Noodle House @ Puchong

Good things come to an end and its back to pictures taken with my hand phone camera. Now equipped with a DSLR, it isnt exactly an easy task for one to lug around to every single meal unless is a place that i never eaten before or reviewed before, so an impromptu drop by to this noodle place caught me by surprise. Thankfully for my hand phone, i still managed to snapped some reasonably visible photos and it will probably teach me a lesson to lug it everywhere i go.

Noodle House serves Pan Mee in about every single form you can think off, from Loh Mee style (dark and white), Curry Style, Soup and Dry..It was a challenge to just choose one that would suit your style.

Their signature dishes comes in the form of noodles in a dark loh mee soup as well as a white loh mee soup, perfect with a dash of black vinegar. Tastewise, it was pretty new to me as i would always eat my Pan Mee with clear soup. Did i hear someone ask me what is Pan Mee? Its basically a hand kneaded dough either eaten in pieces or gone through the process of a noodle cutter.

The dark eggy version with minced pork, mushrooms and meat balls..Perfect with vinegar

The lighter one, with the same soup base..Minus the dark soya sauce to be honest.

A not so common looking pan mee style, curry. Abit too salty but very tasty indeed..

Not satisfied, we order their sui kao that appeared to be boiled but with no soup! The surprise came in the dip as it was vinegar with raw garlic which was very unique. Although the dumpling was disappointed because it tasted like fish paste even with the evident prawns used. Hmm..so refinement required.


The last greedy item, the boxing chicken which was a huge butterflied chicken wing. The batter was on the thick side, but it being fried, who can refuse?

Address and contact details:

No.8G, Jalan Puteri 1/1, Bandar Puteri
47100, Puchong, Selangor
Tel:03-80618760 (very near the older Giant in the area)

Verdict: 3 stars out of 5 stars, You pay RM6.80 for a huge bowl of noodles which is a slight premium but with a more comfortable environment that honestly tastes quite value for money.

Saffron @ One Bangsar

Great things has been said about this place and i was impressed when i read about their fame from being the winner of Malaysian Tourism’s Award 2004 for the Best Western Restaurant category. The original place was said to be virtually transported from the shores of Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur.

Not to be confused by the Indian restaurant of the same name, Mediterranean cuisine was on our menu when we decided to hunt down some places for our postponed installation night. The mere fact that our office is in Sentral has basically swiped out my hope of holding any dinners in Changkat Bukit Bintang and without the budget for hotels, One Bangsar offered a glimpse of hope.

Back to the restaurant, highly recommended by one of our senior staff in the firm, and i mean real senior, there were already high hopes but the quiet and empty spaces i saw as i stepped in on a Saturday afternoon didnt suggest so. Like i said before, approach food with an open mind with no expectations. Yes, sounding like a food connoisseur but in actual fact would gobble anything that is edible on sigh, we waited for them to serve us delights that will determine whether we would choose this place for our night.

A basket of foccacia was served that honestly tasted abit stale to me or rather the herbs could be too strong for me as well but something tells me the texture wasnt correct. Dipped in olive oil and peanuts, i was confused as i am a rather simple man that prefers butter with bread.

The first of our tapas: Chuletas De Cordero "Grilled lamb cutlets with garlic mayonnaise" (RM24) was delightful. Simple grilled cutlets that was tender and juicy but pointed out that the meat sticking towards the end of the bone was raw, oh well, they cant be perfect, can they? The sauce complimented well but i prefer my mint sauce any day. A must try i dare say.

Champinones Al Ajillo "Sauteed butter mushrooms in olive oil with garlic, parsley and butter" (RM 12) was rather disappointing as i have mastered my preferred cooking method for mushrooms. I like them rather dry but this came in a pool of sauce which i rather avoid.

Berenjenas Al Andalusian "Eggplant cooked in spicy 'Andalusian' sauce" (RM12). Told it was spicy but all i saw was red oil that indicated it was spicy but the chilli must have been misplaced. Misplaced? You will understand abit lower down. Bias towards eggplant, i still enjoyed this dish and the craving for eggplant is still "on" till now.

