Ah Dee's Sarawak Kolo Mee @ Kota Damansara, Selangor

At the moment, I am working on a project with a client based in Kota Damansara and as such, you'd be seeing quite a number of entries in the coming weeks from this locality. And this very same client is the one who had recommended me to try Ah Dee's Sarawak Kolo Mee. Apparently, it is quite good and tastes quite similar to the one's that you get in Sarawak. Based on his recommendation, here I am this afternoon for lunch. 

Ah Dee's Sarawak Kolo Mee Stall

Restoran Big Family in Kota Damansara

This outlet is located in Restoran Big Family which is in Taman Industri Sungai Buloh. A place that is very close to the old Sungai Buloh Road which is also known as Selangor Green Lane. Parking is a huge problem here. So if you're here for lunch, do be prepared to walk quite a distance.

Variety Of Sarawak Kolo Mee Offered

Variety Of Sarawak Kolo Mee Offered

Variety Of Sarawak Kolo Mee Offered

Contact Details

It seems like every single stall in this restaurant is doing very well and the place is buzzing with customers. Ah Dee's stall was no exception. Even to place the orders, I had to wait for a couple of minutes just for my turn to register my orders. He only has one noodle variety which is the Sarawak Kolo Mee. The variety is basically the type of add on ingredients that one would like to have and that decides the price of the dish. Nothing complicated as he has pictures with description pasted on the stall and that makes the ordering process much simpler. 

Sarawak Kolo Mee with Minced Pork & Char Siew @ RM 6.00

Having placed my orders, I did have to wait close to twelve minutes for my food to arrive. For a simple stall concept, that is quite a wait but I do not blame him. The crowd was such. When the dish arrived, I immediately realised that my client has definitely not tasted Kolo Mee in Sarawak as this seemed like it but not quite like it. 

Noodles Was Good

The portion was decent but not sufficient to satisfy someone with a big appetite like me. The noodles were tasty. It was moist and nice but at the same time I felt that it was too moist as an overall dish and that may have brought down the taste. His Char Siew again wasn't great. It was just another Char Siew. 

Minced Pork

Minced Pork is the main ingredient for this dish and I felt that it was too moist. It should be a little dry and mildly crunchy. As an overall dish, I would give this a 6/10. Nah, I would not be recommending this to anyone unless you're really in the mood for this dish and happened to be in the vicinity. I have tasted much better ones in Damansara Perdana which is a mere 15 minutes drive from here. 

Clear Soup

This dish was also served with a small bowl of clear soup. Again, nothing much to shout about. Just another clear soup it was and I'd probably give it a 6/10 as well. 

I will definitely come back to this restaurant as there is so much food to be explored but I doubt if I would come back for this Sarawak Kolo Mee. It surely wasn't one that I had enjoyed. 

Address: 65, Lorong TSB 10A, Taman Industri Sungai Buloh, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor.

Opening Hours: 0900 - 1500 Daily

Claypot Junction @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Claypot Junction isn't new to me. This is a restaurant that I have blogged about in the past and without fail, at least once a week I am here and this is a practice that has been going on for about a year now. The food is just awesome and I find the prices to be very reasonable. Beginning this year, they had revamped their menu and added a vegetarian section to it and that is the reason for this entry, mainly to introduce some of their vegetarian dishes.

The Vegetarian Section In Their Menu

The Vegetarian Section In Their Menu

There's about 27 dishes to choose from and that's a pretty good spread bearing in mind that it has been years since we last had Chinese vegetarian options in Tanjung Malim. The last one to open closed down some 12 years back and the other alternative is to head over to Bukit Beruntung. That being said, this is definitely a welcomed change. Just like the other dishes and despite the recent price hike, I still felt that it was very reasonable. 

Claypot Vegetarian Lamb Curry @ RM 15.00

Their Claypot Vegetarian Lamb Curry was good. It came with generous portions of mock lamb meat, lots of Tofu and assorted vegetables in thick curry. Even their curry had a well balanced flavour, though this is not to be compared with the Indian style of cooking curry which is much more spicier. A good dish I would say and I would give this a 7/10.  

