Friday 22 September 2017

Jom Otak (Gerai 16) Jalan 223 @ Petaling Jaya, Selangor

If you a visiting the Medan Selera that is located along Jalan 223 where the famous Nasi Lemak Suri and Nasi Lemak Yanti is, another good stall to try would be Stall 16 which specialises in Otak Otak. 

Stall 16

They Only Specialise In Otak Otak
There are two stalls here that specialises in Otak Otak and this is one of them. Somehow, I prefer this over the other one. For a stall to solely survive on a single food item, the demand must be very good and true enough, they were very busy attending to the orders and they were selling by the hundreds each hour. 



Once ready, a basket filled with Otak Otak is sent over to the table and the minimum order quantity would be five. They were freshly grilled and served hot. Certainly, one that stood out in terms of taste and authenticity. Truly a very good Otak Otak it was and I would certainly recommend this stall. 

Address: Medan Selera Jalan 223, No. 2, Jalan 223, Seksyen 51A, 46100 Petaling Jaya, 
                Selangor.

Business Hours: 24 Hours Daily

Thursday 21 September 2017

HOMI Chicken Curry Puff @ SS2, Petaling Jaya

HOMI Chicken Curry Puff is one of those Curry Puff outlets that I frequent. I have been having this Curry Puff for at least the past 15 years now. Being in the mood for it this evening, we drove out to their main outlet which is a stall that is located in Restoran Sun Hin Loong in SS2, Petaling Jaya. 

The Restaurant In SS2, Petaling Jaya

The Curry Puff Stall

Freshly Made Puffs
Being his dad's recipe, the brothers have made this business into a very successful venture. Today, they also have another outlet located on the Lower Ground Floor of Mid Valley Megamall.  Due to that Megamall outlet, as it is a requirement there, they have acquired the Halal status though they do not display it in their SS2 outlet as the main customers here are Chinese. Nevertheless, it is all made in a single place and all staffs are Muslims. This stall operates from 7.30 am until 5.30 pm daily. From what I can remember in 2008, the price then was RM 1.20 each but today, it is RM 2.50 each at this particular outlet. In Mid Valley Megamall, it is priced at RM 2.90 each. At this outlet, he only sells the Chicken Curry Puffs but at the Megamall outlet, you also get Sardine Puffs and Mildly Spicy Chicken Pie.

Chicken Curry Puff @ RM 2.50

Delicious Curried Potato Filling
The Chicken Curry Puffs were huge and the taste has been consistent over the years. The ingredients are chicken, mushroom, green pea, carrot, potato and onions cooked in thick curry. My rating for these Curry Puffs would be 9/10 . It's great to see that HOMI has now also expanded into the shopping mall scene and hope that there would be more outlets opening in other malls as well. One thing that I would like to congratulate him is that despite his expansion, the quality and taste of the Curry Puffs have been consistent over the years and that is a great satisfaction to his loyal supporters like me. 

Address: No. 65, Jalan SS 2/64, SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Business Hours: 0730 - 1730 Daily

Telephone: +6012 386 6291 (Wong) & +6012 283 2133 (Lim)

Wednesday 20 September 2017

Gerai (51) Sup Kambing Jalan 223 @ Petaling Jaya, Selangor

If you a visiting the Medan Selera that is located along Jalan 223 where the famous Nasi Lemak Suri and Nasi Lemak Yanti is, another good stall to try would be Stall 51 which sells a variety of soups. My favourite at this stall would be their Mutton Soup. 

Stall 51
They do have other fried items too but those are just okay. I would recommend sticking to their Sup Ayam and Sup Kambing which is really good. It's located not too far from where the famous Nasi Lemak Suri stall is. 

Sup Kambing (Mutton Soup)

Perfect Cuts
Their Sup Kambing is medium bodied and comes with a variety of spices. Not too spicy and it would be perfect for most people. The mutton cuts were of the right size as well. If you happen to be around Jalan 223, I would recommend visiting this stall for a good bowl of Sup Kambing (Mutton Soup). 

Address: Medan Selera Jalan 223, No. 2, Jalan 223, Seksyen 51A, 46100 Petaling Jaya, 
                Selangor.

