Monday 31 March 2014

Restoran Ratha Raub @ Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya

Every time I make a trip to Genting Highlands, I would definitely make a stop at Restoran Ratha Raub that is located in Goh Tong Jaya. Originating from Raub, Pahang , this restaurant has now opened a new outlet in Damansara Utama and thanks to them as I can now taste their famous Fish Head Curry in my own neighborhood. 

Restoran Ratha Raub in Damansara Utama

Entrance to the Restaurant

Breakfast Offerings

Ground Floor
This outlet in Damansara Utama, is located along the main row facing the LDP, just a few doors away from Vichuda Tom Yam. It occupies two floors and is beautifully designed to a modern theme. I have always loved their Fish Head Curry, as it has been one of the best ones that I have tried. Unfortunately today, I am alone and would not have the privilege of trying that dish as that is good for a small to large group.

Brief History of the Restaurant

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu
One could either walk up to the counter, check out the dishes and place the orders or place the orders by browsing the menu from your table. The service was speedy and I was immediately attended to by the waiter. Since alone, I decided to go for a number of small dishes, just to try as many dishes possible.

Teh Ais @ RM 2.20
The Tea was very good and had an Indian touch to it. Despite being Iced Tea, they did not overdo the ice and dilute the drink. It was fixed perfectly with the right balance. I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

White Rice @ RM 1.60

Mutton Curry @ RM 8.00

Mutton Curry @ RM 8.00
The Mutton Curry was once again good. Lean chunks of mutton were served in a thick, aromatic and delicious gravy. Not overly spiced, it was the perfect balance that would appeal to everyone's palate. I would rate this dish at 9.2/10 .

Fried Lamb @ RM 9.00

Fried Lamb @ RM 9.00
Another one of their specialty dishes here, the Fried Lamb is a must try for Lamb lovers! Thin slice of lamb shoulder, coated with Indian spices and deep fried to a golden brown colour. This was heavenly. Despite being deep fried, the lamb was tender and even the bones were chewy. Another highly recommended dish here. I would rate this at 9/10 .

Chicken Curry
I had asked for some Chicken Curry and they had obligingly provided it. The curry once again was good, although it seemed to be slightly oily. Taste wise, it was good. Whats good here is that their curries are not overly spicy and it would suit well across a broad spectrum of customers unlike some of those Indian restaurants which cook their curries to an overly spicy level. I shall rate this at 8.7/10 .

Contact Information
Although some may argue that their prices are slightly high, I would still say that it's truly worth it. The food is good and is served in a clean and cosy air conditioned environment. Being such, it is just not fair to compare the prices with those common Indian or Indian Muslim restaurants and the slight premium charged, it truly justified. I am waiting for another opportunity to come here in a larger group, perhaps with my family to once again treat myself to their delicious Fish Head Curry.

Address: No.32, Jalan SS21/35, Damansara Uptown,
                47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +6012 928 7909 , +6019 930 5577 & +603 7733 9287

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2200 Daily

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Restoran-Ratha-Famous-Raub-Kari-Kepala-Ikan/185433738173087?sk=timeline

Sunday 30 March 2014

Restoran Ga Onn @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

To those that have been following me for sometime now, you must be aware that Restoran Ga Onn is our favourite Chinese Restaurant in Tanjung Malim, Perak. It is almost everytime that whenever we decide to dine out, this would be the place that we head to. Without an exception, this afternoon too we came here for our weekly family lunch.

Restoran Ga Onn in Tanjung Malim

Entrance to the Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

Us at the Restaurant


Interior of the Restaurant
Despite there being a number of famous restaurants in Tanjung Malim, this is more like a neighborhood restaurant that is preferred by the locals. The restaurant is casual unlike some others which are more dressy and the prices too are very reasonable. The owners are very friendly towards their customers and there is a good bond between the customers and the owners. What I like most about this place is the honesty of the owners where if you were to over order, they would advise you and they would also adjust the dish portions accordingly, based on the number of pax, instead of over charging you. 

Coca Cola @ RM 2.20

Chinese Tea @ RM 0.50
Since they are so familiar with us, there is no need for us to order what drinks we want. Instead when they see us, they would just bring the usual drinks that we order. Generally, it's Chinese Tea for all of us except for my brother who would go for a Coca Cola. 

