Affordable muslim-friendly kopitiam with delicious chilli pan mee but only average chicken rice

Subang Ria is never empty. During lunch hour, don’t be surprised if you find yourself waiting in line to be seated as the tables are almost always fully occupied. This kopitiam located in Petaling Jaya is only well-known to residents of the area, as well as those who work nearby. You’ll see people from all walks of life here— co-workers wearing the same lanyards, families with young children, and uncles and aunties looking for a quick lunch.

If you’re facing the row of shops, you’ll find 2 hawker centre-esque spots on either end. On the left you’ll find a mamak shop that also has several stalls selling a variety of food, and on the right is Subang Ria, which is a closer fit to the description of a standard kopitiam.

The whole place is neat and clean, making it a comfortable environment to dine in. The left side is where they prepare your typical kopitiam treats like kaya toast and kopi ais, while hawker stalls are stationed on the other side. Although the place isn’t huge, there’s still a lot to choose from. From wantan mee and chapati to pan mee and chee cheong fun, the food served here perfectly encapsulates the diversity of Malaysian cuisine.  

What I tried at Subang Ria

Among the 3 of us, we ordered a total of 4 dishes to share. This may seem like a lot, but I wanted to make sure that we got to experience the full scale of what this humble kopitiam has to offer.

Starting off strong, the first dish we tried was the Dry Chilli Pan Mee (RM8). There were some strands of thin noodles among the mound of flat noodles, all of which were coated evenly with soy sauce.

The dish was topped with minced chicken, fried anchovies, mushrooms, and some greens. It also came with a small bowl of clear fish ball soup, and the crispy chilli oil came on the side, so you can choose how much you want to mix in.

After dumping in the whole plastic container of crispy chilli and giving the dish a good toss, the noodles took on a glossy sheen from the oil. The deep red flecks of crispy chilli made the pan mee look even more appetising, and we were excited to dig in.

The amount of crispy chilli given was perfect. It was enough to coat every strand, without being too oily. It wasn’t that spicy either, so even those who don’t usually eat spicy food can enjoy this one. This dry chilli pan mee was savoury and spicy, with soft and chewy noodles. 

I believe the minced chicken was seasoned as well, as bites containing the protein tasted a little bit saltier than bites without. The mushrooms and anchovies both helped in diversifying the textures of the dish; the mushrooms gave you something chewy to bite into, while the anchovies provided a satisfying crunch.

One of my colleagues, Alice, even mentioned that this was a lot tastier than some of the chilli pan mee that you’d find at non-halal hawker centres, which surprised me. The 3 of us agreed that this was our favourite of the day.

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Next, we ordered the small Char Kuey Teow (RM8). Unfortunately, this is the standard price for char kuey teow in KL and PJ. Even more unfortunate, the small portion of noodles looked pretty sad against the big, bright orange plate. Doubling down on the pain of it all, the dish only came with 2 prawns (which is somewhat understandable, given the insane cost of everything nowadays).

This char kuey teow was well-balanced, in my opinion. Equal parts sweet and salty, with a good amount of taugeh and bits of egg. Overall, it was pretty good with no obvious faults. My only critique would be that it could use more wok hei.

Although it was cooked like in a big wok like other CKTs, it lacked the oomph one would expect from a dish like this. Basically, it’s worth the try and will most likely satisfy your cravings, but won’t be anything to shout about.

Similarly, our plate of Yong Tau Foo (RM10.50) was pretty standard. We chose from a wide variety of fish balls, tofu skin, vegetables, and other unidentifiable fried items. Everything is re-fried on the spot, so each ingredient we chose was nice and crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside.

The dipping sauce was good too, with equal amounts of chilli and sweet sauce. Even if you’re not inclined to have this as a solitary meal, yong tau foo is great as a snack to share in between bites of your main dish.

The final dish we tried was the Chicken Rice (RM9), which came from a stall that also offered wantan mee. To say the least, this chicken rice was an adventure. We were pleasantly surprised by the chicken itself— tender and flavourful, not overly salty nor bland, it was all you could ever ask for. 

The rice on the other hand, was the opposite. It was on the drier and more keras side, which I didn’t like. It also completely lacked any chicken flavour; it was kind of like eating plain white rice. The soup and sambal helped a bit, so we were still able to finish the whole plate. 

Final thoughts

All in all, Subang Ria is worth the visit. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the food that we tried, and the prices were reasonable. The service was super fast too, so this is a great place to visit if you don’t have much time. I can definitely see myself returning for the dry chilli pan mee, and I’m curious about their chapati as well. Despite how much we ordered, there’s still a lot left to discover. Another plus point for their drinks too, as my teh ‘o’ ais limau wasn’t too sweet.

We arrived around 12pm on a weekday, and it was relatively easy to get a parking spot. You should also bring some cash, as that’s the only method of payment accepted there. If you’re on the lookout for a great breakfast or brunch spot for your family outing this weekend, I highly recommend this place for its variety, food quality, and service.

Expected damage: RM8 – RM15 per pax

Nasi Lemak Tanglin: Home-cooked fluffy nasi lemak with shiok sambal since 1948, opens at 7am