Madam Kwan's @ Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang Jaya

Madam Kwan's is an all time favourite Malaysian restaurant that serves an array of dishes from various cuisines across Malaysia in a modern and affluent set up. Started by Kwan Swee Lian a.k.a. Madam Kwan in 1977, she has dedicated her entire life to the menu and also in building a legacy that brings various Malaysian hawker food under a single roof. Her specialties are Nasi Lemak, Nasi Bojari and a number of Hokkien and Chinese dishes. Today, if you have an expatriate guest and would like to introduce them to good quality Malaysian food, Madam Kwan's is the place to go to and you cannot go wrong with it. Having said that, we were in Empire Shopping Gallery Subang Jaya this afternoon and decided to drop by to Madam Kwan's for lunch.

Madam Kwan's in Empire Shopping Gallery

Waiting for the table to be allocated

Interior of the Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

We were here at about 2.30 pm for a late lunch and still the place was crowded. Luckily the wait time was not too long and we were allocated a table within five minutes of arriving. Most of their set ups are quite similar except to the one in Pavillion Kuala Lumpur where you have the privilege of having Madam Kwan herself greeting you at the entrance. 

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

Their standard menu covers a great array of dishes right from starters to hawker food to everyday Malaysian deserts. They have also added a small section offering a handful of Western dishes. Their Nasi Lemak seems to have been voted as one of the best ones in Malaysia and I think that they truly deserve it. They also have a good selection of Chinese dishes and the entire menu is Pork Free.

Special Get Together Menu

Special Get Together Menu

Special Get Together Menu

They have now introduced a special Get Together Menu which offers four different set meals for a minimum of ten pax ranging from RM 400 to RM 800 plus. 

Teh Tarik @ RM 5.50

I ordered the above Teh Tarik. To me, it was quite decent but had limited tea dust in it which did not emanate the true Malaysian Teh Tarik taste. I would only rate it at 7/10 .

Cappuccino @ RM 8.90

The Cappuccino was much better than the Teh Tarik. I would rate it at 8.5/10 .

Coca Cola @ RM 7.00

Coca Cola here is served by the glass and not by the can. Definitely quite pricey for a glass of Coke.

The Cutlery

Waiting for our meals

The drinks arrived quite fast and it took them approximately 20 minutes from time of order before the dishes started arriving. 

Sauces for the Lamb Chop

Mint Sauce

Grilled Lamb Chop @ RM 36.90

Thin and Small Meat Cuts

Their Grilled Lamb Chops came with four small and thin cuts of meat, loads of French Fries and the rest of the plate filled with vegetables. Ideally, this dish should have been called a platter of French Fries with some grilled meat in it. For the price paid, the portion was definitely very disappointing. Comparing this to the one we had in Coliseum Cafe about a month back, both are priced similarly but there, the portion was much more satisfying. The Grilled Meat was marinated properly but it was overdone when served. Even the bones crumbled when chewed. This is definitely not acceptable bearing in mind that we were not at a roadside restaurant but in a fine dining restaurant paying premium prices. Overall, a disappointing dish! I would rate this dish at 5.5/10 .

Chopped Green Chilies

Char Kuey Teow @ RM 18.90

Closer Look at the CKT

I have dined at Madam Kwan's outlet in KLCC, Pavillion and Mid Valley numerous times and I most often go for their Char Kuey Teow dish. Today at the Empire Shopping Gallery Outlet, it was not quite up to my expectation. The ingredients added was good as there were loads of sliced chicken, prawns, eggs and bean sprouts but the 'Wok Hei' was just missing. The portion was huge but it tasted quite bland. I was a little disappointed and only ended up having half the dish. I would rate this dish at 6/10 only. 

Mayonnaise

Fried Dumplings @ RM 16.90

Fried Dumplings

The Fried Dumplings were quite good. They were crispy, of a good size and the fillings were just great and well flavoured. They were served with Mayonnaise on the side but it was good to go on it's own. A dish that I enjoyed. I would rate the above at 8.7/10 .

Nasi Bojari @ RM 24.90

Sambal Udang

Chicken Drumstick

Nasi Bojari is a famous dish here and you cannot go wrong with it. It is usually served with Beef and since we do not take beef, they had replaced it with another portion of Prawn Sambal. It also came with a large piece of fried chicken and a boiled egg. The Nasi Bojari was quite good and I would rate it at 8.8/10 .

Chicken Satay @ RM 14.90

Closer Look At The Satay

Peanut Sauce

The above platter comes with six large skewers of Chicken Satay, some Nasi Impit, Onions, Cucumber and Pineapple which are common sides with Satay. It also came with a thick and delicious Peanut Sauce. The Satay here is not the common satay found elsewhere. They are minced meat that have been spiced with various condiments and then pressed together to form a large chunk of meat. This variation was definitely a great improvisation from the traditional satay and tasted quite unique and nice. The Peanut sauce too was minimally sweet and not spicy which would suit most people's taste buds fairly well.  I would rate this dish at 8.6/10 .

Contact Numbers

Overall, except for the first two dishes, the food here was nice. I do hope that they would look into the Char Kuey Teow and Grilled Lamb Chop and improve on the quantity and quality. The CKT being not up to the mark was also not acceptable as it is one of their Signature dishes and it has usually not failed to impress me in all their other outlets and I am not sure why it was not up to the mark at this outlet. Would I come back to Madam Kwan's, surely but perhaps not to this outlet.

Address: Lot UG 09, Empire Shopping Gallery, Jalan SS16/1, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Telephone: +603 5022 2297 / 98

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

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

Website: http://madamkwans.com.my/