Wednesday 31 July 2013

SK Seafood @ Seri Kembangan. Selangor

Located right opposite South City Plaza in Seri Kembangan is a restaurant called Restaurant SK Seafood. I have heard quite a lot about this restaurant and their few signature dishes and with that, decided to head there for dinner tonight. 

Restaurant SK Seafood, Seri Kembangan

The Restaurant view from the car park

Car Park for visitors

Interior of the restaurant
Finding this place was not difficult for us as it is located directly opposite South City Plaza. Beside this restaurant, is another famous food court which operates on a stall concept. Generally in this area, parking is an issue and most people park their cars on the side of the road but fortunately, for customers, they do have a small car park that can accommodate around 15 cars. The good thing is that this restaurant was built on a plot of land and therefore, they have these added benefits which is then passed on to customers. When we arrived at 9 pm today, the restaurant was still almost full house although it has passed the usual dinner time and new customers kept coming in for either late dinner or supper. The service was also very fast. I just had to pick my table, was immediately handed the menu and within a couple of minutes, we placed our orders and all else just followed through. Most of their workers seemed to be foreigners but the ones taking the orders were all locals, must be the owners of the restaurant. The good thing about this place is that it does not close at 10 pm like most other restaurants but goes on till midnight every night. 

Chinese Tea @ RM 5.00
We ordered a pot of Chinese Tea, just the normal one and it came at a price of RM 5.00, of course this is refillable. 

White Rice @ RM 1.20 
White rice is again chargeable at RM 1.20 per plate. The rice tonight however was slightly over cooked.

Preserved Cold Tofu @ RM 15.00
This is one of their signature dishes here. It is preserved cold tofu which is somewhat deep fried and then sauteed with soy sauce. I must say that this was really unique and the taste was absolutely good. Unlike some other places which claim a particular dish to be their specialty dish but then you later discover that it is just a slight twist in recipe, this was truly unique to this place. I have never seen this elsewhere and it was really delicious. I would rate this dish at 10/10 .

Shredded Pork with Aubergine @ RM 20.00
This was not claimed to be their specialty dish but we really liked it. The Shredded Pork was flavoured well and stir fried with Aubergine in a slightly spicy sauce. The Aubergine ended up being still fresh and not overcooked and it was sweet with every bite. Delicious combination I must say. I would rate this dish at 9/10 .Worth trying this dish here.

Stir Fried Freshwater Prawns @ RM 36.00
This again is a specialty dish here and indeed it won our hearts again. The prawns were cooked with a particular sauce which tasted like Marmite and Guiness Stout but I am not too sure of the recipe but that was how it tasted and it was really good. They had nicely slid the back of the prawns allowing the juices of the gravy to seep in  and get thoroughly distributed all around. An excellent dish. I would rate this dish at 10/10 .

SK Supreme Sauce Pork @ RM 20.00
This was a unique dish which basically used cucumber and Pork Trotter, though being separated at presentation. Again being one of their specialty dishes, this was quite unique but not everyone on the table liked this. Being a fan or Pork Trotter, I enjoyed it but the rest did not have much of it. To some extent, the Pork was slightly hard which I feel should not be the case but the sauce seemed to taste the same as per the previous prawn dish. Generally a nice dish but then, taste is subjective and depends or personal preference. I would rate this dish at 8/10 .

Claypot Kangkung @ RM 15.00
This dish was a let down for all of us. It is not because of the taste but the Kangkung itself which is like really old stuff that had aged and was no longer soft and tender. That is bad and they should ensure that all their greens used in the dishes are fresh. I would only rate this dish at 4/10 .

Us Having Dinner
On the whole, their seafood and Tofu dishes seems to be pretty good. I was told that their other dishes worth trying are the Steamed Fish, SK Specialty Crab, Dried Chili Chicken diced with Cashew Nuts, SK Specialty Prawns and SK Mongolian Pumpkin Specialty Pork Ribs. There were only four of us tonight and there was a limit as to what we could have and the dishes ordered tonight was just right for us. Definitely a restaurant worth visiting if you love seafood.

Address: Lot LMS A200, Jalan Persiaran Serdang Perdana, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor.

