【Tabeniko】ELK Kopitiam 靈鹿咖啡廳 Easy＋Life＋Kitchen at Mahkota Cheras
It’s already past the 15th, but Happy New Year, everyone! 🎍🎉
It’s been a while since I last posted! Ayamaama has been busy with childcare every day 🤪, but I’d like to take my time and write more blog posts this year, so please look forward to it and continue supporting me!
New Year’s Day in Malaysia didn’t really give off that festive year-end vibe, but with the Chinese New Year approaching on February 1st, the local supermarket has switched to its Lunar New Year setup and I’ve even seen people doing their spring cleaning. Lately, I’ve been feeling that familiar end-of-year atmosphere.
It’s about time I start my big spring cleaning too 💦 Since it’s always summer here and the fan has been running non-stop, it’s covered in a thick layer of dust 😓 Cleaning it is actually quite a hassle 💦💦💦 Dyson fans are great because they’re bladeless and easy to clean. But let’s be real—I can’t afford that kind of luxury. Ayamaama, let’s get to work, cleaning lady mode: activated! 😤
Recently, I visited a Chinese local café in Mahkota Cheras, an area southeast of KL 🍴 Mahkota Cheras is probably unknown to most Japanese people, right??
This area is home to a large Chinese community, with countless residential neighborhoods 🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠🏠. As a result, the shop lots (small clusters of shops, akin to shopping streets in Japan) here are incredibly well-stocked. You’ll find everything from wet markets, chicken and pork stalls, dried goods stores, and general merchandise shops to pharmacies, hair salons, car repair shops, cafes, restaurants, and hardware stores. If you come here, you can find absolutely everything you need for daily living.
With that in mind, I visited ELK Kopitiam, a popular local Chinese cafe located in one of the shop lots in Mahkota Cheras!
The owner reportedly spent about 50 years traveling for food before opening this place a year ago. I stopped by around 2 p.m. on a weekday, and there were already customers inside. With this many people during a weekday afternoon, it’s likely to get quite busy on weekends.
This shop is famous for its Hainan coffee, and since they roast the coffee beans using charcoal, the coffee counter inside the shop features charcoal as a display element. With such a wide variety of coffee options on the menu, you can try different coffees every time you visit! ☕
I absolutely love Malaysian local hawker stalls and eat there often, but the dishes at this place are like hawker food taken up a notch with that extra touch of care and creativity. Everything was incredibly delicious! 🤩 It’s no surprise, given that the owner has been on a 50-year culinary journey. 👍👍👍
Menu No.: N16 Supreme Penang Fried Kuey Teow RM16.9
If you’re okay with spicy food, I highly recommend this! 🤩 It’s a stir-fry dish made with char kway teow and tau pui (fermented soybeans, often nicknamed “stinky beans”). It was a bit too spicy for me, but the noodles were incredibly smooth and chewy! The combination of char kway teow and tau pui was absolutely delicious—🤩🤩🤩 Tau pui in char kway teow? Even my husband had never heard of it, so it’s quite a creative twist!
My travel buddy loves spicy food, so they said this was the most delicious dish we ordered! Since I’m not great with spice, I was wondering if there’s any way to adjust the heat level?
Menu No.: N3 IPOH CHICKEN HOR FUN SOUP RM10.9
The flavorful broth is absolutely divine 🤩 Chicken, shrimp, and fried shallots—let’s call it a rich Southeast Asian-style chicken soup!! Be sure to enjoy it while it’s still hot!!! The flat, mild noodles, plump shrimp, and tender chicken pair perfectly with this soup. It seems to be the top choice among younger crowds. Makes total sense 😻😻😻 I want to eat this again 🍜 You can savor Ipoh’s signature flavors here too!
Menu No.: R5 SALTED EGG WITH ROASTED RM12.9
Fried rice packed with plenty of vegetables like carrots 🥕 and green beans, with curry leaves adding a fragrant accent.
The char siu on the top right looks like a side dish, but it’s grilled over charcoal, giving it a smoky aroma and an absolutely delicious flavor~😍😍😍
It seems this braised pork is slowly simmered in a large pot over low heat before being stir-fried with a homemade sauce. This exquisite char siu, crafted with so much care and effort, is the real star of the dish—far more important than the fried rice! I really want to try this char siu again 🤩 Delicious food truly requires hard work to make～🍛
Menu No.: N1 SUPREME RM21.9
In simple terms, this is a dish that feels like Malaysia’s version of Jajangmyeon. It’s commonly known as Lam Mee (淋麵) and is a noodle dish that locals are very familiar with. Topped with shrimp, chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and more, this restaurant’s signature homemade sauce is absolutely delicious!!! We ordered noodles that are similar to udon (the same type used for Hokkien Mee), but you can choose from seven different noodle options. Since the udon-style noodles can feel quite heavy, we’d recommend trying the yellow noodles or bee hoon instead!
Roasted pork served in a separate small dish
Enjoy it topped with these ingredients.
Menu No.: T6 Curry Potato Croissant RM8.9
Croissant 🥐 Curry Sandwich. The flaky, fragrant texture of the croissant pairs perfectly with the curry potatoes~ 😆 I really want to eat this again ❤️❤️❤️ In Malaysia, there’s a local food called “curry bao,” and while I love curry bao and find it delicious, this croissant version is even, even better! 🤩🤩🤩 I had my first encounter with it when I came to Malaysia. Croissant curry sandwich 😍 It looks so stylish!! I’ve definitely decided to come back for more~ 💕💕💕
According to the staff, classic options like egg and tuna sandwiches are more popular, but this one is incredibly delicious, so be sure to give it a try! They also offer café-style menu items such as bread and sandwiches.
Curry Potato Croissant 🥐. My absolute favorite dish 👍👍👍👍👍
Menu No.: S1 ELK FRIED FOO CHOOK ROLL RM2/PC
Fried fish balls wrapped in tofu skin. It’s a light, palate-cleansing snack—technically fried, but perfect to enjoy between main dishes for a refreshing change of flavor. Highly recommended! 👍
Menu No.: S3 DEEP FRIED PRAWN DUMPLING RM2.5/PC
Fried dumplings stuffed with shrimp. The filling here is also homemade. Freshly fried, the shrimp was plump and juicy—absolutely delicious! 🤩
These dumplings are also a great pick as a palate cleanser 👍
Left Menu No.: C03C HAINAN COFFEE (C) RM3.90
Right Menu Number: C07H SALTED HAINAN COFFEE(C) RM3.9
Mildly sweet and rich coffee. Because the beans are roasted using charcoal, it’s incredibly fragrant and delicious ☕ This coffee pairs perfectly with local dishes ☕
Menu No.: C03H HAINAN COFFEE(H) RM3.7
This is hot Hainan coffee ☕
A deeply satisfying culinary journey that filled both my stomach and my heart 🥐🥐🥐☕☕☕🍜🍜🍜
Our culinary journey—Tabeniko!—will continue! 🤩🤩🤩
Website: The shop does not have a website, so please check their Facebook page for details.
https://www.facebook.com/elk.kopitiam06
Store Name: ELK Kopitiam
Contact: 011-6323 9559
Address: 3, Jalan Temenggung 25/9, Bandar Mahkota Cheras, 43200 Cheras, Selangor
https://waze.com/ul/hw283kk0st
Parking: You can park on the street around the shop. If it’s crowded, please park a bit further away. Don’t forget to pay your parking fee! (You can pay via an app. There are several apps available, but my husband uses FLEXIPARKING. It’s a parking app that works in Selangor and KL.)
