After reading all the wonderful write ups from foodies around the blogsphere, we were really keen to feast our weekend appetite at this restaurant, a franchise from Indonesia famous for its delicious authentic nasi padang.

There are many outlets in Malaysia and we chose to go to the one nearest to where we live, at Sunway Damansara. The menu indeed left us confused as to what to order, since there was quite an array of selection. We went with the recommended dishes such as the much talked about Dendeng Daging.

As soon as I sank my teeth into the meat, I was some what disappointed. Perhaps I had greater expectations.

The fried Talapia fish (Ikan Nila Goreng) was crunchy  but not crispy, as it was served at room temperature. I always feel that fried dishes should be served fresh right out of the wok. The chilli dips for the chicken and fish were the only saving grace for our lunch.

Ayam Pop was dry and tasteless. We were annoyed during payment because they charged us RM12++ for the chicken when the menu clearly stated RM6++. Apparently, they served us two pieces of chicken because there were three of us, and because we had already consumed the chicken, we can’t argue. We honestly thought that each serving came with two pieces of chicken.

The Ais Teler was the only firm favourite among us. Creamy coconut milk with chunks of avocado and palm seeds, thin slices of fresh coconut and jackfruit, and topped with ruby red sagos that were infused with a light note of rose syrup. Rich and exotic in its taste, it was surprisingly, not as sweet as I had expected it to be. The dessert would probably be the only reason I’ll make a second visit to Restoran Sari Ratu.

Our total bill came up to a whooping RM67.75 including drinks. In my book, it’s definitely not worth the price but maybe I just don’t have deep pockets. As they say, one man’s taste is another man’s poison. So you may differing opinions.

Where to Eat

Sunway Damansara outlet: Restoran Sari Ratu, 47-1, Jalan PJU 5/12, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara

Kelana Jaya outlet: Restoran Sari Ratu, Dataran Glomac, Kelana Jaya

Desa Pandan outlet: Restoran Sari Ratu, No G26-G28, Jalan 4/76C, Desa Pandan, KL

Ampang outlet: No 26, Ampang Waterfront, Taman Kosas, Ampang

Bukit Bintang outlet: Sari Ratu Grand Restaurant, Ground Floor, 42-2, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, KL

Other blogs on this:

World Windows

Masak-Masak

HALAL (but not certified)

In my reason trip to Ipoh, I was totally clueless as to where to go and what to eat. We stumbled upon this corner shop located two shop blocks away, on the next road after McDonald’s (depending on which direction you’re coming from). Brightly painted in strips of white and chilli red facade, Aun Kheng Lim is relatively difficult to miss.

Dubbed as the pioneer and king of salted chicken, Aun Kheng Lim has been serving baked salted chicken for the past 22 years. Unlike the ones we have back south, the salted chicken at Aun Kheng Lim is baked with generous serving of Chinese herbs. Juicy and tender with just the right amount of salt, the salted chicken is extremely tasty and definitely worth a stopover if ever I happen to travel up north again.

Where to Eat (takeaway only): Aun Kheng Lim Salted Chicken, 24, Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh

Price: RM16 for a whole chicken

Business Hours: 10am to 6pm

NON-HALAL

I think all the Perakians are gonna shoot me for saying this but in my personal opinion, the chicken rice at Lou Wong is over-rated.

Amanda warned me that most locals go to Onn Kei on the opposite side of the road, but alas, we were pulled in by the overwhelming crowd at Lou Wong. People were waiting around for tables! Despite the chaos, the service was really good, prompt and efficient, with smiling faces. I guess this is organised chaos in motion.

Overall, the star dish of the evening was a tad bit too oily for us eventhough the texture of the chicken meat was a little dry. The bean sprouts were really good, probably the best I’ve ever tasted since I’m not really a  big fan of bean sprouts. These were fresh and crunchy with just the right amount of simple seasoning. Meat balls were superb. I could have more if it wasn’t for mom who stopped me from ordering.  I was a little disappointed with the chilli tho’. Chopped cili padi with soy sauce just didn’t sit right with chicken rice dishes.

Price is pretty reasonable. For two persons, the bill came up to RM17.90. Any other recommendations beside Lou Wong or Onn Kei in Ipoh?

HALAL

It’s been four months since I moved out from Taman Desa. I find myself craving for Sri Neela’s nasi lemak.

