Dragon - i @ Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya

Dragon-i is a very large group of restaurants that needs no further introduction. Originating from Hong Kong,  they have been around for almost a decade now with nine outlets in major shopping malls across the Klang Valley and another three outlets in Penang, Ipoh and Johor Bahru. They mainly specialise in Shanghainese Cuisine. I have been to all their competitors outlets but today is the first time that I am visiting this restaurant. 

Dragon - i in The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

Lovely Lights Adorning The Walk at The Curve

The Entrance To The Restaurant

The Signage 

Entrance

We visited the outlet that is located at The Curve. This outlet is on the first floor and is at the far end where it connects with e@Curve. The restaurant has a small indoor seating space and a much larger outdoor seating space. Since it was not too hot this evening, we decided to be seated outdoors. 

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

Cutlery

Us Seated Outdoors

The above are just a few pages from their menu. Just like their competitors, their food offering is almost similar and it covers from items like Dim Sum, Noodles, some House Specialty Soups and some Fried items. Definitely the pricing is on the high side as it has a reputable brand name and hopefully, the food quality commensurates the price. Most of the waiters here are young guys, probably fresh school leavers and hence the professionalism is lacking.  

Coca Cola @ RM 4.50

The both of us had Coca Cola and it was charged at RM 4.50 per can which is way too expensive.

Winter Melon Tea @ RM 5.00

The other drink that we had was the above Winter Melon Tea which was priced at RM 5.00 per glass. The Tea was just okay and was not at all impressive. I would only rate their tea at 5/10 .

Orders Print Out

Edamame @ RM 8.00

Once the order has been finalised, they place the above print out on the table and as and when the dish is served, they strike out that particular dish from the print out. Honestly, it was not something that all their staffs followed and even towards the end of the meal, there were a number of dishes that were not struck off when the items had been served at the table. For starters, we ordered a plate of Edamame. It was good except that they should have served another small bowl for us to place the skin which they did not do until I had to request for one and that too was sent after a long waiting. I would rate the above at only 6/10 due to the not too great service. 

Xiao Long Bao @ RM 10.30

Close Up of the Xiao Long Bao

Their Xiao Long Bao was again just above average. I feel that this was much better at Din Tai Fung. It lacked flavours as well as the technique of wrapping was not up to the mark. I would only rate this at 6.5/10 .

Sweet Custard Bun @ RM 8.00

Their Sweet Custard Bun's were quite satisfying though once again it was not the best that I have tried. Nevertheless, it was good. The slack here was that the dough was just too thick and the filling slightly watery. I would rate this at 7.5/10 .

Meat & Vegetable Wan Ton Soup @ RM 14.00

For a change, this dish was good. Their Meat and Vegetable Wan Ton's were very well prepared and the soup that accompanied the Wan Ton's too were wonderfully flavoured. I would rate this dish at 8.5/10 .

Spicy Meat Dumpling @ RM 12.00

Closer Look at the Dumplings

This again was a very well prepared dish. The dumplings were perfect and the spicy sauce was loaded with minced dried shrimps which gave such a wonderful taste when consumed along with the dumplings. I would rate this dish at 9/10 .

Seafood Noodles @ RM 18.00

The above Noodles is one of their signature preparations and is available in a number of preparations. We opted for the above noodles in Fried with Seafood style. The Noodles is much thicker compared to the Hokkien Noodles and is flat and looks somewhat like Pasta. Nevertheless, the taste is different and it was really good. I loved the texture of the noodles that was so fine despite it being thick. I would rate this dish at 9/10 .

Ma Po Tofu @ RM 18.00

Ma Po Tofu @ RM 18.00

Ma Po Tofu is a Szhechuan dish and it should be one of those dishes that has to be spicy. That spiciness was surely lacking here and the taste was just mediocre. Not something that I was happy about. I would only rate this dish at 5/10 .

On the whole, it was not a very happy dining experience for me. Firstly, the food just just average except for a few dishes that I mentioned above. Secondly, the service seemed too basic and does not commensurate the price paid for. I for sure would be able to get better service from a roadside stall. The problem here is that most of their customer facing staff seemed like fresh out of school or they may even qualify as school-goers doing some  part time job to earn some pocket money. I don't think I would return here, at least not to this particular outlet.