Spaghetti Al Fruiti De Mare
In tomato concasse filled with fresh catch from the sea
(Favourites) (RM32)
I was recommended this dish by the waiter, and i expected fresh catch and a rich tomato base. What i got was an utter disappointment, overcooked pasta, overcooked prawns that paled to the ones i had in El-Cerdo (my new benchmark for pork and prawn dishes) and misplaced chilli flakes! I could barely take 2 bites as the chilli flakes caused an automatic reaction to reach for the water. I couldnt even mutter a sarcastic comment to the waiter, simply because i couldnt be bothered.

Address and contact details:

SAFFRON AT ONE BANGSAR
Pavillion 2, One Bangsar
63G Jalan Ara, Bangsar Baru
52100, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: 03-22871158
www.saffron.com.my

Verdict: 2.5 stars out of 5 stars, a glimmer of hope came from the tapas but the pasta said it all, famed for seafood, the way they cooked mine was miserable. Although i may be persuaded to come again and try out their generous menu but it may take quite a while before i dare step back, "chilli flakes, stay away!"

Tosaya @ Jalan Raja Chulan

When i first started blogging, i never imagined that blogging could create chances to meet other people unless you risk going to dodgy "i am desperate to meet other people, preferably of the opposite sex" sites. The first bunch of people that i met, owners of blogs that i would religiously read everyday, more often then the newspapers were the food blogs. That was a dead give away considering that i blog about food almost all the time. Now other then that, i had the opportunity to lunch with another up and rising prominent blogger, Zewt.

I remember reading his blog awhile ago, and it grew to garner alot of comments. Surprisingly as a busy traffic blog, he attended to each and every comment and visited their respective blogs as well. So another friend made, and despite his reputation for deep thought entries and my reputation to just babble on about how good the food is, we did meet up for lunch before i moved office to Sentral to well.. just meet up.

Thus my food review..Situated in a small corner of Wisma Cosway, the place where everyone along the street would go for lunch seats a small humble Japanese restaurant. As everyone might know, my application to become a member of the hyped up Japanese Food Kawan association is still being considered thus a timely review to show how committed i am to Japanese cuisine, with two humble bento sets.

A small cosy place, this is a place that serves cheap bento sets starting from RM20 onwards and i could also see Japanese joining the local crowd eating sashimi and tempura which shows a sign of authencity. All in all, although forgetable this is still a place i would frequently visit if my office was just next door.

Your usual bento ingredients, a warm sticky bowl of rice, salad, miso soup, fruits and condiments.

My sashimi bento that came with decently fresh cuts of salmon, tuna and two unidentifiable fish that i dearly enjoyed though. Not that i am not well versed in my food, but its a cut of snapper and truthfully i was just too amazed at the texture when i was chewing at it piece by piece.

Well, i had to snap a picture eventhough i didnt try right? He obliged and i happily snapped away until it was perfect. A tempting picture of teriyaki chicken.

Through out the short lunch, we had a conversation about what else but the current environment in our country and the greener pastures everywhere else. An eye opening lunch with a blogger that well blogs about everything else other then food.

Address and contact details:
Ground Floor, Lot G22-24, Wisma Cosway,
88, Jalan Raja Chulan,
50200, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: 03-21489390/21443416

A decent rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 stars, call me bias but i adore my Japanese food.

Want to laugh non-stop for almost 3 hours?

Remember one of my earlier posts late last year? The one i was rambling on about two indian fellows making a fool out of Malaysia and themselves? Well apparently they have been busily shooting down ministers and the country for their "big brains" and "big balls" for 10 years already! Its a miracle they have survived. Why? You got to find out for yourself.

Tired of just reading people procrastinate about the country? Because all they do is just talk about how bad the country is and do nothing? Well apparently this two fellows make a joke out of it and its hilarious!

So if you are seriously looking out for a huge laugh this weekend and next weekend, do drop by KLPAC for their 10th anniversary show. I was in stitches over their songs and their inpromptu jokes.

Visit here for more details on Indi Nadarajah and Allan Perera

(This is not a sponsored post and is infact a non food review haha! A 4 out of 5 stars show that costs RM32 for a 3 hour laugh, cheaper then any of the sinful food that i eat!)

