Wha Ga (火家), Empire Damansara, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
Lot F05, Heritage Lane, Empire Damansara, Jalan PJU 8/8, Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Unsure. I think should be the same as San Nae Deul which is Daily 11am - 10pm. It seems that Wha Ga is a spin off of San Nae Deul which is located at all places where there's San Nae Deul? I think.

Time Visited:
About 11:15am. Saturday, Christmas Eve.

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Sutbul Ganjang-dakgalbi set (숯불 간장 닭 갈비 세트)

Wanting to try Bungkus at Empire Damansara, I headed off there thinking it was still open. But when I got there, it has been totally replaced with a Korean restaurant alled Wha Ga. Wha Ga if I'm not mistaken is from the same family of San Nae Deul restaurant. This place serves more of individual dishes perfect for the party of one like me. I wonder why they decided to open up here since this place has very little foot traffic especially in the first floor.

I was curious what they serve there and so I browse the menu. The waiters there saw me and quickly attend to me and explain to me the menu. I soon was enticed and decided to go for their lunch set. Mind you this place is actually pork free. Over at the kitchen, a Korean head chef leads the kitchen team. The rest are all Bangladeshis, I think. But since there's no customers at all, it's really nothing to do at all but sit around and wait. It's a no brainer. Didn't take them long till my food comes.

The Apple Juice that I ordered which comes with the set is actually poured out from a large container. Generally, it's just store bought packed juice and not freshly made. As for the Charcoal Soy Sauce stir fried chicken, it didn't taste bad. In fact, it was quite okay. The lunch set comes with 4 side dishes that are refillable and a seaweed soup. The four side dishes that day was kimchi (which was quite nice and spicy), the second one I can't really remember but I think it's squash with some french beans, 3rd one is pickled cucumber and radish and the peanuts and anchovies along with egg with a little bit of sausage in it and a croquet of sort. Overall, not bad. Not much comment because I rarely eat Korean food. Hahaha. But this meal was acceptable to me and to me it tasted quite well.

Wha Ga has 5 outlets currently including this one and this one only receives cash. There's one in Oasis Square, one in Sunway Mentari, one in Sri Petaling and one in Solaris Mont Kiara.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM15.75. 6% GST inclusive and there's this weird 5% service charge. Haha

Final Verdict:
6/10. Not bad. This Korean food, I can accept and eat happily. The only thing I'm thinking is why do they decided to open in Empire Damansara 1st floor? It's a place that's hard to sustain.

Read More

Isaki Japanese Restaurant, Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
1-0, 1-1, Jalan 7/70a, Taman Seri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 12pm - 2:30pm and 6pm - 12am

Time Visited:
6:45pm, Saturday evening, Christmas Eve

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Buta Don, Ehire, and Orange Juice

It's Christmas eve and I've spent the whole day working since the early morning with a break for lunch in between. And now that the day is done, I've actually ran myself ragged and have made myself sick again. LOL. But it hasn't turn into something serious yet like last week where I ran a high fever and vomiting. Today was just merely dry eyes causing it to be painful which in turn cause me a headache. So I went back home around 5:30pm when it started to rain to catch a nap so that I can come to this place to try for my dinner.

On my way over around 6 something pm, it started to rain heavier and when I reached the destination, it looked as if it's closed. But upon approaching on it's main entrance, it's proven that it's opened with lights and the works and staff manning outside. So I sat myself down on one of those picnic benches and started to scour and scrutinize the menu in detail before finally deciding on the Buta Don with Ehire. I asked what Ehire is and the foreign worker (all are foreign workers in this restaurant) told me that it's the fried skin of the fish. Something like that. LOL. I initially ordered a Green Apple Juice but they ran out, so I went with orange juice instead.

Service was a tad slow at this joint though the workers seems to be very quick handed with things. Anyway, the Ehire came not too long after the drink arrived and I started munching away at it. It's really delicious. Tasted like eating cuttlefish. At the side was dabs of mayonnaise condiment to go with it sprinkled with chili powder on top. The combination was great and wasn't an adjunct item even though the Ehire was tasty enough eating on it's own.

Along came the Buta Don. I must say for that big bowl of rice with loads of pork meat in it, it's well worth the RM22 I'm paying for that. It may not be overly fantastic but enough to satisfy my pork cravings and for me to deem it above average. Well worth the cost.

I soon finished up to quickly head home to nurse my headache and to write this out.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM66.45. 10% service charge included and 6% GST imposed.

Final Verdict:
6/10. For a bowl that big, the Buta Don is well worth the money to eat and it tasted quite good too. As for the Ehire, it's more on the expensive side though it was rather tasty. This place has a lot of complaints from customers on their slow service and inattentive staff but so far I didn't encounter that much. Maybe because I was sitting at such a prominent location and being just one person sitting at such a big table, it's bound to draw attention. LOL. I've also seen comments people indicating that this place is pet friendly as well.

