Hy Thian @ Seri Kembangan

Our family have been one of their most faithful diners in recent years. Often once a month, if not more, we would turn up in Hy Thian for their fast, affordable and delicious meals.

Heck, we have followed them through 3 different locations and they are now in their fourth location, bigger and grander. Their last location was 6 shop lots wide and this current one takes the icing on the cake with 10 or 12 shoplots.

Talking about an expanding business.

Nevertheless, we are still familiar faces and service is still incredibly quick. The time taken from your order and the first dish served usually would not exceed 15 minutes. Any longer, and we would be grumbling between ourselves wondering what is the problem.

Dad, a faithful diner asked me to go take some pictures and blog about their new address.

Why not, one should always try their best to satisfy their financier.

Their signature Pak Cham Kai. Only Kampung Chicken were hurt in the process of coming up with this delicious protein that has a tinge of saltiness before dipping it into some a minced ginger concoction.

Their Baked Cod Fish. At first look, it looked fried but the texture tells otherwise. Obviously a quick fry to maintain the moisture of the fish and baked to finish it off.

As faithful diners, we are sometimes given complimentary dishes. An indonesian curry prawns served in claypot. Fresh prawns were again quick fried before tossed into a curry powder based sauce.

Their Garlic Pork Ribs. By now you would see an obvious trend of how the dishes are prepared. Literally everything are treated to a quick fry before tossed into a sauce. In this case, well deep fried pork ribs are coated in a pungent garlic sauce.

Want to enjoy unhealthy vegetables? The "dried fried"("gon chao") brinjal should do the trick. Addictive to the core with the slightly sweet coating.

They also do good tau fu dishes as they make it in-house. This is braised with some peanuts and minced pork.

Some greens end the meal.

Address and contact number:

Well what can i say? I have taken the pictures and processed the picture and even wrote a post, but i can't find the address!

Let me find out and get back to you on this.

UPDATE: I got the address!

No.9, Jalan BPP 8/2, Bandar Putra Permai
43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor Malaysia

Tel: 03-89435002

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Comfort food and as i said, it is fast, efficient and affordable. However only if you are around the area as i can't see people from the city travelling quite a fair bit to this side of town.

Meanwhile taking the opportunity to wish all my readers a Happy New Year. Eat responsibly, drink responsibly and drive responsibly. That way you can eat more, drink more and drive more!

Grand Palace @ 6th Floor Pavilion

From all the news that have been hovering around this year, i must admit i should be rather careful with estimating how much cough syrup i drink from the bottle (as opposed to pouring out from the spoon).

You never know, sip abit too much and never wake up. In my case, i am just an awakened zombie.

---

The concept of Pavilion 6th Floor was to have higher end restaurants to cater for well, i suppose the higher ups. Problem is, Malaysians being malaysians, they tend to eat anything they see on sight which means one that would like to see what 6th Floor can offer would have to ignore the parade of restaurants right from the lowest floor to the highest floor.

Needless to say, the crowd on the 6th floor can be rather thin.

A few restaurants have come and gone and Grand Palace have replaced Li Jin.

The same people who came up with the "Palace" theme i.e. Jaya Palace and Imbi Palace, theres now Grand Palace.

Looking rather grand from the outside, we decided to venture for some dim sum.

I know technically speaking "roast pork aka siew yuk" is not very dim sum like, but how can one resist when they tell you it is their signature dish? Indeed the roast pork was marvellous.

On weekends, they have a counter serving out an array of claypot dishes like the black vinegar trotter and beef tendons. The vinegar was seriously thick black and apparently the blacker the better!

Another speciality, the mash sweet potato puff, the puff crumbles from the slightest bite and invites you to some creamy and not overly sweet filling.

You got chao lo bak koh too.

Some steam delights too.

Generally a nice place to eat some non halal dim sum before a good run of shopping (and you will need all the calories because i can predict some crazy Christmas shopping).

Can't wait to try dinner here.

Address and contact details:

6th Floor Pavilion

Will find the contact number, the next time i am there.

--

Till then, i think i need to rest my brain, it is currently facing a drought as opposed to the floodings that has been happening recently.

Wasai @ Field Street, Adelaide

Down one of the alleys of Gouger Street, lies a small casual Japanese restaurant called Wasai. I remember eating there once, a real simple lunch and i left not exactly most impressed.

This time around, i went again on the back of my brother's craving for some sushi and sashimi. I left him to the ordering while i wondered off to check if i had locked the car (i have this seriously bad habit of thinking that i have left my car doors unlocked for some reason).

Shortly after having seated down, i was present with the gigantic boat of makis, sushi and sashimi.

You will notice that avocado are liberally used in their makis and along with their salmon belly (some are slightly torched), it makes for a heavenly meal. Stuffed to the brim i must admit.

Luckily i didn't order more after commented that, you sure enough ar? I totally forgot the Australian portions.

Yumm, the damage? A tad below AUD80.

Address and contact:

9, Field Street
Adelaide, Chinatown

Tel:08 8221 6606

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. As with my australian restaurants, do call to make reservations, even the ones that are on the alley.

