Friday 31 January 2014

Rathaa Curry House @ Bandar Puteri, Puchong

Rathaa Curry House is a popular name in Puchong specifically Bandar Puteri Puchong for good Tamil food. This is their second outlet that is located along Jalan Puteri 1/5 and their first outlet is located along Jalan Puteri 5/1. I have come here many times before as this is one of my favourite Tamil restaurants in the Klang Valley which serves good food though at slightly premium prices.

Rathaa Curry House in Bandar Puteri Puchong

Staffs All Busy

Interior of the Restaurant

Busy even during post lunch hours
This restaurant occupies a corner unit and is located facing the rear side of Giant Hypermarket in Bandar Puteri Puchong. We were here today at around 3 pm and even then, there were many customers still coming in for a late lunch. 

Choice of Seafood and Meat Cuts to be fried
Even as you walk into the restaurant, the staffs are already trying to promote their Seafood and Meat cuts that have been wonderfully marinated and based on your choice, the selected items would be fried and served. We did select a piece of Fried Fish which I would speak about shortly.

Fresh Milk Masala Tea @ RM 3.50
I ordered the above Masala Tea which is made with Fresh Milk. The Tea was wonderfully fixed and had the right amount of spices. To someone who is not used to this, this may seem quite strong but for those who are used to this drink, you would just love it. I would rate this drink at 9.2/10 .

Fresh Milk Bru Coffee @ RM 4.00
Their Bru Coffee again was wonderfully fixed. Any coffee lover would fall in love with this drink. I would rate this preparation at 9.8/10 .

Basic Vegetarian Meal @ RM 6.00 per pax
Their basic vegetarian meal comes with three excellent vegetables, unlimitted rice, papadams, pickles, chutney, fried bitter gourd, some fried pickled chili and a glass of Rasam and all this for the price of RM 6.00 which is very reasonable. Do note that they serve you a glass of warm water when you get seated at your table but you have the right to refuse it as it is a chargeable item at RM 0.20 each. 



The above vegetable was very well prepared and they serve a you decent quantity. I had to stop them as it was too much for me and I did not want to end up having any wastage. I would rate the above vegetable at 8.5/10 .


The Greens was another excellently prepared vegetable. Their supply was definitely very fresh and it was cooked to the right level while ensuring that it was not overcooked. The juices from the vegetable was also intact. I would rate this vegetable at 8.5/10 . 


Their cauliflower was excellent. I really loved this preparation. I feel that it must have been prepared with curd as it was on the sour side. The cauliflowers too were still crunchy. I would rate this at 9.6/10 .

Pickles and others
Besides the vegetables, they also served some pickles, mint chutney, fried bitter gourds and fried pickled chili. Definitely good sides that go well with the rice. 

Mutton Varuval @ RM 7.00
We also ordered a plate of the above Mutton Varuval. Their Mutton was very nicely marinated though slightly on the spicy side and they were all lean meat chunks without any bones. The portion size too was huge. I would rate this dish at 9.4/10 .

Egg Sambal @ RM 3.00
You could choose the number of eggs that you want and they are priced at RM 1.50 each. Though they call this egg sambal, I would say that this is merely egg curry. These hard boiled eggs were served in a very spicy gravy which was delicious. I would rate these at 8.7/10 .

Chicken Perattel @ RM 5.50
Their Chicken Perattel was super good. Delicious chicken chunks were cooked in an extremely spicy gravy and it was a super hit. I would rate this dish at 10/10 .

Fried Tenggiri Fish @ RM 6.00
Their Fried Fish was again wonderfully marinated with spices and fried to a crisp golden brown colour. The Fish, though small and slightly pricey for RM 6.00, was good though honestly not the best fried fish that I have had. I would rate this at 8.5/10 .

Melagu Rasam....part of the Banana Leaf Meals Set
Their Rasam was served as part of the Banana Leaf Meal set and it was once again excellent. Perfectly spiced, it was delicious and went well after a full meal. I would rate this at 9.7/10 .

Payasam...Also Part Of the Meal Set
Besides the Rasam, they also served Payasam as part of the Banana Leaf Meal set. The Payasam was slightly too sweet for me but my friend enjoyed it. I guess I am not much of a sweet tooth after all and Payasam is meant to be sweet. Hence, to give this a fairer rating, I asked my friend what he would rate this on scale of ten and his rating was 9/10 . 

