POKC - People of Kheng Chew at Damansara Uptown: Restaurant Preview

People of Kick-Ass Cafes, unite! POKC – which stands for People of Kheng Chew – will start serving customers this week, bringing a fresh take on cafe fare in Damansara Utama. Note: Desserts & coffee will likely be available this Wednesday-Friday (August 27-29, 1130am-930pm), but most of POKC’s menu will only be offered in stages from September onwards, & the cafe might be closed for most of this weekend. This post will be updated with further details.

A Charming Venue in Damansara

Many thanks to POKC’s co-founders Karen & Sheena for this sneak peek into their new venue, which takes up four floors of a Damansara Uptown shop-lot. Karen’s talent & experience in design arts are on ravishing display at POKC, which showcases a thoughtful mix of charming furnishing – some custom-built, others salvaged from kopitiams & repainted – & Italian-made tables.

Great Place to Take Photos

Only the first two lower levels are open for customers (the top two comprise the administrative offices & worker accommodation), but both are beautiful. Everything from the floors to the cushions will be feverishly & deservedly photographed in the near future.

A Tribute to Hainanese Heritage

As its name indicates, People of Kheng Chew – which hopes to become a vibrant community hub for fellowship – is a tribute to Hainanese heritage (hurray for us!), with a nod especially to Karen’s late grandfather. Expect time-honoured comfort cooking with contemporary twists.

Buffalo Shooters

Buffalo shooters of chicken wings on glasses of a sweet-savoury, secret-recipe sauce with hints of BBQ & tabasco condiments could prove compulsively edible; creatively composed, these are destined to show up on your social media feed sooner or later. Almost every angle seems like a terrifically engaging one.

Roti Babi

Our top tip here: When it pops up on the menu, order POKC’s interpretation of ‘roti babi’ – bountifully meaty, flourishing with flavour & juices, with the minced pork encased in soft, fluffy bread. A deep-fried delight with added heat from chillies, it’s one of the best versions of ‘roti babi’ in the Klang Valley, sinfully oily but a stand-out that makes us happy that POKC serves pork.

Chicken Curry and Lamb Stew

POKC is proud of its chicken curry & lamb stew too – both are comfortingly creamy & satisfyingly balanced in taste, brimming with tender chunks of meat, evoking a warm sense of nostalgia. Customers from the ages of three to 103 would likely enjoy this.

Awesome Gravy to Soak Your Bread With!

Good gravy! Served with soft, fluffy Hainan bread purchased from Kepong, this is stress-banishing soul food to soothe the spirit.

Your Choice of Chops

POKC has got the chops – pork, lamb & chicken (the third’s our choice), nicely seasoned & ideal for protein-lusting carnivores.

Hailam Mee with Sambal

Hailam Mee with sambal, not something we often order, but we slurped up nearly every strand of this too. POKC hadn’t finalised its menu at the time of this preview, so we have no prices, but they should be in line with expectations in this neighbourhood.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Bacon

Prefer Western-type noodles? Spaghetti aglio olio with bacon, perennially crowd-pleasing, should be available by September.

Hainanese Chicken Chop Burger

Rounding up with chicken: POKC takes the classic Hainanese chicken chop & folds it into a pleasurable modern burger.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken cordon bleu is a recipe we fell in love with two decades ago but haven’t eaten in a long time now. POKC’s nicely battered interpretation is excellent, accentuating everything we’ve ever liked about this dish. It tastes fresher & ‘realer’ than most of its counterparts.