[Photos] No Aircon, No Fancy Sign, Just Good Food: Inside Cheras' Best-Kept Noodle Secret

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Tucked in a light industrial estate in Desa Tun Razak, Cheras, “My Daddy’s Recipe” is not the kind of place you’d stumble on by accident.

There’s no aircon, and the tables are bare.

For two decades, there wasn’t even a signboard — customers just made up their own names for it, calling it “the shop under the big tree” or simply “Dad’s place.”

But walk in on a weekday afternoon, and the place is packed.

The shop’s founder, now 66, spent over a decade as a head chef at a big restaurant in the 1980s before deciding to strike out on his own.

When his wife found him a vacant unit in the industrial estate to lease, he didn’t pick it because it made business sense.

He picked it because it was close to home — easier to pick up his three young daughters from school.

That was 25 years ago; the shop has stayed in the same spot since.

The founder never bothered giving the place a proper name — he’s not one for talk, by his own admission, and just wanted to cook good food and keep his customers fed, a bespectacled figure in a white shirt you’ll spot catching his breath between orders with a newspaper or his phone on a stand.

Loyal regulars, many from factories and offices nearby, started calling him “Lao Dou” — Cantonese slang for “Dad.”

It took his second daughter, five years ago, to finally put a name on the signboard: 老豆食铺 (Lao Dou Shi Pu) — a nod to the nickname, and a quiet pun on “Dad’s Recipes.”

COVID Sent The Daughters Home — And Changed The Shop

The rebrand happened almost by accident.

During the pandemic, the second daughter — trained in advertising design — found herself out of work and unfulfilled in her career.

Her father asked if she wanted to help out at the shop; she said yes.

Her younger sister, the youngest of the three, joined too.

She had quietly taught herself to bake, picking up techniques from online videos — no formal training, not even a trip to Taiwan to study, despite baking there being closely associated with Taiwanese pastry traditions.

Friends who’ve actually lived in Taiwan still say her cakes hold up.

Between the two sisters, the shop got a proper renovation, a digital menu and payment system, social media accounts, delivery platform listings, and a rotating cake display — tiramisu, chocolate hazelnut, pistachio, plus a daily special that changes depending on the youngest daughter’s mood.

Their eldest sister still works a stable job at a bank, but drops by to help when she can.

From King Prawns To Coffee With A Backstory

The signature dish is Cantonese King Prawn Noodle — the founder insists on real prawns, not the smaller shrimp, and drowns the noodles in sauce so they fully absorb the flavour before serving. He says adding broth later never replicates the same result.

On Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays only, the shop serves hand-pulled flour cake noodles, pinched into a distinctive S-shape and served in a milky broth.

There’s also a clam soup spiked with bird’s-eye chilli, ginger, and Chinese wine — good for rainy days — along with a cham kopi and a Hainanese coffee with cincau (grass jelly), the latter a recipe the founder brought back after tasting a version in Ipoh.

One item, Shanghai pork rib noodles, used to be the founder’s private family dish until his daughters convinced him to put it on the menu.

Still The Same Spot, 25 Years On

The shop’s regulars include factory workers who’ve since moved away but still make the trip back, and students from nearby USCI University.

Some of them have graduated, moved to other states, and still swing by whenever they’re back in the Klang Valley.

These days, the shop has also started selling frozen food — but not the usual supermarket fare.

The items are sourced from local producers, not made in-house, and lean towards specialty products you wouldn’t easily find elsewhere.

The founder’s wife says she’s fine with her daughters opening branches down the road — on one condition: the original shop stays open.

It’s the one thing she’s firm about.

My Daddy’s Recipe Jalan 4/118c, Desa Tun Razak, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur Open 8:30 am–8 pm (Tue–Sat), 8 am–3 pm (Sun), closed Mondays Facebook: MyDaddyRecipe | Instagram: @my_daddy_recipe

The writer is a regular here, often stopping by, especially before an outstation trip. Part of this story is based on a report by Sin Chew Daily. All photos were taken by the writer.

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