On the whole, this is definitely a great place to have Tamil Banana Leaf Meals. The food has always been great over the years and the service speedy. Definitely a place that I would highly recommend. 

Address: 22, Jalan Puteri 1/5, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.

Opening Hours: 24 Hours Daily

Telephone: +603 8051 1343

Thursday 30 January 2014

Sarpino's Pizzeria @ Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

Sarpino's Pizzeria started it's very first outlet in Victoria, British Columbia in 1972 and since then, has expanded it's chain of restaurants throughout the globe. A number of years ago, they started their very first outlet in Malaysia in USJ 1, Subang Jaya and now, they have another three outlets in Bangsar, Mont Kiara, Puchong and another two in Raub and Melaka. 

Sarpino's in Plaza Mont Kiara

Sarpino's in Plaza Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur
Today I visited their outlet located in Plaza Mont Kiara as I wanted to take away some pizza's. Their outlet in Mont Kiara in located in Block E, Plaza Mont Kiara and it is not easily visible from the courtyard but it is located next to Subway. Their outlet here is just a small shop-let that has just a few tables as most of their orders are take aways and deliveries to nearby offices. 

The Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

The Counter
This restaurant is manned by two foreign workers who seem to be very good at what they do. There were a number of customers who were there ahead of me placing their orders, all being takeaways. The only setback here is that due to the shortage of staffs, it takes so time for them to attend to you as both these staffs do everything right from taking orders, handling customers, manning the kitchen as well as handling deliveries. 

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu
The above is their menu and it seems very comprehensive with a good variety of pizza's and a number of other sides. Do note that this is a Halal restaurant and they also have a good variety of vegetarian pizza's too for our Vegan friends. Pizza's here are available both in thin and thick crust. There are a number of other promotions too which the waiter was more than willing to explain to me and it was very helpful in assisting me decide my order. 

My Pizza...Ready
It did take them a while to prepare the Pizza as all ingredients are freshly prepared to order and by the time I got my pizza, it took a waiting time of around 40 minutes. 

Large Tuscany Pizza @ RM 34.90

Closer Look At The Pizza
As mentioned earlier, both the pizza's I ordered were vegetarian pizza's and thin crust. Their Pizza's comes in three sizes, regular, large and extra large and I ordered both large. The above Tuscany Pizza is made with loads of onions, sun dried tomato's, baby spinach, artichoke hearts, banana peppers and topped with Parmesan, Feta and Mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of roasted garlic. Loaded with cheese and a variety of vegetables, it was definitely an excellent choice and it was really good. I would rate the above pizza at 9/10 .

Large Pesto Veggie Pizza @ RM 34.90

Closer Look At The Pizza
The Pesto Veggie Pizza is made with a generous spread of homemade Pesto Sauce added with sun dried tomato's, red and green pepper, onions, fresh spinach, topped with Mozzarella Cheese and sprinkled with roasted garlic. Once again, the homemade Pesto Sauce at the base really brought out a unique taste to this pizza. I would rate this pizza at 9.4/10 .

The do have other vegetarian pizza's too and this is definitely a good variation from the usual vegetarian pizza's that we get from the usual pizza chains and the quality of the ingredients were definitely much better and richer. As a package price, I received an additional discount of 25% off my second pizza bringing the total bill to only RM 61.07 . Definitely some good pizza's are made here and I would definitely come here again to try out their meaty pizza's and their Mutton Samosa's. 

Address: Suite E-01-16A, Block E, Plaza Mont Kiara, 
                No. 2, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Opening Hours: 1100 - 2300 Daily (Last Order at 2230)

Telephone: +603 6201 2727

Email: sarpinospizzeria@hotmail.com

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Khaana Peena @ Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

Khaana Peena which literally means eat and drink is a stylish North Indian restaurant that is located in Plaza Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Serving both Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian dishes, this restaurant has established a name for itself among the expatriate community of Mont Kiara.

