Tucked at the corner on the ground floor of Wisma Central is a little hidden Japanese ramen shop that even many white colar guys around the area is oblivious to. I didn’t realize the existence of Tenka Daiichi Ramen for the first couple years I was working at KLCC myself.
Tenka Daiichi Ramen at Wisma Central, Jalan Ampang
Despite its hidden location, business seems to be pretty brisk whenever I went there. The restaurant is operated by a middle age uncle and the chef looks to be his Japanese wife. This is of course, purely my own interpretation via observation.
Lunch and dinner menu differs, with more choices over lunch and only 5 combination dishes served at night. However, there seems to be a separate menu in Japanese that might offer other choices, or that could be just a sake menu. The clientele at Tenka Daiichi Ramen for dinner consists of almost entirely Japanese expats.
Ramen with char siu
I almost never failed to order their char siu ramen whenever I’m there. A couple pieces of glistering rolled pork shoulder (not roasted like Chinese style though) swimming in the subtle but sweet tasting soup and that soft but firm noodle. You can also order them with a side of gyoza too.
Other items they serve include cold tofu, pork patty, grilled fish, and a few different types of ramen. Expect to spend around RM 10 for lunch and perhaps over RM 20 for dinner here.
Address:
Tenka Daiichi Ramen (behind 7-11)
Wisma Central, Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.158728, 101.714473
Ladies and gentlemen, today we’re gonna talk about lunch sets. Reasonably cheap lunch sets at KLCC (but not at one of the food courts) that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
May I present.. Santini!
To be honest, I’ve only started going there less than a year ago despite having been working at KLCC seemingly forever. The only reason being that 1) I thought it was very expensive, and 2) I actually didn’t know where it was located.
fish & chips, grilled chicken, spaghetti bolognese
There’re quite a few choices on the menu that goes for RM 14.90 per set. You get a choice of soft drink and a main course, and if you’re feeling rich (or extra hungry), add RM 3.50 for soup of the day, garden salad, or illy coffee.
Pretty good deal if you ask me.
So far I’ve not been able to not order either the grilled chicken or grilled lamb leg. Both of those dishes were pretty yummy, and comes with a bit of salad topped with balsamic vinegar.
grilled lamb leg, and my colleagues!
I’ve also tried the spaghetti and a bit of the fish & chips, they tasted pretty decent too. Other choices include pizza of the day, pasta, whole meal sandwich, and salad.
Do make sure that you have a pretty flexible lunch hour if you plan to go there though. Like many restaurants in Malaysia, this one suffers in slowness of execution during busy lunch hours. Service too can be a bit lackluster at times.
On the bright side, this is only about as pricey as Little Penang or Madam Kwan for a completely different cuisine. The more choices the better. 
note: Santini is actually own by Tai Thong, which also runs San Francisco steakhouse, among other restaurants.
Address:
Santini at KLCC
Lot No. G45B,
Ground Floor, Suria KLCC
GPS: 3.157581, 101.712102
Tel: 03-2382 0329
One of the perks of running a food blog is having the opportunity to sample foods at restaurants that I typically wouldn’t walk in myself. This is due to the preconception that these restaurants must be really, really expensive, and there wouldn’t be anything I can afford to eat and then still feel it is okay to shit em out 12 hours later.
I know food would usually be of very good quality, but the prices are just not tallied with my income level just yet.
Mandarin Grill at Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur
Mandarin Grill is one such restaurants, so when I was contacted by the Nicole, the PR exec from Mandarin Oriental KL, it didn’t take me more than half a second to decide that this is one that I am going for sure. Since Sheryl and I both stayed in US and enjoyed good steak, I asked her to tag along with me to this review session.
