Over here, there is paal appam, brown sugar appam, banana appam, Biscoff appam, and peanut appam. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try the cheese chocolate appam or durian appam.
Patrons can also look forward to tasty vegetarian food and snacks here such as poori, thosai, idly, nasi lemak, curry puff and vadai.
During FMT Lifestyle’s visit on a weekday afternoon, the place was bustling with patrons. And founder, Chelochina Thevi Papu, was seen chatting animatedly with them.
“I started the business when I was 28 years old on March 6, 1988,” said Chelochina. It was her sister, she added, who suggested that she sell appam.
Chelochina, who turns 64 in September, liked the idea, but there was just one problem: she didn’t know how to make it! Thankfully, her neighbour, whom she had a close relationship with, taught her.
She started with a simple stall outside TMC Bangsar, serving only two types of appam – plain and paal appam. Despite a limited offering, her appam became popular rather quickly.
Acting on customer feedback, she began offering different types of appam and soon enough, these were a hit too.
But this business venture, unlike her appam, wasn’t always sweet: in January 2022, her husband, Paramasivam Chelliah, whom she was running the business with, passed away from a heart attack.
Stricken by grief, she closed her business for a month. But when she returned, she was determined to give her all to the business. Today, she operates from her present shop on Lorong Ara Kiri 3 – her biggest space yet.
However, she still maintains the stall which started it all, within walking distance of her new shop. The stall, Chelochina added, is manned by her sister-in-law and serves only snacks.
“I feel happier after I moved here. My customers are very happy too,” she said with a smile.
And it isn’t surprising why they are – all the appam she makes are simply scrumptious. Served hot, each appam is crispy on the edges with a rich, creamy centre. You will very quickly realise that one isn’t enough.
The brown sugar with coconut appam is especially good: the freshly grated coconut adds a nutty taste which complements the sweet, caramel flavour of the brown sugar. The paal appam, too, is a highlight here: a no-frills yet luscious pancake with fragrant hints of coconut milk.
If you’re after something savoury, the fluffy poori is good here. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the poori is perfectly complemented by the thick potato curry and sambal served with it.
For a teatime treat – or any time really – have a vegetarian snack. The vadai, which has a light, airy filling, is not too oily. The “cekodok pisang” or mashed banana fritters are also delicious, with a crispy exterior encasing soft, sweet mashed banana.
Also, don’t miss out on the kesari. This Indian dessert, when done right, has a pleasant chewy texture and is simply delectable.
Enjoy your food with a steaming cup of Bru coffee or masala tea and you’ll be reminded that it’s meals like these – delicious, affordable and reminiscent of simpler days – that represent the best of Malaysia’s culinary scene.
Chelo’s Sweet Appam
6, Lorong Ara Kiri 3
Lucky Garden
Bangsar
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 11am–10pm (closed on Sunday)
Learn more about Chelo’s Sweet Appam on Facebook and Instagram.