If you live within 10 kilometres of Sri Petaling, a takeout from The Hungry Lab is totally worthwhile. This is one of Sri Petaling's best new cafes of 2021, helmed by a Malaysian chef and his Vietnamese wife who met in Macau. After eight years of working there, they left Macau for Malaysia this year, setting up this space that serves drop-dead delicious banh mi, hot dogs and more.
The Hungry Lab's banh mi does justice to the spirit of Saigon - this is a beautifully balanced Vietnamese sandwich superstar, heartily heaving with roast pork, creamy pate, floss, tomatoes and cilantro in a light, crackly-crusty baguette, invigoratingly lively with fresh, dynamic flavours (RM15.80). We'd happily have this every morning for a week.
The Hungry Lab's hot dog also exceeds expectations - more than meets the eye, it showcases a pork sausage with plenty of snap, lined with pork bacon, blanketed with fruits and herbs, saucy and mustardy in a buttery browned brioche roll (RM16.80). It should be a cloying mess, but instead, it's confidently moreish, the most satisfying hot dog we've munched in recent memory.
Main courses prove very promising - the spring chicken is marvellously moist and meaty, roasted with a Vietnamese touch too, lemongrass-marinated and cushioned with torched dried lemongrass for aromatic allure (RM36.80).
38-G, Jln Radin Bagus 3, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 012-833-8343
This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com