On Friday night Jeroen and I go out to try new restaurants in Kuala Lumpur during our dinner date. Last Friday, we made a reservation at The Hungry Tapir, and we enjoyed it to the fullest!

Cocktail

This new restaurant has been opened since January 2020 but had to close in mid-March because of Covid-19. The owners, mother, and daughter, didn’t sit back and made sure that their dishes could be delivered. This is still possible, but it is much more fun to go to The Hungry Tapir and enjoy an evening with a cocktail and delicious vegan food in a cozy environment.

Cozy living room

The Hungry Tapir is a newly opened restaurant in Chinatown. It often happens that a restaurant is located on the second floor, so you have to go upstairs first. You can’t just peek inside and see if you’d like it to sit here. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about that, on the way upstairs you’ll come across enough decorations so you know you’re going to have a good time here. Once in the restaurant, you immediately get the idea to be in a cozy warm living room. Poof down in the large cushions, sit on a stool at a high table, or take a seat in the colorful patio.

Nasi lemak

For us, this was the first time in a vegetarian restaurant in Malaysia. After months of vegetarian cooking in lockdown, it was time for some change. We have eaten enough pasta, sweet potato, and rice bowls lately, so this restaurant came at the right moment. I ordered the nasi lemak with egg, so not vegan but vegetarian (RM21, converted €4.30). Usually, this is a plate of rice with cucumber, peanuts, fried anchovies, and chicken. When I took the first bite, I was convinced that I was eating chicken. Didn’t I misread it, and do they serve meat here anyway? Nope, they replaced the chicken for mushrooms, but I assure you it tasted like meat! It was delicious!

Pink bombshell burger

Well, the first amazement was not over yet whether Jeroen got his ‘Pink bombshell citizen’ (RM30, €6.20). A pink bun with a vegan beetroot burger and sweet potato fries. A whole plank full that went into his mouth without any problems. Besides the fact that you can eat at The Hungry Tapir incredibly, they also have good music and a great atmosphere. Sometimes it is hard enough here in Malaysia to find vegetarian dishes, but with this restaurant, we now know where to go!

Lemon cake

For some reason, we decided to take a dessert even though we were quite full. Since the lemon cake just came out of the oven, we couldn’t leave it to stare at us. With a cappuccino and an iced matcha latte with soy milk, we worked our way together through this huge piece of cake. It was delicious and so fresh, but also enormous! Luckily we shared this cake, and after that, it was time to roll home. Rolling, because we hardly couldn’t walk anymore! A successful evening with good food, a cozy atmosphere, and friendly staff.

Vegan and vegetarian

The Hungry Tapir is recommended when you are vegan or vegetarian, but also when you are not but still open to this. We paid RM140 for the bill, and this costs around €29. This price is average sometimes we can go out for dinner for RM70 (€14,50) and other times for RM200 (€41,60). We found the price at The Hungry Tapir more than worth it. The dishes were big enough, tasty and you can sit here all evening with a good drink and a nice company 😉 So we will definitely be back!

The Hungry Tapir

135, Jalan Petaling, Chinatown 50000 Kuala Lumpur
Within walking distance of metro station Pasar Seni
Wednesday to Friday open from 12 pm – 10 pm
Saturday and Sunday open from 11 am – 10 pm