Merchant’s Lane 美真林 at Petaling Street, KL Malaysia

Merchant’s Lane 美真林 is a brothel-turned cafe located in Jalan Petaling, a Chinatown district in Kuala Lumpur. It boasts a large seating area with an outdoor alfresco where you get to dine amongst greeneries. The cafe is very rustic-looking, with wooden benches and tables.

It gave off a homely vibe and made me feel as if I am sitting in my own room, having a cup of tea and reading a book. I almost didn’t want to leave this place!

The menu comprises of dishes with international flavours. You can have a taste of Cantonese, Malay, Indian and Italian from selections such as the Hongkie Beef Stew RM23 – cantonese beef with mash and gravy, Italian Chow Mein RM22 – spaghetti with traditional Malaysian Chicken Rendang, and Kalau aku Aya RM19 – fried brioche balls with lemon ice cream and kaya.

Taking a twist on it’s past as a brothel, some of the dishes had names like Better than Sex, The Taukay and The Mistress.

Merchant’s Lane signature Rose Honey Milk RM13 lives up to its name with a blend of sweet honey and smooth creamy milk. I caught a whiff of the rose scent while I drank. Nice.

The South China Sea RM31 came in a thick slice of grilled salmon over crispy rosti potato. The rosti was nicely fried, not overly oily and very addictive. As for the salmon, it could use less salt and be more moist. Pairing it with the two perfect 63 degree eggs actually salvaged some of the taste.

What struck the dish as colourful was the generous portion of fruits and capsicum salsa filling the middle. It was a refreshing alternative to the savoury sides.

The Kg. Sg. Tua RM31 was another filling dish with a slab of grilled salmon served on top of sweet potato hash and thoroughly drenched in masak lemak chilli padi sauce. Not the most visually appealing dish but I had to say that taste-wise it was really good.

I had a scoop of the salmon with gravy and mash which totally swept me off my feet. The thick gravy was so delicious with the tingling spiciness and together with the soft hash, was a matchmake in heaven.

The butter herb vegetables as stated in the menu tasted more like they have been blanched instead of being seasoned. Nonetheless, it gave us reason to wipe the plate clean of the gravy with the huge amount of broccoli.

For the price this was worth every penny. Recommended.

Merchant’s Lane also serves cakes, coffee and tea such as the Mimi’s Handcrafted Tea for two pax at RM16.

An exploration further into the cafe revealed an interior of nostalgia and Chinese influences.

 

 

Merchant’s Lane

No 150 Jalan Petaling

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 50000

Tel: +60 3-2022 1736

 

Mon: 11:30AM – 9PM

Tue, Thu and Fri: 11:30AM – 10PM

Weekends: 9:30AM – 10PM

Closed on Wed

Website: https://www.facebook.com/merchantslane/

 

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