Dynasty Dragon @ Brem Mall, Kepong

We celebrated my sis-in-law's birthday at Dynasty Dragon last Sunday. Hubby chose the venue due to its crab promotion. However, when we got there, we discovered that the crabs were small and not worth the hassle of cracking the shells to get to the flesh. Too much work for too little meat.


We passed the crab and opted instead for their specialty dishes.

Barbecued pork ribs in plum sauce - RM18

The pork in plum sauce was tender with a tangy taste. Mother-in-law found it hard, though. Perhaps it's not an appropriate dish for someone without their natural grinders.

Double-boiled Spinach in Herbal Soup - RM12

The waitress recommended the Double-boiled Spinach in Herbal Soup when mother-in-law asked for soft, easy to chew vegetables. The soup was full of flavour. Not of herbal, but of anchovies and century eggs. There's nothing herbal about the soup at all, other than the presence of some kei chee (wolfberries).

Steamed Egg with Crab Meat and Diced Fish - RM12

The Steamed Egg with Crab Meat and Diced Fish had a layer of gravy on top, unlike any other steamed egg we've ever had. Although it had plenty of crab meat and was delicious, I could hardly find any diced fish in it. Perhaps it was one of those strips of meat in the egg??

Claypot Beancurd with Salted Fish - RM15

This was the only non-specialty dish on their menu, and was chosen by hubby. Although the name of the dish sounds a little exotic (salted fish with beancurd is not  a usual combination), it turned out to be a rather ordinary fare. A little disappointing, I think. 


Other than this little letdown, I loved the others, with the spinach and steamed egg being my favourites.


Address:
Level 1, Brem Mall
Jalan Kepong
52000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (03) 6258 5848

Goon Wah Fish Head Noodle @ Kuchai Lama

I sent my car to an air-con workshop in Kuchai Lama some time in April and stumbled onto this eatery by chance. It's located next to the workshop, and the tables along the five-foot pavement were full. There was hardly any space to walk into the workshop let alone drive the Chevy in. But I managed.  :)


When asked, the mechanic said the shop is famous for their Claypot XO Fish Head Noodles. Since the shop was crowded with customers queuing for the next available table, the mechanic cleared his desk and suggested we eat in his office. 


It took forever for our orders to be delivered. Fortunately, it's worth the wait. The soup, not too milky, had a distinct XO flavour to it. They were generous with the chunks of deep-fried fish fillet. This is a must-try dish.

We also ordered another house specialty, claypot lo shu fun (rice noodles). Although it looked interesting, with all the various ingredients, I found the taste boring.

Address:
G13 & 14, Jalan 3/115C
Taman Kuchai Lama
Tel: (03) 7982 0048 / (03) 7984 0722
Closed at 3pm

Long Grilled Fish @ Jinjang Utara

As a town, Jinjang does not inspire much confidence with its shabby and cowboy-like appearance. However, it has a number of unpretentious eateries that serve cheap and good food. One of them, Long Grilled Fish, is rather famous, and is crowded most of the time. 


Service is quick, however, but do not expect cuisine-like quality which you get from 'real' restaurants. It is a tai ch'ao (big fried) store, so as long as you expect a tai ch'ao quality, you'll be pleased.

Since they're famous for their baked crabs, that's what hubby and I ordered. When the crabs are done, butter is drizzled on them and salt sprinkled over it. Tasty but a tad oily.

The sei tai ting wong (four heavenly kings), which consists of fried brinjals, long beans, four-angled beans and okra with shrimp sambal was not bad. 

The stir-fried choy tum, a leafy vegetable whose texture reminds me of brussels sprouts, was crunchy and slightly salty. Just the way I like it.

I don't really remember what the seaweed tofu soup tasted like. I guess it must have been neither good nor bad, for I tend to remember both ends of the taste spectrum. 

The lala fried rice was good, and went very well with the dishes. 

Canton-i @ 1-Utama

Time flies. Due to my bad arm which inhibits movement, it's been two months since I last blogged. And once you stopped, it's hard to pick up again. You're suddenly faced with this 'block'. From having verbal diarrhea, I'm now experiencing verbal constipation. Anyway.....