Kung Po Vegetarian Fish Balls @ RM 15.00

This Kung Po Vegetarian Fish Ball dish was excellent. Yes, it was truly excellent. I loved the mock fish balls, they were appropriately sliced to the right thickness and served in a delicious broth along with onions, spring onions, dried chilies and capsicum. This definitely deserves a 9/10. 

Mixed Vegetable Soup @ RM 8.00

Most of the time, I come across very bland tasting vegetable soups but this was impressive. The choice of veggies were perfect and the soup was just amazing. Not a single thing that I would be able to pick on. Again, another dish that I would give a 9/10. 

Mixed Mushrooms with Tofu Skin @ RM 12.00

Another good dish. I loved the choice of mushrooms and the beancurd skin was perfect. The method of preparation was good too. I would give this a 8/10. 

Based on the dishes that we had this evening, I definitely have no complaints. The food is good, the portions were decent and the prices were reasonable. Definitely I would be coming back for more. 

Address: 1, Jalan Cahaya, Taman Anggerik Desa, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1700 - 2200 

Telephone: +6010 228 3683 

Puffs & Pastries from Redtick Supermarket @ Cyberjaya, Selangor

Redtick Supermarket is located in Shaftsbury Square, Cyberjaya. I believe that this must be a relatively new supermarket in Malaysia as I have not come across them elsewhere in the Klang Valley. Maybe there are, but I have not come across them. That being said, this definitely looked like another chain outlet, something quite similar to Village Grocer whereby everything was so systematically placed and most of the products sold seemed to be catering towards the European customer base which is good. Many of the canned food stuffs that you get here used to be sold in Cold Storage decades ago and it is just great that these are now available again in Malaysia. Actually the reason I visited this supermarket was in search of some cold sandwiches and unfortunately, they did not have those. Instead, they had a small bakery section that had a wide variety of puffs and pastries. I am not really a fan of those sweet pastries but Curry Puffs are definitely my favourite. 

Curried Potato Puffs (Left) @ RM 3.80 each and Curry Chicken Puffs (Right) @ RM 3.80 each

If I remember correctly, they had close to six different puffs and that's a good variety to have in a supermarket. I however decided to stick with my favourites and they were the above Curried Potato Puffs and Curry Chicken Puffs, both priced at RM 3.80 each. Size wise, I have to agree that they were small especially when I compare it to the price tag. The puffs were smaller than my palm but if they taste good, then it's justifiable. 

Curried Potato Puff @ RM 3.80 each

Before I get to the taste, kindly do note that you have got to do takeaways as there are no seats available for you to consume these food items. Coming back to these Curried Potato Puffs, honestly they were below average. I definitely expected more. The texture of the puffs were amazing and that applies to both the puffs. However as far as the filling is concerned, this was rather bland in taste and they were very limited. I would only give these a 5/10. 

Curry Chicken Puffs @ RM 3.80

Contrary to the earlier one that I had tried, these Curry Chicken Puffs were excellent! They were generous with the filling and the gravy was extremely tasty. These are definitely worth the price paid and it has been years since I had such delicious puffs. The last time I tasted something very similar was the ones sold at Makro Hypermarkets. Not sure if people people still remember them as it has been more than a decade since they were taken over by Tesco and now AEON. These puffs definitely deserve a 9/10.

Based on the two types that I tried this afternoon, I definitely enjoyed the latter more. Of course, they do have more variety to offer and those BBQ Puffs seemed to be a hot seller. Perhaps I should give that a try the next time around. 

Address: P5-01, Shaftsbury Square, Persiaran Multimedia, Cyber 6, 

                63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Patron Bakery & Cafe @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Patron Bakery & Cafe is the latest cafe to open in Tanjung Malim, Perak and it is located in Taman Bernam Baru. They started sometime towards the end of last year and I managed to visit them then itself but unfortunately, I did not get time to blog about this cafe as I was caught up with work. 

