NY Steak Shack @ IOI City Mall, Putrajaya

NY Steak Shack is an outlet that has been in Malaysia for at least 2 years now. When they first opened in Mid Valley, I was one of their earliest customers then and I was in love with the food. Parking being a huge problem in Mid Valley has deterred me from visiting them more often. Luckily they now have an outlet in IOI City Mall too. This outlet in IOI City Mall is located on the Lower Ground Floor, quite close to the centre wing of the mall. The moment you come down the escalators, you would be able to see this outlet. The place was definitely buzzing with customers. I wonder if business is so good all day round, seven days a week. Despite being almost full house, their customer turnover was fast and that ensured that the wait time wasn't too long. 

The above are just a few pages from their menu. Burgers, Steaks, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Lamb, Pastas etc. Pretty much most of the famous Western dishes in Malaysia were covered by them and the prices seemed very reasonable. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong for me to say that it was cheap.

Berry Candy Lemonade @ RM 9.90

Pepsi @ RM 6.90

Although the food is cheap, their drinks are on the high side. A tall glass of Pepsi was priced at RM 6.90 which is steep. Coke lovers, do note that this restaurant does not serve Coke.Their Berry Candy Lemonade was pretty good and my rating for that shall be 8/10. 

Mushroom Soup

Their Mushroom Soup is usually priced at RM 5.90 but today, they had some promotions and it came complimentary. Taste wise, it was the best Mushroom Soup that I have tasted in a fast food joint. It was so good, concentrated, comes with lots of diced mushrooms and is not one of those off the can stuffs. In fact, I would say that it was even better than many of the high end western restaurants too. My rating for this shall be 10/10. A must try here!

Southwest Chicken @ RM 18.90

Delicious Dip Sauce

Two huge pieces of chicken were grilled to perfection and served with fries and mashed potatoes. Once again, the choice of sides is yours. The chicken itself was so tasty, I loved the marination and it sealed the taste with a zing. For the price of RM 18.90 , the portion was huge. My rating for this is definitely 9/10. Another delicious one to try here. 

Grilled Lamb Shoulder @ RM 33.90

Their Grilled Lamb Shoulder was impressive as usual. A huge, thick cut of lamb served on a hot plate with baby tomatoes and onions, and with French Fries and mashed potatoes on the sides. Actually, you could have your choice of sides based on those available. Portion wise, both the sides were huge and they were tasty. I would rate their Mashed Potatoes at 9/10 and the Fries at 8/10. Coming back to the lamb itself, for this size, you would not be able to find one under the price of RM 50 anywhere else in Malaysia and most of the branded restaurants have upped their price to around RM 70+ for the same. I would say that this is a brilliant dish to have here. Loved the portions, perfect marination and cooked just right. The meat was tender, juicy and not chewy at all. This definitely deserves a 9/10. 

Ice Cream

Being part of the set meal, the Ice Cream too was complimentary. This was a scoop of Coconut Ice Cream and I felt it to be quite good. The texture was slightly coarse due to the nature of grated coconut but taste wise, it was nice. 8/10 would be my rating for this. 

If you're looking for some good Western cuisine for the fraction of the price that you would pay at those branded restaurants, then NY Steak Shack is the place. The food is good, huge portions, very reasonable prices and excellent customer service. Oh yes, do not miss their Mushroom Soup. It's really something!

Address: LG-045, Lower Ground Floor, IOI City Mall, Lebuh IRC, IOI Resort City,

                 62052 Putrajaya, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Nathan's Famous @ Putrajaya, Malaysia

Nathan's Famous is America's famous chain of Hot Dogs that has been in business for over a century. Just a few years back, they stepped onto the Malaysian soil to start their first ever branch in IOI City Mall, Putrajaya. I have always been wanting to drop by to give this a try and only got an opportunity to do so this evening. 

The Outlet on Level 1 of IOI City Mall, Putrajaya

Quite A Cosy Atmosphere

Nathan's Famous outlet is located on the First Floor of IOI City Mall. On the Ground Floor, they do have a kiosk as well selling only Hot Dogs and this outlet on the First Floor is a full fledged store selling all their food items. The place was huge and designed with customers comfort in mind.

Most of their items are designed around burgers and hot dogs with some fries. Choices are limited for non beef eaters but a non fussy diner should find this to be sufficient. Prices are definitely steep. Their signature drink which is their Lemonade is also on offer. Based on my observation, it is better to go for their set meals instead of individual food items. 