Read More

The Fat Fish, Shoplex Mont Kiara, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur (KL)

Address:
15-0-5, Shoplex Mont' Kiara,, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Close on Mondays. 
The rest of the week 11:30am - 10pm (According to Google)

Time Visited:
2pm. Tuesday afternoon

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Smoked Salmon Salad and a Tapping Tapir Pineapple Calamansi soda

Long time I didn't post anything. Of late, I've been working non-stop even throughout weekends and public holiday and so I'm a bit lazy updating this blog. I'm thinking of revamping one of my old ones to put in encounters of the people I met with many quirky experiences or lessons for me to remind me one day should I decide to read back but I'm just too busy to do it. Besides, when I do get the free time, I'd rather laze around and do nothing before plonking myself to bed. In addition to that, I have also lost all of my photos from before in my phone along with whatever data that's inside. I've also lost all but 30 of my newest contacts which seems to have been saved somewhere else for some reason. I didn't bother getting contacts back from people except for my immediate boss' because why bother. People won't be looking for me nor expecting a reply from me anyway. LOL.

So this was at a day where my company was on holiday while KL is still working. I still worked a fair bit but it was a slow day so I didn't do much and so I decided to take my lunch here. When I was there at 2pm, already all the seats outside were taken and only left with seats inside. Why mainly people prefer to sit outside instead of under the air conditioned area indoors is because people are afraid of the fishy smell inside. But when I was there, there were not much of such odor inside since the air condition units were all on and the ventilation fan towards the back were all on to carry all the smell away. Displays of seafood on ice were all prominently placed up front for you to pick and choose to have and to be cooked too if you want to. Oh yeah. Besides serving as a restaurant there, it's also partly a fish/seafood mart where some people go there to just buy the meat to cook at home. The meat all looks oh so good and fresh but the price too packs a punch even in their raw form. I decided to go for something simple and healthy and so I ended up with the Smoked Salmon Salad. As for my drink, I just pick a Tapping Tapir soda.

Initially, when I entered, there's still the lunch crowd there preoccupying the tables outside and so the staff were all busy and such to attend to me. This led me to picking the menu myself and returning to my table to glance at it. When I was ready to order, I had to signal someone's attention to come. Anyway, wasn't much of a big deal.

Even though it's just Smoked Salmon Salad, it took a while before it finally came to my table. I can see why as they took care in the presentation of the salad. But that was all there is to it, a pretty presentation. The greens were bitter to the max with only some olives as saving grace. But the real savior came in the form of the smoked salmon. That truly was delicious and was really fresh and if it weren't for it, I wouldn't have finished off the salad. They do live up to their reputation of supplying fresh produce and just wish that I had the salmon as a sashimi to eat up. However, I must say that the greens were awful max. Bitter like no business. Must be store bought at the supermarket nearby, all packed in a box and they just put it in a dish. Yuck. I resumed a little bit more with my work before finally calling it quits at 5pm and had a tea break at Uptown.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM29.70. Salad costs RM18.50, the soda costs RM9.50. No service charge but there's 6% GST.

Final Verdict:
6/10. Never go for the greens here. Their seafood and fish are the freshest around town and that's what to go for. There's also a new outlet in Desa Parkcity which is opened 7 days a week!

Read More

Lavo, Menara Lien Hoe, Tropicana, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
No. 8, Persiaran Tropicana & Jalan Tropicana Utama, Tropicana, 47410 Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Sun - Thurs: 12pm - 1am
Fri & Sat: 12pm - 2am

Time Visited:
Saturday, 6pm

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Beef & Onion Soup, Sirloin Steak, Banana & Chocolate Bread Pudding and a Strongbow.

A retreat from glee, that day with the gloomy weather looming around, I get to moving towards Lavo to have my dinner that day after a day of working.

I've been given a hefty amount of vouchers to use and with only me dining at that time, I decided to lavishly spread on my dining. I ordered a full course dinner with soup, a main course and dessert to finish off with a Strongbow just for kicks though the Strongbow will be coming out of my pocket as it doesn't include drinks to be used with the vouchers. The wait staffs were friendly especially the head staff and I was received very warmly and welcoming towards me. I was shown to my seat and were given ample amount of time to make my decision. The staff were very attentive and everytime when I was ready to signal them they already knew I was about to call them and head towards me. They served me with a smile all the way, cleared all my dishes when I was just done and even ask if I needed anything when I was about to have my dessert. Kudos to the very good service that I was given. They're way on top as one of the best service I have received in my life!

So there I was awaiting for my food. It actually didn't take long for my food to arrive and they did it really proper. They really followed through the course by course given to me instead of one shot coming out everything. I really loved the treatment I received. The first of course came the soup. When I received the soup, I then remembered that I had it before when I attended an event here. But of course, the beef and onion soup. No wonder it sounded so familiar. However, I can tell you that it was leaps and bounds better than the time I had it during my attendance of the event. The soup was full of flavor and was given a nice garlic cheese bread which went really well with the soup. The soup, full of it's glorious flavor was brought further to live with that superb piece of tender beef in it and chewing on that as I savor on the broth really had me lapping up every last drop of it. As oppose to during the time of the event, the soup gave out a lackluster and dull taste which were really as if opposites ends to this time of tasting, like night and day.