As a kid, I loved wantan mee soup. The noodles were springy and the soup was full of savoury sweetness. Things changed after I grew up. The wantan mee soup tasted like water that had flour washed in it, and the noodles were limp like dead rat.

Canton-i brought back memories of how wantan mee soup should taste like. Springy noodles and savoury sweet soup.

They had some interesting drinks, too. Due to this post being long overdue (we went there sometime in March), I forgot what it is called.

Restoran Robson Heights

We used to frequent this eatery when we were living in the vicinity. We remember it for its reasonable price and good quality food. That said, do bear in mind that it would be to your benefit if you were to ask the prices when you see 'seasonal price' listed next to the item you want. Do not fall into the trap like a friend of a friend's, where they were charged RM270 for a fish.


Now that I've given you fair warning, let's move on. After we moved from the vicinity, we hardly returned to Robson Heights. The restaurants in our new neighbourhood were a dime a dozen, and we didn't feel the need to drive halfway across KL to have some decent Chinese food.


But three Saturdays ago, an ex-classmate of hubby's returned from Singapore to perform Qing Ming rites. Robson Heights, located halfway between us, was the ideal place to have some good food.

Their prawns in salted egg yolk was done differently from other Chinese restaurants. Instead of the regular dry version, it was wet with a distinct salted egg yolk flavour. It was probably the best salted egg version I've ever had. Yumm....

The buttermilk sotong had a twist....it was served with crispy dried pork floss. 

Kangkong belacan was our friend's choice of vegetables. Apparently, he could not get decent kangkong belacan in Singapore. As for me, I like this kangkong belacan better than any other that I've had.

Now, I don't know how true this is, but apparently, in Singapore, you can't order a Hokkien Mai Fun Mee (beehoon mee). You can order either a Hokkien Mee or Hokkien Mai Fun. This is the one dish that our friend asked for each and every time he returns to KL to visit his family.


Personally, we prefer the Hokkien Mee without the beehoon, but as he returns to KL only twice a year, we like to accommodate him. 


This dish, unfortunately was not a winner for Robson Heights. It was too dry, and the mee did not fully absorb the flavour of the gravy. The best Hokkien Mee award still goes to the now-defunct stall at Taman Wahyu, Jalan Ipoh.


The total damage was RM77, which I think, was pretty reasonable. We did not order any rice. We ate those dishes on their own.


Address:
Lorong Syed Putra
KL

Restoran Vegetarian @ Kepong

There are many vegetarian restaurants in Kepong. Some are great, some are mediocre, and then you have those that should never have opened their doors for business. But one thing they have in common, their restaurant name is simply "Restoran Vegetarian".....


So, which vegetarian restaurant is this that I think is worthy of mention, especially when I should be resting my painful arm and shoulder? It's a small, nondescript shop opposite a prawn mee shop with this huge, eye-catching prawn sign at Kepong Baru, near the Wai-Sik-Kai.


We've been there twice now. I'll post the photos of the two visits in a single article. 


On our first visit, we ordered the white raddish soup, nyonya tofu and fried brinjal in gravy. 

The white raddish soup is a light, clear soup without any msg.

I love the sour, piquant taste of the nyonya tofu. Very appetizing. But hubby, who has a low tolerance of anything sour, did not like it at all.

The fried brinjal in gravy was more to hubby's liking. I found the gravy a little 'boring'.


On our second visit, we ordered the bitter gourd & tofu soup, fried mushroom in sweet & sour sauce and sambal fried brinjals, ladies' fingers and long beans. 

We love the bitter gourd & tofu soup. Initially, I was a little hesitant, for fear that the soup might have a bitter taste, but surprisingly, it didn't have the slightest hint of bitterness at all.

The fried mushroom in sweet & sour sauce was a runaway favourite. They used the shitake mushroom and it had a fragrant, crunchy taste. And the sauce was not too sweet, it was well-balanced.

The sambal fried brinjals, ladies' fingers & long beans was another hit with us. However, hubby wished that they had included dried shrimps or belacan in the sambal, as he was more used to a non-vegetarian sambal. Still, he loved it despite the lack of dried shrimp or belacan, so that is saying something about the flavour of the dish.


In conclusion, this vegetarian restaurant serves great meals at reasonable prices. How reasonable? Except for the sambal fried mixed vegetables, all the other vegetables and soup were RM6 each. The sambal dish was RM8.

