Restoran 328, SS25, Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor

Address:
4, Jalan SS 25/23, Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia 47301

Opening Hours:
Early mornings till evenings? I think. LOL. Maybe 7am - 8pm? Daily?

Time Visited:
11:45am Monday (Public Holiday)

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Roasted Duck with Steamed Chicken Rice and Kopi Peng.

Well, I wasn't intending to blog about this kopitiam but a very familiar sign and the roasted duck rice had prompted me to do so. You see, awhile back, I purposely went to this place: http://www.alonediner.blogspot.com/2016/09/poh-kei-roasted-duck-taman-mayang.html to try out the roasted duck there. It was regarded as a very good one and it was the closest to my place so I went there to try it out but turns out to be a total disappointment. But it seems to me that I have mistaken. That said good roasted duck has actually moved to Restoran 328 which is nearby. The sign on their stall even said that they're Poh Kei.

It all started with me just wanting to go for my lunch before I call it a day and head back home. I have always wanted to try this kopitiam called Restoran 328 but most of the time I see as if that place does not seemed opened. So on this fine day, I decided to go there and eat which is just next to the St. Ignatius Church at Kelana Jaya. I was kinda disappointed when I went because I only saw about 3 stalls opened so I thought to myself, just go for something simple and just order the roasted duck with steamed chicken on the chicken rice stall in the front. I saw the sign saying that they're Poh Kei but I couldn't remember why the name sounded so familiar to me. So I waited for my food and I ordered my drink. Since there weren't many people there, it came quite soon and when they told me that it's RM9, I had a shock. I was wondering why is this rice stall so expensive. It only dawned on me when I started tasting the duck. It was very delicious. Just like how the reviews indicated that prompted me to visit the other one which I was unaware that they've shifted here. LOL. It all started to click when I tasted the excellent duck with it's raunchy gravy and looking back at the name and also it's higher than normal price. So THIS is Poh Kei. The other one I had was just a filler of the space. LOL. This was where they shifted. Not only were their Roasted Duck grave and meat delicious, their chili too seems to have a distinct unique taste which I enjoyed very much. I can even eat just the chili with the rice on it's on. This definitely is a very good recommended place for eating roasted duck since it's so near my place but of course, I still feel Sunrise is better. But then again, I haven't eaten Sunrise roasted duck for over a decade. Anyway, this is good enough and very satisfying. A definite recommendation from me for the roasted duck. I believe it's best paired with the roasted pork because well, the steamed chicken was nothing to shout about. In fact, it's pathetic. LOL. But be prepared to fork out the premium price for this. However, I still feel it's worth it. I shall return to eat here again.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM9 for the Roasted Duck and Steamed Chicken rice with the coffee costs RM2.20. Normal price which is good. :)

Final Verdict:
8/10. Definitely on the A category for me. A definite to return for me especially being so near my place. LOL.

Read More

Jaipur Mahal, Glomac Cyberjaya, Cyber 4, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Address:
No 7, Block H, Jalan GC9,
Glomac Cyberjaya, 63000
Cyber 4, Cyberjaya,
Selangor D.E, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Lunch:
1 PM to 3 PM
Dinner:
5:30 PM to 10:30 PM
Ok, here's the odd thing. They have breakfast in their menu but they stated that their opening hours starts from 1pm? Not sure what is their exact opening hours.

Time Visited:
8:20pm. Sunday night

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Kadai Mushrooms, Balti Gosht, Steamed white rice and Masala Tea.

I meant to visit this place a few times back but I just keep putting it off and it was supposed to be the one at Jalan Ipoh but only today was I finally able to spare the time to visit an outlet of Jaipur Mahal. I decided to go for the one at Cyberjaya since nighttime, there will be no traffic there and parking would be a breeze. I also thought that the place would be quite quiet and empty being at Cyberjaya at night. When I arrived there, I was quite correct. There were only 1 other table occupied when I stepped in but later on, there were a few other families who came to eat there. Being a very pure North Indian restaurant, the people who ate there were, well, Indians. I was the only Chinese who was there to dine and also the only person who went there on my own. LOL.

The snooty display of the North Indian permeates the restaurant and the staff put on much class and air of superiority like a butler and jeeve. Despite sitting far from the counter, the staff were attentive enough to my needs. I guess that's mainly due to the emptiness of the place during that time before others walked in. I made my order and off they were to prepare my meal. As an appetizer, they serve me some Indian chips and I believe the other one is a dessert? Because it's sweet. Well, I could be wrong. It could be an appetizer. I have no idea what those are called. LOL. I'm not really well verse with Indian dishes. Those 2 items were compliments of the house.

