Willy Satay @ Kajang, Selangor

Firstly, I would like to wish all fellow Malaysians Happy Independence Day! Having witnessed the celebrations this morning, we decided to head over to Kajang to try out another very famous Satay outlet called Willy Satay. Besides Satay Kajang Haji Samuri, this is another place that has become very popular in recent years and every time I blog about a new Satay place, most of my readers would recommend me to try this place out and here we are this afternoon.

Very Huge Establishment

Located Inside Ramal Food Junction

The Aroma Strikes You From Afar

Quite A Number Of Stall Here

Tables Being Set Up

This place is generally busy at nights nevertheless business commences as early as 4 pm daily. The place is not difficult to locate. If you are using the PLUS Highway, once you exit Kajang, keep driving into town and not far after, you would be able to sight this food court on your left. Signage is very clear and it is clearly visible from the main road. Even at this hour, the crowd was very encouraging and we had to park somewhat 100 meters away as there were no available spots nearby. Willy Satay is the largest tenant here and even from afar, the aroma of Satay being grilled teases your taste buds. Previously, they used to be at Hassan Cafe which is the restaurant just beside this food court. If I am not mistaken, they commenced business there in the year 2005 and once things had picked up, they had moved to this food court in the year 2008. I was told by one of their supervisors that on average they sell from 9,000 to 15,000 sticks daily. Those are some very encouraging numbers.

Busy Day It Was

Endorsed By The Jalan Jalan Cari Makan Team

Prices Of Satay

All Busy

Here, one has got to be very patient. On very busy days, the queue can go right up to 100 meters long and that literally means that you would take at least 1 hour before being able to register your orders. Preparation time is another one. That can take up to another 1 hour and customers are willing to wait that long. Even today, I had to queue close to 15 minutes before being able to register my orders. Most importantly, you should know your table number otherwise, they would not accept the orders. So, one should be seated at the table while you register and pay for your orders. Their hot seller is their Lamb Satay and followed by their Chicken Satay. Sadly, their Lamb Satay was not available this evening and we had to settle for their Chicken Satay. 

Big Mug Watermelon Juice @ RM 6.00

Such A Huge Glass

Good For Two

Having done with the orders, I walked over to another stall selling drinks. This is located at the other end along the same row where Willy Satay is. There's only one stall selling drinks and their specialty is this Big Glass Fruit Juices. Priced at RM 6.00, this is good for two to three people. Once again, I had to place my orders, pay for them and return to my table and in a matter of 10 minutes, the drink was sent over. They do also have the small glasses but since this was the specialty here, we decided to experience these instead. It is not limited to Watermelon alone and they have a whole range of fruit juices. Since it was a hot afternoon, it was my suggestion that we go for this. The drink was good, very good in fact. Limited ice cubes and it was pure juice without any sweeteners. Absolutely perfect for this hot afternoon. I would rate this at 9/10 . Definitely one to try at this food court.

Chicken Satay @ RM 0.90 each

Chicken Satay @ RM 0.90 each

Chicken Satay @ RM 0.90 each

Since we were only in the mood to taste, we ordered just a limited number of Satay's. Even with this limited orders, it took them approximately 35 minutes from the time of order to deliver. The Satay was magnificent. Truly fantastic. I think this is the best that I have tasted in Malaysia. Now I know why many have been recommending this place to me. Worlds apart from Satay Kajang Haji Samuri. The meat was tender, sweet, so juicy and with limited amount of fat in them. I can bravely say that they were mostly lean meat. An excellent preparation! Truly impressed with this preparation. I would rate this at 10/10 . Highly recommended!

Cucumber & Onion

These were fresh too but they were not generous with the quantity. As you can see, it was just a handful of cucumber slices and there was only one onion peel. Could have been better.

Peanut Sauce

Thick and Good!

