Saturday 25 February 2012

Twenty Three Restaurant, Hutan Melintang

Approximately 2 hours from Kuala Lumpur lies a quiet little town known as Hutan Melintang. Due to its proximity to the Straits of Malacca, many of the  people here work in the fishing industry. It is said to be the biggest fishing village in Perak.



Although Hutan Melintang has a population of less than a quarter of a million, you will be surprised to see that there are many….and I mean MANY eateries here! Initially I was at a lost as to where to eat. So, I decided to let my nose lead me. And here was where it led me to - Twenty Three Restaurant. (Note: Although the signage shows Chee Cheong Fun..they don't serve it here!)

It was 9am when I arrived and I could see many people in this corner lot restaurant.(Please note that this restaurant does not have air conditioning). I counted - 1,2,3,4……..9. There were only 9 tables inside this restaurant and a few more along the corridor.

An elderly man is in charge of making drinks. We ordered ‘Kopi-O’ (coffee without milk) and tea.

The coffee was rich – it had a very strong presence of coffee aroma…after all, as I had said earlier, my nose led me here!



The tea had a smooth, pleasant taste and I loved it!



This is the nasi lemak with pieces of chicken and some prawns – a must try here.


This is the wantan mee. Absolutely delicious! The noodles were not oily yet they were not dry! I really enjoyed eating this noodles as I loathe eating oily and sticky noodles. This plate of noodles really made my trip here memorable!








Location of restaurant : 
 Taman Sri Ishaq
36400 Hutan Melintang


Only cash is accepted 


Wednesday 22 February 2012

Wanton Mee at Modesto's Capital Square




So, I head to Modesto’s. I want to check out their Chinese Menu as I have been told that this outlet does pretty reasonable ones in terms of price & quality.



There are many tables outside the outlet and of course many more inside. I opt to sit inside as I don’t want to smell of cigars or cigarettes in the cinema later on. And I must say I ‘donated’ a lot of blood to the mosquitoes that day!!
Now we move on to more important stuff –FOOD! I looked through the Chinese Menu and saw that there were lots of varities – Hokkien noodles, yee mee noodles with prawns, Wan ton noodles, fried rice , sze chuan soup….just to name a few.
I ordered the Wan ton Noodles and an orange juice. I waited quite a while for my noodles…let’s just say my drink was finished before the noodles arrived. The orange juice was superb. I could feel the freshness of the orange used and it was not diluted…just perfect! But be warned that this drink is not cheap…suffice to say it costs more than RM10 per glass.
The Wanton noodles finally arrived. I liked the texture of the noodles – smooth. Very tasty soup too, but I did not really liked the prawn wanton as the prawns were tiny and not that fresh.
I’ll come here again another day & have the Western food, or even the set lunch…until next time, I’ve got a movie to catch. Bye now!!
Modesto's Capital Square
Address: Lot G-02/03/03A, Ground Floor, Cap Square Centre,
No 7, Persiaran Cap Square, 50100 KL.

Opening Hours:12 noon to 3 pm / 5 pm to 3 am
(Closed on Sunday)
Tel : 603 2697 4020
Master, Visa & Amex accepted

I am dying to watch a movie and it seems that most of the tickets are sold out. I’ve been told that when all else fails, just head to Capital Square and you will not only get the tickets but good seats as well. So, I made another trip to Cap Square….bought my tickets (such a breeze mind you!) and I hear my tummy growling…oh, I nearly forgot I need some dinner before the movie. 

Friday 17 February 2012

Old Town Nasi Kandar, PJ Old Town

In a corner of Petaling Jaya which is less

popular with the younger generation i.e PJ

Old Town lies a gem of a Mamak Restaurant

called Old Town Nasi Kandar. I’ve been here

umpteen times that I’ve lost count. So, today I

decided to do a short review of this

restaurant lest this place is forgotten.

To locate this place, simply look for Hong

Leong Bank Old Town. It is located a few

doors away on the next block, i.e on the same

row as Popular Bookstore.



As you walk in, you will be greeted by the

ever smiling cashier by the name of Hossain.

Someone will instantaneously come to take

you order. The two of us ordered roti telur,

roti kosong and of course nasi kandar and

iced Horlicks .



Our food came in a jiffy. This is the roti

kosong served with dhal and also fish curry.