As my friend Tuck Yew puts it, nasi lemak “POWER”!

I give it 7/10.

What’s your verdict?

NON-HALAL

When one is tired of roti telur, mee goreng or maggie mee goreng, the best solution is to head over to Fei Por Restaurant at Jalan Pudu for a sumptuous supper of roast pork, chicken intestines, laksa noodles, Chinese edible frogs, meat balls, prawn porridge and more.

At 2:30 in the morning, this restaurant, which is located along the seedy side of downtown KL is still buzzing with clubbers, night shift workers and hungry foodies. The restaurant itself is a recognisable landmark should one be looking for directions to head out of Jalan Pudu to Cheras or vice versa. The owner had a peculiar name on his card, perhaps for branding purposes. He’s called Mr ‘Fei Por’ (Mr. Fat Lady) but he’s a skinny dude.

The steamed chicken was quite good especially with the tasty soy sauce which was richly fragrant with sesame oil. Their roast pork however, was too hard for my liking. The sauce was good though, using lots of fried garlic to add flavour to the meat.  Roast pork, I feel, should only be eaten at restaurants during lunch hours, when the meat is still tender and juicy and the skin is crunchy and fresh. Faking it with generous serving of  soy sauce and garlic killed the originality of the roast pork.

The cold, breezy night was a good time for porridge. Heat was well contained by the claypot so I enjoyed a flavoursome hot porridge (though you’ll only get 3 pieces of prawns inside). I’ll definitely come back for more but perhaps on a more ‘healthy time’ of the day.

'Big Prawns' claypot porridge at RM8/=

Where to Eat: Restoran Fei Por, No 211, Jalan Pudu, 55100 KL

Business Hours: 7:00pm – 4:00am (close on Thur)

Ampang Branch

Where to Eat: Restoran Fei Por, M5-A-18 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/1, Pandan Indah, Ampang, Selangor.

Business Hours: From 10:00am – 10:00pm

It was our wedding anniversary, so Chel and I decided to treat ourselves to a French dining experience but we were not willing to trade in our limbs to pay for dinner. So days before our anniversary, we did  tonnes of research, asked around and looked up the internet (Wikipedia inclusive). Hey, how else do you stretch your dollar, right?

Finally, a wise and “well eaten” friend recommended Ma Maison, a friendly and cozy set up in Ampang.  Nestled in an unassuming area, the experience was surprisingly pleasant and the bill too was oh-so-friendly to the pocket.

Tucked in a small alley behind Jalan Ampang, I was indeed surprised to discover such a row of quaint shop houses consisting of art gallery, cafés and bistros.  My spirit was immediately lifted when I stepped out of the car. When my friend told me about Ma Maison being a neighbourhood French restaurant and its price range, I really didn’t have much expectation. In fact, I was ready to accept that the restaurant is probably just slightly better than my grandmother’s kitchen.  But, BOY WAS I SURPRISED!!

Now I won’t say this is Lafite or Le Francais by any standard.  The restaurant was in fact a little jaded with slightly malfunctioning air conditioners.  But it was unpretentious, and the food was wonderful.  I tell ya, even Tun  Dr Mahathir patronises this place…and they have pictures to prove it!

As we were told, the  French owner used to be a chef in a local hotel, quit his job, went back to France  but decided to come back to Malaysia and started up a restaurant.  Based on chef’s recommendation, we started our evening with escargot…..I really don’t remember what they put in there…….olive oil, basil leaves…???….but man, it was good and the portion here is HUGE!!!!

So before you think of having individual appetiser, individual main and the lot, you might want to consider running the entire KL city beforehand to accommodate those extra calories.  I decided that my wife and I will just go the easy way – we shared our food. Significantly lighter on the pocket too.

For main, we chose cod fish with cream sauce and mashed potato (or was it sweet potato).  It was decent. I mean, I am not a big fan of fish to begin with, so the fact that I thought it was decent should make this dish extraordinary.  I love the side salad though.

They say fish goes better with white wine, but really, I much prefer red – with anything and everything and in any occasion!  So, as I said earlier, this place is unpretentious, so I was glad that I was able to go against the norm and indulge in red wine with fish just the way I wanted it, without having to worry about glances and smirks from the next table.  I mean, give it a break, if I can have red wine with satay ayam, I can have red wine with cod fish.

