Restoran SS8, Taman Sungai Besi Indah, Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
Jalan Sb Indah 1/16, Taman Sungai Besi Indah, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Early mornings till late night? LOL. It's a kopitiam. There's no affix time mentioned.

Time Visited:
10:10am, Sunday morning.

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Pork Noodles and Kopi Peng

Found this gem of a place when I was around that area. Near the Mines area, there are quite a few places around that are home to kopitiams. And why I call this a gem is because it's cheap and effectively fast too. Not to mention delicious to the taste. I'm wondering if the other kopitiam nearby is just as good.

When I was there, it was already packed with people and still there were people flocking in to have their breakfast while very few finished their meal and was leaving. I decided to go for this pork noodles at this stall where I ordered kuey teow and meehoon noodles. For drinks I ordered kopi peng from the main tenant. Since it was crowded and there were no table that's empty, I decided to share a table with another lone person who's sitting outside. Though the outside seating has no shade, the day was quite cloudy and the breeze was cool like in spring so sitting outside wasn't much of a problem that day.

Not long after I sat down, the food and drinks came and I was very pleased with the cheap pricing. The pork noodles was unusually clearer than other pork noodles and though the soup was clear in it's taste too, the many ingredients in it made up for it very much. They use cabbage as the vegetables and interestingly, the pork that they give feels also quite clear and clean. It provided me with a very nice meal and I must say the coffee wasn't that bad as well. It wasn't all sugar water like how most kopitiam serve their coffee but this one was thick and rich in it's coffee taste as well, the way I like it. With that kind of price, if it weren't so far away from my home, I'd be a regular in eating here. LOL.

Total Wallet Damage:
The pork noodle is only RM6 while the kopi peng is just RM2.10. Quite a steal I would say.

Final Verdict:
8/10. I'd definitely would like to come here to eat again. It's the neighborhood after the Mines Shopping Mall on the left.

Read More

The Narra, Dataran Millenium, Seksyen 14, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
G001 Dataran Millennium, Jalan 14/1, Seksyen 14 46100 Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 11:30am - 10pm (till 12am on Friday and Saturday)

Time Visited:
6:45pm, Sunday

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Embosilog & Coffee

I've never been to Philippines before nor have I ever tried their food. So this is the first time ever I've ever tried Philippines food and I can tell you it was good. I'm not sure how Philippines itself would've tasted for this dish I had called Embosilog but the one I tasted at The Narra was good.

After having a cup of coffee at Aku Cafe right in the City Centre, I headed to The Narra for my dinner. At first, I didn't intend to go dinner at all after heading home from work this day. I was all worn out and tired and wishing I wasn't born at all but I had a short nap and then forced myself to clean the whole house and then forced myself to go out since it was still early. Well, It took a lot of effort to go all the way to City Centre for a cup of coffee but that's just what I did. And after spending about over an hour there and am difficult to move, I pushed myself to get going and to get some food. About 15 minutes later, I ended up at The Narra. This place was so noisy and hyped up blaring Bon Jovi songs a very vast difference from Aku Cafe that I was in previously where it has the serenity and quietness inside. And being a Filipino restaurant, it looks like all of the staff are Filipinos.

I picked a spot I like right at the corner and I sat myself down then one of the staff brought me the menu. I just simply ordered something at random and ended up picking the Embosilog. LOL What's written on the menu on what Embosilog is was embotido, sinangag and itlog. Filipino-style meatloaf, garlic rice and fried egg. A quick google on it and the Filipino wordings is actually what's written in English. LOL. Embotido is a pork sausage, sinangag is garlic rice and itlog means egg. I see.

Though the dish looks simple, it's actually very delicious. Well, according to my taste. The pork sausage has some complex flavors in it and interestingly, I see some raisins on it. Not much. In fact, very little but enough to give out some interesting taste to the pork sausage which is to provide some sweetness at times. Interesting. The garlic rice mainly derive it's garlic taste from the fried garlic sprinkled on top and enough to make it appetizing just on it's own while the egg adds some girth to the taste profile.

