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    Kampong Ah Lee

    4.2 (37 reviews)
    ModerateMalaysian, Chinese
    Closed 12:00 pm - 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

    Kampong Ah Lee Photos

    KAMPONG AH LEE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Kampong Ah Lee

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    Hainan chicken rice
    Emilie A.

    I think this is the best Malaysian/Singaporean food I've had outside of Singapore. I visited Kampong Ah Lee twice in my five days in Edinburgh so you know it's good! I heard it had recently been renovated and it's now quite a pretty restaurant. The first time I came we shared two dishes, the spicy chicken and the duck breast, which we supplemented with vegetables and oil rice. I really enjoyed both dishes. The duck was my favorite, and it tasted really delicious with the oil rice, but I also enjoyed the chicken. I also had teh tarik which is always a favorite, and it didn't disappoint here! The second time I came, I couldn't resist the Hainan chicken rice. I'm used to eating chicken rice from an old shop in Singapore, so I wasn't sure how a Scottish restaurant could compare, but I was pleasantly surprised. The chicken was moist and flavorful, with a nice sauce. Of course the rice was delicious and tasted great mixed with the sauce and the chicken too! This time I got the Nestlo (coffee + Milo) which was a nice refreshing drink for late morning. I wish I could come here every day, but alas, it's far away (though less far than actual Malaysia). If you live near Kampong Ah Lee, consider yourself lucky.

    Chicken and black bean sauce with fresh noodles!!!
    Lee B.

    It was a great day out with my Mum. All the noodles are freshly made in house. We got two main courses which are amazing with the fresh noodles. We also had the sea-weed which was nice and fresh. My favorite thing was the fresh in house pork dumplings they where super. My mum and I totally enjoyed this dinning experience . And the next time am Home back in Edinburgh this will be my first stop. The severe and staff where wonderful. I love this place it is also very cheap in price!!!

    (fuzzy) Steamed sea bass with tom yum sauce
    Catriona C.

    You have to be greatful for people to suggest places you would never dream of going. Kampong Ah Lee is one of them. It looks pretty rundown from the outside which for me would be an instant no-no. I've watched too many 'pest ain't best' kind of showsand lack of maintenance to the establishment tends to be one of the key indicators. But, thankfully for an unofficial Yelp gathering last night and the reviews that had been posted prior to my visit I had the chance to tickle my tastebuds at a place I would never have ordinarily picked for myself. It's a well known secret - every table was full last night - on a Tuesday! The Roti Cenai starts you off as the meal intends to go on - full of fire - but my only wish would be that the delicious curry sauce was slightly thicker to dip my chapatti-like flatbread into. The boy discovered oil cooked rice is delicious (I felt every delicious bit of cholesterol through every bite of rice) and I don't think anyone escaped the chilli-fire that breathed it's way through every dish. For me, the sea bass (complete with head, for those of a sensitive nature) with tom yum sauce was stunning - the sauce was fantastic and the fish beautifully cooked. For what we ate, the price was pretty reasonable and you can see why the place is so popular. The downfalls - not too many to be honest - one would be that I had no idea what half the meals were (there was one along the lines of King Kang....chortle) which without having the staff go through the menu line by line made it a bit harder to choose - although google helped me when I checked the online menu in advance. But take the plunge, you might find you will like it. The other was that staff were pretty abrupt, so wasn't ever quite sure they had my order (they did, I'm just paranoid). But overall, it is definitely a gem, and glad Joe A. introduced us to it!

    Beef Belly Curry With Fried Rice
    Mike N.

    If this place gave frequent flyer miles, I'd be well on my way to a round the world trip. I've eaten my body weight in their tasty Malaysian treats a few times over since discovering Kampong Ah Lee 5 or so years ago. The flavours that await you inside are just as bold as the red and yellow exterior that brightens up Nicolson Street. This isn't michelin dining, but neither are the prices. It's authentic, hearty food served up in a cafe style setting. Service is usually straight to the point rather than overtly warm but that suits me just fine. I'm here for the eats, not the small talk. For the uninitiated, Malaysian food is a bit of a melting point of asian cuisines - Indian meets Chinese, meets Thai, meets my mouth. I've slowly worked my way through the menu and there aren't many dishes I wouldn't recommend. Personal highlights are: Roti canai - Flaky, buttery roti with a Malaysian curry sauce for dipping. Beef belly curry - slow cooked and melts in the mouth every time. Sweet & spicy prawns - prawns bigger than your finger in a sticky (but not gloopy) sweet sauce. These are served up in their shells, so avoid if you're not a fan having to get your hands dirty before you can tuck in. Curry Laksa - a big huge curry noodle soup bowl. More than enough for two if you can cope with sharing. It's so good in fact, that at least a couple of times a year I go into panic mode fearing that someday it may close and cut off my fix. Not that this seems likely as they are going from strength to strength and building something of a monopoly in the Malaysian eatery scene in Edinburgh. From this small cafe they've now grown to 3 locations across the city. But better safe than sorry though - get along or I'll hold you all personally responsible if there's a big Kampong Ah Lee shaped hole in my future.