The finale of the night was definitely the dessert!  We went for the kill despite the calories – Gratin De Fraises Au Grand Marnier (Strawberry Gratin) and yes, despite this gastronomic affair, my wife and I are trying to lose weight.  The gratin is some kind of pudding  laced with Grand Marnier, crisp layer of caramelised sugar on top, perfected with a serving of ice cream.  Absolutely fabulous!  Anyone who goes there must order this dessert!!!

The laid back atmosphere coupled with soothing French music brought about a very cozy, countryside ambience to our dining experience. Being in Ma Maison lifted me away from the hustle and bustle of being in Kuala Lumpur.

The total bill cost us  approximately RM140 (including 3 glasses of wine), quite reasonable.  One thing to remember though, is that this place is cash only,  so unless you are prepared to do the dishes to contra off your dinner bill, it is best to have enough cash in hand!

Ma Maison French Restaurant

32, Persiaran Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: +603 4256 5410

Map to Ma Maison French Restaurant

NON-HALAL

Considering my occasional obsession to Korean drama series, it’s a surprise I remain apprehensive towards Korean food. Quite possibly due to excessive servings of kimchi and namul by eagerly hospitable Korean hosts during one of my familiarisation trips to South Korea some time ago (they served kimchi for breakfast too!). The men in the entourage were amazed with Korean women who have to prepare so many dishes everyday even in average households and families, while the women (like myself) were rather thankful that as Malaysians, we don’t need to wash as many plates as the Korean women. As ‘polite’ Malaysians, we did our best not to offend our hosts and hostesses by trying  to finish up every meal but we always ended up with at least a quarter to half bowl of leftover rice and dishes that looked untouched (except for hot soup, seafood and meat).

Korean food is really… an acquired taste. Once in a while, it’s nice to have a change of gastronomic experience but too much of an acquired taste brings about a natural tendency to crave for familiar grounds. On the final day of our trip, our lovely tour guide brought us to a halal Indian restaurant at Ikewon. Each one of us had a minimum serving of two bowls of rice and countless refills of naans to go with mouth-watering mutton, beef curries and chicken tandoori!!!

So, when it comes to Korean food, I must admit I’m not very adventurous and would rather stick to the tried and tasted. For that reason, I always return to Nak Won Restaurant.

Koreans really love their vegetables and that is a positive habit I’m still trying to emulate. They are, in fact, known to have one of the best diets in the world, varied and well balanced nutrients that come from healthy cooking preparations using nutritious ingredients. Boiled, blanched, steamed, broiled, grilled or barbecued but rarely deep-fried.

I love Nak Won’s version of stone bowl mixed rice with assorted vegetables and their generous spread of side dishes (banchan). They serve up to 15 side dishes (for 2 pax), with the flexibility of having a second serving for free.

A must-try is their sweet and succulent Marinated BBQ Pork Ribs. Other notable dishes include fermented bean paste soup, kimchi pancake, chilli crab, hot chilli beef stomach soup and BBQ Unagi. Be prepared to budget around RM70 – RM100 per person for a complete meal.

In Korea, after every meal, it is a tradition to pour hot water (sungnyung) into your personal rice bowl/pot, let it sit for a while and drink directly from the bowl. At Nak Won, they serve cold sweetened rice tea. Love it very much!

Restaurant Nak Won

Taman Desa Branch

7-1-1 Jalan 3/109F, Taman Danau Desa, KL

Tel:+603 7987 3004

Ampang Branch

A11-1-1 Jalan Ampang Utama 2/2, Business Ave, Ampang Jaya

Tel: +603 4253 4249

NON-HALAL

It’s a poor man’s food they say, but this statement is only applicable perhaps twenty years ago.

These days, porridge ain’t cheap, especially Teochew porridge. So imagine my surprise when it only costed us S$18.30 for six dishes, two bowls of porridge, a bowl of rice and two cups of drinks. The restaurant is a corner lot located along Lorong 15 at Geylang.

From top to bottom: spicy minced pork with chinese mushroom and fermented beans, marinated duck in soy sauce and fried fish with sweet sauce and fermented beans.

Unlike most Teochew porridge outlets, this restaurant had a good ventilation system, making it a pleasantly enjoyable lunch even on a humid afternoon.