I enjoyed the food very much and find it rather interesting. What's more, I feel that it's cheap so in Philippines, I bet it'll be way much cheaper since our currency is bigger plus it's their own food which is available everywhere. LOL. They also have some Philippines item for sale on the shelf which I decided to grab a bag of chips to try at home. Well, I haven't try it yet as I write down this post, so if you wanna know how it taste like, why not go there and grab one yourself. LOL.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM13.80 is all it costs for the meal with 6% GST and NO service charge. The bag of crisps costs less than RM5.

Final Verdict:
7/10. I enjoyed the Filipino dish very much. I wonder would it taste way much better in the Philippines? Hmm.

Read More

Restoran & Kafe New Weng Fatt, Taman Ipoh Selatan, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Address:
1, Lebuh Raya Taman Ipoh, Taman Ipoh Selatan, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Probably Daily, 7am - 11pm

Time Visited:
1:45pm, Wednesday, Public Holiday

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Roasted Pork & Chicken Rice

It was a public holiday and I just randomly went to Ipoh for a changed of scenery. My 2 colleagues told me why didn't I inform them earlier or they would've joined me. Pfft. As if that 2 family men has time. Best they spend it with their family than a person who's awaiting death.

After trying a couple of places, I wanted to go for one final round before I head on back to the Klang Valley area. So I randomly picked and Restoran & Kafe New Weng Fatt came out as the choice. So I head on down there and see what do they have there. Since it's a public holiday, they seemed to be very quiet unlike another kopitiam I saw earlier nearer to Aeon which has a lot of stalls opened there too. But this just seems quite dead with only 3 stalls I saw that was opened for business. The 2 noodle stalls staff were just sitting at a table and chatting away with each other while the chicken rice stall manned by fairly young chaps were just sitting there doing nothing.

By the way, when I lamented one day to my 2 colleagues on how difficult it was to find Chinese kopitiam at certain places in Klang Valley, they brought to attention certain criterias which I find what they say to be very, very true. In order for a place to have a Chinese kopitiam, the place has to be predominantly Chinese AND not an upscale township. I find that very true. That's why Subang 2 area was difficult for me to find a Chinese kopitiam because there's just none there and it's considered a more upscale township. Sungai Besi seems to suffer the same fate though. As for Shah Alam, that's predominantly Malay area so if they were to open up a non-halal establishment that sells pork, they would need special license and since the Chinese community is far lesser than the Malays and also factoring in the cheapness of kopitiams, it would be very hard to profit if they were to open up one there.  I know places like Cheras and Kepong has plenty.

Anyway, Ipoh is not short of it but I see a boom in cafes. Back when I was still an Ipohite, if any cafe were to open up there, they would surely die off very soon due to Ipoh people mainly go for cheap food back then. Now that all the younger generations had come up, Ipoh can now have this boom in cafe and it's food. So anyway, this place is a kopitiam. I decided to try out the chicken rice with it's roasted pork. To my surprise when I asked how much it was, they told me it was RM4.80! I haven't had one that's so cheap since.....I don't even remember having one that cheap. Unless you include non-Chinese food, then there's the Anuar's Fish Head Curry rice and that is an even cheaper price of RM4 for a plate of rice, unlimited vegetables, a free drink and a piece of fried chicken. But although this plate of Roasted Pork and Chicken Rice may be really cheap, the taste just isn't that good. The roasted pork feels a little too gamy for me and it's way too salty while the chicken is hard. But if you just wanna save money and fill your stomach, it's quite worth it. It can fill you up for sure. But for me, I'm stuffed beyond means because I already ate something before this and went for dessert. LOL.

I guess there's more stalls that operates in there but since it's a public holiday, I guess most of it took a break. After that meal, my initial thoughts of going to one more place for dessert to try was cancelled because I was too full. Phew. That's when I started to head back home. Over at Kerling, I stopped by at the only Shell petrol station for miles and that place already sold out of RON95 but this queer staff at the counter asked me what petrol I wanted. If you've already ran out of one type, why are you asking me and giving me a choice where there's none to begin with? LOL. Funny people.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM4.80. Roasted pork and Chicken Rice. Cheapest I've ever had as long as I can remember. Is Ipoh town food really that cheap?

