Undoubted many of you agree that Penang offers the best hawker food in this country, the best char kueh teow, curry mee, prawn mee, and of course, laksa, can be found on the island. However, there are more than just these few offerings when it comes to Chinese hawker food, and there are certainly dishes that tastes better outside the favorite hawker food destination that is Penang.

traditional set up with lots of combination of ingredients

When it comes to wantan noodle and various roasted/bbq meat items, some of the bests can be found right here in Klang Valley. One of my favorite places to have a cheap and good traditional wantan noodle would be Restaurant Choy Loy at PJS 10, situated just opposite Sunway Pyramid.

The first time I visited this place was actually in the previous decade when I used to stay at around the area. It was nice to see that the shop is still running and selling basically the same thing after I came back from the States.

roast pork & bbq pork, beef & innards, chicken feet & mushroom, roasted duck

The selling point at Chong Loy is the variety of traditional noodle and rice you can get. They have the classic wan tan mee with char siu (bbq pork), then there’s siu yoke (roasted pork), lap cheong (Chinese pork sausage), roasted duck, chicken, chicken feet with mushroom, and even beef including tripes. You can pick any combination to go with noodle in dry and soup version, or rice.

look at the dude enjoying!

I have tried pretty much everything from this place over the years. While it might not carry the wow factor like siu yoke at Pudu or char siu at Aman Suria, everything do tastes pretty good and proper, just like how they should be. I particularly like the chicken feet with mushroom and the wan tan noodle with beef.

This place is just behind Ah Foong bak kut teh

Address:
Jalan PJS 10/9
47800 Bandar Sunway
Selangor
GPS: 3.076731, 101.603934

Tags:  bbq-pork,  beef,  dining,  food,  hawker,  noodle,  rice,  roasted-duck,  roasted-pork,  traditional,  wantan

Posted by KY | 31 Comments »

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 »

I guess this whole food thing is starting to run in the family. My sister became the restaurant manager at Roadhouse Grill Gurney (Penang) just a few months ago, so naturally I had go to there to taste the food, snaps some photos, and tell you guys all about this place!

My sister the restaurant manager at Roadhouse Grill

Before I start, lets just give you a good news. By mentioning that you read about this place from this blog, or telling my sister (Mei Fang) that you know me, she will give you a 10% discount on the bill (only in Penang branch). Just like that, now isn’t that great?

As the name suggests, Roadhouse Grill specialized in no nonsense American food. Main dishes come with some excellent yeast rolls baked fresh everyday on location. The warm roll with lotsa butter is really addictive.

nachos, yeast roll, (golden) fish and chips

Plenty of peanuts is served at every table despite what you order. The best thing is, you can just throw all the shells on the floor and let the waiters do the cleaning later. My sister won’t mind at all since she said she doesn’t need to clean them, and it’s sort of a Roadhouse style anyway. The peanuts do go very well with cold beer.

bbq onion burger, roadhouse burger, teriyaki chicken, black pepper chicken

I have tasted a few dishes here, the ribs, fish and chips, teriyaki chicken, and nachos. So far the dishes were all rather tasty, and the nachos really up to par with what I had when I was in the states. Plenty of cheese and actual Jalopeno peppers! The fish used for fish and chips are sourced at local markets (with the help of my mom), so I know they are actually fresh and not some stuff that are frozen for months.

kid’s menu, endless peanuts, and my gang in Penang

Rest assure that quality control, as far as food goes, is pretty good in my family. My sister will not disappoint you with the dishes at the restaurant she is managing. The menu is pretty extensive, you can dishes from mouth watering burgers to juicy steaks to pizzas and pastas here. The interior resembles a cowboy bar and there are tables outdoor as well, a pretty nice set up.

Roadhouse Grill is situated right at Gurney Hotel

Price wise, it is actually pretty reasonable. Entrees are from RM16.90 and there’s even kids menu (like the howlin hotdog on the picture for only RM5.90). Set lunch goes for RM 17++ with an entree, soup, coffee or tea. Pretty good deal for the quality of food served.

Give it a try!

Address:
18-G-E Persiaran Gurney,
10250 Penang
GPS: 5.430192, 100.318887
Tel: 04-370 1872

Tags:  american food,  beef,  discount,  ribs,  roadhouse grill,  western-food

Posted by KY | 24 Comments »

I have wanted to try Carl’s Jr. ever since it was reopened in Malaysia last year, but for one reason or another, I didn’t manage to try it until just a couple of days ago when my colleagues suggested that we should have lunch at the joint at Sunway Pyramid. When I saw the tag line on one of it’s posters saying “Screw the Diet“, I started to like the place already.

Think of Carl’s Jr. sitting in between Chilis/TGI and Burger King/McD. While it is set up as a fast food joint, the quality is far above BK & McD, and priced accordingly too.

unlimited refill of drinks (including ice lemon tea, coffee) and pickles/onion

Being my first time there, I didn’t really know what to order. I had wanted to get the Portebello Mushroom Burger but they ran out of stock, so I naively followed my colleague and ordered myself a medium size SuperStar double combination, or something like that.

