Coliseum Cafe & Hotel

Welcome to the grand ol' dame of Kuala Lumpur! Standing tall on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, she has been there since the early 1920s, witnessing the many changes of the city around her - from its independence as a young KL to the eccletic city it is today. A grand 80+ years to her name and she's still as famous as she was then!

Stepping inside feels like you're stepping back in time. The chairs and tables are probably as old as the cafe and on the walls, now redundant coathangers add a certain charm. It looked like the walls have been given a recent coat of paint but the starched and pressed tablecloths and napkins are still there.

However, enough of charm, let's move on to the food! We were served by this crusty old waiter who was almost as old as the cafe. He recommended the sizzling rib-eye for J while I opted for the Chinese-style Chicken Chop with toast and butter as a side order. That seemed a popular choice with most tables as waiters scurried to and fro carrying stacks of thick-cut Hainanese bread.

Service is very fast despite the restaurant being quite full and my Chicken Chop was plonked down in front of me in record time!

Chicken Chop Chinese Style

It came with french fries and a thick Hainanese Western-style tomatoey sauce with peas. The big chop was a bit soggy though and the sauce a little cloying for my liking. I find the one done by Yut Kee much better.

Sizzling Ribeye

The sizzling ribeye came in a rather Zen-like presentation! That red blob is an uncooked tomato. It was smothered with a spicy black pepper sauce which was pretty good. The medium-done steak was tender, cooked to the right doneness. I stole a piece and it was very nice and juicy.

It came with a side of fried potatoes and vegetables cooked in a cream sauce.

We rounded off the meal with the thick slabs of toast and butter. The toast was really good when dipped into the black pepper sauce.

Coliseum has gotten a little steep over the years. A meal for two like the above would set you back at least RM50-RM60. The food's still pretty good, although there are probably a lot more competitors out there now. Portions are big and I guess if you would like to capture some old-world charm of those colonial days when it was still the famous watering-hole of KL, it's still worth a visit.

Eatinout did a review as well, go check it out!

Interesting fact: We found out that it is a hotel as well with cheap double air-conditioned rooms for only RM45 in the heart of KL!