Peanut Sauce was also very different to that of Haji Samuri. This was way thicker, not too sweet, slightly spicy and went so well with the marination of the Satay. You could see how concentrated it was from the above photograph. Absolutely loved it and I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Lontong @ RM 1.00 each

Lontong @ RM 1.00 each

Close Up Of Their Lontong

Do also try their Lontong as it is one of it's kind. Not the usual Nasi Impit stuff. This is completely different and tastes so good with the Peanut Sauce. Prepared according to the authentic ways and served while it is still wrapped in the banana leaf. Moreover, it's very reasonably priced at RM 1.00 each. Another must try item here. I would rate this at 9/10 .

In short, what a way to celebrate our Independence Day and finally wrap the day with some excellent Satay. Till date, this is the best Satay that I have eaten in Malaysia and I would bravely repeat this anywhere anytime. Highly recommended and I would not mind driving the distance all over again just for this. The only setback would be the waiting time. Otherwise, a fantastic experience!

Address: Ramal Food Junction, Taman Sri Ramal, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1600 - 0000 Daily

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Willy-Satay/160728217281422?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

Telephone: +6013 330 9291

Restoran Al-Salam @ Bandar Baru Nilai, Negeri Sembilan

After my game of golf, feeling hungry, my brother and drove around Bandar Baru Nilai in search for a place to have lunch. It was beyond the usual lunch hours and many places were already closed after the first half of their normal business hours. It seems that lunch places are difficult to find around this side of Nilai except for the usual KFC, Mc Donalds and other fast food eateries. Most places seem to close at 3.00 pm only to reopen at 5.30 pm . Having been caught in between those timings, we finally stumbled upon this restaurant called Restoran Al-Salam that's located along Jalan BBN 1/2B . 

Corner Unit

Parking Is Convenient

Indoor & Outdoor Seating Spaces

Nice Decoration

This restaurant was quite huge with both indoor and outdoor seating areas. Once we arrived, I did a quick Google search on this restaurant just to get some feedback. Most of the feedback didn't seem too positive. Everyone seemed to be saying the same thing over and over and that was all about average food and sky high prices. Well, no one mentioned that the food was horrible and so that was okay with us. We were already starving and were truly in bliss to have found this restaurant and so decided on giving this place a try. parking was very convenient and that was another plus point. I wonder why this locality seems so dead. Seems like a deserted place. After all, with it's close proximity with all the Universities and Colleges, I would definitely expect more traffic here. Coming back to the restaurant, the place was reasonably clean and the staffs were quite friendly. Some of them were even chatty and that felt nice. They have also spent quite a bit of money on the renovations. Being my very first visit here, I asked them for their menu to see the options that were available and one of the staffs got it for us.

Menu

Drinks Menu

Breakfast Items Menu

Thosai & Roti Canai Menu

Naan & Tandoori Menu

Tomyam Variety

Tomyam Variety

Western Food Variety

Tomyam Variety

Western Food Variety

Western Food Variety

Western Food Variety

Western Food Variety

Wow! Their menu was very elaborate with a wide variety of dishes available. Prices were definitely on the high side. Besides the usual Indian Muslim food, the variety also extended to Tomyam and Western Food. The Western Food wasn't cheap either. Having gone through their menu, we walked in to check out their Curries. 

Curries

Perhaps, many of their dishes had been sold out during lunch and these were the only left overs. Still good variety, but it didn't look too great. I was somewhat not convinced but my brother decided to give it a try. Good it was as I could also then taste them and give a wider coverage  in my review this evening. I then left my brother to select his dishes and walked back to our table.

My Brother's Lunch @ RM 5.00

Do note that we did not know the prices of these until the time that we paid for them. Having known them now, I would share them as and when I write about each of those items that we had. This alone was priced at RM 5.00 . It was just a plate of rice, some Sambal Sotong gravy (minus the sotong), some Fish Gravy, a little bit of Mixed Vegetables and some Fried Bitter Gourd. Pretty much, this is a vegetarian meal (except for the fact that we took a dash of gravies from the non vegetarian dishes) and should rightfully only cost us RM 3.50 or RM 4.00 at most. The price of RM 5.00 for this was definitely high.

