Nyonya Restaurant, SS2

December 3, 2009 at 9:42 am · Filed under Food

This is an old establishment that has been here for years and has undergone a facelift since I last ate there. Driving past the other day, decided to pop in again to see how the changes fare.

Clean lines in the interior.

This is the Gulai Tumis fish. The fish was cooked in this sour tamarind gravy with lady’s fingers (okra) and pineapple and garnished with laksa leaves, or more known as daun kesom. Piquant and slighly spicy, this dish can be addictive once paired with white rice.

We also tried the Beef rendang. Flavourful but the meat was not as tender as I would like it.

Ordered sayur paku or fiddlehead ferns which were stir-fried with succulent prawns. Crisp and fresh, enjoyed this too.

It’s comforting to know that this place’s food has remained consistent over the years. And they do have quite an array of other dishes to tickle anyone’s fancy.

Nyonya Restaurant (www)
52, Jalan SS2/24,
47300 Petaling Jaya.

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Ichigoichie, SS15

November 18, 2009 at 2:05 pm · Filed under Eating Out, Food, non-halal, wi-fi!

I seldom make my way down this street but recently a Pearl Pork shop (healthy pork/安心肉店) opened there and I was having a look when I spotted this Japanese eatery. The name “一期一会” attracted me instantly and I vowed to drop by as soon as I could.

Japanese eateries have been mushrooming in Subang Jaya recently, and some of these are the smaller, home-cooked types, and has become quite delightful to explore.

The facade and interior of the eatery. Simple but homey. Quite a few tables were occupied by locals, i.e. Japs.

The small appetizer served to us before dinner – pork slices cooked with potatoes, carrots & mushroom slivers. Tasted very much like homecooked stew. Good start.

The signature dish, Ichigo Don (RM28) which is essentially Katsudon with thick pork slabs, onions and egg. The pork cutlets were crispy on the outside and tender & juicy inside. Good stuff!

An interesting dish that we thought we should try, Shake Chazuke (RM16) which is rice and salmon in tea. I think “salmon tea porridge” is the right term here. However I don’t think any of us were ready for such a measly portion, haha. It was supposed to be rice cooked in fish broth and topped with grilled salmon flakes, nori seaweed and spring onions but it tasted more like soy sauce and rice in water… not as impressive as we hoped.

Rice with Japanese eggplants and minced pork (RM18). This I love even though personally I felt it was a tad salty. But the gravy also had bits of chilli flakes in it and had a slight zing to it.

Sandwiches in toasted bread with the thick pork cuts and lots of shredded cabbage. This was pretty good. Probably a tad too much for one person, so it’s something to share.

Yaki Udon, or fried udon.

Last but not least, some sashimi. The squid and roe were alright but the others were simply not fresh enough. Definitely not the place to come for fresh sashimi.

Overall, I would say that this eatery serves very homecooked Japanese fare and most of it is rather decent, and the thick pork cuts will wow any meat lover. Oh and they do lunch delivery around the neighborhood also… starting from 10am, to be delivered by 12pm. However there was one occasion (on a return trip) where the service was super slow that it put off my dining companions. It was only upon leaving that the waitress informed me that they had complications with the stove so I guess I would still give this place a chance.

Ichigoichie 一期一会
10, Jalan SS15/8B,
Subang Jaya.
Tel: 03-5632 0510

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Pizza Italia, Seremban

November 9, 2009 at 8:18 pm · Filed under Around M’sia beyond KL, Eating Out, Food, halal

We were brought to this Italian eatery owned by a husband & wife duo. The place was rather packed during lunch time despite this place being the “industrial area” of Seremban 2.

To start we had the Cream Mushroom Soup (RM5) & Garlic Bread (RM3). Very creamy soup, but not as homecooked as I hoped it would taste. But still, great for dipping the garlic bread in.

We also shared a Caesar Salad (RM 8) with beef bacon. Very generous for the price and it was delectable. The beef bacon bits were a bit more tough to bite and not as crispy as I’d like it but I still enjoyed the salad.