The Rib Shop @ Damansara Heights

Remember i told you about my coincidental meetings with "pork"? Apparently our fate did not end with my last post but continued to this shop, The Rib Shop. Recently i have been meeting up alot with "pork" and on the verge of spending more time and intimate moments with "pork" then my girlfriend. She isnt exactly too happy as i relate back to my hands on experience with "pork" and the memorable times we have had over the days.

Getting addicted to the flavourful meat, i researched and was told that the stretch of shops in Jalan Kasah offered plenty of pork dishes, whether it was ribs or roast. From Vintry to Rib Shop, i could continue my undisrupted fling with "pork" even with my girlfriend was going to come and so it was; a quiet threesome with "pork", my girlfriend and i.

The Rib Shop specialises in the obvious, ribs and to be precise, Pork Ribs. Some may be constraint to certain types of meats due to religion or choice but for a glutton like me, i have tried beef ribs and even wild boar ribs but would rather go out with "pork" everyday. So it was inevitable that i ordered the ribs, the house special bbq ribs.

Just to remind me that the ribs will be served soon enough, i can barely contain my enjoyment even though i am having an equal good time conversing with my girlfriend.

To distract me further, i have done something that i have never done before; whether on impulse or for the sheer fun of it, order a whole bottle of wine. The Wine Shop which is within the Rib Shop offers "affordable" wines from a variety of countries to accompany your meal with no corkage fees. So it was, a nice bottle of Pinot Noir from Victoria. I very much prefer my PenFolds but that is at a whole different price range altogether.

The Sun Dried Tomatoes dip with bread was a nice way to start things off. Although i would prefer a thicker spread of the dip, all was good.

I didnt want "pork" just for mains, i wanted it for an appetiser as well. So i was presented with a mushroom meatloaf which in my mind was a huge block of meat with lots of mushrooms. I was presented with a thinly sliced minced pork with a hint of mushroom taste. The alfafa was refreshing but i felt betrayed by this dish, i should have dived straight to the mains.

If my girlfriend is the best looking lady in my life, this plate could easily be one of the best "pork" dishes that i have taste in my life. Almost mistaken with char siew but differentiated because of the bone and doused with plenty of tangy barbeque sauce, it was a delight to use my hands to tear at the meat. The creamy mash potatoes tasted abit like it came from a packet but nevertheless was enhanced with lots of cream and butter soaked up the pork juices. The coleslaw was the only source of vegetables that could contribute my fiber intake for the night and was greatly appreciated.

As the ribs cleaned out and the wine sipped away throughout my affair with "pork" and my lady, i suddenly realised the sources of good life, good food, good drink and good company. The rib shop just did the job for me on a quiet Sunday evening.

Address and contact details:

120-122, Jalan Kasah, Damansara Heights
50490, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-20961645

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars; a good place for those who wants to eat ribs, pork ribs to be exact

El-Cerdo @ Changkat Bukit Bintang

For some reason eventhough i have the halal readers at the back of my mind, i cant help but indulge in the forbidden item, pig aka pork. When i look back at the food i have over the weekend, i cant help but have pork at every single meal. Infact, there were restaurants that are experts in cooking this meat and one of them is El-Cerdo.

This place is opened by Mr Werner that specialises in all parts of the pig, from knuckle to the whole piglet as well as having the most variety of preparations i.e. the ham, oven roast or a simple grill. Always constantly improving on their dishes, the sms i received awhile ago informed that the german pork knuckle came with an improved 3rd version. I smiled and secretly laughed at the corner as i planned to raid the place for that huge piece of pig.

So i did, one fine day the day before my birthday with my 2 friends. Arriving early as our saliva drooled as we reached the front of the restaurant. Once seated, i was served with that ice cold beer that i showed you guys on Friday and followed by a small little cup of tomato soup.

Complimentary and filled with tiny pieces of pork sausages, it was such a delight but such an evil plan to perk up my appetite for what was suppose to come.

Now although El-Cerdo is well known for their piggies from Spain and Germany, they are also perfectionists when it comes to cooking seafood. Ever sine i tried their paella which was filled with these huge crunchy tiger prawns, i swear that i will need another dose. I wasnt disappointed with the Tiger Prawns Salad at RM28. Not cheap but definitely cheaper then any of my other addictions, especially my camera equipment.

