Vietnam Kitchen @ USJ 9, Subang Jaya

Cuisine: Vietnamese
Price: ~ RM 25/pax
Service: 3.5 (refer to glossary)

>>>>>>>

My dad, suddenly retired and everything,  has time in his hands. He has declared Saturday nights the nice-family-dinner night. And he made it MY duty to suggest these nice places to eat – good food (to suit their very specific taste), nice atmosphere, decent service……

The catch being, that these places have to be nearby, i.e. Subang Jaya or USJ… =_=

I might be resourceful, but I’m no miracle worker ok!!

>>>>>>>>

Seafood promo! No idea if it’s good cos I didn’t try it. Though, the next table seemed to be enjoying their feast.

Vietnamese Prawn Rolls

Always my favourite at any Vietnamese restaurant. The fish sauce was yummy, but would be even nicer if it was slightly spicy (but that’s personal preference). The veg and roll was refreshing to the pallete. Only thing is, I’m a little confused as to why they call it a prawn roll when prawn is clearly scarce in the roll.. very scarce.

Kangkung Belacan, Vietnamese Chicken Curry, Special 3 Sauce Fish

We didn’t order the typical ala carte dishes people usually go for. Instead we ordered dishes to be sampled with rice – the chinese way.

The sauce on the fish was really quite good. We ordered that twice actually, cos the portions are small. The second time, the fish was plumper and there were more fish fillets.

The chicken curry was served with yam instead of potatoes. Slightly starchier/thicker than what I’m used to. But it’s nice~~ not superb, but not bad.

The kangkung was nice too. Nothing spectacular, but good nonetheless.

Conclusion:

Food here in general is nice for a simple family dinner. Portions are smaller than your usual “dai chao” – which is fine for me, but not others. The service was average and it didn’t take too long for the food to get to the table (unlike the 1U branch). Will probably come back once we run out of things to sample in Subang.. which shouldn’t take long.

Other reviews: KayElDiary, LivetoEat, KLUE, USJ.com.my (mostly about 1U branch)
Address:  39, 41 & 43 Jalan USJ 9/55, Subang Business Centre UEP, Subang Jaya [google map]
Phone: +603-8024 8475
Opening hours: 1100-1530 and 1800-2130

Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee @ Off Jln Tunku Abdul Rahman, KL

Cuisine: Chinese, Pan Mee
Price: ~ RM 7/pax
Service: 1.5 (refer to glossary)

Yummy yummy!!

One bowl just isn't enough

Other reviews: BabeinKL, WantanProductions, KYSpeaks
Address:  40, Jalan Dewan Sultan Sulaiman 1, Off Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur [google map]
Phone: +6016 372 8069
Opening hours: Weekdays 0730 – 2045; Weekends & Public Hols 0730 – 1700; Closed last Sunday of the month

Tomoe Japanese Restaurant @ SS15, Subang Jaya

Cuisine: Japanese
Price: ~ RM 50/pax
Service: 3.5 (refer to glossary)

After hearing raving reviews about this place from my girl friend (who’s had her fair share of jap food), my dad’s friend and even my bro’s friend (who’s 14), I figured it’s time to check this place out.

Tomoe is a corner lot of an old vacant lot that recently got turned into a Subang Valley Hotel (row of shops opposite SJMC).

Usually parking in SS15 (Subang Jaya) is a real pain, but parking in this particular corner of SS15 is really easy. After office hours, parking is free in the shop lots in front of the house and failing to find any legitimate parking spots, you may proceed to explore the residential area right at the back. AND for those too lazy to search, valet parking is available and free for Tomoe customers.

As I walked in, I noticed how the wide and open the restaurant was. There was lots of space between sections and tables. Even the tables were really wide.

Whilst the decor was quite fancy and posh, the clientele were mostly families – casually dressed in shorts and slippers, screaming kids.. Typical Subang Jaya crowd – make everything so casual.

The waitresses were really nice and friendly too. Unlike the cool and upmarket decor, the waitressed were warn and chatty. I was so tempted to give them a 4 for the service rating, but service was slow..

Spicy Tuna Temaki

According to my bro, the Spicy Tuna handroll was so-so. Quite pricey though, RM10 (if I remember correctly). The Maki version is RM 12.

Salmon Sashimi & Tobiko

For such a fancy place and such a fancy price, the salmon sashimi was a disappointment. Whilst it is probably a better cut, it was really thinly sliced and didn’t look very appetising. The tobiko was yummy but it was as tiny as the Sakae Sushi ones and cost RM5 each.

