On the way to Singapore for Oasis concert last Sunday (which was awesome!), we made a pit stop by the historical town that is Melaka to refuel our stomachs.
When it comes to Melaka, there are a few types of food unique to the town: chicken rice balls, satey celup, popiah with lard, and cendol with gula melaka. We planned to make the most of this very short stopover by stuffing ourselves with as much as possible.
there’s a perpetual queue in front of the restaurant
I have previously tried two other chicken rice ball places in Melaka (all within walking distance), Chung Wah was the first I went, and while tasty, the place rather warm and a little too busy. On the other hand, my experience at Famosa Chicken Rice Ball was just not really good enough for me to write an entry about the restaurant.
Among the 3 places, Hoe Kee has the best and most comfortable seating areas (some sections air conditioned). While we had to wait for some 10 minutes to get a table, food was served within 5 minutes, so the overall waiting time wasn’t long at all.
chicken rice balls, cabbage, asam fish
Since it was already 1pm and we haven’t even had breakfast, we basically ordered everything the server suggested. Chicken rice balls for 5 person, asam fish, vegetable, 4 coconuts, and extra 15 rice balls (RM 6).
The half a chicken (RM 16) we got was very smooth and the meat really tasty, there were also plenty of chicken gizzards and liver which provided a different flavor to the chicken that goes very well with the soft but firm rice balls. Poor man’s pate, anyone?
Kim, Gareth, Horng, Amanda, KY
The Asam Fish (RM 30) came quite a bit later, which proved to be a nice timing since the very strong tasting curry wouldn’t work well with the milder flavored chicken if you have them in that order. The hardcore sourness and spicy nature of the dish might not suit everyone, but I really liked it.
Hoe Kee Chicken Rice is located at Jonker Street (Jalan Hang Jebat)
We ate so fast and so much that there wasn’t any stomach space left except for a bowl of cendol at Jonker88. It was dilemma looking at the popiah stall while being absolutely full, but alas, we made the decision not to have the possibility to puke in the car on the way to Singapore.
Lunch came to RM 77.20 in total, including the 4 coconuts (RM 16). That works out to be around RM 15.50 per person, pretty decent price for a very satisfying lunch at a comfortable environment.
Address:
Hoe Kee Chicken Rice
4, 6, 8 Jalan Hang Jebat,
75200, Melaka
GPS: 2.195441,102.247943
Tel: 06-283 4751 / 012-623 8431
One of my favorite restaurants at the Curve is Waroeng Penyet that serves the pretty unique ayam penyet (flattened fried chicken) that was completely new to me only slightly over a year ago. I have been there quite a few times since but always loath the idea of having to brace the traffic and having to pay parking to get my favorite Indonesian food.
So when I spotted this place on the way home after a round of hitting golf balls everywhere at the Sunway driving range, I immediately suggest to Horng that we should just have our dinner there.
clean and air conditioned interior
The set up of Ayam Penyet AP is just a notch above your normal kopitiam. There are a few tables alfresco style for those who might want to have puff after meal, and also plenty of tables for those who prefer air conditioning. The restaurant is clean and comfortable tho there isn’t any effort being put in interior decoration.
The menu here is a bit more extensive compared to Waroeng Penyet, other than the standard Ayam penyet, they have beef, cat fish, prawn, bakso (beef ball), mixed vegetable, and a few types soups too.
ayam penyet, ikan penyet (keli), and terung penyet
We ordered ayam penyet, lele penyet (keli, cat fish), and terong penyet (eggplant) to go with two rice for dinner.
The ayam penyet (I had the drumstick) was just as tasty as their counterpart at the Curve. Crispy, flavorful, and with that very addictive hot sambal. I also like the fact that they give more crispy bits.
The deep fried cat fish too was not bad in its own, very aromatic and soft in texture. And as a person who loves eggplant, I absolutely adore the terung penyet. The crispy bits and sambal works very well with the contrasting soft texture of fried eggplant. Very delicious.
satisfying dinner
Ayam penyet was priced at RM 7 (already the most expensive item in their menu!), the fish was RM 6.50, and eggplant only RM 2.50. Two plates of rice at RM 1.20 each and you have a very satisfying dinner for way less than RM 20.00!
I am sure this is one of the places I would visit repeatedly.
you can see Ayam Penyet AP from LDP just before heading up to the suspension bridge.
Other than Mentari, they have another outlet at Subang Jaya (No. 74, GF, Jln SS15/4, Subang), and Bangi (No. 9, GF, Jln 15/1D, Section 15, 43650 Bandar Baru Bangi) as well.
