Review: Surisit The Thai Kopitiam

**Non-Halal**


Last week I took you to Japan and this week, let's go Thailand!

Surisit The Thai Kopitiam is still a new kid on the block but already receiving raves reviews all over. It is located in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), same row as Penang Village. The set up is a simple kopitiam but thank goodness it's air-conditioned. Makes it comfortable to enjoy hot and spicy food!



For drinks, you'll see some imported bottled drinks from Thailand like Capt'n Hook's Thai Tamarind Juice (RM7.90) which seriously quench your thirst. I just had the usual Thai Black Jelly (RM3.90).



Since there were just 2 of us, we just opted for fried rice. Capt'n Hook's Kao Phat Kung (Prawn Fried Rice RM14.90) came first. Tasted like ordinary fried rice but quite flavourful.



Since I've read raves review on Kao Klut Gapi (Belacan Fried Rice RM14.90), so I must have this. After browsing through numerous blogs, not sure why the pork belly served to me was placed directly on the rice and not on a separate bowl. Anyway, I guess it won't' make much difference. I wished they have used a bigger plate for this to ease mixing up the belacan fried rice with the condiments ie. long beans, raw mango, shallots, omelette, chili padi and pork belly. I find the rice do not have enough "wok hei" (breath of the wok) and had tasted better ones else where.



The compulsory green for us was Kana Moo Krab (Stir Fried Kailan with Crispy Pork RM14.90). Just plain old stir-fried kai lan with garlic and addition of ermmm something like roast pork minus the crispiness. I think I would like salted fish in here instead.



Capt'n Hook's Torb Tim Krob (RM5.90) which was alright and come with generous red rubies (water chestnut) and jackfruit slices with the only grouse that the ice was not made of shaved ice. They have used crushed ice. This was feedback to them and was informed they were looking for an ice shaver at the moment. So give them a bit of time to acquire one.



There seems to be a little confusion on the opening hours as stated up front. Looks like it was adjusted to 11.00am instead of 9.00am.



I guess it's only fair to give this place another few tries to check out the dishes that goes with rice plus a while more to get things into a smooth moving gear. My only problem is the amount of MSG used, I was so thirsty that I had gulped down 500ml water just before going to bed at 2am and woke up at 5am for another glass of water, a first for me definitely o.O


Surisit The Thai Kopitiam
No. 17, Ground Floor
Lorong Rahim Kajai 13
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-7710 0173

Review: Prawn Noodles @ Yong Leng

**Non-Halal**


Restoran Yong Leng is a typical Chinese coffee shop located in a corner lot opposite KFC/Perodua showroom in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. There are many stalls operating in there such as char koay teow, chee cheung fun, Penang prawn noodles, bao and assortment of kuih-muih (local cakes). Ohh by the way, the signboard has a missing G in Leng which now reads Len only :p

I've tried the char koay teow here and it was pretty ok, just that the portion is kinda small which really reminds me of Penang. 

There was another visit which I finally tried the Penang prawn mee (har meen in Cantonese) also known as Hokkien Mee in Penang which I've read raving reviews on other blogs. I ordered a small bowl (RM4.00; large one is RM4.50... yes price has increased!) of mee hoon mixed with yellow noodles, my fave combi for prawn mee. From the looks and taste of it, it is authentically Penang style which has half-split medium sized prawns, boiled pork slices, beansprouts and kangkung in a prawn shells and pork bones broth with reddish prawn and chilli oil swimming on top. It is usually finished with a sprinkling of fried shallots and the essential slight tangy chili paste.

Yong Len's version is quite good with the broth packing a punch but it's not my favourite though. I still prefer the Penang stall behind Yut Kee. I like the broth more which tasted naturally sweet and best part, it has the addition of pork ribs! Nevertheless this is still good in this part of Kuala Lumpur.

Restoran Yong Leng
2 Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1
60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 7728 0376
Closes on Monday

GPS Coordinates: N3.141630, E101.629243

It's Friday!!! Time to hit Sid's!

**Non-Halal**


It's time for a glass or two of Guinness Draft, where else but at Sid's Pub!

We have visited Bangsar South and Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) but has yet to check out the latest Bukit Tunku's outlet. Between TTDI and Bangsar South, we both find TTDI is more errmm intimate.

We met a friend over at Bangsar South outlet and I finally managed to get some rather decent (by my standard lah LOL) pics. With some chicken wings (RM16) and pigs in blanket (RM16) for finger food. The wings were deep fried to a deep golden brown making them crispy but yet juicy inside. Thai style chili sauce were ladled over.



The piggies here at least were ok, not too floury. Could be better with more blanket!



The Cod and Chips (RM32) is great too. 2 thick pieces of deep fried cod in crispy batter which I like cos it was a light coat of batter, not over floury. There were thick fries which were great with vinegar and yummy mashed peas.



