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/

Heart Lock Cafe @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Heart Lock Cafe is a Malay Restaurant that is located in Taman Universiti, Tanjung Malim that serves budget meals. I have tried to visit them a number of times before and unfortunately, every time I come here, they were already closed for the day. As I was in Tanjung Malim slightly early, I decided to head here for a late lunch. 

Heart Lock Cafe in Taman Universiti, Tanjung Malim

Interior Of The Restaurant

Well Designed Cafe

Spacious

This restaurant is located not on the road fronting row of shops but at the block that faces the back entrance to UPSI. Once you turn into Taman Universiti, instead of turning left to the famous row of restaurants, just keep going straight. Within 100 meters, you would be able to see a 7 Eleven on your left. Keep going till the very end of the row. This restaurant occupies the last unit along this same row. Parking is much easier here and it is easily available all day long. When I arrived here, I was impressed with the decor. I never expected this restaurant to be this beautifully designed as I have always seen it from the outside when it was closed. It was simple, modern and nice to look at. There was also a TV for customers' entertainment. 

Class A For Cleanliness

Ordering Is Done Here

Prices Of Meal Sets

Buy 9 Free 1

I had mentioned earlier that this was a budget restaurant. How they operate is quite simple. They have four different simple meal sets. Three sets are priced at RM 3.00 each and the last set is priced at RM 3.99 . The first set is a noodle dish and this comes with an omelette. The next three sets are rice based sets and this comes with an omelette as well.The last dish is slightly more pricey as it comes with a piece of beef. All meals come with unlimited drinks which is a selection of either Blackcurrant Juice or Sirap Limau. Other drinks like Tea and Coffee are available as well but this is an add on. Another good thing here is that they have their own loyalty cards. Which means that every meal you buy entitles you to one stamp and when a card has nine stamps, that entitles the holder to a free meal which can be redeemed on any other day or even the same day. One is required to place the orders at the counter as it a 100% self service restaurant. Once you have confirmed the order, you would then need to pay for them and then a plastic cup is handed over to you to get your own drinks. Once the food is ready, they would notify you and then you would need to self collect. Simple and practical concept that minimises their overheads. 

Drinks Counter

Sirap Limau

Just like the others, I too paid for my meal and collected my drink. Since there are no limitations on the number of refills, I decided to try their Sirap Limau first. The Sirap Limau was very good. I was expecting a watered down version as it was free flowing but in contrary, the drink impressed me. Perfectly fixed drink served cold. I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Set Meal 2 @ RM 3.00

I went for Set Meal 2 as I was in the mood for some rice. This was priced at RM 3.00 (including the drinks) and came with Pandan Rice, a large Omelette, Ikan Bilis Sambal and some Tapioca Chips. As you can observe, the food is placed on a plastic sheet to avoid the plate from becoming dirty. Do note that you are expected to throw the litter in the place provided and return the plate to the tray counter which is located on the right side of the restaurant, not very far from where the food counter was. 

Pandan Rice

The Pandan Rice was absolutely delicious. Tasted creamy and the portion was huge. I would rate this at 9/10 .

Ikan Bilis Sambal

The Anchovies Sambal was not spicy. Being a Malay restaurant, I expected it to be spicy but it was not. Nevertheless, it still tasted good. I would rate this at 7.5/10 .

Omelette

The Omelette however was dry and not up to my liking. Can be improvised with some sliced onions which would not cost them anything much. I would rate this at 5/10 .

Tapioca Chips

Their Tapioca Chips were good as well. They were crispy, recently fried and tasted great. I would rate these at 8/10 .

Blackcurrant Drink

After my meal, I went to top up the drinks again and this time, I had some Blackcurrant Drink. Just like the earlier one, this too was very good. Once again, a non watered down version and was served ice cold. I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

When I was dining here, this place was very much patronised by the University students and staffs alike. This kind of pricing is definitely a boon to these students who live on a budget. The food was good too. Being a working adult, I would not mind coming here a few times a week to have budget meals but not on a daily basis. The meal sets were limited to four varieties only and being a non beef eater, this limits me to only three. Personally, I would not want to eat the same thing day in and day out but for students, this is a fantastic offer. Definitely a place worth trying.

Address: No. 31, Jalan U1/1, Taman Universiti, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1100 - 2200 Daily

Telephone: +6018 570 7808

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

Restoran Ghani @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Restoran Ghani is the second Indian Muslim restaurant to start their business in Tanjung Malim. The first was Restaurant Kassim and this was followed by Restaurant Ghani in 1931. Today, they are the oldest Indian Muslim restaurant in town, with Restaurant Kassim having closed their business sometime in the early 2000's. This restaurant is located along Jalan Besar and has been in the same location since the day they started. Today, this family very much controls the Indian Muslim food business in Tanjung Malim with four restaurants belonging to the brothers which is located in a number of locations in Tanjung Malim. 

Restoran Ghani in Tanjung Malim

The Restaurant

Interior Of The Restaurant

Interior Of The Restaurant

Of late, I have been visiting more of their other brother's restaurant which is along the same row of shops called Restaurant Jalal. There is no specific reason for this. perhaps the easy availability of parking could be one of the reasons. Suddenly I felt that I should pay them a visit today for dinner. This restaurant has not changed a bit in design since the early days. The flooring, furniture and decor has been exactly the same.The place is packed mostly during the day and come night, it is mostly take aways. For lunch, besides the usual curries, they also have Beriani which is quite famous and come evenings, the popular items are like their Roti Canai, Mee Goreng, Capati, Mee Rebus etc. 

