Leen’s Middle East Kitchen
[Halal] Leen’s Middle East Kitchen in TTDI serves Syrian dishes with a local twist.
Run by Syrian chef Ameer Alzalek, Leen’s Middle East Kitchen offers traditional Syrian dishes such as falafel and fattoush infused with a local twist thanks to his decade-long experience of working in Malaysian kitchens.
We came here with high expectations and were still pleasantly surprised.
Leen’s Middle East Kitchen in TTDI
This meal was not our first rodeo.
We had first encountered Leen’s when it was operating as a stall at Tiffin at the Yard in December 2021.
Back then, we only tried the Chicken Shawarma Fries (see our old post here) and didn’t think too much about it.
When Leen’s opened its physical restaurant here in TTDI earlier this year, we’ve heard nothing but good things about Leen’s and had always bookmarked it on our list.
Fast-forward to October, we finally managed to book a spot for a group lunch with our friends to celebrate Max’s birthday.
Leen’s Middle East Kitchen in TTDI
Dining in a big group is truly the best way to experience Leen’s as we got to order a few dishes to share.
For the five of us – we shared the Smoked Hummus (RM28), Haloumi Fattoush (RM35), Falafel (RM25), Crispy Syrian Rice (RM45), Mariah Pide (RM45) and Kebab Khashkhash (RM53).
Before we get to the food – we must commend the attentive service, and the space is also sleek and welcoming for a comfortable meal with friends and family.
Smoked Hummus is fire
Everyone we knew who had eaten here had nothing but praises for the Smoked Hummus.
And truly, it was all that and more. We’ve eaten plenty of Hummus elsewhere but sets Leen’s apart is the deep smoky aroma thanks to the addition of smoked charcoal oil.
The hummus was delightfully creamy and savoury (and rich in chickpeas and tahini flavours), but the earthiness was further balanced by a touch of acidity and spice from paprika oil. Ming did find it a bit too smoky but everyone else on the table thought it was exceptional.
The accompanying Arabic bread is also very fragrant and flaky that went superbly well with the hummus.
Haloumi Fattoush is refreshing
We found the Haloumi Fattoush‘s fresh and bright flavours to be the perfect contrast to the hummus’ earthiness.
This traditional fried bread salad is given a modern twist with the addition of sourdough bread and haloumi cheese for a mellow feta-like flavour. The salad is completed with greens such as heirloom tomatoes, kyuri cucumber and olives in spring onion oil dressing.
Falafel is distinctly delicious
The Falafel here was Ming’s favourite dish as Leen’s rendition is different that most.
These deep fried patties were also topped with fragrant toasted sesame but the filling was exceptionally fine (vs. coarse for most) and rich in fava beans. The falafel here was served with spicy tahini and pickles.
Crispy Syrian Rice
Moving onto the mains – the Crispy Syrian Rice was another surprise hit for our group.
The long grain rice used here was moist and deeply flavourful with a hint of smokiness. The rice is tossed with pickles, tzatziki and beetroot for a complex and complimentary mix of flavours.
The chicken thigh was tender as well and topped with smoky harissa sauce.
Mariah Pide and Kebab Khashkhash
Leen makes full use of the brick oven to also serve pides here – which is a type of Turkish bread topped with cheese and tomatoes (Turkey’s version of pizza?).
The Mariah Pide is topped with lamb mince, pomegranate and toasted withs lots of sesame seed on wheat bread.
Among the two lamb dishes we ordered, Max still preferred the Kebab Khashkhash.
The lamb kebab is served in a deep bowl and sealed with a layer of fresh bread to yield tender and deeply flavourful lamb cuts.
Summary
We had high expectations and Leen’s still blew us out of the water.
We suggest making reservations to avoid disappointment.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Leen’s Middle East Kitchen
Address: 136, Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 6pm-11pm (Weekdays), 12pm-3pm and 6pm-11pm (Weekends)
Phone: 011-7020 7551
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