AS RICH AS CROESUS: Halal / Pork free restaurants in KL

Showing posts with label Halal / Pork free restaurants in KL. Show all posts

Sunday, 27 March 2011

Delicious cafe vs Theobroma Chocolate Lounge

Hmmm..been very busy n had been neglegting this blog for many moons ha ha..anyway, few weeks back my ex-boss arranged a dinner for ex-colleagues and another ex-boss who just got back from India (he's working there), due to busy schedule I had to miss the dinner at E-San Thai Kitchen Ara Damansara http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/e-san-thai-kitchen-ara-damansara. My ex-boss fav restaurant it seems. He took us to the other branch in Taman Seputeh before http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/e-san-kitchen-taman-seputeh

Anyway, I had not seen my ex-colleagues TH (last met her during our Bangkok trip during xmas 2010), VK & NMM...since our dinner at VK's place. So, NMM called and insisted that we should have dinner soon. Since I'm only available on Sunday, NMM suggested we meet up for tea. I suggested Delicious since as UOB card holder, I can have 50% discount on 26/3/11 n 27/3/11...

On Saturday, my bf was busy with wedding dinner, so I went to 1U n walked into Theobroma Chocolate Lounge (bloggers seem to adore this place), ordered their Iceberg Lady and Seafood Spaghetti Olio Olio. The verdict? Iceberg Lady is just ok n the spaghetti Olio Olio not that satisfying...lack the oomph. For price visit here http://www.chocolatelounge.com.my/

Anyway, after the meal, I walked over to Delicious and tapau "Pan Seared Cod served with Sauteed Prawns on Ratatouille & Fried Potatoes" and "Aglio Olio Spaghettini with seafood". The cod fish was delicious but quite pricy at RM48.90 however at 50% discount, why not? The spaghettini..much better than the one in Theobroma Chocolate Lounge. http://www.delicious.com.my/#menu_mains

So, Sunday came and I got 2 massages from NMM n VK that they'll be late. I texted TH and she was at Mark & Spencer. We walked over to Delicious and she ordered "Hearty Noodle Soup with Cod, Vermicelli, Salted Vegetables & Tomato" and I ordered "Pan-seared Crispy Skin Salmon served with Coriander Relish, Asparagus & Fried Potatoes" and for drinks I ordered "Watermelon & Lychee Blast" and TH ordered "Frosty Lychee & Lime'. We enjoyed our late lunch and NMM arrived. She ordered Caesar Salad with Salmon and same drink as TH. VK arrived when I had finished my salmon n she ordered Caesar Salad with chicken. All of us enjoyed our selection. Then we decided to try "Traditional English Afternoon Tea for Two"....we can choose one cake from the display cabinet. "Peach Frangipane with Vanilla Ice Cream" looks good.

The set came with:
Warm Scones with Preserves & Fresh Cream
Assortment of Finger Sandwiches & Duck Confit in Filo Pastry
Strawberry Chocolate dip & Hand-Rolled chocolate truffles
Rosemary & Cheese Cookies
Choice of any one cake on display - we chose Peach Frangipane with Vanilla Ice Cream
Choice of any two cups of tea

Everyone attacked the scones first, then the peach frangipani. the scone is nice but the peach frangipani is just way too sweet...we couldn't finish the set n decided to tapau the leftover..

We stayed there for almost 4 hours and spend almost RM300 (RM287.20 to be exact), but at 50% discount and good chatty time with old friends...priceless.

What others said about Delicious & Theobrama n E San:
http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/theobroma-chocolate-lounge-one-utama

http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/delicious-cafe-tea-bread-one-utama-pj

http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/e-san-thai-kitchen-ara-damansara

http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/e-san-kitchen-taman-seputeh

Saturday, 5 December 2009

BB THAI SEAFOOD VILLAGE n more

Hei you....

Wow! been shying away from this blog for reaaally loong time, well.. one reason - I can't no longer blog in the office as they've installed firewall....sigh..

At home? Well most of the time after work I'll either see my bf for dinner or go to my bro's house to play with my nephews..... n by the time I got home I'll be plonking myself in front of the idiot box :-) Weekend? Hmm.. I'll stay in bed longer than usual, idiot box again n day dreaming on becoming a millionaire ha ha ha how? I've this character in my head that I wish I can animate in a cartoon movie... the problem? Ha ha I know diddly squat about animation... been surfing the net trying to learn cartoon making but..... too hard.... anyway...

So.. what have I been eaten for the last 3 months since Raya Puasa? Well... the usual haunts in Sri Damansara which I've blogged before, seafood stall behind Imbi which I blogged before as well, 1-Utama - been visiting Sakae Sushi few times, Chilli's, Victoria Station, Coliseum, Subway, Flying Chillies at Mid Valley, Salero Negori TTDI, Sari Ratu, Rumah Thai, Ayam Penyet, Nyonya Colors, Taiping Lim, restoran Anje, etc etc ... 3 months is a long time n I eat out every night....

Anyway, one night my bf asked me what I want to eat, I suggested De Chiang Mai in Sungai Buloh... ha ha easy to suggest but I don't know where the place is located! The suggestion was made when we were already in his car. So, he said we'll try to find the place. So, off we went and ended up at Sungai Buloh Hospital! We were hungry, so next suggestion Lala Chong near Terminal 3..... and guess what? They've moved! Well.. too late to explore for more restaurants and we decided to try a restaurant located next to Lala Chong former site.

A restaurant called BB THAI SEAFOOD VILLAGE.. ha ha I've forgotten what we ate but the food? Not bad all..... I'll definitely pay them a second visit....

Why not visit these sites to see what others said about this place:

If you want to know about Lala Chong Ara Damansara (Chinese), visit these sites - tried the old restaurant, yet to try the new one.

Nyonya Colors 1-Utama - very nice kuih but super expensive

Taiping Lim kiosk, Desa Park City - best RM1.50 karipap (curry puff) in KL

Flying Chillies The Gardens (Thai) - expensive but I like the food - spicy!!!

De Chiang Mai in Sungai Buloh (Thai) - tried the old restaurant, yet to try the new one.

Rumah Thai Taman Melati - hmm...typical thai hawker food (menu & taste) in restaurant setting! Probably will not pay a second visit..

Village View Bandar Baru Bangi - - hmm...typical thai hawker food (menu & taste) in restaurant setting! Probably will not pay a second visit..poor service too.

Salero Negori TTDI (Nasi Padang) - ok, but I prefer Sari Ratu.

Sari Ratu Jln Sultan Ismail (Nasi Padang) - I like the food here

Ayam Penyet Bandar Baru Bangi - I like the food here - super spicy!!

Nasi Briyani Gam Johor Restoran Anje Bandar Baru Bangi - not bad

Sakae Sushi 1-Utama - ha ha a jap restaurant that offer decent food w/o burning holes in your pocket

Chilli's 1-Utama / Bangsar Shopping Centre - my fav order? Cajun Fajitas :-)

Victoria Station Jln Ampang- my nephew loves Thomas the train..choo choo

Coliseum Cafe KL - food quality not as good as before, either they changed chefs or ... everything here don't change much since looong time ago.

Ha ha 3 months food......

Sunday, 12 July 2009

My Elephant Jalan 17/13, Seksyen 17 PJ

My group of friends (ex-colleagues turned friends) TH, NMM, VK & HA meet up regularly. We tried to make it once a month but of course sometimes because of other commitments we only manage to see each other once in 2 or 3 months. When we meet up we'd like to try new places, after all, these ladies don't eat much so when we meet up it is sort of a time to splurge and abandon dieting regime...-)

So, last friday we made plan to meet up after previous cancellation (last 3 weeks due to VK being away, we missed he in our previous outing). Thursday morning, HA sent an email telling everyone that hubby had planned for them to balik kampung on Friday night n she has to miss our date.

So, we proceeded without her. TH recommended My Elephant - she said it is pork-free, not sure meat is halal or not but we can order seafood. She had been there 4 times n enjoy the food there very much. We agreed and proceeded to the restaurant after work.

I didn't expect the restaurant to be located inside low cost flat! But the owner/s had done quite extensive renovation and turned the restaurant into a quite cosy place. According to TH, lots of diners patronizing this place especially during Fri-Sun and they are actually willing to que!

Lucky for us, TH managed to book a table and while we were at the end of our meal, we noticed quite a number of people were waiting outside for tables! Feeling uncomfortable, we didn't linger and finished our dinner and proceeded to Coffee Bean at Jaya1 to continue with our chit chatting

Our dinner:
Fish cake (starter) 5pcs RM8.00 (very nice, I wanted to order My Elephant starter plate but TH said it is too big portion. We also ordered Mieng kum - but they didn't have it, it was on the menu, perhaps it was sold out)

Image from http://spinzer.us/2009/04/my-elephant-happy-mansion/

Drinks - TH ordered Pandan cooler (RM3) while the rest ordered Kraciap cooler i.e roselle flavoured drinks RM3/glass - similar but nicer than ribena..

Tom yum - TH preferred tom yum with santan while NMM and I preferred tom yum minus santan so we ordered 2 types of tom yum. Tom yum seafood is nice and VERY spicy. Myele tom yum talay - VERY sweet. I don't like it at all. Tom yum seafood (s) RM20.00 and tom yum talay (s) RM23.00. Quite huge portion for a small bowl, 3 or 4 persons can share a bowl.

NMM likes kerabu and she ordered papaya salad RM10.00 and mango salad RM10.00. I like pucuk paku and we ordered it too RM12.00. Of all these 3 vegetable dishes, pucuk paku seems to be everyone's favourite.

Image from http://spinzer.us/2009/04/my-elephant-happy-mansion/

TH ordered mayonaise prawn RM18.00 - fried prawn + dragon fruit + mayonaise, she loves it but if I were to go to this place again I'll not order this dish again - too sweet and rich for my taste.

Image from http://blog.benghan.com/2008/07/my-elephant-thai-food-menu-ss17/

We noticed all our dishes quite dry - without gravy to 'wet' our brown rice (RM10 for 4pax), we decided to order fish green curry RM15.00. I like this curry as it was freshly prepared and served piping hot and not too rich nor sweet as serve at most thai restaurants. This dish? RM15.00.

Image from http://blog.benghan.com/2008/07/my-elephant-thai-food-menu-ss17/

I like omelette to go with my rice and ordered omelette with otak-otak (Khai Jiao Homok) RM12.00. TH objected as she said we ordered quite a lot already, anyway we proceeded with the order.

Image from http://blog.benghan.com/2008/07/my-elephant-thai-food-menu-ss17/

Total? RM165.00 and we paid RM41 each (NMM sponsored RM1.00 ha ha).

Will I go to this place again? YES but will try other food and order what I like ha ha..

Where?

My Elephant Thai Restaurant & Café,
Block C - G4 Happy Mansion, Jalan 17/13,
Section 17, Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 012-328 5028, 019-360 8911
Business hours: Tuesday to Sundays - noon to 2.30pm,
6 to 10pm except Sunday lunch.

What others said about this place:

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Food at Selayang Mall

From my previous postings, you'll notice that my office is in Selayang (been working here 1 and a half years already - since 4/2/08). Within walking distance we have very limited selection of eateries (mostly roadside stalls).

Most of the time I try to skip lunch (as part of my dieting attemp ha ha) but sometimes (if I skipped breakfast or dinner previous night) I'll be really hungry and need to eat during lunch time.

What to eat? the stalls or drive out? Most of the time I'll drive out to malay restaurants nearby Selayang stadium, or go to Selayang local council food court...

Recently I discovered a shopping mall nearby my office, only 10 minutes drive....so far I've tried:

Food court - quite yucky actually
Mc Donald - service here quite good. friendly and they serve you free coke when your food take longer time to prepare.
KFC - busy outlet.
Shakey's Pizza - the worst pizza joint I've ever been to! Yesterday I went to the mall to tapau my dinner, wanted to go to Penang Express but couldn't locate the shop, so decided to tapau pizza. I should have listened to my instinc! I was looking at the menu displayed at the entrance, a waiter came n hovered then she said if you want to tapau the menu is inside! I told her off and said I'll go in if I decide to buy food from the shop. Then another girl came and hover! For some unexplanable reason I walked in and ordered pizza and fried chicken. They took their time to take my order as they have to wait for different guy to man the cashier counter. After my order the food took long time to prepare (longer than pizza hut / domino time limit of 15-20min); When I asked the guy at the counter apologized and said they just realized they ran out of coleslaw and they are frying potato chips to replace the coleslaw and of course they never bothered to inform me about it! Then, came the pizza..the worst pizza I've eaver eaten...dry and tasteless! I've been to Shakey's at my old office in USJ9, taste not bad and service is good, when you go in they greeted you and while you wait they provide you with free coke. Here...well I will never ever go to this place again. Now, mystery solved. I mean Shakey's was amongst the pioneers in serving pizza in KL yet their presence compared to Pizza Hut and Domino's almost invisible...now you have your answer. http://julietchun.blogspot.com/2008/05/sale-jom-shopping.html ; http://ejartsweetcatchy.blogspot.com/2008/09/jalan2selayang.html
Ketupat & Rendang - in front of Shakey's 2 malay girls sell ketupat and rendang. As I was hungry everything look good :-) so i bought 1 bundle of rice ketupat (5 pieces per bundle) RM4.50; 5 pieces of ketupat pulut RM4.50 and 200 gram Rendang Tok RM10.00. Rendang Tok is delicious, I don't mind buying it again but the ketupat pulut taste very bland...I guess I can only eat good ketupat pulut from my mom.
Pappa Kopitiam - nothing special but palatable enough to fill one's hungry stomach. http://jancanfly.blogspot.com/2009/05/pappa-kopitiam-selayang-mall-kl.html ; http://mimid3vils.blogspot.com/2008/04/papa-kopitiam.html ; http://www.pappakopitiam.com.my/default.asp?contentID=533 ; http://www.3-meals.com/?p=318
Borneo Station - expensive and I don't like the food. http://www.borneostation.com/Default.asp ; http://sirei5198.blogspot.com/2009/04/borneo-station.html ; http://beckleesblog.com/?p=586
Garden's Cafe - food taste awful
Johnny's - same taste as other branches. place quite empty http://www.johnnyrestaurant.com/menu.htm ; http://www.sawanila.com/kedai/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=515:wefwefweferwfwe&catid=50:makan-time&Itemid=153 ; http://foodmoochers.blogspot.com/2007/04/johnnys-steamboat.html
Secret Recipe - don't have the craving for this place yet as I've frequented their Sri Damansara outlet very often. http://www.secretrecipe.com.my/
Penang Express - just tried today, they have promotion where you can order one drink (from 3pm to 6pm) and you get to buy char kuew tiaw for RM1. Offer from 3/6/09 to 30/6/09. Anyway, I went there during lunch time and my lime kasturi drink (lime and asam boi drink) and a plate of char kuey tiaw cost me RM12.40! very expensive. Still cheaper than Borneo Station, a plate of their fish noodle almost RM10!
Cone Pizza - yet to try http://www.foodstreet.com.my/food-street/opage.s?outlet=Italian+Cone+Pizza ; http://www.conepizza.com.my/ ; http://www.kornykornelius.com/?tag=cone-pizza
Haji Samuri - yet to try, I'm sure taste wise must be the same as other outlets. http://www.onestopmalaysia.com/food-reviews/selangor/kajang-satay-(haji-samuri).html ; http://kyspeaks.com/2007/06/20/ky-eats-sate-kajang-haji-samuri-at-damansara-uptown/ ; http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/venues/restoran-sate-kajang-hj-samuri-satay-bgn-dato-nazir ; http://www.thekualalumpurtraveler.com/satay-kajang-hj-samuri-the-best-satay-in-malaysia/

Thursday, 7 May 2009

Sensation Delight Cafe Damansara Perdana

One day my colleague brought steaming hot salted egg chicken wings to the office. He said his friend just opened a cafe in Damansara Perdana and he likes the food serves there especially the chicken wings. I asked him - halal? He said of course. He brought like 9 pieces of the wings and so each of us only got 1 piece...:-( It tasted really nice. I asked him where is the shop but his direction was a bit vague, he couldn't even remember the shop name! He said it is called 'cafe'.

I thought I could find the place on my own, so I went to Damansara Perdana one fine day and drove aimlessly....ha ha. No luck.

Today, I was really hungry but couldn't think of anything interesting to eat....:( So I asked my colleague again about the chicken wings place and asked him to draw me a map. He said "I'll print you a map from google!". I said "just in case what's the restaurant name?"

He said Sensation Delight..

Anyway, I googled to find out more info on the place but couldn't find much info but I did find a map and full adress here http://flatworldconcept.com/my/?p=113

Got to the place and couldn't find the restaurant! But the address was right... No wonder, the restaurant name is displayed inside the shop! From outside you can only see a word 'cafe'...

Anyway, no customer around as I drove straight from work n reached there early..so I guess too early for dinner. Their menu is quite extensive. Too lazy to wait, I just ordered Kam heong fried rice, salted egg chicken wings (the primary reason I was there) and another type of fried rice (forgotten the name)..hmm not that good since I can't recall its name.

Both types of fried rice very oily....i think if the cook reduce the oil perhaps it will be ok..I find kam heong fried rice quite interesting as it has nice smell from curry leaves.

Fried chicken? very nice though a tad oily too...and you MUST eat while it is still hot..once cold it tasted horrible.

Will I go there again? yes for the fried chicken. Other dishes? Well..just typical kopitaim offerings..not horrible and not great either....

If you decide to try this place, the restaurant is right in front of the road sign 'Jalan PJU 8/5A'. Still can't find the place? It's nearby Passion Cafe http://bestfoodnetwork.com/blog/lifes-passions-share-passion-cafe-damansara-perdana but when I was there Passion was closed. Other nearby restaurant is Mum's Place http://kyspeaks.com/tag/damansara-perdana/ ; http://www.photoblog.com/chanchiewsoo/2007/12/30/mums-place--damansara-perdana-pj.html

I noticed Damansara Perdana has lots of eateries, amongst them:

To try salted egg chicken wings try this recipe or visit Sensation Delight Cafe.

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Tuesday, 10 March 2009

Penang Flavour at 1-Utama

My bf n I love Penang food, every time we go to Penang we'll eat like no tomorrow! He had quite a few court cases in Penang and he always enjoy going there..rojak, asam laksa, char kuey tiaw, fish head noodle etc. And every time he goes there I'll be texting him asking him what had he eaten and how many bowls :-)

Any way, last sunday I had an appointment with Leonard Drake 1-Utama for my facial. After facial it was already 4ish almost 5pm and I hadn't had my lunch. I only took few pieces of toasts for my breakfast. I thought of having steak and cheese sandwich from Subway and while walking there I saw quite a lot of new eateries sprouting near Cold Storage (formerly the spot was occupied by Giant). One eatery caught my attention as a lot of diners were eating there. So, I decided to give Penang Flavour a try. I ordered char kuey tiaw - the waitress (I think she's the owner) asked me with or without chilly. I said with chilly. Then I saw nice picture of popiah displayed above the counter and decided to tapau popiah too. Both popiah and char kuey tiaw cost me RM13.00.

I was really starving when I reached home and despite my state of hunger the char kuey tiaw and popiah tasted really bland! I didn't enjoy them at all. I guess that'll be my first and last visit to this place.

There's another Penang food outlet at the old wing I think it is called Rasa Penang - I prefer this outlet though their food quality had deteriorated quite badly compared to few years back.

Anyway, with the number of eateries in 1-Utama now, finding something to eat will not be a problem.

What others said about the two places mentioned above:

Penang Flavour

Rasa Penang
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/10/7/sundaymetro/19066094&sec=sundaymetro

Sunday, 8 February 2009

Chili's Grill & Bar

Occasionally I crave for western/tex-mex food, but sometimes I had the craving when I had to dine solo. So, what do I do? Well....I'll drive to 1-Utama and head to TGIF or Chili's Grill & Bar and tapau food from there. Ha ha believe it or not sometimes I just parked my car, went up to Chili's, ordered my food and drove back!

Most of the time I'll tapau either buffalo wings and/or combo fajitas (beef+chicken - cajun style). Sometimes I'll go for grilled chicken salad or their burger. Tried their ribs before - don't like it. Their steak? Yeah tried that too and don't like it either.

Few days back, i was craving for fajitas...so off I went to 1-Utama. I ordered grilled chicken salad, triple play and combo cajun fajitas. A lot huh? Well I was greedy and of course I couldn't finish everything by myself. Well..I didn't waste the food, I just dumped the left over in my fridge and they lasted 3 days ha ha. Day 1 I had Chicken salad and a bit of triple play. Day 2 n 3 I stuffed on the rest of the food :-).

Anyway, I don't think I'll ever order triple play again - I love buffalo wings but the batter covered chicken was very oily and the egg rolls taste weird. Fajitas? I always love it but sometimes Chili's standard dipped a bit and the beef/chicken they served not that juicy (quite dry). Their grilled chicken salad was excellent.

Actually TGIF and Chili's are not the best places to go for western/tex-mex food, so why bother? well as I said sometimes I just feel like having food I mentioned earlier and these two outlets are the nearest to my place and they are quite tapau-friendly, just go to the bar, order and wait (sometimes I'll go some place else and return to collect the food later). If I wait at the bar, the waiter will serve coca cola for me on the house.

If I were to choose between the 2 eateries, I'll pick Chili's over TGIF. Chili's food is much better than TGIF.

Ohh..I should mention this, Chili's burger taste better if you leave it in the fridge a day or two before consuming it (of course I experienced this after I couldn't finish my food and stuffed them in the fridge). Sounds gross huh? Not really lah, normally I'll reheat the left over food in the oven before consuming them. How to throw away, expensive oii! My recent tapau food cost me RM85!

If I were to go with my friends to Chili's of course we always ordered bottomless drinks and nachos! I think that's the best thing about Chili's just sit down order the bottomless drinks and snacks and just chat away until someone says "Sorry guys got to go." :-)

their outlets:

What others said about Chili's:

and more.....

Thursday, 5 February 2009

Restoran Sri Nirwana Maju Bangsar

Tonight my bf needed to fix his glasses, so we went to BSC to our regular optician. After that we went to look at books at Times and decided to go to Sri Nirwana Maju for dinner. We used to frequent this place quite often but since BV1 & 2 started their business there we stopped going as finding parking place was not easy.

Anyway, since we were in the vicinity we decided to have our dinner there. The place was packed with diners! We wanted to sit outside (at the kaki lima) but all tables were fully seated
and the only table available was inside the shop (quite stuffy);

while ordering food, my bf noticed empty table outside the shop and quickly grabbed it!

The waiter then started piling up our leaves with rice, followed with side dishes (as shown in pictures) and we selected fish curry as our gravy. We also ordered additional dishes - fried tenggiri, chicken varuval and lamb dish.

Taste wise - we quite like this place but we wish they'll serve hot dishes (and hot steaming rice) instead of cold dishes and luke warm rice.

I couldn't finish my portion and my bf finished them for me.

We still prefer Kanna...

What others said about Sri Nirwana Maju:

and more.....

Wednesday, 4 February 2009

Restoran Ayuthai Taman Melawati

Went to Mindef for a meeting today. After meeting, one of my colleagues (who drove) was required to accompany the consultants and client to visit site, for the rest of us we had to wait at the road side...HOT HOT.......

Anyway, after waited for them for quite a while the architect suggested that we should go for lunch. Hmm about time! I was reaaaaly HUNGRY!

We were not sure where we were heading so we just followed our site staffs' car and they brought us to Restoran Ayuthai Taman Melawati.

My colleague (from site) ordered the food for 15 of us...the first to arrive tomyam soup campur...tasted very good (maybe because I was hungry?), then came stir fried kailan (not that good kinda tough), next..kerabu suun (tasted weird...can taste some sort of artificial flavour...something like instant noodle flavour powder), next chicken cooked with some sort of sauce (ayam paprik?) ...don't like this one either...the flavour a bit too strong. Next ayam pandan (over fried) but the taste and texture quite different from other thai places. Tasted like the chicken meat was minced and mixed with spices, wrapped with pandan leaf and fried. Not bad, but I prefer the usual pandan chicken. Last dish delivered to our table - steamed fish (kerapu?)...don't fancy this dish either but I think some of my colleagues loved it.

Over all I think the tomyam is good but the rest...pretty bad.

Ohh I read the review by blogger below about pandan chicken that they had at this place quote "It was oh so good, that you just wanted to pop them in your mouth every chance you got. Even though I said pop in your mouth, it was still too big to do so in actuality. You could tell that the chicken was fully marinated and rested, before it was enveloped with pandan leaves and fried fragrant." Hmm did we go to the same restaurant? the pieces served to us....really tiny and the leaves and chicken pieces were charred pretty badly!

Restoran Ayuthai
15, Jalan Bandar 1, Taman Melawati, 53100 Hulu Klang, Selangor DE, Malaysia

What others said about Ayuthai:

Sunday, 18 January 2009

California Express BBQ and Grille Station - 1 Utama Old Wing

Went for my facial at Leonard Drake 1-Utama today (2.15pm), I was rushing from home and didn't eat anything for b'fast/lunch except a few pieces of Mark & Spencer Chocolate Viennese Sandwich with a mug of coffee (nescafe).

So by the time I finished with my facial it was already about 4.45pm and I was famished! But I need to run some errands for my sister (at Jusco) before I eat. Passed by KFC and saw lots of people queing so I went to Jusco to buy SKII set for my sis. Once done walked back to KFC, still a long que!

So, decided to walk over to Jusco food court (opposite Jusco supermarket) and walked around and see what can I eat - sushi? not in the mood; nasi lemak? no; roast chicken? no; noodles? no; pau? no; various snacks? no. Finally I settled on food from California Express BBQ and Grille Station. I saw quite a number of people eating there...food? didn't look that appertising but I just don't know what to eat...:-(

I ordered (tapau) fish and chips and chicken chop (thought of going to my sis's house after I was done with 1-Utama). Sigh...had to wait quite a while. When I asked the bangladeshi waiter he apologised - he said they only have one cook so it'll take a while....thought of leaving but the bangla looked soo sincere and I felt guilty to cancel my order...

Reached home (decided to forget about my sis's house, too tired) and decided to eat both dishes (ha ha didn't finish them, just tried a bit from both dishes), nothing great, but then again what can one expect? It is cheap. Exceeds my expectation though..I though it will taste a lot worse :-)

Surprisingly, quite a few bloggers actually love this place. For pictures and price and review on various dishes visit blogs listed below.

Images from http://kampungboycitygal.com/?p=434

Other bloggers:

Wednesday, 14 January 2009

My dining places in Bandar Sri Damansara

I don't usually cook, I eat out everyday. My office is in Selayang and my house is in Bandar Sri Damansara, so if I eat by myself, my lunch is in Selayang (namely stalls - about 2 of them located opposite my office; just too lazy to drive out to Selayang town- most of the time I skip lunch) and my dinner is in Bandar Sri Damansara.

Well..Sri Damansara (SD) is not big in term of food scene....so my choice is very limited. But, for me I just eat so that my tummy won't growl. To demonstrate my 'chincai' attitude to my daily meals? Hmm last friday after qiqong at the office, I went to the pasar malam near my office, bought fried mee mixed with kueytiaw (RM2), beef murtabak (RM2), Rawang popiah (RM2), karipap (RM2) and coconut drink (RM3). In the car towards home I polished off the karipap. My dinner at home the fried noodles. My next day lunch - popiah n murtabak.

http://www.rasamalaysia.com/uploaded_images/meegoreng-746330.jpg

Images from http://www.rasamalaysia.com/, http://masak-masak.blogspot.com/ & http://www.freewebs.com/noormasri/kuihmuih.htm,

Basically in Sri Damansara, there are:

7 mamak restaurants (Nasi Kandar Sedap, Al-Safa, Riyadth and 2 other eateries within the same enclave, AMS Smart and Al-Bidayah);
2 Fast food joints - McD (next to Shell petrol station) & Pizza Hut (next to Maybank);
Secret Recipe (next to Grand Union supermarket) and;
2 malay restaurants (Zulpura & an unnamed restaurant next to it);
a chinese-malay-thai-western restaurant (Groupbase) behind RHB Bank and;
rows of malay stalls along Persiaran Meranti and stalls opposite 7-11.
there are few more restaurants and stalls but you have to drive further inside Sri Damansara (away from main road, towards the mosque and probably other areas too) - so I never really bothered.

I'll rotate my dining schedule between these eateries.

For mamak I usually frequented either Nasi Kandar Sedap or Al-Safa . I went once to Riyadth and saw a worker sneezed while preparing my food and I just walked off and never to return. Normally I'll eat either nasi kandar or fried mee and sometimes tosai or capati at Nasi Kandar Sedap or Al-Safa . Actually I quite like tosai at Al-Safa.

Al-Safa was quite a new addition to Sri Damansara, before that, the corner lot was occupied by few indian restuarants but for some reason kept on changing owners. I never bothered to try Al-Safa until my hair stylist at Bianco told me that the food there was not bad. Certainly better than other mamak eateries in Sri Damansara but not great.

http://slightlyfamous.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/img_0037.jpg

Images from http://masak-masak.blogspot.com/ & http://wordpress.com/tag/tosai/ & http://abutang.blogspot.com/

As for malay food I frequented Zulpura more than its neighbour. The neighbour's food? Well lots of varieties and arranged like a buffet table at a hotel (nasi campur dishes) but taste wise? I prefer Zulpura. Even their nasi goreng, noodles etc taste quite bland...:-(

There's a stall in front of Grand Union selling nasi campur during day time and nasi lemak at night. Taste better than Zulpura or its neighbour...but not that much varieties. Once in a while ok la I guess...at least I've an alternative place....if I get bored with the limited eateries that I mentioned earlier.

[Ayam+Masak+Lemak+Cili+Padi.JPG] [85+lauk+ikan+kering+-+dah+goreng.JPG] Images from http://bp2.blogger.com/ & http://makan.cari.com.my/ & http://www.mesra.net/ & http://pensel2b.blogspot.com/

Malay stalls (rows of stalls opposite 7-11) - Well..I guess taste wise maybe similar to Zulpura's neighbour.

Stalls along Persiaran Meranti? hmm..looks quite dirty to me (stalls are located just next to a storm drain, I guess easy for them to discharge their waste). I don't think they have water tap here (I guess the hawkers bring their own water).

Zulpura used to have really good nasi lemak but now somehow the quality is just not the same (maybe they changed their cook, I noticed a lot of old staffs no longer there, now the shop is run almost entirely by Indon). Here normally I'll order Mee Hailam/Mee Bandung/Mee or Mihun goreng/Nasi Goreng for dinner and for weekend lunch - nasi campur. Taste? Can eat la but not great.

[mihun_goreng_tomyam.jpg] [DSC04339.JPG] Images from http://www.melayu.com/ & http://alkiram.ne/t & http://beelibaala.blogspot.com

Sometimes I also go to this mobile stall opposite school/SD Apartment II - they sell soto, laksa, bubur sup, bakso, nasi ayam - tried all except bakso (never like bakso). Not bad....

soto ayam mak ngah

Images from:

http://www.rasamalaysia.com & http://kampungttjs.com/ & http://wadthe.wordpress.com/category/finest-cafe/

Groupbase? For a change I'll pay them a visit once in a while. Their nasi campur spread quite big (better than Zulpura) but more expensive. I like their spread because they offer more vegetable dishes compared to most malay restaurants. Their curry laksa very nice. Sometimes I tapau their nasi ayam and beef & spring onion noodles.

The rest of the menu? Tried almost all of them and I don't like it. Once brought my bf n his mom for dinner here. Major disaster! Service was bad and food was horrible (we ordered dishes), I remember their kailan was tough n the rest of the dishes equally bad. My bf said he'll never return to this place. Of course his mom wasn't happy either...oops!
Ginger Beef Noodles by Ethan W. Seafood curry laksa by the food pornographer.
Image from http://upload.wikimedia.org/ & http://www.thefoodpornographer.com/ & http://flickr.com/

When I'm bored with all the above I'll pay Secret Recipe a visit - normally I'll tapau chicken kebab, tumeric chicken or vietnamese noodle and sometimes spaghetti bolognaise or chicken cordon bleu or their steak or fish & chips or their pies. Ha ha had tried almost their entire menu...again taste not that great but a girl has to eat right?

[Meatball+Spaghetti.JPG]
Images from http://miccgal.blogspot.com/ & http://eden2812.blogspot.com/ & http://fei-not.blogspot.com/ & http://yonglui.blogspot.com/

Next alternative - fast food - McDonald or Pizza Hut or Domino (delivery)...

Breakfast? Plenty of nasi lemak mobile stalls along the roads in the morning (especially along Persiaran Meranti). They sell usual stuff - nasi lemak, nasi dagang, nasi kerabu, laksam, mihun/mi/kuewtiaw/nasi goreng and kuih. For me I've tried almost all of them and I prefer the 1st stall that you'll see sited opposite rows of terrace houses next to the low cost apartments (if you are coming from SD Apartment, the first stall on the left). I love their beef rendang. Again the standard has somehow slides, used to taste better (perhaps they sourced the kuih etc from different supplier now). Even the nasi lemak etc does not taste good anymore...what a pity.
Nasi Lemak Chawan by boo_licious.

http://www.tourism.terengganu.gov.my/culinary/images/nasidagang/28.jpg

Image from http://masak-masak.blogspot.com/
& http://cheateat.typepad.com/ & http://mybeat14.blogspot.com/ & http://www.myresipi.com/

Bakeries? 2 of them one is the one next to Watson and the other one is Berry's. I prefer Berry's.

Of course quite a number of stalls selling typical malaysian tea favourites - goreng pisang, cendol, fruit rojak, putu buloh etc in the evening too.
[PISANG+GORENG.JPG]

http://ketela.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/cendol.jpg

Images from
http://rozzan.blogspot.com/ & http://ketela.wordpress.com/ & http://singapuradailyphoto.blogspot.com/ & http://masak-masak.blogspot.com

What does my bf thinks about the eateries above? He doesn't like any of them. So, when we eat our dinner (or weekend lunch) we'll drive out as you have read from previous postings.

What others say about the eateries:

Zulpura
It's called Restoran Zulpura and the nasi lemak is good. They also have lontong, fried mee and kuih-muih. The lunch spread is also good. [Posted By Dim Sum]
http://www.friedchillies.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/2110/#14801

Groupbase
excerpt:
They've got quite nice hokkien noodles there. the sauce were really thick black and everything was balanced.
http://zazacraftsandcooks.blogspot.com/2007/08/hokkien-noodles.html

..tak pernah saya kecewa dengan makanan di Groupbase. Nasi campurnya dengan lauk yang fresh tak pernah tak sedap. Masakan goreng nasi ke, mee ke ala China memang best. Chicken chop dia ni, according to my daughter yang suka chicken chop, is the best in KL. Masakan Thai dia pun best. http://malay.cari.com.my/archiver/?tid-145571.html

setakat ni tempat mkn paling murah dan best yg saya selalu pegi kat area Sri Damansara.. nama restaurant tu Group Base ..
http://mforum.cari.com.my/archiver/?tid-360219-page-26.html

groupbase! Haha, it's a restaurant in bdr sri damansara that has been opened for sooo long? Since.. before I was born, actually. HAAAAA! Lama kan? Since we ate dinner already, we had dessert. MMMMMMMMM, I had I had I had. Hahahah chocolate mousse cake :D Omgggg.. It felt like ice cream melting in my mouth. http://coloursoftherainbow94.blogspot.com/2008/11/restless-soul.html

groupbase sedap I went there several times plus ada chinese style of cooking. http://serangkai.blogspot.com/2005/10/annual-iftar.html

My food wishlist - 1. Honey Lemon Chicken Rice at Groupbase Restaurant, Bdr Sri Damansara.
http://primadonafae.blogspot.com/2008/09/food-always-in-my-mind.html

stopped by Groupbase Restaurant in Sri Damansara for lunch at 1.40pm. Had rice with sweet & sour fish, beancurd + vegetables and sambal.
http://amirfuadh.blogspot.com/2007/12/busy-saturday.html

http://klchin.blogspot.com/search/label/Food%20in%20Bandar%20Sri%20Damansara%20-%20Groupbase/Thaibase%20Restaurant

http://www.mymesra.com.my/index.php?ch=lpg&pg=lpg_makan_places&ac=49

http://malaysianfoodreview.weblog.com/2008/2/GroupBase-ThaiBase-Bandar-Sri-Damansara-K-L.html
http://epoi8787.blogspot.com/2008/08/makan-d-groupbase-sri-damansara.html

Nasi Kandar Sedap
http://my.88db.com/my/Services/Post_Detail.page/Food_Beverage/Restaurant/?PostID=82658

http://www.bernas.com.my/sedapsd.htm

Stall Beragas
1. restoren beragas sri damansara (org sekitar area ni mmg tau la tpt ni... artis2 pon selalu nampak mkn kat sini dgn spek itam atau cap atau selendang ala2 cover line giteww)
http://www.pekanrabu.biz/ruang-sembang-sembang-f30/tempat-makan-yang-best-dikawasan-anda-t759.htm

Nasi ayam Baragas - Lokasi di Bandar Sri Damansara. Sebelah MCD di direct stall mkn. Kedai di tgh. Nasik ayam die nie lain pesen skit lah. Psl ayam die goreng ranggup kalah KFC hehehe. Harge pun oklah kalau tak silap rm4.00 kot.
http://nogold.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-20568.html

Other eateries in Sri Damansara (not necessarily halal)
http://klchin.blogspot.com/2008/11/food-in-bandar-sri-damansara-part-1-of.html

AS RICH AS CROESUS