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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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