Seafood Fried Rice

My parents idea of Japanese food is – Seafood fried rice, garlic fried rice and saba. Daddy says the seafood fried rice is amazing. Mommy said the garlic fried rice is good, but tastes about as good as Sakae Sushi.. so nothing that outstanding. BUT, they serve chilli padi here. Good seafood fried rice + chilli padi.. that pretty much guarantees my dad’s return.

Dragon Roll & Salmon Tenpanyaki

I LOVED the Dragon Roll (RM30)!! The combination of flavours and textures were amazing. I’d come back just for this. My parents decided Saba (Mackeral) tastes better than Salmon.

Salmon Skin Maki

Excited after the yummy Dragon Roll, I decided to try another maki – Salmon Skin Maki. It was… ok ~ ~

Nothing special.

Pink Ginger

FYI, that costs RM5!! (I thought it was free, though I was skeptical looking at the portion..)

Conclusion:

It’s a nice restaurant. The food ranges from average to yummy. The service is friendly but slow.

There wasn’t very much variety in terms of makimonos (sushi rolls) and food here is QUITE pricey.

I think I’ll probably come back.. but not anytime too soon.

Other reviews: mask-masak, JulesEatingGuide, EpicuriousGirl
Address:  1, Jalan SS15/5A, 47500 Subang Jaya [google map]
Phone: +603 5633 5919
Opening hours: Lunch 1200-1430 (last order 1415); Dinner 1800-2300 (last order 2230)

Nando’s @ Subang Parade, Subang Jaya

I was rummaging through my pictures in boredom and found this:

Quarter Chicken @ Nando's, KLCC (Mar '08)

How did it become this ?!!??!

Quarter Chicken @ Nando's, Subang Parade (Sept '08)

Grilled Chicken Strips with Rice @ Nando's, Subang Parade

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Cuisine: Portugese
Price: ~ RM 20/pax
Service: 1.0 (refer to glossary)

I sent Nando’s my feedback: Shrinking portions; Terrible service about 2 weeks ago, informing them about some consistencies I noted in their outlets:

1. Food portion shrinks with each visit – the chicken has become so shrivelled it looks unappetising (as evident in pictures above – Mom says, if they insist on downsizing the portions, they should really opt for smaller plates)
2. Service is slow and waiters are inattentive
3. Orders are incorrect – without fail, there will be one order at the table that is messed up per visit

Linking my review and some other Nando’s reviews to the email.

I got a response the next day! Woo hoo~

(which is more than I can say for McD’s. I emailed them MONTHS ago.. still nothing, not even acknowledgement email)

Whilst the response seems extremely manufactured (straight out of a SOP manual).. like a template where you <insert name> and <insert complaint>, I was still quite impressed that there was a response at all.

And whilst many people (NATO) say that they should have given me vouchers to retaste their food so they can redeem themselves, I stick to my naive optimism that a response is better than no response.

I haven’t heard from her since though.

Conclusion:

Personally, I like the taste of Nando’s – the tangy sour and spicy Peri Peri seasoning has me hooked. I love the sauces and I love the fresh flavour of the rice. (And I love chicken.. yea, I generally love chicken) Which is why I keep (selectively) forgetting the infuriating and appalling service.

Also, when you (Nando’s management) charge the price you charge, your customers expect service above that of a coffee shop. And, if you charge the price you charge, your portions should be at least the same or more than that of a coffee shop (unless of course you charge 10 times more, then you can serve half the portions and call it fine dining).

I’ll visit them again next month and see if anything has changed.

Other reviews: EatzyBitzy (KLCC), RamblingMoo (Queensbay Mall, Penang)
Address:  Lot LG 10B-C, Lower Subang Parade, 5 Jalan SS16/1, Subang Jaya [google map]
Phone: +603 5632 6555
Website: http://www.nandos.com.my/
Opening hours: (I don’t know.. same as Subang Parade hours I guess)

Village Park @ Uptown Damansara, PJ

Cuisine: Malaysian, Nasi Lemak
Price: ~ RM 10 (for lunch + drink)
Service: 3.0 (refer to glossary)

During lunch times, on suitable days (suitable = no rain.. no sign of rain in the next hour.. no one’s too lazy to walk), the whole group of us walk 3/4s of the Uptown square to get the Village Park for the oh-so-yummy nasi lemak.

