Puchong Chettinad Mess @ Puchong, Selangor

If you're into a good Banana Leaf Rice Meal at a no frills Indian Mess, then you have got to pay these guys a visit. Puchong Chettinad Mess is a South Indian Mess that opened up some months back and is located in Bandar Puteri Puchong.

The Mess Located Along Jalan 7/9

It's On The First Floor

Once you've turned into Bandar Puteri Puchong, keep going straight and take the overhead bridge. As you come down, slowly keep to the left lane and just before Columbia Medical Centre, turn left. Please go slow here as you may miss the turning which comes shortly ahead. You would see a Light Industrial Area on your right. Yes, do not get confused. You are on the right track. This mess is located in a Light Industrial Area and not the usual commercial zone. Now, once you have turned left before Columbia Medical Centre, take the second turning right and immediately left which would lead you to the inner road. In about 50 meters, look right and you should be able to see Chakra Catering Services which is just a few doors away from a private clinic. Parking is easy here since it is a Industrial Zone. This mess is located on the first floor. Kindly do note that foot wear is not allowed inside the mess for hygiene reasons. 

Prices Of Meals

Clean And Efficient Service

Prices of all the dishes are listed at the entrance itself and once you're upstairs, there's a white board which lists down all the food items that are available for the day. This mess isn't like the usual South Indian Mess that you would come across around Lebuh Ampang area. It is carpeted, air-conditioned and all customers are treated with utmost respect. In fact the owner is always there observing the staffs and at times personally attends to customers need when the staffs are busy. Service is super efficient and served in a proper manner. 

Banana Leaf Rice Meal @ RM 6.00 + Mutton Perattal @ RM 6.00

Just look at the way the food items are neatly served on a very large banana leaf. Today, we had three vegetables, rice and curries, Appalam, Rasam and Moor for RM 6.00 . I believe that on Fridays it's RM 7.00 as there are more food items available. I also had a plate of Mutton Perattal which was priced at RM 6.00 . Another thing that impressed me was the availability of warm and cold water which is served according to customers preference. Also do note that serviettes are neatly tucked under the glasses and these are small things which gives great pleasure to patrons. I am sure that the years of experience being caterers has contributed to all these pleasant gestures. 

Delicious Vegetables 

The vegetables that were available for the day were Cucumber Raita, Keerai Kadaiyal, Mango Pachadi and Cabbage Perattal. All of which were extremely tasty. It is their habit here to serve small portions solely to avoid wastage. One could request for any number of top ups and they would happily accommodate. In fact, I did not even have to ask. The owner kept asking me for rice and veggie refills all the while. That is the level of customer service that one can expect here. It's just a very small space and the furniture is laid out in such a way that everyone gets personalised attention. As for these vegetables, I would give the Keerai Kadayal and Cabbage Perattal a 8/10 and the Mango Pacahdi a 9/10. 

Sambar

Venthaya Kulambu

Their Sambar was good. It had the right blend of ingredients, not watered down and tasted good. This I would rate it at 8/10. Their Venthaya Kulambu was even better. It was thick, they had used lots of garlic and spices and the aroma was fantastic. This deserves a 9/10. My father had Fish Kulambu and he seemed very happy with it. In fact, it was the first time that I saw him going for extra rice just to have another round of the Fish Kulambu. Curious, I gave it a try as well. Apologies as the photo isn't here. Coming back to the Fish Gravy, that was heavenly! No words to describe how good it was. You have got to try it yourself to experience the bliss that we through. This one deserves nothing less than a 10/10. 

Rasam & Moor

Rasam and Moor were part of the Banana Leaf Rice Meal Set. Their Rasam was nice but it wasn't a taste to remember. I have definitely tasted better ones and would give it a 7/10. The Moor was better and I'd give it a 8/10. 