Homemade Bean Curd @ RM 8.00

Homemade Bean Curd @ RM 8.00
This was a new recipe and the owner recommended us to try it. The homemade Tofu was deep fried and cooked along with pumpkin paste which is the orange thing at the base of the dish and is topped with minced meat. The Tofu, though being deep fried, was very soft on the inside and it went very well with the pumpkin paste and minced meat. Something different here and it was good. I would rate this at 8/10 .

Mantis Prawns with Salted Eggs @ RM 12.00

Mantis Prawns with Salted Eggs @ RM 12.00
This is one of my brother's favourite dish and he just loves the preparation here. Sometimes, he even goes to the extent of ordering another helping of the same. The Mantis Prawns are fried to a perfect crispness and is coated with salted eggs. Definitely a very good dish. I would rate this dish at 9.3/10 .

Kangkung Belacan @ RM 8.00

Kangkung Belacan @ RM 8.00
This is one of our favourite dishes here. The Kangkung is cleaned very well and you do not get traces of sediments. In some restaurants, the greens are not properly cleaned and you do get some sand like thing in the dish and this is specially prominent to Kangkungs. Here however, it is thoroughly cleaned. The preparation too comes with a good amount of Belacan that gives a very aromatic taste to the dish. Definitely a good preparation and I would rate this dish at 8.9/10 .

Steamed Fish with Chili Paste (Cheong Cheng) @ RM 26.00

Steamed Fish with Chili Paste (Cheong Cheng) @ RM 26.00
This steamed fish was a good choice. The last time here, we tried it steamed with ginger and this time decided to try with the Chili paste. The dish was well prepared and much better to the one we tried the last time. The fish was fresh and again it was cleaned well, thus eliminating any smell that is common in fresh water fish. I would rate this dish at 8.5/10 .

Lunch In Progress
We dine at this restaurant at least once a week and the food has always been consistent. This is one of those places where you could say that the food is great, the price is cheap and the service is just excellent. What more would one want from a restaurant. Definitely a great place to drop by for a good meal.

Address: 10, Jalan Cahaya, Taman Anggerik Desa,
                35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1130 - 1500 and 1800 - 2300

Telephone: +605 458 2323

Saturday 29 March 2014

Restoran Salam 1 Cafe @ Bukit Beruntung, Selangor

This is the branch outlet of Salam Sentosa Restaurant that is located in Bukit Sentosa. This one is called Salam 1 Cafe and is located on the Bukit Beruntung side right after the Tesco warehouse. 

Salam 1 Cafe in Bukit Beruntung

Busy Day At The Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant
I have been to this restaurant numerous times but most of it has been during working hours to meet some of my clients there. This is the first time that I am here at night. Do note that there may not be as many varieties here as you get in their other restaurant which is a mere 10 minutes away. Nevertheless, the younger crowd, seems to prefer this to that. We arrived here at 10 pm and the restaurant was packed with customers. It took a while for even the orders to be taken. After numerous attempts at trying to get them to take the orders, we finally managed to get the orders through after being here for about 15 minutes.

Indo Mee Goreng @ RM 4.00

Indo Mee Goreng @ RM 4.00
My brother ordered the above Indo Mee Goreng as this is one of his favourite dishes. It arrived in 10 minutes even before the drinks. The dish was just so so, not sure if the crowd factor contributed to this. I did taste it too and it was just okay, quite flat in taste to be honest. I would rate this at 6/10 .

Teh Tarik @ RM 1.40
Right after the noodles, my drink arrived. The Tea's standard too was not up to the mark today. I used to enjoy their Tea here and not sure why it's not the norms here today. I would rate this at 8.5/10 only.

Murtabak Ayam @ RM 5.80
I was actually annoyed and ended up voicing my anger a few times as I had to wait so long for my food. Already it was 10 pm and I had been starving for a long time and now, my Murtabak only arrives after an hour which is just not acceptable.

Chicken Murtabak

The Fillings
Taste wise, the Murtabak was good but sad that the service was not up to the expectations tonight. The fillings were lavish and it came with a good amount of chicken in it. I would rate this at 9.2/10 .

