Places to eat

What a year 2020 is turning out to be!!! With so many restrictions, many hawker stalls might not survive this financial hardship. And what is Malaysia without her myriad choice of hawker food! So, wear a mask, maintain the necessary SOPs but do go out /pack for your meals. Pan mee is a flat noodles in either dry gravy or soup. It is quite the staple food, and you can find it in most restaurants. A good one that we regularly eat is at Restaurant Gembira (Address: 39, Jalan SS 24/8, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor).   Either dry or soup pan mee, they are both good with all the usual toppings (fried anchovies, minced pork, meat balls etc) expected in pan mee. So go out and have or tapau (pack) a nice meal.  

Here is a conundrum that I faced. I love the roast duck from Sunrise Restaurant (Address: 31, Jalan 21/1, Sea Park, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor) but I had already declared that the roast duck from Loong Foong to be the best in Petaling Jaya. Then my wife found me a loophole; Loong Foong roast duck is best in the evenings (they are open only from around 4.30pm) whereas the roast duck from Sunrise Restaurant is the best in noon (they are closed by 2.00pm)! Problem solved! Is it even possible to like two 'best' roast ducks? It is, if the aroma and level of flavour is different. The piece de resistance of the roast duck in Sunrise is the skin. The roasted aroma of the duck skin is superb. For flavour, you can easily cater to your own liking by utilizing the two types of sauce provided (a sour chilly sauce and a savoury soya sauce).  But be ready to queue as it can be quite long. Luckily they have a numbering system. Please remember to order first on the r...

This stall only opens at night (now with the CMCO; from 7 pm - 10 pm. In the past until 11pm), and is located somewhere behind the SS2 Perodua Service Center. It's address is as below: Jalan SS 2/1, SS 2, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.     As you can see they have a small menu but their foods are priced affordably, and all very tasty.     Their Teo Chew Mee Diao makes for a light and healthy 'vegetarian' meal. Look out for their ginger sauce. Spicy and potent! Something you cannot go without. Their Guan Chang Kueh and Chai Kueh. Nice side dishes to go with a main meal. Both are very different, and will suit a variety of taste buds. I prefer the Guan Chang Kueh which has more bite to it than the soft Chai Kueh (which my wife prefers). Also comes with a nice red chilly sauce for dipping. What you should be on the look out for is the Asam Laksa. Although it is stated Kedah Asam Laksa, being a Penangite, I cannot bear to writ...

When we were university students, we tended to be hungry at night. And when looking for a place to have supper, price is of course, a crucial point especially for university students at that time. There is a Chee Cheong Fun stall by the road (address: SS2 / 66, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor) that is an old favourite for students around SS2, Petaling Jaya. It can be quite crowded at night, so be ready to wait in the queue. The Chee Cheong Fun is the wetter type with loads of sweet sauce as its gravy, and dollops of toasted sesame but the creme de la creme has to be the dried pig's skin. Difficult to find elsewhere, and here it tastes superb. Of course, there are loads of other sides to choose from (e.g. meat ball, fish ball, dried tofu skin etc). There is no lacking in variety. I like that it's economical, tastes good and is available even after 9pm. A good place to hang out for supper with old friends.      Use the map below to support this...

We had a quick lunch at the New Grand View Restaurant (Address: 44, Jalan SS 23/11, Taman Sea, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor) before the next CMCO (conditional movement control order). I just wanted to eat out before the lock-down. When we were there, I remembered how good the dry chicken curry noodle was. You have to order it from the Wan Tan Mee stall but if possible, choose the broad noodles as it holds the gravy and flavour much better than the finer wan tan mee noodle. The dry chicken curry is superb. The gravy tastes great and the potatoes are soft and nice. The chicken meat is well-cooked, tender with flavour. Give it a try. You will not regret it.

The best roast duck in Petaling Jaya has to be the one at Loong Foong Seafood Restaurant (Address: 1, Jalan 20/13, Taman Paramount, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). My whole family loves the roast duck here, and whenever we have an urge to eat roast duck, this is the only place we will go. Of course, we are not the only ones who thinks alike. Therefore if you want to take away('ta pau') the roast duck, my best advice for you is to go there by 4.45pm. Your queue will be much shorter.  Below a whole roast duck (chopped). Current price is RM65 per duck. The skin is crispy and the meat flavourful.The duck was well marinated before roasting; a testament to the tasty meat with each bite. There is also a traditional Malaysian pickled vegetables, Nyonya style or Nyonya acar (cucumber). As the name entails, it is pickled cucumber, carrots, cabbage, long beans with ground peanuts. It is about RM10 per box now.  It is a good accompaniment to the roast duck as you will need som...

If you are around the Jalan Bukit area (near University of Malaya Medical Center) and you fancy a simple plate of wan tan mee then you can do no wrong by dropping by the Chuan Lee Restaurant (Address: 5, Jalan Bukit 11/2, Seksyen 11 Petaling Jaya, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). There is a small wan tan mee stall run by an old couple.     The noodle is top-notch and the sauce is well balanced. The char siu is not the caramelized roast type. Some stalls boil the meat before roasting in order to give you more volume, but somehow this type of preparation makes the meat a bit too rubbery. I like the char siu here as I can taste and 'bite' on the meat. A different but more traditional type of preparation. And below, a flavourful soup with the obligatory wontons. Simple and nice. Do give them a chance if you are nearby.