Mutton Perattal @ RM 6.00

Their Mutton Perattal was excellent. Lean meat cuts cooked in a thick, aromatic gravy that was deeply infused with spices. Absolutely wonderful preparation and I loved it! In fact, the gravy was finger licking good. I would rate this at 9/10. My father had some Fried Podi Fish as well which isn't shown in these photographs. Three large Podi Fish for RM 6.00 . Definitely a very good price compared to what guys like Raju's and Pandi's are selling. The fish was deep fried to a crisp and yet it was so juicy on the inside. In my opinion, it was good but could have been better marination wise and therefore I would give it a 8/10. 

Overall, I am very happy with this Mess and would surely return for more. After all, it is so close to my present workplace. Loved the Banana Leaf Meal and the curries and not to forget, the mutton as well. I would also like to congratulate and thank the management and staff for the wonderful hospitality. Do keep up the great work!

Address: 11-1, Jalan Puteri 7/9, Bandar Puteri Puchong, 47100 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1130 - 1430 Monday - Friday

Claypot Chicken Rice Stall in Chinatown Food Court @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Besides the Indian Food Stall that recently opened (which I had blogged about a few days back), there is also another new stall here at China Town Food Court that sells a variety of Claypot Chicken Rice. 

A Few Variety To Choose From

Claypot Chicken Rice is one of my favourites and all these years, we never had a stall that sells this in Tanjung Malim and as such, this is definitely a very much welcomed change. This stall has six varieties to choose from and they were all reasonably priced. If you have any specific requirements or you would want him to make a specific type of Claypot Rice, he does oblige as well.  

Claypot Rice with Chicken & Lap Cheong @ RM 8.00

With Chicken and Taiwanese Sausage

Do note that he does take a while to prepare the dish. The average waiting time would be around 15 minutes as he has to cook the dish including the rice from scratch. The first dish that we ordered was the above shown Claypot Chicken Rice with Lap Cheong and this was priced at RM 8.00 . This was the small sized one and it was good for two plates. If you're here for supper, then this alone would be good for two persons. The preparation was decent. It was neither excellent nor bad. Just plain good and it was tasty. Well, compared to having nothing, I wouldn't complain. Besides, he was quite generous with the ingredients as well. Just look at the amount of Lap Cheong that he has given. For the price paid, it's definitely good. Taste wise, I would give this a 7/10. 

Claypot Chicken Rice with Salt Fish @ RM 8.00

This Was Good

The second one that we tried was his Claypot Chicken Rice with Salt Fish and this was priced at RM 8.00 as well. Taste wise, this was much better than the earlier one. Generous amounts of chicken added to the dish and the overall dish was good. The flavours were perfect and everything was just right. This deserves a rating of 8/10. 

My recommendation would be to stick with the basic Chaypot Chicken Rice and not the other varieties. Though the other dish was quite impressive ingredients wise, it just wasn't quite there taste wise. The latter was anytime a better dish. 

Address: Jalan Setia 1, Taman Wangsa Setia, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1830 - 2200 Daily

Javaplate @ Selayang, Selangor

This morning I happened to be in Selayang for an early meeting and by 9.30 am, the meeting was over. That was when I came into Selayang Mall in search of a place to have breakfast. You may be wondering why the mall since there are so many stalls out there. To be honest, I have tried most of the places and for the sake of trying something new, I ventured into this mall. 

Javaplate Located On The Lower Ground Floor

This mall used to be a very happening place in the 90's. Sadly, with all those new malls that have been coming up, this mall sort off lost it's glory. It was in recent years that they had refurbished this place and given it a new look. Still, the old glamour isn't there anymore. Javaplate is an Indo-Malay Warung Concept Stall that is located on the Lower Ground Floor of this mall. In fact, they have taken up a relatively large space. I was here when the mall just opened and the staffs were seen preparing everything.Despite that, they did have a few walks in's who did takeaways. 

The Menu

The Menu

They didn't have too many dishes and I was told that only a handful of their signature dishes were offered at this outlet. Even then, at this hour, only Nasi Lemak was available. So I ordered that along with a coffee. It's all self service here so you place your orders at the cashier, pay for them, and once they are ready, collect the dishes and move to your table. 

