makan

10 Places Where You Can Get A Good Bowl Of Lei Cha In KL And Selangor

Are you team pour-it-all-over or team have-it-on-the-side?

Cover image via Malay Mail & Vegetarian Lei Cha 素食擂茶 (Facebook)

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1. Hakka Lei Cha (家乐幸福小聚)

This humble vegetarian joint in Sri Petaling has been serving up delicious lei cha for years. The portions here are generous, and the price is reasonable compared to most other places. Customers love the kind and friendly boss, who also does most of the cooking.

One thing to note is that they don't put chai poh (preserved radish) in their lei cha. Also, parking here might be a bit of a hassle, but not to worry 'cause takeaways and deliveries are available.

Opening hours:
7.30am - 2.30pm (Monday to Friday)
7.30am - 4pm (Saturday)
Closed on Sunday.

Address:
Jalan Radin Anum,
Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

2. Gembira Kopitiam

Tucked in a corner of Gembira Kopitiam in Taman Megah, this vegetarian stall is famous for its lei cha. While the broth is a slightly darker green, you won't have to worry about it tasting too 'herby'. In fact, the soup is really fragrant and mild tasting.

You can choose between brown rice or white rice, and each plate of lei cha comes with eight side dishes. Since it comes in a plate, just be careful not to spill the broth all over when mixing your ingredients together.

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Image via Foursqare

Opening hours:
7am - 2pm
Closed on Monday.

Address:
39, Jalan SS 24/8,
Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor

3. Restaurant Hor Poh Cuisine (河婆園)

Restaurant Hor Poh Cuisine in Segambut offers an assortment of Hakka dishes like abacus seeds, yong tau foo, rice wine chicken, and handmade chai kuih. But the main thing they're known for is lei cha.

The secret behind their lei cha soup is that it's freshly prepared in small batches. Each bowl of bright green broth features a mixture of mint, parsley, sesame seeds, peanuts, and green tea. They also add anchovies while cooking the broth to infuse more flavour.

Lastly, the steamed white rice is topped with finely chopped ingredients like leeks, chives, beancurd, dried shrimps, choy poh, and long beans. They also add crunchy fried fu chuk, braised black eyed beans, and toasted peanuts for extra texture.

Image via Malay Mail
Image via Foursquare

Opening hours:
11am - 3pm | 5.30pm - 8.30pm
Closed on Tuesday.

Address:
36, Jalan 6/38d,
Taman Sri Sinar, 52100 Segambut,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

4. Noodle Shack

While popular for their pan mee and sambal belacan, Noodle Shack is also one of the few places where you'll find lei cha pan mee. It is known as Hakka Pounded Tea Flat Noodles on the menu, and it's great if you're craving for lei cha but want noodles instead of rice.

The lei cha soup is flavourful with just a slight hint of bitterness, while the handmade noodles are bouncy. Plus, the great thing about Noodle Shack is that you can customise your bowl of noodle with toppings like poached egg, fu chuk, wood ear fungus, and dried shrimp.

There are four Noodle Shack outlets across KL and Selangor.

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Image via KindMeal.my

Opening hours:
10am - 9.30pm (Daily)

Address:
IPC Shopping Centre (IKEA)
LG 1-26, Jalan PJU 6/2,
Mutiara Damansara, 47820 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor

1 Utama Shopping Centre
LG 111-112, Lower Ground Floor,
1, Lebuh Bandar Utama,
Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor

Avenue K
UC-6, 156, Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur

Paradigm Mall
LG-59, No.1, Jalan SS 7/26a,
47301 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor

5. Ah Mei Ho Po Lei Cha (阿妹河婆擂茶)

Ah Mei Ho Po Lei Cha is known for their lei cha, choy pan, and chee cheong fun. One of the more popular spots in PJ, they often sell out, so be sure to visit them earlier in the day to avoid disappointment.

Located in Restoran Paramount 86, this lei cha stall offers original, spicy, and vegetarian versions of the dish. Plus, each serving of lei cha comes with up to 15 different types of ingredients, including finely chopped up sweet potato leaves, choy sum, long beans, tau kua, preserved radish, and more.

