kajangfood

Alor Akar Seafood Restaurant, Kuantan

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:02:00 +0000

Christmas 2011 was in Kuantan and we found a nice homestay at Jalan Air Puteh 4 to put up for the short holiday. More importantly, it was close to town and the good food places.

Christmas dinner was at Alor Akar Seafood Restaurant, a very popular spot in Kuantan. We reserved their "Beggar's Chicken" which in hindsight was a good idea because it was sold out by the time we arrived. The place was overflowing with customers and we were glad we were given a table at the back as we did not particularly fancy having people lurking around waiting for us to finish our meal (and vacate our table). Hehehehehe, usual story with cheap and cheerful places lah.

Beggar's chicken was actually wrapped in aluminum foil and baked, so not the authentic clay wrapped version. Taste wise was good, nice herbal taste and cooked until tender. The soup was tastier than the chicken.

We had a steamed "soon hock"catfish. Plain steamed - very fresh and tasty. Good to the last bone.

"Nestum" prawns - medium sized prawns done crunchy and tasty. Thumbs up.

Half a roast duck - which came in a sweet sauce which was very tasty. Very good and recommended. We were wishing we had asked for a full duck instead of half!

Pork leg with ginko nuts is one of their signature dishes and it was very good. The leg was cooked to tender "melt in your mouth" perfection and the flavours of the sauce had permeated the meat. Recommended.

Squid with petai in sambal was good. Thumbs up.

And taufoo (for the Taufooboy) with minced meat. Good.

Crabs were not in season during our visit but overall the seafood were top class and well executed here. And the whole meal for 13 of us (8 adults) was about RM160. Great value for money, which explains the perpetual crowd here.

Location : Lot 7695 & 7696, Jalan Kubang Buaya, Off Jalan Beserah, 25300 Kuantan, Pahang

Contact : Tel: 09-568 0720 Mobile: 016-952 7811

Merry Christmas 2011

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:20:00 +0000

I am breaking from the norm with this posting on what I did this Christmas eve. Yes, I was in the mood to cook! Armed with my recipe for a pot roast, I got to work at 6am with my 2kg Tenderloin beef which I marinated the night earlier with salt, pepper and some olive oil.


2kg beef, marinated with salt, pepper and some olive oil and a dash of Worcestershire sauce

I was going to use my mother's 30 year old rice cooker for the job, at the base - chopped celery, carrots and onions. That formed the base of the rice cooker. The marinated meat went on top of the celery/carrots/onions.

Chopped celery, onion and carrots - the base for the rice cooker.

Brown the meat heating it in a large wok

By browning the meat, the texture becomes firm and brown. Then place it in the rice cooker.

Into the rice cooker. Set to 'warm' (some call it 'keep')

For the base, I used 1 cube of beef stock and a tin of Campbell Mushroom Soup. Cooking is 8 to 10 hours. I added in at midway - 4 hours later, sliced big button mushroom, baby carrots, quartered potatoes on top. This would give it enough time to cook the vegetables without making it too soft.

Filled to the brim, a pot of goodness!

Then came the easy part - let it cook for 4 to 6 hours. I only tossed the meat around one time, during the 4 hour interval when I put in the vegetables. That was it. Once it was cooked, the liquid in the rice cooker was less then 1/3 of the pot.
You have to rest the roast for at least about 20 minutes before slicing it. The final product:

Served with whipped potatoes, a perfect Christmas dinner

How did it turn out? Fantastic! This was the most simple Christmas dinner I have ever made and it turned out very well. Merry Christmas too all. Hope you Christmas dinner turnout at good as mine. Have a good year ahead.
We're heading out to Kuantan for a Christmas break, so expect some out of town postings on Kuantan food! Till the next post.

Kajangfood is Two !!

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:19:00 +0000

Woot woot !!!!

We're two folks. And to celebrate, here's our selection of some of some of the finest food places in Kajang (what used to be known as our Top 10 best places to eat in Kajang). We've decided to narrow it down to the Top 3 places to eat in Kajang. So here goes:-

No 3 - Sing Kee at Bandar Teknologi, Jalan Semenyih
A new entry in our previous years Top 10 list, this is a place that serves up good tasting food every time. They are not innovative and we tend to order their tried and tested dishes. These include:-

It doesn't look like much but this is the best ginger sauce in town!

Steamed fish (wan yee ) with minced ginger - possibly the best in South Klang Valley!
Steamed kampong chicken (pak cham kai)
Pork and yam
Their signature taufoo topped with pickled radish and mince meat
Steamed tilapia fish with chilli padi

No 2 - Yip Sheng at Bandar Teknologi, Jalan Semenyih
We have actually 're-discovered' Yip Sheng after a long time. We used to frequent the place for crabs occasionally, but we stopped going there after they stopped serving crabs. That was our loss actually since they have lots of other good food here. Some dishes we can recommend are:-

Assam squid and prawns

Assam steamed tilapia fish - excellent balance of spicy, sour and sweet
Pork ribs - all their sauces Guinness, Marmite, Cheese, honey - are good
Assam squid and prawns. The sauce tastes similar to the assam fish, but this comes in a more diluted curry form.We're planning to order some plain mee hoon to dunk into the gravy the next time we go here. It would make an excellent curry noodle.

No 1 - Wan Fatt at Lorong Belakang Jalan Mendaling, Kajang Town
This is a place that we keep going back to very regularly. We've tried almost everything on the menu and almost everything is good. Whats exceptionally good are:-

Steamed tilapia topped with fried radish

Their signature steamed tilapia topped with fried pickled radish

Sang har mein

Their big prawn noodles (sang har mee)

Lor mein

Lor mee
Chef's special paku (fern shoots) with crispy baby anchovies
Steamed tipalia in nyonya suace

Claypot tilapia in ginger wine gravy

Claypot tilapia in a ginger wine gravy
Pork ribs in salted egg crust

The list is just too long. The chef actually takes the trouble to plate the dishes in a presentable manner and often with some garnishing. A sure sign of someone who cares about his food - both in terms of taste and presentation. Be warned however that the place is practically jam-packed on weekends. We have waited for more than an hour for our food here before, but is is sure worth the wait. Prices are pretty reasonable too.