Address: Lot 136 & 137, 1st Floor, The Curve,

                No.6, Jalan PJU 7/3, Mutiara Damansara,

                47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Telephone: +603 7728 6888 

Website: http://www.dragon-i.com.my/

Esquire Kitchen @ Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya

Restaurant Esquire Kitchen needs no introduction. It is one of the oldest established brands in the Klang Valley. Having started their very first outlet in 1974, today they have a total of 15 outlets across the Klang Valley. Their unique offering of Shanghainese and Sichuan Cuisines for the past 39 years has surely won the hearts of many. After a long time, today we decided to head here for dinner. My preferred location is their outlet in Damansara Jaya as it is rather quiet at nights and there is no difficulty in finding parking at this time of the day. 

Restaurant Esquire Kitchen in Damansara Jaya

The Entrance

Ongoing Promotions

Ongoing Promotions

Interior of the Restaurant

When we reached here, it was around 8 pm. I expected it to be rather quiet but there were around 5 large tables that were occupied. As always, their service was very good and efficient. Most of their staffs are senior people who have been with the restaurant for a very long time

Chinese Tea @ RM 2.00 each

Sauces

One thing that I immediately observed in this restaurant from reading their menu was that their food was relatively cheap but their drinks were on the pricey side. For example, we both had Chinese Tea and it was charged at RM 2.00 per glass which is very expensive. Well, it's an established brand and we can't complain much. After going through the menu, we placed our orders and then the kitchen staffs got to work.From my observation, the kitchen staffs were the most efficient ones and they were basically churning out a dish every two to three minutes. Even for us today, we started getting our dishes in about 10 minutes and  within twenty minutes, all the dishes that we ordered were served on the table.

Plain Rice @ RM 1.50

Rice here comes in a medium sized bowl and is priced at RM 1.50 which is fairly reasonable.

Sichuan Style Egg Plant @ RM 15.00

The Sichuan Style Egg Plant dish was really good. The Egg Plant had been slightly fried first and then stir fried again with the sauces and other ingredients. The taste was perfectly balanced with a slight note of garlic at the end. The Egg Plant was also sliced to the right size and surprisingly it had a sweet and juicy taste. We loved this dish and I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Esquire Bean Curd with Minced Meat @ RM 16.00

Another good dish here. The bean curd was delicately fried and topped with a sauce that was lavish with dried prawns. The soft taste of the bean curd and the crunchy taste of the dried prawns blended perfectly. A truly great dish here and it is sufficient for four. I would rate this dish at a perfect 10/10 .

Vegetable Soup @ RM 13.00

This was a little disappointing. The taste was flat and bland and a little too oily. Would have been better if there were more vegetables added or even some pork would have done the trick. Although for the price, it comes in such a huge portion which is perhaps good for five pax, nevertheless the taste was just average. I would only rate this at 5/10. 

Paprika Chicken @ RM 19.00

This was another good dish. It was typically chicken slices cooked in dark soy sauce along with dried chilies, spring onions and cashew nuts. The thick soy sauce and the dried chilies created a great aroma around the dish which brought out a slightly spicy aftertaste. Having added cashew nuts in the dish was another great idea which definitely boosted the taste. The chicken slices too had absorbed the sauces well and every bite was heavenly. I would rate this dish a perfect 10/10 . 

Shanghai Pan Fried Dumplings @ RM 7.20

Their dumplings were nice but definitely not the best that I have tried. The setback was their skin. It was too thick and in some areas inside the dumplings, they were empty which is not how it should be. Otherwise, their fillings were made rightly although not perfectly. I would rate this dish at 7/10 .

Fish Slices in Thai Sauce @ RM 19.00

Another nice dish here. Thin slices of fish were coated in flour and deep fried. They were then garnished with the sweet and spicy Thai sauce along with some pickled cucumber strips. Although looking simple, we enjoyed this dish. The fish too was fresh and there was no stale taste or smell. It would have been even better if there was a little more Thai sauce as the flour absorbed the sauce too quickly as it was poured at the center leaving the slices on the side to be a little dry. I would rate this dish at 8/10 . 

On the whole, we were happy with the food, service and responsiveness of the staffs. I find their food prices to be very reasonable although the drinks were slightly expensive. The shop layout was also nicely designed and it was clean. I would definitely return here again to try their other dishes.

