myElephant @ Sec 17, PJ

MyElephant is a small, nondescript but cozy little eatery at a housing estate in Section 17. I'd never have discovered it if a friend had not taken me there.


I was told their main business comes from the lunch crowd. They have a separate menu for dinner, but for lunch, it's a one-dish meal set lunch thingy. 


I ordered the Tom Yam Noodles. I couldn't help it, even though V, my friend recommended some of their other items. My saliva had started to pool at the corner of my mouth as the image and taste sprung to the forefront of my mind. I'm such a sucker for Tom Yam.

It was superb, light, not too heavy or milky, with the right taste of lemon-grass, galangal and spice. 


The set came with a lovely mango salad, a slice of watermelon and a glass of pandan drink. I forgot to take a picture of the drink, something I tend not to remember to do all the time.

And I just discovered from their call card that they have an outlet at Jalan Sri Hartamas 8!! Yay! I know that area very well as I used to live in that area before I got married. It must have opened after I moved out. It'll be easier for me to go to that outlet as I'm not too familiar with Section 17.


Address:
Blcok C-G4, Happy Mansion
Jalan 17/13, Section 17
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 0101 - 220 1283
Open: Tuesday - Sunday
Lunch: 12noon - 2pm
Dinner: 6pm - 10pm

Mille Crepe Cakes @ Food Foundry, Sec. 17, PJ

After a heavy lunch at De Hunan Restaurant @ Kuchai Lama, V and I proceeded to Food Foundy for dessert. I tell you, we two ladies could really eat, don't let our size deceive you.


Although I've had crepes, I've never had mille crepe cakes before. I guess I've just been too busy hunting down cheesecakes and brownies. So when V asked if I still have room for crepe cakes, I was like, "YES!". I'm one for trying new things.


V ordered the chocolate crepe while I selected the mango flavour. 

The chocolate mille crepe cake was made with thin layers of crepes with layers of chocolate cream in between. It's totally delicious.

The mango mille crepe cake, in my opinion, was even better than the chocolate flavour. The fresh mango pulp and cream went very well with the mille crepe and each mouthful was like a trip to heaven. :)


According to V, besides cakes, Food Foundry serves decent Western fare, too. I'd have to try it some day.


Address:
Happy Mansion apartments
Jalan 17/13, Sec 17, Petaling Jaya

Authentic Penang Koay Teow Soup @ Old Town, Petaling Jaya

Born and raised in Penang, I grew up eating and loving certain quintessential Penang hawker food. Koay teow th'ng (soup) is one of them. When I was growing up, the best koay teow th'ng was found at the Kuantan Road market. But the stall has since ceased to operate, and there isn't any other stalls in Penang or KL that could match its quality. Until a friend recommended the koay teow th'ng at Old Town, Petaling Jaya, that is.

What's so special about the Kuantan Road koay teow th'ng, or, the one at Old Town, PJ, for that matter?


For one, the soup is made from duck meat. Others used only chicken, and the taste isn't quite the same. This stall hires a lot of workers, as they are very busy. We've been there a few times since I got to know this place a few weeks ago, and almost every table would order at least one bowl of the noodles. Some tables saw 5 or 6 people slurping away at this delicious noodles.


Besides the koay teow soup, I've tried the popiah and prawn mee (on different occasions). Hubby and I would order a bowl of koay teow th'ng each, and shared another bowl of something else.

The popiah was not bad, but the koay teow th'ng was the star. On the occasion when I ordered the prawn mee, I did not have my camera with me, so no pics. That said, the best prawn mee is still in Taman Tun. (Best for me is defined as being comparable to the best ones in Penang.)

The coffeshop is located at the road facing KK Mart. It is usually very crowded, and to find a parking space at Old Town is like looking for a needle in a haystack. So be prepared to park very far and walk, or waste half an hour or more circling the block waiting for someone to leave so you could take over the vacated bay. Yes, it's a hassle, but it's worth it.

eGarden Recipe Cafe @ SSTwo Mall

For those who are diabetic, and are on a very limited variety special diet, and has problems eating out, good news is around the corner. eGarden Recipe Cafe, a new outlet at the equally new SSTwo Mall, caters to the health-conscious, vegetarian and diabetic-diet group.


eGarden Recipe Cafe started in Melaka, and their first outlet in KL is at Solaris Mont Kiara. This is their second outlet outside of their home state. Their tagline is "It's Almost Home" and boasts of a homely feel environment.


They serve brown rice, brown rice beehoon, brown rice ramen, brown rice mee sua, and uses only brown sugar and olive oil in the cooking. For those who do not like brown rice, they can opt for basmathi rice. They also use only deep ocean fish high in protein, and salmon dominates the menu. No msg, colouring or preservatives are used either. All sauces are home-made.