Bill For The Day

Waiting For Our Meals

Sauces

Lemonade

As you can see from the attached receipt, the price came up to RM 31.00 for two which I felt was quite steep. Not a place that you could dine often without burning a hole in your wallet. Their drinks however were reasonably priced as you get free flow of drinks. Their Lemonade was surely good and quite refreshing. Nevertheless, I have still tasted much better ones. My rating for this shall be 8/10. 

Onion Rings

Their Onion Rings were quite disappointing. The onions itself weren't fresh and as such, I could not taste the juices. The outer batter wasn't great either and felt very coarse to the tongue. For me, this is nowhere when compared to A&W's. My rating for this would be 5/10. 

Mushroom Cheese Fries

Their Mushroom Cheese Fries were another disappointment. The fries itself wasn't up to my expectations and I could hardly get any cheesy taste from the mushroom cheese topping. Portions were ridiculously small as well. 6/10 would be my rating for this.  

Sauteed Onions Chicken Hot Dog

Their famous Hot Dogs comes in a variety of combinations as seen above in their menu and I went for this version that comes with sauteed onions. Let me break this down please. The sauteed onions were nothing much and so were the buns. I found the onions to be quite bland in taste and their buns weren't the best of quality and it was a tad too dry. I would give their bun 6/10. However, their Chicken Frankfurter was simply awesome. That was totally excellent. I guess it is because of these frankfurters that they have gained such popularity. My rating for their frankfurters would be 9/10. 

Pulled Chicken Burger

Their Pulled Chicken Burger was a shame. For the price, it was a total washout as you can see from the above photograph. There was nothing much inside and I would definitely advise skipping this the next time. Taste wise, I would rate this at 6/10. 

It is great that we now have this famous American franchise in Malaysia. However, I did not find their food to be great. Their Hot Dogs were the only one that was good along with their Lemonade that was nice. Their Pulled Chicken Burger, Cheesy Mushroom Fries and Onions Rings that I tried weren't up to the mark. In fact, for the price that we paid, the portions were quite pathetic. I may only return for their Hot Dogs. The rest were nothing great and too expensive. 

Address: Level 1, IOI City Mall, 62502 Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

NY Steak Shack @ Putrajaya

NY Steak Shack is an outlet that has been in Malaysia for at least 2 years now. When they first opened in Mid Valley, I was one of their earliest customers then and I was in love with the food. Parking being a huge problem in Mid Valley has deterred me from visiting them more often. Luckily they now have an outlet in IOI City Mall too. 

The Outlet on the Lower Ground Floor of IOI City Mall

Seems To Be Almost Full House All Day Long

This outlet in IOI City Mall is located on the Lower Ground Floor, quite close to the centre wing of the mall. The moment you come down the escalators, you would be able to see this outlet. The place was definitely buzzing with customers. I wonder if business is so good all day round, seven days a week. Despite being almost full house, their customer turnover was fast and that ensured that the wait time wasn't too long. 

The above are just a few pages from their menu. Burgers, Steaks, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Lamb, Pastas etc. Pretty much most the famous Western dishes in Malaysia were covered by them and the prices seemed very reasonable. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong for me to say that it was cheap. 

Pepsi @ RM 5.90 and Iced Water @ RM 0.50

Mushroom Soup @ RM 5.90

Although the food is cheap, their drinks are on the high side. A tall glass of Pepsi was priced at RM 5.90 which is steep. Coke lovers, do note that this restaurant does not serve Coke. Their Mushroom Soup priced at RM 5.90 is the best Mushroom Soup that I have tasted in a fast food joint. It was so good, concentrated, comes with lots of diced mushrooms and is not one of those off the can stuffs. In fact, I would say that it was even better than many of the high end western restaurants too. My rating for this shall be 10/10. A must try here!

Grilled Lamb Shoulder @ RM 31.90

A Thick Cut

Their Grilled Lamb Shoulder was impressive as usual. A huge, thick cut of lamb served on a hot plate with baby tomatoes and onions, and with corn on cob and mashed potatoes on the sides. Actually, you could have your choice of sides based on those available. Portion wise, both the sides were huge and they were tasty. I would rate their Mashed Potatoes at 9/10. Coming back to the lamb itself, for this size, you would not be able to find one under the price of RM 50 anywhere else in Malaysia and most of the branded restaurants have upped their price to around RM 70+ for the same. I would say that this is a brilliant dish to have here. Loved the portions, perfect marination and cooked just right. The meat was tender, juicy and not chewy at all. This definitely deserves a 9/10. 