The place is always completely packed. Today, 13 of us crammed ourselves onto a table meant for 8 (5 rather large guys mind you) all for the sake of this oh-so-yummy nasi lemak.

It was really crammed. You know how when you pretend to be a chicken in school plays or charades, you squish your arms (with your elbows bended) close to your body. That’s how we ate our lunch today.

The most famous here is their nasi lemak + ayam goreng (fried chicken). I’ve had it twice:

1. the first time I thought the chicken wasn’t very flavourful
2. the second time I thought it was nicer

But the one thing consistently yummy, is the sambal. It’s the sweeter kind of sambal. And although it’s not as spicy as I’d like it.. it’s good. We always ask for more cos they never give enough.

I personally really like their lime juice. The limau ice is exceptionally refreshing – just the right degree of sour + sweet + cold balance.

My colleagues really like the kedondong – it looks really green.

They have other Malaysian favourites too, like the mee rebus, fried kuey tiao. I had fish ball noodles today. The soup was average but the fish balls were quite err… “bouncy” ? Hope it’s not boric acid.

Conclusion:

I don’t think the nasi lemak is as exceptional as my colleagues (and everyone else) make it out to be. It’s on the pricier side for a working lunch (RM6.50 for a plate of nasi lemak). I probably won’t choose to come here unless my colleagues want to or if I wanted to let someone else try the oh-so-yummy nasi lemak. I might make a trip specially for the limau ais though.. :p

But my taste is known to be different.. so maybe take my conclusion with a pinch of salt.

Other reviews: WaiSikKai, JulesEatingGuide, DamansaraLunchClub (pix only)
Address:  5, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 PJ [google map]
Phone: +603 7710 7860
Opening hours: (I don’t know.. but I overheard the lady say they open in the mornings too..)

Cafe WIP @ Bangsar Shopping Complex, Bangsar

Cuisine: Fusion, Western, Malaysian
Price: (I don’t know.. cos I didn’t really order, and I didn’t pay… )
Service: 3.5 (refer to glossary)

The first thing I noticed walking into the cafe were the chairs. Made of stainless steel wires, can’t help but think of..

Tee-hee ~~ I was in one of my moods. Had PLENTY of sleep before leaving the house for dinner. But since it was only my second time out with SW, I thought.. maybe I shouldn’t say anything. So it was a good thing that he chose one of those tall tables with higher chairs.

As I skimmed through the menu, racking my brain to decide as fast as i could, I blurted out that if the place was called work-in-progress, they should serve food that is not completely cooked. =_=

Yea.. exactly the expression on his face. I’ve shared this thought with DT before (he didn’t think it was THAT absurd.. coming from me I suppose).

Perhaps food can be served with a hot plate, where you have to complete the cooking process yourself. Or salads can come in little plates, where you get a huge salad bowl to toss it in. WIP, right?

….

We (or rather he) decided we were to share a pizza – the old fashioned Hawaiian pizza. Typical Malaysian boy.

I only have one picture, so as not to freak him out with my picture taking habits. All-in-one:

Chicken wings + Hawaiian pizza + Beer (I think Heineken.. cos I actually rather liked the taste)

The chicken wings were really fried. Nicely fried probably.. but I’m neither a chick wings person nor a fried food person. So it wasn’t something I could appreciate.

The pizza was a rather dainty pizza. Crunchy thin crust (thinner than the usual), daintily sliced onions.. I liked it, but it was dainty.

SW said he had the Tempura Udon (or something like that) the last time he was here. That was good too.

The cafe was rather packed for a work night. But it was a nice crowded. It wasn’t too noisy, but the crowd complemented the atmosphere.

Conclusion:

It’s a nice place to hangout after work with friends. It reminds me of a pub – minus the sleazy uncles and sticky tables.

P/S You need to get the PIN from the waiters to use the washroom (and the temperature’s lower in the washroom).

Other reviews: AWhiffofLemongrass, masak-masak, epicuriousgirl
Address:  Lot G111, Ground Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre [google map]
Phone: +603 2094 1789; +603 2094 2789
Website: http://www.wip.com.my/
Opening hours: 1200 – late

La Cocina @ USJ 9, Subang Jaya (again)

Original post here

Brought my family there during the weekend. Yay!! They like…

We tried a couple more tapas, including the eggplant with tomato paste and mushrooms with garlic – VERY YUMMY!