The menu is a diabetic, vegetarian and health-conscious's gourmet delight

Hubby ordered the Salmon Fish Fillet Soup with Brown Rice Bee Hoon while I ordered the Grilled Salmon with Spaghetti Tomato Concasse, Healthy Salad & Fruit set.

Salmon Fish Fillet Soup with Brown Rice Bee Hoon - RM14.90

I'm not sure why it is called Salmon Fish Fillet Soup when the salmon is grilled separately and not added into the soup. The soup has an extremely clear flavour, without any fish taste. It's definitely your Yee Tau Mai (Fish Head/Fillet Beehoon) without the fish. The soup was cooked with ginger, salted vegetable and tomatoes. I found it too bland. But hubby loved it. Ever since he got used to eating food without salt and flavouring spices, he found those cooked the ordinary way to be too overwhelming, and likes those that are bland. He calls it "subtle" while I call it "sick man's food".

Grilled Salmon with Spaghetti Tomato Concasse, Healthy Salad & Fruit set - RM24.90

You have three choices for the sauce on the grilled salmon. They are: King Sauce, Miso Sauce and Japanese BBQ Sauce. I opted for the third on the list. My verdict?? The salmon was superb, while the spaghetti was done just the way I like it - al dente. The tomato concasse tastes great, too, with a fresh tomato sourish flavour. I didn't like the salad, though. It came in a peculiarly sweet vinegarish sauce.

Organic Beans Tong Sui - RM4.90

We decided that we have enough room for a dessert, and ordered the Organic Beans Tong Sui to share, which turns out to be a combination of red kidney beans, red beans and black glutinous rice. It was not sweet at all, and is just perfect. We both loved it.


We're glad we stumbled upon this cafe. It's definitely going to be one of regular our hang-outs.


Address:
LG-55, SSTwo Mall
Jalan SS 2/72
Petaling Jaya

Fujian (Hokkien) Food @ Restoran Hua Xing

Today being another public holiday (it's the birthday of Prophet Muhammad), we woke up at a fashionably late hour -- 11am -- and set off to hunt for lunch at two in the afternoon. Today, our aimless driving route took us to Sungai Way, the poor neighbourhood in PJ (Petaling Jaya). If you've been to Sungai Way, you would know what I mean. The neighbourhood, the extremely narrow lanes, the shops, they've not been the beneficiary of PJ's town planning. 


Plaza Seri Setia is nothing more than an old market-type of building, but on the first floor is a restaurant specialising in Fujian (Hokkien) food. Plastered on the walls are newspaper articles of the restaurant. The menu, though not very extensive, is rather interesting.


We ordered one of their signature dishes, Braised Pork in Soy Sauce with Alkaline Cake.

The pork was tender, and the alkaline cake went very well with the soy sauce. It is more common to eat this dish with steamed or fried buns (man tau) or rice, so the cool and soft texture of the alkaline cake was a refreshing change. 


The other signature dish we ordered was the Crispy Deep-Fried Brinjal with Dried Shrimp.

I'd say this was the most interesting dish of all. Even hubby who don't normally eat brinjals, loved it. The brinjals were crispy on the outside, and just a mite chrunchy on the inside. They weren't mushy like how most brinjals are, which was why hubby disliked brinjals. It was addictive, and I couldn't stop eating the strips after I sank my teeth into the first one. My favourite!


Since the braised pork came with alkaline cake, we decided against ordering rice, and opted for a noodle dish instead. We chose Fried Tapioca Flour Noodles.

The tapioca flour noodles was done the Hokkien Noodle style, fried in dark soy sauce. On its own, it was not bad, and certainly worth another order on the next visit, but a little over-shadowed by the crispy brinjal, I think. But then, this is a biased opinion from someone who fell over heels for the crispy brinjal.


The total bill came to RM37.50, including a pot of tea for two. The menu did not list the prices of the food, neither did they give a breakdown of the meal, so for those who always asked me to include the prices, I'm sorry I'm unable to oblige this time.


Address:
No. 1-12, 1st Floor, Plaza Seri Setia
Jalan SS9/2, Sungai Way, PJ.
Tel: (03) 7876 - 3288
Business hours: 11:30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm. 
Closed on alternate Wednesdays

Otak-Otak Place

If you don't already know, otak-otak is a Malaysian dish, a kind of fish mousse, made from fish meat and can be eaten on its own or with rice as an accompaniment. 