Pasta dishes were plentiful on the menu but we wanted something simple and light. The Aglio Olio spaghetti with Prawns (RM13) was very flavourful. The spaghetti was a tad softer than I usually had it but the combination of the fragrance of olive oil and garlic pieces made this a very robust and satisfying dish. Love the touch of fresh basil leaves that gave an extra oomph.

They have quite a variety of pizza here and the Piccante Pizza (Large at RM19) caught our eye simply due to the addition of the egg. With salami, capsicum etc, this was quite yummy fresh out of the oven. Not bad indeed.

We had the last Tiramisu (RM8) available for the lunch crowd, which probably says something about this dessert’s popularity. Once again, it exceeded my expectations from this little eatery. Not too soggy and with the right balance of cheese, coffee & cocoa.

Overall, it was a rather pleasant meal and the prices were very reasonable so if we were to find ourselves in the area again, we’d definitely be back for more.

Pizza Italia
480, Jalan Haruan 4/4.
Oakland Commercial Centre, (near Columbia Asia Hospital)
Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

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Restoran Tonny, Tapah.

November 5, 2009 at 7:34 pm · Filed under Around M’sia beyond KL, Eating Out, Food

I wrote about missing out on this restaurant during my last visit to Tapah but this time we managed to find it. Apparently they have relocated to this shop further down town, near the Tapah police station.

The shop front.

Kung Po Wong Sin (宮保黄鳝) or stir fried spicy swamp eel, which is the signature dish here. Chopped into bite sized pieces, the bouncy texture, paired with the tasty sauces made this divine.

Having had the yummy eel, was looking forward to the freshwater prawns. This was alright but I think that the eel has definitely stole all the limelight. Or maybe we needed a different style of cooking.

The stir-fried fiiddlehead ferns were good too. Crisp and green.

Their other popular dishes comprises of those with fish or frog. Definitely worth a visit when in Tapah.

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Taiping HoChiak, SS2

October 28, 2009 at 6:10 pm · Filed under Food, non-halal

Over the weekend we were invited to this Nyonya restaurant for dinner by a family friend. He knew that we have recently been very taken with Nyonya food, thanks to a recent sojourn to Malacca that saw us rediscovering the joys of Peranakan food and ahem, old Nyonya jewellery. Hehe.

The shop is situated in SS2, on the Chow Yang side and used olden everyday stuff cleverly as display. On the outside, a wall is lined with all the newspaper cuttings featuring the restaurant and the chef, Ricky, a successful author of a few Nyonya cookbooks.

One of the appetisers we had was Pai Tee or top hats. The filling was tasty but the “hat” itself was thin, but tasteless and not crunchy enough. However with that said, I am glad it didn’t have the stale oil taste that many other versions I have tried has.

The Sambal Petai we had was rather tasty, though a tad more on the wet side. But it sure was a good accompaniment to the white rice.

The Sambal Tumis Fish was good too. Not too strong in the spiciness or sour notes.

We quite liked the Spicy Nyonya Chicken, which was chicken pieces deep fried and coated with this sticky, aromatic sauce, thanks to the thinly shred kaffir lime leaves. And an interesting twist was probably the addition of the mango cubes.

There’s also the “Tau Yew Bak” or braised pork with soy sauce and tofu (beancurd). Tender and flavourful and very much a favourite with the children. But i found something missing…. not sure what it was.

The “Ju Hu Char” or stir fried turnip with julienned carrots and sliced mushrooms was probably one of my favourites. And they even make deep fried popiah with this as the filling. Delicious.

I also loved the “Kerabu Paku Pakis” though I had a few “too raw” stems which were a tad hard to bite off.

The tofu dish was also tasty despite the messy look. Another crowd pleaser with the kids.

We ended the meal with some ang koo kueh and durian cendol. I was stuffed beyond belief so only had half a kueh and was glad to find it not too sweet. And those who had the cendol raved about it so I would definitely try that if I were to return.

Overall I would say that this place exudes a certain charm of homecooked food. And on hindsight, we were all glad that the food we had wasn’t too oily or heavy tasting. Plus the chef/owner Ricky was really quite friendly and obliging which the made the dining experience even more pleasant.