Modern Design

The design of this cafe was one that impressed me and I am sure that the younger generation would love it as well. It was designed in such a way that it gave it a roomy feeling. The counter was located on the far right and it had a glass shelf displaying the bread that had been baked for the day. The kitchen was on the far left and it had glass partitions instead of walls which allows patrons to see through. The only setback on the day that I had dined was the ventilation. I was here at night and there were a few more tables that were occupied. Despite having an entrance that was open instead of doors, the place was warm and they had not switched on the air conditioning. Not sure if it was a cost cutting exercise or perhaps the owners had felt that the temperature was okay. But for me, it surely did feel stuffy. Another one of my observations for the day was the people manning the outlet. Clearly it was a family enterprise and I was impressed by the way the boys were managing the place. They clearly exhibited signs that they were new to this but they tried their best to make sure everything went well. That is something that I had to mention. Keep up the great work guys!

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

Their menu had a good spread of dishes. Only concern was the pricing which seemed a little too high for Tanjung Malim. Nevertheless, I didn't say much as I wanted to observe the portions. If they are huge, then the prices are surely justified. 

Tuna Croissant @ RM 14.00

Tuna Croissant

Initially, I had ordered this Tuna Croissant and it was priced at RM 14.00 . I have deliberately placed the cutlery beside the sandwich as it would give you a better gauge of the size. Seriously, it was a very small piece. I was expecting something double this size. For a person with a big appetite like me, this is nothing. It's like the starters before the main course. Three bites and it's done. Now, let's leave the size part of it and come to the taste part of it. Taste wise, it was awesome! Yes, it was absolutely fantastic. The croissant was soft and so tasty and the tuna spread was generous. Delicious to the last bite. Now, having spoken about both these aspects, is the cost justified? I would still say no. I won't mind paying RM 7 to RM 10 for this but nothing more. Just taking the taste part of it into consideration, I would give this a 9/10. 

Fries @ RM 5.00

Since I was still hungry, I ordered some Fries and this was priced at RM 5.00 . Again, the portion was very disappointing. If you are thinking how big that container is, look at an adult female's palm. Yes, and that's the size of it. In terms of depth, can you see the base of the container in the above photograph? Then, that should give you an idea in terms of volume. For the price, I would rather head to KFC and have a large fries and I would get double the size. Taste wise, it could have been better and as far as the rating is concerned, I would give this a 6/10.  

Chicken Chop @ RM 13.00

Mustard Sauce

As I was still hungry, I had to order another dish. This time it was their Chicken Chop and this was priced at RM 13.00 . Surprised that this was cheaper than their sandwiches as the portion size was definitely justified. They had fried the chicken with spices instead of grilling it. I'm not a fan of Chicken Chop prepared this way but then, I liked the marination. And the mustard sauce went very well with it. It wasn't all that great but it was a decent preparation and I would give this a 7/10. 

In summary, I loved the warm reception given by the boys, their Tuna Croissant tasted heavenly but be prepared to pay a hefty sum for it and their Chicken Chop is worth a try. Otherwise, the place is cosy and for sure it's a good place to mingle with friends or even have a business discussion. 

Address: No. 38, Jalan Bernam 1, Taman Bernam Baru, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak.

Opening Hours: 1100 - 2200

D' Sumptuous @ Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur

A few days back, I had to visit a friend who was admitted to Institut Jantung Negara and that was when I came across this outlet. D' Sumptuous is located on the upper level of the cafeteria in IJN. For those who have not been to this cafeteria, it has a lower floor which has a number of food stalls and the upper deck, which is a premium floor that is solely occupied by D' Sumptuous. I am not sure if they have other outlets in the Klang Valley but based on the details in their receipt, their corporate headquarters is based in Wangsa Maju.  