Sambal Sotong Gravy and Fish Gravy

Their Sambal Sotong gravy was a tad too sweet. I would expect 'Sambal' to be spicy but this was like some 'Honey' dish. Definitely a wrong choice. Taste was also very mediocre. I would only rate this gravy at 5/10 . Their Fish Gravy was also nothing much to shout about too but it was surely better when compared to the earlier one. Non spicy but sufficiently spiced, I would rate this at 7/10 . Overall, very average curries.

Fried Bitter Gourd

This was quite decent in taste though some had been slightly over fried and caused a slight burn to the Bitter Gourd. But taste wise, it was nice. I would rate this at 8/10 .

Mixed Vegetable

Another preparation that was nice. Nothing much in terms of the vegetables used, slightly over cooked but tasty. Would have been better if the amount of oil used was reduced and also the cooking time lessened. I would rate this at 8/10 .

Fried Chicken @ RM 9.00 per thigh

Fried Chicken @ RM 9.00 per thigh

In contrast to all the earlier dishes that we tried, this Fried Chicken was simply superb! It was a full thigh that had been chopped and served separately. The marination was simply fantastic, the chicken was cooked to perfection and it tasted so juicy and the meat was very tender. Absolutely loved it. Taste wise, I would rate this at 9.5/10 . Coming to the pricing, is RM 9.00 justified for this? Personally, I would not mind paying for quality and this indeed was 'quality'. Of course, other's may have different views and I truly respect that. As for me, I sincerely felt that the earlier curries definitely did not deserve the price paid but this truly did.

Sup Kambing @ RM 4.90

Well Flavoured

Nice Mutton Cuts

I, having seen that they had the Indian Muslim Sup Ayam and Sup Kambing, decided to go for the latter as it is one of my all time favourite Indian Muslim dishes. And this one was very reasonably priced at RM 4.90 .The usual one that I go for in Kuala Lumpur is around RM 6.50 and it's about the same size with the same amount of meat content. So, this is definitely cheap! Taste wise, it was just okay. The soup was well flavoured but it could have been definitely better. Lacked pepper too! That spicy factor that I was looking for was surely missing, otherwise it was nice. The meat cuts were lean without too much fat in them. I wouldn't say that this is one that is recommended but no harm trying if you feel like having it. I would rate this at 6/10 .

Computerised Chit

Once we were done with our lunch, we handed the above chit to the cashier who then mentioned the total payable amount which brought us both to a shock. It was then I had asked him for the detailed print out and the cashier provided it. Without saying anything more, we just paid for our meal and left. In summary, I feel that their curries aren't great. Their Mutton Soup was quite average too. The only dish that truly stood out this evening would be their Fried Chicken and once again, the price is subjective and depends on the individual as to how you perceive it. Definitely not for one who's planning on just having a quick meal during lunch before heading back to office. Those would definitely get a shock of their lives. Do judge for yourselves and then decided if this eatery is suitable.

Address: Along Jalan BBN 1/2B, Bandar Baru Nilai, 71800 Nilai,

                Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 24 Hours Daily

Website: http://www.restoranalsalam.com/index.htm 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Al-Salam-Nilai/157746257614729

Restoran Chun Mei Bak Kut Teh @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

There are two restaurants in Tanjung Malim selling old school Bak Kut Teh since the 1970's. One is Restoran Kim Kee which is located in Kampung Berop and the other is this Resturant Chun Mei. Between the two, this is the preferred one but in recent months the other one has become more famous due to the lack of staffs at this restaurant and the lady boss only occasionally opening the restaurant. Now however, her son is back and he runs the restaurant with some additional helpers.You could still see the lady boss at the restaurant but she does not involve much in the business as she has already aged. 

Restaurant Chun Mei in Taman Intan Setia

Parking is never a problem here as there is a huge space to park right in front of the restaurant. Usually packed during evenings and as it goes to late nights, then there would be more lorries than cars. Due to the open concept of the restaurant, the place does not get hot as the cool evening breeze is always blowing in. 