After another light dish, we were teased with a grilled Pork Shoulder. Being in an expensive restaurant, there must be a special mention of how attentive they were. Without being told that we were sharing (although very obvious), they gladly without any surcharge served the dish in 3 different plates without us digging in from the middle and making a mess out of it.

Our individual serve (the whole plate is RM40++), The meat was just right although my friend claimed it was too dry. To be honest, call me a Chinaman but i prefer my pork to be cooked through and through as unlike beef, i do not want to end up in hospital. Still pinkish in the centre, the meat had the right balance of chewiness and the potatoes and salad that came along served its purpose as a side dish.

Then came along for the main dish for the night, the German Pork Knuckle version 3. When i asked Mr Werner about the improvements, he made a comparison with his dish to the software, Windows. There will always be upgrades just like how Windows 95 was upgraded to XP. He also mentioned as we speak, there maybe version 4 or 5 until it is perfect. Part of his method was revealed, the knuckle is roasted in the oven at 70 odd degrees for 10 hours! before the final touches are made. The meat was way tender as compared to the previous version, more acceptable and more "user friendly" aka didnt cause my jaws to hurt after chewing.

The stuffing that came with it was a delight and the crispy skin and firm meat is unexplainable. I am just lost for words as i cant stop wiping saliva off my mouth as i type up this review. If this is not perfect, i seriously dont know what his definition of perfect is (RM90++).

Licking away the bone, we then proceeded with desserts. Girls always have a separate stomach for desserts but guys? They always have a stomach for anything and everything.

The rum and raisin pancakes served with a sinful scoop of rich vanilla ice-cream. The outstanding thing was the soaked raisins that gave it an oomph as you bite into it followed by a spoonful of ice cream.

The Chocolate Terrine with custard and pistachio ice cream. Although the combination didnt tickle my fancy, we actually loved this as compared to their best seller, the pancakes. The rich chocolate and the creamy custard complimented by good pistachio ice cream is about the best threesome combination one can wish for.

Overall a very good dinner with a bit of chit chatting about our friend new pet, a pussy named Helios. Thank god, she didnt buy a pig for a pet, if not it will haunt us that we didnt get to try the piglet this time around.

Address and contact details:
No. 43 and 45, Changkat Bukit Bintang
50200, Kuala Lumpur
Tel No: 03-21450511
www.elcerdokl.com

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars, what else would you expect for a top class restaurant that served me excellent food. Beware of the tradition of eating the piglet though, you wouldnt want to have your candlelight romantic dinner here on the weekends, its err abit noisy as you will find out. Oink! Oink!

PS: For all my local readers, i am planning to embark on a project that involves tasting the top 3 signature dishes that the restaurant will recommend and the first area that i am targeting is Changkat Bukit Bintang/Tengkat Tong Shin. Guess what? El-Cerdo is the first place! Tentatively held on either 31 October or 1 November 2007, please let me know if you are interested!

Jun Kee @ Taman Midah, Cheras

You would have thought my birthday must have been spent with my loved one but I can get very "homey" when i want to thus this year was a quiet celebration with my family in a humble restaurant that is barely five minutes drive away from my house. No grand celebration with a big ass cake with plenty of candles, no big party with lots of beer and laughing but just a quiet dinner with my parents while my girlfriend slogged away during her fortnightly classes during the night.

Going back to the restaurant, Jun Kee, a restaurant that started humbly as a "tai chow" restaurant that serves up your usual fish, chicken, pork and vegetables dishes and of course the compulsory carbs such as your fried noodles and rice. Although faced with plenty of consistency problems such as long waiting time and a drop in quality when it is crowded, it has expanded so rapidly in front of my eyes within years and surprisingly the quality has been better. Not only expanding in size, they have also ventured into serving more exotic seafood then your usual fish and prawns to geoduck, lobsters, eels, crabs and etc.

As a bonus since it is my birthday, we finally decided to order the geoduck. After all, reviews from various food bloggers and the fancy price tag got me poisoned into thinking that this weird looking piece of seafood is the ultimate thing i-have-yet-to-try. Alas, i could have not got any more disappointed to see an empty tank labelled "geoduck". Was this meant to be?

