Food Blog | Daun Kitchen (葉子) Bukit Indah Vegetarian Restaurant
I’ll be the first to tell you that I probably should have healthier eating habits. The fact that I try the newest McDonalds AND KFC promotions is perhaps a good indicator of that. That in mind, this is a restaurant that I actually REALLY like that serves up really nice vegetarian food.
Context: Came here after probably months (or even years XD) of convincing by my girlfriend. Came here for a dinner, but this is one of those places that I will most definitely be back for! (Note: This is my girlfriend’s favourite Vegetarian restaurant Bukit Indah because I think this is worth pointing out)
Is it Halal?
I tried to find this specifically on their Facebook page, but I can’t find an official halal certification. But I would assume most things SHOULD be safe because everything is vegetarian, but please do eat at your own discretion.
Pumpkin Curry Rice (RM13.80) - Comes with Miso Soup!
Where it Is?
It is located on the back row from the main road whereby the popular Hawker Center S11 is. Parking is free, but is very hard to find so you might end up having to park really far away from the restaurant itself. It is quite a small shop lot that you will miss if you don’t look carefully, but with Google Maps/Waze, you’ll be able to find it easily.
Address: 36, Jalan Indah 10/2, Bukit Indah Johor Bahru
Operating Hours
Daily: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM (Wednesdays off)
Just if you guys would liek to see a few things on their menu!
What it Costs
This is one of those places where the menu prices are NET. So basically, no additional surcharges on top of that. Me and my girlfriend ate up to a total of RM23.60 (no drinks).
We had a B2. Pumpkin Curry Rice (RM13.80) and a M1. Herbal Chicken Soup + Rice (RM9.80). What I’ll say is that I think this is actually reasonable because you do normally have to pay a premium for mock meat for the simple reason that it is a specialised task and the fact that there isn’t that high of a demand for it.
I have been told that their Nasi Lemak (priced at RM10.80 for the homemade Nasi Lemak and RM7.80 for the traditional) is actually really delicious as well, so I will most definitely be back to try that dish eventually.
But this place has a really wide menu ranging from Indian style food (Nasi Briyani), to Korean food (Bibimbao), to your traditional Malay/Chinese foods. I will admit that me, being someone who likes choices, was actually quite spoilt for choice here!
Herbal Soup with Rice (RM9.80) - This one comes with a free drink!
How it Tastes
Both me and my girlfriend ultimately think that the Pumpkin Curry Rice is probably the winner among our two dishes. The curry is really nice - it is on top the vegetable assortment including your usual broccoli, carrots and other assorted vegetables.
The mock meat is basically their take on what I feel is really similar to a lighter pork katsu. The breading is really nice and I will admit that if I mentally didn’t actually know it was mock meat, I would probably say that it tastes pretty much as good as your usual meat dishes. REALLY NICE. Honestly speaking.
I won’t deny that I still feel a little bit hungry after finishing my meal (I naturally eat quite a bit), but I think this is the case most of the time. But the taste is really nice!
My girlfriend ordered the herbal soup + rice, which is kind of like their rendition of a bak kut teh (or at least so I think). This is one of those things that I think are great for when you’re feeling a bit under the weather. Really mild soup with the hint of herbal aftertaste.
They have an almost enoki mushroom textured meat inside there acting as the mock meat for this dish. But in general, I’m more of a fan of the stronger flavours, so this one I wasn’t too big of a fan of. (But I see why a lot of people might be!)
Star Rating
7.0/10. A creative place with A LOT OF CHOICE. This is actually a really nice place that has actually erased a lot of my previous bad experiences with vegetarian meals elsewhere, so that’s really saying something. Well worth a try, because I actually believe that there is something for everyone here!