Outdoor Seating

Open Concept

Indoor Seating

Indoor Seating

The restaurant is quite an old structure but it is still in usable condition. Cleanliness is decent but not immaculate. Nevertheless, you still see a lot of customers coming here due to the taste of their Bak Kut Teh which is anytime better than those found in Kuala Lumpur, Kampung Subang and even some of those in Klang. On days when this restaurant is open, then there is very few customers in Kim Kee. I guess, most people like me would come here and check the place out first to see if they are open and if they are not, only then head to Kim Kee. Ordering here is very simple. You could just place your orders at your table and this could be done with the helpers themselves. Since I know the son and mother personally, I would usually walk up to them and tell them exactly what I want. Since the son and I are schoolmates, he usually tends to give me better meat cuts.

Hot Chinese Tea

My Dinner @ RM 11.00

Today was slightly a busy day and it took them a while to serve me. Nevertheless, it was worth the wait. Shall speak more about each of this dish below.

White Rice

Here you don't get the Onion Oil Rice as it is all the plain White Rice. This usually comes with the Bak Kut Teh but if you do not order the meat and just go for the sides, then a bowl of White Rice is priced at RM 1.00 . Since the broth here is the dark version, then this goes well with it as you do not need additional flavours to come from the rice to improve the taste. 

Garlic & Bird Eye Chili

It is a must to have the Bak Kut Teh with some garlic and bird eye chilies. As for the Soy Sauce, both sweet and salty versions are available.

Dark Tea

Dark Tea

Their Dark Herbal Soup is definitely a taste to remember. You hardly get this dark soup anymore and most places today, tend to serve very light coloured soup and sometimes I get confused if that is the real herbal soup or if it is some soy sauce. This comes complimentary and they would keep topping up the soup as it finishes. This is done even without you asking for more. As they walk pass you and if the helpers notice that your soup is finished or near finished, then they on their own initiative would top it up for you. I would rate their Herbal Soup at 10/10 . One of the best that I have tried, perhaps the best!

Mix Of Lean Meat & Fat

Mix Of Lean Meat & Fat

If there is a larger group, then you should go for their Claypot Bak Kut Teh which comes with an assortment of items. Since I was alone, I went for the solo bowl like the above. I always prefer lean meat with a little fat which goes just nice with me. Do note that they also have spare parts and the big bone here. The meat is tenderly cooked in the delicious dark herbal soup and is a treat to any Bak Kut Teh lover. I would rate the above meat at 9.5/10 .A perfect dish!

Tofu & Lor Tan

Love Their Eggs

The eggs here are really good. They are hard boiled in a very thick herbal soup and is served along with some soy sauce. Definitely an excellent preparation and I would rate this at 9.4/10 .

Tofu

Once again, their Tofu would definitely not disappoint you. The Tofu is prepared in the same dark herbal broth and it is very fresh and delicious. Some days, he uses the Fried Tofu and somedays like today, they had used the Fried Tofu Pok. Both preparations are excellent and I would rate this at 9/10 .

Yau Char Kui

They get their supply of Yau Char Kui from the vendor at the local market and he delivers them fresh to their shop daily. The Yau Char Kui is very soft and hence absorbs the delicious soup when dipped in. Just look at the colour. Definitely good stuff and I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

If you wish to try old school Bak Kut Teh, then I would strongly recommend this particular restaurant. I did not have the breakdown of prices and that is the reason why I did not list them above. In total, my meal this evening cost me a mere RM 11.00 . Could we find this in Kuala Lumpur for the same price? Definitely not! After all, Tanjung Malim is a mere 40 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur via the North South Highway and we KL'ites are used to travelling that distance. Definitely a place that you would not regret unless you dislike the dark soup as I do know some friends who would simply prefer the lighter soup over the dark one as they dislike the strong herbal flavour. In a nutshell, cheap and excellent food and a sure treat for hardcore Bak Kut Teh lovers.

Address: Jalan Intan Setia 7, Taman Intan Setia, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak.

Opening Hours: 1700 - 0100 Daily