Once I've finished, a little bit of wait on the Sirloin Steak but wasn't too long a wait. I've asked for medium well which was cooked till right and initially, I didn't quite like how it tasted. I soon found out why, I was only eating the fatty part! As I got to the meat, I soon found that it was proper and decent, a fine meat to eat. Though it wasn't the best, but still good enough to be eaten and with each bite, gradually the taste grows on me and I kind of liked it. The peppercorn sauce too was a grower. It tasted a bit weird to me in the beginning, but I gradually eased into it and soon quite liked the taste. The mashed potato and sauteed vegetables were a little bitter and bland, but that only highlights on the meat more.

And finally, the dessert of Banana & Chocolate Bread Pudding was brought to me once I'm done with the main course. Unfortunately, presentation-wise, the ice cream had melted quite a bit but it didn't deter the good taste of the overall dessert. The bread pudding did mix well with the banana at the center and having the chocolate contributed significantly to it's sweetness, it all came together as a medley of a well orchestrated dessert. I took delight in eating that and though I would say there's room for improvement to it like a much stronger tasting ice cream or instead of the banana just dead center of the bread pudding and could be spread out more with more slices of banana, it did sufficient of it's duty as a dessert and I'm much pleased with it.

The ambiance on the outside was quite a nice chilling and relaxing environment that I meld into. I soon needed to check the bill and take my leave though I could just laze around there all night long.

Total Wallet Damage:
Well, I had RM100 vouchers to use for the food which had knocked off the total of RM87.45 for the food alone. RM15 for the dessert, RM15 for the soup, RM45 for the steak. 10% service charge and 6% GST imposed. Totally worth the 10% service charge with the service they rendered to me. As for the Strongbow, it costs RM23.30 inclusive of again the service tax and GST.

Final Verdict:
8/10. A very nice place to get some drink and the food is delicious as well. I can also testify to during that time of the event that they do know how to pour a lovely silky smooth perfect pint of Guinness. It's definitely a place worth visiting again in my books. They don't discriminate me as just one person coming in, neither did they skimp on their service just because I'm using vouchers. Instead they treat me very nicely and I am well pleased with their service, food and environment.

Read More

Doma Korean Restaurant, Mont Kiara Shoplex, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
21, New Wing @ Mont Kiara Shoplex, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
 Daily, 11am-12am

Time Visited:
Sunday afternoon, 3:30pm, when it started to get hot with the sun finally coming out.

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Iced Latte and Bacon & Egg Burger

As I stopped for break from work for awhile, I went over to Doma at Mont Kiara. Haven't not eaten anything at all for the day, this was my first meal of the day though it's at around 3:30pm in the afternoon. LOL.

Hence explains the bacon and egg burger choice because I craved for some bacon and eggs which is always my choice for breakfast. Though this place may not be a self service cafe, I helped myself to everything because I was impatient of waiting for them and the only guy that's supposed to attend to customers seems to be busy with something behind the cashier. But he did greet me welcome as I entered the vicinity. I helped myself to a menu at the cashier there and took it to my seat nearby to browse through. After making my choice, I stepped over again at the cashier area to make my order.

It didn't take long for my drink and food to arrived. I'd say probably in less than 5 minutes! It's really a wonder how they churned out that burger in such a speedy time. But I have no complains. Though the latte wasn't to my fancy due to a still yet very bitter taste that lingers on the latte and the milk never really penetrated through to mix with the other players in the drink and seems to be as a standalone.

The burger though small was done in good taste although RM17 for that burger would leave me feeling the price to be a little steep for such a small burger. Anyway, it tasted good. After all, bacon and eggs can hardly go wrong. LOL. As for the fries, it was done very well. It was crispy throughout my entire meal even though I've finished with my burger. The fries still remain as crispy and was a delight to munch on. I guess their specialty is frying since I've heard they're great in their Korean Fried Chicken as well which I didn't try. LOL. Anyway, though the seasoning of the fries were inconsistent, it's forgivable with such a lovely crisp texture on the fries that stayed on for such a long period and never got soggy. Simply delightful.

As for the ambiance, it was really a place that seems to be hidden within nature though it's just next to the main road. The many greeneries around had made a blockade of barricade from it so it really is like a fusion of jungle meets city. As for the Korean part, well, I'm not sure what elements of Korean that it has since I saw none at all apart from the Korean that's playing in the background. I think maybe the owner is Korean since I saw a Korean like guy sitting at a corner which is the boss of the place. Yeah. I guess that might be it. LOL.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM28.60. 6% GST inclusive.

Final Verdict:
6/10. Not a bad place. Perhaps may garner another revisit from me again since I frequent this area. Other than that, I won't go out of the way just to go back again.

Read More

Kotakotak Cafe, Accentra Glenmarie, Seksyen U1, Glenmarie, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
8 Jalan Presiden F U1/F Accentra Glenmarie, Seksyen U1, Glenmarie 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday, 8am-7pm.

Time Visited:
12:30pm, Tuesday afternoon

Attire worn:
Business.

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Grilled Chicken Burger and a Flat White

DISCLAIMER: This was not a lone dining experience.