Nasi Lemak Ayam @ RM 5.50

Their Nasi Lemak was typically the Nasi Lemak Bungkus which is laid on a plate and served. One could go with the Fried Chicken or choose to just have the Nasi Lemak on it's own. I wouldn't complain about the prices as this is a mall and the entire place is air-conditioned. As for me, comfort justifies the price. 

Spicy Sambal

The Nasi Lemak was really good. Lot's of anchovies, a quarter of a hard boiled egg and the sambal was really spicy which was to my liking. The rice too was aromatic and had that starchy flavour to it. This is definitely a good plate of Nasi Lemak and I would rate this at 8/10. 

Fried Chicken

The Fried Chicken however was horrible. I assume that it must have been fried yesterday evening. The meat was stiff, it lacked flavours and it tasted very cold so much so I left the majority of it as it was a put off. Nope, I would not recommend their Fried Chicken. Perhaps, they may fry new ones later. I do not know as I am just assuming. But this one was definitely left overs. If I were to rate their Fried Chicken, I would give this a 3/10. 

Local Coffee @ RM 2.50

The Coffee was good. In fact, for one that was fixed by an Indonesian girl, it was really good and very close in taste to the ones that we get in Indian Muslim restaurants. I would definitely give this a 8/10 as well. 

Based on what I had tried this morning, their Nasi Lemak is one that I would recommend but please skip the Fried Chicken. That one was horrible. If I get a chance, I would definitely love to taste their other signature dishes that is available for lunch.

Address: Lot LG 03, Selayang Mall Shopping Centre, Jalan SU 9, Taman Selayang Utama,

                68100 Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Restoran Shanmuga Vilas @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Having started in the year 1959, Shanmuga Vilas is the oldest Indian restaurant in Tanjung Malim, Perak. Then, there was another one called Sorna Vilas which was just a few doors away but sadly, they went bankrupt in the late 90's. 

Shanmuga Vilas Along Jalan Douglas

After the town council closed up the main trunk road heading into town, business had been very much affected for most of these restaurants that are located in the original town of Tanjung Malim. Today, the other side that used to be non existent till around ten years back has become the new town and is busy all day long. Despite that, the food here is still the best taste wise. I have not come here in a while myself and having missed some good South Indian food for a while, I decided to have dinner here this evening. This restaurant is located along Jalan Douglas, right opposite AmBank.

Vegetarian Banana Leaf Meal @ RM 6.50

The vegetarian meal set here comes with three vegetables, usually they would have two vegetarian curries, Appalam, Moor Milagai, Fried Bitter Gourd and Fried Tapioca. Apologies as not all those mentioned are in this photograph as they came after I took this picture and I was already too hungry then. 

Potato & Chick Pea Perattal

Mashed Mix Vegetables with Ghee

Beet Root

All the vegetables at this restaurant are very good. As mentioned earlier, the food here is simply fantastic and you tend to get many food items that are not easily available in most restaurants. Vegetables too vary daily and so if you're one who has your meal here daily, you would not get the same variety on a daily basis. The setback however is the price. That is a huge problem here. The price varies daily and depends on the mood of the lady boss. Once again, locals are charged differently and outsiders are charged differently. I have witnessed incidents where outsiders were charged RM 30 for two Banana Leaf Meals plus two plates of Chicken Varuval. I know many locals are disgruntled because of this and have boycotted this restaurant and any outsider who comes here once would definitely not return simply because of the charges. Even the price that is quoted here for me has varied on a day to day basis. Funny but true. Coming back to those vegetables, they were all excellent and I would give them 9/10. 

Sambar

Kirai Kulambu

Their Sambar is very unique, some like to call it Paruppu Rasam as it has a mild sourness to it but then, it is very similar to the ones that you would get in Tamil Nadu. Again as you can see, the Kirai Kulambu is made using Ponnangani Keerai which is rich in medicinal values and a dish that you hardly get elsewhere. Both were excellent and I would rate them both at 10/10. 

