Ashley’s
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Ashley’s is part of the Living Food group of restaurants and services in Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Their philosophy is all about healthy, real food; no microwaves, no MSG, just fresh wholefoods cooked using healthy methods.
They have extensive raw and vegan options on the menu so we natuaraly wanted to pay them a visit as part of our Vegan Food Quest to ‘find, eat and write about the best vegan food in the world.’
The Vegan Food
The menu contained both vegan versions of traditional Malaysian foods as well as other dishes inspired by cuisines from around the world.
The first dish we tried was a raw ‘foie gras’ but vegan alarms need not go off as this raw, vegan pâté was made from mushrooms, with no cruelty in sight. It was deliciously smooth and rich with olive oil and a hint of truffle.
Accompanied by a raw, sun-dried tomato bread made from corn, zucchini and cashew nuts; raw vegetables and deliciously chewy dried tomato slices (which tasted like little healthy tomato sweets!). We thought this cruelty-free and healthy pâté was a real decadant treat.
100% plant-based and cruelty free; a rich flavour and velvety smooth texture made this pâté a real treat
Next we tried another raw vegan dish, ‘Living Pulled Eggplant’, which consisted of super-thin rolls of raw, dehydrated eggplant, intensely flavoured, filled with a creamy nut cheese and served on flaxseed crackers with a slice of zingy marinated pepper.
As soon as we tasted the first bite-sized cracker we were blown away, it was a taste explosion of the most perfect flavours and textures; this was obviously made by someone who’s ‘non-cooking’ skills were exceptional.
We highly recommend you visit Ashley’s to try this dish for yourself; we’re already planning our return visit
A perfect bite-sized mouthful of tasty, raw, vegan food
Ashley’s are clearly very skilled at producing amazing tasting raw, vegan dishes and the raw ‘Living Enchiladas’ on their menu were yet another example of this wonderful ‘non-cooking’. Creamy nut ‘soured cream’ and a fresh, zingy tomato based ‘passion sauce’ were layered over 100% corn tortilla wraps that were generously filled with vegan goodies. The filling of salad leaves, julienned jicama, tomato and alfalfa sprouts was crunchy, alive and garden-fresh; making this a lovely light main course.
We were passionate about the ‘passion sauce’ as well as every other bit of this ‘Living Enchilada’
Ashley’s are’t just geniuses in the ‘non-cooking’ raw kitchen though; it turns out their cooked food is also tasty, creative and healthy too. We opted to try some local flavours, ordering a ‘Borneo Laksa’ and ‘Nasi Kerabu’.
The laksa was made with almond milk and came with brown rice noodles, grilled tofu, spiralised vegetbales and miso sambal. It was light and creamy but rich with fresh local herbs and spices and we loved the additional miso sambal which we used to get our own perfect level of spiciness.
Delicious, healthy almond milk laksa with spicy miso sambal
Add in fresh vegetables and spicy sambal to taste and you have an excellent vegan laksa
The ‘Nasi Kerabu’ was another cooked dish that we got really excited about; we love to try vegan versions of local dishes from the countries we visit and this dish didn’t disappoint.
Nutty, wholesome ‘bario’ rice from Sarawak which had been flavoured with coconut oil to give a toasty, sweet taste, was paired with a vegan palm heart rendang and shredded young mango. The palm heart slices were crunchy and juicy as well as a little fibrous, which went very well with the creamy rendang sauce and the perfumed, sweet mango.
A healthy vegan version of ‘Nasi Kerabu’
The Service and the Interior
We received a lovely, warm welcome from the staff at the front door who showed us to our table, and our waiting staff were equally as friendly, taking our order and delivering our food with a smile.
Before our lunch we were joined by Mr Phillip Lin, (the Living Foods Group owner), who was kind enough to share his knowledge and understanding of what we need to live a healthy life with us; it was both interesting and informative.
We were also lucky enough to meet Ashley herself, who took a break from preparing all the amazing food being served, to come and chat with us and tell us a little about the food she makes. Her passion for producing good quality, tasty and healthy food was clear and so it was no surprise to us that the food being served tasted so amazing.
Ashley’s is certainly one good looking restaurant, we liked the cool tones and natural decorations throughout and there was a nice relaxed atmosphere that made our lunch even more enjoyable.
Simple, natural and homely
Other Stuff
We drank the most delicious juices; all had super health-giving properties as well as tasting amazing.
Tasty juices that make you healthier too? Yes please!
Ashley’s serve complimentary ‘Kangen Water’ which boasts health giving properties such as being chemical free and a good anti-oxidant. We thought it tasted pretty good too!
Ashley’s isn’t a vegan restaurant as they serve other dishes containing meat and fish but they have separate kitchen areas where this food is prepared.
We thought this would really allow non-vegans to experiment with eating less animal based foods as well as allowing groups where not everyone was vegan to dine together happily.
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
Make a reservation at Ashley’s to eat some of the best vegan food in Kuala Lumpur. You’ll get to eat food that not only tastes amazing, but is good for the environment and good for you.
Let the chefs work their magic and make you some vegan food that we’re pretty sure you’ll be talking about long after your meal has finished.
We were guests of Ashley’s but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views
Ashley’s by Living Food
11, Ground Floor
Jalan Telawi 3
Bangsar Village
59100
Kuala Lumpur
Telephone: +603 2202 2778
Email: livingfoodcafe@gmail.com
Opening Hours: 11am – 11pm every day