It was a colleague of mine from my department that was leaving and so some of us assembled and gathered here to have a farewell lunch for her.

This place was at an area where I passby everyday after work to get home but I've never gone inside this area in my life. There was once that I wanted to try Urban Delight having seen it from outside while passing by but they've since closed down and the place has turned into Jios Pizza now which I have no interest in trying. But as for Kotakotak Cafe, it's more towards the inner portion and so it's shaded away with the shrubs and bushes and therefore unseen by me as I passby from the main road.

The place had it's very squarish demeanor and quite a minimal appearance from the seating area but cluttered when it comes to the shelf and such. The walkway with tables from both sides make it look like narrow pathways which makes me a little claustrophobic. Other than that, the minimal appearance with white walls that bedeck the place presents itself at a more vibrant nature to me. With us being a big group of us, it's normal to assume that things that we ordered will be sent out to us at a much slower pace. But I did however received my Flat White above most people's order. Unfortunately, the server himself does not know what he's serving so I have to safely assume that it's a Flat White and it's mine. The coffee artwork is not one that's impressive and a little vague in how it looks. Blurrish features but do not let the looks fool you. It does taste quite good. It's satisfactory enough to be akin to my taste and to quell my caffeine fix demons.

After a long while of awaiting for my food, it appears to be one of the last items to be put out since it's a burger which took them longer to prepare and cook it out to us. The burger buns were of charcoal and instead of lettuce and the usual vegetable suspects in your normal burger, this contains coleslaw as the vegetable supplement which put me off a bit since I'm not a keen taster of coleslaw. The grilled chicken patty is wrapped in egg and it's both cooked nicely without much imperfection to find. The fries were just your normal regular ones and nothing fantastic about it. Just your usual ordinary fries. The burger was satisfactory also to me and nothing too out of the ordinary and a safe bet in taste.

All in all, it's quite okay for a lunch session but it wouldn't be a spot that I would like to just chill and hangout when I have the free time. Maybe I'm a little bias as the place reminds me of work when I'm around here. LOL.

Total Wallet Damage:
I'm not entirely sure of the total bill since I wasn't the one paying in the beginning but according to the menu, the Grilled Chicken Burger costs RM16.90 while the Flat White costs RM10.90. Unsure if they charge GST or service charge.

Final Verdict:
I'd give it a 6/10. Not a bad place for a drink and a quick lunch.

Read More

Fest, Jaya One, Section 13, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor Malaysia

Address:
Jaya One, 72A, Jalan Universiti, Section 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 10am-11pm

Time Visited:
Sunday Afternoon, 1pm.

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Tofufah Cheese Cake and Magic

DISCLAIMER: This was not a lone dining experience.

On a Sunday morning, I awoke early to see a message from my colleague inviting me out to help him out with some quiz and registration for a job. I was delighted that he finally asked me out to help him out and so I gleefully replied to him on a positive tone and set to meet him at around 11am. Come 11am, we went for breakfast and I started to have a discussion with him. Once finished we headed on to Jaya One to finished off the task and by 1pm, I was already looking for a cafe to have some coffee. As I passed by Fest, I decided to go in to try it instead with my colleague joining me.

Inside, I decided to go for Magic which is basically a Flat White that has double shot of espresso. I was also feeling like wanting to eat cake for dessert and so I was recommended the Tofufah Cheese Cake. We continued chatting away the afternoon and I impart some knowledge to him on how to do the job. The Tofufah Cheese Cake is exactly what's it called, the silky smoothness of Tufufah on top but the layers below that is a cheese cake. Adding in the Gula Melaka tasted more wonderful but even without it, it is as delightful to be as it is. Of course the Gula Melaka may not be as good as Weng Kee's Ice Kacang Gula Melaka which highlights the Gula Melaka most perfectly with the Ice Kacang. This too for the Tofufah Cheese Cake is nicely complemented by the Gula Melaka as well.

Adding in to the great taste of the Magic, it all goes well with each other altogether. I seriously would recommend this cheese cake for sure.

After our long chatter towards the late afternoon at this place, we finally adjourned away and I head on home after dropping him off at his relatives place. It was a nice outing which I savored every moment of it hanging out with my colleague. :)

Total Wallet Damage:
Erm, actually I didn't pay and didn't take note of the price so I don't really know. *Shrugs shoulders*

Final Verdict:
7.5/10. Definitely a good place to hangout if the hustle and bustle of The School is too noisy. This place is at a much quieter place and cakes and coffee were a good eat.

Read More

Weng Kee Ice Kacang Gula Melaka aka Aunty Peggy's Classic, Medan Selera PJ Old Town, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor

Address:
Jalan Othman, PJ Old Town, 46050 Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Not sure but I think 11am - 9pm. Close on Tuesdays and on Thursdays open until 5pm.

Time Visited:
12pm, Saturday noon

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Ice Kacang Gula Melaka

DISCLAIMER: This was not a lone dining experience.

After eating at Kie Kee Chicken rice, I checked out the vicinity area of Medan Selera PJ Old Town to see what else is there. Weng Kee Ice Kacang has also received raved reviews from the public mostly had to do with their ice kacang that contains Gula Melaka making it sweetly tasty.

