Hi. I'm one of the locals that reside here.
What would you like to know?

Pros :

Really nice and green neigborhood (you can see ppl jogging / cycling at any hours of the day ,even at 11pm , so its relatively safe if you ask me)
lots of hipster/ kopitiam / fresh vibes with youngsters.
easy access to nature - kemensah, genting highland, also to KL

cons:
more and more condo's are being built, enroaching the back bukit tabur. expect traffic to be much worse after they VP .

In some parts, especially town centre (melawati mall area) , Traffic is really bad especially during peak hours . Why ?

- Small roads (melawati is old township, I've been living here since the 90's)
- Pasar malam every tuesday / thursday / saturday
- lots of school, and ppl picking up their kids

i found that everytime i go at these times, (like 5pm) , i just take moto , forget about car.

also saturday is also jam ya, morning coz of pasar tani.

If you ask me if I recommend ?

Yes , definitely if you have the budget . I believe its a bit better than wangsa maju and setiawangsa. Setiawangsa also not bad, but price will be on a higher side. Plus you don't get the greenery as good as melawati.

can't think of any other place I would reside in KV as of now .

Spent my whole life in Melawati (Still here) & working in Bukit Jalil.

On Average takes me around 45 Minutes to get to the office using MRR2. Accessibility to DUKE , SUKE , SPE & AKLEH is a bonus. I can get to KLCC within 15 minutes. Groceries can be done at Melawati Mall or Giant in Taman Permata.
Both Kemensah & Melawati has gotten many new projects since Sime Darby took over.

Food is plentiful, for me i don't have to go far. Bunch of Cafe's just opened up, many quite good. I believe yes there's a few Chinese Kopitiam/Foodcourt left but unsure.

Overall i don't see myself moving away from Kemensah Heights yet but with new Condo's popping out left and right is very off putting

Just PM if you wanna know specifics.

To me, Melawati is a more chilled and relaxed place to stay.
Has all the conveniences without too many negativities...
Usually convenience comes with downsides...progress comes with a price, but in Melawati, just enough progress, enough so that life is convenient but less issues. It has its own neighbourhood mall as well.

Not much leeway for new buildings/facilities to be built (for example Wangsa Maju, non-stop have some construction going on), so its nice.

If you want the hustle and bustle of city life, KL is not that far. very accessible.

you mentioned a few Chinese restaurants in that area, so i assume your are Chinese? sorry if im wrong.
Taman Melawati is pre-dominantly Malay community, with some small Chinese and Indian community.
No SJK C there, only SJK T.
So if you are OK with this, it is a nice place to stay.

If you go to Melawati Mall you can see from the shops there, it is to cater to Malay mid to high income bracket.

let me know if you have more specific things you want to know.

Wow lots of Melawatians here. Me last time stay at Jalan A, now already move to BA since my parent sold the house. Melawati is a nice place to stay, and I agree from the comment above. I still cycling there 3x times a week and all my kids still study at Melawati school.

If you start your journey via MRR2 by 7am or earlier, its smooth provided no accident or road works. You can reach Bkt Jalil in 30-45 mins. If your take SUKE, its even smoother but toll charges is RM6.90.

Do take consideration on how long it takes from your house to the MRR2 because if your stay in Nadayu area, do expect some delays especially during school days. If it takes you 10 mins from your house to MRR2, then its safe to start your journey by 6:45am.

yes, from melawati, its either use MEX or sungai besi highway . (exit near ampang there) . Bottleneck at MRR2 usually at flamingo hotel at peak hours.

for public, nearest LRT is wangsa maju or sri rampai. but no last mile transport, either have to park somewhere or take bus . (actually lot of bus here, got rapidKL bus depot somewhere near the melawati bukit mas roundabout , not sure of the timings though)

To Bukit Jalil usually not that bad, i leave around 7:30 , would reach office by 8:15.

When i do have meetings in Putra/Cyber, have to leave by 7AM for smooth traffic.
I'd do MRR2 > MEX > Putra by preference.

The greeneries is a plus point for sure , alot of outsiders like to come cycle. But as many pointed out with the recent pipes and construction works. Road not smooth anymore 

I am from BA & while it's a nice place. I think Melawati will be better for u since you are planning to start a family.

Melawati has both primary/secondary schools & more centralised/self contain. BA only got 2 roads going in/out & more suitable those who want less hectic lifestyle imo.

Only got Guardian & Watson but neither have on duty pharmacist,.no.post office/courier. Got one vet but harga yahudi & pet store owner told.me horror stories where pets never recovered despite spending thousands..

My office is in Cyberjaya but I only travel to office once or twice a week. The bottleneck is the exit to MRR2 near Bkt Jalil starting from 5-5:30pm. It can be a nightmare especially when it rains. Best if you take SUKE once you passed the Bkt Jalil exit as the next challenge will be at TBS if you take MRR2.

Before SUKE, couple of times I travel back from Cyberjaya via MEX thru Jalan Tun Razak entering Smart tunnel, then exit to AKLEH. The experience is less desirable especially in front of Menara TH. But that was before SUKE exist. SUKE does provide a quicker solution thou.

Exiting SUKE will be a slight jam during school days and there's a long queue exiting the MRR2 near the Al-Baik.com restaurant.

If you have the option for a flexible working hours, do consider.

You can try take the MRT. A friend of mine work in Putrajaya and it took him almost 1.5 hour to reach office.

what u want to eat?

nasi ayam hainan singapore , legend one is at the medan selera near the traffic light. 

another mee goreng mamak stall at hameed in medan selera near melawati mall (in front of this medan selera also many classic chinese kopitiams./ chapfans)

the legendary cendol/rojak is the said rojak nearby melawati school

if want pizza can go lapane (honestly best pizza i've eaten), its near bulatan bukit mas. (higher end stuff)

Best thing is u can choose low end or high end dining stuff, all are here.

BA which part bro, me at Kelab Ukay.

Me near at shoplots KK, 7-11.

I stayed in taman melawati for 3 years, the mrr2 jem is real. Moved out from there, bought a condo unit in putrajaya, improved my life happiness by 100%

Kemensah is better, cleaner air and quiet. Working in putrajaya, get use to averagely an hour or more driving during peak hours. Zoo always pack during weekend. Less choices of chinese foods, need to go WM or setapak, or pandan or tai chee yuen. Harder to call grab and poor public transport.

It better you drive to Gombak LRT.
That place got parking.
Per entry RM4.30

I have stayed in BA for 10 years
and then moved next door to ukay perdana for 15 years

I was stuck inside BA during the big landslide.