Final Verdict:
5/10. Well, for that really cheap price, the food isn't that nice to eat but it's something to fill your stomach which helping your wallet lots.

Read More

Restoran Megah Good Luck, Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor

Address:
1 Jalan SS24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 7am - 9pm (?)

Time Visited:
10:20am, Sunday

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Sabah Special Pork Noodles and Kopi Peng (Iced Coffee)

I've only eaten here once before and that was with my family and this seems to open during the 2nd day of Chinese New Year.

Another affiliation I had with this place is when the owner once called me to deliver to her shop raffia strings and so I just delivered it and receive a small amount of money in exchange for that. LOL. Yeah, that was totally random out of the blue but I somehow got roped into being a delivery boy for this restaurant on that particular day. Haha.

That Sunday, I wanted to start off early in my work, but then it started to rain and the weather became really cooling and so I couldn't help myself and went back to bed. It's been so long since I went back to bed and slept till 10am. That's when I woke up and decided to go for breakfast and decided to head over here to have a meal. It was really a bad idea to be here at 10am on a Sunday because this place was packed to the brim. Even with me just being a single person, It was so hard for me to even get a place. All the seats looked occupied and there's not a single table that seems to have space for me to share with a family. But eventually, I managed to squeeze into one where the family reluctantly gave the place to me.

I ordered the Sabah Special Pork Noodles to try while for my drink I went for the Kopi Peng. It didn't take long for the noodles to arrive. In fact, after I sat down they were already bringing it over to me. Maybe because I took a while before I managed to get my seat as well. Anyway, I felt that the drink was a little way too expensive here. RM2.50 for Kopi Peng? Even for KL standard it's a little bit pricey.

But thankfully the noodles were cheap and affordable with it being just RM6. Frankly speaking I have no idea why they called it Sabah Special Pork Noodles. Seems to me like it's just your ordinary pork noodles. The major difference that I probably saw in this noodle is that the pork were thin and delicate hence making it smooth in eating it. I like the garnishing of chu yau cha or crispy pork lard being sprinkled on top along with some spring onions which is always a welcoming enhancement material for me. There's also some pork intestines in there but they were small in size. Anyway, it's a decent enough bowl of noodles and for RM6, it's probably good enough for me to return to eat it again.

When it was close to 11am, the crowd seems to have dissipated down and although there's still a fair bit of crowd there, it's not as crowded as when I arrived. That one maybe came from after doing their morning marketing and also finished service from the church nearby? LOL. I don't know. Strange there's so many people crowding there to eat at that particular time.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM6 for the Pork Noodles and a whopping RM2.50 for just the Kopi Peng.

Final Verdict:
6/10. It's a decent enough place for some kopitiam hawker food but by golly the drink seems to be dearer than your usual kopitiam price. I'd understand if it's really famous kopitiams like Chow Yang in SS2 but this place? Pfft.

Read More

Restoran Super Kitchen Chilly Pan Mee, SS2, SS2, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
42, Jalan SS2/10, SS2,
47000, Petaling Jaya (PJ),
Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 8:30am - 10pm

Time Visited:
6pm, Sunday evening

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Traditional Pan Mee Soup and Coffee Iced

I don't know when this got into my list but I figured it's probably the influence of my colleague who loves pan mee. But then again, she likes the one that's the Klang version where it's thick and it's torn by hand instead of the rolled out dough version. Anyway, I decided to give this a try and the nearest branch that's closest to me is the SS2 one.

Their main place is somewhere in KL at off Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman but somehow I've never heard of it before. I came here a bit earlier than intended due to it starting to rain. It wasn't difficult to find the place since I've frequented Chow Yhang plenty a times in the past but only just when I came for the pan mee that I discovered Chow Yhang to have relocated to the back shop in the middle. But this is about the Super Kitchen Chilly Pan Mee.

