Bukit Salai, Taman Desa Petaling: Grab a Tray, Pick Your Dishes, Dig In

Bukit Salai is one of the newer eateries in Taman Desa Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, on Jalan 1/125A not far from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS). For city folk working in south KL or bus passengers wanting a bite before boarding, the location is convenient, and it's very much open for lunch.

The concept is simple but rarely seen: there's no ordering counter. You take a tray, then move from one station to another by dish category: grilled, masak lemak, gulai, asam pedas, soups, sambals and fried. Each station has its own menu, and the dishes are ready to be scooped. For drinks, you can choose from the big jars of cold drinks or other beverages before heading straight to the cashier.

Our tray that day was full of asam pedas daging tetel, grilled catfish, gulai and chicken soup. For sides, we took brinjal, omelette and ulam, along with a few kinds of sambal like sambal belacan and tempoyak (fermented durian). The dessert section had dadih (milk pudding) and jelly.

The dish we remember most is the keli bakar (grilled catfish). The skin is crispy with a distinct smoky aroma, and it's best dipped in sambal kicap. The asam pedas daging tetel (beef brisket in sour-spicy gravy) has a thick gravy with a balanced sour and spicy taste, and the meat is tender; perfect for those who can handle heat. Fans of spiced dishes can try the gulai daging, with its thick, rich gravy.

There's dining space on the spacious ground floor and upstairs. The shop also has a surau and toilets, handy for those stopping by at Zohor time. During our visit, it was open daily from 11am to 5pm.