Business Hours: 24 Hours Daily

Tuesday 19 September 2017

Restoran Sun Hin Loong @ SS2, Petaling Jaya

Restoran Sun Hing Loong is a fairly old coffee shop that is located in SS2, Petaling Jaya. They are open from breakfast right up to supper daily. Predominantly, it's a mini food court like concept with many stalls selling a variety of food items. The landlord sells the drinks, cigarettes and Bao's. 

The Restaurant Along Jalan 2/64, Petaling Jaya

A Variety Of Bao's
Business is good from the time they open which is 7 am right up to 3 am. If you come for breakfast, then you get to enjoy the wide variety of Pau that they have to offer. This is the first time that I am seeing this much variety in a day to day coffee shop. 

Local Coffee

A Mix Of Pau's
We ordered Coffee and some Pau's so that we could taste a good variety. The coffee was good. Just like how it is usually made in those old school coffee shops and they were reasonably priced. My rating for the coffee would be 8/10. 

Kaya Pau

Red Bean Pau

Vegetable Pau

Char Siew Pau
Although they were just another day to day Chinese Coffee Shop, Restoran Sun Hin Loong does have an excellent variety of Pau's to choose from. From what I had observed this morning, there were close to 10 varieties which is something that is quite rare these days. The Pau's were all tasty and the bun was so soft. Every variety that we tried was  good and my rating for these Pau's would be 8/10. If you happen to be near SS2 Petaling Jaya, then I would recommend dropping by for breakfast. 

Address: No. 65, Jalan SS 2/64, SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Business Hours: 0700 - 0300 Daily

Monday 18 September 2017

Gerai Suri Nasi Lemak Panas 223 @ Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya

I have heard so much about the two famous Nasi Lemak stalls located in Medan Selera Jalan 223 and finally got to try them a  few months back. Having been hooked on to the taste, I had to have my fix again this evening. The two famous stalls that I am talking about are Suri's Nasi Lemak and Yatie's Nasi Lemak and the one that I visited this evening was Suri's Nasi Lemak Stall (Stall No. 2),

Buzzing With Customers
Suri's Nasi Lemak Stall is the second one from the entrance and it would be on your left. I have never seen such a crowd at a Nasi Lemak stall before, and that too at 11 pm. This Nasi Lemak stall is open from round the clock and it has such an overwhelming response. Not only do they get loads of bulk orders through telephone, there's also such a long queue at the stall and I was surprised to see people buying by the hundreds. These must be coffee shop owners who would be selling it the next day. There were pails of rice and buckets of sambal, literally bucket after bucket was being cleared as people kept coming. 

Nasi Lemak @ RM 1.60
Those who want to dine in do not have to go to their stall to get these Nasi Lemak packets as they are conveniently placed at all tables in the food court and you could pay for them at the stall closest to you. There must be some kind of consignment arrangements among the operators. Unless if you want to go for extras like Fried Chicken etc., then you would have to work your way through the crowd and get it at the stall itself. If you're going for just the standard packets, then you can comfortably enjoy them at any one of those stalls. In fact, each table has both Suri's and Yatie's Nasi Lemak packets. Suri's is in blue print and Yatie's is in red print.

Delicious Spicy Sambal
Suri's Nasi Lemak is famous for it's extremely spicy Sambal and if you're one who loves your Nasi Lemak to be spicy, then this is for you. They were generous with the Sambal, slightly smaller portion of rice, some peanuts and half an egg were added with no traces of anchovies. However, it was one to savour. The Sambal was so good that you'd forget about the rest of the ingredients that are not there. Being a spicy food lover, I would rate this at 9/10. Definitely one of the better Nasi Lemak's in the Klang Valley. 

Address: Medan Selera Jalan 223, No. 2, Jalan 223, Seksyen 51A, 46100 Petaling Jaya, 
                Selangor.

Business Hours: 24 Hours Daily

Sunday 17 September 2017

Sate Kajang Haji Samuri @ Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya

This restaurant or chain of restaurants as it is today needs no introduction at all. It has been in Malaysia for many years now and has made it's name in the Sate business. Sate Kajang Hj. Samuri started off it's business in Kajang, Selangor and today has branches throughout the country and specifically having small outlets in most highway rest areas. Today, this entry is about my visit to one of their outlets which is located in Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya.

The Restaurant In Damansara Utama

Prices Of Sate

Prices Of Sate
This outlet is one of the first outlets to be opened in Kuala Lumpur. The restaurant occupies both the Ground and First floors. We were here around 8 pm and the place was packed. In fact many were waiting in line for a table which sometimes could take up to an hour before a table is allocated. One thing that not many people know is that the dining hall on the first floor is most often empty as not many are aware that there is more seating area there. So we decided to head up once we had placed the orders. 