The dhal was good, lots of dhal in this plate.

But the better gravy had to be the fish curry –

full of spices and delectable to the last drop –

we finished up the entire plate of gravy and

asked for more!! That says a lot about the

curry.





This is the roti telur. The server was smart

enough to cut the roti into tiny pieces as my

meal companion today was just a child.

Thumbs up for friendly, efficient and excellent

service.



This is nasi kandar. I only took a piece of

chicken and some long beans. The long beans

were well-cooked, unlike those you find in

many Mamak Stalls which are often slightly

raw. I would say that the piece of fried

chicken was so delicious that I label it as the

hallmark of fried chicken.



I do have one complaint though – the

Horlicks was absolutely toooooo sweet. I just

hope that in future they will reduce the

amount of sugar used in a glass of Horlicks,

at least by up to 70%!



Address: 74-C Jalan Othman
46000 Petaling Jaya

Tel : 03-77831881
Only cash accepted

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Peranakan Place, 1 Utama

The Peranakans refer to the Baba & Nyonya of Chinese
descent who chose to settle in the Straits Settlement namely
Singapore, Malacca& Penang. Peranakan cuisine has a
unique blend of Chinese and Malay influence i.e combining
the Chinese wok technique and the spices usually found in
Malay dishes. As my paternal grandmother was a Nyonya I
do find myself craving for Peranakan food from time to time.
The search for Peranakan food this time around brought me
to……..oh yeah, a place simply called Peranakan Place. As it
was my first time there, I called up the restaurant in 1 Utama
asking for a landmark in order to expedite my search for the
outlet. I was told it was a floor directly above KFC. I
searched frantically for the place…..as I thought it was
directly above the former KFC location. Little did I know that
KFC had moved! Anyway, my craving for Peranakan food
was so strong that I soldiered on. Now that I’ve been there…
I’ll give you a better landmark. If you are coming from the
old wing, look for Watsons and walk on towards the new
wing. You’ll find the outlet easily – it’s located opposite
Mynews Café.

As I approached the restaurant I noticed there were many
tables placed outside, but most of them were occupied by
mothers with strollers….thanks, but no thanks. I opted to be
seated inside and requested for a ROUND table for 10, and to
my horror, was told that they did not have any round tables
which could accommodate 10…just can’t imagine that!! What
a way to start my encounter with this restaurant. We finally
settled for a ‘long table’ which was 3 small tables placed
together. (I for one, do not fancy long tables except when it
comes to Western food!)
I had a look at their ‘Set Promotion’ which was quite
reasonably priced, but decided to go ala carte instead. We
ordered 8 dishes with just warm water for all and the bill
came close to RM300….not too bad considering the portion
was alright. Here are the photos of what we walloped
(partly due to hunger & partly due to all the walking we did
to find the place):-
The ginger & onion beef (RM32 for L size) was well cooked. I
would give this a rating of 8/10 as the beef slices were tender
and well marinated.
The chicken pong the definitely lacked ‘Ommph’ and was
such a let down. The pieces of potatoes were way too soft and
I believe the chicken must have just been taken out of the
freezer when they were sent for cooking and I could see 
traces of blood. This dish costs RM28.00 for an ‘L’ size.
This is the ikan cili garam served with sambal and 4-angled
beans. The fish was a tad too dry for my liking. At RM29.50
for such a tiny fish, I would say it was a rip off. The saving
grace for this dish, however, was the sambal. It tasted just
perfect and when you spread this over the fish, the entire
dish somehow became more palatable.
Kerabu ladies finger (RM16 – again for L size)- a simple dish
of ladies fingers cut into two & boiled, and thereafter served
with sambal. I noticed that the sambal for this kerabu differs
from the earlier one which accompanied the ikan cili garam.
Albeit simple, this dish was certainly the star of the meal.
Next was the brased nyonya bean curd which was a total
disappointment –the only dish which we did not finish. The
gravy was too starchy and the tofu tasted very blend. Thank
God we only ordered a small portion for RM13.
We also had otak-otak (RM10.90). What we were served was
slightly burnt and was therefore not what was expected –too
dry for me!
Gerang assam fillet (RM49 for L portion) was another dish
which I thoroughly enjoyed. If I ever come here again, I
would order this dish for sure. The assam was not too sour
and the aroma was very good
Sambal prawn with petai (RM36 for L size) was a little too
hot for me. It was served with some cucumber slices and I
must say that the prawns were big and fresh.
Address : F221C First Floor
1 Utama