So enjoy the food and thanks for your support for the last 2 years. Cheers!

Indian food in Kajang Part 1

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:47:00 +0000

Gd and myself have received feedback asking about good Indian food in Kajang. Truth be told, we are still looking for a good Indian restaurant in the Kajang vicinity. But here's a run down of the available places:-

Sri Paandi

Located in the heart of town along Jalan Semenyih is Restoran Sri Paandi. Relatively new, perhaps about 5 years in Kajang now - they practically captured the market when they first opened. Their thosai were crispy and almost done perfectly. And the accompanying coconut chutney, tomato chutney and dhall were almost perfect too. But that was 5 years ago and sadly, standards have dropped. The main problem is that most of their Indian cooks and waiters have gone back to India. The locals just don't measure up. A real pity actually.

Basil Leaves

Perhaps the only upmarket Indian restaurant in Kajang, this restaurant is located in Taman Kajang Sentral, off Jalan Bukit (facing the Silk Highway). Gd commented more a year ago that this place would fold soon after. Well they are still going strong - but we don't know why. They still have not got their service right - from taking orders to settling the bill, they still fumble. The food is inconsistent - it can be good one day and hopeless the next day. We heard that they have a thriving food catering business which is probably what keeps this restaurant running. Give it a try but keep your fingers crossed.

Look out for Part II soon.

Yip Sheng at Bandar Teknologi

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:06:00 +0000

It’s been a while since my last post – busy with studies lah. So thought I’d share about Yip Sheng which we have kind of "re-discovered" of late. Bandar Teknologi along Jalan Semenyih is also home to some good restaurants, including one of our favorites, Sing Kee.

We’ve actually been frequenting Yip Sheng for a long time – maybe about 10 years? I remember they used to serve crabs but I don’t see it on their menu now, which is a shame since they did a pretty good chilli crab here. My cousin from Mumbai (since relocated to UK and then Down Under), swears that this was the best crabs she had ever eaten. But then again, she swears a lot :-)

Their signature dish is a stewed pork foreleg (chee sow). Cooked until tender and falling off the bone, this is a dish to savor with some plain white rice. Excellent.

Their steamed fish comes in various styles. If you like something a little piquant, try the assam steamed tilapia. It has the right balance of sweet, sour and spicy. Excellent.

We ordered squid in a curry but the taste of the curry was quite similar to the assam fish. Maybe they were using the same spice mix? But that’s actually not a bad thing since the taste is just right. The only thing missing was some meehoon to dunk in the gravy and we would have had perhaps the best curry noodles in town?

The pork ribs came in a very tasty sauce. I don’t remember what they called it – three taste (tiga rasa) ?

Broccoli with mushrooms is not very common and perhaps a good choice for vegetable. Well executed.

Clay pot taufoo with prawns was pretty decent but not memorable.

Other dishes that we have had at other times include the kung po chicken (very good) and butter fried prawns (excellent).

Location : No 73-79 Jalan Seri Baiduri 1, Taman Seri Baiduri, Bandar Teknologi Kajang (it’s on the right hand side of the road after you turn in from the traffic light).

Contact : 03-87237805

BROGA Recreational Fishing Park

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:44:00 +0000

It started out as a lazy Saturday morning to the Rabbit Farm at Broga with cousin & her kids, but then what after the farm? Eat Rabbit meat? Nah! It had to be something exciting and untested in Broga - that small town in the 'jungle' famous for its food. Quickly scanned the blogs and located this one fishing farm cum restaurant that does 'ikan bakar' of a different sort.

After the fun filled morning at the Rabbit Farm, drove into Broga town, and proceeded to drive past the Shi Na Tok temple in Broga (at the end of the road into Broga), there is a small lane at the side of the temple, just follow the route, it will lead you to this pond/farm/restaurant.. The restaurant overlooks the farm and you can see the Middle Range mountains in the horizon - and you can certainly smell the fresh air - perfect for 'makan angin'. Very scenic.

Everything goes into a foil and placed on the charcoal

Interestingly, all the food here are 'baked in silver foils'. The marinade is pre-prepared and kept in the fridge in air tight container. As customer come and order, the marinade is mixed with the fish/meat/vegetables and packed into the silver foil


Baking is the word

The fresh Talapia is from their own pond, how much fresher can it get?

We didn't expect this - mutton!

Talapia - the 'Hot Preperation'

A milder version of Talapia with some ladies fingers

Ginger Duck

Ladies finger, Brinjal, Petai & Onions = tasty

Everything here is basic, nothing fancy. The taste too was very basic, nothing fancy - no MSG. In fact, it was disappointing at first. Nothing stood out.

However as we kept sieving through the dishes, it became apparent that food prepared in such a manner kept all the 'goodness' within the silver foil packing - i.e. the gravy was fantastic! Fish preparation was so-so, but the freshness of the fish made up for the lack of cooking style. We clawed through the carcass of the fish and 'fished out' the goodness - it was satisfying.

I particularly enjoyed the vegetables and the two fish dishes prepared in two different styles. The mutton and duck was not that great. I believe chicken would have been better, especially if they offer kampung chicken.

Will I return? Yes, for the ambiance and the freshness of the fish. It is a good place to take a guest for a meal, will leave a lasting impression - the countryside and the fish pond and fresh vegetables - sure winners.

Couple that with a walk up Bukit Broga or the park next to the temple or just a late morning drive and you have a well spend day at the country-side. The children will love it.

BROGA Recreational Fishing Park:

Day off: Thursday

Open on Public Hols & Weekend

11am to 7pm.

GPS: N 02 55.834'

E 101 55.735'

Tian Xia Mei Si Yuan, Balakong

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:58:00 +0000

Here's a place that a friend (IB Tiong) recommended aeons ago. I'd been there once before but did not have my camera in hand. Recently, we visited again and here's what we had:-

Their signature dish (you'll find this on ALL the tables here). Braised pig 'hand' (foreleg actually). Sweet with a hint of spice - sticky and with sinful amounts of fat - Excellent! Eat it whilst it's hot or the fat will coagulate. Possibly the best in South Klang Valley.

Steamed black tilapia in hot spicy (cheong cheng) sauce. Very good.

A signature vegetable dish - a rather unusual combination of bean sprouts, carrots and bitter gourd. Everything remains crunchy and nice. Recommended.

