Thai Base @ Bandar Sri Damansara

I have heard of this restaurant a number of times from friends but never really got to go although it is not too far. In my mind, I have always felt that this restaurant may be posh and expensive. That is the feel that I had every time I visited their website.

However, today as I have been starving all day, decided to have something heavy for dinner and set my mind  to visit this place. Initially, I was not too sure of the location and called the number on the website. After  numerous rings, the lady boss answered the phone. She was Malay and she gave me precise directions which was not too difficult to find as I was reasonably familiar with the place.

Thai Base Restaurant

Once I arrived at this location, it was then I realised that is was a simple restaurant but then I was told that they have an air conditioned dining hall on the first floor too which we could book for special occasions. The restaurant was crowded and we settled for the ground floor.

An interesting observation here was the restaurants name was Thai, they tried their best to make it look like a Chinese restaurant from the decorations but the owners, workers and majority patrons were Malays. Obviously, this translated into the menu as well. They serve an array of Thai, Malay and Chinese dishes, all Halal.

Inside The Restaurant

Going through the menu, the food prices seemed very cheap and they even have individual dishes like Laksa, Curry Mee etc for you to order. As I placed my order, I initially ordered around six dishes and then the waitress asked me how many people and I said two. She said, just order two dishes and that would be more than enough. Being both greedy and not trusting her word, I stayed with four and when the dishes arrived, I truly understood why she said that.

A Sewing Machine Converted into a Table

Waiting For Dinner

Although the restaurant was quite crowded, I would say that the staffs were very efficient. Food orders were taken immediately and the food arrives pretty fast too.

2 x Telur Dadar @ RM 3.00

I first ordered Egg Foo Yong but then she told me that it would be too big and we would not be able to finish it hence the waitress suggested for us to have this. Such a huge portion and just for RM 3.00 .

Thai Green Curry Chicken @ RM 10.00

I know what you are thinking now...why is the curry so green..hehehe but true, it was a huge portion and it was good. Just for this dish, I felt that there was a little too much coconut milk and not as spicy as I expected it to be. You may not be able to gauge the actual size of these dishes but then in the last photo, you would be able to see what I was talking about.

Sambal Tumis Sotong @ RM 14.00

This was a super dish. It was extremely spicy and we truly loved it. I would highly recommend this dish to anyone who loves spicy food.

Ayam Masak Merah @ RM 10.00

I liked this dish very much too. Please note that all these dishes are small size orders. This chicken dish was also done rightly and it came with such huge portions. You would never get these portion sizes at any other Thai, Chinese or Malay restaurant for that matter.

Here You Can See The Dish Sizes by Proportion

On the whole, this is definitely a great place to dine. I wonder how they make their profit margins when serving huge portions and a very reasonable price. No wonder it attracts great crowds. I also noted that they do catering both on site and off site and reservations can be made through phone or via their website. In short, a highly recommended restaurant!!!

Address: No. 7, Jalan Tanjung SD 13/2,
                Bandar Sri Damansara,
                52200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel:  +603 6272 1184

Website: http://site.groupbasecorp.com.my/main/3143/index.asp?pageid=100597

Opening Hours : 0730 - 2300

Alexis Bistro & Wine Bar @ The Gardens

Today I had an appointment with an old friend, a school mate actually and we decided to meet at The Gardens Mall which is attached to Mid Valley City. As both of us have not met for many years and both of us are smokers, we decided to meet at Alexis Bistro & Wine Bar which is convenient for us. The reason is being inside a mall, smoking is prohibited. The only restaurant that has a smoking area within the mall is Alexis.

Alexis Bistro & Wine Bar

They are located on the first floor of Gardens and have a distinct inside seating smoking and non smoking areas and outside seating non smoking areas. I have been here many times and frequent here specifically to hold business meetings as it has a conducive environment of both a restaurant, bistro as well as a business lounge.

At the drinks bar

Please bear in mind that this is not a Halal restaurant not only because of the drinks but some of the food is also cooked with liqueur. Not many people know this but I discovered this the hard way through a Moslem friend and this is not indicated in their menu cards. So, doesn't mean that if you do not consume alcohol here, your meal is Halal. Some of the western dishes are cooked along with alcoholic beverages to give the taste.

