Places to eat

Bak kut teh is a pork dish in a flavourful broth. There are different versions but the one stall that keeps me going whenever I am craving for it, is the New Cheow Sang restaurant at Taman Mayang Jaya (Address: No. 3, Jalan SS26/6, Taman Mayang Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). A simple set that is satisfying and delicious. The broth here is light but is full of herbal aroma. I do not like the ones with heavy soya sauce that masks the herbal flavour. Deep fried fluffy taufu or taufu pok in Bak kut teh broth is one of our favourite side dish. Well liked by both children and adults. The yau char kwai is another favourite side dish especially for children, and tastes delicious when dipped in the Bak kut teh broth. However there will not be any available if you go there late. Other pork dishes are also available e.g. the chilly braised pork pictured above, and pepper pork stomach soup (especially good when you feel bloated and to get rid of stomach wind) a

Although I have been to many other stalls selling pork noodles, I will always return to this stall at New Seaview Restaurant, Petaling Jaya (Address: 81-129, Jalan 20/7, Paramount Garden, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). Now both father and son prepare the noodles at two adjoining stoves. This has shorten the wait time tremendously. It took ten minutes of waiting before our noodles were ready. The soup is savoury but not overpowering , and the minced meat and pork intestines and liver are often prepared well. I like the loh see fun whereas my wife likes the mee sua noodles. Give it a try.

Do you want to enjoy your soya milk or soya bean curd or even soya bean ice cream in a fancierkind of setting? If yes, give Dao a try. They just opened a branch at Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya (Address: 21, Jalan SS 22/19, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). Their portions are generous, and the whole environment feels comfortable and clean. The taste? Quite good, actually. We had warm soya bean curd in brown sugar and soya milk. It is also opened until 10pm so if you crave for soya milk at night, why not give this place a try.

Went to Dave's deli at the Starling Mall, Damansara Utama (Address: F-126, Level 1, The Starling Mall, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor), and had some spaghetti. My daughter recommended this branch. She liked the carbonara here. It is quite good. We have eaten at other places but it was either too watery or too thick. The carbonara at Dave's deli is just right. It is no wonder my daughter likes it. We also had the olio oglio with mussels. It looked great and the taste was alright although my son did give it five stars. Please note that these were from the branch at Starling Mall, and it may not taste the same at other branches.

With the ridiculously hot weather nowadays, it is nice to find a stall (Address: No. 5, Block C, Happy Mansion, Ground Floor, Section, Jalan 17/13, Seksyen 17, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor) that serves great ABC. It stands for ais batu campur i.e. shaved ice with a variety of nuts, beans, jelly and topped with coconut cream, syrup etc. Without a doubt, one of the best place to have ABC. It is often crowded but they provide fast service. Looks delicious on the surface. Tastes delicious. Thumbs up! There is more than meets the eye. More goodies inside. If ABC is not your poison, then I recommend their chendol. Very delicious and one of the best chendol in Petaling Jaya.

Updated Feb 2021: With 7th mile kitchen moving out of PJ, Mama Ting is a good option for Sarawak comfort foods.  If you are staying in Petaling Jaya, and looking to try Sarawak noodles, you would not go wrong to try them at Mama Ting (Address: 8, Jalan SS 2/10, SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). The Kolok Mee is springy and is quite good. I am a sucker for tomato koay teow noodles. Of course, I prefer the original in Sarawak but this one will have to suffice until then. Even had time to dress up my plate (above). Had the Sarawak Laksa (below) recently, and tasted good. Enjoyed every bit of it. The gravy is tasty without being too thick, an the bee hoon noodles are the tougher kind (just nice for Sarawak Laksa). I have managed to include their menu here. As you can see, very traditional Sarawak fare.      And I have also included their business hours to avoid disappointments. Go and try this place!

We went to the branch in Gurney Plaza, Penang (Address: Gurney Dr, Georgetown, 10250 George Town, Penang). The shop is located at the basement level, and we needed some time to look for it.  Of course there are other branches throughout Malaysia, and we also frequent the one at One Utama, Petaling Jaya. This photo shows the entrance to the branch at One Utama (new wing). (Address: City Centre, 1 Utama Shopping Centre (New Wing), Lot G343A, Ground Floor, No1, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). Good and simple Taiwanese noodles are available, and Xiao long bao is their specialty. They also have good beef noodles and fried rice. Xiao long pau. A must try. Their specialty. Noodles with roast pork Noodles with wonton Fried rice with pork Fried rice with prawns Dry noodles with pork and scallion. One of my favourites.

One of the better places to have Wantan Mee (Address: 49-G, Jalan SS 22/19, SS 22, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor) in Petaling Jaya. The noodles are nice and char sui (caramelized roast pork) is good. Best thing is, it is open till 11pm. Now you have another place for supper. So, is the wantan really big? Above average, yes but not very big to warrant it's namesake.

Located opposite the Sister Curry Mee is a small coffee shop (Ah Chuen) that serves up a nice warm Chee Cheong Fun dish with prawn paste that is not too strong. (Address: C72H+47 Air Itam, Penang) Of course, a breakfast is not complete without a hot cup of traditional Chinese coffee.

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. Mmmmmmm, yummy!