The Pressroom @ Bangsar Shopping Centre

Much has been talked about the new revamped Bangsar Shopping Centre. What used to be the sole purpose for housing the Actors Studio (in my eyes) has now turn into a hippy trendy place that is housing many new restaurants and a truly gourmet mart.

Pressroom has been talked about recently and judging from some reviews, it looked like a decent place to have a date. Since it had been ages that both of us had gone out for some "fine dining" and it was after all the Girlfriend's birthday celebration, the Pressroom it was.

A simple decor greets you and a variety of choices are presented in their limited menu. Despite having a number of French dishes, i couldn't help but wonder where were the dotted lines to the Italian risotto and gnocchi (also quite a number in their menu). I wouldn't say its fusion and i wouldn't even say its Mediterranean.

The most contradicting thing is that they served baguette with vinegar and olive oil (one time) and butter (another time we went). Strange?

Regardless of what they serve, the most important element of the dinner was to enjoy good food.

A slice of foie gras with muscat jelly. The foie would have done better with salt and pepper, rather blend but creamy on its own while the sweet sauce provided balance. (RM38)

The cheese tart though recommended, was dry and well thats about it. Hardly ate a filling and the only positive thing was the tomatoes and the thickened black vinegar that cuts through the cheese. (RM22)

Now mains are not overly expensive. Most mains are within the RM50 range but like they say you pay for what you get.

Pressroom focuses on very few items in their dish. If you order duck, duck it is, lamb, lamb it is.


The Wagyu Beef Cheek with risotto was wonderful. RM 36, sounded like a steal but quantity wise, this was more of an entree serving in a seriously fine dining environment. However in the casual environment i was, i expected some more substantial and i finished the plate in a few bites and was left wanting more, alot more.

So what i don't normally do is order another main. However there is a first for everything, the venison with stewed plums. The dish as you can see is indeed venison with stewed plums resting on a rosti. Sauce is served separately. No side vegetables whatsoever, exactly what i mentioned earlier, their main dishes are simple with a maximum of 3-4 elements. The venison was cooked well but the sauce tasted familiar. Same as the beef cheek, my taste buds tell me. (RM35 thereabout).

The lamb looked like the real deal with 3 chops. Well cooked once again and the "bubble and squeak" which looked like a small scoop of cabbage and bacon garnishes the plate of lamb. (RM45).

Yes, i could find faults if i wanted to but overall this is a place for small portion eaters and the dish focuses on the protein and nothing else really. Their risotto were cooked to an al dente which i liked but their main size portion for RM28 seriously is quite a joke as i can finish in less than 10 spoonfuls or so. I suppose don't get me started as to what kind of cuisine i could categorise this under.

Address and contact details:

G110 Ground Floor, just next to La Bodega (under the same management)
Bangsar Shopping Centre
Tel: 03-20958098

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. To eat in a place where i have to eat two mains is indeed a rare find. Seriously for the dainty eaters but the flavours are quite promising if not repetitive in our case. Beside that, the food was good and worth going to at least once.

Daikanyama @ Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL

The above picture says it all; it can only mean one thing.

A surprise PARTY for Fat Boy Bakes!

Which means, loads of food and sake despite it being a Thursday night.

Where else can we hold the party but at the funky fusion Japanese restaurant/bar situated at Changkat Bukit Bintang; Daikanyama (not to be confused with some one nia's ma ("in cantonese, mom")).

Start with sardine jerky with japanese mayo which was served as a snack to cure the hunger pangs while the food arrived. Chewy and yet tasty, i mean how can anything with mayo not taste tasty right?

To make us feel healthier, theres a salad tossed with, erm, fried soft shell crabs. Oh so much healthier and scrumptious, i must admit.

Sashimi cannot be presented in its true form, one say. It has be be torched or seared (cant be too sure) slightly and rested on potato salad. Now, it can be presented and swallowed down in a frenzy.

By labelling it a fusion restaurant, you have no boundaries. So stuff some cheese into some bacon and serve, to be compared with the boring stinky asparagus with bacon (which by no means was bad at all).

A series of maki are served. You have salmon served with soft shell crab, unagi cheese and ebi roe and avocado with crab meat (i think). By now, i get the feeling that fusion japanese involves using alot of japanese items and when possible, use liberal amounts of mayo and cheese.

Did i just say over use of mayo? Tori Teriyaki. It is oh so yum though.

The Mayo is never ending, served with what looks like a fusion kakiage. With some random vegetables, we could find unagi, prawns and even fish!

The bacon fried rice, by this time was like a red traffic light. To "stop" for all those on the low carb diet. Well i had a few bites and oh so yum once again, although i can't see myself ordering fried rice in a restaurant.

We end with some japanese mushrooms stir fried with some butter which tasted so creamy that i suspected cream was used (oh i can so imagine the amount of butter used) topped with some bonito flakes.

Oh what a wonderful meal at Daikanyama (minus the mayo and cheese).

Ala-carte prices are not known but come in a crowd of lets say 20, it works around to be RM50 per pax to have a taste of everything. Sake starts from RM190 per big bottle (1.5 litre or 2 litre size).

