would Regularly Eat Daily due to the High Prices, 💵🤔 this is more like an Occasional Treat to Pamper yourself. 👍 If you are Fresh Out of Ideas for a Romantic Couple Date, don't mind the Prices and also don't mind trying something New, I can also recommend this. I enjoyed myself here. 👍

End of the day whether this Restaurant is suitable for you or not is really Up to your Personal Budget and Choice. 💵🤔 If you would like to give it a try though, remember to do a Reservation if you are thinking of coming here on a Weekend, because this Place is actually Very Popular especially among Foreign Expats as I've observed. 🤔

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