Anak Baba at Brickfields: Snapshot

Born in Brickfields this year, Anak Baba proudly represents the latest generation of southern Peranakan-inspired eateries in KL; it’s the sister outlet of Bangsar’s Malaccan-owned Baba Low’s, extending a family legacy that now stretches 150 kilometres from Tranquerah Road to Sultan Abdul Samad Road.

Lunch crowds pour in for platters like the Nasi Nyonya (RM13), comprising steamed rice with ladies fingers in sambal belacan and a choice of savoury, saucy side dish, ranging from ayam sekbak to ikan gerang asam, evoking a home-cooked, traditional familiarity that seems reassuring for uncertain times.

Much of Anak Baba’s a la carte selection clocks in below RM10 per serving. A plate of nasi goreng Nyonya, saturated with dark sauce and buoyed by pineapple sambal belacan, costs RM8.80, as does a bowl of Nyonya laksa, enriched with coconut milk, rounded out with cockles, shrimp, fish balls, egg, bean sprouts and cucumber. Many of Baba Low’s familiar favourites – from pai tee to popiah to tauhu sumbat – remain intact here too.

Service is affable and prompt, while the setting is lovely, especially beneath the skylight. Grab a book from the public shelves (which mainly cover social, political and economic issues in Malaysia) and a packet of Khong Guan biscuits from the counter, and kick back for a couple of hours while sipping nostalgic beverages of Kickapoo and cincau. Anak Baba feels as much like a community space as a classic cafe.

Location & Details

Address: Anak Baba, 159, Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 7am – 7pm daily
Tel: +603 2276 2815
Find: View directory for Anak Baba here.