Southwest Chicken @ RM 19.90

Dip Sauce

Two huge pieces of chicken were grilled to perfection and served with fries and mashed potatoes. Once again, the choice of sides is yours. The chicken itself was so tasty, I loved the marination and it sealed the taste with a zing. For the price of RM 19.90 , the portion was huge as well. My rating for this is definitely 9/10. Another delicious one to try here. 

Bill For The Day

If you're looking for some good Western cuisine for the fraction of the price that you would pay at those branded restaurants, then NY Steak Shack is the place. The food is good, huge portions, very reasonable prices and excellent customer service. Oh yes, do not miss their Mushroom Soup. It's really something!

Address: LG-045, Lower Ground Floor, IOI City Mall, Lebuh IRC, IOI Resort City,

                 62052 Putrajaya, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Dunkin' Donuts @ Hulu Bernam, Selangor

Unlike my other blog entries, this one ins't about rating the food in Dunkin' Donuts but it is all about creating awareness to the people of Tanjung Malim, Perak that there's a Dunkin' Donuts within this township. Despite being born and bred here, it was only last week that I came to know about the existence of this place. I was looking into Dunkin' Donuts' corporate website and trying to find an outlet near me and that was when I came across this place. This outlet is located along the North South Highway and is attached to the Petronas Station that's within the Ulu Bernam rest area. This rest area is one that many of us from Tanjung Malim go to through the back service road that runs insde one of the oil palm estates and to get here, one has to come via Jalan Changkat Asa and then turn into Kg. Seri Geriang and within 50 meters, you'd see a estate road on your right. Take that road and just follow the path. It is kind of a bumpy ride but that's merely a 1 kilometer stretch before reaching the rear entrance of this rest area. 

Sign At The Petronas Station

Once you have reached the rear of the rest area, park anywhere there and take a short walk towards the Petronas which is another 200 meters away. Do be cautious when walking under the trees as that place is filled with crows and if it just happens to be an unlucky day for you, you might get some crow droppings on your clothing. So, it's best to walk quickly as you pass that short stretch. As you reach the Petronas station, you would be able to see the ablve sign and perhaps even sight the Dunkin' Donuts outlet. 

A Fairly Large Outlet

Attached to the Petronas Station is this Kaya Kopitiam and Dunkin' Donuts outlet. There's a sign stating no photography inside the outlet and so I had to take this picture from outside. The place is quite huge. Beautiful setting with a number of sofa's and even WiFi for customer's convenience. Please do note that this outlet is open daily from 10 a,m till 10 pm. If it's a weekend, do come early before 5 pm as the doughnuts tend to get sold out rather quickly on these days due to the high traffic on the highways. Otherwise, you'd even have them available around 8 pm. 

Single Egg Sandwich @ RM 3.10

If I am not mistaken, it's been almost 15 years since I last had Dunkin' Donuts and so I was really in the mood to try a number of items. The first one that I tried was the above Egg Sandwich. Scarmbled Egg with Mayo, Chili Sauce and Cheese was served with a pair of soft and fluffy buns. Perfect for those looking for a wholesome snack or even breakfast. Definitely one that I enjoyed. 

Chicken Slice and Cheese Sandwich @ RM 9.90

You do have a variety of buns to choose from and for this variety, I decided to go for the croissants. Those that enjoy chicken ham would perhaps enjoy this but for me, it was too simple a sandwich. Perhaps, weight watchers would also enjoy this. Probably wouldn't go for this the next time around. 

Tuna Sandwich @ RM 9.90

Oh yes, the Tuna Sandwich was excellent. Just see the amount of Tuna spread on the bun. This was just fantastic. Each bite was so good that I was just yearning for more. One that I would highly recommend here. 

Buy 9 Free 3 Donuts @ RM 27.90

Buy 9 Free 3 Donuts @ RM 27.90

And finally after such a long time, trying their Doughnuts once again. Prices seem reasonable to be and it is great that they have a variety of packages to choose from. This one was the Buy 9 and Free 3 package which was priced at RM 27.90 . As far as the variety is concerned, you do get a huge variety to choose from. 

So dear friends from Tanjung Malim, in case you are in the mood for some doughnuts when you are back here, please do remember that you can get them at this rest area which is just a mere 10 minutes from town. 

Address: R&R Petronas Ulu Bernam Arah Selatan, Lebuhraya Utara Selatan,

                Hulu Bernam, 35900 Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200