Cendol Tan Kim Hock

I must admit that the last time I had the Tan Kim Hock cendol  was at least 10 years ago…and the impression that was imprinted in my mind was that the cendol was very good, to say the least.

This time around I was in Melaka once again and decided to stop by the Tan Kim Hock outlet near the famous Famosa Chicken Rice Ball along Jalan Munshi Abdullah.

The lady told me that I needed to buy coupon and then head over to the other side i.e near the huge parking lot for my cendol. I happily paid for the coupon and armed with it barged into the place serving cendol. Imagine my surprise when I found the entire place empty save for some tables and chairs. I could not even see any workers there ……

I waited and waited until someone appeared and then handed him my coupon. This is what I got within the next few minutes.

I must say it was rather disappointing…it was nowhere near  what I had a decade ago.

Restoran Kepala Ikan Segar

This is the branch of the famous steamed fish head of Jalan Chan Sow Lin. The restaurant is simple and so is the food, simple yet making a lasting impression.

We ordered lotus root soup (RM7) – albeit slightly oily, this soup was packed with flavour.

Bean sprouts with salted fish (RM7)  - bean sprouts , which would otherwise be tasteless has been cleverly paired with  salted fish to give it that extra boost it needed, yet not too pervasive for the bean sprouts to lose it crunchiness.

Sweet sour boneless pork (RM13) – we chose the boneless meat as it was easier to eat. The robust sauce certainly paired well with the pork. Awesome!

Steamed fish head (RM22) – with lots of garlic and garnished with chopped spring onion, the steamed fish was alright and lived up to my expectation in the ‘freshness’ department.

Address : 16 Jalan USJ4/6B

47600 Subang Jaya

Tel : +603 8023 6997 / +6016 208 6466

Restoran Crocodile Farm Seafood Village, Subang

The surroundings  conjure contentment as the restaurant is located within the greenery of the Subang Lake. Sitting here at the Crocodile Farm reminded me of eating in a kampong house. There is no air-conditioning but the  fans going in full swing are sufficient to make me feel comfortable.

Fresh coconut –we ordered 3 …and someone was in for a surprise as his turned out to be sour coconut juice – which implied that the fruit was rotten. He immediately asked for it to be replaced and the waiter willingly obliged. I can now confirm to you that there wasn’t any extra charge for the replacement.

Venison  – stir fried with spring onion, the meat was not only tender but very aromatic.

Stir fried yau mak with garlic –another wonderful dish whereby the vegetables were still crunchy and not withered, just the way I like it.

Tofu with snow fungus – certainly a delightful sight and a treat for the palate. Love it!

Steamed village chicken – done to perfection, just add some tasty gravy on top and this made me ask for another bowl of rice!

Steamed crab with eggs – when a single, huge and fresh crab is steamed, what I would expect will be sweet, tasty and fleshy meat ….and this certainly lived up to my expectations.

The crab was so good that I resented having to share this with the others!!

Address:  Jalan SS12/1, Taman Subang Ria, Subang Jaya,

47500 Subang Jaya

Tel  : +603 5635 1463

Mastercard & Visa accepted

Sassorosso

Chef Giovanni  is the man behind Sassorosso, which means red rock. This restaurant is tucked away along the quieter part of Yap Kwan Seng and when you do find it, you find a gem.

I would not say that prices here are affordable and as such I only dine here on very special occasions. I was there this afternoon with a very special guest from overseas  (who simply adores great wine & food). I am so excited to  write about the lobster spaghetti which is absolutely awesome here. Al dente pasta served with an entire lobster which I would describe as fresh, bursting with flavour and absolutely succulent was what this platter was all about.  Be warned however, that it comes with a very hefty price tag ..RM2xx!!