Address:
Ayam Penyet AP
No 17, GF, Jln PJS 8/17,
Dataran Mentari,
46150 PJ, Selangor
GPS: 3.076950, 101.613282
Tel: 019-577 5399
Elegant Inn, unlike the slightly more famed Holiday Inn, is a pretty high class restaurant serving Hong Kong cuisine and not a hotel chain. This is among the things I learn from the invitation to the said restaurant at Menara Hup Seng a couple Saturdays ago.
classy indoor as and alfresco dining areas at Elegant Inn
The invitation was extended by Millennium Associates, on behalf of Jeanette of Elegant Inn. Mellissa and I were joined by Jasmine (epicuriousgirl) and her friend Jess in this review session. The four of us were seated in a private room as the host insists that we be treated to a full dining experience.
Elegant Inn first started at Taman Connaught before opening this outlet at the heart of KL, explained Jeanette as she suggests what we should have for lunch.
yee sang with all natural ingredients
Naturally, we started off with yee sang, the unique Malaysian Chinese New Year tradition. This was my 4th yee sang session and I was more than happy to find out that the yee sang here is slightly different. All natural and most importantly, fresh ingredients are used. Pamelo, raddish, cucumber, smoked salmon, crackers, jellyfish, etc. Auspiciousness in a slightly healthier style.
Appetizer: soft shell crab, fried calamari, seared scallop on tofu
A huge plate of nicely presented dish was then served as the appetizer. There’s the slightly spicy soft shell crab with plenty of onion, a portion of salt and pepper calamari (椒盐鲜鱿)，and four lightly seared scallops sitting on tofu.
Scallop is always one of my favorites. The combination of soft tofu and succulent scallop provided the perfect start for this meal. I had the calamari followed by soft shell crabs and they were both very good as well, one salty and crunch while the other spicy and fragrant. By now I was convinced we’re into something pretty special.
double boiled soup
Next came the pretty impressive double boiled soup. Pork, ribs, tripe, shell chunks, phoenix claws, kampung chicken, scallops, and preserved vegetable boiled for 4-6 hours, the traditional way. End result is a bowl of very rich tasting soup with a hint of pepper and a mixture of sweetness from all the ingredients.
This soup reminds me of the one I had at Sheraton, they’re both at the same high level while not exactly similar in taste or ingredients.
steamed Australian Jade Perch and stuffed chicken wings
Like any proper Chinese meal, we have fish next. Live Australian Jade Perch is not a fish commonly found in Malaysian restaurant unless frozen, Jeanette told us about one of her many expeditions in sourcing ingredients. The steamed fish was done just right with it’s smooth texture and sweet seafood taste preserved in a very light seasoning. I particularly love the fatty belly portion the waitress expertly boned.
Jeanette insisted that we should try their stuffed chicken wing, and so we did. The wings came out looking like what you would expect, and it wasn’t until cutting it open do you see the wonder of their culinary skills. Gone were the bones and replaced with a mixture of ham, water chestnuts, prawns, and more. Eight ingredients in total. The wings were rather delicious and probably makes for perfect beer tidbits.
fried rice, bitter gourd with salted vegetable (ham choy), choy sum with waxed goose liver
Bitter gourd with salted vegetable is one Elegant Inn’s signature dishes, and that suits me just fine since I love bitter gourd. The very subtle salted vegetable taste blends with the spiciness of chili and the rather strong version of bitter gourd was very addictive to me, but I hazard it is not a dish for everyone.
The choy sum with waxed goose liver (腊鸸肝) was a very sinful dish. The wax meat tasted something in between dried meat and foie gras, with that sliver of liver bitterness and very rich texture and taste. You could almost feel your arteries contracting but it was impossible to stop having “just another piece”. To me, the choy sum was almost just an excuse to have this sinful ingredient.
Jeanette went into a long and elaborated speech on their dancing fried rice, explaining how they use 2 grades of rice kept in 2 different temperatures, and how the eggs had to be fried first, the wok washed and then top grade dried shrimps from HK fried next, wash the work again and finally add everything in while tossing the rice non stop till it’s cooked.
That just seems like too much work for good old fashion fried rice, and I didn’t see the point until I actually tasted the dish myself. It was simply the best fried rice I’ve had, you can literally taste the individual grain and the distinct flavor added by crab meat and bits of dried shrimps, eggs, and green onion. This is a must-orderdish.
steamed brown sugar cake, mini egg tarts
As we start to wind down, Jeanette brought out some very tasty mini egg tarts and steamed brown sugar cake (malai kou in Cantonese 馬拉糕). They were both very delicious and properly made traditional Chinese pastries I wish I could have more. We finished them despite the already rather full stomach.
mango pudding with milk, tong sui (糖水）with mochi
The lunch session was ended on a sweet note. We were served a couple bowls of tong sui (糖水), sweet ginger soup with mochi and the sea coconut with fungus and logan soup. In addition to that, we also had the mango pudding with milk that had chunks of mango in every scoop, just like the way it is supposed to be.
Mellissa, Jeanette, and Yours Truly
I was as overly stuffed as I was impressed with Elegant Inn at this point. It was one of the best lunch experience I’ve ever had in a Chinese restaurant. Quality of food as well as the ambiance were both excellent. I had no idea how much the meal costs and yes, the prices would be on the higher side but considering the experience and quality provided here, it will be well worth it.