Restoran Taiping Ho Chiak
28, Jalan SS2/10, (Chow Yang side)
47300 Petaling Jaya
Tel/Fax: 603-7876 6648

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Fleur-De-Lys Bakeshop, Brunei

October 14, 2009 at 12:50 pm · Filed under Food, Travel

Hankering for something other than curry, rendang, lemang and the like, we decided to go to this bakery, or bakeshop as they call themselves for a bite.

The shop has some interesting items, including designer hampers for the Raya festivities and one of my favourite, macarons.

We started off with the Mushroom soup in a loaf. It was quite creamy and yummy. And the bread loaf was perfect for tearing off to dip in the soup.

The Baked potatoes with tomatoes and mushrooms looked promising but didn’t deliver taste wise. I personally felt that the mushrooms were overcooked so it was a tad soggy. Plus the tomatoes gave it a weird, sourish taste.

The eggs benedict with poached eggs and chicken ham, topped with the yellow, creamy Hollandaise sauce.

My choice was the eggs florentine, which has the extra spinach. I must admit I didn’t like the chicken roll. Bread was soft and it was quite messy eating this. Haha.

Fleur-De-Lys Bakeshop
C5, Kiarong Complex,
BE 1318, Bandar Seri Begawan,
Brunei.

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Le’ Taj, Brunei.

October 5, 2009 at 12:22 pm · Filed under Eating Out, Food, Travel

Was in Brunei briefly for Raya and quite a lot of eateries were open despite it being the festive period. Our first stop was at Le’Taj, an indian restaurant in Kiulap. As it was the last day of Ramadhan, they were still serving buffet dinner but we opted to order ala carte instead.

The menu. Quite extensive.

The interior of the place. Quite empty as it was way past buka puasa time and most of the patrons have eaten and left.

Our Starter Platter – Butterfly prawns with mango chutney, tandoori chicken, onion bhaji and spicy pappadum. The deep fried stuff were the best tasting of all as it was freshly fried. But we suspect that the tandoori chicken cubes were taken from the buffet line as it was cold and hard. Tsk tsk.

My Lamb briyani, served with raita and pickles. We also tried the chicken version but the lamb one was tastier as it carried the flavour of the lamb more.

We also had Sag Aloo, which is essentially spinach cooked with potatoes in Indian herbs and spices.

Fish Vindaloo. Vindaloo is actually more of a spicy “sweet & sour” style curry that has Portuguese origins. Despite the promising colour of the curry, it was actually more sweet than hot for me and the fishy taste was also rather strong so I reckon you’d be better off ordering other types of meat for this Vindaloo dish. But I also have this feeling that they just cook the curry gravy in bulk and pour it on whatever meat you choose and hence, the flavour is not fully absorbed in the meat. But it’s just my guess.

Tried a few types of Naan, including the plain one, garlic one etc. Perfect for dipping up the gravy of the curries.

The food here has some hits & misses but given that Le’ Taj is THE place for indian food in Brunei, I can only say, beggars can’t be choosers. They also have salt lassi, which is quite new for me as I am only familiar with the sweet ones.

Le’ Taj Restaurant
Seri Kiulap Complex
2nd floor, Jalan Kiulap
Tel: 2238 996

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Miri Ramadhan Bazaar 2

September 18, 2009 at 1:28 am · Filed under Festive, Food

Another Ramadhan Bazaar that caught my attention while driving around in Miri was the one next to the Indoor Stadium, opposite the Public Swimming Pool.


Thirsty? Freshly squeezed sugar cane juice and other colourful iced drinks are easily found here.

Ikan bakar is everywhere. They use more whole fresh saltwater fish here and less ikan pari (stingray).

Nasi Lemak. Truly the national dish of Malaysia.

Kuih. The rolled up ones at the top most right corner is Kuih Celorot, traditional to the state of Sarawak. The sweet kuih is wrapped in leaves in a way that you can press the base and the filling pops up from the top.