There was plenty of parking available when I arrived but there's close to none when I was leaving. Guess it's a bit early for folks to partake their dinner at around 6pm in SS2. The entrance door to this place looks dilapidated and somehow when I entered, I wasn't really greeted as oppose to later on where most customers were really greeted and handed their menu. I had to signal to the waiter to bring the menu after I've sat down. Hmmph. It was merely a one page menu with the back listing all the drinks. Though this place is about pan mee, there's also other types of dishes like rice but mostly pork dishes. Almost everyone will definitely go for the dry pan mee but I went for the soup one instead to have a taste. Of course, if you wanna add those chilly into the pan mee, dry on is the way to go since adding the chilly into the soup version will merely make the soup spicy instead of being able to taste and eat the chilly directly with the noodles.

Though it's just 6pm with not many cars outside, this place actually draws quite a fair share of customers and some of the curious residents who occasionally comes in to have a look at the menu to see what else they have to offer. It took quite a waiting for my pan mee to arrive and when it did, I saw that they give quite a big portion. Quite value for money for such a big bowl. It fills me up nicely. There's a nice egg given as well and the rest of the normal pan mee ingredients like anchovies and loads of minced meat in there. The pan mee may be averagely tasty but the portion more than makes up for it. The loads of ingredients in there also makes it worth anybody's while. Add in lots of chilly to enhance the taste and you're sure to finish up the whole bowl.

After that hearty meal, I decided to take a stroll around the block to see what else is there before heading back home.

Total Wallet Damage:
I think I didn't take the receipt and I don't remember the total price. But I think the Pan Mee costs RM7.80 per bowl. Not sure about the drink. Looks like I'm slacking since I don't blog much nowadays. Haha.

Final Verdict:
6/10. A nice decent big bowl of Pan Mee if you're craving to have some and you're at SS2 area since it's available till late nights unlike those hawker stalls.

Read More

Chao Zhou Bak Kut Teh, SS18, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
7, Jalan SS 18/1b, Ss 18, 47500 Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
9am - 2:30pm & 5pm - 9pm
Closed on Mondays

Time Visited:
Friday evening, 7:30pm

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Mix pork meat including Pork Stomach & Intestines & Chinese Tea Ice

I remember eating here once or twice a very, very long time ago with the best boss I've ever had brought me and some of my department's colleague here to eat Bak Kut Teh. I wonder what happened to him? Probably had left to live in Singapore for good.

Anyway, today's the day that I decided to try again this Bak Kut Teh shop since I can't remember the taste of this place at all. It was a very unlucky day for me. Things just don't seem to go my way and I lose money instead of making money from working. On top of that, I was mistaken as someone else and had a good scolding from that person when I had never met him before at all. Finally, I took my car to service and today's the last straw that I'm taking there to service ever again. Today really hit the nail on the coffin because I found out that I was lied to by the person who attended to me. I specifically told him a few times to check what was loose under my car and fix it back up for me. But when I get my car back, there's no mention of them checking it and so I specifically ask about it. The person then said that the foreman had found nothing missing and no problem and he himself had checked it and found no problem too. That was so surprising to hear that because I saw something was loose under my car and I tied it myself with a string to prevent that thing from hitting the ground. I showed him and he took it to take a look at it again. Then he came back and started saying about how my side skirt had a problem and the clips were all gone which I already know a long time ago but that wasn't the thing I told him to check. Then finally, in a nonchalant manner, he told me it was the undercarriage and that they had tied it up with cable ties. I hate being lied to especially when it's people whom I trusted. I'm never going back again. Reminded me of that all too familiar person who lied to me through and through and hurt me till I'm beyond repair but yet people believe that person more than I do even though I've never lied to them at all just because that person is way more fun to hang out with. That's why I've stopped hanging out with those people anymore and hence A-Lone Diner is born. LOL.

Anyway, enough with my back story and my unlucky day. This post is about Bak Kut Teh. More specifically, Chao Zhou Bak Kut Teh. The guys at the service center since to have used up a lot of my petrol and so I needed to go to a petrol station to refill. I was thinking of the place near my home but I saw way too many people queuing up there and so I decided to pump near this Bak Kut Teh place. But to get to there during peak hours was difficult as I needed to make a lot of detours to avoid the jam so that I don't run out of petrol in unpredictable traffic jams. Finally, I manage to make it here. *Phew* This area seems to have more people coming here for food than during lunch hours. LOL. Must be those Subang residents who decided to stop here for dinner to wait out the jam.

