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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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.

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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.

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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.

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