In Penang, the otak-otak is wrapped in pandan (screw pine  or pandanus) leaf and served steamed. In Muar and KL, it is wrapped in banana leaf and barbecued over a fire, like how satay is prepared.


That said, I've never come across an air-conditioned eatery that makes otak-otak its specialty. That is, until Otak-otak Place. I'm not sure how long they've been around, but they already have 5 outlets, and this is the first time I'm trying their food, at their first outlet in 1-Utama. It seems they are opened for franchise opportunities.


Their menu is extensive, with items like Fried Rice with Otak-otak, Fried Koay Teow with Otak-otak, Nasi Lemak Otak-otak, Otak-otak Burger....the list goes on. But when we took a closer look at the pictures and description on the menu, the fried rice, koay teow and nasi lemak had only a few slices of otak-otak on the side. They're not fried in otak-otak. At least, that's not the impression they gave.


Anyway, the reason I insisted that we tried Otak-otak Place was its Roti Jala Curry Chicken. The photo on the menu made me drool. Hubby said Roti Jala Curry Chicken is ordinary, something which we can eat everywhere. Well, I haven't been able to eat it everywhere since I haven't seen it everywhere, and I can't remember when was the last time I ate one. Years or decades ago? So good hubby acquiesced.

The 'ordinary' roti jala curry chicken that tastes.....well, ordinary. The curry is not that great, but I liked the roti jala. This dish was pre-prepared, and was served warmed. Price: RM7.90

The otak-otak roll. It's wrapped in popiah skin, and the otak-otak paste is mixed with shredded turnips, carrots and green pepper. It tastes wonderful dipped in the accompanying chilli sauce. I loved it! Price: 5.50

The Mee Rojak Mamak that hubby ordered for himself. He enjoyed it, giving two thumbs up for the dish. He said the ingredients were fresh, unlike some mee rojak mamak in Cyberjaya. Price: RM5.90

I had the Red Bean with Tong Yuen (rice flour balls). The tong yuen had ground peanuts and sesame seed paste fillings, one each. Nothing out of the ordinary. I like the tong yuen at Hong Kong Dessert better. Price: RM4.90 


Hubby ordered teh tarik, which came with a crunchy biscuit. I forgot to take a photo before it disappeared into hubby's belly, or is it bladder? Where do liquid go to? Sorry, I never paid much attention in biology class!  :D  The teh tarik was RM2.70.


Overall, I'd say it was not a bad experience for RM28.25. Would we go again? I'm not sure. Perhaps for the Otak-otak Roll......


P/s: Otak-otak is not plural for otak, even though that's how Malay grammar works (double the words for plural). Otak means brain in Malay. I'm not sure what brain and the fish mousse has in common....perhaps its soft and squishy texture? If anyone knows where the word is derived from, feel free to enlighten us.


Address:
Lot LG-311B
One Utama Shopping Mall
Tel: (03) 7727 4181

New York New York & A Car To Kill For

New York New York (no, it's not a typo error, that is the name), owned by a Singaporean, is an establishment that tries to emulate the look of a cafe in New York. The giveaway that it's not in New York is the 6 feet Statue of Liberty cardboard cut-out at the entrance. For the life of me, I can't imagine a cafe in New York displaying a cardboard cut-out Statue of Liberty at the cafe entrance. I could be wrong, of course, since I've never been to New York.

We've passed by this cafe in 1-Utama before, but have never tried it. Yesterday, while waiting for the movie Tron Legacy to start, we thought it might be as good a time as any to try their Brats sausage, which was listed as a 'Gotta Have It' item on the menu.

There was a large crowd, and the cafe was under-staffed. Service was extremely slow, and by the time we were served, we had only ten minutes to wolf down the food before the movie began.

I know, we could have watched Tron Legacy at home, but we wanted to watch the 3D version, and we aren't one of those lucky ones with a RM15,000 3D TV screen at home. So there we were at 1-Utama.

Anyway, back to the food. Here's the Brats sausage wrapped in turkey ham and cheese, serve grilled.

To me, a sausage is a sausage, and not being a connoisseur of sausages, all I could say is, it was good. I would have preferred the cheese to be more melted, though. I think it would have tasted a lot better. I love the orange mustard sauce drippings, and the balsamic vinegar they sprinkled on the greens. At least, I think it's balsamic vinegar, it tasted like one, at any rate. Price: RM16.90

Knowing how American cafes like American Chilli's, T.G.I.F. tend to serve larger than average portions, we ordered only a soup to share, the Hot Tomato Salsa soup. It was a good thing we did that, as I couldn't finish my food and hubby had to help me.

