Johor 2013 (Lunch Part 1): Restoran Sedap

Work has brought me to the Southern Gateway.. And was I lucky to be accompanied by a fellow Johorean who brought us to all the good food. Yums..

The restaurant has been around since 1987. So that should mean something right?

The restaurant offers a variety of kuih-muih (cakes and desserts). Mostly are nyonya kuih.

I got to try out one of this coconut/screwpine pudding, which is more of a Thai dessert. The saltiness from the coconut and sweetness from the screwpine mixed with the fragrance from both ingredient is such a powerful combination.

Then, there is this Bandung with a twist ~ Bandung Soda. That's quite refreshing.

My friend ordered a tom yum.. Didn't get a taste of it, as it looks too little

We also ordered fried chicken. It was crisply fried but not well marinated. Pretty typical fried chicken, I would say..

Okay, okay.. I know this is not right... Coming to Johor and eat a steamed otak-otak? Isn't that a Northern thing??

Well I guess it is proven that you should stick to the Southern otak-otak..

Another friend ordered Cantonese Fried (above). I decided for Mee Bandung, a Southern famous fried noodles (Malay/Bandung Style).. Taste a bit ketchupy.. But the half cooked egg saved the day :P

Restoran Anggrek Kuring

Puchong.. The name itself already sounded far fetch to me. What more when some of my Muslim colleagues ask me to bring them for some good food in Puchong. Stress!
As much as I love variety and food venture, I have limited experience to offer. So it was fortunate to bump into Anggrek Kuring when we came to Puchong for some work related matters.

Location: No.30-1, Jalan Puteri 1/4, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.
Rating: Good

To tell the truth.. Even before the food came. I am already bought over by the soft ambience. I mean, can you imagine to walk in from the noisy environment outside, into a quiet soothing room like this..

We asked the waiter to recommend us on what drink to take. He said Kopi-O Kelapa. I was speechless... Kopi-O in malaysia means black coffee and Kelapa means coconut. black coffee with coconut??? Nah... It is actually Kopior Kelapa. A blended mixture of coconut flesh and its juice. Trust me... One glass is not enough.

My friend ordered Nasi Timbel. It is basically rice wrapped in banana leaf, served with deep fried chicken , fried beancurd, prawn crackers and skewered meat/prawn. In the olden days, people wrapped food in banana leaf because (1) there was no such thing as plastic/metal containers, and (2) banana leaf is a very effective preserver (food won't turn bad for a longer time). But for those who have tried a banana leaf wrapped nasi lemak (coconut milk rice), the aroma contributed by the banana leaf is unforgettable.

I ordered Nasi Ayam Panggang. It comes with a quarter roasted chicken, fried beancurd, skewered prawns, chilli/sambal prawns and prawn crackers. I can't say much about this. It is not particularly aromatic or tasty. But... the redemption comes in the sambal in the following pic.

Ah.. this is the one.... The sambal has a tinged of soybean in it. So I suspected this is not really Sambal Terasi (of Sundanese cuisine) but Sambal Taucho (of Sulawesi origin). One thing is for sure, the sambal is "endearingly" spicy. This is the center of attraction for all of us, as it pulls all the flavour and tecture togather and make our meal interesting.

While flipping through the menu, I came across an interesting side dish called Pepes Jamur. I guess anything wrapped and grilled in banana leaf is called pepes. Jamur stands for mushrooms. I'd expected strong aroma and taste from this side dish, but it came pretty bland. The good thing is you can still taste the flavour of mushrooms, despite many ingredients combined in this dish. On the other hand, it seemed kind of wasted that so many ingredients and it still came out bland. Maybe it is my expectation that needs adjustment. My mind is already fixed with the idea of otak-otak, which is stronger in flavour and aroma.

I got this map from its website. An interesting place to go, if you are bored with the usual Malay, Chinese & Indian fare.

Quickie: Marmalade @ Publika

Since becoming mommy, there's not much of me time unless you count bathroom time as one. And meeal time is always a rush to serve the kids and keeping them entertain while gobbling down the cold food or warm ice cream. Sigh..
So I count this as blessing when I found a place that the kids can eat and have fun, while we adults can enjoy our warm meal at our own leisure pace. Ah......

So far we find the food decent and quite refreshing. I like the surprising burst of taste from cranberries here, sprinkles of almonds there.

I like the balanced proportion of meat and vegetation. I learnt to appreciate the feeling of satisfied but not stuffed.

And as parents, we are glad they take effort to prepare healthier version of food like preservative free sausages and stuff.

And the kids get to enjoy!
And so are the parents..

Gopeng Lai Fun Tou

With smartphone.. I hope I can make a come back. Haha.. (but bare with my spelling mistakes. Fat fingers..)
And my post this time is a revisit by chance.. Coming back from KL for the festive celebration is a real torture. We started off at 4pm and reach Ipoh at 10pm. All rest stops are jammed with cars and people. And most of the famous makan place like rawang steam fish, ulu yam loh mee, bidor duck noodles and kampar claypot rice are jammed packed as well. BUT this is one place that we can still enjoy good food at our own pace and space.
I like it for its simple homemade quality. All things from the rice noodles (lai fun) to the fish pastes (liu) are all freshly made on the spot. I am never a fan of lai fun. I don't like the chewy-unbreakable texture of the normal lai fun. But this one is nicely adjusted to give the smooth surface without the chewy feeling. The soup is clear fish stock without the artificial flavour. The fish pastes are all very solid. It is interesting to find not only spring onion but sesame in the noodles soup. I won't say the food is superb. But I would say they are simply fulfilling.

