PETALING JAYA, May 25 — “The chicken mandi is not ready yet, sir. You want shawarma?”
I nod, pay, and take the only seat at the lone plastic table. It’s not hot, exactly, but the air on the lower ground floor of Perdana Shopping Centre is stale and still, the kind that clings to your skin. I start to wonder if this is another tip gone wrong.
It’s 11 a.m. I’m sitting in front of Charisma Arab and Pastry, which has already been open for an hour.
The chicken mandi, the only thing my friend told me to come here for, won’t be ready for another hour.
Behind me, a man I take to be of African descent is talking to two South Asian men who’ve set up tables advertising their tailoring services.
He wants a suit made for a wedding coming up soon. A scene like this is a common sight at this end of Damansara Perdana.
My friend, who works nearby and gave me this tip, replies to my text. She says it’s (Charisma) always like that, and they’re never in a rush to deliver. I’m amused.
A few minutes later, my chicken shawarma (RM14) arrives with a friendly smile. I can feel its warmth through the wrapping paper and plastic, and even smell the toasted flatbread as I walk to my car.
Fine, I think to myself. If this ends up good, I’ll come by again for the main event.
I unwrap my prize, the exterior soft in some spots and flaky in others. The chicken inside is well seasoned and thankfully not dry or rubbery, but it takes a backseat to the generous spread of thick creamy toum, the Levantine garlic sauce made with garlic, lemon juice and olive oil that is synonymous with shawarma.
Each bite delivers a refreshing burst of garlic and lemon piled onto thin shreds of crunchy lettuce and onion.
I’ll admit, expectations weren’t high when I walked past their rotating spit out front. But they’ve just been blown out of the water.
On another day, I get a beef shawarma (RM18), partly for reference, but mostly because I haven’t stopped thinking about the first one.
Here, the garlicky and citrusy character of the toum is less pronounced, with the beef taking up more of the spotlight. The addition of chopped pickles is a nice touch, cutting through the richness of the meat.
As good as both shawarmas were, they were only ever meant to be the sideshow. Though it originated in Yemen, mandi rice is eaten across the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant.
In Malaysia, it is a staple at nearly every restaurant serving Arab or Arab-adjacent cuisine, typically slow-cooked chicken or lamb seasoned with a blend of spices, served over basmati rice cooked in a similarly spiced stock.
Charisma’s chicken mandi (RM15) comes with a whole leg, burnished deep yellow with splotches of red.
The skin is soft and sticky, pulling apart to reveal tender flesh beneath. It sits on a bed of fluffy basmati rice, dyed in shades of yellow and orange.
The entire dish is imbued with a deep, intensely smoky character that no microwave-safe container in the world can hold back, though it is not so overwhelming as to suggest the use of liquid smoke.
The rice and chicken are layered with cardamom, cumin and other warm spices, all building on that savoury, smoky base.
On the side, a small container of smoky, spiced stock confirms that it is simply the fruit of low and slow patience.
Still, slow-cooked dishes like this can sometimes feel heavy or flat. It calls for something bright and refreshing, which arrives in the second container.
Inside is something resembling zahawig, a Yemeni sauce of tomato and cilantro. It is cool and tangy, a fresh breath of life that cuts through the smoke and spice and ties it all together.
Charisma is yet another entry in the long canon of places that prove deliciousness can be found in every corner, if you’re willing to look.
This isn’t quite a restaurant. It’s more of a takeaway counter, tucked inside a sleepy neighbourhood mall with just enough space to wait.
Come with that in mind and you might walk away with more than you expected, as I did.
But don’t show up hoping for a sit-down meal, only to turn your misplaced expectations into someone else’s problem. The food here speaks for itself. You just have to listen.
Charisma Arab and Pastry
LG (facing Jaya Grocer),
Perdana Shopping Centre,
Jalan PJU 8/1, Damansara Perdana,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Open Wednesday to Monday, 10am-9pm
Tel: 019-202 3124
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