    Chris M.

    It was with great joy and laughter that I came to experience Kampong Ah Lee with some of Edinburgh's finest a couple of weeks ago at an "all welcome Yelp meet up for dinner" - note to self; think of a snappier title. Whilst I was at first surprised (and perhaps a little concerned) by the cafe stylings of Kampong, the food more than made up for it. I feel the need to repeat that last sentence. The food MORE than made up for it. Joe A highyl recommended the roti to start with, and Jurgen D and I weren't arguing! Now I've had roti before, and I mean loads of times - and for me it's never really had the same draw as any other kind of accompanying bread; always just... plain and boring. The roti at Kampong though was enough to completely change my opinion of asia's favourite unleavened bread - it was fresh, delicious and served with a side of curry dipping sauce that had just the right mix of spice and flavour to accompany bread that would have been good enough to eat on its own. Whilst most others round the table went for exotic named and looking dishes, I (being full of a cold) plumped for the rather unimaginative chicken curry noodles. Of all the dishes, this was perhaps the most ronseal of the lot - it did exactly what it said on the tin. The chicken wasn't flavourless pieces of breast meat, but chunks of chicken akin to those seen in any number of asian chop shops around the world; full of fatty bits and bones yes - but all the tastier for it. A good sized portion was offered and the noodles and dry sauce were just right for this (what would be considered in other places to be) boring dish to be something that I'd order again. It didn't matter all too much that it was just before pay day either as the menu ranged from £7 for my chicken curry noodles to Jenny L and Catriona C's £12+ fish - something for everyone then; providing of course that you can figure out what it is you're ordering off the menu!

    Rezzi I.

    This Malaysian take away on Clerk Street is a welcome change from the slew of Indian and Chinese take aways surrounding it! It's evening got a raving review in a newpaper stuck in the display window. The menu is not as easy to decipher as I would have liked, and some of the dishes are so foreign to the westerners palate you can tell they've maintained a lot of the authenticity of Malaysian cuisine. I was adviced to order some Roti Cenai, basically a flat bread with came with an awesome curry sauce. I'm also a big fan of coconut rice in any cuisine, and had that with a delicious chicken curry, which I think was called Kari Ayam. It was a great food experience all over, I just hope I'll be lucky with the menu again next time!

    Yvonne W.

    Perfect taste. Much like the fried chicken with coconut rice. The waitress is very nice.

    Prawn noodle soup
    Betty C.

    I am so glad there is a good place for Malaysian food in this city. We have come in twice now and both times, I have really enjoyed my dishes. First time I had the curry laksa which was plenty spicy even for me, and I love spicy! Their roti was also very nice though I wished there were more roti in each serving. The second time we came here, I ordered the prawn noodle. Yes I do love my soup noodles. And this was delicious. The soup was so full of prawn flavor. Yum and they were quite generous with the prawns too. And all the prices are reasonable too. Definitely will be going back soon!

    Deciding to try Kampong Ah Lee under the advice of a Malaysian friend I was confident I would be in for some authentic cuisine. I chose to ignore the shoddy toilet facilities, lack of music, and incomprehensible waitress as the food was all top notch. I tried the Malaysian Roti for starters (a light fluffy bread with a spicy, coconut dipping sauce) and then followed that with the Beef Sambal (fried beef in a hot pepper and onion sauce). All tasty stuff and atypical to many other Asian cuisine restaurants. The restaurant is tiny and often busy. The food is inexpensive and I can assure once you've fathomed the menu and necked a few Tiger beers, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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    1 year ago

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    12 years ago

    Absolutely smashing and very flavourful beef rendang and traditional roti. Took it for takeaway.