Telephone: +6012 388 6113 (Suzuki Yap)
                    +6013 388 3138 (Yamaha Yap)

Opening Hours: 1200 - 0000 Daily

Tuesday 30 July 2013

Marco's Pizza @ Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya

Marco's Pizza is an outlet that has long been established in Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya and is a sight that one would not miss when you drive along the LDP. I have been here once around seven years ago but that time I was not into food blogging and after all these years, I decided to return here again today along with my family. 

Marco's Pizza in Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya

Sign Outside the restaurant

The Entrance

Interior of the restaurant
As always, parking is a major problem in this area but luckily, we managed to get a bay quite close to the restaurant. Having my parents along, getting them to walk long distance can be a problem. This restaurant occupies four units of shop lots and therefore has a huge dining space. Even when we arrived here today on a weekday, it was crowded with customers. I informed the waitress and then she got us a table that seats four as requested. It seems that they have started doing food delivery both directly as well as under a partnership with food panda. 

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu
Above are just some of the pages from their menu and it is good to know that they cater for vegetarians too by having some vegetarian dishes on their menu. Besides the Italian dishes, they now also offer some steaks and other grilled dishes. It took quite a while to get the waitress to come and take the orders. They seemed to be a little disorganised though there were around eight of them manning the floor. Most of their staffs seemed young but this was negligible to me . It took about 15 minutes for the drinks to be served which is fine bearing the present crowd that they are handling.

Coca Cola @ RM 5.80
My brother ordered his favourite Coke and it comes at a price of RM 5.80 per glass.

Ice Lemon Tea @ RM 5.80
My mother ordered the above Ice Lemon Tea and it comes at RM 5.80 . It was served cold and highly concentrated. Definitely worth the price. I would rate this drink at 9/10 .

Cappucino @ RM 6.80
My father ordered the above Cappucino and it came at RM 6.80 . I did take a sip just to gauge the taste of it. It was decent but not very good. I would only rate this at 6/10 .

Cafe Latte @ RM 7.80
I ordered the above Cafe Latte and it came at RM 7.80 . The price seemed okay for me bearing the size of the glass but the coffee was again average. I guess coffee isn't their forte here. I would only rate this at 6/10 .

Garlic Bread @ RM 8.80
As starters, we ordered the above Garlic Bread and it is priced at RM 8.80 . Here they use baguettes to make the garlic bread and there was a mere four slices in this basket. Nevertheless, the garlic spread was very good and definitely homemade and not out of some bottle or can. The butter spread was also lavish and this made it to be very good, despite the quantity being less. I would rate this at 9.5/10 . 

Mushroom Bruschetta @ RM 10.80
The second starters we ordered was the above Mushroom Bruschetta which came at RM 10.80 . Once again, there were only four slices but they were loaded with sauteed mushrooms and sprinkled with cheese. The topping was very delicious and we enjoyed every bite of it. I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

BBQ Chicken Supreme Pizza (Regular) @ RM 24.80

Closer Look At The Pizza
This was the first pizza that we ordered and it was a BBQ Chicken Supreme Pizza and it came loaded with a whole load of things like Marinated BBQ Chicken, Black Olives, Mozarella Cheese, Onions, Pineapple and Mushrooms. Though it was packed with ingredients, it still was not very great but it was still good. It just felt like there were too many things inside and as you chew these you would have to stop and figure out what you are biting. Overall, I would give this pizza a rating of 7.5/10 .

Marco's Signature Pizza (Large) @ RM 28.80

Closer Look at the Pizza
Compared to the earlier one, this pizza was heavenly.It comes loaded with shredded Turkey Ham, Chicken, Eggs, Mozzarella Cheese and Napolitano Sauce. No doubt why this is known as their specialty pizza. Every bite was filled with cheesy goodness and you just want more and more of it. I would rate this pizza at 10/10 .

Overall, this place does offer some good food, especially their pizzas. The coffee was a let down and perhaps one should stick with just the can drinks. Do note that their pizza crusts are quite different here. So when you order thick crust, it is similar to the thin crust that you get elsewhere but it is still soft. If you order thin crust, then what you get would be a very thin crispy pizza which to me seems more like a biscuit with toppings. Neither is better than the other and it is just a matter of personal preference. To me, I still prefer the previous than the latter. I also find that the pizza prices and competitive and their sizes are relatively huge. Definitely a good family diner. 

