We’d been staying at the YMCA International Hostel on Jalan Macalister and a single meal at the local restaurant inspired us to go looking for greener -- and cheaper and friendlier -- pastures. A short walk brought us to a very bare-bones eatery called the Jasmine Garden Café, also on Jalan Macalister (just across the YMCA, in fact). The Jasmine Garden Café is housed on the ground floor of the Wisma Katolik Building, in what looks a bit like a parking area; it has walls on only two sides -- the other two sides have pillars and look out on a quiet garden. The café’s one of those really functional eateries with very plain furniture and the only attempt at decoration are a few tatty prints on the walls.
What’s good about the Jasmine Garden Café is that the staff is very friendly and efficient, and the food’s both good and affordable. The menu’s limited -- you can ask for the special of the day and they’ll tell you -- but it’s invariably well made. We ate dinner here on two consecutive days and really enjoyed our meals: an excellent mixed fried rice, chicken in plum sauce (and a crispy-skinned chicken in mango sauce the next day), and a glass each of fresh apple juice. The portions were big enough to satisfy two fairly hungry people and the best thing was the bill -- it came to just about RM17! And what was even more surprising was that the waitress refused to accept a tip -- she actually insisted on giving us back each sen of the change!