The waitress didnt disappoint when she suggested the Australian Lobster served sashimi style. My eyes lit and so did my sister as our eight eyes zoomed into my father eyes and he nodded. I guess our luck isnt that bad after all.

The impressive lobster sashimi. This was the first time i had such luxurious sashimi. All in all, there were less then 10 slices of meat that cost a grand total of RM258.

Just in case, those who didnt want to eat it raw, they could dip it into a pot of herbal soup along with some mushrooms and tofu. By the time we waited for the soup to boil due to the less then reliable stove, there were barely any pieces of meat left. But dont fret, the waitress came into the picture again and said, let me take the head back and chop it up, plenty of meat to go you know? I could only stare at her, giggling away at my unfinished adventure.

Boiling away, by the time we were done with the lobster, the soup was flavorful with fresh lobster and a complimenting herbal kick. We slurped it up to the last drop to show it was that good!

This dish seems to be a very famous dish among the chinese restaurants. The 2 variety Kai lan, fried crisp kai lan leaves with a stir fry kai lan stalks. This was well done although eating leaves that have been dehydrated by oil isnt exactly very health but the stalks made up for it.

The tofu dish was surprisingly refreshing. Fried tofu (not the japanese filled with preservative ones) with a generous amount of pork,chicken and squid pieces in a sauce that most probably came from an oyster sauce base.)

Although i have been having an overdose of pork, i couldnt resist as i saw that they serve the pork trotters on the wall. This was a marvelous dish that was done perfectly with a slightly sweet and spicy sauce. The skin was beyond crispy and the meat was tender. As i digged into it with my fingers, i had no problem tearing out the fingers/toes to lick it all up. Even though now that i am writing about it, i am having second thoughts about licking up the fingers. Back to the trotters, a must order if you are looking for a pork dish to order.

Address and contact details

Jun Kee Restaurant
30, Jalan Midah 1,
Taman Midah,
Cheras,
56000 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-91335142

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. A down to earth restaurant that you can choose to eat simple dishes or try your luck with the exotic items that are wading in the fish tanks. Now expanded to two floors, it can still get quite slow at times when it is crowded.

Its Friday!

Thank you guys for the wishes..while some may say its self-advertising and others say its telling the whole world about it, so how can you not wish back, *fingers crossed* i appreciate all the sincere wishes.

Its been a hectic few days and today mark the last day in our old office. No, despite procrastinating about changing to a new job, i am staying put until i can find my old resume haha. We are moving over to Sentral, the land of expensive food, parking and god-know-what.

My archives of photos are building up and hopefully i will get to share those with you as soon as possible. Two more birthday dinners and still waiting for more haha..

Hey guys, its Friday so take a break and have a glass of cold beer..

Still one of the best beers i ever tasted..

Nerovivo @ Bukit Ceylon

I am turning twenty two (22) on Thursday (*hint* *hint*)..

To me, birthdays are a very special occasion when you turn sweet 16 but somehow guys dont get the same treatment as girls do because somehow they appear to control their parents by the wallet and demand a party and guys being guys, blowing a birthday cake is deemed to be too embarrassing.

Then its 18, when you are of the legal age to drive and drink at different times. Smoking is also legal too and infact almost everything is legal except entering into Zouk or Velvet if you are guy. Again, girls seem to have preferential treatment in this area.

Obviously the next age when one can really celebrate is 21 when you are considered old enough to venture the world without squeezing your parents dry and taking every single penny along the way.

So what is 22? Another year and another reason to celebrate that 3-0 is very far away..what else is there to look forward to?

Back to the restaurant and review as it will do it no justice if i continue to tell the whole world my birthday is coming soon. Now being a very important person with lots of friends (take note that i am still available from now till my birthday and after my birthday), my girl friend decided to book me way in advance last Saturday to have a romantic dinner in Nerovivo. She wanted El-cerdo but i would have to shout on top of my lungs to say shes so sweet and etc etc etc (just like the King in "the King and I")..Accompanied by rather loud but soothing music, i was greeted by a long hair presumably Italian with a strong accent which reminded me of my Maths teacher who would torture poor souls by spitting at them while talking rather loudly during our Maths lesson. Needless to say, i was afraid for my food throughout the night.

