Sunday 31 August 2014

Restoran Kong Mah Sdn Bhd @ Sungai Buloh, Selangor

I have been to this place numerous times now and this would be my fourth time blogging about this place. All my previous visits have been at night and this is the first time that I am visiting them for lunch. This place surely is a hidden gem serving excellent Dim Sum and they are located in Sungai Buloh New Village right beside RHB  and Hong Leong Bank. 

Restaurant Kong Mah in Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh

The Restaurant

Indoor Air Conditioned Seating Area

Trays After Trays are being steamed

Steaming In Progress
Finding this place is pretty easy. Just drive all the way in until you see the RHB bank on your left and this restaurant is along that same row, just a few doors away. There is both outdoor and indoor seating area at this restaurant. Let me assure you that it is much cooler to sit inside than outside. The steaming of the dumplings is also done outside and that surely contributes to the heat. I was told that during peak hours, we need to wait for almost an hour to get a table. Luckily during lunch, the place was quite empty. Before this when I came at nights, the place was usually packed with customers. There was just three of us today and there was a limit to what we could eat. Still, if you see by the number of plates from the bottom photographs, what we had was a mere 15% of what they offered here. There were loads of other excellent and rare Dim Sum items here. The thing that swept me off my feet was the rare and unique items that you do not find elsewhere. Contrary to my usual style of writing individual reviews, I would be placing the photos and then write a collective review at the bottom.  Now, time to explore the food.

Some of the Fried Items

Some of the Fried Items
Once we were seated, we were immediately attended to. Trays after trays of steamed and fried Dim Sum was brought to us and then we had to pick our items. I have been to a number of Dim Sum joints in Kuala Lumpur including the famous Mee Bon in Ipoh Road and this place is able to boast on the variety that it serves. The above is some of the fried items. We are not much into fried items and hence, only selected a few dishes and decided to move on to the steamed ones.

Fried Fish Nuggets @ RM 6.00

Fried Brinjals @ RM 6.00
Both of the above were superb. Though fried, traces of oil were minimal and they were so fresh and good. 

Some of the Steamed Dim Sum

Some of the Steamed Dim Sum

Some of the Steamed Dim Sum
What you see above is just a portion of the steamed dim sum available. We had to stop them as we were already quite full.

Steamed Mussels @ RM 5.00

Steamed Sweet Pork Siu Mai @ RM 5.00

Steamed Fish Paste @ RM 5.00

Fried Bacon Rolls @ RM 6.00

Steamed Black Pepper Pork Siu Mai @ RM 5.00

Fish Balls @ RM 3.60

Salted Egg Dim Sum @ RM 3.60

Stuffed Tofu @ RM 3.60

Custard Buns @ RM 5.00

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun @ RM 3.60

Us Having Lunch
What can I say, every dish was just excellent. All the items were fresh and so juicy. We ate to the point of suffocation. Our total meal this afternoon cost us RM 60.40 including the drinks which seemed quite reasonable to me. I would strongly recommend this place and lucky me that it is so close to my house. If you love Dim Sum, do make a note to visit this place sometime. You would surely be amazed by the food.

Address: 32, Jalan Public, Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh,
                 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel: +603 6156 1682 & +6019 225 4640

Opening Hours: 0700 - 1400 & 1900 - 0000 (Closed every Tuesdays unless it falls on a Public Holiday)

Saturday 30 August 2014

Restoran Lan Je @ Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya

I first tried this steamed fish sometime last year at their Desa Aman Puri outlet. Originating from Rawang, today they have a number of outlets across the Klang Valley. Being in Kota Damansara this evening, we decided to try their Kota Damansara outlet which is located at Bistari 'De' Kota. 

Restoran Lan Je in Kota Damansara

Restoran Lan Je in Kota Damansara

Interior of the Restaurant
In Kota Damansara, they occupy two shop units. One is air conditioned and the other is ventilated by ceiling fans. This outlet is located behind the famous Gulam Mee which is clearly visible from the main road. My parents and I have tried this fish before and we really liked. When I explained it to my brother, he was skeptical and wondered if it would taste good. I suggested for him to try today and then decide for himself.  

Us In The Restaurant

The Menu & Price List

Cutlery

Chinese Tea @ RM 0.50

Coca Cola @ RM 2.00
Ordering here is quite simple, all their items are listed on the board along with the prices. You just have to choose your items and as far as the fish goes, pick either medium spicy or super spicy. I have tried most of the items at this restaurant except that it was at the Desa Aman Puri branch and they are all just so so except for the fish which was excellent. These item that I have tried include their Tofu, a number of vegetables and their chicken dish. There are two prawn dishes here, that is their Salted Prawns and Steamed Prawns, both of these I have not tried yet and I hope to try either one of them today. Kindly take note that this is a Pork Free restaurant.