Teh Tarik @ RM 1.20

As always, without fail I would go for their Teh Tarik as it is quite good here. Most of the workers here including the owners are good friends. I have known them perhaps all my life and it feels good, for me whenever I come here. Coming back to their Tea, it has always been consistently good and I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Mee Rebus @ RM 3.50

Mee Rebus @ RM 3.50

All Stirred Up

These days, it is hard to find a meal for RM 3.50 but at this restaurant and all their other siblings' restaurants, the price of these common dishes are fixed at RM 3.50 which is a very good deal. The same is usually priced at RM 5.50 in Kuala Lumpur. For a start, I went for their Mee Rebus. Their Mee Rebus was good but somehow I feel that the Mee Rebus at Jalal's is much better than this. There was something that was lacking here but I could not identify what it was. Nevertheless, for me this was what I felt. As such, I would rate this dish at 8.5/10 .

Mee Goreng @ RM 3.50

Mee Goreng @ RM 3.50

The Mee Goreng here was fantastic and when I compare this to Jalal's, this one would beat the latter flat. For me, this was a perfect dish! Although I have not tried all the Indian Muslim Mee Goreng's in town, for now this is the best that I have tried. I would rate this at 9.6/10 .

Rojak @ RM 3.50

Rojak @ RM 3.50

After being stuffed with the earlier dishes, I also bought back a packet of Rojak for my Dad. Their Rojak was good too. The difference between this and the one available at Jalal's, this had a finely ground peanut sauce where as the one at Jalal is a little coarse. Once again, this is a matter of preference as both are good in their own ways. I would rate this at 9.3/10 .

Overall, the meal that I had today was very satisfying. The dishes were good if not excellent, the prices were very reasonable and the service has been good, as always. Would come back for more!

Address: No. 14, Jalan Besar, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0630 - 2100 Daily

Leko Leko! Signature Cafe @ NU Sentral, Kuala Lumpur

NU Sentral is the latest shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur and it is good that it is connected to KL Sentral. Fortunately, KL Sentral is no longer just a place of transit and is no longer boring to those who are waiting for their trains. I was here this afternoon and this is my very first visit here, to NU Sentral. The mall was impressive but they were not operating at full scale as there were still a number of outlets that were under renovation. As I was walking around the mall, I came across this cute looking outlet called Leko Leko. Of course, we all being Malaysians know what Keropok Lekor is but this is the first time that I am seeing such a stall that operates on a franchise concept. As it was tea time, I was curious and wanted to give them a try. 

Leko Leko on Level 5 of NU Sentral Mall

This Is Their Signature Outlet

Small Seating Area

Work Space Cum Kitchenette 

Two Signature Dishes

The Outlet

This outlet is located on the 5th Floor of NU Sentral Mall. I did some reading on this business and understand that they have been around since November 2010. Most of their outlets are small kiosks and this is a flagship outlet that has a relatively huge dining space for customers. When I was here, it was a non peak time and at that time, the outlet was manned by just two young girls. 

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

Their Menu offered three key food items, Kerepok Lekor, Beef Balls and Potato Chips. I wanted to just stick with the Keropok Lekor and hence went for that. There were two flavours available, Cheese and Black Pepper. I ordered one from each, both small just to get a taste of the items here. Besides ala carte, they also have set meals which ties you with a drink and comes at a value price that entitles you to some savings. I ordered one of the set and another Ala Carte. For those who are curious, free testers were also available. I then paid for the food and went over to sit. The waitress informed me that the Keropok Lekor would be sent over to my table shortly. 

Sunquick Mango

The drinks that were offered with the set were typically Sunquick and both Mango and Orange flavours were available. They must have a special tie with Sunquick to run this offer. I went for the Mango. The drink however was watered down. Not too bad but it wasn't good either. The good thing about this was that it was served cold to my liking. Otherwise, it was just another drink and I would rate this at 5/10 .

Keropok Lekor Black Pepper

Keropol Lekor Black Pepper

As an Ala Carte item, this small cup is priced at RM 3.50 and it was just a few cuts of Kerpok Lekor, probably from two pieces and snipped into multiple small pieces and sprayed with Black Pepper Sauce from a Ketchup container. Pretty much that was what it was. For me, it was not at all impressive as I have eaten very much tastier and fresher Keropok Lekor in Kuantan and Terengganu. This just seemed like a wish wash item for the city dwellers or probably foreign tourists. The Black Pepper sauce was very much scanty and the spray was just limited to the top few cuts only. I would only rate this at 3/10 .

Cheesy Keropok Lekor

Cheese Keropok Lekor

Similar to the earlier one, this too was a very mediocre if not an ordinary item. The Cheese Flavour was only sprayed at the top and anything that was below that, had no traces of the cheese. Another one that I did not quite like. If only the Keropok Lekor was fresher, I would not have minded eating them plain but this seemed like it was from some time back and lacked the oomph factor. I would only rate this at 2/10 . 

I guess I was not alone in my judgement. Another two tables who walked in simply out of curiosity had the very same opinion as well as I heard one of them telling the waitress and another just talking among themselves. A white man too mentioned the same saying that this was an eye wash item for tourists. I believe that this guy might have been living in Malaysia for a number of years now as his taste buds have become pretty much Malaysian. For me, once was enough and I doubt that I would be a returning customer.

Address: Level 5, NU Sentral, No. 201, Jalan Tun Sambanthan,

                50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Website: http://www.leko-leko.com/company.html

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