Well, I am sure most of us are familiar with the iconic Rex Theater, right? If you were too young to have been there, you most probably would at least have heard about it. It used to be the place to head to, to watch movies back in the day. Along the way, it caught fire, became a hostel, caught fire again and finally, abandoned for a long period of time until recently. It was revived again, is now called REXKL, an event space with food and many fun activities, is a pretty cool place to hang out at.
I knew nothing of REXKL. It wasn’t on my radar until a friend suggested that we drop by one weekend. The bunch of us enjoy visiting farmers’ markets whenever we can. As soon as my friend learned that there was one happening that weekend at REX, we decided to drop by. Fresh produce directly from the farmers themselves. Yup, sign me up !! We defintely had fun, bought loads of stuff too. By the time we were done though, we had to rush off and so, never really gave any of the eateries a try. I told myself that I’d come back though and fast forward a couple of weeks, here I was.
REXKL is located along Jalan Sultan, opposite AA Pharmacy and within the same row as these cafes – Vintage 1988 and Lim Kee at Tian Jing Hotel. At first glance, you may just miss it. The building has this ability to simply blend with its background. I’ve driven past this road many times but never knew it existed. Heck, I’ve even dropped by the pharmacy several times but failed to notice it 🤔🤔.
Parking?? Well, most people just end up parking ‘tepi jalan’ but you may get summoned. So, I ended up parking where I usually do when I’m in the area – in the basement carpark of the 5 Elements Hotel at a cost of RM 4 an hour. It is just a few doors away from AA Pharmacy, so no sweat.
The first thing you’d notice is Stellar Coffee, which is located at the entrance of REXKL. I’m sure you have heard of it as it is regularly making the rounds on social media of late. Pretty popular, I suppose. I personally have not given it a try because I was in the mood for some filling, hearty, wholesome meal which can’t be fulfilled at Stellar because they are more coffee and cakes. So, I moved on.
As you head in, beyond Stellar, you’d see more options.
After weighing my options, I decided on Lauk Pauk as I was in the mood for some local cuisine.
Menu
Once we’ve ordered, I was told that I had to wait 10-15 minutes for food to arrive as the order before mine was for a large group and they’ve ordered plenty. That was fine with me, it gave me an opportunity to walk around and explore the space.
By the time I was done exploring, food arrived 😊
Notorious Nasi Lemak, RM 8.50 + Ayam Sambal Bali, RM 15 + Nasi Goreng Kampung, RM 10
All items ordered were crowd favorites and was suggested to me by the lady at the counter.
Food was very good. I ended up having to share the dishes with my friend who was coincidentally in the area. Both of us were impressed.
The Notorious Nasi Lemak was a best seller but at first, I was a tad reluctant to give it a go because how much better can a nasi lemak get, right? There is one in every nook and corner in the city. What is special about this one? Well, the answer to that the dish served here tasted homecooked, exactly how my mum used to make it. I loveeeee the fact that they used basmati rice, it makes all the difference. The ‘santan’ infused rice was da’ bomb. It was served hot and so, it was all warm and dense. Having it with the ‘sambal’, egg and ‘kacang’ was great. The sambal, it was neither too ‘pedas’ nor too sweet but it had enough flavor to provide that extra ‘kick.’ I enjoyed the mix of all ingredients together that we ended up requesting for extra sambal twice.
The Nasi Goreng Kampung was delicious. If you are one of those who loves this particular type of fried rice, the one served at Lauk Pauk is worth a mention. The dish had plenty of anchovies, vegetables and you’d be able to taste immediately the unique flavors usually associated with Kampung Fried Rice. It was surprisingly good, exceeded our expectations. That is all there is to say about our experience with this dish and all the other dishes too.
The Ayam Sambal Bali was lovely too. The dish was neither wet nor dry, it was somewhere in between. Nice flavor with the right amount of spiciness. Good enough to eat on its own as well as a perfect a perfect side to main dishes.
Both my friend and I had a great time here. I’d certainly be back. Not just for the food but also for some of the other activities held at REXKL…. The weekend Farmers’ Market. Movie nights. Painting sessions. Exhibitions. Open mic, busking and etc. Plenty to do.
Whether you want to visit during the day or night, there is bound to be something for you at REXKL. While the eateries are open as usual despite the CMCO and covid situation, in regards to other activities though – it would be best if you check their FB page for updates.