They took little to no time to bring me my meal, surprisingly. Before I knew it, everything was already served to me. The mushrooms were lacking, I wish it was of a stronger taste but in the end, if you ate a lot in succession, you can taste a stronger taste of it. I quite like the Balti Gosht. That to me was something most strongest in it's taste. It's actually tender lamb that's cooked with tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger with some herbs and spices. This was my favorite among all. The steam rice that they gave were basmati rice. Long thin looking but they cooked it really nicely and it goes well with all of the other dish. I came to conclude my meal with my masala tea. Unfortunately too the masala tea was lacking in strong taste. Everything just seemed so pale in their taste except for the chips and the lamb. But I did enjoy the meal. It's not that it didn't taste nice. It just wasn't as strong a taste as I expected. I also liked the quiet atmosphere which is always a plus for Cyberjaya area. LOL. At such a late hour over there, Not only there's plenty of free parking with very wide roads so no jam at all, but also the very quiet place. Like a small town but with very huge area and very developed roads and buildings.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM50.45. Well, I don't really consider it expensive despite it's name. LOL. Maybe I've been too influenced by Korea seeing that I was just back and food over there is expensive compared to over here. There's 6% GST but no service charge though they had good service.

Final Verdict:
I shall rate this 7/10. For their ambiance, their service, and what they really are for. The food overall is not bad but I certainly would like some dishes to have a more stronger taste.

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

Tang City Food Court, City Centre, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
21-27, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 6am - 10pm (Most likely)

Time Visited:
10am, Sunday Morning

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Roasted Pork and Chicken Rice and Kopi Peng (Iced Coffee)

I didn't realized that I've been here before until I stepped inside. After going inside the food court, only then did all the memories started flooding back.

I remembered this used to be my alternative lunch location. The place that I most frequent which only did I remember after stepping in here was the wan tan mee (noodles) located beside this food court which is just an alleyway. Whenever the wan tan mee stall is closed, I would go in here as an alternative. The guy who mans the wan tan mee stall in the alleyway runs the stall with his wife. The guy is really hot tempered and sometimes has his temper flaring while his wife who bears the brunt just tolerates it. But the guy merely scolds when he's under pressure. Never once did he lay his hands on her. But somehow, the guy always treats me really nicely and with respect, even when he's under pressure and am angry. Whenever he's that way, he may scold his wife and some customers who irritates him, but to me, he'll just keep quiet and will just acknowledge what I say, most of the time with a nod. And he's Wan Tan Mee is cheap since he's just operating in an alleyway. LOL. He's the last stall in the alleyway. There's also one more stall before him which is most closest to the main road walkway of the Petaling Street tourists. I guess that's why I became a regular customer of his when I was working nearby there. Since he's stall is further in the alleyway, most people will not manage to see it. Well, he don't open on Sundays so this day, he wasn't open. I wonder if he's still operating there?

Anyway, I walked in Tang City Food Court full of nostalgia with a tear trickling down my cheek when I remembered about the Wan Tan Mee fella in the side alleyway. Over here at Tang City Food Court, nothings changed. Everythings just the same as I can remember even the stalls. The price has increased and it's still dearer than market price. Well, that's what you get from eateries around the city centre.

So I went for the chicken rice stall that day. This time I called for the roasted pork and chicken. It's still as oily and greasy as before and the roasted pork tasted floury. The rice tasted dry and it's expensive. I should've just went nearby and try the famous porridge stall instead. Can you believe all my years of even working nearby I have never once eaten that famous porridge stall at all? LOL. Because it's usually crowded with people. Anyway, I should've went for it that day since there's place to sit that day though it will be really hot in there. Anyway, the chicken rice wasn't satisfactory but that's the way it has been all these years. The kopi peng may potentially save this place as it's thick and kao enough and much more than other kopitiams. If you want variety, this place offers you many different food of choice but expect a less than average food for an above average pricing. You're better off just going opposite to Lai Foong for the beef noodles. At least that's guaranteed to taste good and satisfactory if you eat beef.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM8 for the Roasted Pork and Chicken Rice and RM2.40 for the Kopi Peng.

Final Verdict:
5/10. The only thing good about this place is the variety they offer. Other than that, if you're willing to spend, go opposite the main road to Lai Foong instead and taste the beef noodles.