Don't wait too long, it's time for a drink!


Sid's Pub TTDI
34 Lorong Rahim Kajai 14,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail,
60000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (603) 7726 6832
Map


Sid’s Pub BANGSAR SOUTH
M-5A The Village,
Bangsar South,
2 Jalan 1/112H, Off Jalan Kerinchi,
59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (603) 2287 7437
Map


Sid’s Pub BUKIT TUNKU
H2 Taman Tunku, Off Langkat Tunku,
Bukit Tunku,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Map

Review: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

**Halal**


I must be the last of the floggers to blog about this place :p in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Together with Miss Sweet 16, we went to check out Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen some time back, yeah I know very back cos in between, we have been to Shang Palace and Rama V already and I've yet to write about this one :p

Anyway, we decided to try the fried chicken and fish even though they have various other stuff like fried shrimp, rice and sandwiches. We've gotten the set that came with a biscuit, coleslaw and mash potatoes.



We asked for both mild and spicy for our 2 pieces chicken set. We both decided that the spicy one tasted better even though well, it's not that spicy. The mild was kinda disappointing as the flavours were concentrated on the outer skin.



I loved the fried catfish though. The fish were fresh and tender amist the crispy coating surrounding it. Funny I have to ask them for the tartare sauce. Don't these fish automatically to be served with tartare sauce?



The coleslaw is pretty normal but I kinda like the mash as it came with Cajun style gravy which tasted almost like a chili. However, the biscuit is really smashing! It's fluffy almost like my scones except this is savoury. Miss Sweet 16 and I loved the crumbly and buttery biscuits a lot.

My verdict is, for fast food fried chicken... I'll stick to KFC but I'll definitely come here for the fried fish and biscuits. Hmmm I think would be great to bring my boiboi here for some fish since he's not a big fan of fish, wonder what's his reaction and comment would be :p

Oh yeah, whilst I was washing my hands at the sink, there were some plastic drawers on the console next to it. One of them was labelled "spork". I was telling Miss Sweet 16 and we were both wondering was there a typo or what until our food was brought to our table. Amist our food, there's this utensil...



Spork or no spork??? Hahahaha... spoon + fork = spork!

Sorry no prices since Miss Sweet 16 paid for the meal. Thank you Miss Sweet 16 :D

Noticed we did not have any desserts? We went off to Namaste which is located on the row just behind of Popeyes to have some Chai. I liked the Chai here as it's not sickly sweet with a hint of spices. Thinking of trying the food here some day, well, have to wait till I say bye bye to my cough.


Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1
Taman Tun Dr. Ismail
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (603) 7710 1198


Technorati Tags: poultry + fish

Review: Spices of Asia

Hubby took me to this Malay cafe, Spice of Asia, and we were both taken by their signage Laksa Johor (RM5.00) pasted at the glass display. We were hankering for a very good Laksa Johor we have long time ago so we ended up ordering a bowl each.

From the outside, Spice of Asia, looks like typical Malay warung with food displayed up front but as one walked inside, a nice and cosy cafe is revealed. There is an aircon section too.

Our laksa came looking like this... kinda unappetising... with a bowl of sambal belacan to go with it.



When we dug in, tada... the noodles, in this case spaghetti (it's common that spaghetti is used for Laksa Johor), and the condiments (cucumber, onions, beansprouts, bunga kantan etc) were actually hidden underneath the thick laksa gravy. The gravy consisted heavily of fish meat and I tasted a variety of herbs (ulam) and spices. This is not too bad but I've tasted better. I have to say that the sambal belacan is really great.



Hubby had a bowl of bubur cha cha that came purplish looking with strands of colourful errr I'm not sure what do you call those but should have been made outta flour and large sago balls. They looked like cendol strands but it's not soft, just slightly chewy. These colourful strands can be found at supermarket's dry food section. So far I've found the Malay style bubur cha cha have such floury strands. Hubby dug and dug but couldn't find the usual yam and sweet potatoes inside. Is this how a typical Malay bubur cha cha looks like? Hmm I doubt so since we have eaten one of the best around recently and have yet to find another to match this stall in KL.



All in our bill for 2 bowls of Laksa Johor, one bowl of bubur cha cha, one glass of syrup bandung and another glass of plain water costed less than RM15, sorry can't remember the exact amount. Other than these, they have nasi campur (mixed rice), various fried noodles and rice plus ala carte dishes to go with plain rice.


Spices Of Asia
52 Jalan Datuk Sulaiman
Taman Tun Dr.Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-7725 5875


Technorati Tags: malaysian food

Review: Restoran Claypot Brothers @ TTDI

**Non-Halal**

We tried out this place next to Mama's Kitchen (hmm funny I didn't have a post on this, must dig out the pics one day) in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, called Claypot Brothers. As we walked in, right at the left entrance... there is a cooking station for the cook to fry oyster omelette and cooking claypot rice plus a row of pre-cooked dishes and desserts available. Oh the right is basically the chopping station for lor ark (braised duck) and porridge.