As I enter, an old woman greeted me and asked me what I like to eat. She then had asked me on different ingredients and I said yes to everything. LOL. So it's a mixed pot of meat for 1 person with pork stomach and intestines and also a bowl of Chinese Crullers. There was quite enough portion of pork meat inside compared to Ah Sang Bak Kut Teh but mostly is the pork intestines. There's about 2 Taufu Pok and the broth was quite watered down and feels as if a lot of MSG instead of herbs in it because it makes me feel very thirsty. But the meat was satisfying enough though the taste of the overall dish could be improve a lot more. It does satiate your cravings should you be around Subang Jaya area but there are definitely way a lot more better shops to eat Bak Kut Teh than this place, As for the Yau Char Kuey (Chinese Crullers), it's so hard to eat on it's own. I have to soak it long so that its' soft enough to eat. It has been left out for way too long. Probably had bought it somewhere else in the morning. :(

Well, the upside of this place is that there's plenty of place to sit and eat. LOL. In fact, most customers here are just lone diners like me. Haha.

Total Wallet Damage:
Altogether is RM18. 

Final Verdict:
5/10. There's tons more better Bak Kut Teh places to eat from rather than here.

Read More

Hutton Mansion Wine Haus, Georgetown, Penang Island (Pulau Pinang), Malaysia

Address:
149, Jalan Hutton, 10050 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
6 pm to 12 am. Closed on Sundays.

Time Visited:
Saturday, 7pm

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Their Set Dinner, I chose the Amber Chin's Signature Aglio-olio with Pork Belly and to drink, White Wine. Tomato Soup.

"So what are you doing in Penang?" That seems to be the theme of my visit there. Many seemed to ask me this question and each time I'm at the receiving end of this question during that day, I pause for a moment and my mind will just be slated blank. To tell you the truth, I don't even know why I drove all the way to Penang at such a late time of the day just to have a bite and depart back to PJ on the same day. I guess all I wanted to do is distract my mind by keeping myself busy.

Let me start earlier. The day started off with me working from morning till after lunch time where I can't really recall whether I did eat my lunch or breakfast or not but one thing's for sure, I started heading for Penang when the clock surpass 3pm. I stopped by at Sungkai to refuel my car and after that, it was all the way straight to Penang non-stop. When I reached Penang, it had already turned 7 o'clock. Just the perfect time for dinner. And so I headed to Hutton Mansion Wine Haus. It started to rain heavy when I arrive but that didn't deter me.

Hutton Mansion Wine Haus is actually the restaurant that's associated with the Hutton Mansion boarding hostel. I guess that's the main business as oppose to this F&B side. When I was there, I was the only person to enter for food. I was hospitably welcomed and been shown the menu. The sofa area of the place looks congenial, cozy and tones you down a notch. The lighting gives me a sleepy feel and puts me at ease. They allowed me time to look at the menu and I went for their Dinner Set which consists of many main course choices....just different pricing. LOL. As I await for my pasta, I gazed out of the window and get lost in the rain. Over on the opposite side, there's a wine shop and there wasn't much of anyone walking by the road except for a few tourists.

Pretty soon, I was served my wine. The wine was easy on the throat and wasn't heavy on the alcohol level. It provides a certain sweetness syncing with some soft touch of sourness. It certainly was a very pleasant to the mouth feel. I was soon served the appetizer which they name it "Duck Salad with Orange Sauce". Okay, so it's more of a descriptive name rather than an intriguing one but at least you know what you're getting. LOL. Though there's merely 2 peels of mandarin orange on top, the citrus taste permeates throughout the whole of the salad due to it being splashed with the orange sauce and the strong taste only is rivaled by the duck's salty taste. The duck is thick in it's slices and was tender. A nice combination in all even though the greens merely provided a crunch rather than it's refreshing leafy taste.