Located at the space previously occupied by Pacifica at Mandarin Oriental, this restaurant is tastefully decorated. Gone are the funky colors and overly in-your-face deco at Pacifica, the ambiance at Mandarin Grill is a lot more relaxed with elegantly arranged pieces of furniture as well as artworks.
bread, scallop carpaccio, grilled sea bass
Like most fine dining restaurants, bread is served at the beginning. There were half a dozen interesting named breads on offer to go with their five spice and normal butter. They were good, but I only tried a bit to conserve stomach space.
Before even the appetizer is served, we were treated with a tidy plate of scallop carpaccio accompany with diced mango and a bit of “some other shellfish”. It was certainly fresh, and positively yummy.
The grilled sea bass was another one of those samplers in between appetizer and main course. The bread and these two samplers are both on the house, and depending the chef’s mood, you might get something completely different.
pumpkin veloute and french onion soup
The ladies started off with soup. Sheryl had the pumpkin veloute (RM 32) that’s got this very interesting foam like texture that I’ve never tasted before. Nicole ordered the french onion soup (RM 32). To be honest, while the pumpkin veloute had a very interesting texture and tasted alright, I’m not sure if I liked it, a bit too strange for me.
Other soup on the menu were lobster bisque (RM 48) and tomato gazpacho (RM 32)
appetizer sampler – lobster, crab cake, smoked salmon loin
Instead of soup, I chose the Mandarin Grill appetizer sampler (RM 125), perfect choice for someone who can’t decide between the other choices on the menu. The smoked salmon loin was tender to the point that it is almost “tofu” like, crab cake was rich, but the slow cooked lobster tail was my favorite, very sweet and succulent.
The other two interesting looking appetizers on the menu were Angus steak tartar (RM 82) and foie gras au torchon (RM 82).
USDA prime – 80% Angus, grain fed tenderloin
Then came the steak. Since I spent quite a lot of time in the States and sorely missed the steak there, I chose to go with the USDA prime – 80% Angus tenderloin 250g (RM 190).
The tenderloin looked like a big muffin. I sliced it with the super sharp steak knife and admired the color for a minute before sending the meat to my mouth. It was every bit as tasty as it looked, very succulent, with perfect texture and the taste of a good USDA prime that I missed so much. It was really, really good and definitely worth every sen of the RM 190 asking price.
To go with the steak, there are a wide selection of butter, vegetable, potatoes, and sauces. I picked giant asparagus and steamed broccoli.
1824, Australia, grain fed 120 days, strip loin and ribeye
The girls had 1824 Australian grain fed strip loin 250g (RM 106) and ribeye 300g (RM 118). I had a bite of the strip loin and it too, was very good, but I still prefer my tenderloin though.
Other types of steak includes Master Kobe tenderloin and sirloin that goes for over RM 400 a piece, wagyu priced from RM 185 to RM 310, and even the jumbo 1kg T-bone at RM 320. They also offer lamb, veal, duck breast, and scallops.
Hazelnut Crème brûlée, Manjari Chocolate Ganache
I was already over full by the time I finished enjoying the excellent steak, but Nicole insisted that we must try their desserts.
With her recommendations we went for the hazelnut creme brulee and manjari chocolate ganache (all desserts priced at RM 32). It was seriously the best creme brulee I had, caramelized at the top layer and super flavorful underneath, with blueberry compote and yoghurt sorbet to go with it. Very rich and super delicious.
The manjari chocolate ganache is something a chocolate lover should not miss, I particularly like the chocolate sorbet.
Sheryl and KY at Mandarin Grill
To complete the dinner, I had a glass of red wine (they had a huge selection of wine). It was easily one of the best food review sessions I had, the ambiance, the food, and the company were all great.
I also learned that you don’t necessarily have to spend RM 300-500 per person to get a meal at these 5 star restaurants. If you keep it to the steak (which would feed me pretty good anyway) and perhaps share a starter or dessert, a meal for two could still be under RM 300-400.
