Kampar Philly

So many visits to Sate Kampar when it was in South Philly. I was eagerly anticipating the opening of this place. I was able to get a reservation for my friend and daughter and me for Friday night. We were lead upstairs by a very gracious hostess into the bustling dining room. Such great energy in this place. The wallpaper is beautiful , great lighting and big windows in the back. We started with cocktails and they were balanced and delicious. We ordered the chips and curry, dragon meat (sweet pork jerky), rendang daging (braised beef and spices and coconut cream) , nasi lemak (coconut rice, crispy anchovies, peanuts, sambal wrapped in a banana leaf) tauhu sambat (tofu stuffed with vegetables with a peanut sauce) , ayem goreng berempah (fried chicken with sambal) and we received a complimentary dish of beautiful pickled vegetables. This place just recently opened so I'm leaving room for the menu to settle in. My favorite order of the night was the nasi lemak. The steam billows out when the banana leaf exposes the delicious coconut rice and peanuts. I liked the taste of the crispy anchovies but one was a bit too crispy to chew. As I said, the flavor was there and I do like crispy... however the crispiness was a bit on another level at times. I definitely love a fried potato but the chips and curry fell just a bit flat. The curry gravy didn't have much flavor (I asked for salt) and I was wondering if those were house steak-cut potatoes? One was a bit cold in the center. It threw me just a bit. The braised beef was so flavorful! The menu describes this item as being slow cooked and the depth of flavor was there. The tofu was cooked well but the sauce didn't seem to impart much flavor. The sauce on the crispy chicken that we ordered was definitely tasty but the chicken itself did taste a bit dry. Crispy skin is so delicious but only if accompanied with juicy meat inside but that wasn't really happening . I remembered this food exploding with flavor and I didn't get much of that. However, the menu items are plenty and I always appreciate sharing food at a table and the variety that it provides. In my opinion, there were definitely some items on the menu that fell a bit flat. However, I've experienced this food in the past and the deliciousness was over whelming. I'm going to give it time and also make room for an off night. I still want to give four stars because there is enough here right now that an evening spent here definitely provides a good night out in Philly with lots of variety, good ambiance and delicious cocktails .

I was so excited for this one, but left feeling very underwhelmed. We got the fried chicken, chili pan mee, and the curry fries - all of the dishes were mediocre in flavor and had one note throughout: bland. Honestly the only thing i enjoyed was the spiked tamarind jarrito. Whats worse is the pricing... way too high for stuff i could make at home.

I was really disappointed by this place, both by the food and the prices. Everything we got was portioned so small, and we were still hungry after eating here. In addition, the food just wasn't very good. Nasi lemak - 2/5. This was mostly rice and there were barely any toppings.Fried chicken - 2/5. The batter on this was so thin and grainy, it tasted like something I could've made in my own air fryer.A5 wagyu suen poon chee ($28) - 2/5. I was excited about this dish because of the taro balls, but it was basically a stir fry and the sauce didn't taste like much. I also don't think it needed wagyu, since the meat kind of got all the flavor cooked out of it anyway. Tauhu sumbat ($15) - 2/5. Also so disappointing. 4 tofu halves that weren't even hot, stuffed with flavorless veggies.Chili pan mee ($20) - 3/5. The only thing worth getting. This actually had great flavor, though the portion size was also small.

I don't think this place is as bad as some reviews paint it. The food portions are actually quite decent, and I liked the flavors on everything I ordered except for Nasi Lemak. I will say the food is less spicy than I would typically anticipate for Malay food but I am assuming that is to cater to Philly customer service profile. The drinks we're delicious and really enjoyed the non alcoholic ones. My largest complaint for the restaurant is it gets super loud. Almost like the walls keep the sound in as a chamber. I could barely hear my friend sitting across the table from me.

Fantastic! I grew up eating the foods Kampar serves. Authentic flavors. Dinner for two, started off with achat and the tofu. Then shared nasi lemak, rendang, and fried chicken (with leftovers that we brought home).