May King Lum Mee @ Pudu

Hubby's favourite lum mee used to be at a stall in a corner coffee shop at Brickfields. But then, said shop called it a day and a boutique hotel took over its space, to hubby's chagrin. He pined for the lum mee like a werewolf pining for a full moon.


Chance had it that a friend of mine, Fern, who adopted Mc Eow, a.k.a. Sayang posted in her Facebook page some photos of a lum mee that she recently had at May King, Jalan Yew. 


Armed with the address, the Laus (that's me, hubby, mother-in-law & sis-in-law) dropped by May King for lunch yesterday before performing the Qing Ming rites for my late father-in-law.


A line of people were already there waiting to be seated when we arrived. Like any good citizen, we joined the queue. Fortunately, the wait was not long and before our legs started to protest, we were seated.


We ordered a plate of lum mee each, and a bowl of Ipoh hor fun (Ipoh soup noodle) to share, plus some meat balls that had cuttlefish in it.

Those two plates were my sambal. I love my lam mee hot and spicy. :)


Hubby loved the lum mee and thought it tasted the same as the one at Brickfields. Mother-in-law wasn't so excited about it. She and my late father-in-law had apparently patronized this shop regularly a long time ago and she felt that the flavour was not as good as it used to be.

Personally, I prefer the hor fun at Jalan Imbi (the one that used to be at Jalan Tong Shin). While the koay teow was smooth and soft, the soup wasn't half as sweet or flavourful as the one at Jalan Imbi's.

The meatballs were good, with lots of flavour. Value for money at RM1.10 per piece.


That said, I thought the total damage of RM50 was a little steep for only 5 bowls of noodles and 8 pieces of meatballs. 


Address:
May King
38, Jalan Yew (off Jalan Pudu)
(round the corner from the Pudu market, and beneath the flyover)
Business hours: 9:30am - 6pm
Closed on Mondays

De Hunan Restaurant @ Kuchai Lama

It's been a long time since I updated my blog. Too long, in fact, that I'm sitting here with a mental block, not sure how to go about writing about food. Yes, I haven't used my brain for some time now, and it's so rusty I can't get the wheels to spin.


But they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.


I've never tried Hunan food before, so when a friend suggested the hot spicy cuisine for lunch, I was  all for it. I love hot spicy food.


I was told their specialty is the Hot Spicy Steamed Fish Head in Hunan Specialty, but since there were only two of us (the fish is huge), we had to give it a pass. 


Instead, we opted for their other specialties, Chef Deep-fried Tantalising Pork Ribs, Fried Spicy Brinjal with Minced Meat in Hunan Style, and Stir-fried Beijing Cabbage. All three turned out to be excellent choices.

The chef deep-fried tantalising pork ribs was well-marinaded and very tender.

Although the fried spicy brinjal with minced meat in Hunan style looked like a Szechuan dish, the taste is completely different and unique.

I was surprised to see that the Beijing fried cabbage is not just a simple fried cabbage with dried shrimps. Instead, it was fried with pork and dried chilli and the taste is totally different from any fried cabbage I've ever had.

Our steamed rice

I truly enjoyed all the three dishes, and would definitely return with more people to try the fish dish. Thanks for taking me there, V! :) 


Address:
2, Jalan Kuchai Maju 6
Kuchai Lama
(near the Kuchai Entrepreneur's Park)
Tel: (03) 7987 9318
Business hours: 11am - 11pm (open daily)

Dragon-i @ Pavilion Bukit Bintang

Ever since Dragon-i opened its doors for business a few years ago, hubby has wanted to try their food. The restaurant specializes in food from Shanghai, Szechuan, Beijing and Lanzhou. But each time, a walk past their many outlets in a number of shopping malls would see a long queue of customers waiting to be seated. We have never felt a desire to get in line.


But last week the Dragon-i outlet at Pavilion, Bukit Bintang was relatively empty. That was the week of the Chinese New Year. Many KL-ites have taken the opportunity of the long holiday to get out of town. We seized the chance to try the food.

Three stringed instruments, without their strings, were exhibited on the wall.

