KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — Until this assignment came along, the only place I was familiar with in Puchong was IOI Boulevard. So when I was tasked with exploring this area, my first thought was — isn’t that a residential area?

As it turned out, I wasn’t too far off the mark. The Kinrara BK5 station is strategically located in the heart of Bandar Kinrara and serves residents from Bandar Kinrara 2 to Bandar Kinrara 8 including the nearby Taman Kinrara and Taman Bukit Kuchai.

This big, elevated station has a dedicated park-and-ride facility and is located near the new BK5 commercial hub, including the nearby Giant Hypermarket.

When it comes to good eats, though, there aren’t many great choices within 600m of the station. But all is not lost.

For starters, Giant houses many eateries. There are fast food chains like Secret Recipe, Uncle Jack and Pizza Hut as well as eateries that offer local delights such as Warong Pak Man with its roti paung (Terengganu butter buns), Old Klang Road and Cili Pauh, which serve the typical rice and noodle dishes.

Giant’s food court, Anjung Selera, turned out to be a lifesaver. For under RM10, one can be assured of a decent meal in a clean, air-conditioned environment. Most of the stalls cook upon order and the portions are reasonable for the price you pay.

As expected of food courts, the variety is great. Here you’ll have your pick of claypot rice, hot plate noodles, Taiping laksa, Ipoh hor fun, grilled seafood and Indonesian ayam penyet which, incidentally, comes with a fabulous sambal.

Outside of Giant, within the commercial area of Bandar Kinrara 5, there’s a handful of outlets offering nasi campur (rice with a range of dishes) and nasi lemak. Most are open for breakfast and lunch, and a simple meal (minus drinks) would cost no more than RM5.

For something you’re familiar with, Old Town White Coffee and PappaRich do not disappoint. With tried-and-tested menus coupled with fixed operating hours, both outlets offer a comfortable ambiance, ideal for a leisurely meal or meeting.

The only Japanese restaurant in this area, Sushi Sakura, happens to be one of the most affordable around. Fans of the sushi conveyor belt concept would be delighted to know that each plate is priced from as low as RM1.70. The restaurant is spacious, the service efficient and food decent.

Eel — one of the costlier items in any Japanese restaurant — is adeptly prepared here, with its melt-in-the-mouth flesh and nicely-caramelised skin.

A unique selling point is the infusion of fruits into its dishes. Intrigued, I tried the Katsu with Mango Ramen. It turned out to be a cold dish but well... an acquired taste!

I reckon there would be more eateries once Eight Kinrara is officially launched. For now you can make yourself comfortable at My Own Bakes, a cosy cafe ideal for light bites, or for hummus, kebabs and hearty briyanis, head over to Arabia Restaurant.

Good ol’ Chinese hawker food is clustered on the other side of the LRT station, in a commercial block where three ground floor corner lots are occupied by a branch of the famous Puchong Batu 14 Yong Tau Fu and two coffee shops.

Both coffee shops have no fewer than 30 stalls between them, offering numerous popular hawker dishes. Like most coffee shops, these stalls operate from morning until evening.

Speaking of evenings, Jing Quan Kopitiam dishes out dai chou (Chinese stir-fry) for the neighbourhood from sundown.

* For more gastronomic adventures — keep up with Rebecca on www.RebeccaSaw.com and instagram.com/wackybecky.

Getting there

(Note that there are two exits here — the Bandar Kinrara BK5/Giant Hypermarket and Kinrara Park/SML Seksyen 1 Bandar Kinrara)

1. Restoran Puchong Batu 14 Yong Tau Fu; Leng Lam Restaurant; Restoran Jin Quan

From the station: Take the Kinrara Park/SML Seksyen 1 Bandar Kinrara exit. Exit the fare gates and take the escalator down to the street level. Once there, turn left and make your way towards the school. Cross the road to the shoplots opposite. All three eateries are corner shoplots in this block.

2. Sushi Sakura Kinrara; PappaRich; Old Town White Coffee; Giant Hypermarket — Anjung Selera Foodcourt; Uncle Jack; Pizza Hut; Secret Recipe; Old Klang Road Kopitiam; Warong Pak Man, Cili Pauh; My Own Bakes; Arabia Restaurant

From the station: Take the Bandar Kinrara BK5/Giant Hypermarket exit. Exit the fare gates and cross the highway using the pedestrian bridge. Once you’re on the street level, turn left and walk towards Eight Kinrara. My Own Bakes and Restoran Arabia are in this shopping mall.

You will see PappaRich and Old Town White Coffee once you are on street level. Turn left and head towards Maybank and the entrance to Giant is on your left. For Sushi Sakura, head right towards Old Town White Coffee and walk along the shoplots facing the main road. The Japanese eatery is about 50m ahead.

Addresses:

1. Restoran Puchong Batu 14 Yong Tau Fu; Restoran Jin Quan

9, Jalan BK2/11

2. Sushi Sakura Kinrara; Old Town White Coffee

Jalan BK5A/ 3A

3. Leng Lam Restaurant; Restoran Jin Quan

Jalan BK 2/11

4. Giant Hypermarket

Lot 449, Jalan BK 5A/1

5. My Own Bakes

Eight Kinrara, Jalan BK 5A/3B, Bandar Kinrara 5