Teo Sheng Teochew Porridge

Lrg 15 Geylang, Singapore.

HALAL but serves alcohol

When it first opened its doors as a friendly neighbourhood cafe, it took me a good six months before I decided to try out their food. The name was a total put off. I just couldn’t understand why anyone would spend tens of thousands of dollars on renovation and planning a fusion-themed menu that boasts a selection of 900 food items and 150 types of beverages, and then proudly name it Boon Boon?

However, after having the first taste of their Tom Yam Ying Yong (after much persuasion by a friend), this place has since become my refuge when Streamyx is letting me down. Afternoon Tea Time Special starts from RM7.90 onwards with a selection of hot coffee or tea, french toast, garlic bread and sandwiches.

Occupying two shoplots at the corner of Jalan Desa Jaya (same row as Public Bank), the ambience is warm and cosy with a smokers’ corner at the back of the cafe and a veranda for those who prefer to sit outside.

Price is fairly reasonable for the quality of food it serves. Set lunch ranges between RM10.90-RM16.90.

My top favourites are:

1) Pan Meen soup (halal)

2) Friend Sambal Pan Meen

3) Sizzling Chicken Chop

4) Cheesy Banana Chicken Chop

5) Fried Glass Noodle

Boon Boon Cafe

29A & 30A, Jalan Desa Jaya, Taman Desa, 58100 KL.

Tel: +603 7987 5272

Happy hour between RM40++ to RM45++ per bucket (5 bottles) between 6pm – 9pm.

HALAL

I love desserts. I can’t imagine a life without desserts. They are the epitome of temporary joy when insanity beguiles an exhausted mind or a depressed heart. Desserts and me, just throw ’em damn Tiffany’s and bring me a box of Thorntons. Yea, I know that. I’m easy to please.

But I love ‘em dark, rich and sinful. When we allow ourselves that one special meal to indulge in sweet treats, it has got to be satisfying, mood lifting…… and dare I say, close to orgasmic.

So, everytime these bright red exterior walls greet me as I enter the compounds of Casa Tropicana Condo, I murmur a silent disgust, ”Au natural. Blah!”

Curiosity, however, killed the cynic in me. A temporary moment of weakness. I succumbed to the bright cheerful “Happiness Naturally” signage that screamed out to my sweet tooth and decided to give it a try.

We started off with rum & raisin ice-cream, which was a tad bit icy for me. I suppose anything that is “home-brewed”, ”less fat” or ”less sugar” is less fulfilling than your favourite premium sundaes.

The Mangorita was refreshing. The lemon sorbet paired perfectly well with the mango mint sauce. They ran out of dragonfruit ruby water chestnuts so they replaced them with chunks of fresh mangos instead. Perhaps it would have tasted better with the water chestnuts because the mango pudding was heavy and tasteless. We finished the sorbet and left half the mango pudding and mango chunks untouched.

The Mocharita was a total disappointment. The menu read “crushed frozen coffee jelly with belgium dark chocolate ice-cream, coupled with a shot of protein-filled soy milk”. The coffee jelly tasted like bad coffee, you know, the sort of diluted coffee you get at an all-you-can-eat complimentary breakfast buffet at hotels. The belgium dark chocolate ice-cream was light-textured coupled with soy milk that just didn’t go well with my icy, crushed, frozen coffee jelly.

Berrydelicious was a firm favourite. I’d probably come back just for the vanilla panna cotta pudding. I wondered if it’s actually low fat. Most recipes I’ve seen uses double cream or whipped cream to make panna cotta. The rasberry jelly was sour but it paired well with the panna cotta and honey. The rasberries however, were too hard and frozen. Personally, I would have preferred a slightly sweetened rasberry sauce.

Not my kind of bar to dwell in sinful indulgences.  Perhaps I would, on a ‘I-feel-fat-today’ Day, but fat days should be Baskin Robbins days because miserable days are guilt-free indulgence days, whether it’s fat-free or not. It’s a vicious cycle I tell you.

Dessert’s Bar @ Casa Tropicana

B-0-12, Block B, Casa Tropicana, No 5, Jalan Persiaran Tropicana,

Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, 47410 Petaling Jaya.

Tel: +603 7885 0227

Click here for list of outlets.