Address:  9 Lorong Yap Kwan Seng

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel : +603 2166 6428

Opening hours : Mon-Sat : 12-3pm, 6-11.30pm, Sunday 6-11.30pm

Amex, Master, Visa accepted

La Cocina Restaurant & Tapas Bar

La Cocina is a Spanish restaurant tucked away in the business centre of USJ9. I walked in and was surprised by  the welcoming ambience and the friendly waiters. Although they were obviously busy preparing for an event to be held on the upper floor, they welcomed us with a smile. I love the polka dotted table cloth – it somehow makes me feel at ease and at home.

The mushroom soup was rich and filling. It was simply a bliss-in-my-mouth bowl of goodness!

The fried calamari rings were crispy on the outside, thanks to its light batter.

I’ve always loved escargots and I must say that La Cocina fares very well in the escargot department.  The flavour and texture was perfect!

 We also tried the drinks &  dishes below:-

Address :  38 USJ9/5P,

Subang Jaya

Tel: +603 8023 2395

Opening hours: 11am to 3pm, 6pm to 12 midnight

Restoran HLK, Taman Danau Desa

This is what my son calls a restaurant without door i.e the main door is always wide opened, welcoming patrons anytime of the day.

We ordered four dishes to go with rice:-

This dish of stir fried broccoli appears innocuously simple and uninteresting , but trust me, it was crunchily yummy.

This is sweet sour pork with cucumber, onion and chillies. The sweet-sour combo never fail to appeal to my taste bud…and had me ordering an extra bowl of rice!

Stir fried fish  with ginger and spring  onion – this was a fantastic dish as the fish fillet were just what I call flavour bombs!

Hot plate tofu – the silky smooth tofu was a stark contrast with the chucky meat and these were topped with a lovely gravy.

Address : 5-0-11 Jalan 3/109F

Danau Business Centre

Taman Danau Desa

58100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel : +6016 691 8893

Cash only

Soon Fatt, Bandar Puchong Jaya

The minute you walk into soon Fatt, you will gauge what they serve easily as the visuals on the walls are very explicit. All you need to do, is to point at the pictures if you cannot communicate with the waiters there. For me, there was no such problem as the foreign workers there spoke what I would say is a decent amount of Cantonese.

I like this concept -clean & ala 'self service'

We ordered herbal tea (RM2.50 each) and it is worthwhile to note that the drinks here aren’t too sweet.

The salt herbs chicken costs us RM28 for half a chicken. I love the salty taste of the fresh chicken as would highly recommend this dish as the tasty gravy went very well with rice.

Mini wok herbs frog (RM25) -  the tender pieces of frog legs served with lots of flavourful gravy was simply marvellous. Love it!

This is baby siew pak choy (RM10) – I would say that the portion was big and the crunchiness of the vege is what I like most about this dish.

Thai style chicken feet (RM12) -  with the perfect combo of spice and lime, this dish was indeed heavenly.

Address : 05-01 Jalan Kenari 19A

Bandar Puchong Jaya

47100 Puchong

Cash terms only

Swensens Subang Parade

After attending an event at Subang Parade, we decided to have  afternoon tea at Swensens. I’ve always found the location of Swensens unique in the sense that you need to walk out of the main building to get here.

We ordered creamy mushroom soup (RM12.90). This soup is rather  special as it is served in a bowl which you can eat, yes, you read correctly, you can eat the bowl as it is made of sourdough. The soup is rich and very creamy.

For salad, we ordered the fish wharf salad (RM28.90). This salad is packed with fresh vegetables as well as seafood such as fried calamari rings and prawns.

Aglio Olio  (RM15.90)

American pizza (RM 22.90)

Milk shake & cendol milkshake float (RM17.90 each). For the record, water is served free of charge.

Water-foc

The salmon pasta priced at RM24.90 was to me a lighter version of carbonara but it certainly did not lack in flavour.

Address :  G30 Subang Parade

5 Jalan SS16/1

Subang jaya

Tel : +603 5638 3036

Opening hours : 11am -11pm

Credit cards accepted