This 24-hour eatery serves a charming combination of local and South Asian cuisine, offering everything from hearty banana rice sets to bold curries and crisp, freshly made roti canai.
Don’t choke on the unusual name: “cekik” means “eat” in the language of the Melaka Chitty, or Indian Peranakan community. It pays tribute to founder Predeep Singh Arjun Singh’s heritage.
“We grew up speaking Malay. My father was Melaka Chitty and always used ‘cekik’ instead of ‘makan’. I think it was his mother’s favourite word, passed on to him,” Predeep told FMT Lifestyle.
“He’d even use it with his siblings. Every time he was in a good mood, we heard a lot of ‘mari pergi cekik’ (let’s go eat) or ‘dah cekik belum?’ (have you eaten already?) He’d also use it when he was angry!”
The charismatic Predeep is an avid entrepreneur, having launched three previous ventures, which he calls “chapters”, across the region. The aptly named “Cekik The Food Chapter” marks his foray into the food industry.
Predeep believes everyone in his family, with the exception of himself, is a whiz in the kitchen. His parents even operated a food stall once in their hometown of Segamat, Johor. However, when the business proved unsustainable, they closed shop.
Eager to learn from the past, Predeep researched the F&B industry, eventually determining that for a business to succeed, he needed someone he could trust in the kitchen. That person was closer to him than expected.
He persuaded his sister, Sharmila Kaur, to leave her engineering job to join him in the venture. He also brought on veteran chef Aizam Jasmani.
With the team in place, Predeep and co-founder Ben Nair opened the restaurant in October last year.
Sharmila’s family recipes, elevated by Aizam’s culinary expertise, have proven to be a winning combination.
Part of the restaurant’s appeal lies in its round-the-clock operating hours.
“Many people in the area here finish work late at night. Then they usually have to drive a bit of a distance, to Bangsar or Hartamas, if they want to get some food. So I realised there’s enough clientele here to operate on a 24-hour basis,” Predeep said.
Different meals are available at different times, with their popular banana leaf sets available from 11.30am to 7.30pm. Nasi lemak is ready from 7pm to 11.30am, while you can order their nasi goreng meals from 11.30am to 7am.
The restaurant strikes a balance between modern comfort and rustic charm, offering a contemporary dining space infused with kampung warmth. Its wide wall panels evoke the windows of traditional kampungs, while vintage antiques add layers of nostalgia.
Plant-based diners will also find plenty to love here. A vegan himself, Predeep’s menu features a wide range of plant-based alternatives to its signature dishes. He proclaims that this is the only place in Malaysia where you will find tempeh on a banana leaf spread!
Indeed, the banana leaf meals take centre stage here, offering a generous bounty of sides alongside six types of curries. Vegans can savour options like sothi, dhal sambar and vendhayam curry, while non-vegans can opt for fish, chicken and crab curry.
“Our banana leaf meals are a complete meal. We’ve got all kinds of vegetables that are sweet and sour, spicy and bitter, everything. I recommend eating it with the onion fried chicken, or the kam heong prawns,” Aizam said.
The bendi masala is the highlight, its okra thick and glistening within a delightfully spiced orange-red gravy packed with flavour. The prawn butter masala is creamy and indulgent, while the spicy chilli chicken is satisfyingly tender and packed with flavour.
For early birds, Aizam recommends the roti canai, which is freshly made from scratch and taken to another level with its irresistible crispiness.
Cekik The Food Chapter
9G, Jalan Medan Setia 1
Bukit Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur
Open 24 hours daily
Follow ‘Cekik The Food Chapter’ on Instagram.