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

Other reviews;
- my kitchen

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 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.

other reviews;
- pekkypchie
- bits & pieces

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.

other reviews;
- foodbin

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

other reviews;
- my jaded palate
- jules eating guide to malaysia

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.