A simple steamed taufoo topped with minced meat and dried prawns. Good.

This is a place that tends to get very crowded on weekends with crowds waiting for tables. A little patience will get you a table soon enough as patrons tend not to linger - it's an eat and run type of place! And the food arrives on the table surprisingly fast.

Location : Situated within the temple premises of the huge Xing An Temple across the highway from Jusco Cheras Selatan - it's pretty easy to locate.

Restoran Guan Seng Loong, Sekinchan

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:05:00 +0000

We had a family outing to Sekinchan for seafood. The big question was, is it worth the drive estimated about 1 ½ to 2 hours depending on the route/speed.

Restauran Guan Seng Long

I was excited as we had a chance to use the new Rawang-Ijok highway which opened 2 days earlier and it was free. Journey to Sekinchan messed up big time, many wrong turns that led to some old road through Batu Arang and Batang Berjuntai and finally Kuala Selangor via Kg. Kuantan. It brought back very old memories of our cousins who once lived there and for the sister who once teached in this far-away land of Kuala Selangor.

Finally we arrived, about 2 ½ hours later – hungry!

Baby Shark Soup of a different kind

Our starter was this soup, looked mild but was unique – salted vegetable and baby shark. Yes! These Sekinchan people really know how to serve baby sharks. This was not the normal stir-fry baby shark, it came in a soup, sliced and cooked with salted vegetables and ginger. Very nice taste – loved it.

Roasted Duck

Next dish came out fairly fast – I suspect they were waiting for us to arrive and quickly rolled out the roasted duck prepared earlier, the only meat dish for the night. I am not sure if it was roasted or braised, but did not have the 'duck flavour' or the 'fragrance' that I am accustomed to, therefore I was disappointed.


Oyster Omelette

Next came the Oyster Omelette (oh chien) which again was disappointing. I guess having tasted the best in Melaka and Penang makes you have high expectation and this did not come close. It was stiff and rather overcooked.


Steamed Prawns

Then rolled in the steamed prawns – came with a thin slice of steamed egg white in the middle. A quick taste of the gravy woke everyone up. Yes, things were starting to look up. The prawns were fresh and crunchy and the chef kept it simple and you could just taste the freshness of these prawns. Now that, was worth the drive!


Vegetable

Next came the vegetable – only one for the night – someone said it was called the 'oil vegetable' and grown locally. It was fresh and certainly tasty.

Sharks' Fin Soup

Then came the sharks fin soup (sorry all you activist reading this, I did not order, I just ate) – it was very thick and nice – lots of crab meat and shark fins, but somehow it did not have that taste I was looking for. I should have brought a bottle of brandy and lit the soup up for old times sake. Perhaps the next time!

Steamed Fish - Pomfret

This was followed by the steamed Golden Pomfret – something we tasted just a week earlier from the same caterers. This was fantastic! Simple steamed fish that you can taste the freshness of the fish and it leaves that nice after-taste in your mouth. Delicious and consistent on two occasions I can vouch for.


Mantis Prawns

Next up fried mantis prawns, coated with salted egg. I am no big fan of mantis prawns as I find it to be kind of tasteless. Normally, the batter gives it 'taste'. In this case, it did not help much and was kinda mushy. It only reinforced my earlier believe, never order this - waste of money.

Fried Baby Squid

Was immediately followed by another fried dish, fried baby squids. This was oily and I guess the 'oiliness' made it mushy and did not bring out the taste. Not healthy and not recommended. Maybe, the full sized squids would have been a better choice?


Kam Heong Mud Crabs

Our finale was kam heong mud crabs. The crabs was small, the preparation was mediocre and the result was disappointing. For a seafood restaurant, this crab dish certainly let us down – I expected more. Also, overall MSG and salt level was on the high side as I was very thirsty all the way back home.

On the way back, we found the 'lost highway' (LATAR Expressway) just out of Ijok and believe me - Ijok to Rawang (south) was only about 20 minutes, before we knew it, we were on the North South highway from Rawang heading into KL.

On the whole, it was an interesting outing, not so much the food, but the journey down memory lane coupled with food – that was a good way to end a long week.

In short, let me recommend a drive down your own memory lane, wherever you frequent in your younger days that time passed it by – organise a family outing there and couple it with a local dinner. The dinner don't have to be great, added bonus if you have a fantastic dinner, but the outing itself will certainly be memorable. Mine was! Got to thank big bro for this outing.

One of the nephews suggested an outing to Bukit Kayu Hitam next week. Any takers?

Restoran Guan Seng Loong,
No. 73, Lrg 3, Bagan Sekinchan,
45400 Sekinchan,
Selangor
Tel: 03-3241 0494

Kedai Makanan Kari Kepala Ikan Cheong Hin

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:58:00 +0000

View from front of restaurant

It seems that South Klang Valley has a proliferation of specialty fish or fish head places. From Jalan Chan Sow's Jalan 3 and Jalan 5 fish head places; Serdang Lama's Chong Siew Lam Restaurant with their signature 'wasabi' steamed fish; Kajang's Wan Fatt and their steamed fish with fried radish; Semenyih's Sin Tai Mah and Restoran 52 with their interpretations of the lai sar yee (sandy fish) and all the way to the Fish Valley Restaurant in Jalan Kachau, Semenyih where the fish comes straight from the pond. With such tough competition, it is surprising that relative newcomers like Kedai Makanan Kari Kepala Ikan Cheong Hin are able to thrive.

Truth be told however, Cheong Hin is not a new establishment. Having it's roots in a family restaurant in Puchong, the Yip siblings later expanded to several outlets including this one that we visited located at Serdang Perdana,behind the South City Plaza mall. This is an area dominated by the famous Soon Lee grilled fish restaurant (one of our picks for Top 10 best restaurants in South Klang Valley), but that's another story.