Milagu Rasam

The Milagu Rasam here is my favourite. In fact, I would never order a drink at this restaurant and the lady boss knows my requirement. She would serve me two tumblers of Rasam at the end of my meal. The truth is that I do come here very often despite the prices being on the steep side. It's all because I love their food and the satisfaction that I get from my meal here is simply indescribable. And before I forget, this Rasam deserves a 10/10. 

Rice + Rasam + Papaddam @ RM 5.00 and Mutton Varuval @ RM 8.00

Mutton Varuval

This was from a few days before when I was here for their Mutton Varuval. I had some rice, Rasam and Papadam as you can see from the above photograph and for that, I was charged RM 5.00 . Not a thing that I would do often but I do not mind spending like this once or twice a week. Their Mutton Varuval is excellent as they cook it using wood fire instead of  gas stoves. It tastes so much better and the meat is lean. Another point to note is that they do not use lamb or local mutton. They only buy Australian Mountain Goat which is one that is quite expensive. If you're a fan of mutton, you have got to try their preparation. I would definitely give this a 10/10. 

Rice + Rasam @ RM 4.00  and Chicken Perattal @ RM 7.00

Chicken Perattal @ RM 7.00

Also from a few days back, I was here for Rice, Rasam and Chicken Perattal for which I was charged RM 11.00 . As you can see, their prices fluctuates on a daily basis. Probably they have a basic amount that they would want to get out from a customer and based on that, the prices vary. Again, their Chicken Perattal was excellent. Sorry for the bad picture quality but rest assured, it was delicious! Just like the earlier Mutton Varuval, this too deserves a 10/10. 

In summary, the food here is excellent but you can hardly see many customers on a daily basis. Most of them would be from out of town, especially parents of those university students who have come down to visit their children. There may be a handful of locals, mostly just here for drinks or perhaps a quick meal. That being the case, they prepare very limited amount of food on a daily basis, just sufficient to cater for that small pool of customers. However, if you are willing to spend for some very good Tamil food, then by all means please visit them. There's no other place in town that could even come close to them in terms of taste. That's for sure!

Address: 6, Jalan Douglas, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0800 - 2100 Daily

Chee Cheong Fun Stall in Restoran Big Family @ Kota Damansara, Selangor

The last few weeks, I have been visiting this restaurant at least once a week and here I am again. I have tried the food from a few stalls but how can one not have any more choices here. There are easily 25 to 30 stalls in total. As for today, let me try the Chee Cheong Fun stall.

The Chee Cheong Fun Stall in Restaurant Big Family

Assorted Fish Balls, Fish Paste and Tofu

The Chee Cheong Fun stall is located on the far right side of the shop. Besides the usual sauce based Chee Cheong Fun, he also sells Curry Chee Cheong Fun as well. Business is definitely good as there were a number of customers who were waiting in line to select the Yong Tau Fu items and I was impressed with the variety that he had. That speaks volumes on the daily sales. After having selected what I wanted, I handed those to his assistant and was back to my table. 

Sweet & Chili Sauce Chee Cheong Fun

In a matter of minutes, the dish was sent over to the table and it definitely looked good. As far as the Chee Cheong Fun is concerned, he has the rolled one as well as the flat one and so, you could choose whichever you prefer. 

Generous With The Sauces

He was definitely generous with the sauces and had been careful in placing the chili sauce on to the side. This is good as each person would have a varying level as to how much chili is needed and this way, they can scoop as much as they need to enjoy their meal. 

Even the tofu and fish balls tasted great. In summary, this is definitely a good plate of Chee Cheong Fun. No wonder business is good for him. I would give this preparation a 8/10. Definitely a stall that I would recommend!

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

Opening Hours: 0900 - 1500 Daily

Lampu Neon Cafe @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

It's been a while since I last visited Lampu Neon Cafe. I very much enjoyed the food the last trip here which was sometime in February 2015. Since it has been two long years,  we decided to visit them this evening. This restaurant is located along Jalan Ketoyong, just beside Elite Futsal. For those who are not familiar, come along Jalan Ketoyong until you see the KTM Station on your left. Shortly ahead, you would see a row of shops on your right and there would be a sign which reads 'Elite Futsal'. The moment you turn in, you would be able to sight this restaurant on your right.