A couple of rather strange concoction, some peculiar tea with what looked like corals. Tasted a little unusual, too. I wished we had simply stuck to the more traditional Chinese tea like Jasmine or 'Heong Ping'.

I ordered the La Mein (handmade noodles) in Szechuan Hot & Sour soup. I adore the spicy and vinegarish flavour of the soup. The taste was right up my alley.

Hubby wasn't so fortunate in his choice, however. He ordered the Szechuan La Mein in Hot & Sour Soup. Note the difference in the name of this dish and the one I had ordered. It sounds more or less the same, right? Wrong. It couldn't have been more different than night and day.


The Szechuan La Mein in Hot & Sour Soup was neither hot nor sour. It was nothing like the Szechuan Hot & Sour Soup. Instead, it was sweet with peanut-butter flavour, something we had had before at Low Yat Plaza. 


At that time, we had thought the restaurant in Low Yat Plaza made a mistake in naming the sweet peanut butter soup as 'hot & sour soup', but they must have gotten it right, for Dragon-i produced an exact replica of the soup with the same name. To say it tasted yucky would not begin to describe it. 


I am sure the other items on the menu must be good, though, and that hubby had just made a wrong choice (even though this item had the restaurant's specialty and chef's recommendation on it.) How else do we explain the crowd?? Unless....the majority has no discernment when it comes to food?? Surely not. 

Onepot Paper Grill @ Kepong

Updated: 30 June 2012
Onepot has closed its doors and is no longer here.
*****************************
Onepot opened its doors for business in mid-December last year. It serves dim sum, papergrill and steamboat. Papergrill??


Curious, hubby and I checked the restaurant out a couple of weeks ago.

There! That is a papergrill. A baking sheet placed over the grill. Those who bake would know immediately what purpose this serves. 


To prevent the batter from sticking to the baking pan, we could choose to grease the baking pan before pouring the batter in, or we could line the pan with a baking sheet. In this scenario, lining the grill with the baking sheet eliminates the need to grease the grill. Such a simple method for healthier food.

The waitress grilling the food for us

Watching the food cook

There is a selection of 27 sauces to choose from. I don't remember what I took....I chose the more exotic names, but they were all great. Look at the spread of sauces below. Amazing!

That was the Papergrill set, at RM29.90 for 1 to 2 pax. Do not order this if you're dining alone. You won't be able to finish the food. There is more than enough for two people, and hubby has quite an appetite.


We also ordered a pot of clear sweet corn soup, at RM4.90. The soup was refillable, but we were too full to ask for refills. 

Our conclusion: it's a place we will frequent often. Not only is it healthier, but the food is fresh, not those processed food like fish balls, meat balls, etc., that you find at most other steamboat and barbecue grill restaurants. 


Incidentally, they serve dim sum in the morning. And they're opened throughout the Chinese New Year holidays, so no worries about food!


Address:
Block C, Fortune Avenue
Jalan Metro Perdana 3
Taman Usahawan Kepong
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (03) 6252 1277

Sang Har Lor Mee @ Dengkil

I'm not big on lor mee as I'm not a fan of those big, thick yellow noodles. However, I made an exception each time for this special lor mee at Dengkil. This is the only lor mee hubby could drag me to, and I think it's time I blogged about it for posterity. 


Hmm...posterity...I know, a weird choice of word, considering that we don't have kids...well, for the general future generations, then, for someone 100 years from now who stumbles upon this food journey of mine. They might be interested to see what we dinosaurs eat in our time.

What's so special about this lor mee? First, the sang har (fresh water prawns) meat was removed from the shells, and cooked together with the noodle, allowing for the taste to be fully absorbed into the gravy. Each spoonful has that distinctive sang har aroma. 


Second, with the meat deshelled and cut into bite sizes, it makes the dish less messy to eat. The price has increased from RM40 to RM42, but the portion remains enough for two.

The stir-fried kailan was not that great, however. They did not use Hong Kong kailan. It tasted more like green mustard leaves than kailan. They retained the price of vegetables at RM6 a plate.


To get there, one can either take the Jalan Banting-Jalan Kajang/Dengkil or Pintasan Dengkil Bypass.


Address:
Restoran Yew Hin
No. 94, Jalan Besar,
Dengkil, Selangor