And so, very eagerly, me and my colleague went to try it out. We were asked to sit at one of the table that's in front of the stall for the other table is dominated by another stall that's nearby and so we get to ordering the Ice Kacang Gula Melaka. It was a small bowl but the first bite itself got me captivated. The most captivating factor about this Ice Kacang is of course their Gula Melaka. It was uniquely sweet and goes very well with the ice shavings but of course it carries most of the weight in contributing to the lovely tastiness. While biting down, it seems as if it was just plain ice shavings with the Gula Melaka but it turns out that at the bottom there's the usual Ice Kacang ingredients like corn, peanuts and the likes. It's quite a small bowl though compared to what I remember Ice Kacang to be, a big one where eating it itself can make you full. LOL.

After a short while, the Aunty that owns the place had a chat with us (she seems to chat with most of her customers). She narrated to us that it was her parents stall and that she's been working here ever since she was a little girl and now she runs it with her children. So it's already been 3 generations running the stall. She also asked us how we found out about her and said that many too had found out about the stall through the internet. But she says that she does not want to be too popular. Posting about her stall on the Internet is fine but she detest to being featured on newspaper or TV. The reason for that is that she doesn't want too many customers till she can't handle and in turn resulting in her standard and quality dropping and that's what she fear that will happened. Hence, she would just like to keep it as low key as possible so that she can maintain her standard and quality of her desserts. She also recommended us to try her Bo Bo Cha Cha which is only available on the weekends.

Perhaps, that's what I would do next time. This place is really a hidden gem.

Total Wallet Damage:
Well, one Ice Kacang Gula Melaka costs RM3. A bit on the high side for such a small dish but well worth it because it's very tasty.

Final Verdict:
8/10. I love the ice kacang mainly due to the Gula Melaka. I'm definitely returning to try their other desserts.

Read More

Kie Kee Chicken Rice, Medan Selera, PJ Old Town, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
Medan Selera Old Town
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Possibly 11am - 8pm (or till finish). I heard they close on Tuesdays nowadays.

Time Visited:
11:30am, Saturday morning

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Curry Pork, Roasted Pork and Roasted Chicken

DISCLAIMER: This was not a lone dining experience.

My new colleague (who found out that I used to be a blogger and started sticking to me a lot) is always very eager to eat at this place. He always quipped on it's cheap pricing and the deliciousness of the sauce that's poured over the roasted chicken. He has been asking me to go along with him for a very very long while but the first attempt was a failure because I overslept and he couldn't resist and was way too hungry so he went ahead without me. LOL. After a few weekends with activities, I finally managed to join him in savoring this place he so hyped about.

It was introduced to him by another colleague of mine and ever since then, he's been frequenting this place on a weekly basis. After picking me up at my place of residence, we jetted off into the yonder to the place called PJ Old Town, where it could get really jam during peak hours. After settling for a parking that's a little further in distance, we walked towards Medan Selera of PJ Old Town and immediately sat down at the location that's of the Chicken Rice stall. Here in this place, you can just sit down and the respective person that mans the stall nearby will come to you to take your order. So in a way, this place is very territorial when it comes to your seating area. LOL. If you're eating solely at one stall, you best sit at a table that's in their territory else the stall that 'owns' the table will not like it and you'll have to move.

My colleague got to ordering and I made sure that he ordered the Curry Pork as well as I've heard many great things about the Curry Pork. More so than the Chicken. In a jiffy, like clockwork everything was set on our table with quick succession and it made it very easy for me to take pictures since in an instance, everything is already out. I started off with the soup which that time was a vegetable soup. That turned out alright and unlike most free soup with their very big pot, it didn't feel watered down nor lack of ingredients and taste and so it was sufficient in it's taste and not just some clear sort of soup that tasted more like water. I next nibbled upon the Roasted Pork. Though it seemed smaller in pieces than any other places, yet it seems like they gave a bit more than others. But then again, it's maybe because we're two persons eating. Haha. The taste was nothing spectacular and tasted like normal like any other places. There's a little inconsistent in it's seasoning because there are areas that tasted a little too salty but a lot of places do too especially at the bottom part. One thing good is that it's lean meat and none that I see that's fat.

I next moved on to the Roasted Chicken which is what my colleague likes the most. Though the chicken may taste nothing out of the ordinary, the sauce does taste a little more unique. It consists of a sweet and salty taste and similar to duck sauce and was pleasant to the palate. As I went on to further my taste test on the Curry Pork, what I heard from people were true. The Curry Pork is the best dish among all. It's like a harmony of Chinese Curry, Malay Rendang and Mamak Curry style all married into one. The pork may prove to be a little tough but I don't mind since it was a really delicious delicacy. The pork too was all lean and none that I tasted that was fat though you can't discount the Curry as fattening. LOL. I finished off the Curry Pork while my colleague finished most of the Roasted Chicken due to him liking the sauce lots. Their chili that they serve in a sauce dish was not bad too. I heard that they made the chili themselves.