They also have a branch located at Restoran New Apollos in USJ 4.

Opening hours:
8.30am - 2pm (Daily)

Address:
Restoran Paramount 86
1, Jalan 20/16,
Paramount Garden, 46300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor

Restoran New Apollos
2, Jalan USJ 4/6B,
USJ 4, 47620 Subang Jaya,
Selangor

6. Big Big Bowl Hakka Kitchen

Known for their authentic Hakka cuisine, Big Big Bowl Hakka Kitchen serves up homecooked food that will remind you of your childhood. All of their food is prepared in-house, and uses less salt, MSG, and oil.

Even their herbs and vegetables are brought in from farm-to-table, showing their commitment to provide fresher, healthier options without compromising on taste.

The lei cha here is a must-try, and you can have it with white rice, brown rice, specialty vege pan mee, or just on its own with vegetables.

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Image via VMO Rocks

Opening hours:
8.30am - 8.30pm (Monday to Friday)
8.30am - 9pm (Saturday & Sunday)

Address:
5A, Jalan Desa 2/7, Desa Aman Puri,
Kepong 52100 Kuala Lumpur
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

7. Restoran A' Tan Coffee Shop (阿旦私房菜)

A’ Tan opened back in 2008, and first started selling instant noodles from all over Southeast Asia. Then, they began offering breakfast foods like nasi lemak and fried rice, before expanding to include a DIY chee cheong fun station.

Now, they offer all kinds of homecooked dishes, including their famous lei cha. Their version of this dish features a large amount of chopped vegetables and tofu bits mixed with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds for a crunch texture. Pour the fragrant green broth over the rice and toppings for a hearty and satisfying meal.

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Image via Foursquare

Opening hours:
11am - 3pm | 5pm - 10pm
Closed on Wednesday.

Address:
125, Jalan Sarjana,
Taman Connaught, 56000 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

8. Restoran Hoi Sum Kopitiam

This vegetarian stall in Taman OUG has been serving delicious bowls of lei cha for years. Owner Chan Kok Weng, who hails from Ipoh, gets up at 4am everyday to buy fresh vegetables from the market. Then, comes the hard part of chopping the vegetables into tiny pieces, which takes almost two hours to do.

Made with care, you can taste the difference in the lei cha here, which features a mixture of sweet potato leaves, green beans, celery, radish, leek, and other greens. The dish here is 100% vegetarian, and comes with white rice or brown rice.

Opening hours:
7am - 1.30pm (Daily)

Address:

Taman OUG, 58200 Kuala Lumpur,
Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur

9. TJ Lei Cha (添记擂茶)

With over 20 years of legacy, TJ Lei Cha originated from the Phan family and made its name in Ipoh, before arriving in the big city. It is now run by Mrs. Phan's three daughters and eldest son.

The lei cha soup here is flavourful, with just a hint of mint. For those who love tofu, don't forget to add a serving of Hakka tofu to soak up all the lei cha goodness.

Besides the traditional Hakka lei cha dish, you'll also be able to find interesting lei cha creations here, such as lei cha sandwich, lei cha pasta, and even lei cha cake!

Opening hours:
9am - 6pm
Closed on Tuesday.

Address:
29, Jalan Ambong 3,
Kepong Baru, 52100 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

10. Wong Ma Ma Lei Cha Kitchen

Wong Ma Ma Lei Cha Kitchen in Rawang serves exceptional lei cha, and makes use of fresh ingredients, sometimes even sourced directly from the garden. They also pride themselves in being 100% natural and homemade, with no added MSG, colouring, or preservatives.

On weekends, you can even try some of their unique dishes like lei cha pizza or lei cha panini.

Opening hours:
9am - 2pm (Daily)

Address:
Rumah Murah, 2, Jalan 2C,
Perumahan PKNS Batu 17
Rawang, 48000 Rawang,
Selangor

Craving for something else other than lei cha? Check out some of these other #makan spots in Klang Valley:

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