Bandar Utama
Reservations : +603-7728 8728
Mastercard & Visa accepted

Sunday 12 February 2012

Sakae Sushi, Aeon Bukit Tinggi Klang



Another weekend is here and I long for Japanese
food at affordable prices. I’ll head to Sakae Sushi
Bukit Tinggi as parking there should not be a
problem as compared to other bigger shopping
complexes.
Sakae means growth in Japanese and according to
their website the name was chosen because it also
sounds like Sake, the traditional Japanese wine.
The first thing you will notice here when you step in
is that every table has a computer screen. Just click
and your order is sent directly to the kitchen. You
will also notice a tap at each table. The tap dispenses
hot water and is used if you order a drink of green
tea. You will be given a tea bag and you will have to
fill (and refill) it yourself.

I ordered mogu-mogu, a bottled drink (RM6.90)
 each. I’ll say the grapes tasted far better than the
orange. Both had cubes of ‘jelly’ in them. A little over-
priced for such a tiny bottle!
I also ‘clicked’ my order which was the beef set
(Hanabi Teishoku) which was priced at RM33.90.
The meat was tender and I loved it. Along with the set
came jelly fish (not something I fancy), rice (of
course!), tempura and chawanmushi. Frankly the
batter for the tempura was a little too thick for me.
The chawanmushi on the other hand was soft and
smooth.


I also took some food from the belt. The edamame
was a big regret as it was way too soggy.
Mochi-typically eaten during the New Year in Japan
is made of pounded glutinous rice and then moulded
into shape. This one tasted excellent and I ate up all 3
of them.
Ajitsuke idako (seasoned baby octopus sushi) had a
strange flavor and I didn’t really like it.
This is hukka wakame –a type of edible seaweed
which has a subtle sweet flavour. I ate it all up
because it was not only delicious but was packed with
nutrition (often referred to as the health treasure of
the sea)
Here’s the price guide for Sakae Sushi:-
Address : Lot F17,
Aeon Bukit Tinggi Shopping Centre
No. 1, Persiaran Batu Nilam 1/KS6, Bandar Bukit
Tinggi 2
41200 Klang,
Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel : 603-3326 2835
Fax : 603-3326 2836
Credit cards accepted

Thursday 9 February 2012

Makan Trip to Ipoh -Nam Fatt Fish Ball

It’s time for breakfast and after last night’s awesome meal at Tuck Kee I certainly hope we will find more delightful food here in Ipoh.
We head to an area near Econsave and arrive at Nam Fatt Fish Ball. I was told that Nam Fatt has been around for over quarter of a century. From its humble beginnings of merely being a fish ball stall, it is today an air-conditioned shop.
 

' A' for cleanliness
Bearing such a name they do of course sell fish balls …but not only that! They’ve got lots of unique food here.

Only cash is accepted

But first, let’s talk about the drinks. Iced milo for RM2.50 –slightly diluted by my standards. Soya bean (RM1.80) truly a must-have drink here…very tasty!

Iced tea (RM2) – not bad!
Now before we zoom into food, lets have a look at this photo –OMG! An entire mug of chilli paste. Now that I’ve been there I know why they put some a huge mug on each table. The chilli paste is truly out of this world…thinking of it now makes my mouth salivate.
There were a great array of yong taufu and we were spoilt for choice. So this are what we settled for:-
Siew pak choy with fish paste (RM5) – really never seen this beforeanywhere!
Fish paste with taugeh ( one of their signature dishes) - RM8.50.
Almost every table ordered a plate of this –and so we tried it too – prawn rolls (RM6.80)
The best dish of the meal had to be this – beef soup RM8 per bowl. It was highly pleasing to the senses in terms of smell and taste – not a drop was left at the end of our meal.

These are the various noodles we had –wan tan mee (RM1.80 ), hor fun, and mixed noodles (RM1.70).


Address : 86 Jalan Raja Permaisuri Bainun (Jalan Kampar)
30250 Ipoh
Tel : +605 253 6454 
Opens from 8am to 10.30pm