Undoubtedly many of you has noticed that there is a renaissance in the fast food business in Malaysia. In the last few years, we have the introduction (or reintroduction) of chains like Carl’s Jr and Subway. I think this due to consumer’s acceptance to higher priced fast food, higher price in hawker offerings, and the general deterioration of hawker food standards in Klang Valley.

The latest that came on board would be Wendy’s at Sunway Pyramid, the restaurant opened on the 5th of April and I just came back from my 3rd visit this afternoon.

Wendy’s at Sunway Pyramid

During my stay at the States, Wendy’s was one of the few fast food restaurants I used to go on a regular basis. I would put it second on my list after Chick-fil-A, but above A&W, Arby’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Subway. The reason was simple, it was relatively cheap and the food tastes good.

juicy burgers with beef, chicken, and shrimp, fried chicken too

I was overjoyed when Wendy’s opened here, and the first thing I tasted was of course, the 1/2 Pounder Burger. Two patties of 1/4 pound beef (a big Mac has slightly less than 1/4 pound beef in total) with a cheese in between sandwiched by soft but firm bun. The quality was just as good as I remembered, very juicy and flavorful. In the subsequent visits I tried their Shrimp Burger and Spicy Chicken Sandwich, both the items were equally good and I do attribute it to the quality of ingredient used. The shrimp burger nullified my complain of McDonald’s not serving their shrimp burger in Malaysia (they do have it in Bangkok and Tokyo).

Wendy’s is in between Carl’s Jr. and McDonald’s when it comes to pricing. A small set goes for 7.99 (nuggets) to 17.99 (3/4 pounder), add RM 1 for medium and RM 2 for large, and additional RM 1 if you want Ribena instead of soft drinks. Not a bad deal considering the quality, give it a try!

check out my hand drawn wendy’s logo!

Wendy’s have plans for outlets in IOI Mall, Jaya One, and Berjaya Times Square.

Address:
Wendy’s Pyramid
(opposite McDonald’s)
GPS: 3.073297, 101.607576
Tel: 03-5637 1059

Tags:  1/2 pounder,  1/4 pounder,  beef,  burger,  fast-food,  shrimp burger,  sunway pyramid

Posted by KY | 38 Comments »

This place at SS2 probably sells one of the bigger chicken curry puffs this side of Klang Valley. If you like your curry puff big, fresh, and tasting just nice, this stall called HOMI is the place to go.

freshly fried curry puffs

For the uninitiated, curry puff is our traditional Malay pie originated from this region. It consists of fillings wrapped by a deep fried pastry shell. Traditionally chicken curry with generous amount of potato were the de facto ingredient, but these days you can find many puffs filled with everything from sardine to durian.

big and handsomely filled!

At this particular stall, the curry puff is made the traditional way, except in a very generous size. For RM 1.20 each, it gives pretty good value, and of course, tastes pretty good too! The shell has a slight buttery taste to it and the curry is thick and juicy. However, the best thing is that business is so good and hence you’ll always get freshly fried curry puff. Warm curry puff is so much better!

Homi is located at Sun Hin Loong kopitiam, opposite KFC

The stall operates in the afternoon. Situated at SS2 Sun Hin Loong kopitiam, it is only across the road from SS2 Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet.

Address:
Intersection of SS 2/62 and SS 2/67
GPS: 3.119498, 101.621819

Tags:  chicken,  curry puff,  dining,  hawker-food,  snack

Posted by KY | 17 Comments »

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that I am a huge Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶) fan. It all started when I was a young boy when our family used to have bak kut teh almost every Sunday. The pork, the soup, the “yau char gwai”, it is simply the best Chinese food invented from this land. The last post on this category appeared some 3 months ago, so the time is right to have another one!

my personal pot of bak kut teh

Most of the bak kut teh at food courts and kopitiams that I have tried over the years have not been particularly rewarding, but that has never stop me from trying new stalls once in a while. My luck came when I found myself at Ming Tien some months ago without knowing what to order, so I fall back to my default feel-good food, the Bak Kut Teh.

ahh, the strong herbal taste of the soup

When the steamy pot of goodness arrived, I was utterly surprised by the aroma and flavor of the soup. Strong with herbal taste, the soup is pretty sweet and not over powering. On top of that, they serve old school oily rice that goes very well with the meat. No wonder there are comments on my ming tien dumpling post recommending me to this stall.

Ming Tien food court is located at Taman Megah, PJ

For a single portion, the price is in line with other bak kut teh places at around RM 8 or so. Try it out if especially if you frequent this food court. I reckon this stall sells the best bak kut teh in any food court that I’ve tried so far.