Their Logo

Private & Premium Seating Area

Beautifully Designed Counters

The upper deck was very impressive. They had a massive counter in a U shaped design that spanned across half of the seating area. Unlike the usual food court furniture, here they were mostly private seating with sofa sets and some coffee tables. It felt more like a dining hall in a hotel rather than a cafeteria in a hospital. 

Their Menu

Their menu had a good spread of dishes across various cuisines and they were reasonably priced. Of course this is not to be compared with coffee shop prices but lets say they were on par with those air conditioned restaurants. But it is not something that I would complain. The environment was exquisite and I would not even mind having business meetings here. As for the timing, I was here quite early in the morning and many of their main courses were not ready and that's very much understandable. Mostly what was available were their breakfast items. Since it has been a while that I had Dim Sum, I decided to go for those.  

Otak Otak Dim Sum @ RM 4.90

These Dim Sum's are made by Muslims and you tend to get some unique varieties like this Otak Otak Dim Sum which is something that you will never find in a Chinese Dim Sum place. Per set is priced at RM 4.90 and it comes in three's. That is fairly reasonable looking at the size of these dumplings. The first one that I tried is this Otak Otak Dim Sum which is the one laid on the left. A very unique taste that I thoroughly enjoyed. The texture was good and it was fresh. I would give this a 8/10. 

Mushroom Dim Sum @ RM 4.90

Their Mushroom Dim Sum's were pretty good too. The staple meat in all their Dim Sum's is chicken and in this case, it was mixed with mushrooms. A lovely blend of ingredients and it tasted equally good. This too deserves a rating of 8/10. 

Black Pepper Dim Sum @ RM 4.90

This Black Pepper version was excellent. What I loved most about this was the fact that I could actually taste those course ground pepper with each bite and they were very generous with it. If you're into such spicy food, then this is a must try. I would give this a 9/10. 

Salted Egg Dim Sum @ RM 4.90

Another good one but I felt that it could have been better. Since the salted egg was only placed at the tip, the chicken meat very much dominated the taste. Alternatively, they should have added more salted egg and that would have had a totally different effect. This I would give it a 7/10. 

Sweet & Chili Dip Sauce

From the four varieties that I tried, I very much enjoyed the Black Pepper version followed by the other two and the one that I enjoyed the least was the Salted Egg version. Perhaps since I love salted eggs very much, my expectations were much higher. Nevertheless, the food was good and surely it is one that I would very much recommend here. These were definitely some good quality Halal Dim Sum's. 

Address: Cafeteria, Institut Jantung Negara, 145 Jalan Tun Razak, 

                 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2000 Daily

QQ Popiah Stall @ Kota Damansara, Selangor

QQ Popiah is a chain of Popiah stalls that is located in a number of Chinese food courts across the Klang Valley. I usually patronise their outlet in Kepong and as I happened to be here in Kota Damansara this afternoon, I decided to give this stall a try. I have tried their Popiah here but that was sometime in the year 2014. When I tried them the last time, I was very impressed with the preparation. With that old confidence in mind, I placed my orders without any hesitation. 

The Stall

Located Inside This Restaurant

This outlet is located in Restoran Big Family which is in Taman Industri Sungai Buloh. A place that is very close to the old Sungai Buloh Road which is also known as Selangor Green Lane. Parking is a huge problem here. So if you're here for lunch, do be prepared to walk quite a distance.

Seaweed Popiah

Crispy Popiah

Previously, they were only selling the Crispy Popiah and now, it seems that they have improvised and added more varieties as well. I am not a fan of Seaweed or Wasabi, so I decided to give those a miss and stick with the basic Popiah as it is. Prices have definitely gone up and I am hoping that the quality has not dropped, especially with all those cost cutting exercises. Even their staffs used to be local Chinese but now, they have employed foreign staffs to run the stall. 