So excited for Kampar's return!The new upstairs space is beautiful, a great vibe for dinner with friends or a date, and I even saw some families. Walk in only and there is some bar seating. They were able to do one of the cocktails with a shrub as a mocktail and it was so good! The achat was great (a little spicy!), we loved the chili pan mee (also a bit of a kick) and the Wagyu mushroom dish. The carrot cake was something I've only ever had in Singapore and was a group favorite. The instant noodles= instant nostalgia. Prices were reasonable but portions were not huge. This is one of those places where you might want to order an extra dish if you're not sure you ordered enough. Luckily the whole menu looks great!The hosts and servers were lovely and the food came out fast! We were missing a few serving spoons and small plates and chopsticks but those kind of hiccups are to be expected in the first few weeks of opening and when we asked they came right away.Can't wait to come back for the downstairs! So nice to have Malaysian food in South Philly again!

Opening weekend for Kampar, which has been a long awaited comeback since Saté Kampar had to close many years ago, and I was excited to try the food again.The upstairs was first to open while the downstairs is in the planning process. After walking up the narrow stairs, you are brought to "Kongsi", an almost hidden oasis with a trendy bar reminisce of nightlife in Asia, and the dining area pays homage to street stalls or restaurants while you can gaze through the faux windows. It definitely brought me back to my fond memories in Asia.The service was 5/5, with the friendly greetings of the staff and our service staff. We did a walk-in and were immediately seated. It wasn't super busy thankfully. Everyone seemed to collaborate and help each other out with excited teamwork. I also noticed Chef Ange mingling amongst various diners and introducing others to certain dishes..unfortunately she did not stop by our table, but maybe that's because we look like we know what we're doing. The food..now let's talk about the food 3/5. Keep in mind, the concept is street food.My partner and I liked half of our dishes.They nailed the chili pan mee, spicy, savory, gooey egg and noodles cooked just right. I also liked the A5 Wagyu Suen Poon Chee, perfectly seasoned and had the umami from the shitake and oyster sauce which I enjoy. We wish there were more wagyu pieces, of course. It's definitely meant for a side.The other two, fell short of our expectations. As an avid luo bo gao aka turnip cake lover, when I saw the Char Tau Keuh, I was hype because this is one of my favorite dishes growing up. However, this version was SO salty it was almost unbearable. We tried to eat it between the other items to dilute it but unfortunately it wasn't salvageable. The Rendang Daging was also incredibly sweet, like dessert sweet. It was amazingly tender, but the sweetness was uncomfortable. My partner, being an avid carnivore, forced himself to finish it because we cannot waste meat LOL. I usually get Rendang the Indonesian way, so I'm questioning if this is truly how Malaysians prepare it..however when I think back to my Malaysian aunties, nobody makes it this sweet. With some adjustments, this could be better.For dessert we had the Sago Gula Melaka, which has sago and coconut cream, delicious. The container/jar is not ideal since it's very hard to scoop with the spoon. I think a bowl is ideal for this experience.Overall, decor is cute, service is awesome, but the food could be better executed. Personally, I would prefer to go to other spots to get my Malay fix. Hopefully they make some improvements going forward.

It is truly incredible having Kampar in the neighborhood. The food is excellent- we've had most of the menu and there's no misses, but the waygu-taro is amazing, and the staff are lovely. don't sleep on the late night rice bowl menu (no pun intended)!

The nasi lamak was delicious and i would recommend add the additional rendang to eat with the rice. This is the first time i've seen this wagyu dish in a malaysian/ hakka style. It was good but I wish there were more wagyu pieces because i couldn't taste it as much when eating it with the other ingredients. Overall, good atmosphere and friendly staff. The chef came by and talked to us which I loved to learn more about the culture and the food!

We reserved a spot on the first floor couple weeks in advance. The restaurant has multiple floors, but its first floor is quite small. The table barely fit us all in. It felt like a large family dinner. Our neighbors were very friendly and welcoming. The first floor is reserved for experimental chefs that are getting their feet wet. Each chef would stay there at least two years before rotating out. The chef on rotation was Chef Reuby, who specializes in Indian cuisine. He and his mother, Ruby, prepared and served us most of our preset meal for this dinner. The Samosa chaat was moist, tangy and savory. The sauces spread over them really enhanced its flavors. The tandoori chicken was marinated so well and tasted amazing when eaten with onion garnish and green sauce. The roti was toasted to perfection that only a master chef with a wood oven could prepare. Really enjoyed the experience of him describing and cooking the roti in front of us. The lamb kebabs were so soft that they easily fell apart in our mouth. The chai tres leches was soo delicious. The milky texture and moist cake made it an unforgettable dessert. Never had this experience before and would love to do it again.