Elegant Inn is located at Menara Hup Seng.
Address:
2.01, 2nd Floor, Podium Block,
Menara Hap Seng,
Jalan P.Ramlee,
50250 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.153034,101.70752
Tel: 03-2070 9399
When I was very young, my family was not exactly one of those that can afford eating out on a regular basis. However, my late dad would still bring us out for picnics and a dinner on most Sundays as a treat to us. We usually go to tai chau places, or Gurney drive, or bak kut teh; but on rarer occasions, we would go to KFC.
I always enjoyed the trips to KFC the most. I really do, and even until today, I would head to KFC for lunch at least a couple times in a month despite having access to much wider variety of both local and foreign cuisines. KFC is simply one of my favorites.
KFC Zinger Tower!
Though I usually order original recipe chicken with drum stick and thigh, I do experiment with different offerings from KFC. Cheesy wedges, X meal, colonel burger, chicken rice, I think I have tried everything in the menu with chicken in it.
I vaguely remember that the Zinger Tower was introduced a few years ago and then disappeared from the menu for some reasons, and this is the it’s 2nd coming. The burger is pretty big and comes in this order:
What intrigued me most in the list is definitely the hash brown. I’ve actually seen people stuffing fries in their burger and always wonder how it tastes like, and this is just the perfect chance to give it a go.
The Zinger Tower, poster girl not included
So Cheesie and I headed to KFC at Atria over the weekend to find out that the mall being painted white and red, exactly the color of KFC, conincident? I don’t know.
We ordered a Zinger Tower set that comes with a Zinger Tower, a mango pudding, a regular soft drink, and curiously enough, a Zinger Time watch. The watches come in 4 designs, yellow and green; yellow and red, blue and orange, and pink. No prize guessing which one the girl picked.
Comes with a Zinger Time watch too!
After a bite into the burger, I now really understand why some of those mat sallehs put fries the burger. The combination of hash brown and the juicy KFC chicken fillet works really well, the melted cheese and the chili lime sauce added extra flavors to the burger too. It was surprisingly good, better than I had expected before I give it a try.
I’m not writing how good this burger is because this is supposed to be an advertorial, but because it was really that tasty. I liked it, and Cheesie too.
The Zinger Tower set goes for RM 15.90 while the a la carte price for the burger alone is RM 6.60. I think I’m going to have it again sometimes next week.
I have been a fan of roasted duck for the longest time and usually get my fix at Loong Foong in Taman Paramount whenever temptations got the better of me. While roasted duck is all good, everyone has been telling me that roasted goose is a whole other level altogether when it comes to taste, people like Horng who has been to HK on numerous occasions. As you might have guessed, roasted goose is a rather common dish there.
glorious glistering roasted goose
However, some weird cosmic arrangement has resulted in the relative scarcity of this dish back in Malaysia. They are so rare that so far I am only aware that less than handful of places offer them around KL.
It wasn’t until late last year that I got myself a taste of this Chinese/HK delicacy at a food review session on Canton-i, and I can attest to the claims. Roasted goose is really quite a bit more succulent and juicy compared to duck, not to mention the relative larger portion which makes it easier to eat too.
Soon Fatt Beijing Roasted Goose is a shack by the corner of Jalan Pasar
Since that event, I had been back to Canton-i a couple times only to find out that the roasted goose is sold out every time I get there. Something had to be done, and I vaguely recalled the availability of this dish at Jalan Pasar.
A few clicks on google and a short drive later, a couple colleagues and I arrived at Soon Fatt Beijing Roasted Goose at Jalan Pasar on one fateful Friday afternoon.
For the three of us, we ordered quarter portion of roasted goose (thigh and drumstick portion), another generous portion of char siu (bbq pork) and siu yoke (roasted pork) on the side, three rice and some drinks.
The dishes came with 3 types of condiments: a plum sauce and 2 types of chili sauce. Soup is served with rice as well.
The portion of roasted goose was actually rather big even for 3 of us. The meat juicy and very scrumptious, which leaves me wondering the differences the breast portion would bring since duck breast and duck confit do carry different taste. While the siu yok wasn’t as impressive as Wong Meng Kei, they still tasted pretty good. The char siu though, was actually better than expected, on par with some of the bests in town (such as meng kee at pudu, or Aman Suria’s famous Hakka noodle char siu)
roasted goose, roasted & bbq pork, rice, soup, bliss!
It was a satisfying lunch but also one that came with a pretty steep price. The meal was some RM70 for three of us, still, RM 20+ per person isn’t too exuberant for something you don’t get very often. Now if only this place has air conditioning…
Address:
Intersection of Jalan Pasar and Jalan Yap Hin,
Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.135315, 101.716479
Tel: 012-212 9018