I got my cup and filled it up with some coke while waiting for the burger to be served. The one thing I like about Carl’s Jr. is the fact that other than soft drinks, they have unlimited free refill for coffee, ice lemon tea, pickles, onions, and even slices of lemon.

it was a big meal

When the burger came, the size of it makes the Whopper look like a White Castle sandwich. The taste was actually rather good as well, the two charbroiled beef patties were juicy and tasty. While I prefer the real bacon, this halal version did not disappoint either. I actually had to waste more than half of the fries as my stomach was totally stuffed up after finishing the awesome burger.

While the price is a little high at RM 10+ to RM 20+, I think the size and taste factor do make up for it. I’m going to get the Portebello Mushroom Burger next time!

You can find Carl’s Jr. in Sunway Pyramid (new wing), Mid Valley, 1-Utama (old wing), and Pavilion KL. I’ve heard that they’re going to open 40 outlets between Singapore and Malaysia, can’t wait!

GPS: 3.150050, 101.615939 (1 Utama)
GPS: 3.073297, 101.607576 (Sunway Pyramid)

Tags:  1-utama,  6 dollar burger,  bacon,  beef,  burger,  carl's jr,  carl's junior,  chabroiled,  sunway pyramid

Posted by KY | 39 Comments »

To commemorate my last day of work at KL and the hot chick’s vacation back to Malaysia. I decided that we should have a nice dinner at more exclusive place, a fine dining experience that is worthy of the occasion. It wasn’t difficult to choose Cilantro at Micasa Hotel, consistently voted as one of the best restaurants in KL. So I made the reservation last Tuesday and we headed downtown last Saturday night.

nice ambiance, truffle butter and the tiger prawn with fish roe

Micasa Hotel is not exactly easy to find, I would have been unfashionably late if I didn’t have trusted N95’s GPS navigation system guiding me to the restaurant. The somewhat hidden location gives an exclusive feel to the restaurant, the ambiance is very nice with the minimalistic deco, a Zen like environment.

Our waiter was very good, giving us the specials of the day and explaining the dishes in a professional manner. I ordered the dishes based on suggestions by Kelvin (who probably spent a small fortune dining there over the years). While waiting for our first dish to be served, we had some bread with the truffle butter. We were also served the excellent tiger prawn with fish roe, complimentary from the chef.

wagyu tartar (raw beef) and foie gras unagi

For starters, we had the Wagyu Tartare and Foie Gras Unagi. The wagyu tartare came with anchovy toast, egg mollet and Aioli sauce. Having been missing the raw beef sashimi I had in Tokyo, I just had to order this dish. The aioli sauce goes very well with the raw beef and egg, and the contrasting texture provided by the toast makes this dish such a delight to chew down.

The Foie Gras Unagi was very rich. Two generous slab of lightly cooked foie gras sandwiched between the grilled eel gives a very oily and rich texture that is best had with the accompanying salad. This dish is perfect for someone who loves fatty taste (in a good way).

wagyu with wasabi crust and duck breast with foie gras

For our main dish, I had the foie gras with duck breast while the hot chick had wagyu beef with wasabi crust. I had been missing foie gras since the Zipangu experience more than 2 months ago, so a generous slab of foie gras was not to be missed. The duck breast was really great, so succulent and tender. I had never imagined duck meat to taste as good as this, coupled with the foie gras and a piece of radish and some vegetable for contrasting texture and character, it was just perfect.

The wagyu beef with wasabi crust was served with some seared mushrooms. I had a taste and thought it was excellent as well, the beef so tender you could cut it just using the spoon. The crust gave it a more sophisticated taste. The mushrooms were equally as good. However, I suggest against choosing the combination of Foie Gras Unagi and the Wagyu as the combination can be a little too rich.

chocolate cupcake with earl grey ice cream

After the very satisfying main course, we ordered the chocolate cupcake with earl grey ice cream to share. If the appetizers and main dishes were excellent, the dessert was really out of this world. The chocolate cupcake has a molten core and the taste was just so good it was beyond words. Having the hot chocolate flows in your mouth while chewing some berries was just heaven on earth. The earl grey ice cream was quite unique though not too different from the green tea ice cream I had at Zipangu, it was very good.

The appetizers and main dishes were priced at around RM58 to RM68 while the dessert at RM32. With drinks, the associated tax and service charge, the dinner came to around RM361. Though it isn’t something I can afford on a regular basis, the experience was worth every cent.

Cilantro Restaurant at Micasa Hotel

By the way, Cilantro is closing at the end of the year as Micasa is geared for a year long renovation. They are set to open an outlet at Midvalley Gardens with the same chef, though there will be changes in the menu. There are only 3 weeks left if you are to have the Cilantro experience.

Address:
Micasa Hotel Apartments
368B Jalan Tun Razak,
Kuala Lumpur 50400
GPS: 3.156874, 101.722530
Tel: 03-2161 8833

Tags:  beef,  cilantro,  cupcake,  duck,  fine dining,  foie-gras,  french japanese,  hotel,  micasa,  unagi,  wagyu

Posted by KY | 21 Comments »