Read More

Restoran A'Tan Coffee Shop 阿旦私房菜, Taman Connaught, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
125, Jalan Sarjana, Taman Connaught, Cheras 56000 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Thurs - Tues: 11am - 10pm with 3-5pm break

Time Visited:
7pm, Saturday evening

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Sausage Fried Rice with Egg and Lemon Tea Iced

While I was searching for this restaurant, I noticed that the parking at this place is fast and quickly disappearing and so I parked my car the moment I saw a parking spot. Unknown to me, it was just at the shop itself already.

With a faded sign and one below that's hidden at the inner sanction also a much plain signage on the top, despite the fact that there are 3 signs to tell you that there's the shop, it's still easy to miss to me. I find that the people within this vicinity take their dinner about this time around late 6pm to early 7pm. The dead giveaway indication would be the scarcity of the parking and the many people flocking to eateries; This place included. There were still some place left when I got there and so I plonk myself down to the nearest table where the menu was already present there. After browsing through it, I placed my order and await for it.

From what I gathered during my time there, most people who come here are already regulars who lived around the area and the staff there also recognize a lot of them. The waiting for the food was tiring because it was so slow to come out. I guess a lot of care in preparing the food has been done. LOL. The food eventually came and it seems rather eye-pleasing. The wonderful vibrant colors of the fried rice with the perfect fried egg on top just makes it easy to spot as the star when the redness from the table and the walls which I find it quite an unusual color to pick for a restaurant just seemed to dull off the surrounding view. The taste of the food was rather okay. Nothing of fantastic annotation but satisfactory enough for the tummy. The lemon tea was just your ordinary, nothing unusual lemon tea. Their drink signature is actually the A Tan White Coffee but I didn't try it that day. I was already full of 2 cans of coffee that day.

Though I'm not sure why the long wait for the food but I deduce that it could be because this is actually more of a restaurant where you order vegetables and meat to go with your rice rather than individual dishes. That could very well be the reason.

I went off feeling really tired and sleepy as I began my long journey home. I tried it out going home without the GPS and initially got really lost and got stuck in a jam instead. Eventually, I found familiar roads and managed to make my way home. Phew. What a very tiring day.

Total Wallet Damage:
Erm. I forgot what's the total price and I wasn't given a receipt. But in the menu, it's written that the fried rice costs RM7 and the Iced Lemon Tea is RM3.60.

Final Verdict:
6/10. Well, decent enough to eat but kind of a long wait for my food and it can get pretty full during peak time.

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

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

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

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

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

Attire worn:
Casual

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read More

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

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

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

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

Attire worn:
Casual

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read More

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

Fierce Curry House, Bangsar Utama, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:

16 Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar Utama, Bangsar 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Opening Hours:

Mon-Sun:

10:30 am - 10:30 pm

Time Visited:
12:50pm. Merdeka Day!

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
North Indian Thali Set, Mutton Masala and Mango Lassi

Holiday and no work to do, not even part time work and so I decided to head on down to Fierce Curry House to try it out. It started raining when I parked and was forced to carry an umbrella in order not to appear soaking wet when I arrive at the restaurant. I soon sat myself down on the outer area and I didn't go in to the air conditioned area which is indoors. Outside, there was a college student counselor being interviewed by one of the college students I guess with regards to suicide. She related on how society condemns the tortured suicidal ones and that society as a general just shuns them. She lost some family members to suicide and something about one of them was her brother who's very, very bright or something like that and that suicide is something that can be cured. I phase in and out of their very long conversation as I await for somebody to approach me with the menu.

It seems that one of them is the owner of the restaurant and is busy with something with another guy at the cash register. The other guy notices me that I've been sitting down for awhile and not being attended to and motion to me to wait awhile as he continued further to attend to his boss. After at long last, he and the owner finally finished up their business at the cash register and the guy hurried to me with the menu. I studied it quick and started ordering the North Indian Thali Set. He said that it was vegetarian and I said it's okay because I wanted to try the mutton masala as well. And for drinks I went for the Mango Lassi. This is a place that serves both North Indian and the South Indian rice set. When asked what's the difference he said the North Indian set is non-spicy while the other is. Fair representation. That's quite true in any case.

It didn't take long for it to be served. The Mango Lassi was quite delightful. Thick and creamy with good mango taste and not too sweet. It may not be as thick as Tetra House of Briyani which is a place that serves excellent Briyani rice that leaves you craving for it at times but it's just as good.

