Saba Middle Eastern Cuisine Restaurant @ Cyberjaya

By
vkeong
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61
6716

It’s a shame that I have been working in Cyberjaya for over a year and I have yet to post any food in this area. Well, to be honest there are not many great restaurants nearby. The good ones would be expensive or too far for a typical working day’s lunch or dinner. I only allocate RM5 to RM7 for a meal you know? It seems a lot but actually it’s just enough to buy yourself a decent, edible meal in Cyberjaya. Then I found Saba, a restaurant serving Middle Eastern food.

lamb-tikka-rice

Starting with the nicest of all the food I have had before at Saba – Lamb Tikka Rice @ RM15. A plate of rice cooked using spices served with flavorful cuts of lamb which were first marinated with yogurt and spices. I don’t know what were those placed on top of the rice but I didn’t like it because they tasted sourish.
If you look carefully at the next dishes, the rice used in Middle Eastern cuisine has a slimmer and longer shape. The rice was so skillfully cooked that each grain was separated from each other completely!

lamb-kebab-rice

Followed by Lamb Kebab Rice @ RM12. The difference between this and Lamb Tikka is obviously the lamb – which was grilled on a skewer instead. The only reason this dish lost out to Lamb Tikka was because the meat was too dry and lacked flavor if compared to Lamb Tikka. Don’t misunderstand though, I am not saying Saba’s Lamb Kebab is bad, just that their Lamb Tikka is too good hence making the rest seem so so. Another lamb dish I tried was Lamb Kabsah @ RM15 which was lamb wrapped in aluminum foil and pressure cooked with herbs.

chiken-kebab-pita-bread

If you don’t like lamb, you could opt for Chicken Kebab instead @ RM9/10.. can’t really remember. Oh you can choose between rice and pita bread for any kebab set too. Like for this one, the Chicken Kebab was served with pita bread so it came with some extra fries and sauce. I feel pita bread is more suitable for girls because the portion of rice served is very big.


quarter-chicken-rice

Yeah I know the food I have mentioned cost more than what I have allocated for my daily meals. This is where the Quarter Roast Chicken Rice @ RM8 comes into picture. Eight bucks for a quarter chicken meal with plenty of flavorful rice is a steal in Cyberjaya, and you are guaranteed to be full after finishing it lol. Remember to request for the imported chili sauce to spice things up, it tastes different from the local ones. Besides, the chili sauce adds the much needed moisture too.

barbican

Another thing you should try here is the Barbican drink – an imported non-alcoholic malt beverage @ RM3 each. It comes in different flavors too like Regular, Lemon (best), Rasberry and Peach. If you are wondering, Barbican tastes like sparkling juice minus the over-sweetness.

saba-restaurant

There are actually many other Middle East Restaurants nearby. You can even find one in MMU itself but I have surveyed the prices there. It’s far more expensive than Saba, which is why I recommend this restaurant instead. The food here is no doubt rated above average to good for me, but I really dislike the bad service. That ‘don’t care’ or ‘tak kisah’ attitude displayed by the staff especially the cashier is quite annoying sometimes. Other than that, it’s quite OK and the food is definitely halal. Saba Restaurant is located opposite Cyberjaya’s bus terminal at the newly opened shoplots, only a few shops away from Secret Recipe.

Saba Middle Eastern Cuisine Restaurant
GPS Coordinates: N2 55.370 E101 39.072

lamb-kebab-with-rice

Lamb Kebab

chicken-kebab-rice

Chicken Kebab

lamb-tikka

Lamb Tikka

quarter-chicken

Quarter Roasted Chicken

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61 COMMENTS

  1. I’m sorry to say this but the kebab really looks like something I would churn out in the toilet!!! Don’t you agree?? :P Otherwise, great prices for big portion of food in Cyberjaya indeed. :)

    iamthewitch’s last blog post..Summer Palace in Beijing

    vk: LOL I had the same thoughts too actually haha. But all kebabs look like this

  6. Hmmm… not sure if I could stomach the kebabs but the quarter chicken sure looks like a winner!! Too much rice though so would prob need to share. I’m drawn to the Barbican drink though… wonder if I can find it outside Cyberjaya?

    550ml jar of faith’s last blog post..BB Ho Steamboat, Bandar Puteri Puchong

    vk: I think the Barbican drink would be quite tricky to get, since it’s imported from Dubai. Maybe you can try the other Middle East restaurants?

  9. woow.. nice shots.. but yet so expensive for me.. lol… heee….