Previously, they used to come up to your table and take the orders but nowadays, as their business has grown, they have made the ordering process self service. One would need to queue up at the counter, place the orders, pay for them and then collect the Peanut Sauce and Nasi Impit back to your table. Besides the usual Chicken and Beef Sate, they also offer Rabbit, Fish (Tilapia), Mutton, Beef Tripe and Chicken Liver & Gizzard Sate. Previously there used to be Venison and Ostrich sate's too but that has been removed from the menu. Besides Sate, they have also included a number of local dishes to the menu as well. Well come to think about it, there isn't much of a service here. Most if not all of their staffs are Indonesians and they are here just to do their job and there isn't much fraternising with customers or the personalised service element that one would expect in any restaurant. Its plain simple trade and nothing more.

Sirap Bandung @ RM 2.10

Nasi Impit @ RM 1.80
Sirap Bandung was very well prepared and it had a decent and acceptable amount of ice in it. Some restaurants would fill the glass with two thirds ice and the remainder would be the drink but that was not the case here. This drink deserves a rating of 8/10. This is another side dish that is quite common when having Sate. It is compressed rice and in Malay known as Nasi Impit. There is also some cucumber  and onion slices here. These are also dipped into the peanut sauce and eaten along with the Sate. I find their Nasi Impit slightly dry. My rating for this would simply be 7/10 .

Peanut Sauce

Chilli Flakes
One of the many reasons this sate place is famous is solely because of their Peanut Sauce. It also comes with some Chilly Flakes which you would add to your helping of the peanut dip sauce to your preferred taste. Here, the Peanut Sauce is a little sweet, not too thick and comes with finely ground peanuts.  I would rate their Peanut Sauce at 9/10 .

Chicken Sate @ RM 0.98 & Mutton Sate @ RM 1.60 each
It was a long wait as it took them almost 30 minutes before the Sate's arrived. We ordered some Chicken Sate's and two Mutton Sate's, just to try them out.I find their Mutton Sate to be a tad too stiff and to some extent tasteless. On the other hand, their Chicken Sate's  were nice, though not the best that I have eaten and I am very sure that many would be able to vouch for this. I think it is the brand name that sells itself now more than the quality of the Sate's. The Sate's have definitely shrunk in size over the years but the taste has been consistent. I would rate their Chicken Sate's at 8/10 and Mutton Sate's at 6/10 .


In a nutshell, what is still good here is the Peanut Sauce and in my opinion, that is the key selling product and not the Sate itself. The second selling point here is the variety of sate's available here that is not available elsewhere. Though there are many other places that serve better Chicken and Mutton sate, people still do come here for the above two reasons. Another reason that this brand still sells well is their geographical spread. They have stalls and restaurants established almost everywhere in  the Klang Valley thus making it easy for customers to reach them. These advantages are definitely helping them in maintaining their status quo of being Malaysia's No.1 Sate outlet. 

Address: No. 79 & 79M, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Business Hours: 1100 - 0000 Daily

Saturday 16 September 2017

Restoran Busy Corner @ Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya

This is a  restaurant that is very famous for the Claypot Chicken Rice. I last visited this place sometime in the year 2014  and was very impressed with the food. Having had a guest from India who had wanted to taste the culinary variety that we have in Malaysia, I decided to bring him here since this is something that he would never get in India. 

The Restaurant In Damansara Jaya

Price List

Price List
It is quite easy to locate this restaurant. They are located along the same row as Petronas as they are open from 11 am till 2.30  pm for lunch and then again from 5.00 pm till 9.30 pm for dinner. It's just a simple restaurant but you would be impressed by the crowd that adjourns itself there on a daily basis. I usually prefer coming here for dinner since during the day, parking can be a challenge around this area. 

Cutlery

Peanut & Chicken Feet Soup @ RM 6.00
One thing that I got to forewarn you is that not to expect much of a reception here. Service is speedy but no one smiles at any of the customers. Even when you pay, the interaction can seem a little tense. Don't worry as it is not about you. That is how they are and have been all these years. Cooking will take a while since it is prepared the traditional way using charcoal stoves. Despite the waiting time being slightly longer, rest assured the food is definitely good. They have a variety of soups to choose from and we went for their Peanut & Chicken Feet Soup. This is the steamed soup variety (not boiled) and is made with quality herbs and ingredients. Each is priced at a reasonable RM 6.00 and taste wise, I felt that it was pretty good. My rating for this shall be 9/10. 