Crispy Popiah @ RM 2.40 per Roll

It wasn't too long for the Popiah to arrive. I ordered two rolls and that was priced at RM 4.80 . One look at the Popiah and I knew that it was a disaster. The art of making Popiah isn't only with the ingredients but also the way it is wrapped. This was so flimsy and untidy looking. In fact, it wasn't appetising at all. I was definitely thinking of calling the girl and telling her to compare this with the photograph that they have displayed at their stall and if this looked anywhere close to that. 

Tasted Very Bad Too

Not only did it look horrible, it tasted really bad too. There wasn't any chili sauce in the Popiah. It was plain dry and the ingredients were coarse and bland. In fact, even the crunchiness that I was expecting wasn't there. An absolute waste of money. I would strongly recommend the management to retrain these staffs manning this stall or else, they would most likely run out of business soon. The last time I tried the Popiah here, it was amazing and this was not even 50% there. As for now, I am definitely not coming back anytime soon. 

Address: 65, Lorong TSB 10A, Taman Industri Sungai Buloh, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor.

Opening Hours: 0900 - 1500 Daily

Star Briani Bistro (2nd Branch) @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Late last year, I had blogged about this place when they first started up in town and business has been very good for them to the extend that they have started the second outlet and this one is located in Taman Malim Indah, Tanjung Malim. For those who are not familiar with this residential area, this is located along Jalan Ketoyong, right opposite the Old Folks Home. 

Outdoor Seating

Indoor Seating

Previously, the late Mr. Hari used to run this place where the second outlet has been started. When he had passed on, these guys took over the business. Practically, everything that you see here is handed over from the previous owners. In a way, I guess that is quite convenient as they could straight away get on with business. This restaurant is open daily from 7.00 am till midnight. Occasionally, they would close on Saturdays. 

Vegetarian Lunch @ RM 3.50

As mentioned previously in another blog entry on their other restaurant, I would recommend skipping their non vegetarian dishes as it wasn't that good. Since all cooking is done centrally, I wouldn't expect a change in taste at this outlet.  However, I simply love their vegetarian dishes and that is the reason I have decided to go on a vegetarian feast this afternoon. As you can see from the above photograph, they do have a good variety to choose from and their vegetarian offering is not limited to the above. My choice of dishes for this afternoon were Pulichakeerai Curry, Thanichaar, Spicy Tofu Sambal, Radish, Snake Gourd Perattal, Bitter Gourd Perattal and Rasam. All this for just RM 3.50 and that's a steal!

Thannichaar

Thannichaar is one of my favourite curries and these guy's just nailed it. It was thick and not the watery version that we occasionally get at some restaurants and came with lots greens and dhall. Perfect taste wise too and I would definitely give this a 9/10. 

Pulichakeerai

Pulichakeerai was another excellent preparation. Typically a sour gravy with a hint of spiciness. I absolutely enjoyed it and would give this a 9/10 as well. 

Radish Perattal

Snake Gourd Perattal

Bitter Gourd Perattal

All three vegetables that I had tried were superb and there was nothing that I could find fault with any one of them. Each and every item was excellent and I can't see either one scoring lower than the other. For me, I would give them all a 9/10 as well. 

Tofu Sambal

If you're one who can't handle spicy food, then this is not for you. The Tofu was cut to small square cubes and served in a thick spicy gravy. Some restaurants make this sweet and spicy but these guys kept it solely spicy and it was good for a change. Yes, this too deserves a 9/10. 

Rasam

Their Rasam was the only one that was not up to the mark. It wasn't bad but it just was not as good as the rest. I feel that it lacked spices. Tasted okay but that satisfaction factor wasn't there. This I would give a 6/10.

Overall, the meal was excellent. If you're in for a vegetarian feast, do give these guy's a try and satisfaction is guaranteed. For the kind of meal that I had this afternoon, if only I had the same in Kuala Lumpur, it would have cost me much more than this. Yes, I am definitely coming back for more soon!

Address: Taman Malim Indah, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0700 - 0000 Daily