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture before I dug in. Personally, I think the soup is the highlight of the meal. But this is a biased feedback from someone who loves anything with tomatoes or salsa, and the combination is just irresistible. It has nice little tomato chunks, too. Really yummy. Price: RM6.90

While we were at 1-Utama, we saw an iX-Metro prototype by Hyundai. The interior is futuristic, the seat and the dashboard are something that you might find in a space car.

By the way, a Korean friend once told me that the correct pronunciation for Hyundai is "hoon-day", and not "hai-yoon-die" or "hoon-die".

Look at those wheels. You might not be able to replace the tyres should you get a puncture! And the seats, I could just picture this car zooming around the grid in Tron.

Very cool dashboard

Can you tell I'm crazy about this car yet?  :D

The doors of the iX-Metro are automatic, like the Lamborghini and Ferrari, but it opens and closes horizontally, not vertically. Hubby and I pictured scenarios where the parts jammed and the passengers have to hold onto the car door for dear life as it whizzed along and getting all drenched as the torrential rain splashed in. And perhaps zapped by lightning, too.

The driver's seat is on the 'wrong' side, for people who drive on the 'wrong' side in their country. 

I won't be surprised if all you need to do is enter the destination, kick back and relax while the car drives you there by itself. And talks to you, "Ma'am, is the air con temperature comfortable for you?" or "Would you like to go faster?"

The iX-Metro is a car to kill for. Now, where is my machete?  :)~~~

P/s: New York New York is located on the ground floor at 1-Utama, opposite the Cold Storage.

Restoran Ipoh Sedap @ SS2, PJ

We were supposed to check this place out a few Sundays ago, but a friend had invited us to a Hari Raya Open house on that particular day. And then we forgot all about it the following Sunday, and the next, and the next. If hubby hadn't said he felt like having either Dim Sum or Yong Tau Fu for breakfast, I wouldn't have remembered this place at all.


To be honest, Dim Sum and Yong Tau Fu aren't my favourite food, and hubby is given a quota of how many times he's allowed to eat them in a year. I'm not a tyrant, but if I don't impose a quota, he's going to kill me by having Dim Sum and Yong Tau Fu for breakfast every Sunday!! So, it's out of self-preservation that I imposed a quota on him.


Well, his Dim Sum quota is up, but not Yong Tau Fu. So off we traipsed to SS2. The outlet is next to the police station, so it's easy to locate. I was quite surprised to see that the fish paste fillings were snowy white and looked very smooth. Mmm....maybe it won't be such a torture to eat them after all.

Variety-wise, the selection is not as big as the Hakka Yong Tau Fu at Pudu. But they looked really tempting.


Since it was a late breakfast, and there were only two of us, we ordered just a few items, and a bowl of Ipoh hor fun each.

The Ipoh Hor Fun was not bad. The koay teow was very smooth, and the soup base was clear and sweet. However, while I liked it, my favourite Ipoh Hor Fun is still the Ipoh Hor Fun at Jalan Utara,  that used to be at Jalan Tong Shin.

Now, this was something entirely. They've converted me. I LOVE their Yong Tau Fu. The tofu was silky smooth, the best I'd ever had, and the fish balls and fish paste paste fillings were just incredible! I will definitely return there again, and I've just raised hubby's quota allowance for Yong Tau Fu!  

The fried dumplings weren't bad either, but were overshadowed by the Yong Tau Fu. 


For dessert, hubby had tau far, which was silky smooth. He finished it before I remembered to take a photo. I ordered the Lime Jelly Shaved Ice. It's supposed to be a 2-jelly, 2-citrus juice on shaved ice, but when the order arrived, it was a 3-jelly and 1-citrus juice on shaved ice. I'm not complaining though. I liked the bite of one of the jelly that looked like a fried sotong. The overall flavour was crisp, tangy and refreshing. Sorry if it sounds a bit like men's aftershave cologne. My excuse is I don't write for a living.

The next time we're there I'm going to try their Dried Shrimp Chee Cheong Fun. A few patrons ordered it and it looked good.

British Chinatown Food in KL.....Or Not

A few nights ago hubby came home and said, "There's a restaurant, Four Seasons, that says it's the British Chinatown food. Do you want to go there for dinner this Saturday (yesterday)?"

British Chinatown food?? Wow!! That is music to my ears.

For the uninitiated, the food in Chinatown London is authentic Hong Kong food, cooked by Hong Kong chefs. Images of Beef Tomato Rice, Beef Egg Rice, Beef Dry Hor Fun (nearly all Hong Kong food contains beef), Hot & Sour soup (it's different from our local version), Roast Duck with pancakes, all flooded into my mind. I could not stop drooling and dreaming. There is not a single Chinese restaurant in KL that could produce those Hong Kong dishes, not even places like Char Chan Teng or Kim Gary that claimed to be Hong Kong food.