It has been generations since the stall operated and still they're around to operate. That does attest to it being something great.

Total Wallet Damage:
Erm, I'm not sure at all since I wasn't allowed to pay the bill. D:

Final Verdict:
7/10. The Curry Pork like what I heard from others would be my recommendation to go for here since to me, that's the best dish whereas the rest tasted like other Chicken Rice Stall.

Read More

Legend's Claypot Briyani House, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
Brickfields No.50, Ground Floor, Jalan Vivekananda, Kuala Lumpur (KL), 50470, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Monday -Thursday - 11am - 11pm.
Friday - Sunday - 8am -11pm

Time Visited:
4pm, Saturday afternoon

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Thosai Rawa Masala, Fried Fish & Iced Honey Lemon

The night before this day, I was working quite late till 8pm due to a server in need of a hard disk replacement and the rebuilding part was excruciatingly slow but necessary to wait for it's completion. So on this day in the morning, I was supposed to go out with my colleague in order to eat a chicken rice place where it's deemed as cheap and good. But unfortunately, I was so exhausted, that I went back to bed at 8am as I awoke and only woke up at around 11am, an hour after the stipulated time of my colleague picking me up. LOL. So since that happened, I decided to go my own way to eat.

Due to my very tired nature, I only manage to crawl out of the house late in the afternoon and only wind up at Legend's Claypot Briyani House by 4pm. Despite it being at a late hour of 4pm, the place was teeming with people indoors. Mostly Indian people of course and mostly there to consume their signature Claypot rice but I ordered a different type of dish and that is their Thosai Rawa Masala. Well, it wasn't my first time eating at Legend's Claypot Briyani House. The last time I did so was with colleagues where we went to the branch at Kelana Jaya (which is now closed for good) and during that time, I had their Claypot Briyani rice. But on this day, I decided something different. To have some meat, I ordered a fried fish as well.

Though the crowd was there and the staff looks weary, the drink and the food came at quite a quick pace which I didn't expect. The fried fish was the last to arrive. The Iced Honey Lemon was sweet but bearable though it's too sweet for my taste caliber. As for the Thosai Rawa Masala, it was above average in taste and if you notice in the picture above, you can see that they only provided me with the dhal to accompany with the thosai. Nevertheless, it's not really an issue as it being a Thosai Rawa Masala, it's filled with ingredients inside such as the potato.

The fried fish looks a little oily but it's delicious, enough to my satisfaction. It does contain bones but it's not a lot of bones in there so it's okay.

I can see that this place is quite the hangout area for the nearby community since there's loads of people there even at that odd hour. But it's probably because there's a college nearby as well and probably it was just the end of a class session hence the crowd. Oh well. That's my guess anyway.

Total Wallet Damage:
In total RM14.60. I'm not sure of the exact price of the dishes but according to the menu, Thosai Rawa Masala is RM4.50 and Iced Honey Lemon is RM4.10.

Final Verdict:
7/10. The Claypot Briyani rice may be their signature but their thosai is not bad too.

Read More

Dining Hall, Bandar Menjalara, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
53, JALAN 3/62A, Bandar Menjalara 
Kepong, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Mon–Sun:
Noon–11:00 PM

Time Visited:
8pm, Saturday night

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
BBQ Pork Belly and a 100 Plus

After a hard days work which was totally worth it, I headed off to Kepong to Dining Hall for a try.

The way to the place was jammed as fuck but it's no biggie. I'm in no hurry anyway. Once I've arrived at the vicinity it was already 8pm but weirdly enough I'm not hungry at all. Inasmuch, I'm more tired than hungry. The place looks kinda empty but there are patrons there dining. I guess with an area such as these, with plenty of food dining places to choose from, this is already considered a good crowd. As I enter and sat myself down, I noticed that there were only two persons overseeing the whole entire area in the front. A lady that looks bossy who mans the cash register and a young guy who seems to do all the running around attending the tables, serving the food and drinks and clearing it. They didn't seem to notice me even though I sat myself down quite near to the counter but pretty soon they do and I was handed the menu. When I flagged down the woman to take my order, it seems that she doesn't take orders (or doesn't take MY order as I saw her taking some others) and she signaled for me to wait as she beckons the already busy young man to attend to me. After awhile, he does and so I proceed with my order of BBQ Pork Belly and a 100 Plus to rehydrate.

It took quite a while but finally the can of 100 plus with a glass of ice came and pretty soon I noticed why it took so long (or an excuse I made up to console my parched throat) and that was because it wanted to come with the food. And so there it was, the glorious food in all it's glory appeared before me with the accompaniment of my drink. As I dig in to the BBQ Pork Belly, it does taste quaintly nice but the odd sweet sauce which I believe is of apple goes in a weird direction if eaten with the BBQ Pork Belly. A pretty good portion of it eaten will leave me feeling a bit queasy as I devour further. This rarely happens to me when it comes to pork but for this dish, that's what it does. The fries were a bit bland but that's just due to lack of salt seasoned on it and was merely the sensation of fried potatoes. I hardly touched the coleslaw because that's the type I don't really fancy. But overall, I would say it was an okay dish. Maybe because my taste buds are kinda shoddy nowadays and that my appetite is slowly losing.