As for today, we had loads to talk and since we were childhood friends, we didn't mind sharing the dishes to get a taste of more dishes. Unfortunately, my friend was not a big eater and we had to stop with three dishes. Alexis has a great variety of offerings, though on the high side on the price. Their offerings range from soups, sandwiches, tapas, main entrees, pizzas and Asian dishes including the famous Laksa Sarawak. I have tried the Laksa Sarawak and would highly recommend that dish to anyone too.

My Cafe Latte @ RM 16.00

I ordered Cafe Latte for drinks which was at RM 16.00 and my friend ordered a Lime Juice which was at RM 18.00. Sorry I did not take a photo of that. Did not want to seem odd to him that I photo all food and drinks since I am meeting him after 15 years.

Cafe Latte comes with a choice of Brown or White Sugar

The Cafe Latte is unsweetened and we have the liberty to sweeten it according to taste. Both Brown and White Sugar cubes are provided.

Pappardelle Meat Balls @ RM 38.00

This dish was good and we shared it together, though I had a greater share. On average this is the price of the main dishes. It is good that you know and understand the prices before heading to a place. It is bad to not know the general landscape and end up getting a shock. That is why in all my food blogs, I always indicate the pricing too. Generally, it had the right balance of taste. Not sweet with a tone on sourness, it was absolutely right on the palate.

Calamari Rings at RM 18.00

I truly loved this dish. I think it was deep friend in butter and not oil. It was balanced in crispness, spices, salt and taste. A great side dish to order here.

Chicken Wings @ RM 18.00

 Initially when I ordered, I asked the waiter how many pieces would there be and he mentioned six. When ordering I visualized six full wings but no....it is only three wings which is cut into half. This was a very average dish and I think they use some of those pre flavoured flours for this. It tasted pretty salty for me and it seems like it was very high on MSG and Ajinomoto. I would not recommend this dish for two reasons....substandard taste and unacceptable quality. My grandmother fries better chicken than this.

Well, the rest of the night was filled with loads of laughter and fun between us friends and this is the end of the food that we purchased. There may be other good items. I had tried some of their pizzas in the past but nothing that I can think off that would be a great addition here. It was all with a flaw and nothing spectacular.And yes....their cakes are awesome. Cakes are something that I would strongly recommend.

Address: Lot 209, First Floor,
                The Gardens, Mid Valley City,
                Lingkaran Syen Putra,
                59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Telephone: +603 2287 2281

Website: www.alexis.com.my

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200

Though their other outlets times may vary. 

Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba @ Night Market, Plaza Mont Kiara

Today after work I was walking around the Night Market in Plaza Mont Kiara in search of some food. I was actually looking for a different outlet but it was not open today. Therefore, it gave me the opportunity to deviate from my norms here and try another stall at the night market. This particular stall offers Japanese food. It belongs to Okomen Japanese Restaurant which is located in Desa Sri Hartamas and they had prepared a stall here just for these Thursday Nights and they offer only two types of food.

The Night Market Stall belonging to Okomen Restaurant

This stall is right at the end, closer to Block E of Plaza Mont Kiara. I should say they did have quite a number of orders and after trying their food today, I feel they deserve to be mentioned.

Guy Making the Okonomiyaki

Here they only serve Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba but there are a few varieties to it as you would be able to see from the coming photos.

Okonomiyaki Being Cooked

My Chicken Sausage & Cheese Okonomiyaki @ RM 10

Lucky me, this was the last piece. After this the chicken sausage & cheese was done and they only had the Seafood Okonomiyaki and Mixed Vegetable Okonomiyaki left. The taste was absolutely amazing. The cheese and egg was great.

The Full Offering At This Stall

Now, the next item was being prepared and you get to see the phases in the following photos. I also ordered a Chicken Yakisoba to go.

Chicken Yakisoba being cooked

The next step in making the Yakisoba

Almost ready, just the sauce to go

Finally My Chicken Yakisoba @ RM 10

When I took this food home, Angie who does not eat Japanese food found both these dishes to be absolutely delicious.

The setback I see is that this is only available every Thursday nights otherwise, you would have to head to their restaurant in Desa Sri Hartamas, but I am not sure if the price would be the same.