    TeeNy DidDy’s last blog post..Demam Exam !!!

    vk: Yeah that’s what I thought too initially, but it’s hard to get nice food in Cyberjaya! I don’t always eat there.. maybe once in 2 weeks or so :)

  11. hey, the lamb tikka and roasted chicken looks good indeed. i am working in Cyberjaya too, should venture there sometimes… haha

    Vivien’s last blog post..Almond Biscotti

    vk: Yeah you should try it, it was quite nice for me. I think I should blog about Dengkil food next

  12. The best dish in Cyberjaya is the Linguine Carbonara at the MMU hostel block 2. Hands down…

    vk: LOL are you sure? I will (or ask my friends working there) to try it one day then haha

  13. hey vkeong, theres a shop that also serves middle eastern food located the same row as secret recipe. forgot its name haha. but their lamb matby (rm15) is nice. yeah i agree saba has lousy customer service.

    • The name of the shop is Ariana, their service is better, th quality of the food better, then the ingredient also more. I know coz i know the boss. they r Iranian cooking Iranian food.

  15. There is a new Yemeni rest just opened in Cyber Jaya, a few doors away from Saba. Called Al-Jazeera. better food and good price. It is new so get there while the food is stil good. As with all restaurants once they get popular the food tends t slide in taste.

    vk: Thanks for the recommendation. What are the food you would recommend? :)

  16. Yo vkeong~ , i’m working in cyberjaya also , i’ve tried eat at saba before read your blog… but never try the lamp tikka though… your blog makes me wanna try it tomorrow lunch!! can’t wait~ i’m a meat lover! haha

    vk: Hey man.. you should really try Lamb Tikka, for me it’s nicer than the kebab loh. Try liao let me know what you think OK? And do recommend places to eat at Cyberjaya if you have any hehe

  18. hi vkeong,
    can i have the address and directory map of saba’ restaurant coz would like to dine there with my family.tq.

    vk: haniza.. where are you coming from? Are you familiar with Cyberjaya area?

  20. Man… Believe me…damn good.. i would have eaten ‘N’ of times over there.. tasty and too good place to hang out too… Food is really awesome and superb… but service is kinda ok… still…LOVE SABA…… and one moody guys sits always infront of that shawarma :) hanging outside.. looks arrogant :) still you can def’tly try out that place….ooohhhhhhhhhh…

    Cheerssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

  23. i just went to Saba. Ok only ma.. I also went to another one, name like the news Al jazeera, i tried the Matbi. That one ah, two thumbs up. So ho mei. Must go. More relaxing and cozy. Nice decoration too.

  24. Dude.. the long grain rice is also known as basmati rice. The rice is always used for making nasi briyani (not the mamak crap, but the real briyani). Im surprised you guys don’t know what it is. Briyani made at malay weddings will always use this type of rice, albeit a little bit shorter.

  26. i agree about bad service..
    the waiters are the worst ever!!!!
    i just had lunch with my friends at Saba’..and one of my friend is pregnant
    thus she ordered fish and chips, which is clearly in the menu..
    we waited for about one hour..we asked the waiters who passed by where is the fish n chip
    and they kept saying “tgh masak”, plus one of them showed the sign “frying/cooking” using hands..how rude!!!!

    i lost my patience thus i went to the kitchen and guess what
    the chefs told me that they already told the waiter (i dunt know which one) that there is no fish and chips!!!
    and we waited for nothing!! and they didnt even bother to apologize..

    a very bad service!

  28. i have life experience in arab country for 4 years…Arab people and bad services are synonym…just understand them are like that…as well thay are bad manner and calculative..however…I still love their food very much

    • Gee, thanks for the generalizing the entire arab population. You must have gone to the ghettos cause Arabs can be very hospitable. Just curious, what arab country have you been to?

  29. I used to work in Cyberjaya long before this Saba restaurant was opened. My friends who still work there did mention about this restaurant, very tempted to try out the food after reading your review but since you (and others) said their service sucks, I rather not waste my time..sigh! I wonder when will Malaysian food service providers improve when it comes to providing good customer service to their diners :(

  30. i think d best mid eastern restaurant ive tried before is in jalan damai…its called al rawsha.
    the price is quiet reasonable… the food portion is very big and its reallyy2 good…
    btw u can get barbican easily at any arab grocery stores near kl…in fact u can get it cheap..around rm 2 to rm 3
    theres also in gombak..

  31. my family and i are always game for different foods. whether it be italian, western, malay, indonesian, chinese, middle easters. one of our favorite foods ever, is middle eastern. we have frequented many many middle eastern restaurants, but have always come back to this one. this is frankly one of the best middle eastern restaurants we’ve been to. prices aer much cheapers that most competitors, but the quality of food is excellent. never mind the bad service, we’ve come to live with it!
    try the lamb kabsah (small). excellent everytime!

