Madam Kwan’s The Exchange TRX — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Came here during lunch hour, place was packed, but surprisingly no wait. Service was smooth, and food didn’t take long to arrive. Vibes were nice, but let’s talk about the foood 🤩

Nasi Lemak (RM24.90) The rice was lacking that strong santan aroma, though there was a light hint of lemak. I went with the beef rendang but sadly, it was on the bland side, like it missed out on the full rempah flavor, somehow the tenderness was perfect! The sambal bilis was spicy, living up to its name, but the sambal paste was too little. It felt like the anchovies were just lightly coated, maybe that’s their style, but I personally prefer it more saucy. There were quite a lot of onions too, which got a bit much. The acar was a nice balance of sweet and sour, and the prawn floss gave a little extra touch to the dish. But overall, for nearly RM25, the flavors didn’t quite deliver. Not worth the price.

Orange Juice (RM11.90) Where’s the juice, seriously? Tasted more like cordial than anything freshly squeezed. Way too sour and flat. At that price, I expected way better. Definitely not worth RM11.90.

Longan Drink (RM8.50) Very basic. If you’re craving something sweet and cold, it does the job, but there’s nothing special about it. Not really worth RM8.50 either, unless you’re just killing time.

Cantonese Fried Beef Noodle (RM24.90) The dish didn’t come with that bright veggie contrast I expected, and the noodles weren’t crispy like how Cantonese fried noodles usually are. Beef portion was alright, but tenderness was inconsistent, some bites were soft, others a bit chewy. The sauce had good flavor! Savory with that soy sauce and garlic umami but I expect it to be thicker and glossier. It still tasted good overall, and that little hit of ginger gave a nice boost while eating. No intense wok hei though. Taste-wise it’s okay, but for RM24.90, it feels a bit underwhelming. Borderline worth it.

Deep Fried Dumplings (RM23.90) Best dish of the meal! Golden brown outside, crispy edges, but still tender on top and bottom. The filling was packed with minced chicken and prawn, juicy and flavorful. Paired with the sweet and sour sauce, the flavor combo really worked. Salty, tangy, just nice. Though after a few pieces, the saltiness did start to creep up (in a good way) but honestly, still so worth it. For RM23.90, this was the only item that truly felt worth every sen.

For over RM100 spent, I expected a much more satisfying meal overall. Only the dumplings really stood out and felt worth the price. The nasi lemak was a letdown, drinks were overpriced for what they were, and the noodles were just okay. While the service and ambiance might be part of the appeal at Madam Kwan’s, when it comes to value for food alone, the experience didn’t quite live up to the bill.

Come here if you’re curious, or for the vibe, but if you’re all about flavor and getting your money’s worth, there are better spots. Might return for dumplings and other menus, but not...

We decided to try the place out after seeing the good Google rating. The staff ushered us to a tiny table for 2 next to the serving cabinet despite having several empty tables, we kindly requested for a bigger table and after much side glances from the servers and begging with them, we got one. We ordered one Nasi Lemak Chicken and one Beef, while our drinks came fairly quickly the dishes took some time. When they did finally arrive, one bite in and we realized the dishes were cold as if they had been plated and left outside for a long time before being served. We advised the servers that the dishes were cold and kindly requested to please change the same. The servers took our dishes and after a couple of minutes when the next set came, we took one bite and realized again that the dishes were still cold. Honestly, we would have been okay if they had even just microwaved the first set of dishes as we were so hungry but no, the food was just plain cold. By now we had lost our appetite and time, we advised the staff on the issue and said they will bring out a new set. After losing so much time, we requested the team and the manager that we will pay for the drinks and leave as we had lost ample amount of time and we clearly weren’t getting even a warm if not a hot meal. The manager did apologize and didn’t let us pay for the drinks even though we insisted which was nice of him, but we just couldn’t understand how a cold meal was served twice at a restaurant. We really did want to try out this place and have some nice Lemak but alas that wasn’t happening. I genuinely hope they work on their service as this place came highly recommended. Even street side food vendors giving...

Went here with family. Madam Kwan’s seems to be good for families and whether you want something while in the middle of shopping. I think there were about 8-10 pieces of the tofu puffs in a curry soup. Thought it was too much of the broth. Nothing else. Thought the curry was nice and somewhat flavourful.

I think the cooking staff forgot about the fried rice until I brought it up to the waiting staff after some time had lapsed. This was the last non-dessert dish served. It was quite simple with petai, chopped green beans and topped with lettuce. It was decent.

The cendol was my favourite of all - although I’m not a dessert person. The durian was very good. The other components were also good (pandan jelly, beans, coconut, syrup etc) but the durian was the star stopper of this dish. It was smooth yet and completed the cendol well. I still remember the taste fondly til this day.

Physical menu is provided but also online. You have to order online though - printed QR code is provided on the table. While ordering online, several dishes have check list whether one would like add ons/extras, certain ingredients not in there dish (ie egg) and comment boxes. Making it easy to request some vegetarian dishes to be wholly plant based/vegan.

Menu had a “vegetarian” section - making it easy to see which dishes can be ordered and adding requests to omit egg. There were some options ranging from fried rice, noodles and clay pot beancurd. Each dish has brief descriptions - including “egg tofu” if it uses tofu.

Great for families. It was busy during dinner....