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    Review Highlights - Kampong Ah Lee

    For the uninitiated, Malaysian food is a bit of a melting point of asian cuisines - Indian meets Chinese, meets Thai, meets my mouth.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

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    Tattu - Food is served is small plates

    Tattu

    4.5(24 reviews)
    0.8 miNew Town

    I have something to confess - I definitely search for "most Instagrammable restaurants" when I…read moretravel - because I love a good theme, or an ambiance that is out of this world. And let me tell you right now - Tattu lived up to the hype I read online and THEN SOME! We booked a later reservation because we were coming back from a tour that day, and we were promptly seated right when we arrived. The vibe was exactly as described - it was upscale, and very ethereal feeling. Trees uplit with purple and pink lights, black marble tables, more floral/light touches, and a dragon mural on the ceiling and also in a projected design on the far wall of the dining area. And luckily, the food was just as good as the ambiance. My friend and I both did the Evening Set Menu, that included a starter for each person and a main dish per person. They also had desserts and sides that you could add for an extra charge (we did a dessert each, and they were also amazing, but more on that later - hold your horses!). I had the Crispy Pork Belly for my starter and it was divine - nice and crispy outside with a soft middle and a delicious dipping sauce. My friend did the Duck Spring Rolls and they were so tasty as well (we split a few of each others' starter). The cherry hoisin sauce that came with the spring rolls was fantastic and a little sweet and sour at the same time. These starters were not so heavy that we didn't have room for our main courses, which I appreciated. For the entree, I had the White Miso Salmon, and the filet was so tender with a miso sauce that was to die for. The Jasmine rice that accompanied them mixed super well with everything too. My friend had the Chinese BBQ Chicken, and it was a large filet that was super flavorful (the bites I had), because it was absolutely coated in the BBQ sauce, and a very juicy filet, too. I would recommend either of the mains or starters that we picked for the evening set menu, based on our experience. As I mentioned, the dessert is not included in the set evening menu, but you can add it at the end - and my friend and I both did! She had the Asian Pear Sticky Toffee pudding, and it was so delectable - a toffee brownie type square with a large mound of buttery ice cream on top, and caramel and cinnamon to top it off. I had the Chocolate Hazelnut Pagoda, and it was a stunner! Literally a chocolate cake "dirt" on top of vanilla whipped pudding, with cherry ice cream on top and a hazelnut chocolate pagoda tree with cotton candy for the leaves. While that sounds awesome in itself, it also came with a cloud of dried ice "smoke" billowing out of it. So cool, and it definitely tuned a few heads when it arrived. So from the super cool and upscale ambiance, excellent service, and out of this world food - I definitely recommend Tattu for a special occasion, date night, or to take anyone you want to really impress!

    Super delicious. Came here the first night of our vacation and it did not disappoint. You MUST get…read morethe gyoza, some of the best I've ever had. Tasty drinks and such a beautiful and cool ambience.

    Photos
    Tattu
    Tattu - Dumplings

    Dumplings

    Tattu - Bar/waiting area

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    Bar/waiting area

    Kampung Ali - Arcade

    Kampung Ali - Arcade

    3.8(4 reviews)
    0.6 miOld Town, Royal Mile
    £

    Part of a chain of several Kampang Ali restaurants in Edinburgh (one on Clerk St and another in the…read moreQuarter Mile). This one is in the arcade walkway down off the South Bridge that's not too noticeable if you don't know it exists there. Oddly, on the Saturday night, they had a shortage of rice! Aside from that slight disappointment, food was overall good quality and quite enjoyable.

    As I understand it, Kampung Ali has a couple of locations. WE stumbled upon this one in the North…read moreBridge Arcade. So you have to pop off the street to find it. My DC has a "thing" for laksa so anytime we come across a place with Laksa we have to go! So she had their laksa, which was very nice. The rice noodles were of the wide type rather than vermachelii. But the this is one of the dishes that everyone's grandmother does different, so just go with the flow and see if it is spicy enough to make your nose run. This one seemed to have very little shrimp paste, but it was still very good. the squid was not over cooked, which can be a rare treat. I had the roti with beef randang. It too has a nice spice and very tender. A bit different than the randang I've had before, but again everyone's grandmother type of dish. The roti were hot off the plancha and supper flaky. Perfect for scooping up the beef. A little small on the portion size for the price, but very tasty. Some tiger beer and the tarik rounded up a very nice dinner. Service was friendly and sweet.

    Photos
    Kampung Ali - Arcade - Chicken satay!

    Chicken satay!

    Kampung Ali - Arcade - Laksa and tiger beer.  Brings back memories.

    Laksa and tiger beer. Brings back memories.

    Kampung Ali - Arcade

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    Kampong Ah Lee - malaysian - Updated May 2026

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