I think I need to go there again.
map to Mandarin Oriental, KL
Address:
Mandarin Grill
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
50088 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.155771, 101.711748
Tel: 03-2179 8960
If you enjoy queuing up for lunch at KLCC during the 12:30-2pm rush-lunch hour, there are two places you can absolutely count on – Little Penang Cafe and Madam Kwan. Both serves pretty decent local dishes at a clean and comfortable environment, with Little Penang Cafe being the slightly cheaper option.
Little Penang Cafe at KLCC
Having based at KLCC for the better part of my working life, it is no surprise that I have been to Little Penang Cafe on numerous occasions. While the purists might argue that there is no substitute for actual Penang hawker foods, I often am willing to compromise and pay a little bit more to have something not far from the original, and as a bonus, it’s located just right downstairs from where I work.
The menu at this place is quite small, but essentially covers all the bases when it comes to Penang foods. There’s char kueh teow, curry mee, prawn mee, loh bak, nasi lemak, mee goreng, chendol, otak-otak, fish ball soup, and so on.
curry mee and Penang style steamed otak-otak
I almost always order the curry mee and otak-otak whenever I pay a visit. The curry mee is almost as Penang as one can get (sans the coagulated pork’s blood though), with traditional ingredients like prawns, cuttle fish, tau pok (deep fried tofu), cockles, and mint leaves. The coconut milk based soup with unlimited sambal on the side is pretty fragrant too, I actually enjoy it quite a bit.
The otak-otak served at Little Penang Cafe is of the Penang style, steamed, and slightly bigger in portion. I find that the steamed otak-otak here is better than those from Otak-otak Place.
nasi lemak with fish, and chicken; curry mee
My colleagues ordered the nasi lemak, one asked for fish, and the other chicken, or was it a curry fish rice? Anyway, both were happy with their food and they certainly looked pretty appetizing. The sambal with the fish packs a kick too, and the drumstick from nasi lemak was reported to be very flavorful.
KY, Was, and Chew at Little Penang Cafe, KLCC
Main dishes are priced from RM 8.90 onwards, with drinks a few ringgit each, just slightly above the asking price for similar items at the food court. Not a bad place to get my Penang fix.
Oh, I wouldn’t order their loh bak if I were you though.
Address:
Little Penang Cafe
4th Floor, KLCC
50088, Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.157581, 101.712102
For those who work in the vicinity of KLCC and haven’t discover Wisma Sentral yet, this entry is especially written for you. The more seasoned workers around the area would most probably have visited this particular mixed rice outlet for years.
a wide selection of dishes for your choosing
There are at least five eateries in Wisma Sentral offering Chinese style chap fan, and each have their own unique properties to stay in business. For example, the one closest to the Japanese ramen shop has the pretty hot owner’s daughter working; another ground floor outlet is semi outside with a smoking area; yet another serves vegetarian food, etc etc.
My favorite is “Ah Sou” on the first floor closest to the polyclinic (at front-left corner after the stairs). The selection is huge, the dishes are tasty, and they are very reasonably priced too.
each plate of rice was less than RM 5.00
There are at least some 40 dishes to choose from to go with rice or porridge at Ah Sou on a daily basis. I particularly like their luncheon meat, Chinese sausage, stewed pork belly, steamed egg, tofu, and curry chicken. Other yummy dishes include tofu skin (fu chuk), herbal chicken, fried roast pork, and more. To be frank, I haven’t had anything that disagree with my taste buds from there yet.
Ah Sou also started a trend that spread through the other mixed rice outlets at this building by providing self served free soup and Chinese tea (with ice too) to go along with your rice.
map to Wisma Sentral
I usually don’t have to pay more than RM 5 for lunch there. The dish with half a Chinese sausage, 2 pieces of curry chicken and potato, vegetable, and a portion of steamed egg was RM 4.50. Doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. I wonder if we’re going there again tomorrow. emmm…
Address:
Ah Sou Chap Fan,
First floor, Wisma Sentral,
50088 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.158728, 101.714473