Now for a restaurant with the name "Kari Kepala Ikan" in it, you would have guessed fish head curry would have been our first choice dish. Well on this occasion, my sister in-law insisted that we should try the steamed "wan yee" fish head instead. The large serving of half a fish head came with a sizeable portion of the mid-section of the fish as well, on a large porcelain platter. The platter was heated on a portable gas oven, so the fish remained steaming hot throughout our dinner. That was not the only difference – the fish came immersed in a 'soup' that was generously 'loaded' with bird's eye chillies (cili padi). We could also taste some rice wine in the soup. The soup and fish were ladled into soup bowls and polished off to the last bone. The dish had an excellent balance of sweetness from the fresh fish, pungency from the chillies and tartness from the rice wine. Highly recommended. And at only RM28 for the huge serving, it was truly a steal.

House Special - Steamed Fish (before)

After (yes! it was that good!)

The recommended pork ribs with bitter gourd in black bean sauce was another well balanced dish – salty, sweet and bitter. Recommended as well.

Pork Ribs and Bitter Gourd

Paper wrapped herbal kampung chicken was next – a rather small bird, but full of flavor and strong herbal taste. Cooked until tender and practically falling off the bone, this chicken dish gets our thumbs up as well.

Herbal Kampung Chicken

Fried squid in salted egg crust was good, although not the best we have had. But good enough to get our thumbs up.

Fried Squid

The house special taufoo came in three inverted cup-shaped pieces. Topped with a tasty minced meat sauce, this was a simple dish well executed. Thumbs up again. We were recommended the small pak choy vegetable cooked with yam. This was the first time we had heard of such a dish. The result however was great – the vegetable was coated in a thin layer of tasty garlic and yam paste. Highly recommended.

Dessert was on the house - very nice!

Dessert was complimentary - a simple longan jelly. I must thank my sister in-law for tipping me off about Cheong Hin. She also kindly paid for dinner for this outing. Thanks Mon. Our next outing here (and I'm sure it will be soon) is on me !

Location : No 2, Ground Floor, Jalan SP 2/2, Serdang Perdana, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor.
Contact : 03-89488425
Amenities : Baby chair; partially air-conditioned. Noise level can be quite high in the air-cond section and may also get a little crowded, especially on weekends and holidays.
Prices : Quite reasonable – between RM10 to RM20 per head.

May N Mike’s Restaurant

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:45:00 +0000

This is a departure from our usual South Klang Valley posts. Gd and myself decided we had to go back to our roots – Malayalee roots to be precise. Our search for good Malayalee cuisine would take us to Petaling Jaya this time. Gd had been to May N Mike's many times before but it was the first time for me. My expectations were pretty high as Gd had previously given it the thumbs-up (possibly the best Malayalee restaurant around?) and getting a thumbs-up from Gd for Indian food is quite rare. We can thank our Mum for setting pretty high standards for Indian food, to the extent that most Indian restaurants fail to meet our expectations.

Here's how we sampled the food – we got a plate of rice each, picked a few vegetables of our choice.

Then grab some meat or fish on a small plate – we had the fish puttu and

chicken varuval (dry curry ) which I think is not what it's called in Malayalam - my bad.

Make sure you take some dry spicy powder (chamandi poddi) and ginger pickle (inji pulli) from the counter.

You can have some rassam (spicy soup) and curd too if you like. Then sit back and enjoy ……

May Miranda is a true "pakka" Malayalee and it shows in her cooking. There's something very homey and down to earth in her cooking, so much so that we want to call her Aunty May ! You will notice that most vegetable dishes have grated coconut in it – typical of Malayalee cuisine. On the day we were there however, they did not have the signature Malayalee mixed vegetable dish called aviyal. So that alone is cause enough for a return visit (very soon) to Aunty May's.

Be warned however that food is more pricey than your average banana leaf joint. Expect to pay about RM15 per pax with drinks or more if you tend to load you plate with too many things!

Location : 357C, Jalan 5/57, Petaling Gardens, 46000 Petaling Jaya.
Contact : 03-77701050.

Old Man Restaurant

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:02:00 +0000

Firstly, let me clarify that this post is not about the Old Man Restaurant which used to be on the Kajangfood Top 10 list of best restaurants. This is actually the original Old Man Restaurant which has been around for over 30 years. I think has been handed down from father (the real old man) to son.

This is not a fancy restaurant with fancy dishes. They stick to the tried and tested and the food is pretty consistent and good. We tend to go here quite often but with no single outstanding dish to differentiate from other restaurants, it's more a place we go when we want some simple home-style food.

Top on the list of our favorite dishes here is the cheong cheng style steamed tilapia fish. A spicy and tangy sauce tops the perfectly steamed fish.

The sweet sour pork comes with chunky pieces of pork, cucumber, tomato, onions and pineapple. Crispy outside and juicy inside with good balance of sweet, sour and salty. Thumbs up.Perhaps one of the best versions in Kajang even.

A good choice for a taufoo (soy bean curd) dish here is the Japanese taufoo on hot plate which can be served with minced meat or with small prawns.

Brinjals with minced meat is simple and tasty.

Green vegetables are served with garlic, oyster sauce or sambal belacan and usually arrive crispy and crunchy.

Other good dishes here include their noodles (Cantonese style or Hokkien style), fried spring roll and pai kuat wong (King's spare ribs).

The lady boss (her husband is the cook) is a nurse by day. She speaks very good English and is usually able to suggest some good dishes. She will also adjust the order according to the number of persons so there is no wastage.

Location : Gerai Makan Tepi Medan Letak Kereta, Pasar Kajang, Off Jalan Bukit, Kajang.
Open from about 6.00 p.m. to about 10.30 p.m. and closed on Wednesdays. Ample parking.

Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Zuan Kee

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:14:00 +0000

I'm still amused with restaurants that insist on calling themselves Kedai Makanan dan Minuman (literally Eating and Drinking Shop). In fact, "Eating Shops" are quite common in the Southern part of the country especially Johor Bahru. I've spotted a few in Singapore too. Poor English lah……

This is a long overdue post and our apologies to a reader, Catherine who suggested this place about a year ago. It was on our radar but we never got around to visiting the place until now.

We asked for suggestions from the friendly waiter and he obliged with a few house specialties. First up was steamed tilapia in a spicy chilli sauce (cheong cheng). The sauce was thick and dark and to be honest, looked threatening. Fortunately it was not as fiery as it had threatened to be and turned out to be pretty tasty. Thumbs up.

The crispy salt baked chicken was next and this got the thumbs up from none other than my mother in law who is quite picky about chicken dishes. Crispy outside but moist and tender inside. Very good.