Anyway, that's my opinion on it, average. The ambiance looks kind of nice with some inspirational quotes on the walls and some of the decoration do look nice. Other than that, that's just about all I have to say about this place.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM30.30. GST 6% is imposed but not service charge.

Final Verdict:
6/10. Well, food is average, pricing is okay although there are pricey items in em if you want something fanciful. Just that I wouldn't trust this place to handle such high end stuff that's why I stuck with the BBQ Pork Belly. Service was a bit slow but then again, it's just that one guy that does most of the work and there isn't a service charge anyway.

Read More

Ben's, Pavilion, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
Lot 6.11 Sixth Floor, Pavilion, 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 11am - 10pm

Time Visited:
Tuesday Evening, 7pm

Attire worn:
Business

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Classic Spag Meatballs and Iced Lemograss Tea

This happened sometime back when I was just out for the evening to watch a movie that I was supplied a pass to. Rarely do I traverse out on a working weekday night anymore because:
1) There just isn't anybody to hang out with
2) I'm tired by the end of the day
3) There's no reason for me to go out on my own.
So ya, this night was one of those rare nights where I ventured out on my own due to having a movie to watch that night and it was called "Nine Lives".

To be honest I don't really remember much that night just that I was eager to try out Ben's at Pavilion on that day before the movie. So I walked in and was greeted accordingly and were seated. The ambiance were set to a more romantic and fine dining approach so as a lone diner, you may be a little intimidated on eating there on your own. The staff there were quite accommodating and were helpful in their service and were attentive to who walks in and out of the restaurant. After glancing through the menu, I finally decided to go for the simple and classical spaghetti and meatball to see what they can do differently with it. Well, you can't really go wrong with the classics, right? If you really can fuck it up, then you're really a fuckup. LOL. To drink, I went for the Thai approach and ordered the Iced Lemongrass tea.

It took awhile for my order to arrive as I surveyed my surroundings while soak up the calming and soothing atmosphere at this place. No doubt, Pavilion portrays out as the rich and famous lifestyle and this restaurant is no better in furthering that theme. The Lemongrass Tea had a big lemongrass stalk as a stirrer while the beverage looks of murky water. The taste was sweet in sensation and is merely of lemongrass taste and no tea like taste. It's also a good thing that they separated the syrup in a small jug shaped container so that you can add as much sweetness as you preferred. As I mentioned beforehand, I added in probably way too much syrup and it tasted merely of sweet sensation. But it's undeniably tasty.

Along came the Spaghetti and Meatball and at first glance, the presentation was very eye-catching and makes you wanna eat it. The taste I would say is quite good and that they do have the right amount of Marinara sauce that does not make me feel queasy due to overeating it. Instead, every scoop of the spaghetti will warrant some sauce onto it and I finished it off with just the right amount along with the meatballs. The meatballs may not be those Ikea meatball types but it's just as well because as I've heard, those Ikea meatballs has dwindled in their standards. This provides the right amount of rich taste of the meat and with the right amount of sauce on the dish, it was the perfect match.

The complain I have with the dish would be their grated cheese. It's in large strips and all settled at the top and due to the heat had melted and bunched together. I just wish they would've just went with cheese in a much finer form or if they were to do it this way, to be more spread out and fill the plate accordingly instead of being concentrated at one location. Because the way that they gave to me, I had a hard time separating and dividing it up so that I could get a little of cheese taste to go along with the meal. Instead, all I got was either way too much cheese or none at all. Rarely I manage to pinch it in with just the right amount to supplement the spaghetti and meatball.

I took my time being there and when the time came for me to collect my pass, I headed off to the movie theater to collect the pass. They had a small cat show there too in line with the movie which I enjoyed playing with the cats. Haha

Total Wallet Damage:
RM51.70. A little pricey but it's expected at a restaurant like this and an environment like Pavilion. 6% GST and 10% service charge included.

Final Verdict:
7/10. It's good for dates and has a nice romantic ambiance with a good place to have a quiet talk with your date. But as for a lone diner to dine in, it may be a little intimidating.

Read More

Fatty Mee Hoon Kuih House, Taman Berkeley, Klang, Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
38, Jalan Bangau, Taman Berkeley, 41150 Klang, Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
I think it's Daily, 9:30am - 8pm.

Time Visited:
12:30pm, Friday afternoon

Attire worn:
Business

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
A large bowl of mee hoon kuih pan mee with everything in it and a Soya Cincau.

DISCLAIMER: This was not a lone dining experience.

My colleague is an avid Pan Mee lover and she says her favorite still remains as Fatty Mee Hoon Kuih House's even though she's only ate it once. She kept telling me the smoothness of the Pan Mee and the tear kind is the one she loves the most which this is one of the places that sells.

Pan Mee is a type of flour noodle that is a Chinese noodle dish. It is like a Fettuccine Pasta only more doughy with it's flour taste. There are 3 types of Pan Mee which is the thin kind, the thick kind and the one that's torn apart which results in a flat but big rectangular shape instead of the normal strip kind. My colleague love the tear up one. And she's been going on about this shop like forever to me and I always fail to check it out. LOL.