I was served by another slightly chubby italian and was introduced to lobster, a special of the night. After some confusion on whether i could turn it from a starter to a main due to the plenty terms used throughout the blur 3 minute conversation that involved words like entree (which i understand is a starter but could also be used as a main), i ordered a half lobster with linguine tossed with olive oil and a 800gm T-Bone steak. If the kind soul had not told me how big the serves were, a beef carpaccio was meant to be on the way as well.

Starting off with a glass of Nero D'avola IGT Vino Rosso Tenimenti 2003 at RM 22, it was a rather smooth and pleasant wine to drink with a hint of spiciness as an aftertaste. Not to mention my still water that cost me a whopping RM20 for a litre, but who is to complain when one is staring at their loved ones and soaking every second of that atmosphere?

A pita like pizza bread was served next and immediately we wished we were at their sister outlet, Neroteca having their freshly baked focaccia instead.

Looking at the lobster claw, one would have think of plenty of meat and lobster chunks. Unfortunately, i thought one step back about being warned about a 500gm half lobster which is to be honest rather skinny. So what i had was shreds of meat as opposed to the chunks which i was thinking of. The linguine was on the hard side despite understanding the meaning of al-dente and the sauce slightly on the salty but tasty side. (RM110 for the whole plate).

The Grilled Angus T-Bone with stewed fagiolata (which was chick peas) from Fiorentina i presume weighed at a mind blowing 800gms for RM88 was served shortly after the pasta. The thick slab of meat cooked medium is a dream fantasy for meat lovers and i am pretty sure by the end of the steak, i wouldnt be surprised if there was any orgasm involved.

By the time we finished off all the shells and bones, dessert was the top priority and the recommended warm dark chocolate flan with white chocolate sauce (RM20) was chosen. Despite the mishap of serving my dessert half an hour later then the promised 12 minutes cooking time, i was having fun chit chatting with my girlfriend and it didnt cross my mind to give them a lecture (mainly because the spiting man image was still fresh)..

Back to the dessert, i was mesmerised by the rich chocolate cake that couldnt decide it was custard or not. I like the fact that it was confused and was accompanied with white chocolate sauce that was not pretentious and overly sweet.

Such a beautiful ending to a well less then flawless night (the bad decision to call the lobster and waiting for the dessert). Thanks darling for the wonderful and memorable meal.

Address and contact details:

3A, Jalan Ceylon
50200 Kuala Lumpur
tel: 03/20703120
fax: 03/20703100
info@nerovivo.com

Website: www.nerovivo.com
(The menu and prices are available)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Apparently very halal with no hint of pork served.

Restaurant 888 @ Dataran Sunway

When i was approached like many others, i had no idea wat '888' would offer me other then the fact that it is probably opened up by a very superstitious person who is probably going to get richer by the day by luring customers into his humble cafe. To be further confused by knowing that the ex-La Bodega chef is heading the kitchen, i was left dreaming about dim-sum tapas or wondering how kaya and toast could be transformed into pate and pita bread.

Situated in an area that i have never ventured before, way straight into Kota Damansara passing the familiar buildings of the Curve and Ikano, the cafe is a corner unit with a bright white atmosphere that yells "come in, look i am new and clean!".

So what lured me here? The owner of this place via Timothy, Mr Ang decided that the floggers would be a good benchmark for where his food and beverages stand in the market. After all, we dont have big bellies and daily reviews to show you, if we dont know how to differentiate from chicken and beef or tell good food from crap food.

A little about this place, like any normal cafe that have a speciality and it lies in their coffee. The brand name '888' apparently comes from their coffee and the name has expanded to the cafe business. When asked what are they special for, the reply was their coffee and toast as a light snack, sizzling plates for western lovers and their peranakan plate, nasi lemak and nyona laksa to satisfy the local palate. I was apparently upset that i couldnt find any tapas from the menu but lets not complain because i have got a whole load of pictures.

Now i contemplated long and hard on whether to post some pictures, mainly because i have already been taunted that i have large pieces of equipment while majority had theirs in the pocket. I beg to differ and i would like to show you that my camera aint perfect. Ok, put on your napkin and start drooling..