  32. haha no wonder bad service… i you have ever been to any arabic country i wil know why you guys think they are ~rude~ explore the world… people culture… i you cant stand that, go to any malaysian food restauran… hahaha… i had been to saba` twice, i love the food more than i care how did they treat us. however, i never felt they are in the `bad service` class… welcome to arabic world…

  34. Hello..

    My fav. mid east meal is chicken matby at Al-Jazera. Try it.. it taste good, reasonable price and the service.. thumbs up! Within 5 minutes, everything is served in front of you..

    I went there for more than 20 times.. the food quality is always consistent. Sedap!

  35. I have to agree. The lamb matby at Al Jazera is superb.. and quality has been consistent ever since they first opened about a year ago. After I came back from my bangkok trip, i had such a craving for this, that I dropped by CBJ and ordered two! LOL (one to dine in and one to go).

  36. oooooooo!!! another place to try affordable middle eastern food :D yippee!!!! i just had some at heritage kebab @ nz garden cafe (in between wisma selangor dredging and menara public bank…opposite ankasaraya) last night

    they serve more kebab platters/sandwich/falafel/salads/wara enab/baba ganoush, etc……their hummus is awesome!! and i just lurve their freshly made pita’s :D there’s suppose to be kabsa’s as well but apparently it will only start either end of this year/early next year…the owners r actually not part of nz n sole proprietors of heritage kebab….not bad for affordable basic middle eastern cuisine……must try it at least once!

    it seems on weekdays its frm abt 10am-10pm while weekends is frm 4pm-4am…closed on sundays..

  39. Hi there. Last week i had dinner with friends at Saba. No doubt that the food….delicious BUT the service was so terrible and it was so crowded.

    Guess what…..I’m trying the Barbican tonite..hope the service will be better.

    Take care dude…:)

  40. I loveee Saba’ food. I always eat chicken hanith and chicken kebab sandwich. The price is reasonable and their food more tasty rather than Sana’, Al-Barakha, Al-jazeera etc.

  42. MMU cyberjaya student here.!

    There’s a good middle east restaurant too right at the enterance of Cyberia Smart Homes. Thay have this Akhta (has chichen but lamb is good) that comes with Iranian breads. Cost around RM7-9. The other dishes would be around the same as Saba.

    In MMU hostel block 1, there is a western food that taste not bad and is a huge portion that cost you only around RM8.

    Both restaurants open for dinner. Give a try! =)

  43. I just got back from al-Rawsha in ampang as suggested by a friend of mine. He claimed the food is much better than Saba’. Before this I always go Saba’ for dinner.

    To my surprise, the food is so-so, not as good as my friend’s claimed. Not to mentioned the price is far more expensive than in Saba. And the service is quite slow. I’ve been calling for the waiter to take order, but only after 15min my ordered replied.

    Normally I spent around RM120+ for a meal for 7 people (my family), but in Rawsha I have to crook another RM60+ for about the same meal!
    Not to mentioned the parking slot is very limited.

    Saba’ is the best! It even trumps Sahara Tent, al-Jazeera, or al-Barakha..

    I recommend you guys to go to Saba’ first at least once.

    Btw, I’ve never experienced bad service there. Maybe they are crowded, but its far better than al-Rawsha (interms of service).

  44. scrummy!!!!!but i want to ask whether saba accept Diners Clubcard as a payment?i want to celebrate my brother’s bday n fathers day this weekend.

  46. nadiahjaa, of course it open during ramadhan…
    insyaAllah i will go there today…
    i can’t wait~!
    I love mix vegetables n chiken shewarma!!
    hehehe…

  48. another middle east restaurant to try is LAZEEZ ARABIC CUISINE, located in Senawang Seremban (behind senawang police station).

    reasonable price, lots of parking, broad and safe for kids, have musolla for muslim to pray.

    more dessert to try…
    i love their triffle, stew set and risol.

    have a try….

  50. just stumbled upon your blog. sorry for the very late posting. indeed, saba is famous, at least to outsiders, but been staying here for over 10 years, back when the cyberia townhouse 1st phase was just launched. saba has been around for about 5 years till now. i used to like their lamb soup – and free. they even had delivery service. i would purchase the rice with lamb kebab, paired with the soup.

    it was until the last 2-odd years when the crowd grew bigger and they started acquiring the next door New Town Restaurant, that the taste completely changed. it may be famous with outsiders, but for the locals like me, who has ample time to explore other restaurants, i would recommend the one at Cyberia Townhouse. Comparable in terms of pricing. it’s called Marhabah.

  51. I tried the arabic food manytimes, i like it. but when i came to this post and read (((iamthewitch ))) about kabab, his comment made me really laugh loudly, you are very naughty “iamthewitch”. …

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