Thursday, October 27, 2016

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.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

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.

Monday, October 24, 2016

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.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

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.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

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.

Friday, October 14, 2016

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.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

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.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

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.