If you are looking for Western-style breakfast in Petaling Jaya, drop by The Bons Cafe (Address: 22, Jalan SS 21/22, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). Although we passed by the place, we never really gave it a try until recently. What a pleasant surprise! Simple Western breakfast fare at affordable prices, and free coffee, too.   Quaint and homely setting and with limited seatings, and can be quite busy in the morning weekends. But the staffs there are courteous and polite. It was a pleasant experience. The breakfast menu is until 12 noon. I have not tried their lunch, and I heard their durian cheese cake and chempedak cheese cake are popular. Maybe next time, and I will update this post. In the mean time, give the place a try. If it is hard to find a parking spot, park inside Atria shopping mall, and just walk to The Bons Cafe. It is near and about 5 minutes walk. Parking inside Atria is also free for the first hour (PS: Atria parking is cash...

Ayer Itam market is not only famous for its asam laksa. There is a 'best deal'  koay teow soup located across the road at the Annex building (Address: Air Itam Market Koay Teow Ting, Pekan Ayer Itam, 11500 Air Itam, Penang). I have included a photo of the annex building below so that it will be easier for you to find the stall.     The stall is located inside, and easily recognisable from the amount of minced pork and bowls placed at the stall.       RM4.00 and RM4.50 (about USD 1) for a bowl of koay teow soup full of pork slices, pork liver, minced pork, fish cakes and fish balls. Where else can you get a deal like this for RM4. The soup is flavourful and the portion extremely generous. Taste wise, it is on the heavier side and some will like it. For me, it is the generous portion that just makes this an unbelievable deal.     Give it a try but be prepared to wait about 30 min to 1 hour for your order. That is how popular this stall is among the ...

There are of course many fancy Japanese restaurants in the Klang valley. But these often come at a price. There are times when you just want something Japanese but simple and at a relatively lower price point. It is at these times, I will find myself going to Sushi Mentai. It is a kaiten sushi (conveyor belt sushi) restaurant but with a wide variety of noodles, rice, snacks, bentos and ala carte. The one I now usually go to is the one at SS24, Taman Megah (14, Jalan SS 24/13, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor).  They have clean and systematic setups, and the quality of food is consistent, above average in my opinion (and for the price).   This is the curry udon with one ebi furai (crispy fried prawn). A nice change once in a while from the more popular wakame udon (seaweed udon) below.   Sometimes we will just order their karaage chicken (Japanese fried chicken) (above) to go with a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup e...

I remembered when I first saw the owner at Section 17, Petaling Jaya (more than 10 years ago). I remembered because he will aerate each cup of milk coffee with hand. Spinning vigorously! That is the sheer dedication he had for each cup of coffee. I am glad that they are doing so well now with a popular restaurant at SS2 (40, Jalan SS2/66, SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). Their most popular dish will be their char siu wan tan mee (caramelized pork belly in noodles with wonton meat dumplings). Quite surprised that you can now order with less fat (for the health conscious). The char siu is delicious with nice springy noodles. Its sauce was pleasant and easy on the palate. A small bowl of flavourful soup with wontons. Somehow I cannot help but finish these pickled green chilies with the noodles. Theirs are not too spicy and well-pickled. I will have to ask for more the next time I go there which was what the lady sitting opposite me did. I guess she...

Sometimes when you are looking for something simple and quick e.g. a plate of Sibu Kampua noodles (a.k.a kolok mee), you can find a satisfying meal at the SIBU Noodle House stall at the Restaurant Tea Time (23-1, Mayang Plaza, Jalan SS 26/4, Taman Mayang Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). Nothing extravagant or fancy about this place. Just a simple Kampua dish in traditional Sibu style (kolok mee in fried shallot oil). The taste is something that you can eat regularly. A simple Sibu Kampua noodle dish. I chose the one with minced meat. They also serve with char siu (caramelized roast pork slices). A rare find, Foo Chow red wine rice noodles (mee sua). Not many stalls have this dish, and even less has one that tastes as good as this.            

Menya Shi-Shi Do (Lot 100 P2.039, The School Jaya One, No 72A, Jalan Universiti, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor). I stayed in Japan for about four years (for my studies), and I can honestly say it is difficult to find a good ramen stall in Malaysia. It is either a broth base that is too overwhelming or ramen noodles that does not taste like the original noodles you will get in Japan. Well, all that changed with a recent trip to Menya Shi-Shi Do, a busy restaurant located inside The School Jaya One. For the first time in a long time, I enjoyed my ramen. And I have to thank the chefs at Menya Shi-Shi Do for this. Their noodles are as authentic as you can get in Japan, and their broth just nice. We had the Shiro ramen (ramen in pork broth) (below). This one does not feel heavy, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife also enjoyed her Aka ramen (ramen in spicy pork broth) which was not too spicy but still very delicious. She is a bit of picky about her food therefore i...