Pretty soon, the Thali Rice set arrived and the waiter who served me noticed that I still had not gotten my Mutton Masala and signaled to some staff to serve it to me. They put everything sitting pretty in the Thali with 5 different vegetables, Vegetable Curry and Dhal, Rasam for appetizer some Pappadoms, my fave Salted Fried Chili, a Chapati along with rice and oddly enough, Kesari is given together with this set straight away though Kesari to me is known to be a dessert. I guess it's like those set where it comes with dessert like fruits and they serve the whole thing all at once. Everything's handy dandy and nice except that the Pappadom disappointed me a bit. It wasn't crispy and already gone soft. The rest were what I expected it to taste like and was good especially the Mutton Masala which I could eat more off than just that small plate.

The service here is quite good too with the owner going around making sure that things are okay with his patrons by asking them and he even stop and have a chatter with some of them too. I find that to be quite nice of him to make sure everything's alright.  The rain stopped before I even started eating and the scorching sun came out again after that. I headed off as soon as I've finished my meal in satisfaction. Mmm, but my short recall of the time had Tetra has got me craving for there again. Maybe it's high time I go back to Tetra to try.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM29. RM10 for the North Indian Thali Set and RM12 for the Mutton Masala. Mango Lassi is RM6. GST 6% is required.

Final Verdict:
7/10. Not a bad place to eat instead of the overcrowded area opposite, this is a more quieter side of town.

Read More

Poh Kei Roasted Duck, Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor

Address:
2, Jln SS25/16, Taman Mayang, 47301 Petaling Jaya (PJ), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat:
10:30 am - 2:30 pm

Time Visited:
Saturday Afternoon...well, almost, 11:30am

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Roasted Duck Rice. 

PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT POH KEI. THEY SHIFTED DOWN TO RESTORAN 328 WHICH IS BESIDE ST. IGNATIUS CHURCH

I've always love eating roasted duck and so far I've always fancied eating at Sunrise and Loong Foong Seafood which both are by far still the best that I've ever had. But eating at those location were only when I'm with someone and looking at the ever crowded place usually puts me off in going on my own. So then on this day I decided to try out Poh Kei Roasted Duck which is very near my house.

Housed in a typical shoplot that looks more like a house, it sits at the corner on it's own and from the outside, you wouldn't even know that it's a place to eat since it does not carry big signage to indicate that it's a restaurant. Rather, it's more towards the hearsay of people that you would know what this place is. Arriving at near lunchtime, the place was almost deserted with 2 groups of patrons there to have their share of rice. The only thing that's known to me at this place was the rice stall which carries a good number of different meat. It was only after I sat down awhile and started glancing over to the other side of this place is that I saw a forlorn noodles stall there which is actually opened for business. But today's mission was to try out the roasted duck rice and so that's what I went for. There really wasn't that many people who came by when I was there but they have an optimistically great number of meat displayed at their stall. I must say wow.

Pretty soon my Roast Duck Rice came and I got to tasting it. To tell you the truth, I don't see it as a really good roasted duck and to me it was only average. It didn't have that crispy skin texture that I so love nor the great tasting duck with it's sauce that would make me craving for me. All I'm getting is a decent average tasting duck. But the rice portion was quite big though and that's probably the best plus point of it all. Other than that, I don't see anything else really good to this and to me it's just another average rice stall.

I wonder what happen to the time where it boasted many people lining up for their roasted duck meat? I guess, this day just wasn't it. Maybe it's due to the long holiday that had people travelling away from their home but all I saw on that day were trickles of customers who's some are not even there for roast duck. Oh well. I guess it's time for me to return to Sunrise or eat at Loong Foong Seafood for roasted duck again. I probably should do it on my own one day should I be able to defeat the crowd. :(

Total Wallet Damage:
RM7. Quite expensive for a Roasted Duck Rice but that was the price that I was charged.

Final Verdict:
5.5/10. Price is high, duck is average. The rice portion is big though so that's probably the only plus point to me. I think I prefer the one at Glenmarie more where it's cheaper and the duck tasted better.

Read More

Li Restaurant, SS22, Damansara Jaya (DJ), Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor

Address:
47, Jalan SS 22/23, Ss 22, Damansara Jaya (DJ) 47400 Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Sundays: 10:30AM–5PM
Mondays: Closed
Tuesdays - Saturdays: 11:30AM–9:30PM

Time Visited:
7pm, Saturday night

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Pork Toast, Go All Out, Blistered French Beans and Earl Grey Tea and Soy Milk Panna Cotta for dessert. My friend drank the Lemongrass Water

DISCLAIMER: This was not a lone dining experience.