Love The Design

Clean And Tidy

The place is simple, a no frills restaurant, nevertheless it was very clean and tidy. The restaurant had a funky look to it and it seemed like a great place to chill out with friends. Previously they used to provide WiFi as well but it seems that it's out of order today. 

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

When we arrived, it was approximately 7.00 pm and the place was quite quiet, with just another table being occupied. But as time passed, customers started arriving in large numbers. Being a weekday, this flow of customers was quite impressive. The pricing of both Western and Local dishes seemed very reasonable and it seems that they have added more dishes and drinks to their menu. Specifically, their Western dishes were very reasonably priced, if not cheap. This must also be one of the reasons why customers' keep flocking here. As far as the customer service goes, there's nothing much to say. The waiters had to be called to attend to us and there wasn't much of an interaction like the previous time. Anyway, we were here for the food and hope that quality remains the same. Customer service is a bonus if it's good and sadly it wasn't this time around. 

Grilled Chicken Chop with Black Pepper Sauce @ RM 10.00

The Grilled Chicken Chop comes in two options, either Black Pepper Sauce or Mushroom Sauce. I went for their Black Pepper Sauce and this selection is done at the time of order. Wonderfully marinated Chicken, being grilled and served on a sizzling hot plate with Fries and some Black Pepper sauce. The portion was not too huge and commensurates the price. I think this is great. Some places charge an exorbitant rate and serve a humongous piece which is too much for a single person. This was just about the right size. The marinated chicken was grilled and it was perfectly done. Not overdone or under cooked, it was simply perfect. I wonder what they had used to marinate the chicken as it was very delicious. The last time I was here, I did mention that the Black Pepper Sauce would have been better if only it was thicker and bolder and true enough, they did listen. What was served this evening was simply marvelous. I loved the batter as it was so good.  The Fries too were nicely done and fried to a golden brown perfection. Overall, an excellent dish. I would rate this at 9/10 . 

Nasi Goreng Sardin @ RM 5.00

Their Nasi Goreng Sardin was simply out of this world! One of the best Malay version Fried Rice that I have tasted. The rice was spicy, came with lots of sardine chunks and it was such a treat to the taste buds. For RM 5.00 , the portion was huge. Absolutely loved this and I would give this a 10/10. 

Dimmu Chicken Burger @ RM 6.00

For those who are tired of having the usual Ramly Burger, this is definitely a good alternative. This comes in a choice of either Chicken or Beef. Do note that these are the common processed Burgers that we get and not those minced meat patties. This preparation comes in a soft bun, served with some cheese in the burger and topped with Black Pepper sauce and some Fries which have been sprinkled with some spicy powder. The taste of the Burger mixed with the Black Pepper batter was truly an electrifying experience and would nail a burger lover just at the right spot. For me, this was one to cherish as it was truly tasty! Another excellent preparation that deserves a 9/10 rating.  

Spicy Chicken Wings @ RM 8.00

These Fried Chicken Wings was another marvelous preparation. The wings were marinated and deep fried to perfection. The marination was so good that none of us dipped it into the sauce. The wings too were huge chunks and they were priced at a very reasonable RM 8.00 for five. A fantastic dish and I would give this a 9/10 as well. 

On the whole, our dining experience tonight was a memorable one (except for the shabby customer service). All of us enjoyed the food along  with the wallet friendly prices. I am truly glad that the food quality had not dropped even a bit over the years and hope that it continues to remain so in the years to come. Definitely a place that I would recommend!

Address: Lot 8138 (153 D & 153 E), Jalan Ketoyong, 35900 Tanjung Malim,

                Perak, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1500 - 0000 Daily (Best to check their Facebook as the timing may change)

                             Closed on Saturdays

Telephone: +6012 363 2045