Claypot Prawn Rice @ RM 17.00

Thoroughly Stirred Up 
Claypot Prawn Rice is one of the top sellers at this restaurant. Being a dish that is rare to find, they prepare this in a unique method so much so, even the base paste is different to the Chicken Rice. Be sure to thoroughly mixed it up before consuming. Otherwise, the paste would be unevenly distributed and you wouldn't be able to enjoy the dish. The shrimps used are quite large and they were fresh and juicy. The taste of the rice is so unique that you would not have tasted anything similar to this. A must try dish at this restaurant. May seem a little pricey but it's totally worth it. My rating for this shall be 10/10. 

Claypot Chicken Rice @ RM 8.00

Salt Fish Served Seperately
The other must try dish here would be their Claypot Chicken Rice which is priced at RM 8.00 . If you add Taiwanese Sausages, then they charge a Ringgit more for that. Salt Fish is served separately and customers could add to adequately to suit to their taste buds. Another excellent preparation that we enjoyed. My rating for this shall be 8/10. 

For some good Claypot Chicken Rice, my recommendation would be to visit Restoran Busy Corner that is located in Damansara Jaya. Besides this, their Claypot Prawn Rice is another top seller and it has some very unique flavours which is so tasty. Steamed Soup varieties are also highly sought after at this restaurant. All dishes are prepared using traditional methods and cooked on charcoal stoves. Slightly pricey but it is totally worth it. In fact, the crowd that you see all day long would assure you that this restaurant does offer some amazing food. 

Address: No. 83, Jalan SS 22/11, Damansara Jaya, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Business Hours: 1100 - 1430 & 1700 - 2130 (Closed On Wednesdays)

Friday 15 September 2017

Grandmama's @ Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur

Having had a close friend visit me from Bangkok, I thought of taking them to one of the good restaurants in Kuala Lumpur for a meal. But then, the schedules changed and so did the hotels. Instead of KL Hilton, they stayed at Double Tree in Intermark, Jalan Tun Razak. Not having much choice and with the limited time that we had at our perusal, I brought them over to Grandmama's that is located at the Intermark building. 

Grandmama's At Intermark, Kuala Lumpur

Local Coffee @ RM 7.50
The restaurant is located in quite a prominent location within Intermark. Even when you come from the entrance, Grandmama's is clearly visible. The reception was fantastic and they had greeted us right from the moment that we had walked in. They had a very elaborate menu covering a range of Chinese and Malay dishes. After placing our orders, it was a brief wait before the dishes were served. The reception that we got was five star for sure. The first to arrive was the drinks and I ordered some Local Coffee and this was priced at RM 7.50 per jug. The coffee was good, not sure which brand they had used and it was one to savour. My rating for this shall be 8/10. 

Squid with Pepper & Salt @ RM 29.00

Pucuk Paku With Belacan @ RM 17.00
In about 20 minutes, the dishes started arriving. One thing that I observed was the fact that the waiter or captain did not restrict us from ordering more despite knowing the fact that each dish is good for four pax. That is a very negative thing that I would take away. Apparently they simply seemed to reap the most out of each customer. The first dish to arrive was the Squid with Salt & Pepper and this was priced at RM 29.00 . Honestly, the dish was a flop. It was nowhere near my expectations and the taste was an overdose of MSG. My rating for this shall be 3/10. The next dish that arrived was the Pucuk Paku with Belacan which cost us RM 17.00 . Again, another dish that was a disaster. The Paku itself was nowhere near the pucuk. It was all old Paku and what we got was plainly stems that was chewy and tasteless. This was one of those moments that I felt like a cow. My rating for this shall be 2/10.

Fish Head Curry @ RM 43.00

Seafood Beancurd @ RM 31.00
Their Fish Head Curry was really good. It was the only dish today that met out expectations. The flavours were awesome and the curry was perfect. On the contrary, their Seafood Beancurd was another disaster dish.It was made using reasonably fresh ingredients but taste wise, it was totally bland. Ratings wise, I would rate their Fish Head Curry at 8/10 and their Seafood Beancurd at 4/10. 