Onion in Syrup
This is one of my favourite dip sauce for Murtabak. Here, the preparation was nice but not perfect. I would rate this at 7/10 . This can be definitely improved with slight changes to their recipe. 

Chicken Curry
They also provided the above Chicken Gravy, it was a little too watery with insufficient condiments. I would rate this at 6.8/10 .

Dhall
The Dhall was even worse than the Chicken gravy. It was watery and lacked salt. My rating for this shall be 6.2/10 .

Chicken Tomyam Soup @ RM 4.80

Chicken Tomyam Soup @ RM 4.80
I had actually ordered the usual Indian Muslim Chicken Soup and the waiter should have told me that they do not have it. However, he just took the orders and sent this bowl of Chicken Tomyam Soup after 1 1/2 hours. I was pissed off when I saw this, called him and questioned, but he seemed to have a blank expression on his face. Feeling sorry for him as he was genuinely trying his best to get the dishes out fastest possible, I just dismissed him and continued with the soup. The soup too was not up to the expectation, it was too sour and being a Tomyam dish, it lacked the spiciness. I would rate this dish at 5.5/10 .

Definitely our dinner was a disaster today. The food were all bad, at least not up to their usual standards. From this I have learned that should never visit this restaurant when they are packed. I should have gone to their other restaurant, at least there, I would have had a much better meal.

Address: 51, Jalan Inai 2, Seksyen BB3, Bukit Beruntung,
                48300 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 24 Hours Daily

Telephone: +603 6028 1161

Friday 28 March 2014

Chinoz Bangsar Shopping Centre @ Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

This morning I had an early meeting in Bangsar and since the client wanted to have some coffee, decided to bring him over to Chinoz in Bangsar Shopping Complex.

Chinoz in BSC

Beer & Wine Promotions

Interior of the Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant
This outlet is located on the Ground Floor of BSC. If you see Dome near the entrance, just walk along and you would come to this restaurant. Beautifully designed, this restaurant operates as a restaurant by day and a bar by night. All the food here is Pork Free but they do not have the Halal certification as they serve alcohol on their menu.

That's Me in Office Attire

The Cutlery

Breakfast Menu

Breakfast Menu
We were here when they just opened at 8 am. My client did not want to eat and so we just ordered a cup of coffee.

Long Black @ RM 9.00

Long Black @ RM 9.00
The long black was a good brew of coffee. It was thick and had a delicious aroma. I would rate this at 9/10 . A definite treat to black coffee lovers!

My 2nd Cup of Long Black
After the meeting was over, I decided to go for the breakfast set. I ordered the English Breakfast which comes with a complimentary coffee or tea. I decided to go for another Long Black. 

English Breakfast Set @ RM 30.00
The English Breakfast Set comes with 2 Sunny Side up Eggs, Turkey Strip, Chicken Sausage, Baked Beans, Sauteed Mushrooms, White Toast and Grilled Cherry Tomato's. 

White Toast
I was not too impressed with the White Toast. For me, this was just above average and I would have expected better from this place. I would rate this at 7/10 .

Sauteed Mushrooms & Grilled Cherry Tomato's
This again was just so so, it tasted slightly bland and would have been better if the mushrooms were sauteed in butter. I would rate this at 6/10 .

Baked Beans
The Baked Beans too was not too impressive. Definitely not a top range brand. I would rate this at 5.8/10 .

2 Sunny Side -Up Eggs
This in contrary was good and I loved the way that the eggs were perfectly done. I would rate this at 9.1/10 .

Turkey Strip
The Turkey Strip was another good one. The portion was quite huge too and it was nice grilled. I would rate this at 8.5/10 .

Chicken Sausages
The Chicken Sausages were huge and very satisfying. Nicely done, I would say that this was the best in the platter. I would rate this at 9.2/10 .

Overall, the breakfast offering was decent but the coffee was great! I have definitely tried their other dishes here and they were much better than this particular one. Perhaps should stick to their lunch and dinner items or just coffee if I am here for breakfast. 

Address: Ground Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, 
                Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Opening Hours: 0800 - 0000 Daily

Telephone: +603 2284 3390

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/chinoz/10150128878215183?sk=timeline