We also tried the Spanish omelette – tortilla espanale (or something like that), a bit dry.

But, daddy said, the best is the complimentary french loaf that comes with the meal.. (he said) we should just get lots of that with various tapas. So we don’t have to order the paella.  =_=

I haven’t decided if I like the Sangria (Spanish cocktail). I think, yes.. Daddy really liked it. He had 2 glasses.

click for full review

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mian dui Mian @ SS15, Subang Jaya

Cuisine: Chinese, Noodles
Price: ~ RM 7/pax (for lunch)
Service: 3.0 (refer to glossary)

Everyone who knows me or my sister well enough will know that, we’re a family of McDs freaks. Every weekend without fail, we will eat McDs for lunch once, if not twice. But recently, my body seems to be rejecting fast food.. I feel all uncomfy eating so much process food. So, it was to my great pleasure that I found this pan mee specialist so nearby our usual McDs (near Taylor’s College) outlet.

The restaurant is clean and cool, which is great for a hot afternoon such as this (which is why we always end up at McDs.. aircond). The tables and stools are far from plush and comfy, but they are functional.

They go by the self-service (i.e. write down your order yourself) concept like most of the Hong Kong style places like Kim Gary and Wong Kok Char Chan Teng. It’s pretty straightforward given their more simple menu of Pan Mee or Sarawak Noodle variations.

I’ve personally tried the House Specialty Hot & Spicy Pan Mee (which is essentially a Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee copycat), the Creations Minced Pork Pan Mee and two of the Sarawak noodles – orginal and dark sauce with chilli (not spicy at all).

They serve their noodles with a selection of chillies including the dried chilli flakes (like in Kin Kin), good old chilli padi, the typical pan mee chilli (chilli paste thingy) and a slightly sour red and green chilli concoction (which I’m sure you’ve seen served with noodles before) – nothing very new.

My personal favourite is the original Sarawak noodle, which I just had today. The noodles are the right texture, the meat balls are the right kind of chewy/tender, it’s just the right amount of salt… MOST importantly, the slightly sour red and green chilli concoction that I chose to go with it was SPICY enough. YUMM… A simple yet satisfying dish.

Sarawak Noodle (original)

Usually, I have the House Specialty Hot & Spicy Pan Mee. I mean, I’m a big fan of Kin Kin.. who isn’t? But it’s way too far for lazy little me. So whilst this is far from being competition (in terms of taste), it’s a good enough substitute for me.

Bro mixed it up too quickly, so u can’t see the egg + anchovies (ikan bilis) + minced meat

The chilli flakes are definitely not as good as Kin Kin’s. Not as spicy and tastes like they mixed some Mamee curry powder into it. But, given the drive (what with the petrol price hike and all), it’s good enough for an everyday lunch.

I am a bit weary of the drinks though. They seem to like using cordials in everything, including Limau Ais.

My dad said the Cincau with Milk is better than the Cincau without Milk, but generally, it’s just average. We once told the si tau po (lady boss) that the ais kacang tasted terrible. She was quite receptive, but I don’t know if they’ve actually made changes. Let me know if they start putting in gula melaka ok.. that’s my suggestion.. :p

Conclusion:

The restaurant I believe is owned by 2 pleasant looking young ladies. Bravo to them if the concept is theirs. It’s a slightly upmarket coffee shop, with the price of your typical ~RM5 coffee shop pan mee, but with the comforts of a clean and cool environment. The food’s not all that special, but it’s good enough for an everyday meal. All in all, value for money.

Other reviews: lowyatforum, usjforum
Address: SS15/4D, Subang Jaya (near the McD’s near Taylor’s College) [google map]
Branch: Uptown Damansara (the row facing Kayu Ara Sprint Highway) [google map]

Chef & Brew @ Bkt Damansara

Cuisine: Malaysian, Fusion, Western
Price: ~ RM 20/pax (for lunch)
Service: 3.5 (refer to glossary)

We were on a quest, my bored colleagues and I. On the rare occasion of downtime at the office, we were bored out of our wits. Our minds ventured, far and wide – and a plan was conceived. A plan of our discrete escape from the office to our destination – Just Heavenly cakes.

On the dot at 12, we ventured nonchalantly towards the lifts, from our respective corners of the office. Not attracting attention of any sort from the stressed faces plastered to the (terribly slow) Dell monitors. After some arguing of direction, and a few turns round the Plaza Damansara area, we managed to stumble onto our long awaited cake lunch…..

