You may have heard of their sister restaurant, Skohns Canteen at Damansara Perdana.
It made headlines recently for its tongue-in-cheek advertising (posters) of known political figures.
But controversial aside, Skohns Canteen’s food IS reasonably good.
In my past 2 visits I’ve tried their Country Fried Steak, burgers, awesome double fried fries and the ribs. True to its promoted “canteen prices”, meals at Skohns are satisfying in portion and generally tasty.
But it was the scones by Skohns (sorry, couldn’t resist cos it rhymes!) that got me hooked.
The same delectable scones are now available at its sister outlet in TTDI, a much nearer drive from my home.
Located on the same row as the famous D’Chengkih, Cake Sense and Dominoes outlet, Dua By Skohns’s menu was intended to offer the best of the worlds of local and western dishes; hence, the “Dua”.
The western is a duplicate of their menu at Skohns Canteen while the local and Malay cuisine are new.
Now, “Malay cuisine” in the Klang Valley is as common as the empty promises made by our local politicians.
However, the founders of Dua cleverly offers local but those of the rarer variety such as Nasi Kerabu and Nasi Dagang.
It is a relief now as that means I do not have to hunt roadside stalls and night markets for my nasi kerabu fix!
BELOW: Nasi Kerabu (RM12 nett) and Lamb Shank (26 nett) – 1st visit on 2nd August.
The Nasi Kerabu was fantastic and the lamb shank decent.
This was about a week after they first opened so I decided that another visit is warranted before passing verdict.
Check out my video for the on-the-spot review!
On my next visit I bought along 2 friends and told them to order ahead so my visit remained anonymous.
Vera liked that Dua offers several different staple food from different Malaysian states in one avenue: Nasi Dagang Kelantan & Nasi Kerabu Ayam Percik (Kelantan), Nasi Kukus (Terengganu/Kelantan), Nasi Tomato Ayam Masak Merah (Pahang), Soto (Johor), Mee Kari (Penang) and more.
Karen loved the beef rendang which she said reminded her of her mum’s. She said this must be the Johor type which is drier.
I had no idea that there were different types of rendang much less how to cook one. We tried speaking to the staff but no one seems to be very knowledgable about the food here.
We were not asking for the recipe mind you, but just stuff like ‘what is this, why is that” and got plenty much blank looks and “Oh, not sure.”
I guess the staff is not trained to handle inquisitive customers like us! 
Anyhow, as you can see from the videos I enjoyed most of the dishes here.
The portions are generous to a fault and the flavours of each dish is distinctively different. It goes to show of the care and effort taken to make each dish.
Vera said, “The basics in Malay cuisine are generally rooted in same amazing ingredients, but what I have experienced at Dua is that they do not cheat on their sambal (hot relish); for example the sambal for the Nasi Lemak is different from the one in Nasi Bujang. Everything is prepare to order.
Plus the vegetable, acar (pickles), nuts and anchovies are all fresh and of good quality.”
Yes, we notice things like that.
I’m particular about the crisp of the anchovies and I hate burnt peanuts in my nasi lemak.
Nasi Lemak Pandan with Beef Rendang – RM8.50
This dish turned out to be better than expected. The rice in nasi lemak is commonly cooked with coconut milk but in this case, the rice grains were cooked with both coconut milk and pandan leaf juice; imparting a wonderful pandan fragrance in addition to the coconut milk.
The colour green is derived from the pandan leaf juice itself. The sambal was moderately spicy with a balance between salty, sweet and sour.
Another winner in this dish is the Beef Rendang. All the flavouring seeps well into the meat so each bite was rather tasty though some chunks of meat were quite hard to chew.
Still, at RM8.50, one would be a nitpick to complain.
Another option besides the rendang is the Ayam Goreng Berempah.
Here is my review video for the Nasi Lemak and Nasi Tomato:
Nasi Bujang – RM3.50
Nasi Bujang literally means ‘Bachelor’s Rice’. It was named as such as it is meant to be the meal of choice for singles and college students with limited money to spend – quick, easy and cheap fare.
At only RM3.50, we got steamed rice with sardine cooked in sambal, fried egg and slices of cucumber. A large fat sardine is such a pleasant sight!
Topped with an egg, I daresay it is a substantial meal with fat, carbs and protein included.
Check out this video for the Nasi Bujang and Soto:
Nasi Tomato Ayam Masak Merah – RM10
The rice is cooked in tomatoes to give the rice flavour and color.
This is served with a large piece of chicken in spicy tomato sauce topped with cashew nuts plus a side of pickles and papadom.
The rice is pretty mellow in flavour which was harmonious with the other components of the dish. The chicken was cooked well with the marinade permeating deep into the meat without it being over-cooked and hard.
Soto – RM7
Soto is spicy chicken broth served with vermicelli, rice cubes, shredded chicken, beef cutlets and vegetables.
The broth was robust, savory and quite thick.
Our only gripe was the missing shredded chicken (you can see from the video that it was missing) but we only realized it after we have finished almost half the bowl.
We consulted the person in charge and she apologised for the mistake. She even offered me a new bowl but since we had almost finished it, we declined.
Scone – RM2.50 EACH
The signature Skohns’ scone – rich and buttery, you would want to eat it on its own. Only at RM2.50 each!
Ambiance
The dining areas are divided into air-conditioned and open-air smoking areas by bifold doors. Located on the first floor, the size of the restaurant is considerably small but cozy.
Decor seems to be a casual mish-mash of mismatching furniture, traditional items such as straw hats and batik prints and paintings.
WIFI is available, service is alright and a plus point would be the child-friendly section.
Service and price
Overall, the experience at Dua By Skohns was positive. There is no GST or service charge so do leave a tip if you are happy with your experience.
I personally love the food, thought the service could be improved and had no issues with the ambiance.
I prefer the non-air conditioned area as it is quiet and comfortable.
Location
Dua By Skohns
Hours: Opens everyday (except Sundays), 11:00 am – 10:30 pm.