It was the last day before my friend flies off to UK to further her studies. I very much wanted to spend one last time before she do so and with the great stroke of luck, she had this Saturday night free to meet up with me for a meal. :D

The decision that she made was to go to Li Restaurant to try and that's what we did. Being eager to see her, I arrived right on time at the stipulated time of meeting. Initially, I wanted to pick her up and go together but she was already out with friends that day and so we decided to just meet up with each other and I'll fetch her home. Around 15 minutes later she walked in and I was glad to see her. Though I had failed to rope in others to meet up with her that day, at least I found the satisfaction of me being able to see her.

The staff at this place was chirpy and very friendly. I can see that they're very dedicated with their job and their creation. Though it carries a Chinese connotation to it's restaurant, it's far from it and is actually a cafe. The design of the cafe is a modern meets antique items and reality meets fantasy with quirks like a sign indicating Narnia on it's store room door. Once the menu was passed to us, the overly enthusiastic waitress decided to explain the entire menu to us which we allowed her to do so. I can see her passion in it and she kept on explaining away on the items one after another with suggestions on what we should have. I see that it's a common practice for her and that's what she did throughout. Pretty soon, I decided to go with what she had recommended and that was Go All Out, a dish that's rice with Chicken and Pork Belly. My friend had earlier ate something and decided to go lighter and so she ordered the Pork Toast and some French Beans and we were to share everything.

With the many unique dishes that they've named up in their menu, I can see that they put some care into making the things because it took longer that I anticipated for their things to arrive. The Pork Toast came first and that's basically their homemade sourdough bread with Chili Mayo Sauce zig-zagged on top and some herbs (read: coriander leaves). Does it contain any pork? Mmm, I don't think so. Or maybe there is. But either way, I can't tell nor taste if there's any. The biggest taste among all would be the Chili Mayo which gives off some spice heat as you dig into the bread. The Coriander wasn't helpful in the taste department but overall, the pork toast mostly taste good with it's Chili Mayo. But does it have to be that expensive? RM9.50? Anyway, a good experience on eating that.

The French Beans tasted exactly how it should be and was seasoned fine. But other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. Moving on to the Go All Out, it is how it is described and that is Rice with Chicken and Pork Belly. The Pork Belly feels a little too fat for me to consume but the grilled chicken in it was nice. I like how they added a soft boiled egg into the mix which to me, anything with eggs make things greater because I love eggs. And putting in the soft boiled egg in there just makes it more wonderful. Me and my friend chatted the whole evening away with her very tired self showing on the occasional yawn. LOL. Sorry. But I just wanna make the most of this.

Later on, the waitress again appeared before us and asked if we would like to go for their dessert to which I obliged. I went with they Soy Milk Panna Cotta. It was okay. Sometimes I find it a bit too sweet due to the Gula Melaka but it does have it's tasty moment and I like the soft texture of the Panna Cotta. We later on adjourned to somewhere else for a drink and after that, we were surprised when we saw the same waitress as we were walking back to my car, she smiled and spoke something to us. I didn't think much of that at that moment and thought that it was my friend's friend but when she said to me that she's friendly, isn't she that's when it hit me that it was the waitress at Li Restaurant. A very friendly person indeed. I just wish I can always have an ounce of that happiness in me like her.

Total Wallet Damage:
All amounted to RM75.15. RM10 for the French Beans and so was the Panna Cotta, RM9.50 for the Pork Toast, Earl Grey Tea costs RM8 while my friend's Lemongrass drink costs RM5.90. Go All Out is the dearest in the list amounting to RM24.90 and there's a 10% service charge involved.

Final Verdict:
6/10. Nice friendly staff and good environment. Bright and cheery even though it's night time. Food is kind of so-so only to me though but above average.

Read More

Thirty Seconds, Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Address:
7-G, Jalan Margosa SD 10/4A, Bandar Sri Damansara, 52200 Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Mon-Tue:
8:00 am - 9:00 pm
Thu:
8:00 am - 9:00 pm
Fri-Sat:
8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sun:
8:00 am - 9:00 pm

Time Visited:
Monday (Public Holiday), 12:50pm.

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Whatever the nice old man at the counter recommended me, the Fatty Rice and the Shakerato.