Medium Spicy Steamed Tilapia Fish @ RM 15.00 each

Medium Spicy Steamed Tilapia Fish @ RM 15.00 each

Medium Spicy Steamed Tilapia Fish @ RM 15.00 each

Dinner In Progress

A Fish Each
We ordered a fish each as always and omit the white rice. They only use the black Tilapia Fish for this dish and no other fish types are available. Many avoid this Black Tilapia as they tend to have a stench but that is not the case here. The fish is perfectly cleaned and cooked and all stench is removed. Generally, they are priced from around RM 15 to RM 18, depending on the size and this one today was RM 15.00 . Last year, their base price for the fish was RM 12.00 . Well with all prices gone up, it is only fair for them to price it higher and even then, a similar fish of the similar size would at least be priced at RM 23 onwards and comparing that, they are still very much cheaper. Price aside, the fish is excellent. The fish is steamed with loads of garlic and bird eye chilies and the aroma is simply unforgettable. I usually go for the medium spicy as that it good enough for me. Maybe next time, I should try their super spicy instead. I have walked past their kitchen and observed that they stack the plates up in rattan baskets and steam them using the conventional method. Perhaps that is where the taste comes from. For me, this dish is excellent and I would rate it at a perfect 10/10 . One thing that amazes me is how they can have the taste so consistent across all their outlets. If I was blindfolded and tasted this, I still would be able to tell. My brother who stared at this dish when it arrived as if it was not really cooked, ended up enjoying this dish thoroughly and everyday thereafter, reminded me that we should go and have this fish again. That's how good it is. 

Salty Prawn @ RM 21.00

Salty Prawn @ RM 21.00
The Salty Prawn was nothing great to be honest. I have tried this dish in other restaurants and comparing this to those, this seemed quite mediocre. Perhaps their Steamed Prawns would have been better. Definitely would try the latter my next trip here. As far as my rating goes, I would rate this at 7.5/10 .

If you love steamed fish, then this place is a must try. I have read negative comments too on the web about this steamed fish but 9 out of 10, would love them. We can't blame people for thinking so as everyone has different taste buds and that's absolutely natural. But the majority of people would surely love this. I for one have definitely been hooked on to this fish. Definitely would return.

Address: F-50G & 51G, Jalan Teknologi 3/9, Bestari 'De' Kota, 
                 Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1130 - 1500 & 1730 - 2130 
                             Closed on Tuesdays

Telephone: +603 6150 1382 & +6012 227 0037

Friday 29 August 2014

Restoran Big Family @ Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya

If you happen to be around Kota Damansara area during lunch, then I would strongly recommend this restaurant called Restaurant Big Family. This restaurant is located in Taman Industri Sungai Buloh which is exactly at the intersection between Kota Damansara and the old Sungai Buluh - Subang Airport road right opposite the old Projet Station, which is now a Shell petrol station. We were here about two weeks ago and since we loved the food, decided to return again today for lunch.

Restaurant Big Family in Kota Damansara

Packed During Peak Hours

Sometimes Have To Wait A While For A Table

Pastries Are Also Available
It is difficult to miss this restaurant as it is clearly visible from the main road. During weekdays, parking can be a problem here but if you go around in circles, you should eventually find a place to park. There are at least 30 stalls here during lunch serving a number of variety from Chinese to Western dishes. Most of the stalls here are usually sold out by around 3 pm and so it is advisable to come early.

Popiah @ RM 2.00 each

Popiah @ RM 2.00 each
Having tried the Popiah from the QQ Popiah stall the last trip, we ordered it again today. The Popiah, priced at RM 2.00 each was heavenly. The skin was soft, filled with heavenly goodness and loads of chili paste and perfectly wrapped so that it doesn't break off when you try lifting it with chopsticks. This definitely reminds me of the Popiah that we get in Ipoh. Fantastic preparation and I would rate this at 9.9/10 .

Curry Mee @ RM 5.50

Curry Mee @ RM 5.50

Curry Mee @ RM 5.50

Paste Was Heavenly Too
We wanted to go for the Prawn Mee again but that stall was closed and we decided to go for the Curry Mee. This Curry Mee was one of the best ones that I have tried. For RM 5.50, it came with fish paste, tofu, curry chicken, potato, long beans, cockles and in a rich, thick super delicious curry. You can also opt to add some Pork Blood if you want. The Curry Mee was absolutely flawless and one bowl is definitely very filling even for a good eater. This deserves nothing less that 9.9/10 .

Eggs & Luncheon Meat Toast @ RM 3.50

Eggs & Luncheon Meat Toast @ RM 3.50
This we ordered from a stall specialising in Western Food and the toast comes with a variety of fillings for you to choose from. This one had eggs and luncheon meat at the toast was delicious. I would rate this at 9/10 .

Char Kuey Teow & Mee @ RM 5.50

Char Kuey Teow & Mee @ RM 5.50
Another excellent dish at this restaurant is the above Char Kuey Teow which is available from the CKT stall which is located on the other side of the restaurant. We ordered both Kuey Teow and Mee to be added. For RM 5.50, it was a plate of goodness and nothing else. The CKT was so aromatic and simply delicious. It had a good amount of eggs, beansprouts, cockles and lap cheong in it. I would strongly recommend this and would rate it at 9.5/10 .

This restaurant cum mini food court has definitely loads of good food to offer. Do note that they only operate from breakfast to lunch and most of the stalls are only open during lunch from 11 am to 3 pm. 

Address: Lorong TSB 1/10A, Taman Industri Sungai Buloh,
                Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1100 - 1500 Daily