With the rush of today’s corporate world, many people believe they’re too busy to eat healthily. Chin Mun Yee, however, disagrees.
This inspired her and partner Ong Mei Yen to start Healthy Spoon, a café that’s proving nutritious meals and a busy work life can go hand in hand.
The menu, which features a bounty of breakfast specials, salads, wraps, energy bowls, kid’s meals and hearty Asian-style specials, is inspired by “qingshi” (light eating), a popular modern Chinese health-focused dining concept.
At Healthy Spoon, every dish is created under the guidance of a staff nutritionist to reflect local eating habits, flavours and daily routines. Each dish is accompanied with a nutritional card with a protein, carbohydrates, fat and calorie breakdown.
“I think more and more people are focused on taking care of their health nowadays. But I know that with busy schedules, it can be hard to prepare nutritious meals all the time. So we hope our café can help them with this, while exposing more people to the joy of eating right,” Chin told FMT Lifestyle.
This is the first F&B venture for Chin, who has a background in finance. She and Ong researched their menu for about a year, ensuring every dish offered was nutritionally balanced and practical to serve.
Chin added they picked “Spoon” as part of their name because it sounded cute. To reinforce the brand’s brightness and vibrancy, she incorporated yellow as the café’s signature colour.
And indeed, yellow is present everywhere, from its bright interior touches to its staff’s uniforms. Its cheerful mood makes the venue feel like a little pocket of sunshine in the bustling Bukit Bintang area.
The two-story café, which opened in May this year, comprises an European-style standing bar on its ground floor, a cosy dining section upstairs, and a sunlit outdoor pet-friendly dining area.
Chin noted that many customers are office workers from the surrounding area, along with a steady stream of tourists. With that in mind, she developed the menu for convenience, ensuring the meals were easy for customers to enjoy on the go.
Most of the café’s dishes are crafted using local produce, complemented by carefully selected premium ingredients from overseas.
For instance, Healthy Spoon incorporates a unique black corn from China, prized for its chewy texture, alongside a nutrient-rich purple rice. All food here is pork-free.
Its menu challenges the notion that healthy food is bland, with many of its meals presented in a vibrant array of colours and textures.
Make sure you try them with the café’s delicious homemade sauces: the sweet chili and double pepper sauces are particularly enjoyable!
Early risers can stop by to try their assorted Breakfast specials: the Salmon Quinoa Rice Ball and the Good Morning Energy Bowl (available in beef or chicken) are both hearty and wholesome, offering a flavour-filled boost to start the day right.
Also enjoyable are the Chicken and Beef Wraps, an easily packed treat perfect for a quick bite or a healthy snack on the go.
The Pan-Fried Fish Meals and the Garlic Chicken Breast Meal are also a treat for the tastebuds, but the most popular dish here is the Sichuan Beef Meal.
This appetising entrée comprises delicious beef slices, submerged in a sea of greens: broccoli, capsicum, cauliflower, mushrooms and carrot. It’s hard to believe something this tasty is good for you!
If you’re feeling adventurous, try the Brandy Prawn Meal, an inspired combination of fresh seafood and vegetables. The café also serves up a fine selection of beverages to complement your meal: the Iced Juntea Raspberry is a particularly refreshing choice.
“I think more people need to know that eating healthy doesn’t mean eating boring,” concluded Chin. “While most of us have busy schedules, it is possible to still eat right, and I hope Healthy Spoon helps my customers live life to the fullest.”
Healthy Spoon
GL-1 Agile, 3
Jalan Delima
Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Business hours:
10am-7pm (Closed on Sunday)
Follow Healthy Spoon on Instagram.