The next dish is the Tomato Soup. It's served together with a garlic bread which proved to be an odd combination. Without the garlic bread, the Tomato Soup taste way better so I much prefer separating the 2 to eat. The tomato soup was rich though not too thick. Enough for a satisfying slurp that I lapped up the whole dish.

Next came the main course. Garnishing includes some olives that provided some taste of sweetness and I can see sprinkles of cheese but my tongue fail to detect any of it when I put it in my mouth. The pork belly was delightful and some has a crispy texture outside and provides a somewhat chewy taste. It can also sit there for awhile and the pork belly is still warm when I ate it even to the last bit. It was a little too spicy for me since they spruce it up with cili padi but nothing a little water can't combat.

The staff of the place was very hospitable but also gave me ample space I need and only approach when necessary and occasionally just to get my feedback. Not bad even though I was the only one there, they still made sure that everything's alright with me. With a little wine, low lighting and the rain outside, it made me feel rather sleepy and so after that, I decided to go grab some coffee at The Safe Room down the road instead before heading off home. Thanks for the hospitality, Hutton Mansion Wine House.

Total Wallet Damage:
Just RM48 all in. Pretty sweet! No mention of GST nor service charge anywhere so I guess they don't charge.

Final Verdict:
7/10. The food was good and the selection of wine was nice. The only thing is the Tomato Soup does not go with Garlic Bread though you can just eat it separately. Although all the food is good, I just felt as if somethings missing. It's like it could've been perfect if something is added to it. Or maybe there could be dessert? LOL. Or maybe it's just because I had one of the most awesome set lunch ever at Sage Restaurant & Bar, The Gardens not too long before this and I just can't stop comparing that to this. That's not a fair comparison. Haha.

Read More

Gridz Cafe, Plaza Danau 2, Taman Danau Desa, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
( 1st Floor), 31-1, Plaza Danau 2, Jalan 109f, Taman Danau Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily 11am - 10pm except Tuesdays

Time Visited:
New Year's Eve, Saturday, 4:30pm

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Porkie Pasta, Flower Tea (combination of 3 flowers which I chose Lavender, Globe Amaranth, and Peach Flower)

After working for some time, I decided to go for a break and head off to Gridz Cafe for a meal. As I arrive at the venue, the lunch crowd has just disperse from the place and I was the only one there. LOL. Being on the first floor of a place that seems a little quiet, they tend to lock their doors for safety so if no one notices you at the door, you'll have to ring the doorbell for them to open for you.

This place was still stuck in Christmas mode with decorations still in the Christmas spirits and delightful Christmas melodies filled the air. They run the business as a family and so you get that homely feel to it when you're there. It's always a pleasure to see older folks interacting with younglings as if you were in their home. They even converse and entertained me as a guest of a family instead of a customer. It's rather amusing having to receive a cookie to try as they try to promote it that they're gonna make and sell it soon for the Chinese New Year.

The food and drink items that I ordered materialized onto my table a little longer than I expected. However, the owner apologized to me when she refilled my teapot with hot water saying that the lunch crowd had just left and they were so busy just before I came. I felt as if I came to their house for a visit and that I'm a family friend of theirs. Haven't had such a homely vibe for such a long time, not since the Pig Out Cafe at Parklane Commercial Center, Kelana Jaya.

Anyway, the food was okay. The Porkie Pasta is obviously a porcine dish that consists of Minced Pork and Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage) which it is quite unique in itself since it fuses the Chinese elements into this western dish. As for the Flower Tea, that was a delight to me even though I just simply pick and choose 3 different main ingredients as my tea. I ended up staying longer than I wanted to due to the need to wait for the rain to stop. Once it did, I was off to continue my work that day till it started to rain and being lazy, I decided to go home to sleep instead.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM21. RM13 for the pasta, RM8 for the tea. Quite cheap and there's no service charge nor GST as well!

Final Verdict:
6/10. There's much room to be improve for this place ie the food could taste better and more memorable. The environment was lovely and the people were friendly and homely. But being just newly opened not too long ago, it's definitely a good start to improve on.

