KLANG, March 8 — How does a slice of Bitter Chocolate Butter Almond Cake and Ajisai Matcha Souffle Cheesecake sound? Sinful? Decadent?
Maybe, but what if I told you these tasty desserts are also Keto Diet friendly?
Such treats are the trademark of Sisu Pantry in Bandar Bukit Raja, Klang. Founded by cancer survivor Tan Chew Lian, the sunlight-suffused first floor café is her passion project to educate the public about real, slow foods (which isn’t only limited to the Keto Diet, but more on that later).
Tan shares, “Sisu Pantry was a vision which all began in my teens when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma. After recovering from the disease, I went to pursue a Bachelor of Nutrition in Malaysia and the UK to learn about the relationship between food and humans.
"I then took part in the World Wide Opportunity Organic Farming (WWOOF), which took me to the UK and Japan, where I lived with farmers and learned about organic farming.”
After graduating, Tan worked for several brands in the F&B (food and beverage) industry, from organic produce suppliers to managing restaurants and cafés in the Klang Valley.
Fast forward to today and Tan has made Sisu Pantry a healthy food stopover, with signature delights such as her madeleines (original, citrus icing and dark chocolate) and gooey Coffee Cinnamon Rolls.
Tan explains the origins behind her café’s name and why it means so much to her personally: “‘Sisu’ is inspired by a Finnish word which means we have extraordinary strength and persistent determination to overcome extreme adversity. I adapted this word and would like to share with everyone on how we have inner strength to take on any challenges that come our way and go on with our life.”
Even the logo for Sisu Pantry reflects this sensibility. Tan says, “It has different elements designed by a local artist based in Korea, Ms Lee Chin. The whisk-like icon a.k.a. the hot air balloon was inspired by the Pixar movie Up, to encourage us to Dream Big. The yellow shade behind this icon represents the sun for hope.”
While simple, the Sisu Pantry menu can be varied in the variations and number of dishes offered; in the shop, the handwritten menu lists favourites as well as rotating specials.
You never know what new delight might make an appearance on a given day but Tan promises that every dish “uses real ingredients to bring out the original flavour and taste to create wholesome food.”
Poultry is a perennial favourite, from the warm Mexican Chicken Salad with citrus lemon thyme honey dressing to the Caribbean-influenced Tropical Jerk Chicken made substantial with avocado, sweet potatoes and quinoa.
Travel the world, from South America to Japan, with Peruvian Chicken and Butter Teriyaki Chicken rice.
Craving some seafood? Try Tan’s Ebi Chilli Rice and Konjac Salmon. Besides desserts, those hankering for Keto Diet friendly fare might perk up at some Keto Thai Char Kway Teow.
Tan says, “We develop our menu allowing alternatives: vegetarian, vegan/keto friendly depending on various palates and health-conscious folks. For example, our tomato carrot sauce is made of raw ingredients including pest-free tomatoes (sourced from Cultiveat, a local farm), carrot, fresh oregano, onion and garlic. These ingredients were roasted to bring out the aroma and flavour without relying on any canned tomato or tomato paste.”
Besides the taste and macronutrients, Tan also focuses on phytonutrients — the natural compound of fruits and vegetables, which gives plants their colours — in her recipe development.
She says, “‘Phyto’ is derived from a Greek word; that which protects the plants from germs and fungi. Thus, phytonutrients could reduce the risk of various diseases and improve our health.”
As with many small businesses, Tan started Sisu Pantry with very limited capital. She recalls, “As we didn’t have an interior designer, we designed our premises ourselves using overstocked materials sourced from a local home improvement shop, HOMA, and purchased home-used equipment. Additionally, we created an art space especially for kids while adults get to chill in our pantry.”
Another way Sisu Pantry differs from the other restaurants or cafés is by omitting that de rigueur printed menu. Tan says, “We don’t have a menu booklet with beautiful pictures; our menu is handwritten on our fridge. This is because we regularly change our menu (including desserts) from time to time depending on inspiration and what produce we have.”
This philosophy creates room for surprising new pairings such as a bowl of Sisu Pantry’s house-made browned butter orange zest and double dark chocolate quinoa granola with macerated seasonal tropical fruits and Greek yoghurt. Double goodness, anyone?
If it seems self-evident such a business idea makes good sense — who wouldn’t want to eat more healthily? — the truth is that challenges were built in from the very beginning.
Tan explains, “We started Sisu Pantry during the pandemic in 2020. We calculated the risk and decided to take everything slowly by starting our pantry.”
Part of what smoothened the journey was the support of residents who lived nearby. Tan adds, “They still support us by word of mouth and order directly from us. Additionally, we are thankful to Cultiveat, our considerate local vendor, who generously gave away pest-free vegetables for every purchase by us during the lockdown.”
This now forms part of Sisu Pantry’s overarching approach — to build a sustainable business by connecting with local produce and suppliers. Tan says, “We have learned so much through their sharing valuable knowledge of their quality produce. We are surviving from the continuous support and expansion via word of mouth.”
Certainly that latter form of promotion has sparked new collaborations and opportunities such as Tan conducting a "live" cooking show filmed by KDU students, an upcoming project with Zenboocha and Superfine to develop new sauces and dishes, as well as enlisting a local tattoo artist to create unique food labels.
Tan says. “It has been a wonderful journey by meeting like-minded customers and entrepreneurs, who we can freely share our thoughts and ideas. We want to enjoy the little things, one of which is meaningful collaboration, that serves a purpose and contributes to our society.”
At the end of the day, when one is relaxing at Sisu Pantry after a satisfying (and nutritionally dense) meal, what remains is a (dining) room with a view. A view of a healthier and more complete life to come.
As Tan puts it: “By running Sisu Pantry, we are definitely improving ourselves both physically and mentally — a change of eating habits and consuming nutritious real food, and we create a healthy, less hectic and happy working environment.”
That sounds like a really good life indeed.
Sisu Pantry
First Floor, 2A, Jalan Astaka, 5/KU2, Bandar Bukit Raja, Klang
Tel: 012-384 3174