Kolok noodles, another item that can’t be missed in Sarawak. The chinese version uses minced pork, so I would assume that the minced meat here would be minced beef, which should be equally tasty.

We stumbled upon a yummy treat here amongst some of the local Malay dishes. The purplish rice (usual of certain rice species in Bario/Kelabit Highlands) called to us and we were told that it’s fried rice with dabai fruit ( a local equivalent of olives), anchovies and chilli. It was truly yummy and unforgettable. I am already thinking of where to get dabai to make my own!!


Some local Malay dishes – curries, daging, keladi etc.

More dishes. Umai at the bottom left corner.

There were even crabs at RM4 each.

Freshly fried noodles. So tempting.

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Miri Ramadhan Bazaar 1

September 17, 2009 at 10:30 am · Filed under Festive, Food

I happened to be home for a brief getaway and having a craving for umai, decided to hit the Ramadhan bazaars in town search of them. Having “moved” to KL for a good 10 years or so, I think I have gotten quite used to the food sold there so I found myself a bit of a tourist at the bazaars in Miri, trying to decipher the mystery of some of the “unknown dishes”. Haha.

The nearest Ramadhan bazaar to where I live is the one at the Saberkas shoplots, near the roundabout where Sesco (Pujut) and Bulatan Park is.

Grilled stuff are big here… and all sorts of fishes are used considering how seafood is widely available in Miri.

Ikan Terubuk bakar. Lovely fish but it has so much bones that sometimes eating this is a pain, literally.

Wings and other snacks.

Kuih Peneram and Kuih Bongkol, which is a popular kuih with sago flour, coconut milk and palm sugar.

Umai!!

Fried noodles, rice etc. The bergedil (potato patties) were very good.

Some local dishes.

Sarawak Layer cake and even Kuih Batik.

Drinks of all types.

Psychadelic colours! The blue drink is called Lemon Blue.

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Chulia Street Noteworthy, Penang.

September 10, 2009 at 7:35 am · Filed under Around M’sia beyond KL, Eating Out, Food

I rarely venture into Chulia Street, but this trip has brought me a few surprises food wise along Chulia Street. I have heard of yummy wonton noodles (wantan mee) there but didn’t know where until I read masak-masak. Made my way there and found the corner lot shop at the intersection of Chulia St. and Carnavon St easily.

As Chulia St is also very popular with backpackers, this place also sees its fair share of foreigners stepping in. One Caucasian woman was quite specific with her order, which only consisted of blanched vegetable leaves and one single wonton with no noodles which did baffle the mother and son team manning the stove a bit. :P

The noodles in all its glory. Tossed with soy sauce and a bit of lard, it’s “whiter” than the Klang Valley version. Springy and al-dente, served with red char siew, leafy greens, chicken shreds and tight wontons. The wonton production was quite a sight to behold as nimble fingers continued to bind round parcels of minced meat into the wonton skin.

There’s also beef noodles. I opted for the soup version as I wanted to slurp down the hot, robust broth. The beef, complete with tendon (just how I like it) was flavourful and tender. I read that the soup is made freshly everyday and sits on a constant charcoal fire.

Apart from the thin noodles, they also serve the flatter, broader version.

Sai Lam Coffee Shop (西南茶室)
307 Chulia Street
Penang
Open Mon-Sat 1pm onwards.

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Driving down Chulia Street at night holds quite a lot of promise as hawker pushcarts are scattered all around. We spotted the most people gathered here, outside a furniture shop with the huge “Dunlopillo” sign above.

The curry mee stall next to the wonton noodle stall. Both are bustling and weighed down with orders. Having had wonton noodles, the elderly couple manning the curry mee stall seemed to be the best bet for my supper. Heh.

Despite being told that there would be a long wait, we got our curry noodles within 20 mins. Served with generous servings of cuttlefish, cockles, tofu pok and fishball. I enjoyed it greatly as the soup had the kicks from the spicy chilli paste and best of all, the cockles were still bloody! Haha.

Chulia Street Curry Mee ,
Lebuh Chulia,
Penang.

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