After scrutinising their simple menu, I noticed that they're of mainly Teo Chew dishes. Other than serving claypot rice, they have a variety of porridges other than plain ones to go with the pre-cooked dishes. There is orh nee (yam paste dessert) in the menu too!

For ourselves, we ordered a serving of peppered pig's stomach soup (RM6.00) which came in a rather low in height clay bowl. Hmm... I thought I've ordered a soup but the bowl is filled to the brim with slivers of stomachs and harm choy (pickled mustard cabbage). It's my first taking a stomach soup with harm choy. It's not too hot nor peppery, would be just nice for those who can't stand them. There isn't much soup in the bowl so hubby asked for refill which they gladly did. We drank them all up, no sweat at all. Perhaps the place was airconed??



Next came the oyster omelette (RM8.00) which certainly paled in comparison the one we had in New World Park, Penang. I think it lacked the wok hei even though the oysters were plump.



Finally, our minced pork with salted fish claypot rice (RM18.00) came. It smelt great! It's basically a disc of minced pork cooked on top of the rice. The rice were left as it is - plain and white. The sauce is served separately. Frankly, I think it's not worth its money for the minced patty is kinda thin and there isn't that much of salted fish. Well...



Overall, the place is decent and clean with the exception of flies flying around, most likely due to the smell of salted fish which is as expected but it was rather annoying indeed. The foreign waitresses dressed in traditional uniform which my hubby claimed its typical Hakka ladies clothings back in the olden days but the lady boss of Claypot Brothers doesn't seems to know, to her it's just another traditional Chinese costume.

5% service charge is charged on the total bill.


Restoran Claypot Brothers
50 Jalan Datuk Sulaiman
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
Tel: 603-7710 9289
Coordinates: 3°8'31"N 101°37'45"E

Seapark branch:
8, Jalan 21/19, Seapark,
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 603-7877 8931

Technorati Tags: malaysian food + claypot

Wesak Day

Wishing all Buddhists peace and tranquility on Wesak Day, may Lord Buddha showers you His blessing today and always!

Review: Rojak Kader

Simon Seow left a comment in my fruit rojak in TTDI post stating that Taman Tun Dr Ismail seems to have all the best rojaks around. I have to agree with Simon on this. There is another mini van selling a very good pasembor/Indian style rojak. You can find Rojak Kader in the afternoon along Jalan Damansara, opposite Petronas/Shell/Lim Tayar (TTDI). Please turn left after the van and another left turn to park your car in the housing estate rather than park by the main road. It's rather dangerous and sometimes there are too many cars slowed down and park at the side caused slight congestion here.

I managed to dug out these old pictures of mine which I have neglected to post up. We have packed the rojak back home to eat. You can request to eat your rojak there underneath the yumyum trees as there are a couple of picnic tables with benches around the little strip of garden. They also serve cendol but it's not nice in my opinion. There is another stall nearby selling fresh coconut juice, just perfect to drench your thirst after the rojak.

On the left picture is how the rojak with sotong is packed. The peanuty sauce is packed separately. On the right, the rojak is plated with the sauce drizzled all over. Typical pasembor/Indian rojak will have strips of cucumber and turnips (sengkuang in Malay); hard boiled egg; deep fried beancurd; boiled potatoes; prawn fritters and hard fritters. The sauce is usually sweet potatoes based with loads of crushed peanuts.

The combination of ingredients and sauce at Rojak Kader melded together wonderfully forming a satisfying snack or even a full meal. I simply loved the hard fritters that somehow tasted coconutty to me. The thick peanut sauce is of the right blend of spices and taste. It's sweetish with a tinge of tang. The rojak with sotong is around the region of RM4.50 and without is RM3.50.


Rojak Kader
Jalan Damansara
Coordinates: 3°8'29"N 101°37'29"E

Review: My Fave Fruit Rojak Stall in TTDI

Look out for this mini van along Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1. It's usually parked in front of 7-11 (the road besides KFC).



This wonder mini van serves excellent fruit rojak and tauhu bakar (stuffed tofu)! We loved the rojak here simply because of the fragrant rojak sauce with the right amount of belacan in it. Mixed together with various sliced fruits like cucumber, turnip, young papaya, guava, raw mangoes, water apple (jambu air) and pineapple. Serving together were slices of deep fried yau char kwai (crullers) and topped with chopped roasted peanut plus a huge slice of crispy homemade keropok!!! We usually opt out the sotong as we think it doesn't compliment the simple fruits combination.



The combi is just great and irresistable each time we passed by Taman Tun Dr Ismail in the afternoon. Forgot how much but I think the usual portion is right about RM4.00.


Technorati Tags: malaysian food