Update: This business has ceased its operations.
Situated on the side of a white heritage building along Church Street Ghaut (Gat Lebuh Gereja) is Quay Café, a modest vegetarian eatery. The entrance is located near the junction with Beach Street (Lebuh Pantai), but is not very noticeable due to its small signboard. The place is open from 11:00am to 2:30pm, Monday through Saturday.
Quay Café is a self-service cafeteria. Food is ordered at the front counter. After the meal, customers are expected to return used dishes and leftovers to the designated area.
The dining area is simple and modest, fitting of a vegetarian restaurant. Several glass-topped wooden tables are laid out in the spacious hall.
The food menu is quite diverse. It is possible to have Japanese bento meals and nasi lemak (coconut milk rice) served side by side. Some dishes are only available on specific days. The price is quite reasonable, though not particularly cheap.
My lunch today is the Special Quay Rice (海南饭, RM7.50), or “Hainanese Rice” in Chinese. The meal is served in a sectioned plate to keep individual dishes separated. For take-away, partitioned bento boxes are used.
The staple dish in this meal is a heap of brown rice (unmilled whole grain rice) and a portion of baked potatoes.
This plate is accompanied by a generous portion of Chinese mustard (芥菜) and cauliflowers. The vegetable dishes are simple and mild in taste.
My meal is supplemented by an order of Popiah (薄饼, RM2.00). Underneath the thin popiah skin are juicy ingredients such as carrots, lettuce, bean sprouts and bean curd. The popiah is quite loaded and worth its price.
For drinks, I had a cup of Roselle Juice (洛神花汁, RM3.00), sometimes known as Hibiscus Tea. Made using the sepals of roselle flower, the drink has a rich red color. The drink is pleasantly sour and sweet, very similar to the taste of cranberry juice. It is serves a good thirst-quencher.
The food here at Quay Café is reasonable in taste and price. However, the limited operating hours means that it is not convenient to patronize regularly.