The special blend iced coffee was aromatic and eventhough i had a slight block nose, i could still smell the fresh brew. Problem was after i added milk and abit of liquid sugar along with the ice, i felt the coffee was too watery and not "kao" enough for my liking. Apparently the hot version doesnt give that problem, maybe its the ice. I should start learning how to "lim teh aka drink coffee" the pakcik (uncle) way..

The Otak-otak. It tasted abit too spicy for me but the creamy concoction of seafood mousse wrapped in a banana leaf was an eye opener. Honestly till now, i dont exactly have a benchmark to benchmark against.

Shrimp toastie is an excellent choice for a quick snack while talking over coffee. Although the soya sauce with chillies seemed abit out of place.

Feeling itchy? The Inchi Kabin or famously known as itchy chicken that night is another protein snack for those who are conscious of their carb intake. Marinated with spices, it was mild but the le perrin and mustard dip was creative. Comments about their cut of meat chosen was rather subjective as i loved the breast meat pieces that i popped into my mouth.

I couldnt pin-point whether i liked the kaya toast or not. The kaya used wasnt exactly the greenish ones i have been accustomed to and was rather sparingly spread. Then again, i couldnt find any fault in the toast itself. Again another simple affair with your coffee.

Moving along rather quickly, the mains for the night. As promised, we were shown the diversity that 888 try to offer to their customers and we started off with a Char Kuey Teow.

The iconic symbol of Penang, Char Kuey Teow is sometimes taken very seriously especially those who have queued half an hour to buy a plate of noodles that cost RM8 (self-service). There was nothing wrong with it but yet there was nothing very bright about it either. The big prawns and the crab meat tried to lift the game and i like the thinner version of kuey teow for the dish.

A jump to the Sizzling plates, as promised. Apparently at this point, my nose was blocked again and i couldnt identify the 'gamey smell' that hit FBB's nose like a rocket. Yet as i offered to carve out the meat from the lamb shoulder so it would be easy to just pick from it, he hesitated and popped a piece in his mouth and say hey its not too bad. Not too bad was probably an understatement as i found this pretty well done with no fault. The only problem with eating sizzling plates, becareful that it will continue to cook whats on your plate and take care it doesnt get burnt which happened to us as it happily sizzled away while we snapped photos.

The sizzling chicken, meat and brown sauce is a "cant go wrong combination"..

Moving onto pasta, i had no problems with such a "home cooked feel" dish..Although picky eaters will forever say things like over-cooked, cant identify the meat and etc,etc,etc.. Perhaps you could put another 2 slices of tomatoes?

The Aglio-Olio fared better with the abundant use of garlic complimented with chili flakes. By now i was abit sick of the prawns, fresh as they were but it had already been featured one too many times as you look below.. A nice dish and worth trying..

The two plates, Nyonya and Peranakan plate looked a tad too similar with beef substituting chicken and sotong replacing fish. Perhaps a suggestion is to combine it? Alternate the meats between the days?

The nasi lemak came with a skinny looking fish and being bias of course, i hate bony and skinny fishes. I like full bodied meaty fish that i can dig in without worrying.. The rice lacked the aroma and coconut taste, a healthier approach but too much taste was sacrificed.

I admit its my fault for messing up the presentation but the Nyonya Laksa stood up pretty well as it disguised itself as a Curry Laksa and left us with an Assam Laksa aftertaste. Weird as it may sound, but alot of people was fascinated by the formula and digged in spoonful after spoonful.

Just when we thought we would end in peace, FBB offered us his latest best seller, the Chilled Durian Cheesecake. As a year long birthday celebration for Jackson, we sang happy birthday and danced over the over-powering attention seeking cake.

What can i say? The cheese could have made a bigger impact i felt, as it felt too gelatine like but the durian was obviously the super star in the cake. The biscuit crust (aka the base, which shows how poor my England is, so would anyone like to sponsor a ticket to London so i can brush up my England?), bias again is a definite for a cheesecake.

Address and contact details:

888 Cafe
1-1, Jalan PJU 5/10
Dataran Sunway
47810 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel: 03-61416560

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars, a brilliant place to get a coffee and a light snack or a simple meal, nothing more and nothing less.