Places to eat

If you like duck, you should probably try this koay chiap at the Wah Meng cafe (Address: 612, Jalan Air Itam, Pekan Ayer Itam, 11500 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang). Koay chiap is a savoury soup with braised duck meat and innards served with flat rice noodles. Wah Meng cafe is as quaint and authentic an old Chinese coffee shop as you can get in Malaysia. Give it a try.

No, I do not go to the famous Sister Curry Mee at the Ayer Itam market. I used to but somehow found the taste to be different now. Or did my taste buds changed? Now I prefer the stall next to it (Address: 612 T, Jalan Air Itam, Pekan Ayer Itam, 11500 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang).  I find the taste to be more similar to the ones I used to enjoy when I was younger. Try it. You may even thank me for it.

This is a quaint little cafe with a Penang like atmosphere (Address: No. 14, Jalan SS 2/103, SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). Not a surprise here as the owners are Penangites. Speaking Penang Hokkien here in PJ will not be awkward at all. All the favourites are available but as you can see, I cannot resist the economy fried noodles with sambal and a fried egg. Their nasi lemak is also good (below). Yam cake (below) and Penang style Chee cheong fun are also good here. Their yam cake or Chinese steamed taro cake is one of the best in Petaling Jaya. There is just a nice amount of yam inside with all the traditional garnishing. Prices are reasonable too. In fact their Tai Pau or big bun (essentially bun with pork and egg stuffing) is most probably the cheapest in PJ! Tastes good too!

My favourite place for Korean food (Address: T-03A, Atria Shopping Gallery, Jalan SS 22/21, Ss 22, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). They have good set meals, and my favourite has to be the one with roast pork. Their fried rice is also good and is a favourite with my daughter.  Below is their Kimchi jigae set (kimchi stew with tofu and pork). Easily one of the best in town. Their stew is not just hot, it is flavourful which is what a lot of other Korean restaurants fail at. If you like kimchi stew, then this one is for you.   Kimchi jigae close up (below). Trust me, this is delicious but a bit hot. Below is their Kimchi san gyeop sal gui set (grilled pork with stir fried kimchi). Nice.....   This is a good place to have authentic Korean food, and they make great kimchi.  Every set meal comes with soup and refillable side dishes, and I always asks for more refills.  Especially their Kimchi. Mmmmm...

Do you know that you can get good and affordable Yong Tau Foo, the Ipoh Road kind, at SS2, Petaling Jaya? Address: Petaling Jaya (North) 2 & 2A, Jalan SS 2/3, Taman Bahagia, SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. All your favourites, brinjal, ladies' fingers, bitter gourd etc with generous portions of fish cake. You can also choose from a wide variety of fried stuff. If you want something other than rice to go along with your Yong Tau Foo, you may choose their Chee Cheong Fun. It is a good place to go for Yong Tau Foo i.e. tastes good and it would not burn a hole in your pocket.

Had mee mamak and chicken porridge at Hainan Joy, Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya (Address: 53, Jalan SS 24/8, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia). Mee mamak is fried yellow noodles with thick gravy. It was a bit spicy and sweet. There were pieces of chicken, fish cakes and about two pieces of prawn. Quite the way I like it but a bit too heavy for regular eating.  Chicken porridge was heavier than usual. We usually go for porridge to clear our digestive tract but the porridge here was quite rich with flavour. Some may like this type of porridge. PS: Most popular food here is their Hainan chicken rice. I have always enjoyed the Hainan chicken rice here. Very good. The chicken meat is tender and succulent whereas the rice is aromatic and not too oily. Remember to prepare your own dip, my formula is two spoons of ginger with one spoon of chili, and one spoon of soy sauce. Mix well and enjoy. Their curry laksa noodles with nyonya style coconut milk...