The 'special' taufoo - fried pieces of soy beancurd and fish paste (?) served with a topping of mayonnaise. I'm no fan of mayonnaise and I think this dish would have been OK without the mayo.

The honey pork belly was sinful…..and good ! Lots of fat, lots of taste.

The four vegetable (sei tai tin wong) was tasty but lacking spiciness in the sambal. Overall, it was a pretty good introduction to this restaurant and we'll definitely be back to try more dishes in future.

Location: No 1 Jalan 1/3, Seksyen 1, Bandar Teknologi Kajang, Semenyih, 43500 Selangor
Contact : 0122019118

Hometown Hot Soup Restaurant

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:47:00 +0000

It was pretty late on a Saturday evening (about 8.30 p.m) when we ventured to Hometown to try their hot pepper soup. Howetown is owned by the same people who operate Restoran Kee V in Sungai Chua and they have 2 popular outlets in that area. The outlet we visited is located along Jalan Semenyih, near the Billion shopping centre.

A look at their glossy menu suggested that these guys may be looking to franchise their successful food business? The crowd at this outlet seemed to indicate that they had a winning formula too. We ordered and were amazed at the speed that the food was served – we had not even finished washing the tea cups !

We had to try the hot pepper soup with various pork innards. It was pretty decent but not particularly outstanding. It could have done with more pepper.

The fa diu kai or claypot chicken with rice wine was good. There was lots of sauce to go with the rice.

We ordered their special taufoo (bean curd). A fried block of taufoo was topped with what looked like minced meat but turned out to be chopped radish (?). This was decent enough.

The green vegetable was nice and crunchy.

Overall it was a decent enough meal, but not exciting enough to warrant a return visit. Unless of course we were dead-hungry and need a place where the food is served before you can warm the seat…….

Sahara Tent at Alamanda, Putrajaya

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:32:00 +0000

It was Chinese New Year season as Ros and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary recently. We were pretty much sick of Chinese food so I gave Ros a choice of Western, Japanese or Middle Eastern. She chose the latter - but the 'Middle Eastern' places around Kajang are generally pretty basic and functional, not exactly conducive for a special celebration. So we decided to venture a little further to Putrajaya.

Located within the Alamanda shopping complex in Putrajaya is Sahara Tent, an award winning Middle Eastern restaurant which gained fame in Malaysia at its flagship outlet located at the Fortuna Hotel, off Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. The entire area was later turned into Ain Arabia or Arab Quarter by DBKL. Sahara Tent's flagship outlet recently moved out to the main Jalan Sultan Ismail thoroughfare, near the old Finnegan's pub. In terms of décor, Sahara Tent @ Alamanda scores very high – fabrics and tapestries decorate the walls, Arabian carpets and artifacts are strewn around the outlet and even the lighting uses Arabian colored glass light fittings. Several group dining areas resemble a desert tent – very appropriate for a restaurant that takes its name from a desert tent. Service too was great – I think the wait staff were mainly Filipino and spoke pretty good English – a real plus point in this day and age of foreign workers.

We ordered the Meze Platter. Now I had ordered the same item at their flagship outlet in KL and the six items were served on several small platters – hummus, murtabel, chef's special eggplant, tabouleh, fattoush and waraq-enab. Here, the items were served on a single platter – but I should say, with sufficient portions to be shared by two. No complaints in that sense.

The hummus or mashed chickpea with olive oil was smooth and creamy with a tinge of bitterness. Scooped up with some bread, this is a dish synonymous with Middle eastern food for me. Murtabel on the other hand is mashed eggplant. I could not identify the seasoning but it was served with olive oil an olive on top. We liked the hummus better.

Tabbouleh is one of the 2 salads served on the platter and is a salad served with bulgur (a type of wheat). It has a slight bitter taste which may have come from parsley in the salad and sourness from lemon. Fattoush is the other salad on the platter. This had diced cucumber, tomato, onion and crispy bread pieces in a tangy salad dressing. Very appetizing.

Another inclusion on the platter was described as Chef's Special. From what I could make out, it was grilled eggplant with onion and chilli, tomato and capsicum. It had a tangy taste as well, and we both liked this. There were also two pieces of vine wrapped rice parcel (or waraq-enab). Vine leaves are a little bitter, so be warned.

For our main, we had the Chicken Briyani – nice long grained rice full of flavor topped with a moist and tender piece of chicken. Excellent in terms of taste. The accompanying tomato gravy was bland and tasteless – strictly for those who must moisten their rice with some gravy !

To complete the meal, we ordered some sweet dessert - baklava. This was supposed to be freshly made with crispy and crumbly pastry and sweet syrup. Here it was pre-made and refrigerated so the filo pastry had gone hard. My advice - avoid ordering this.

Overall, the food was pretty good (excluding the dessert), ambiance was great and prices were moderate. We'll return to explore the menu further.

Location : Sahara Tent Restaurant at the Ground Floor of Alamanda, Putrajaya located near the fountain area on the outside of the complex.

New bak kut teh stall near the Kajang market car park

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:53:00 +0000

We visited the new (1 week old only) bak kut teh stall near the Kajang market car park (where 7 Wonders used to be). We understand that the cook (he is either Burmese or Vietnamese) used to work at the "Longkang" place. The look and taste is quite similar to Longkang's BKT and we were pretty satisfied. Certainly worth another visit.

Look out for a full review soon. Happy Chinese New Year to everyone. Happy eating in the Year of the Rabbit !

Min Kee Restaurant, Revisited 2011

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 08:10:00 +0000

It's been more than a year since we first posted about Min Kee and we are glad to report after a recent visit thatChef Loo is still producing top class food. A testament to the quality of their food is the popularity of this establishment with many local market traders. Most market traders are particular about freshness of produce and 'clean' taste of the food. Min Kee scores pretty high on both counts. On most visits here, we've seen various market traders having their dinner here and also celebrating special occasions. During our last visit, we met a family of traders from the Kajang wet market who had brought their own terrapin to be cooked by Chef Loo. The wafting aroma of the terrapin cooked in a claypot with ginger (and some rice wine?) was enticing enough for us to enquire with the operator about the dish. A pity that terrapin is not easily available in Broga these days.

In our last post, we did not include their signature dish (which requires prior booking). The braised eight treasure duck alone is worth the 20 odd kilometer drive from Kajang to Broga. The duck is cooked until tender and almost melts in the mouth.

Stuffed with nuts (lotus and gingko), mushrooms, carrots and some other nutritious goodies, the stuffings add more depth of flavor to the dish. I ended up literally licking off all the goodness from the bones! Highly recommended and still a steal at RM48 for a bird.

Another must have that we did write about previously is the crispy butter fried tilapia. The fish is filleted, sliced and deep fried with butter. Lip smacking and finger lickingly good to the last bone.

The braised pork dishes here tend to be good. We had the char yoke the last time and this time we had the pork and yam. The pork was melt in your mouth tender and had well absorbed the five spice flavored sauce. Thumbs up.

Green vegetables are grown around Broga so you can be assured of fresh and crunchy vegetables here. The yau mak was cooked with fermented bean curd (and some intensely hot chilli padi). Thumbs up, but be warned about the chilli padi!

The fern shoots (pakis) cooked with sambal belacan packed a punch too. I guess they like their vegetables with a kick here ? I found it very good actually.

It was a very satisfying visit to Min Kee and we can confirm that this is a place that will remain on our Top 10 list for some time to come. Do give it a try, but make sure you call in advance and book the braised duck.

Location : Lot 2788, Kg Baru Broga, Pekan Broga, 71750 Lenggeng, Negri Sembilan (it's a few kilometers after the Nottingham University campus)
Contact : 016-381 8038

Chinese New Year in Kajang Town

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:58:00 +0000

Ok, this is not a food posting. I just wanted to post some photos of the nice CNY decorations that have come up around Kajang town. Jalan Besar and Mendaling Street especially look great.

This shot is just outside the Temple Restaurant along Jalan Mendaling.

There are paper effigies with the horoscope animals.

And the Rabbit takes center stage this year. It's a little early but Happy New Year everyone !

Chop Tong Sing, Kedai Kopi & Makanan

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:47:00 +0000

Kedai Kopi Tong Sing is an old school kopitiam (coffee shop) that we have been frequenting for ages. Situated along Jalan Mendaling in a rather quiet part of the old town in a pretty run-down shoplot, it is the only surviving authentic kopitiam in Kajang town.

There used to be two kopitiams along Jalan Sulaiman and one on Jalan Besar, but they have long disappeared. Tong Sing managed to survive due in part to the popularity of a stall within the shop which serves a pretty good curry noodles and a decent pork porridge. Very popular on weekends and public holidays, it also has it's faithful daily regulars.

The coffee comes thick and is served in old kopitiam cups.

The roti bakar pairs a sweet kaya with thick slices of butter.

Half-boiled eggs are a energy boost in the morning! They use free range chicken eggs here.

The yam cake was so-so only.

The curry noodles were thick and not very spicy – you have to add your own sambal chilli for added heat. I usually add two spoonfuls. Slices of chicken and fried pork with some crunchy bean-sprouts make this a great meal.

Location : Along Jalan Mendaling, Kajang Town

Kedai Kopi Kok Beng, Taiping

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:34:00 +0000

Kok Beng in Taiping is a place I have written about briefly in the past. Voted one of the Top 10 Chicken Rice restaurants in Malaysia, there was a lot of anticipation as I took my family here for lunch over the Christmas weekend recently. Gd, the resident chicken expert is especially picky about chicken texture. Would this meet his high standards ?

First up was a side order of nyonya style acar awak (mixed pickled vegetables). Piquant, spicy and a little sweet, this got the thumbs up from everyone.

Next up was the char siew (sweet roasted pork). Sweet and juicy on the outside with enough caramalised bits to make it interesting, the char siew was top quality. Excellent.

Finally the steamed and roasted chicken arrived. It was good and everyone agreed it was pretty tasty. Succulent and tasty would be a good description. Gd however found that it lacked the 'bite' of a free range chicken and was rather soft in texture. The roasted chicken on the other hand was cripsy on the outside - it fared somewhat better than the steamed chicken.

Special mention must be made of the accompaniments. The soup was made from chicken stock and had a strong pepper taste which was pretty hot on the tongue. Top class and suitable for the cold rainy Taiping weather. The ginger and chilli sauce was excellent - packing enough punch to cause a hiccup if you pile on too much.

Located along the main thoroughfare in Taiping town, this is a good spot for an above average Chicken Rice. We would highly recommend the char siew here though.

Location : No 38, Jalan Kota, 38000 Taiping, Perak

Serdang Lama Steamed Fish Head

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:26:00 +0000

Yet another nameless restaurant, nicknamed Serdang Lama Steamed Fish Head restaurant. Now this place has been dishing out something 'special' for some time now - judging from the amount of cars parked here during lunch time. Recently I had the opportunity to try it with an associate. Within 2 weeks, I've been there 4 times! This is good food, reasonably priced.

Nameless fish head restaurant in Serdang Lama, in front of Chinese school

Serdang Lama is a town bypassed by the North-South PLUS and the fairly new Besraya highways. Nobody goes in there anymore unless you are going to school or to feast on this fish head! If you are coming from the MINES along the Besraya highway, after you pass the railway line underneath the highway at the bend, look out for "Serdang Lama" turning to the left . As you turn into Serdang Lama, this restaurant is located right there. (There is a Pan Mee stall next to it - I was told, this is good too!) The steamers in front of the restaurant is a sure sign of the roaring business they have here during lunch time.

Signature dish - Steamed Fish Head - Superb!

The famed signature dish here is the sea fish head (Ikan Merah) steamed with salted vegetables and topped with ginger paste. The gravy that the dish comes with has a sweetish taste and is just lovely - I just love it!

Closeup of Steamed Ikan Merah with Ginger topping

As you can see here, the ginger topping somewhat looks like Japanese 'wasabe', but does not have that kick or taste but rather a nice gingery taste. This is one of the best steamed fish heads that I have ever come across.

Pork trotters in black vinegar

Next up, we had pork trotters cooked in black vinegar. This was a well executed dish, a tinge of young gingery taste too. To note here, they have only 2 options for pork dishes, the other being steamed minced pork with salted fish - I did try that one too, not too bad. Somehow, between both, I prefer this.

Bitter Gourd stir fried with egg - simple dish

We kept the vegetable simple - Bitter Gourd with Egg and this was simple and nice. This restaurant has a limited menu but all well executed and served in the right portions. The stir fried brinjal/egg plant with dried prawns (kam heong) is also highly recommended.

Watching the kitchen............

From where I sat, I could not help noticing the kitchen - the production line for the steamed fish head - it all looked so simple, chop up the head, put it on a dish, steam it for about 1 1/2 minutes, drain out the 'water', add own steamed fish sauce, add house special topping on fish and serve. Fast and close to perfect!

Food here is very reasonably priced. 2 persons, 3 dishes (including steamed fish head, 'ikan merah') - less then RM40. For 3 persons, it came up to about RM50 ish. This must account for its popularity - good tasty and fresh food for a reasonable price. How to go wrong? This was certainly a good find - highly recommended.

Warong Afgan, Paksitani Food!

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:40:00 +0000

Blue Roof - Afgan's Warong, glamour-less Pakistani food

Thanks to Thomas and his heads-up from The Star some months ago, I was introduced to this nameless warong by the roadside leading to Batu 9, Cheras (Suntex/Masterskills University). The writer of that Star newspaper article on this warong wrote about the authenticity of the food served here, and I have to agree - I have not seen or tasted anything like that here in Malaysia, right down to the dressing of the men who cook and serve you these food!

The freshly baked bread, long beans and teh tarik

Perhaps, this is the most authentic Pakistani simpleton food available here in Malaysia. There is not much to select from, the bread (more like naan) is just perfect. There is an art in making good bread. From the mixing and the roughing up of the dough, to the time it is left to set in and the final preparation of the dough before it is baked (I noted the use of the fingers to make that holes on the bread that makes the bread a little crisp when baked), its all part and parcel of perfect bread - this is what Afgan's (Afgan is his name, but he is from Pakistan) warong has to offer. Each perfectly crafted bread is priced at RM1.50 and to me, its a full meal for an adult.

Before you run out to Afgan's warong, let me warn you - the food choice here is limited and its aimed at the working class, nothing fancy. On the menu, bread (freshly baked in his clay oven), 'kebab' and 2-3 types of gravy - I was lucky to have long beans dry curry today, it complemented the bread - very nice. Kebab is kinda different - its made of minced beef and vegetables, made to a burger like patty, then fried in a shallow wok.

Closeup of the kebab - it is like beef burger patty, with some egg tossed on it before serving

Towards the end of the preperation, Afgan breaks an egg and gently pours it over the cooked patty, flips it over and the rest of the egg goes on it - its was interesting to watch him doing this. The final 'kebab' was black in colour, kind of burnt-out but tasted kinda nice - there was no burnt-out taste at all. Thus, don't judge a book by its cover - taste it first! The kebab is normally served with mint sauce and the bread - a full meal. My long beans curry was extra. All in - RM8.50 - including 'teh tarik' to wash it down. I must say, the tea was very nice too.

The Kebab (lime to taste) served with mint sauce

If you are looking for 'authentic simpleton Pakistani food', this is the place to be. Don't expect spicy southern Indian or mamak type of food, it is different. I recommend the 'kebab', the freshly baked bread and a side dish - check his displayed pre-cooked offerings for the day, could be interesting. Don't forget the teh tarik to wash it down.

Located along the road leading to Bt.9, from Taman Murni/Grand Saga Cheras Highway interchange

How to get there? Exit off the Cheras Highway at the Taman Murni Interchange and head back towards Bt.9 town, i.e. go left as you exit the Cheras highway. It is about 200 meter from the highway, can't miss it. Look out for that blue roof warong.

Xin Kuala Sepetang Seafood Restaurant

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:29:00 +0000

I'm still writing about our Taiping Christmas outing last December. Another memorable place we tried was Xin Seafood located in Port Weld or Kuala Sepetang as it is now known. Kuala Sepetang is a 30 minute drive from Taiping and the journey will take you through various old kampongs (some dating back to the days of Long Jaafar) and a verdant mangrove forest. A visit to the mangrove education centre and a charcoal factory would make a good day trip, but we did not do it this time. Our sole intention this time was the seafood ! The original plan was to go to Restoran Tepi Sungai (a.k.a. RT Port Weld). It was however the Christmas weekend and the place was full and we had not made any prior reservation. They were kind enough to point us in the direction of Xin which they said belonged to their 'saudara' (relative).

So that's how we ended up at Xin. The restaurant is located just beside the river. There were actually boats docked next to the restaurant. Quite a scenic view at sunset I must say. The restaurant itself was very basic and functional as most restaurants tend to be in small villages. Lots of seafood were on display in various tanks and baskets and we were told to take our pick. The choices of preparation were mainly either steamed or fried with a few choices of gravy.

We picked 2 medium sized ikan kerapu (RM36 each) and these were plain steamed with some ginger slices. In any other place, a simple preparation like this would have been disappointing but the freshness of the fish here prevented any unsatisfactory verdict.

We were recommended to try the prawns and squid in a tom yam soup (RM48) and we had no regrets with this dish. The tom yum was thick without the heaviness of santan (coconut cream). Sour, spicy and a little sweet – very well balanced and definitely a 'must have' here.

We picked several types of seafood which were just plain fried including:-

Small sardine-like fish. These were fried until nice and crispy and you could almost eat the entire fish - with the exception of the spinal bone. This was pretty good.

Small baby crabs. You can often see these tiny crabs on the beach but we never thought these could be eaten. Deep fried in oil, these became a very nice snack. It would Would have been great with some cold beer.

Small prawns. Like the baby crabs, these would have been great with beer.
Boiled shellfish (kerang). The accompanying chilli sambal was not pungent enough so this dish was not very exciting.

Flower crabs. There were no mud crabs available so we had to make do with flower crabs which tend to be less meaty and tasty. However the freshness of the crabs saved it from being mediocre.

There were no green vegetables available so we had to make do with binjals. These were stir fried with a dried prawn sauce which was very crispy and tasty. Very good and recommended.

