When it comes to Arabic cuisine, one will not be disappointed with its perfect combination of flavours and colours. There is no doubt in mind that it is the cherry on top of all Halal cuisines out there. Hud Café is one of the newest additions to the Hartamas food scene that offers hearty meals at an affordable price. What makes this eatery different from the rest is that they don’t just offer Arabic cuisine but also Western and Mexican with their new menu.
As a foodie team, we had the opportunity to try their latest menu out and check what’s the sizzle all about.
Hud Café is located at Sri Hartamas and has been a go-to spot for expatriates and the locals, especially when it comes for events. With a mix of cuisine, patrons will be delighted with the wide selection of dishes to choose from.
In the words of the CEO of Hud Café, Hattem Waddah, “This is a place to dine when you want casual food, without the pressure of dining to match. Our chef does a phenomenal job at creating unique dishes and the opportunity to give Sri Hartamas diners a chance to taste the passion put into our dishes, especially on a day of such love and togetherness.”
Arabic Mezze Platter (RM25)
Before we kick start to the mains, we tried the Arabic Mezze Platter, a Middle Eastern spread that comes with two dips: Hummus and Baba Ghanoush alongside Tabbouleh, an Arabian salad and some pita bread on the side. If you’re unfamiliar with Middle Eastern cuisine, then you should know that this is quite a staple dish and the perfect starter for first-timers.
Spread each dip on the bread and have it topped off with some fresh herbs from the Tabbouleh to enjoy wholesome flavours of the Middle Eastern cuisine all in one bite. Personally, our senior writer felt that the hummus had a slight sour tinge to it because of the tahini as it also left an aftertaste. Although it’s not a bad thing but considering it is made with chickpeas, it doesn’t taste so much like it.
The Baba Ghanoush though was absolutely delicious and was full of flavours thanks to the smoked aubergines. It still gives off the same earthy and wholesome feel that the hummus does too, just without the aftertaste. To balance out the creaminess of the dip, it is topped with pomegranate seeds to give some texture to the dish.
Some might get confused between the popular dips such as hummus, baba ghanoush and moutabel. Here’s a quick fun fact: Hummus is a creamy smooth blend of mashed chickpeas whereas baba ghanoush is a succulent eggplant dip. As for the moutabel, it is also made with eggplants however it can either be, smoked, grilled or roasted to give the dip a more smokey taste and is also spicier.
Chicken Mandi (RM18)
As Malaysians, there is no doubt why we would actually enjoy this dish as it is quite similar to chicken biryani. However, the Chicken Mandi is often prepared by slow-cooking the chicken in a tandoori oven which makes the meat extremely tender. The dish was served with smoked rice and marinated chicken which was complemented with mix vegetables, soup and sahaweq.
For us, the sahaweq was quite diluted and tasteless as for the soup, it was quite oily for my liking. Though as an overall dish and looking at just the mains (the chicken and the rice), it was really good and something we would come back to try again — with the slight improvements of course. The highlight of the meal was the well-seasoned glistening chicken. The meat was delicious and practically melts in your mouth whereas the rice was a simple, flavoured steamed rice that compliments the mandi perfectly.
Shish Tawook Chicken Kebab (RM22)
As for their take on the traditional marinated chicken shish kebab, we wouldn’t say that the chicken meat was as juicy as we expected it to be but at least, it wasn’t dry. Nevertheless, we did enjoy it still. The meat was grilled with an alright amount of char and was seasoned properly with the spices. Quite addictive, to be precise. Served with pita bread and some fries on the side, we thought that the bread could’ve been much thicker and seasoned.
Matcha Latte with Honey Pearls (RM12), Vanilla Milkshake (RM12) & Ice Lemon Tea with Rainbow Jelly (RM9)
As for our beverages, we went with their bubble tea and milkshake choices. The Matcha Latte has got to be our favourite among the three as we could really taste the green tea essence and it wasn’t as diluted like most matcha beverages. One reason why we enjoyed this is because of their honey pearls. It had the right amount of sweetness that balanced the matcha flavour altogether making it a pleasant beverage to enjoy after a hearty meal.
The milkshake, however, was alright but could’ve been much thicker and pack with more vanilla flavour. Whereas for the Ice Lemon Tea — we had a funny experience with this because, for the first time, the drink came with less sugar just when we expected it to be sweet.
Overall as an experience, we would actually like to come back and try out their other dishes. But for us, the top dish has got to be their Chicken Mandi and favourite dip was their baba ghanoush. We believe with slight tweaks in presentation and seasoning, their dishes could really be a hit.
Presentation: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3.8/5
Taste: 4/5
Value: 4.5/5
Hours: 10 am – 11 pm, daily
Address: Ground floor, P-02B, Hartamas Shopping Center, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, 50480, Kuala Lumpur