Apple Hearts Bakery @ Ara Damansara, Selangor

We were having a function in the office and wanted to get a large vegetarian cake for the entire office and while going through this process, we did contemplate between regular bakeries and home bakers and that was when we decided to go for home bakers since it would be guaranteed that we get better quality cakes made using quality ingredients. I was then recommended by a good friend to give this Apple Hearts Bakery a try. 

Excellent Vegetarian Cake @ RM 80/ KG

Mrs. Yasho runs this business from home and has been doing this for a very long time now. In fact, she is a second generation home baker who had inherited the passion and art of baking from her mother. From what I had heard, she has done lots of events and bakes a range of cakes right from cup cakes, butter cakes and even vegetarian cakes. After going through the number of pax, she suggested that a 2 KG vegetarian cake would be more than sufficient and we just went along. Came the day of delivery, I picked it up at her place.  For those who need the cake to be delivered, that too can be arranged for a small fee depending on the location. 

Rich Icing And Lovely Texture

I must confess that the cake was the talk of the office. Despite having had so much of other food, everyone kept coming back for more and we were all very happy with what we had gotten. Being a vegetarian cake, I never expected it to taste this good. I guess, this is the level of quality that home bakers promise to deliver and Apple Hearts impressed us all. If you're looking for a good home baked cake, then I would strongly recommend Apple Hearts. 

Address: Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Contact Details: Mrs. Yasho ( Tel: +6012 465 6497)

Pandian's Indian Food Stall @ Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Pandian's Indian Food Stall has been around for about 16 years now. Not only do they cater for the locals living around SS 3, there are many loyal customers that come from afar solely for the excellent food served at this stall. I was introduced to this stall by a very close friend of mine and I was amazed as to the distance that he was willing to travel just to have breakfast. After doing some research on the internet, that was when I found out that there are many such loyal customers who are doing the same as well.

The Food Court At SS3, Petaling Jaya

Mr. Pandian's Stall Occupying Four Stalls

This Food Court has a number of stalls but Mr. Pandian is the only owner who has taken up four stalls. His business starts daily from 6 am and goes on till around 4 pm. We were here for a late breakfast and even at that time, the place was crowded and you get to see even foreigners dining at his stall.

Spoilt For Choice

Even by around 10.30 am, there were so many dishes that were already prepared catering for lunch. These were neatly arranged on the tables for customers' convenience. What you see in the photograph were solely the vegetarian dishes as the non vegetarian dishes were placed separately. From my observation, it was clear that more dishes were still being prepared. 

Vadai with Venthaya Kulambu and Sambar

Their Vadai was good. I loved the non greasy texture and it was sufficiently soft. As for their Vadai, I would give it 8/10. The Venthaya Kulambu and Sambar were both good as well. Both were generously spiced and watery. For me, both of these gravies deserve 8/10 as well. 

Roti Canai with Lady's Finger

Their Lady's Finger Perattal was tasty. What I liked most about this dish was the fact that it wasn't overdone. The veggie was still crunchy and tasty. I would give this 8/10. Their Roti Canai was good as well. Again, a non greasy version and it was soft and nice. Taste was excellent as well. Again one that deserves 8/10. 

Uppuma With Vegetable Kulambu

Since I had tasted their Venthaya Kulambu earlier, this time I went for their Vegetable Kulambu and just like the rest of the curries that I had tasted, this too was up to the mark. Good for sure and I would give this 8/10. Their Uppuma was very good. The mix of spices was excellent. Not overly infused, it was just right. I would give this 9/10. 

In summary, all of us loved the food here. The prices were very reasonable as well. In fact, I personally thought that they were slightly lower than market prices. Looking at the spread of dishes that's being prepared for lunch, I am definitely coming back soon.

Address: Stalls 3, 4, 5 and 6, Wawasan Selera, No. 5, Jalan SS 3/33, 

                47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0600 - 1600 Daily

Restoran ChickenLah! @ Taman Bukit Emas, Petaling Jaya

ChickenLAH! is the latest fast food outlet that has opened it's doors in Taman Bukit Emas, Petaling Jaya which is a mere 50 meters walk from the Kelana Jaya LRT Station, just a few doors away from the old Marco's Pizza. I had bookmarked this place from their Facebook advertisements as their Fried Chicken looked good and as I had some work in Petaling Jaya this afternoon, I planned to drop by for lunch before heading on to settle my work. Driving to this part of town on a Saturday afternoon would be crazy and the most convenient mode of transport would be to ride on the LRT which is what I did. 

ChickenLAH! in Taman Bukit Emas

Next To Maybank

Entrance To The Restaurant

Opening Hours

This restaurant was very easily noticeable from the main road. From afar, I saw two logos, one which belonged to ChickenLah! and the other that belonged to the old Winner's Fried Chicken which originated from Ipoh, Perak. Feeling confused, I kept walking towards the restaurant. When I arrived, it was just about 1 pm and the place had a decent number of customers. There were also some ongoing promotions as the place was still new. For a limited time, they were offering a 10% discount across all their food items. At this point, I still did not get any clarification as to why Winner's logo was there but still decided to head in to the restaurant. 

Interior Of The Restaurant

Counter

Interior Of The Restaurant

Brief Background

Brief Background

Brief Background

Only when I was inside, did I understand the connection between the two. It is the same old Winner's Fried Chicken that has been re-branded to ChickenLAH! Those days, one could find Winner's Fried Chicken stalls at most Pasar Malam's in Perak, mostly around the northern region of the state and I was happy to see a local grown brand  develop this far into a franchise and I hope that it becomes a very successful one. At the counter, the staffs seemed very enthusiastic but also showed clear signs of lack of experience. Most of the food items had to be prepared and there was a waiting time for customers once they had paid for the food items. Nevertheless, despite the stress that they were going through, they were serving customers with a smile.

My Bill

Their Menu was quite interesting. It consisted of Fried Chicken, some Chicken Burgers, Chicken Rice Sets, interestingly Keropok Lekor and the highlight was Goats Milk Coffee. Since I came here for Fried Chicken which is anyway their main product, I decided to stick with it. Interestingly, all and I mean all the other customers that were here ordered their Chicken Rice Sets which came with Rice, Fried Chicken and a clear Soup.Their burgers too seemed interesting, especially the Sambal Ikan Bilis one which is a burger that we would not find in other franchises in the country. The total bill for my orders came to RM 9.90 and with the 10% discount, it was adjusted to RM 8.90 . After having paid for the bill, I was served my drink and told to have a seat as they needed time to prepare the Fries and Fried Chicken. Since I was in no hurry, I moved to my table with a smile on my face. I felt sorry for them too as they were trying their best to cope with the crowd.

2 Piece Chicken Set with Fries and Drinks @ RM 8.90

After a brief 10 minutes wait, they sent over my Fries and Fried Chicken. The Fried Chicken looked so good, nothing like the junk that one is served at KFC. Now, time to get my fingers to do the job. Do note that they do not have any utensils here like knives and fork. What they have is just the usual disposable plastic fork and spoons which I have a special talent of breaking them in a matter of seconds. And so to save myself the embarrassment, I'd rather stick with my fingers.

Fanta Strawberry

They had a selection of four or five drinks. Initially I had wanted to go for Coca Cola but they were out of stock and my second choice was the above Fanta Strawberry. For an additional RM 1.00 , one could top up and go for large but I just decided to stick with this. 

Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken

Kimball Sauce

Their Fried Chicken were freshly fried and they were served hot. One was a smaller Wing and the other was a large chunk of meat. The batter coating was very delicious and the chicken was lean meat with no fat at all. Very much the total opposite of KFC which serves us 60% fat and 40% meat. This was 100% meat with non a single drop of fat. And the chicken tasted so good and this is exactly what one calls finger licking good. I did not need any sauce to go with it as the chicken was delicious even on it's own, something that I am not able to do at KFC. I would rate their Fried Chicken at 9/10 . Definitely highly recommended!

French Fries

Their French Fries were good but the one served at Mc Donalds is anytime better. These were non greasy, which is good but did not taste that great. I would rate these at 7.5/10 .

On the whole, I am extremely happy with their Fried Chicken and the service here. Prices are industry standards and there's nothing much to shout about it. I would definitely return again someday in the future to try their Burgers and would not mind trying their Chicken again. A good restaurant and I wish them all the best!

Address: No.97, Jalan SS 25/2, Taman Bukit Emas, Off Taman Mayang,
                Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1030 - 2200 Daily

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chickenlahmy/timeline

Website: http://www.chickenlah.com.my/

Sakae Sushi @ Paradigm Mall, Petaling Jaya

Sakae Sushi is fairly a very popular chain of Japanese restaurants in Malaysia and although I am a huge fan of Japanese food, I have never tried any of their outlets until today. I was in Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya meeting a friend and we decided to have dinner together and while looking for a place to have dinner, we sighted this outlet and decided to give it a try.

Sakae Sushi Outlet in Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya

Sushi's Going Around On The Conveyor Belts

High Tech Gadget for ordering

Interior of the Restaurant

This outlet in Paradigm Mall is located on the Concourse Level and is relatively huge. As usual, it is common to find the food going around in the conveyor belts where you could just pick the dish and have them or you browse through their digital menu available on the tablets attached to the tables and select your dishes. This directly sends the order to the kitchen and once ready, it gets sent over to your table. I was not in for the plates that went around and instead placed my orders through the tablets provided. It was fairly simple to operate and an easy to use interface. 

Iced Genmai Tea @ RM 2.00

Hot Genmai Tea @ RM 2.00

Cutlery

Both of us had Green Tea. I ordered a cold one and my friend ordered a hot one. In fact when they served the hot one, it was just a glass with a tea bag in it and no water. Getting confused, I called upon one of the waitresses to ask for the water and that is when she showed me that piped hot water is made available at all tables. Pretty convenient. Regardless of hot or cold, a glass of Green Tea here is sold at RM 2.00 .

Salmon Sushi @ RM 3.99

The first to arrive was the above Salmon Sushi which was priced at RM 3.99 . A pretty weird price I thought to myself as they should have just priced it at RM 4.00 to make it easy. I would say that the sushi was quite fresh and reasonably well done. I am clear that in very commercial entities like these, you can't get pure authenticity but this was also rather good. I would rate the above Sushi at 8/10 .

Chawanmushi @ RM 3.90

Their Chawanmushi was rather good, in fact it was much better that I had expected it to be. It came with loads of fillings and was tasty. I would rate this at 9/10 .

California Maki Rolls @ RM 5.99

Another oddly priced dish but it was very good. Their Maki Rolls were perfectly done and it was one of the best that I have tried. I would rate this dish at 10/10 .Good work with this guys.

Tamago Yaki @ RM 1.99

Their Egg Rolls Sushi, also known in Japanese as Tamago Yaki was very reasonably priced.  For a plate of six, it cost a mere RM 1.99 . Taste wise it was quite decent too. I have tried much better ones but this was not bad. I would rate this at 7.5/10 .

Miso Soup @ RM 1.90

Another decent dish that was priced very reasonably.At RM 1.90, I think that that is a good bargain for the above dish. I found this to be quite good too in terms of taste. My rating for this would be 9/10 .

Yaki Gyoza @ RM 11.90

To me, this was a little disappointing. I found that the skin here was too thick and the filling was rather scanty. It should have been much better. I would only rate this dish at 5/10 .

Saba Shioyaki @ RM 12.90

Although this is another one of my favourite Japanese dishes, it was a let down here.There was just something that lacked when compared to what you get in those authentic Japanese places but bearing in mind that this is a chain of restaurants, this was acceptable. Taste wise, I would rate the above at 6/10 .

Chicken Katsu @ RM 9.90

This was also a slight let down for me. I have tried this in many places and it was just below the mark here. The meat was also too dry and lacked the juices which is usually found in this dish. I would only rate this at 4/10 .

Overall, I think that they are doing a decent job in providing above average Japanese food at a very competitive and affordable price and I guess that that is their main target segment. Most of the patrons here were Malaysians and you do not get Japanese people coming into this kind of restaurants which in itself shows that it lacks the authenticity. It is surely a good place to have Japanese food as it is very wallet friendly and would be very suitable for students who love Japanese food as well as people who would go for common Japanese food without the anticipation of having specialty dishes.