Public holiday on this day and I've decided to lay off work today because it just isn't worth the money for today. But what I did decide to do is to go to this place called Thirty Seconds to have a try. The area over here was crowded with people and on the street where Thirty Seconds is, there's no parking left and I was left with needing to go on the next road where the houses were to park there. From the outside, it didn't seem much, a little hidden if I may say because the place didn't stand out much. But when I enter, I was surprised to find a lot of people right inside.

To my amusement, a little girl walked up to me and said "Welcome!" LOL. That was so sweet of her and that little girl was actually in no way related to the cafe staff. Just with her family in there for dining and yet she jovially came up to me and said welcome. LOL. I gave em a smile as her mother walks over and tries to beckon her back. I then walked up to the counter and took one of their clipboard menu to have a look at it on what to have. The uncle who works there (probably is one of the owners) sees me and goes over to the cash register ready to take my order and says a hearty welcome to me. I smiled and told him to gimme a moment with the menu. He then starts asking on am I here to dine as well? Without waiting for an answer he starts suggesting things like I can go for their pasta or their breakfast or their rice. Then when I flip over to the other page, he starts suggesting that Fatty Rice which is their version of Nasi Lemak. Go figures. Fatty Rice is direct translation of Nasi Lemak. LOL. So that's what I went for. As for the drinks, the Shakerato caught my eye and so I asked him what it is. He told me that it's coffee with ice that's shaken up like a cocktail. Interesting. So I went with that. He friendly gave me my table number and said where would I like to sit? Then he also started suggesting on where I could sit. LOL. He pointed to a table that's for 2 person in the middle of the aisle in front of the counter and I said that would be perfect. He also gave a mentioned of a table at the side which uses bar stools and tables so it's higher than normal and I said the seating at the middle of the aisle is good.

I sat over there and awaited for my orders. The place was buzzing with many people mostly families all there with their children to have their lunch. So the newer family generation goes to cafe to have their meal, huh? LOL. For beverages at this place, it will not be served to you. Rather, you'd have to pick it up at their pick-up counter. Good thing it was just behind me. Haha. As I was asking for their WiFi password, my Shakerato was done and was placed in front of me to take it. Perfect timing!

The Shakerato was as what was described to me, black coffee that's been shaken like a cocktail with ice. It's very foamy and I would much described it like a cold Cappuccino without the milk. Really, it really is just black coffee with plenty of foam on top. But I quite like their coffee. A little bitterness to it though. Before I was able to take a sip of my drink, I felt a tap on my hips and it turned out to be the little welcomer earlier. Haha. The mother told her to stop bothering me and I was so intrigued that she's so interested in me to get my attention. I gave her a smile.

As for the Fatty Rice, it didn't take long for it to arrived. It is what it is, Nasi Lemak which is their version of it. Well, to me it's a Chinese style kind of Nasi Lemak. The sambal tasted like the ones that are served with Pan Mee and it's quite spicy. The egg was instead a sunny side up egg while your usual Nasi Lemak don't usually serve with a sunny side egg. The closest you'll get would be a fried egg. The fried chicken also looks like a Chinese version of a fried chicken. This ones a little too salty for me but the taste was nice. The egg complements the fragrant rice well and the sambal is the best part to partake. Overall, it was nice and delicious, a cafe Chinese version of nasi lemak.

Soon, the cafe got filled up till there's no place left for newcomers to sit and so I left off in a hurry and went outside to have a look at their residential mascot - the orange cat in front. Yes, just like VCR and Milligram, this too has a residential cat that stays around and sleeps outside of the cafe ignoring the customers around em. LOL. It started drizzling when i left which perfectly help perked my mood up further.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM17 with 6% GST. RM10.38 without GST for Fatty Rice and RM5.66 for the Shakerato. Simply superb. I didn't know their prices can be that affordable. No wonder families flock to this place.

Final Verdict:
9/10. I love this place very much. Maybe it was the added mood booster of the gloomy rainy weather that helps alleviate my aching body of it's tiredness or the fact that it was a public holiday or maybe because there's that adorable little girl that kept being so friendly to me. But I can't deny the fact that despite the busy state of the cafe, they're still efficiently churning out orders, the staff (especially that uncle) were very nice and courteous to me and saw me through from the moment I looked at the menu till I sat at my place and that they even made sure that my food was alright by asking me how was it at the end. All this added up to the nice ambiance of the cafe in addition to above average food and nice coffee. Definitely a want to visit again for me. :)

Read More