Marhaba Yemeni Restaurant @ Sunway Borneo Rainforest KL

Yemeni food is an unexplored cuisine in Malaysian shores. There are simply not many places in town that serves authentic Yemeni cuisine, let alone one that boast commendable food. Essentially resembling Arabic food, expect to see acclaimed grilled tandoor meats, curry, signature mint teas and honey dates dessert in today's write up.

It has been awhile since I've last had Middle Eastern cuisine and I was thrilled to revive some long forgotten taste buds of mine. I even skipped breakfast just so I could stomach more in!

The first decision however, was not what to eat but where to park? Marhaba Restaurant is located at Sunway Borneo Rainforest - where the bistro used to be and directly opposite Sunway Resort Hotel. Prime location but distracted by the ongoing construction happening in the area. There is an open-air car park right behind the restaurant, at a flat rate of Rm3 on weekends.

Upon stepping into the purple crown of Marhaba Restaurant, I was ready to feast like a King.

At Marhaba Signature Yemeni Restaurant, the food is prepared expertly by the Yemen chefs. The menu showcases a diverse selection of traditional Arabic food. And I have to tell you about the unforgettable Lamb Hanith! A little more on that later.

Now, Arabic cuisine generally lean towards the drier side, most of it grilled. Middle East is a dry continent after all, where seafood is scarce and lamb, an abundance. Most Arabic dishes hold bold and intense flavors, using a spread of aromatic spices that is somewhat similar to Indian cooking, but with a distinctive cooking flair of course.

For the rest of us here, Yemeni cuisine will no doubt be a little more exotic, straying slightly from the norm. Though taste wise, it is definitely not uncommon to our taste buds.

Complimentary Maraq.

Two complimentary appetizers are served here - this lamb broth soup and a mini tray of cut vegetables with three variety of sauces. 

Mulauwah. Large (Rm12). Small (Rm7).

Me & YLing from MalaysianFlavours

The first thing I blabbered out loud, "Big Roti Canai!" Textures' not the same however. This massive Yemeni bread is like a flat bread, crisp and fluffy on some parts, minus the oily residue. We had fun prying it apart.

Fatoush. Rm16.

My favorite part - the crunchy deep fried Levantine bread on top. Those were like addictive chips to me. The fresh mixed greens were equally gratifying, tossed in strong vinaigrette dressing.

Shawarma Chicken. Rm18.

Carefully removing the paper wrap, I took a huge bite out of the garlic-spiced chicken breast meat wrap. It was pleasant, though nothing to shout about, and could really do with some additional squirts of tahini sauce.

Marhaba Mixed Grill. Rm45.

"Shish" means grilled. On a nicely folded bowl-like kebab bread, cuts of grilled chicken breast meat and lamb cubes. Have it with the creamy yogurt sauce at the side! I was silently hoping for chili sauce however - Malaysian.

Saltah Fahzah. Rm40.

When this was placed on the table, I thought - gosh, this smells delicious. Despite its color, this sizzling curry was not at all fiery, had intense flavors, thick in consistency, drenched with thin shreds of sliced chicken meat. Comes with a basket of pita bread too.

Chicken Mazbi. Rm33.

After all the strong flavors I had earlier, oddly, the basmati rice stood out for me for this one. Toothsome textures of fragrant long grain rice - a core in Arabic dishes. By the way, no gravy? 

Lamb Hanith. Rm78.

Yemeni food in all its glory. The textures and flavors of this lamb hanith was sensational. You'd get the best part of the lamb, ribs or shoulder, marked in Marhaba's secret recipe and spices, then cooked in a traditional tandoor. For a family-sized dish meant to be shared between 3 persons, I was told that a guy once finished this all by himself! 

Honey Tammar. Rm22.

To enjoy this, you'd need an exceptionally sweet-tooth. In a pool of honey, a pudding of mashed bread, banana, dates and keshta cream on top.

Shahee Mula Ban. Shahee Na Na. (Rm18/pot. Rm7/glass).

Towards the end of our meal, Adeni Tea with milk was served - a lightly spiced coffee that resembles our teh tarik. We also had Adeni Tea with mint throughout our meal.

Marhaba Restaurant's Full Menu and Prices Here.

Overall Rating: 8/10. I had a great lunch here today, made joyous with loads of laughter in between. By the time we were done with our Yemeni feast, our tummies were overloaded with food, feeling satisfied, we really couldn't stomach anymore in. The highlights of today's meal would have to be the stunning Lamb Hanith, the massive Yemeni bread and the fragrant Chicken curry.

Marhaba is located at:

Address: Sunway Borneo Rainforest, Persiaran Lagoon, Bandar Sunway, 46130 Petaling Jaya Selangor.

Phone: 03-7451 6183 ext 6177 / 013-7888894 (Sunway) 03-6207 8222 ext 9222 (Publika)
Email: info@marhabarestaurant.com.my

Opening Hours: 10am - 10pm Daily