Picture this: a mouth-watering plate of chicken katsu rice or a juicy chicken burger, all for under RM20. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?
“People are always shocked when they see the bill!” laughed Vinod Chandra Kumar, co-founder of Timeless Treats, a cosy fusion restaurant along Jalan Telawi.
“They can’t believe the food is so affordable, especially given the portion sizes. Our aim has always been to serve premium-quality food at a price everyone can enjoy.”
With seating for just 20 diners, Timeless Treats is the passion project of college friends Vinod and Janesh Kapoor, along with Vinod’s Japanese wife, Makia Abe.
The restaurant started as a cloud kitchen in 2023 before becoming a brick-and-mortar eatery in April last year. It now offers an exciting menu featuring flavours from around the world.
From poké bowls and Japanese curry rice to falafel salad, chilli con carne, pulled beef burrito bowls, and pancake chicken burgers, Timeless Treats has something to satisfy every craving.
“Each of us had our own specialities and dishes we were really good at, so we decided to merge them and experiment,” shared Kapoor. “The cloud kitchen phase gave us room to play around and test how the market reacted to different ideas.”
Vinod, 33, and Kapoor, 37, first met while pursuing their culinary arts diplomas, where they dreamt of one day running their own restaurant, serving exquisite global dishes.
But life took them down different paths: Kapoor moved to Australia to further his studies, and Vinod stayed to complete his bachelor’s degree.
“I worked as a chef in several hotels and restaurants here,” Vinod explained. “But then I took a break from cheffing to explore the music industry—I was deejaying for over a decade. When Kapoor returned from Australia, we reconnected, had a chat, and decided it was time to finally make our dream a reality.”
Vinod initially envisioned Timeless Treats as a music café—a fusion of his two passions. “I wanted to attract a younger crowd and give aspiring DJs a space to learn and grow,” he shared.
The restaurant truly hit its stride when Vinod’s wife, Makia, joined the team. From Sendai, Japan, Makia brought fresh ideas and a Japanese flair to the menu, taking things to a whole new level.
“The most unique dish we have is the rice burger – Makia’s brainchild,” Vinod revealed. “Instead of regular burger buns, we use sushi rice to create our own rice buns. It’s a big hit with customers.”
One of the secrets to Timeless Treats’ success is the trio’s collaborative approach.
“We experiment together,” explained Vinod. “One of us will come up with an idea, and then we all give feedback. We check online to see if Malaysians are familiar with it, how they might react, and how we should price it.
“If it’s something new, we have to make sure it’s affordable enough to draw people in. We even look at Google search keywords to see how to market it better.”
That teamwork extends beyond the kitchen. As a small establishment, the trio handle everything themselves—from taking orders and cooking meals to serving customers, cleaning tables, and managing accounts.
“It gets exhausting, especially during peak hours,” admitted Kapoor. “But once the lunchtime rush dies down, we manage to find a moment to breathe.”
Looking ahead, Vinod shared their plans for expansion. “One challenge we face is our small space, and the fact that our signboard isn’t very noticeable,” he laughed.
“Some of our loyal cloud kitchen customers only realised we had a physical shop when they stumbled upon it! Moving to a bigger location will definitely be a stepping stone for us.”
While their journey has been anything but easy, the trio’s passion, creativity, and teamwork have been the ingredients of their success.
Indeed, Timeless Treats is proof that good food and good vibes go hand in hand – and that’s a recipe worth celebrating.
Follow Timeless Treats on Instagram.
Timeless Treats
32, Jalan Telawi Bangsar Baru
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Business hours:
10.30am-11.30pm: Monday to Friday
11.30am-10pm: Saturday and Sunday
Contact: 016-619 2432
For location, click here.