Bill For The Day
Grandmama's is definitely a big brand that is making waves in the Klang Valley. They are strategically located at premium locations throughout the Klang Valley and are expanding aggressively.  We tried a number of dishes this evening but unfortunately returned dissatisfied. Having paid premium prices, we expected much more based on the hype but sadly the only dish that is worthy of mention is their Fish Head Curry. The rest were way below average though we got a royal reception. Ultimately, if the food is not good, regardless of your service levels, customers would be turned off. Spending RM 160 for a meal is not something that every Malaysian could afford often and when they do so, they'd definitely expect value for money which is clearly lacking here. One that the management should be working on if they wish to stay for the long run. 

Address: No. 348. Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Business Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Thursday 14 September 2017

Nasi Ayam Sungai Buloh @ Sungai Buloh, Selangor

Nasi Ayam Sungai Buloh is one of those hidden gems  that is located inside the Sungai Buloh New Village. Having been in business at this premise since 1993, this place has grown in terms of popularity and today is one of the most sought after Chicken Rice places in the Klang Valley. 

The Restaurant Along Jalan Public

Only Steamed Chicken Is Available

Many Write Ups On This Restaurant

Prices
For those who are not too sure as to where Jalan Public is, this restaurant is located along the same row as the famous Kong Mah Dim Sum. Business starts at 11 am and goes on till 8.30 pm daily or until they run out of Steamed Chicken. This outlet specialises in Steamed Chicken and as such, you do not get the other variety of roasted meats. Business is so good so much so, we had to wait for almost 20 minutes before getting a place to sit. During that waiting period, I had observed that they had sold close to 15 birds which includes dine-in's as well as take-away's. That's how good business is for them and this was post the usual lunch hour. Imagine what it would be like during those busy hours. 

Herbal Tea

Chilli Paste
You don't really have to wait till you get a table to be seated before ordering. You could walk up to the counter and place your orders to put them in a queue. That way, the moment you are seated, you get your food much faster and that is what I always do when I am here. They are so efficient and I have never seen them messing up the orders. One of the drinks that I would recommend here would be their Herbal Tea. This is one excellent drink that is so concentrated and way too good to be missed. Very authentic taste and my rating for this shall be 9/10. Another one that I really love here is their home made Chilli Paste. This is one really good chilli paste that you have got to taste. Excellent with the steamed chicken. It's mildly spicy but the overall flavours are so perfect. 10/10 is what I shall rating this. 

Butter Garlic Rice

Bean Sprouts

Clear Soup
The rice that they serve here is the Butter Ginger Rice. It's so tasty that you could even eat it on it's own. I have tasted this at a variety of Chicken Rice joints but none are even close to what is served here. A class of it's own and my rating for this shall be 10/10. Their Bean Sprouts are the big type and they are freshly brought in from Ipoh on a daily basis. That being the case, it's another one that has a very high demand at this restaurant. The Bean Sprouts are so fresh and crisp, so much so it's a treat to eat it just like that. Again, 10/10 for this dish. With each order, you also get a bowl of clear soup. This is made by boiling all the waste parts of the chicken and they do not add MSG. Lovely flavours that is not to be forgotten. 9/10 would be my rating for this. 

Fish Balls Stuffed With Squid

Steamed Chicken
Another highlight at this restaurant would be their Fish Balls which is stuffed with Squid. One that is rare to find and it does tasted uniquely good. For those who consume pork, you could also go for their Pork Balls. As for the Fish Balls stuffed with squid, my rating for this shall be 9/10. Finally coming to their Steamed Chicken. The meat is so tender and juicy and it's almost like melts in your mouth. Perfection is what you would get here and it's really so good. I would rate their Steamed Chicken at 10/10. 

Having been a place that has been in business for more that three decades, Kedai Nasi Ayam Sungai Buloh has got it's own charm and following. The food here is so good that you would have to wait in line for a table. During my brief visit to this restaurant, they had easily sold more than 40 birds and that's how good  business is here. If you're looking for a fantastic place for Steamed Chicken Rice, I would highly recommend this place. Located in the rustic Sungai Buloh New Village, it's totally worth the drive and would be a dining experience to remember. 

Address: No. 29, Jalan Public, Kampung Bari Sungai Buloh, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor.

Business Hours: 1100 - 2030 Daily