Address: No. 81-85, Jalan SS 25/2, Taman Mayang, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 7803 5000

Opening Hours: 1130 - 1430 & 1800 - 2200 Daily


Monday 29 July 2013

Tandoori Corner @ Boon Tat Street, Singapore

Located on Boon Tat Street in one of those pre war buildings is a restaurant called Restaurant Tandoori Corner. This place was suggested to me by a close friend who is a foodie himself. I was told that this place serves one of the best North Indian food in Singapore and that they are very much sought after that a prior booking is a must for both lunch and dinner or else you would not be able to get a table. Since he knows the local landscape well and we were meant to meet here for lunch today, I just followed suit.  

Restaurant Tandoori Corner on Boon Tat Street

Entrance to the restaurant

Opening Hours
Initially it was quite difficult for me to find this place as even the cab driver was unsure of the exact location, but then after going around this place in circles, we finally manage to locate it. The sign is somewhat hidden and that hinders finding this place easily unless you are very familiar of the vicinity. 

Interior of the restaurant

Interior of the restaurant
I was informed that the owner of this place was once a migrant from India who came to Singapore as a chef and later he started his first restaurant some 15 years ago and today has two restaurants in Singapore, both are very much sought after. The restaurant follows a very strict opening hours and when I arrived here today, literally all the tables had reservations and if I had not made a reservation, I would have to wait a very long time before being able to get a place. This place has also been highlighted on Tripadvisor as one of the best Indian restaurants in Singapore. I was told that their food is extremely good and the prices are very reasonable.  

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

Set Lunch
The service here is very efficient and it is still kept within the family members, mostly from India. After looking at their menu, I must agree that their prices are really cheap compared to any other similar restaurant in Singapore. In fact, it was about half the price of what I would pay in a similar standard restaurant. Their lunch sets too very worth it. After going through the menu, we decided on what we wanted and placed our orders. Now, I am very eager to taste the food, especially with all the great recommendations that was given by my friend. 

Coca Cola @ SGD 2.90
Since it was scorching hot outside, though cool and nice inside, I decided to have a Coca Cola and it came at a price of SGD 2.90 which I feel is okay for this place. 

Papadam

Mint Chutney
While waiting for our meals to be served, we were given the above basket of Papadam's and Mint Chutney and they were on the house. I must say that their Mint Chutney was pretty good. 

Butter Naan @ SGD 3.50 & Garlic Naan @ SGD 3.50
Instead of going for rice, we decided to go for Naan. We ordered one Butter Naan and one Garlic Naan. Their Naan sizes are really huge and for two adults, this bread was sufficient. Both their Naan's were absolutely delicious, in fact I would not complain if I did not have any gravy or side dishes to go with it as it was good to go on it's own. Absolutely soft and delicious. I would rate their Naan's at 10/10 .

Aloo Gobi @ SGD 8.90
Sorry that the photo quality is not that great. The Aloo Gobi was another fantastic dish. The flavours were really great and there was so little oil in the dish. I have not tasted Aloo Gobi this good even anywhere in Malaysia or India. Lightly spiced, it would suit anyone and would go well with both bread or rice. The portion size was also huge for the price paid. A recommended dish here. I would rate this at 10/10 .

Butter Chicken @ SGD 12.90
Another heavenly dish!!! Absolutely well done. Lightly spiced and slightly sweet, the Butter Chicken was one dish that you would savour. You could taste the cream from the butter and it was just simply lovely. The chunks of chicken were also lavish. Another dish here that impressed me. Again, a perfect 10/10 for this dish. 

Fish Curry @ SGD 14.90
The last dish that we had here today was the above Fish Curry. This literally brought back the taste of my Grandmother's Fish Curry and it was stunningly tasty. The aroma and spices were so perfect and the fish pieces were just at the right size and cooked perfectly well. We literally licked this bowl clean. It was so good. A perfect 10/10 for this dish.

Based on the dishes that I have tried today, I would say that this restaurant is exceptionally good. The food is good, price is cheap, service is excellent and what more would I be looking for in a restaurant. I must congratulate these guys for keeping their service and food quality top notch. No doubt that this is one of the top Indian restaurants in Singapore.

Address: 5 Boon Tat Street, #01-01 Singapore 069613

Telephone: +65 6223 3200

Opening Hours: 1130 - 1430 & 1800 - 2200 Daily
                            Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays