Nasi Lemak Lontong Stall in Restoran Bamboo Bak Kut Teh @ Taman Daya, Kuala Lumpur

I was in Selayang this morning looking for a place to have breakfast and landed here in Taman Daya. Well, geographically this place comes under Kepong but in reality it can be quite confusing. It is not too far from FRIM (Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) and is directly facing the Middle Ring Road. So, I guess it is better to say that it is near Selayang. Anyway, Taman Daya is a very familiar place for me as I used to come here often for dinner. As I was driving around looking for any new restaurants that might have opened recently, I discovered this Bak Kut Teh Restaurant that had just commenced business in May this year. Parking can be a little crazy here and after doing a couple of rounds, finally got a bay behind the market. 

The Restaurant In Taman Daya, Kuala Lumpur

The twist here is that this restaurant serves Bak Kut Teh only for dinner and for breakfast till lunch, there is an Indonesian girl selling Nasi Lemak Lontong and another Chinese stall selling Roasted Chicken Rice. Being a huge fan of Indonesian style Nasi Lemak, I decided to give that a try. 

Local Coffee @ RM 1.50

Drinks are sold by the landlords which is a common practice at most Chinese restaurants in Malaysia. This cup of local coffee was priced at RM 1.50 which is a standard price in the Klang Valley. The coffee was good and not too sweet, just the way that my ideal cup of coffee should be. I would rate this drink at 8/10 .

Nasi Lemak @ RM 3.50

They had a number of add on's to choose from right from Rendang to Lontong and I went for the Sambal Kerang (Cockles Sambal) which is one of my favourites in addition to the usual spicy Sambal Ikan Bilis (Anchovies Sambal). For the price of RM 3.50, it's surely a good deal. 

Super Spicy Sambal Ikan Bilis (Anchovies Sambal)

Firstly, let me talk about the rice. The rice was delicious and the aroma was so good. Great that they weren't stingy with the coconut milk. As for the rice, I would rate it at 9/10 . The fried peanuts and fried anchovies too were fresh and crispy. Again, that was excellent as I have come across many places that serve these items which would be at least three to four days old, sometimes even a week old and they would taste so horrible. The Sambal Ikan Bilis was superb. It was extra spicy, way beyond the usual level of spiciness that you commonly get and I was in love with it. It has been so long that I tasted a sambal that was this spicy. Spicy food lovers would have a gala time having this Nasi Lemak. I would rate their Sambal at 10/10. 

Sambal Kerang (Cockles Sambal)

The Sambal Kerang was also good. Though you can see lots chili seeds in the photograph, it wasn't spicy at all and the blend of tastes that you get from the earlier sambal and this was excellent. As for this, I would rate it at 8/10 .

If you are one of those who loves Nasi Lemak and especially those spicy ones, then this would be a place that you have got to try. Just a humble stall but excellent food at very reasonable prices. I am surely coming back for more.

Address: No. 11, Jalan Daya 14, Taman Daya, 52100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0800 - 1400 Daily

Happy City Food Court @ Kepong, Kuala Lumpur

After having been vegetarians for a few days, we were yearning for some hawker fare. As a result, we decided to head over to Kepong to try out this food court which is located along Jalan Metro Perdana Timur 1, right opposite AEON Hypermarket. It's very easy to locate this place and being close to the main roads, it's clearly visible and is well lit up. Parking can be an issue but if you drive around this food court, you should somehow be able to find a bay.

Mostly Crowded

Row's Of Stalls on both sides

Easily around 60 stalls here

This place has been around for a few years now. This place is famous as you get more than 60 different stalls here selling a variety of food. You get Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Portuguese, Malay food and Western grilled items here. Definitely a variety that is not easily found under one roof. The place as I know it is mostly packed, especially on weekends where it may take a while for you to even get a table. We were lucky that we managed to get a table almost immediately. Having taken our seats, each of us did a long walk checking out the stalls before finally placing our orders. Ordering here is quite simple, just walk up to your desired stall, mention the table number and the dish that you would like to have, and then it is sent over to your table.

Prawn Mee Stall

Prawn Mee @ RM 6.00

Prawn Mee @ RM 6.00

They Add Prawns and Pork Slices Too

Chili Paste

The Prawn Mee was nice but not comparable to those Prawn Mee specialists. Though it had all the right ingredients as you can see from the above photograph, the broth surely had room for improvement. The number of ingredients is important but the key item, is the flavour of the soup which was lacking here. I would only rate this dish at 7/10 .

Stall Number 15

Popiah @ RM 2.00 per roll

Popiah

The Popiah was nice too and once again, it had room for improvement. If only they had been a little more generous with the sauces, this would have surely been a hit. I would rate this at 7/10 .

Char Kuey Teow Stall

Char Kuey Teow @ RM 6.50

Char Kuey Teow @ RM 6.50

The Char Kuey Teow stall is located at the far end of the food court, quite close to the Satay stall. The portion and taste were both good. It also came with lots of bean sprouts, eggs, shrimps and cockles. The 'Wok Hei' as the Chinese would say, was surely there and that  boosted the taste. I would rate this at 9/10 .

Stall 10 - Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun @ RM 5.00

This One Comes Stuffed With Char Siew

This stall sells the above Hong Kong style Chee Cheong Fun that comes stuffed with meat and they had both the shrimp variety as well as the one with Char Siew. We opted to try the latter and it was quite nice. It would have been better if they made their own Char Siew and clearly this was one that was purchased from those mass production places. Taste wise, I would rate this at 7/10 .

Stall 11 -  Selling Dim Sum and Bao's

Prices

Loh Mai Kai @ RM 3.70

Loh Mai Kai @ RM 3.70

This was clearly those factory produced ones and tasted quite average. Not like the one's that we get at those specialty Dim Sum places. The good thing about this was that it had very minimal oil but taste wise, it was very ordinary. Even the portion of chicken and lap cheong was merely a dressing. I would rate this at 6/10 .

Char Siew Bao @ RM 1.80

Meaty and Good

Another one that was from those factory produced frozen items but honestly, it was not bad. Though the bun was a little dry, the Char Siew was tasty. I would rate this at 7.5/10 .

Mutton Satay @ RM 1.10 per stick

Mutton Satay @ RM 1.10 per stick

Peanut Sauce

There is a Satay stall right at the corner where we were sitting and he had Chicken, Mutton and Beef Satay. We decided to go for the Mutton Satay. The Satay's were good, meaty and they were lean. The taste too was quite nice but not as good as perhaps Sate Kajang. For just a normal stall, it was quite surely nice. The peanut sauce was neither watery nor thick, it was just about the right texture and mildly spicey. I would rate this satay at 8/10 .

Fried Chicken @ RM 4.00 per piece

Lovely Taste!

The Fried Chicken Stall is located on the opposite end from the Satay stall. This stall specialises in fried chicken, fried chicken pop corns and fried chicken skin. The Fried Chicken was really nice, loved the batter and deep fried to a golden brown colour, just the way it should be. I would rate this at 9/10.

Chee Cheong Fun

Chee Cheong Fun

This Chee Cheong Fun stall is somewhere in the middle of the food court. This guy sells the above standard Chee Cheong Fun, Curry Chee Cheong Fun ad well as Yong Tau Fu items. He also has the flat and rolled variety to choose from. The Chee Cheong Fun was nice and indeed the items were fresh. Definitely a good preparation and I shall rate this at 8.5/10 .

Deep Fried Fish with Chili Paste @ RM 20.00

Deep Fried Fish with Chili Paste @ RM 20.00

This stall is a very large stall specialising in seafood items and is located right next to the satay stall. It is difficult to miss this stall and if I am not mistaken, this is the largest stall occupying three stall units. They have a range of seafood like fish, cuttlefish, cockles, clams, crabs, prawns, giant prawns, squid and many more. A variety of preparation is available and all the various dishes have been photographed and displayed at the stall for ordering convenience. We went for the above Talapia fish and requested him to prepare in the above method. Pricing is standard too. Small is RM 20.00 and Big is RM 24.00, quite reasonable I felt .The fish was wonderfully deep fried to the extent that even the head was crispy. The spicy sauce was a tad too spicy so just be cautious when ordering this style of cooking if you are not able to take very spicy food. I would rate this dish at 9/10 . 

This was definitely a very satisfying dinner and a huge change from the last few days. I would surely recommend this place as it has some good food, a huge variety to choose from, the prices are reasonable and the food court itself is quite clean. Good to go in large groups as you get to try more food items like the seafood which are ideal for sharing. 

Address: Jalan Metro Perdana Timur 1, Kepong Entrepreneurs Park, 

                Kepong, 52100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1700 - 0200 Daily

Ipoh Road Hakka Yong Tau Fu @ Wangsa Permai, Kepong

To those that have been following my blogs for some time now, you would have noticed that I have been to this restaurant a number of times and yes, this is my favourite place to get my Hakka Yong Tau Fu fix. Over the years, I have seen so many changes happening here and now, this place is managed by a group of Bangladeshis and is being manned by a few local Chinese workers. The other prominent change here is that it has also become a Pork Free restaurant as all their Yong Tau Fu is prepared using fish only but they do not have the Halal status as they serve beer. With that change, they have started receiving a number of Malay customers too and it is definitely a great move for them as it opens them up to a much larger market segment. 

Simple But Comfortable

A Huge Dining Place

A Huge Dining Place

Huge Parking Space Too

Although address wise this place is located in Wangsa Permai, you would have to use the Desa Aman Puri entrance road to reach this place. Assuming you were coming from the LDP, at the end of the road after the Sri Damansara Toll, head straight at the traffic lights. From there, you would need to pass another set of traffic lights which is just 300 meters from the earlier one and further up, when you come to the next lights, turn left. This is a T junction. Once you turn left, keep left and head straight for about 500 meters and you would find this restaurant on your left. It is quite difficult to miss this restaurant as it is brightly lit up at nights. The restaurant is a no frills restaurant and it looks more like a warehouse that has been converted to a restaurant. It is just a large structure built on private land with very clear signages at the entrance. Parking is also not a problem as they have large land space outside the restaurant. Do note that during the peak hours, they are mostly running full house and it is best to time yourself so that you do not end up waiting a long time for food.  

Menu

Menu

Menu

Ordering Chit

Sauces

Nowadays, with the removal of Pork from their offering, they had printed the menu that you see above in the Malay language. This was not there previously and it seems that they are quite serious in attracting the Malay customer base to their restaurant. Once the items and their quantity had been decided, the above chit is used to record the orders and then the waiters would come and pick it up from you. Ordering is as simple as that. 

Herbal Tea @ RM 2.00

One of my favourites here is their Kampung Koh Chili Sauce which seems to go perfectly well with the Yong Tau Fu. Without fail, I would also order their Herbal Tea every time I come here. Their Herbal Tea is just excellent and rock sugar is used to sweeten it. In 2013, this was priced at RM 1.20 per glass. In 2014, it was RM 1.50 per glass and this year, it's RM 2.00 per glass. Prices had been steadily going up but I am glad that the taste is still intact. I would rate their Herbal Tea at 9.6/10 .

Fish Balls & Sui Gau in Clear Soup

Fish Balls & Sui Gau in Clear Soup

Here they serve their Yong Tau Fu in two different broths. The first is the above soup items which come in a delicious clear soup. There is also loads of greens that had been added to it.

Fish Ball @ RM 1.30 each

Fish Ball @ RM 1.30 each

Steamed Sui Gau @ RM 1.30 each

Steamed Sui Gau @ RM 1.30 each

Very Fresh Greens

Previously, all their Yong Tau Fu items were priced at RM 1.10 each and in 2014 they were priced at RM 1.20 each. And as of the 1st of January 2015, they have increased the price by 10 cents per item. Both their Sui Gau's and Fish Balls are really good and they are free from Boric Acid making the Fish Balls to be extremely soft and almost cotton like. Even their Sui Gau's are so delicious and truly worth the price paid. I would rate their above items at 9.8/10 . Very good indeed!

Yong Tau Fu in Hakka Style Broth

The other broth here is the above Hakka style dark broth. Usually, Hakka Yong Tau Fu is eaten with white rice and they use the above dark broth to flavour the rice. Here at this restaurant, you have an option to go with or without rice but you would observe most of their Chinese customers opting for the white rice. The broth for one is very delicious and is wonderfully flavoured with starch and soy sauce. 

Steamed Tofu @ RM 1.30 each

Steamed Tofu @ RM 1.30 each

Filled With Fish Meat

This steamed Tofu is one of my all time favourites here. Huge Tofu is used and a thick piece of Fish meat is slit into the middle. Highly recommended and I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Fried Tofu @ RM 1.30

Fried Tofu @ RM 1.30

These Fried Stuffed Tofu's are good too but somehow I would prefer the previous over these. Also stuffed with Fish meat, these too are a true delight and I would rate them at 9.3/10 . They also have the others like Steamed Stuffed Okra, Fried Stuffed Brinjals, Steamed Stuffed Chilies and even Stuffed Bitter Gourds but since it was only the two of us, these were already good for us.

Chee Cheong Fun @ RM 1.30 per plate

Chee Cheong Fun @ RM 1.30 per plate

Add The Sauces To Your Preference

All Mixed Up

Besides their Yong Tau Fu, they also serve the above Chee Cheong Fun which is one of their specialty dishes. Here the Cheong Fun is homemade and has a delicious and wonderful texture to it. It is also served with only sesame oil added to it and you would add the sauces, both the sweet sauce and chili sauce to your preferred taste. Another must try item here and I would rate it at 8.8/10 . 

Fried Sui Gau @ RM 1.30 each

Fried Sui Gau @ RM 1.30 each

Fried Fu Chok @ RM 1.30 each

Fried Fu Chok @ RM 1.30 each

Both their Fried Fu Chok and Fried Sui Gau's are a must try. The Fu Chok comes with a fish paste filling and the Fu Chok is rolled around it making it a rather unique preparation. The Fried Sui Gau is fried to the right level of crispness and the flavours are truly wonderful. In most places, the aftertaste of oil is usually there  but here, you do not get that. I would rate both the above items at 9.5/10 .

Besides these, my other favourites here are their Paper Chicken and Asam Fish. Best to come in a large group as then, you get to try all of their offerings. If you are looking for a great Hakka Yong Tau Fu meal, then this place is a must visit and you would not be disappointed. Having made a number of radical changes to their place including making it a Pork Free restaurant, the quality of the food and the service has definitely been maintained (despite the steady price hike) and I am definitely very pleased with it. For now, this place still tops as the best Hakka Yong Tau Fu restaurant in town.

Address: 1-2A, Jalan Wangsa Utama, Wangsa Permai, 52200 Kepong, Kuala Lumpur.

Opening Hours: 0900 - 2200 Daily

Telephone: +603 6276 5885