Address:
Ming Tien Food Court
Jalan SS 24/8
Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.114334, 101.611658

Tags:  Bak Kut Teh,  bkt,  chinese-food,  food-court,  herbal,  meat,  PJ,  pork,  taman megah

Posted by KY | 27 Comments »

One of my favorite Indian food is the banana leaf rice at Kannan’s. They have one of the better set-ups there is; tables under the shade of trees with fresh air and ample of space of the outdoor. There are tables in the restaurant itself too, if you prefer to get inside or when the weather isn’t cooperating.

this place has both indoor and outdoor tables

For the uninformed, banana leaf rice is served, well, on a sheet of banana leaf instead of plates. Three to four types of vegetables is then served on the leaf, with rice and some papadum. There are usually a few types of curry to choose from, and a few other items to alter the taste, such as dried salted chili padi and chutney.

For the dinner, I ordered a piece of fried chicken and a small plate of deep fried fish egg as compliments to the main dish. The vegetables served were fresh cucumber, cabbage, and okra. There were some fried bitter gourd as well. Fish curry, chicken curry, and dal. Overall it was a very satisfying dinner.

the proper way to eat is by using your fingers

The bill came up to less than RM 20.00 for two pax. The banana leaf rice itself was only RM 4.00 per serving, while the other two dishes and drinks made up the rest of the bill. A pretty fair price considering a single piece of fried chicken at KAYU nasi kandar costs RM 6.00.

Here’s the fun part — did you know that there are certain hidden codes you could do with the banana leaf upon completion of your meal? If the food was good, fold the leaf from top down. If bad, fold the leaf from bottom up. And if you fold one corner of the leaf, you are telling the server to charge everything on you and not to bother your guests.

Kannan Curry house is situated near SS2’s Rothman Roundabout

this entry was originally posted on Monsterblog
a tale of two superheroes posted about this place too.

Address:
Jalan 17/45
Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.119819, 101.629887

Tags:  banana leaf,  indian,  kannan,  outdoor,  Petaling-Jaya,  PJ

Posted by KY | 10 Comments »

It has been a gluttonously satisfying weekend, I had plenty of Kalbi at Kangsane on Saturday night, and this superb hairy crab dinner last night at Restaurant King Crab. I couldn’t possibly ask for more.

can you see the crab roe?

Hairy Crab, or Chinese Mitten Crab (大閘蟹), an invasive species that is wrecking up river ecosystem in Europe and North America, is revered in Chinese cuisine not unlike sharks fin and abelone. I guess one person’s pest is another person’s delicacy. The fatty roe and sweet crab meat is highly sought after. Yang Cheng Lake, about an hour away from Shanghai, is said to produce the best hairy crab.

The hairy crab season starts from around August until December where the crabs are packed with roe and supposedly most fatty and delicious. Since King Crab is having a 5+1 promotion on hairy crab, we ordered 6 crabs (3 male, 3 female), with steamed fish (海底鸡), pork ribs, and spinach to go with rice for dinner.

they only serve live seafood here

The only one way to prepare hairy crab is by steaming it as to preserve the natural sweetness and not overpowering the taste with any spices. Sweet vinegar and slices of ginger accompanies the dish. At the restaurant, a waiter is in charged of shelling our crabs and prepare them for consumption, nice.

The taste of the roe, coupled with some vinegar, was just amazing. It was very succulent and rich, carrying a taste factor not unlike having foie gras for the first time. The crab was not overly cooked and the meat retains the sweetness that is similar to fresh lobster tail. The roe of the female crab was great, but the meat of the bigger male crab doesn’t lack behind either. It was very good, the best crab I’ve had so far.

the hot chick is obviously enjoying her food

After the crab, we had rice with the other dishes that includes steamed fish, pork ribs, and spinach with soup. The quality of these dishes were pretty good too; but after those mouth watering crabs, everything else just doesn’t excite the taste bud as much.

other dishes include vegetable, fish, and some good old fashion pork

Price of hairy crab at Restaurant King Crab are at RM 38/58/88/118 each. Our crabs were priced at RM 58 each, 150 gram for female crab and 200 gram for male crab respectively. The entire dinner was a little over RM 400 for four. Certainly not cheap, but it is a taste that is to be experienced at least once in a life time. Alternatively, you can fly to Shanghai next season.

Now where should I go this coming weekend?

King Crab restaurant is situated just opposite the Kelana Jaya LRT station

Address:
103-107, Jalan SS25/2,
Taman Mewah Jaya,
47301 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 03-7805 3282

Tags:  chinese cuisine,  Chinese mitten crab,  crab,  hairy crab,  king crab,  restaurant,  shanghai

Posted by KY | 28 Comments »