Most stuff are lapped up by customers within minutes they came out from kitchen. So the window time to visit this place is 8pm to 9.30pm.

Direction: from NSE's Gopeng exit traffic light, take a right turn towards Gopeng town. Turn right on the second traffic light into Taman Gopeng Baru. Go straight through 5 road bumps. Along the way you will pass by residential houses. Turn left to the shophouses after the 5 bumps. You wil find the nameless but pretty famous shop. Have fun!

Quickie: Nasi Kukus Ayam Goreng Berempah

My goodness... The original post was 7/24/08!!! I am extremely sorry. As I looked through my list, I find so many unfinished drafts. Some of the shops had failed (in line with my rating them poor). While some of them remained as popular as ever like this stall in Menara Boustead.

Location: Menara Boustead Food Court, Jalan Raja Chulan
Rating: Good

To be truthful, I can't even remember the dining experience clearly. But I do remember that the food in general is good. Partly because I love rice that is well cooked and I find steamed rice is soft and fluffy to the bite. I like it that they give you lots of sauce (or kuah in malay language).
The chicken is fragrant. It had to as it is fried chicken with spices. Though the chicken itself is nothing to shout about, but the combination of soft fluffy rice with ample sauces and spicy chicken made it a good deal.
If you are looking for a quick lunch, no frills, this is it.

Restoran Selera Kampung

I have been having this draft for the past 1 year. I took some photos on my first visit, but I find them insufficient for me to share with you. Then there was a construction going on in that area, making the visit a bit troublesome. When the construction finally ended, I came back to get my final shots and here's what I have got to share with you.

Location: Behind Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, facing Jalan Raja Laut.
Rating: Good

Review
It's self service here. You come in and line up to indicate what you want. You could choose rice, chapati, or other knick-knacks like samosa or vadai. If you do not indicate what type of accompaniments you want, the server will naturally scoop 2 types onto your plate. For meat, you can choose chicken or mutton (I can't remember if there's beef). But I liked the chicken.This is what I picked on the second time. A piece of chapati, chicken curry and dhal. I learnt my lesson. Why?

The first time I came, I was hungry and greedy (that's always the case, when you're hungry). I thought 1 piece of chapati wouldn't be enough to satisfy my emptiness. Moreover, those other knick knacks look so inviting. I ended up taking an additional piece of vadai and fried vege (in the pic after x2 this).Moral of the story : Control your greediness when you're hungry. Anyway, the food was good. The chapati is freshly made, so it is warm and soft. That coupled with the tenderly cooked chicken curry was good.

I enjoyed this fried vege in batter, but eating them alone with chapati is too much. The sauce is sourish in taste, hence it goes very well with the other heavy stuff. I like to mix this together with the chapati and curry, so that I don't feel too stuffed too soon.
My friend ordered rice instead of chapati. So for those that do not like chapati, you have other options. But even for a non bread fan like me enjoy those chapati, I seriously recommend you try that.

I love this dhal (in actual fact I am not sure if it is dhal). I love the creamy texture that is fragrant with vege and spices.Even the fried cauliflower with long beans tastes really good. Maybe it was my hunger, but I still felt the same on my second visit.And to top it all off, I like to order Nescafe special - fresh cow milk with nescafe. Just look at the tri-coloured creamy+fragrant coffee. What a fulfilling lunch. Ahhh...

What's with Singaporean & thick rice noodles?

It's been 13 years since I last stepped foot on Singapore. A China friend asked me why wouldn't I visit Singapore more often, since I am so near to the country. Erm... Let me see;
Do I like shopping? No.
Do I like Singapore food? What to love? I am all confused.

I am staying at the southern side of Singapore for business convenience. Food wise, there is nothing much to offer except chain stores and stuff. I walked to Tanjong Pagar Exchange and saw this "Ampang Yong Tau Fu". I know it's stupid. What do I expect by ordering food originated from my place at a foreign country? But I didn't expect this bad...I had to swallow all the pieces of beancurd and rolls that're fried to charcoals.Then the flat rice noodles I expected, came out to be thick rice noodles. The usual sauce of chili and sweet sauce became pork sauce. I was so confused! One thing for sure was that I had no idea what I was eating.

On day 2, I learnt my lesson. Let's go to more common food court to explore some local stuff. I went to Tanjong Pagar food court. The signboard has a TV host recommendation plastered on it. How bad can it go, right? Neh....

There is this Hokkien Prawn Noodle. Now, if a Westerner travelled from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, then to Singapore, he would be one confused man just like me.
Hokkien Mee in Penang is in essence noodles in prawn flavoured soup. As you go down south, they call it Prawn Mee in Kuala Lumpur. But they are still prawn soup noodles. But at the extreme south in Singapore, The Prawn Noodle Specialist @ Tanjong Pagar said it is fried noodles.

And if that is not bad enough, it is AGAIN using thick rice noodles. What's with thick rice noodles? Anyway, I am fine with that. But just take a look at this plate of.... thing. Colourless and meatless. The look of it already made feel hopeless.

Luckily they provide some chili and kalamansi to be added to the noodles. Otherwise, I would have added tasteless to the list.