Address: Plaza Mont Kiara, No.2 Jalan Kiara,
                50480 Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours: Every Thursday 1500 - 2030

Restaurant Address: No. 7G Wisma CKL,
                                   Jalan 22A/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas,
                                   50480 Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours: Mon - Sat 1100 - 1500 and 1800 - 2300
                                Sunday 1100 - 1500 and 1600 - 2100

Restaurant Telephone: +603 6205 9828

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OkomenJapanese

Aunty Lan Homemade Noodles @ Sunway Damansara

If you are a fan of very spicy food, then this is a place that you must not miss. Aunty Lan Homemade Noodles is located in Sunway Damansara, just behind the Neighbourhood Food Court.

Aunty Lan Homemade Noodles

We used to come here quite often in the past but after Sunway Damansara was made into one way streets, the congestion that had built up has kept me away and when I was here today and did my Foursquare check in, it mentioned that I was last here in August 2012. Wow...thats really a few months.

Inside the restaurant

I know the owner quite well and even she remarked that it has been a while since she last saw me come to her place. A great thing about this restaurant is every dish I have tried here is simply great.

The Interior of the Restaurant

 They have both single dishes to offer as well as set meals. The set meals usually comes with a pot of green tea as you can see from one of the photos below and a slice of Cheese Cake. The famous cakes here are the Yam Cheese Cake and Durian Cheese Cake. As for the food items, you should try the Dry Chicken Noodles, Kimuchi Noodles as well as their Bombay Noodles. Honestly, everything on their menu is great. You also have a variety of noodle types to choose from.

Dry Chicken Noodles @ RM 9.90

When we come here, usually we order the Kimuchi Noodles or Bombay Noodles as both Angie and I love spicy food but today the owner told me to try the Dry Chicken Noodles as you can see from the above photo. She mentioned that this is the number one selling food at her restaurant. Since she recommended it, I tried. It was fantastic.

Home Made Leong Char without sugar @ RM 3.90

The above drink also is another great variety here. But, unlike other places where rock sugar is added, here it is sugar free. It is great for those who abstain sugar intake but may be bland to those that love sweet things.

Kimuchi Noodles @ RM 14.90 (set price)

Angie stuck to her favourite Kimuchi noodles as above. This time she went with the set menu that adds a pot of green tea and a slice of cake. Those of you that love spicy food, this dish is highly recommended. It stings!!!

Mushroom Pork Balls @ RM 5.50

This is another favourite of mine. I love the way they have made both these ingredients i.e. mushrooms and pork to blend in so perfectly. Great one. But if you ordered the above Kimuchi Noodles, I think there is two or three of these balls already added into the bowl so you would not need to order a separate one, unless you want to add on.

More Chillies...Angie's favourite!!!

The Small Pot of Green Tea that comes with the set meal

Todays choice of cake Chocolate Cheese Cake

Lastly after the meal was done, we got the Chocolate Cheese Cake which blends well with the spicy food consumed.

On the whole, this is a great place to dine. I had always wanted to blog about this place earlier but everytime I went there, I did not bring my camera and Blackberry's photos suck. Luckily I have just changed to the Samsung Note II and its camera is fantastic...not as great when compared to a SLR but decent phone photography.

Address: 32 Jalan PJU 5/10, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara,
               47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200

Face To Face Noodle House @ Damansara Perdana

Weekends are mostly the only time that I get to go out and try new food places. Today, being a Sunday was another such day. But instead of venturing far out, decided to try a place around Bandar Damansara Perdana.

As I was driving through the place, discovered this restaurant by the name of Face To Face Noodle House which was full house and that means the food must be good. It is located beside MK Land office in Damansara Perdana, few doors away from the 7 Eleven.

Face To Face Noodle House

After doing some research with the waitress, I understood that they have quite a number of branches in Kuala Lumpur and specialize in Pan Mee varieties. Though I am not quite a Pan Mee fan, but still I saw there were quite a number of other offerings in their menu and the chillies variety has been highly acclaimed.

The Menu

We placed our orders after an elaborate skimming through their menu card. They do have a great variety of offerings. Somehow, I felt that the food would surely be good looking at the dishes as they delivered the orders of others.

Angie Waiting For Her Orders

The ordering system is very much like any other Kopitiam. There is a chit and each food item is tagged to a number. just fill in the chit with the item number, quantity and any special remarks that may go with it.

Eagerly Waiting For My Food

Tray With The Variety of Chillies

The first thing that the waiter brought to the table was the Chilly tray as you can see from the above picture. Angie was extremely excited seeing this as she loves chillies and waiting to try these.