Address: CF 13, Paradigm Mall, No. 1, Jalan SS7/26, 

                47301 Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Telephone: +603 7887 3218

Website:  http://www.sakaesushi.com.my/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sakaesushi

Grumps Restaurant @ Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya

Located by the Kelana Jaya lake in Plaza Kelana Jaya, is Grumps Restaurant that serves great Italian and German food. This restaurant came highly recommended by a friend of mine and as such, we decided to visit this place for dinner today. Finding this place is quite simple. It is in Plaza Kelana Jaya which is just behind the MAS Training Centre and Manipal International University. It is best to visit this place during weekdays as on weekdays, it is very difficult to get a parking bay but on weekends, the place is almost deserted. You can park at the visitors parking and directly access this restaurant through the back door. The other alternative would be to walk along the lake until you reach Block D and this restaurant would then be visible. 

Front Entrance to Grumps Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

Us At the Restaurant

Some may prefer to sit outdoors as the scenery is quite nice by the lake and the place is covered and well ventilated. In contrary, we decided to sit indoors as it was a little hot this evening. The restaurant is manned by some foreign girls but they seemed very capable and hardworking. Everything was so organised in the restaurant. The design was also lovely and the kitchen was clearly visible through the glass panel that separates the dining area and the kitchen. As I had made a reservation earlier this week, our table was already set up for us. 

Some of the dishes here

Root Beer @ RM 4.00

They have a very extensive menu. Most of their dishes were Pork based. In addition, they had a number of seafood and chicken dishes too. After spending some time on their menu, we placed our orders. I went for the above Root Beer and it was priced at RM 4.00 each. They have a great collection of German Beers and liquors too.  

Garlic Bread @ RM 6.00

For the starters, we went for the above Garlic Bread and some soup. The Garlic Bread was nice and it was done very well. I would rate these at 8/10 .

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup @ RM 10.00

The Cream of Wild Mushroom was nice too. But this was not home made and it was off the Campbells can. Nevertheless, it was well fixed. I would rate this preparation at 8/10 .

Grilled Butterfly Steak @ RM 24.00

This was my main dish. It was typically Pork Loin marinated in Mustard Sauce and it came with coleslaw and roasted potato's. I definitely must say that this dish was perfect. The meat was extremely tender, well marinated and the sauce was lovely. The accompaniments was also really good. I would rate this dish at 10/10 .

Chicken Diavola @ RM 20.00

This was Angie's main dish. It was typically grilled Chicken Thigh with Garlic, Chili and Rosemary Sauce and comes with coleslaw and roasted potato's. Another dish that was well done. The chicken was cooked well, the meat was tender and the juices were intact. Marinating it with rosemary sauce was a great thing that added additional flavour to the meat. Another dish worth trying here. I would rate this dish at 8.5/10 . 

Sausage Platter @ RM 38.00

This was a typical German dish and it comes with an assortment of Pork and Veal Sausages. It is priced at RM 38.00 and for the size of the sausages, I would not say that it is expensive. In fact, I find it to be cheap and the sausages were really excellent. You do not need the Mustard Sauce to dip them. The sausages were by themselves absolutely delicious. I would strongly recommend this dish. My ratings for this dish would be a perfect 10/10 .

Chocolate Brownies with Ice Cream @ RM 10.00

This was one of the two desert items we had ordered. I find their brownies to be nice, though it was not the best one that I have tried. I would rate this at 8.5/10 .

Creme Caramel @ RM 10.00

This desert was only above average. The taste was quite bland and it was not up to the mark. I would only rate this at 4/10 .

Overall, this restaurant serves great Italian and German dishes. Though the deserts were only about average, their main dishes were truly excellent. The service rendered was also very good and the location and scenery is another plus point here. This would be one of my favourite restaurants for German food going forward.

Address: D-02-01, Jalan SS7/13A, Plaza Kelana Jaya, 

                Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 7873 6898

Opening Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 1100 - 1500 & 1700 - 2300 including Public Holidays

                           Closed on Mondays

Email: grumps.restaurant@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrumpsRestaurant