Indian Rojak and Vadai @ SS15 Subang Jaya

We had Indian rojak in SS15 in Subang Jaya where there was a long line of people with similar intent. We found this popular roadside stall quite by accident, actually.

That's the menu, we had the one with squid and a boiled egg.

This was real good, the gravy was not too thick, nor too watery, with just the right hint of spiciness. I loved how the testure of the crunchy cucumber and sengkuang (yam bean) contrasted with the springy slices of boiled egg.

Next to the Indian rojak stall was another selling Indian savoury treats.

We bought a bunch of vadai, the best I've ever had. It was fresh off the wok, really crunchy on the outside and delightfully aromatic inside.

They have loads of chickpeas on sale too.

And what I think was the softer version of vadai.

3-bams for good snacking.

Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng, Jalan Burmah, Pulau Tikus, Penang

Right after the char koey teow lunch at Kedai Kopi Sin Hwa, we went across the road when hubby insisted on checking out the famous Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng.

The veteran cooks in action.



The price list.


Hubby's plate of mee goreng sotong (RM3.00). The sotong adds a nice touch to this dish.




Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng

270, Jalan Burmah,

Pulau Tikus, Penang.
Mobile: 016-4857859

Business hours: 8.00am-6.30pm (Closed on Mondays)






3 bams.

Raju Restaurant, Off Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya

I am sure most folks know this place. On weekend mornings it is filled to the brim with people dining al-fresco under shady trees. While the atmosphere is really nice, I am afraid the service and value-for-money at Raju is really not up to par. Being a corner lot, Raju has a large sitting area next to it. The roti canais are also cooked outdoors, under the skies.


Like most Indian food shops, there is a big array of marinated meats and fish all ready to be deep fried.

We each had a teh tarik, and I was disappointed with the thinness and tastelessness of the drink. It was so watered down for a RM1.50 cuppa.

The roti canai (RM1.20/piece) was light and fluffy, mom and hubby enjoyed it very much.

I had the roti pisang (RM2.90) which was not bad, but it took ages to arrive. My gripe was that they did not bother to provide curry and the portable containers containing curry were quickly taken away before I even had a chance to scoop some.

We ordered 2 pieces of deep fried chicken drumsticks which tasted really good, but were really expensive at RM5.00/piece of drumstick alone (note: NOT for the whole chicken leg). This small plate cost us RM10.00! More than 2 pieces of KFC would have cost!

Hubby ate half the deep fried tenggiri fish slice before I remembered to get a shot. This tiny piece of tenggiri fish (size of 3 RM0.50 coins) cost RM4.50!

Service at Raju's was bad, waiters ignored our requests and orders were late despite reminders, and although food was good, the price was exorbitant for the small quantity served. I would not come here again, due to the poor service, the ghastly teh tarik and the not-worth-it factor. Visit at your own peril, you are likely to feel suckered after the meal.

#27 Jalan Chantek,

Off Jalan Gasing,

Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 03-7961361

2-bams or less!

Rumah Ku Gallery and Cafe, Jalan University, Petaling Jaya

Having tried and happily blogged on the Rumahku outlet in Brickfields, we decided to give the PJ branch a go. Service here was excellent, with very attentive staff and the ambience was just great! They even have a tiny bell on each table for you to use to summon a waiter. You can check out their website for a closer look; the website even has menus with price listed.

Hubby ordered the nasi lemak with chicken rendang (RM6.50). It was good, very piquant, and yet hubby preferred if it had come with the ayam masak merah. We both have happy childhood memories of ayam masak merah cooked by our respective moms.
And that's what I had, the ayam (chicken) masak merah with rice (RM6.90). It was sweetish and by all means good, and yet somehow it was lacking a certain ooomph that came with the ayam masak merah that we had at the Rumahku in Brickfields. Different chef, most likely.

We ordered a plate of mutton porial (RM6.00) to share. This was basically mutton cubes cooked and slathered in dry curry spices. The mutton taste was not too overwhelming (I'm not a big fan of mutton or lamb), so I actually enjoyed this dish.

It was indeed a rather filling outing for the both of us, with all the rich curry-laden dishes.

Rumah Ku Gallery and Cafe

(PJ)6A, Jalan Universiti,

46100 Petaling Jaya.

Mobile: 012-3131073

Map:http://rumahkuonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=15

Website: http://rumahkuonline.com/index.php

We give this PJ outlet a 3-bam. In terms of taste, we would still vote for the Rumahku outlet in Brickfields.

Rumahku Restaurant, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

We read about Rumahku in The Star and based on the good reviews, we were tempted to go try it out. We know Brickfields very well, but have never come across this restaurant, it must be relatively new.

We wanted to order the mutton varuval (it's actually dry mutton porial), but apparently that was a very popular dish and it was sold out. Have to come earlier next time!

As was recommended in the newspaper article, we had to sample the deep fried tuna cutlets, reminiscent of vadai but with fish. They were pretty good, RM3.50 for 3 pieces which came with a yoghurt-onion-cucumber dip. You can see my half-eaten tuna cutlet above, rusty blogger that I am, I forgot to take any pictures till the dish was almost gone.

For main course, I opted for the chicken briyani. The chicken pieces were all hidden inside the rice, and they were pretty generous with the meat! At RM8.90, the briyani rice was very savoury and rich with spices, one of the best I've eaten in KL. I loved the raisin chutney for the sweet taste that went very well with the savoury rice, but could not locate any raisins....it was more a sweet paste than a chutney. The curry gravy was thick and complemented the briyani perfectly.

Hubby ordered the nasi lemak with ayam masak merah. I had a taste and fell in love with the ayam masak merah. Superb! It was comparable to the ayam masak merah that hubby's mom cooks, teeming with a strong taste of tomato, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Excellent, and at RM6.90, very worth it! Hubby loved the nasi lemak rice too, which was fluffy and rich with coconut milk and pandan. It went very well with the sambal belacan and the chicken.

There's a branch (Rumahku Gallery & Cafe) at Jalan University PJ, just opposite Universty Hospital, same row as Mitsuoka.



Rumahku
202, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields,
50470 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-22603475
Mobile: 012-3131073 (Sunita Mahesan)
Email: rumahku_gallerycafe@yahoo.com
Map: http://rumahkuonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=14

Website: http://rumahkuonline.com/

The Brickfields Rumahku is on the main road of Jalan Tun Sambanthan, facing KL Sentral Station, opposite of the Pos Laju building.

This place garners a high 3-bam++ rating from us.

What we ate in Penang during Chinese New Year

So we went for a short visit to Penang during CNY to lookup our relatives. Most Chinese-owned restaurants/hawker stalls were closed, so we had a quick lunch at Kapitan Restaurant at Gurney Hotel, which is a mamak outlet.

Mee goreng (RM3.00).

Special chicken tikka (RM6.00) and plain naan (RM1.30). The chicken was very good, coated with thick delicious spices and grilled, giving it a smoky flavour.

Cool Cha vegetable Indian pizza (RM4.00), which is basically a naan embedded with vegetables.

Shish Kebab, this version is grilled marinated spicy minced lamb rolls (RM10.00). I don't take lamb, but those who do should try this out as bro-in-law's reviews were good.

To avoid the traffic jam, we had buffet dinner at the Penang Hydro Majestic Hotel (formerly known as Ferringhi Beach Hotel) where we stayed. Food was ok, nothing to shout about. Cost us a cool RM40.00++/person.

They served salmon yee sang, eat all you can.

Baked potato with sourcream and bacon bits.

Hodge podge of food from the buffet spread.

Hodge podge of food from the BBQ spread.

Satay fresh from the grill.

Dessert.......fruit cocktail jelly.

Restoran Kapitan, Bayan Baru, Penang

We were up north for the weekend, and decided to drop by in Penang for a visit. Needless to say, food was high on the agenda. Some time back when the Aussie clan was here, bro-in-law (to be) took us to this restaurant called Kapitan, and we tasted the best chicken briyani we've ever had. So this trip, we decided to relive the mouth-watering experience (started salivating just thinking about it). The Restoran Kapitan that we went back then was the original HQ. This time around, we went to a new branch as we were famished and did not want to spend time searching for (and getting lost in the process!) the HQ somewhere in Georgetown.

We went to the branch next to Queensbay Mall, and like the original HQ, this place is famous for its Tandoori chicken, so hubby-to-be ordered that, with an accompaniment of plain briyani rice. The Tandoori chicken looked really good, a nice shade of red with crisp, slightly burnt edges. Taste wise, nobody had any complaints, but methinks the Tandoori paled in comparison to my order.

Yummy Tandoori chicken at RM7.50, inclusive of the briyani rice and dhal below.

Excellent briyani rice, not too oily and each grain is coated with spices and a nice golden hue. The rice went very well with a serving of dhal or fish/chicken curry.

Dhal, with a dollop of potato.

I HAD to HAVE the famous claypot chicken briyani. No other dish would do.

So here was my fixation, finally sated. The whole chicken leg resting upon the rice is grilled to perfection. It is slathered with spices (curry spices; cummin powder and such) that permeates into its flesh and retains its tender succulence. The flavour stays in the mouth and belly even after the meal is over......that's how good it is.

A close-up of my most favourite chicken briyani....ever! The menu says it's RM7.00/claypot, but when the bill came they charged us only RM6.50. More plus points!

We took away 3 additional boxes of the chicken briyani for the family (and ended up eating 2!). Oh what joy!

Restoran Kapitan

89G, Persiaran Bayan Bay,

Bayan Baru,

Penang, Malaysia.

Tel: 04-6463411

This branch is located at the row of shophouses adjacent to Queensbay Mall. It's a huge corner lot, not facing the main road, but you should be able to spot it if you are coming down the road from the small roundabout that leads to Queensbay Mall.

Other branches (all are open 24-hours):

Restoran Kapitan (HQ)

93, Lebuh Chulia,

10200 Penang.

Tel: 04-2641191

Gurney Drive (behind Starbucks cafe at Gurney Hotel area)

Mobile: 017-4777422

Our rating system for overall satisfaction with what we eat and where we eat....

1-bam = don't even bother
2-bam = good enough to fill the tummy
3-bam = a very good restaurant in its category
4-bam = excellent cooking, worth a detour
5-bam = exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey


We would give this restaurant a 5-bam rating for the best chicken briyani in Malaysia. We even recommended it to my uncle, aunt and cousin from KL who were also down in Penang last weekend.

Mee Goreng @ Nasi Kandar Penang Restaurant, Off Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur

It's rare that I eat at a mamak shop, even rarer that I eat mee goreng, but we have found this place that serves really yummy mee goreng. After our trip to the Maju Junction Registration Department last Saturday, (heh heh......needed to get some paperwork done for our coming big day), we found ourselves having breakfast here. The shop is just right across the road from Maju Junction, a corner lot.

The mee goreng we had was very tasty and slightly sweet, but not cloyingly so. A squeeze of fresh lime perfected it. At RM4.00 per plate, it was slightly pricier than usual, but worth it. The drinks here were expensive, though. A glass of iced tea (with milk) cost RM1.80.

Nasi Kandar Penang (mamak shop)
#1, Jalan Medan Tuanku,
Off Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman,
50100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: 03-26941881

Our rating system for overall satisfaction with what we eat and where we eat....

1-bam = don't even bother
2-bam = good enough to fill the tummy
3-bam = a very good restaurant in its category
4-bam = excellent cooking, worth a detour
5-bam = exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey

We would give the mee goreng a 3-bam rating.