Other popular dishes here are boiled octopus (we saw it on many tables) and mud crabs (when available). Overall it was a pretty good experience. The total bill was RM245 for 13 of us which is about RM20 a head – not too bad for the amount of food we had.

Location : Lot 155B, Tepi Sungai, 34650 Kuala Sepetang, Taiping, Perak
Contact : 017-5619384

Restoran 8383, Pokok Assam, Taiping

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 10:25:00 +0000

For the first post for 2011, I'm writing about a small unassuming restaurant off the beaten path in Taiping. The Pokok Assam area is not exactly a popular destination for tourists in Taiping. Other than being voted the Neatest (or was it Cleanest ?) kampong in Malaysia, it really does not have any claim to fame. Locals however will vouch for good food found here. I have Taiping native Stephen to thank for taking me to this restaurant in 2007.

On the strength of what I tasted, I decided to take my family here for our Christmas Day dinner recently. If you know the foodies in my family, that's the gastronomic equivalent of putting my neck on the chopping block lah !

First up was a steamed kerapu fish with ginger slices. Very simple and just highlighting the freshness of the fish. Thumbs up.

The fried prawns were crunchy outside but nice and moist inside. Done just right. Thumbs up.

I can't recall what style of chicken this was but it was fried and came in a sweetish sauce. Excellent.

Sotong sambal (squids in spicy sauce) came in a very tasty sauce which was quickly mopped up. Thumbs up.

The kangkong (water convolvulus) belacan (shrimp paste) was OK but could have been more spicy and with more sambal belacan. OK only.

The brinjal came in a tasty sauce with dried shrimp. Excellent.

Black pepper pork had lots of pepper in it which was quite good for the cold rainy Taiping weather. Thumbs up.
What was shocking for us Klang Valley folks was the bill - RM121 for all the above - mind you there were 12 of us ! Taiping is still THE place for great value for money!

Location: Situated behind the Pokok Assam Police Station, this restaurant is actually situated within the compound of a corner lot single storey house.
Address : No256, Jalan Councillor, Pokok Assam, 34000 Taiping, Perak
Contact : 013-5238383 / 013-524 8383 (nice numbers – very appropriate for the restaurant!)

Christmas 2010 in Taiping

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 02:00:00 +0000

This year, the family decided to go to Taiping for Christmas. Taiping, if you are not aware, is the town of "eternal peace". Peace and quiet was what we were looking for so we all agreed to head north this year. Another compelling reason (and also the main reason for Gd, Ros and myself ;-) was the famed Taiping food. We were keen to try the Taiping popiah (vegetable roll), cendol (a sweet dessert drink using palm sugar), char kuey teow (fried flat rice noodles) and chee cheong fan (flat rice noodles in a sweet or spicy sauce). Well we managed to try all except the chee cheong fan and all were pretty good.

From our 3 days in Taiping, worth a mention were:-

The popiah from the stall at the Peace Hotel which we found to be better than the one from the famous Taiping Ais Kacang shop.
The Bismillah cendol was a little too sweet for us and we preferred the Ansari one instead which although less sweet, had a better overall taste. The Bismillah red beans also had a distinct burnt smell
Restoran 8383 at Pokok Assam. Ros and myself had been here once before in 2007 with some friends from Taiping and we were keen to return to try more dishes. From my notes (yes, I do keep notes about the food places I have visited J) their signature dishes were a fried kerapu fish in a type of curry sauce and a chicken in tauchu (fermented soy bean) sauce with chili padi. Look out for the full review in a separate posting.
Xin Seafood Restaurant at Kuala Sepetang (Port Weld). Where else could you get fresh seafood – straight off the fishing boats ? Everything was super fresh – crabs, fish, prawns and squids. We'll post on this place separately too.

Taiping was indeed a good break for us. Special mention to our eldest brother Joe who made the rounds to ta-pau (pack) most of the hawker food we tried.
Finally, thanks for following us in 2010. Look out for more updates in 2011 and do keep the feedback coming.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 AND HAPPY EATING !

Restoran Siaw Kah Kampung Ayam Sup Pedas

rosalind.chang.dcruz@gmail.com (Jon) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:46:00 +0000

The title above is the actual name of the restaurant. That's bad grammar in both English and Malay. Perhaps its a direct translation from Mandarin ?

This place actually appearred on Ho Chak some years ago. That may explain the slightly higher pricing. However their competitor, Ah Hee Hot Soup (located in the block behind their restaurant) also appeared on Ho Chak last month. That could mean that Ah Hee's prices are going up too?

Now we've been coming to this place for many years and we're pretty familiar with their fare. Here's some of our favorites:-
1. The hot pepper soup (of course)
You can have the hot soup with chicken, pork, mixed pork and chicken and also with various pork offal (intestines, stomach, ears etc). We like it with the pork and offal. The soup here is really pungent from the pepper and ginger. The addition of celery leaves (yes, the leaves and not the stalks - also known as daun sup or daun saderi) adds another level of flavour. This is our benchmark for hot soup in Kajang. Great for a cold rainy day.
Verdict : Excellent
2. Fa diu kai (Chinese wine chicken in claypot)
Another must have at this restaurant. The chicken is coated in a layer of thick sweetish soy sauce. The Chinese wine is not apparent in the taste but gives the dish a very nice aroma.
Verdict : Excellent
3. Oil Steamed Tilapia
A supremely simple dish that is done very well here. The fresh tilapia is steamed and then topped with a simple oil and soy sauce.
Verdict : Excellent
4. Stir fried cabbage with dried prawns and chilli padi
Another simple dish done very well. This is a great choice for a vegetable dish here.
5. Braised pork belly with preserved vegetable
This was recommended by boss. The texture suggested it had been braised for a suitably long time. However taste wise, I suggested that my mother-in-law's version of this dish was better. That brought a smile to her face (and earned me some brownie points too, I'm sure). I'll be getting a larger portion the next time she cooks this dish !

Other dishes worth trying here are the sei tai tin wong (four vegetables in sambal), otak-otak (either steamed or fried and the usual fresh greens. This is certainly our recommended place for hot pepper soup in Kajang. It may even be a contender for a place on our Top 10 restaurants list, although their limited menu holds them down.

Location : No. 278, Jalan Berjaya 8, Taman Berjaya, Sungai Chua, Kajang