Khaana Peena in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur

Indoor Seating Area

Interior of the Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant
Located in Block E of Plaza Mont Kiara, this restaurant serves North Indian dishes originating from a number of states in the northern part of the Indian sub continent. On weekdays, the restaurant is mostly busy during lunch hours and on weekends, dinner is a busy time and if you are planning to come at either one of those times, it is best to make a reservation a few days ahead. This restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Papadams

Mint Chutney


The staffs here at this restaurant are very professional with their approach to customers and I guess they are extra careful here because they mostly deal with expatriates.The moment you are seated and even before the menu is handed over to you, they would serve you with Papadams and some Mint Chutney. Their Mint Chutney here is worth mentioning as it is prepared in the North Indian style and tastes slightly different from the South Indian style of preparation. It has more mint in it and a stronger aftertaste. I would rate their Mint Chutney at 9/10 .

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

Ongoing Promotions

Ongoing Promotions

Their menu has a wide variety of dishes to offer for both vegetarians as well as non vegetarians. The prices here are a premium and they are much higher compared to their other competitors and the portion size too is smaller and hence do take note of this when ordering. 

Coca Cola @ RM 5.00

Asli Masala Chai @ RM 5.00

A Better Look at their Masala Chai
Coca Cola is priced at RM 5.00 per can which is double of what you pay elsewhere. I ordered their Asli Masala Chai. To me, this seemed a little diluted and would have been better if more spices and tea leaves were used during the preparation. I would rate their Asli Masala Chai at 5.5/10 .

Basket of Garlic and Butter Naan

Butter Naan @ RM 9.00 each
We ordered one Butter Naan and one Garlic Naan. As you can see from the above photo, their Naan's are really huge. The Butter Naan was very satisfying and in fact, it was one of the best breads that I have tried in a restaurant in the Klang Valley. It was oozing with butter and was extra soft. I would rate their Butter Naan at 9.6/10 .

Garlic Naan @ RM 8.00
Their Garlic Naan was no exception too. This was again wonderfully prepared with a lavish amount of garlic and butter. The Naan, once again was extremely soft and delicious. I would rate this at 9.7/10 .

Jeera Aloo @ RM 17.00
The above is potato's cooked with cumin and turmeric in a mildly spicy presentation. For the price paid, the portion was definitely small but it would be good for three if you order a number of dishes. The Potato's were steamed to the right level and then cooked just nicely. For me, the only set back with this dish was that it lacked some salt and would have been better if that was corrected. Otherwise, it was a satisfying dish. I would rate this dish at 8/10 .

Jhinga Masala @ RM 30.00

Closer Look At The Jhinga Masala
This dish is called Jhinga Masala and is pretty much Prawns cooked in a spicy Tomato gravy. For the price of RM 30.00, there were literally seven small prawns in the entire dish which is way too expensive. The gravy however, was slightly on the spicy side but it was delicious and went extremely well with the bread. Price aside, I would rate this dish at 8.8/10. Yet still, I can't help complaining as I feel that this dish is overpriced. 

Dhall Maharani @ RM 15.00

The Dhall Maharani after being stirred with the cream
This dish is a North Indian specialty dish. It is whole Black Gram Dhall cooked in a mildly spicy gravy and topped with cream. For the price, the volume was acceptable and it was good. Would go extremely well with any kind of bread. I would rate this dish at 8.8/10 .

Murg Korma @ RM 26.00

Five Chunks of Chicken in The Dish
Once again, for five chunks of Chicken in Kurma and for the price of RM 26.00, I feel this is again ridiculously expensive. For that price I could have bought a few birds of chicken and done the cooking myself. Although we understand that this is a specialty restaurant, this price for this portion size is just unacceptable. The Chicken chunks too were nothing great and the gravy was way too sweet. I would only rate this dish at 5/10 .

Overall, it was not a fantastic dining experience here today. The service was definitely good and their bread was excellent. In fact, as mentioned earlier, their bread is one of the best that I have tried in the Klang Valley. Their curries however, was just mediocre and priced at sky high prices. This may suit the occasional expatriate visitors who passes the tabs onto their company expenses but I doubt you would have individuals and especially locals coming here on a repeated basis especially when the bill is paid out of their own wallets. I definitely have visited other North Indian restaurants in the Klang Valley that churn out better dishes are almost half the price. Do note that this is a Pork Free restaurant but they do not have the Halal status as alcohol is served on the menu.

Address: Unit E-01 - 04/05, Block E, Plaza Mont Kiara, 
                No. 2 Jalan Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Opening Hours: Lunch 1000 - 1500 & Dinner 1800 - 2200 Daily

Telephone: +603 6201 3355

Email: email@khaanapeena.net