So one day, she was going on about how there's another colleague who packed it to office one day and she's craving to go eat it again. And so I said, okay fine. So let's go then. Tomorrow is a Friday and we can take more time for our meal. And so she agreed to it. I followed my Google Maps direction to lead me there. Though it's pretty straightforward on how to go from my office, I still needed the map in case I get distracted and accidentally went to a wrong area. We arrived fairly quick and it was just our lunchtime period. Since it's a place with limited parking area, I dropped her off first to order and grab a place to sit. I soon got a place to park and straight head inside of the shop. The place was already full of people and we were seated with other different people to dine with which most tables were in need to do so due to the amount of people there. Those at the cooking area were feverishly churning out bowls after bowls of the same thing - the Mee Hoon Kuih. It's just a matter of what ingredients do you need and how big a size you want it. Since my colleague is a small eater, she went with the small bowl while I ate the large one.

Drinks were separately ordered from those that are at the back and I ordered a soya cincau also dubbed as the Michael Jackson. It certainly took a long while to get our food but patience paid off as it came to our table. The time it took for it to arrive to us is about the time our journey towards this place which is about half an hour. LOL. But it did pay off in a large way. As I tasted the nice silky smooth texture of the flour noodle and coupled with it's steaming hot broth and every ingredient in it, it just tasted wonderful. I soon found out why my colleague love this pan mee very much. No doubt, me as a non-avid pan mee lover already finds it very tasty. What's more a very avid pan mee lover like her. We soon savored off our very noteworthy bowl of noodles and headed off back to office.

Another noteworthy thing about this place is it's price. Compared with the one that's in Subang, this is way much cheaper than them and it has an egg in it too. I can't really remember what's the price but I remember it being way much cheaper. Mind you if you're a big eater, it's best to go for the extra large because the large bowl barely looks larger than the small one. And as mentioned earlier, it has more ingredients than the one in Subang. All in all, a very tasty dish and cheaper to boot!

Total Wallet Damage:
This has been sometime since I visited so I can't really recall what's the price. If the one at Subang is RM7, I believe my big bowl with everything is around RM6 or RM6.50. I can't remember which.

Final Verdict:
7/10. Definitely a good eat and worthwhile in savoring when in the area. No wonder my colleague the avid pan mee lover love this very much.

Read More

103 Coffee Workshop, Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
103, Jalan Radin Bagus, Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri:
11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Sat:
10:00 am - 11:00 pm
Sun:
10:00 am - 10:00 pm

Time Visited:
12pm, Sunday

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Latte and Daimanzoku

I once wanted to step foot at 103 Coffee Workshop but then decided against it and went to 5.1 Cafe Gallery instead. But this time around, I made the effort to visit there.

Though outside from it's exterior it seemed awfully quiet but once I step into the place, I was taken aback by the sheer number of people there. They were very quick to notice people coming in and they will specially usher you to your table and your seat as soon as they've determined the number of people in your party. So it was easy for me to get a place because I'm shown to an available table. No hassle and they're plenty courteous, helpful and offer good service.

After going through the entire menu which is very thick and full of food items and beverages to choose from, I've decided and signaled for someone to take my order which is not difficult for they have wait staff from one end to the other end and they can easily see each other. I wanted to try their cold brew but they've ran out that day and so I settled for a usual latte. As for my meal, I've made the preference of Daimanzoku, which in Japanese means very satisfied.

The whole restaurant, as I can see, is very well run and has been efficiently optimize. Hence, even the food and drinks that were ordered were quite fast in arriving. The latte came first. No surprises there. Their coffee comes with a nice biscotti and as I recall, their coffee was not bad. Tasteful and a strong coffee taste. The thickness of the caffeine seem to be great in this cup of coffee but yet it's not too bitter.

Pretty soon, my Daimanzoku came. Daimanzoku is a breakfast that comes with Scrambled Eggs, Sauteed Mushrooms, Pork Bacon Wrapped with Cherry Tomato, Pork Sausage, a side of salad and my favorite among them all, a mixture of straight cut fries and sweet potato fries. I have to admit they serve great food here and their standard is way up there. Almost everything in there tasted great, the scrambled eggs, the pork bacon, incredible. The favorite thing of them all as I mentioned earlier, the fries. It was so addictive and very well seasoned to perfection. I savored every last inch of this dish and true to it's name, it really does leave you with a big satisfaction. On top of that, it left me feeling full as well.

I took my time soaking in the environment and they have a steady stream of customers coming in till at times, there's just no more space to accommodate anyone anymore. And yet with that, they also never once hurried me nor made me feel that I'm taking up their precious space. Instead, they were really excellent in their service and friendly. I went over to the counter to pay and started my day of work.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM42.80. 6% GST needed but get this, despite their very good service, they don't charge service charge. Excellent!

Final Verdict:
9/10. This is definitely a place worth visiting again. It has good food, good coffee, good ambiance, good service and they don't charge for service.

Read More