Ribena Longan @ RM 3.80

This was Angie's order and was the first drink to arrive. Extremely good as the longans were fresh and it was just the right mixture.

Emerald Three Layer Milk Tea @ RM 4.50

Next came my drink. I just loved the way they served this. Its delicious Hong Kong style tea with a layer of soya milk, tea, cendol and Gula Melaka. Excellent drink and when mixed thoroughly, it turns green in color.

Penang Char Koay Teow @ RM 6.90

 This was also very good. Usually we expect Char Koay Teow to be very good at Hawker stalls but this was a great exception and these guys proved that they can also do good Char Koay Teow's. Indeed this dish is highly recommended.

Spicy Meat Balls in Soup @ RM 6.00

These meat balls were great too. They come with an external layer of meat and inside it is filled with chillies and  marinated meat which is chilly infused. Something truly different. At 5 balls to a dish, it comes at RM 6.00 but they are quite big in size.

Traditional Sarawak Noodles @ RM 6.30

This was the dish that I was waiting for. This dish, I last tried when I was in Kuching a couple of years ago and I truly missed it. Wondering if they could make it anywhere close to the street vendors there, they proved themselves right once again. This dish was perfect and I would come back here again to try this.

On the whole, the restaurant is highly recommended to all especially noodle lovers. Do check our their website for more branches that may be close to you.

Address: 11A-1, Jalan PJU 8/5i,
                Bandar Damansara Perdana,
                47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Telephone: +6012 336 6303

Website: www.facetoface.com.my

Opening Hours: Mon - Fri 1000 - 2200
                            Sat & Sun 0900 - 2100

Friendscino Restaurant & Bar @ Damansara Perdana

We were initially planning to go to this place last night but due to the flash floods around Kuala Lumpur which had caused tremendous traffic jam everywhere, we had postponed it to today.

Hence, after a long time, here we are at Friendscino Restaurant & Bar which is located in Emerald Plaza in Damansara Perdana.

Friendscino Restaurant & Bar

This is quite an old place and under the previous management, it was known as Friendster Cafe which was initially very popular but then over the years its popularity dwindled and then it was taken over by the new management who had then renamed it.

It is usually packed during the weekdays and rather quiet during weekends. This is mainly because the main crowd that comes here is the office workers who spend the evenings with their friends. Hence, if you are looking for a quiet watering hole wit great food over the weekend, this is a place that you should remember.

It has both indoor and outdoor seatings. Today, when we were there around 9 pm, we were the only ones and we decided to sit inside. I can see that they have revamped their menu and it differes to that of their website, but still worth it.

After placing our orders, we were waiting for the food to arrive.

Placed Our Orders

Ongoing Beer Promotion

Chicken & Lamb Sausage @ RM 22.00

The first dish to arrive was the above Chicken & Lamb Sausages which is served along with Black Pepper Sauce, Mushrooms and Mashed Potato's. This is a great dish and is one of my favorites every time I come here. This could also be a main dish for one. As for us, we were going for more of a Tapas style today just to try more dishes from the house.

Mutton Masalla @ RM 16.00

Garlic Bread Comes With The Above Mutton Masalla

This second dish is simply a dish to die for. It is one of the best dishes here. The mutton masalla is guaranteed authentic and can surely beat many of the Indian restaurants out there. It comes together with the Garlic Bread and it goes along well.

Baked Potato Skin with Chicken @ RM 12.00

This one was a little average and I have tried better ones outside. These were all the dishes we ordered tonight but I also heard from some friends that the Indian Style Fish Curry is another great dish here. As much as I wanted to, we were too full to order another dish tonight.

Angie Enjoying Her Meal

The Place also has a Pool Table

Vanilla Ice Cream @ RM 4.00

The ice cream was our desert for the day. I did order the Cendol first and then they notified me that it was not available. Then tried ordering another four items but was then told they were all not available. A little frustrated, just stuck with this simple ice cream.

On the whole, it is a great place to dine and wine. The total bill including drinks came up to RM 74.80 including taxes which is quite decent for two.

Address: LG001-1A, Emerald Plaza,
                Jalan PJU 8/3A, 47820,
                 Damansara Perdana,
                Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: +603 7710 0035
Web: www.friendscino.com

Opening Hours: Weekdays 1000 - 0100
                           Friday & Saturday 1000 - 0300
                           Eve of Public Holidays 1000 - 0300