Address: No. 49, Jalan SS 22/19, Damansara Jaya, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1100 - 2200 Daily

Telephone: +603 7729 6563

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Esquire-Kitchen/150702351614362

Website: http://www.esquirekitchen.com/

Dim Sum Chef @ Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya

Restaurant Dim Sum Chef is the latest restaurant into the market specialising in Dim Sum. This restaurant has quite a number of unique offerings and is located in Kota Damansara. They mainly cater for breakfast and lunch and is closed at 3.30 pm. This is my second visit to this restaurant. The first visit had been unpleasant and I shall mention the reason. This restaurant is surprisingly busy on weekends and it is always advisable to call, make a booking and then go. I to did that the first time and booked a table to be there at 12 noon. When we arrived there that day, they acknowledged my booking and brought us to our table and then we placed our orders. After waiting for around 20 minutes, we were told that they ran out of food and they had no food to serve us. This also happened to a few other tables as well and we just had to leave. The boss was apologetic but then it is surely not a good experience, especially when the restaurant is new and this happened on a Sunday. One of the reasons that it is mostly full on Sundays is also caused by the Halal status of this restaurant and there are not many Dim Sum restaurants out there that serve good Halal Dim Sum and due to that, you do get a huge number of Malay customers dining here besides the usual Chinese customers. This time around, I called a week in advance to place my booking to come the following Sunday and again I was advised that Sunday was fully booked. Alternatively the boss suggested that I come on Saturday and I just confirmed it.

Restaurant Dim Sum Chef in Kota Damansara

Entrance

A Little Relaxed On A Saturday

Interior of the Restaurant

I would not say that the restaurant was completely deserted as it had a relatively good crowd when I was here. Nevertheless, it was not so bad like the previous trip. 

The Steamed Dim Sum Menu

The Steamed Dim Sum Menu

Fried Dim Sum Menu

Fried Dim Sum Menu

Some Additional Dishes

Some Additional Dishes

Order Form

Unlike most other Dim Sum restaurants where they walk around with trays filled with Dumplings, here you would have to place your order from the menu by filling an order form and then passing it on to the waiter. Add ons would also be done similarly. The good thing here is that every dumpling dish is made to order and so you do not get precooked food that is left to steam for a long time. Every dish is prepared only when the order is received and as such, there would be a waiting time of around 15 to 20 minutes before you get your dishes. Well, I do not see that as a problem as I am here to take my own time and enjoy the dishes and that is how you should have Dim Sum. I am not much of a fan of Fried Dim Sum and hence all the orders that you would see below are steamed items. I am alone here today and I took my time by ordering a few dishes at a time and then topping up with more dishes over time based on my capacity to have more. 

Chinese Tea @ RM 0.50

They did offer a wide variety of tea which costs more but I just went with the basic one.

Teow Chew Style Dumpling @ RM 4.50

Chicken Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun @ RM 4.50

Taufu, Chicken & Shrimp Dumpling @ RM 5.00

Beijing Style Spicy Dumpling @ RM 5.00

Fish Roe Siew Mai @ RM 4.50

Steamed Chicken in Black Bean Sauce @ RM 5.00

Shrimp Dumpling 'Har Gau' @ RM 5.00

Dip Sauce

Shanghai Style Dumpling @ RM 6.00

Closer Look At The Shanghai Style Dumpling

Steamed Fish Ball @ RM 4.50

Thousand Layer Cake @ RM 4.50

I must say that all the dumpling dishes that I tried were really good and no wonder there is such a crowd here. Although Pork was not available in some of those Dim Sum's where Pork would have been the staple meat, they still did taste equally good. Even the Har Gau was filled with at least 4 large prawns and they were so fresh and juicy. I think I don't have to say anything more about the dishes as you could gauge how much I ate alone today. I would rate all their Dim Sum at an average of 9.3/10 but this is limited to their Steamed Dumplings as I did not try their Fried Dim Sum items. I also feel that their dishes are reasonably priced and I would strongly recommend this restaurant to all Dim Sum lovers but please do make a reservation before heading there to avoid disappointments. 

Map To The Restaurant

Address: G-63-A-G, Block G, Jalan Teknologi 3/9, Kota Damansara,
                47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 6143 4732

Email: DimSumChefRestaurant@gmail.com

Opening Hours: 0730 - 1530 Daily (Closed on Tuesdays)