It was closed.  =_=

Disappointed, we decided to pacify my getting-crankier-by-the-moment colleague by eating at Chef & Brew right opposite. It’s my second time there. The first was not impressive.. so I had my reservations.

The ambience was nice, as it was the first time. It had a very open feel to it. There was plenty of space, good for chatting, even business lunches.

The decor was simple, not too modern that it’s cold, yet not too conventional that it’s gaudy.

My friend ordered the Kung Pou Pasta and I ordered the Chicken Sandwich to share (with the guy… a rather big guy I might add). We were served some bread to munch on whilst waiting for our main course – as is expected of such a place.

We got half a slice of toast each. No fancy rolls or bread sticks – white slices of toast. To be fair, it was very nicely toasted.

Kung Pou Chicken Pasta

The portion of pasta was pretty generous. It looked really good too. My colleague said it was OK. My sandwich came, once again without fancy focacia or ciabatta, which I tend to expect at a place like this. But, I was pleasantly surprised. The sandwich was quite yummy. The chicken fillet was grilled with some sort of sauce that resembles soy sauce (in colour and liquidity). There was no mayo (that’s always good.. i ask for it to be removed anyway). There was just enough veg in it (tomatoes and cucumber mainly) to make it crunchy and fresh tasting.

I didn’t take a picture of it cos I forgot. I was too hungry, and when I finally remembered, it was too late.

We were too stuffed for dessert.. and too reluctant to try potentially “sub-par” dessert, not from Just Heavenly cakes as we had planned, so we skipped that. They did serve the famous chocolate coated durian cake at Chef & Brew though. But we already swore not to eat it, for fear that the strong smell of durian would blow our cover.

Barely satisfied, we went back to the office.

Conclusion:

It’s a nice place to hang out. But I’m not willing to take the gamble of “choosing the right dish”, given the price and the location.

Other reviews: ms.chocoholic, xiaolongbao, themamakcorner
Address: Epicure, Lot 50576 Jalan Medan Setia [google map]
Phone: +603 2095 5069
Opening Hours: 11am – late; 365 days (says so at the entrance)

Wendy’s @ Sunway Pyramid, Sunway

Cuisine: Fast food
Price: ~ RM 20/pax
Service: 2.0 (refer to glossary)

(lifted from mypersonalweblog)

Wendy’s the American fast food chain which has been around since 1969 has finally re-made itself to Malaysia’s Sunway Pyramid. I vaguely remember its presence in Subang Parade when I was really little.

Anyway, since day 1, it’s been a pretty big crowd there. You always have to hover over others for a seat (like in coffee shops) and wait in a long long queue before you get to order.

It’s slightly sad that McD’s seats next door have looked significantly lonelier and lines much shorter since Wendy’s opening.

Anyway, there were 4 of us and we ordered a good sample of the menu. We ordered 4 burgers – beef, fish and chicken, and the famous chilli – which apparently is high in fibre and low in fat.

That’s the 1/4 pounder and 1/2 pounder with Wendy’s signature square paties;

That’s the fish burger; and

That’s the spicy chicken burger.

And our VERDICT?that’s Wendy eating a Wendy burger btw..

The beef paties are jucier at Wendy’s. Not dry and shrinking/shrivelled up like McD’s recent collection. Yumm !

But the fish burger on the other hand, is dry compared to its fillet o’ fish equivalent.

See that? That’s the spicy chicken. It’s really stringy chicken. And it was disappointing competition for McD’s Spicy Chicken McDeluxe (eventhough the Spicy Chicken McDeluxe is shrinking too).

The drinks are MUCH bigger at Wendy’s. The regular is like a McD’s large. You can’t really tell from the picture.. but it really is MUCH bigger.

We thought since there are no refills that we would get an additional large drink. BIG mistake.

CONCLUSION:
Generally, everything is fresher (the “less processed” fast food) and larger at Wendy’s. The drinks are definitely American size.

But for taste, eat beef burgers at Wendy’s (or even Burger King) but everything else at McD’s (or Carl’s Junior if you’re feeling rich and/or really hungry.. everything’s good and really huge there).

Other reviews: KYspeaks, sloppychic, masak-masak
Address: LG 2.42, Sunway Pyramid (old wing, next to McDs) [google map]