Hubby called his old buddy, TC, who had also stayed in London for a couple of years before. He was equally as enthusiastic. Saturday finally arrived and we drove there full of enthusiasm and anticipation. 

This is it! Four Seasons is located at CapSquare, Persiaran Capital Square, near Jalan Munshyi Abdullah. The place is not crowded, for a Saturday night.

Upon being seated and handed our menu, all of us immediately noticed one glaring thing. The items in the menu are all LOCAL food!!!!! "Where is my Beef Tomato Rice?" TC & I both asked simultaneously. "Where is my Beef Egg Rice?" hubby asked. 

The waiter, who was very patient and helpful, explained that Malaysians want local food. Huh? He recommended that I try their Fried Hor Fun Beef in Black Bean Sauce. I acquiesced since the only thing I really wanted was Beef Tomato Rice which is not on the menu. Hubby asked if they could modify their Braised Beef Egg Gravy Rice into Fried Beef Egg Rice them to fry the egg with the beef and serve it with rice instead of their Braised Beef Egg Gravy Rice. TC settled for Steamed Beef Brisket Soup Noodles. We ordered a quarter roast duck to share. 

After we placed our orders, I reached for their feedback form on the table. I couldn't wait to make known my disappointment to the management!

One side of the feedback form

The other side of the feedback form

Braised Beef Egg Gravy Rice. RM12.80 Waiter, where's the gravy? 

Oops, sorry.....this is hubby's modified Beef Egg Rice. 

Fried Hor Fun Beef in Black Bean Sauce - RM12.80

Steamed Beef Brisket Soup Noodles - RM12.00

A quarter roast duck - RM15

Unlike their sister outlets in Bayswater  and Gerrard Street in London, this outlet in KL does not serve pancakes with roast duck.

Hubby enjoyed his meal. He said it's the closest thing available locally to what he got in Chinatown Toronto. TC did not enjoy his beef brisket noodles as much. He said the beef brisket noodles in Crystal Jade, MidValley is much better. As for me, the sauce is good, but it would have been better on rice instead of hor fun (koay teow). The Hong Kong chefs in Chinatown London would have known that.

Overall, the service is excellent. The waiters are attentive and helpful, and our orders were served before we had even warmed our seats. However, the price is exorbitant. What we had ordered were cheap Chinese food, ordered by students on limited budget, but here, they are priced as cuisine food. Definitley not value for money.

Blackie: That is your punishment for freaking me out with a Doraemon cake!!! 

Indinine Restaurant at Jaya 33

Last night, our friend TC was up in the clouds again. But unfortunately, due to my insomniac vampiric activities the past few nights, I was too tired to stay up till 4am for another night.

Instead, hubby and I decided to go to Wendy's for a charbroiled burger. He thought there's an outlet at Jaya 33, Section 14 PJ, which is nearer to our home than the outlet we know at Sunway.

However, when we arrived at Jaya 33, we could not find Wendy's. Hubby asked the guards, who told us that Wendy's is at Jaya 1, Section 17. To a sleep-deprived person, the idea of having to be on the road again wasn't too appealing. 

I opted, instead, to try one of the restaurants there. Hubby wanted to eat at Subway (yeah, he has a penchant for junk food), but a tiny, empty Italian restaurant, called Indinine had caught my eye. I liked the deco, and the long sofas looked really comfy. Hubby was a bit reluctant as not only were there no customers, there wasn't a single staff around.

Undeterred, I walked towards the kitchen and hollered, "Is this place open for business?" A voice hollered back, "Yes". Hmmm.....we are such a polite society.

Choosing the two most comfortable sofas, we settled down. A waiter came out, passed the menu to us, and said, "This is a vegetarian restaurant". My carnivorous hubby immediately stood up to leave. Voicing my wish to eat there, I asked him to take a look at the interesting selections on the menu.

Five minutes later, we ordered:-

- two bowls of wild mushroom soup

- a potato salad

- a bruschetta (french bread toasted with a layer of tomato sauce, topped with fresh tomatoes, olives, parsley and goat cheese)

- a linguinie pesto con funghi

The food arrived in quick order. And surprisingly, everything tasted very good. They had that fresh from the farm taste. And the linguinie in pesto sauce had lots of pine nuts in it. Yummy.....even my hubby was pleasantly surprised and full of praises. 

And the damage? At RM42.90, it's a bit more than what we would normally spend for just the two of us, but there are not that many good quality Italian restaurants in this price range. So, my overall opinion is, it is value for money.