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

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

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

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

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

The Pork Place, IOI Boulevard, Bandar Puchong Jaya, Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
31, IOI Boulevard, Jalan Kenari 7,
Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47100 Puchong,
Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday
Lunch : 11.30am - 3.00pm
Dinner : 6.00pm - 10.00pm
Fresh Meat : 10.00am - 8.oopm

Time Visited:
Sunday evening, 6pm.

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Fried Pork Belly, Apple Puff and Double Decker Pork Bacon Burger

One day, a colleague of mine mentioned that she most love eating pork food at The Pork Place and so this lovely Sunday where all I did was laze around in bed all day, I decided to give it a try.

I soon found out that they're actually a place that's under the same brand where I use to love going to eat for my pork fix way back called Sanbanto in SS2. That's a bit of a surprise for me. So they did very well and decided to opened up another pork meat mart with dining area at Puchong. I wanted to see how they fair and if they had lived up to how I envisioned them of how they use to be at the Sanbanto place so I set foot upon The Pork Place. In this outlet, it has a similar vibe to how I know of Sanbanto at SS2 and that it contains slightly posh and romantic vibe. The simple menu with few pages on it arrived at my hands and I took the time to study out the menu in and out. And yes, it was basically what my colleague had described, a place mainly on all pork dishes.

Since I was lazing in bed the whole day that Sunday, I was feeling a bit peckish and somehow my ordering went wild with me going for the Fried Pork Belly, the Double Decker Pork Bacon Burger and an Apple Puff dessert. I wanted to order an Affogato but they didn't have coffee so I just skip the beverage and just went with their water to drink. The wall at one end were splayed with pictures of weird pig paintings in different apparels and characters while the center sits a big flat screen TV playing some food channel that caught my eye. During that moment, the program that was on was Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Home Cooking and the colors of the ingredients and food as he cooked away with some kids just had me glued my eyes onto it till my food arrives.

It didn't take long till a bowl of Fried Pork Belly was plonked on my table. I gather it's due to the lack of crowd during that period where they've just opened for dinner but still it's a very commendable effort that they're able to produce that Fried Pork Belly in such a quick time. It was delicious to say the least and despite it being pork belly, you can't really taste fat part in it and was all meaty parts which makes it really good without the guilt and remorse of getting fat psychologically and without the greasy feel of the fat upon your mouth. The sweet and tangy type of sauce that comes with the Fried Pork Belly was quite a good and provides a different taste to it if you decide to dip in it. When I was almost done with the bowl of Fried Pork Belly, my Double Decker Pork Bacon Burger came for me to consume.

It did look huge and somewhat of what I remember eating at Sanbanto with the plating different. It used to be in a row with the salad on one side and the fries on the other and although it's still the same layout basically, the plate has now been a bigger one instead of the "sitting-pretty-in-a-row" kind. The chips were okay and but the burger is a little too dry for me. But it's full of porky goodness and I quite love it but not as much as I used to before. Maybe because I overdose on the pork with the Fried Pork Belly earlier. LOL.

They cleared off my finished dishes and brought me my Apple Puff without me telling them and that is quite a nice service to me. They also refilled my water cup a few times even without me asking them which to me is quite a good service. The Apple Puff were a little disappointing because generally it's a small piece of apple pie that's halved with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and some cinnamon on top. To me, it was merely ordinary and a little overpriced at RM10.90 for that. That's the only thing that had disappointed me.

I left 2 hours later after I was in there with my meal complete and a very full tummy. I seemed to have gone overboard on the ordering but managed to finished everything anyway so all's good. LOL.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM63.25. GST 6% is charged but to my surprise, service charge isn't and yet they gave such excellent service. I should've left a tip had I known better.

Final Verdict:
7/10. Sanbanto, SS2 was my favorite go to place for pork last time and it's where I brought some friends to eat last time. But over the years, I staved off it due to me going always going for Nasi Kandar Pelita whenever I'm in SS2 but it was about high time I revisit with their renovated place. The Pork Place has some resemblance to the memory of Sanbanto in my mind but there are many points of difference as well. But I think my cravings for pork has finally diminished and at best would occasionally spur me for a visit or two but never the I just gotta have some today kind anymore.

Read More