Address and contact details:

42, Changkat Bukit Bintang,
50200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2141 0323

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Minus the overused items like cheese and mayo (choose from the menu carefully) and this would be a 4 star restaurant. Cosy in the midst of KL city, take a quick bite or have a round of sake in one of the hip sake bars in town.

Bak Kut Teh on the 6th Floor of Pavilion?

Its a pity but Silk Road which used to reside on the 6th floor of Pavilion has closed down and is being replaced with;

A Bak Kut Teh restaurant? A sign of big things for Bak Kut Teh? Going up market into shopping malls and spreading the love for pork?

No offence to the Muslims of course, we are after all 1Malaysia.

Serves You Right @ Unley Road, Adelaide

Whats really good about Australia, is undoubtedly the breakfast and the coffees.

You can just drive along any street and chances are you will find a joint that serves you good coffee.

The better part of Australia? You go for brekkie here without a camera, rave about their chai latte to a friend and the week after, voila, a friend emails some photo for you to "blog" about it. What a friend!

"Serves you right" is the name of this small cafe. Its unorthodox and catchy at the same time. I wonder when will restaurants in Malaysia have names like "up to you" or "anything la" or "whatever" (obviously favourite phrases when one starts the conversation before choosing a place for lunch or dinner).

Some goodies greet you but i dare say that the highlight is how they get their coffee right.

Their chai latte was awesome to say the least. One thing that Malaysians seem to like is to have searing hot burning coffee. Go to any franchised coffee i.e. Whatever Bucks and Beans and you are served a glass of coffee that you can't drink for a good 5-10 minutes while it cools down. Trying to ask them to adjust is as good as talking to a wall. I have heard stories that a drink was made too sweet and the customer asked if they could make a less sweeter version. Well what can i say, they followed the formula stated in the manual and the result? still sweet, obviously. Anyways, where was i?

Although i didn't have the fry up, this looks like the perfect thing to go with champagne or after a night of champagne.

Oh, who can make a decent coffee in Malaysia?

Serves You Right
139 Unley Rd, Adelaide 5061, Australia(08) 8373 4699

Verdict: The coffee deserves a 4.5 star, i would have had two if i had enough time and a good story book.

Hutong Lot 10 @ Lot 10, Bukit Bintang

Mention the word "Hutong" and i imagine the restaurant in Hong Kong that i badly wanted to go to until i saw the prices. With a killer view of the Hong Kong harbour, i have heard stories that people take the lift all the way up to ask for a "walk in" knowing that the place requires reservation, just to see the breathtaking view.

Anyways, that shall remain a dream.

Back in KL though, we have our own version of HuTong. Situated at the Lower Ground of Lot 10, it is a one of a kind food court that serves non halal food. With a non existing view, you can't really compare to the one in Hong Kong (totally different owners/group/management), except maybe the prices.

This place has been the talk of town and the crowd certainly confirmed that fact. Packed to the brim, i immediately realised that this place is not very friendly for the tall people.

If my hair was to grow any longer, it would touch the ceiling. Only a certain area of the foodcourt though.

One thing that got me worked up is trying to find the stalls. While people may comment that the food court is designed to be "different" with stalls running all over like a maze and different seating areas too, i find it plain confusing. With the many signboards jutting out, it was also very hazardous for people who are tall i.e. me. Immediate reaction would also be that some stalls would get more walking traffic than others i.e situated in the middle vs. the corners.

That aside, i am also happy by the single fact that i can eat Klang Bak Kut Teh, Petaling Street Hokkien Mee, Cecil Street Porridge, Jalan Gasing Chicken Rice and many more under one roof.

Individual portion of Hokkien Mee would cost you RM9 and a 20 minute queue. Tasted very good and i really couldn't believe it that such a plate of noodles could be finally served in a shopping mall!

Mini popiah from Campbell Street? This stall created a long queue; as you wait in line you are also treated to the live preparation process before its finished off in an instant the second you receive your portion.

Fancy Dim Sum? Luk Yu Teahouse from Starhill has a lady pushing a cart with steamed goodies. Apparently there are more delights in their stall which i didn't even realise till i left.

Its becoming a trend to use good old creations and turn it into gold by opening up outlets and probably franchising in the near future. I have long heard stories about Hon Kee porridge but i suppose i got to thank the old man for sending his kids for proper education so that they realise how much money they can earn by opening a stall in Lot 10. Kudos to the new logo too!

The porridge was of course awesome, thick and consistent, with the fish slices dipped in.

Judging from my experience with Klang Bak Kut Teh, this Mo Sang Kor version is top notch. The soup is very "kao", the meat tender and the rice oily enough. Probably should have tried to ask if i could "add soup" because there was definitely not enough to drench my bowl of rice. At RM 16, an individual portion, one bowl of rice and a cup of chinese tea, one can say its expensive or cheap. In Klang, one would probably pay close to RM 10 for the meal but the cost of driving from the city to Klang would incur the minimum toll and petrol charges. The verdict is out there.

A famous Ho Weng Kee wanton mee. The old man is definitely experienced as i chanced upon him slicing his char siew with speed and precision. In the picture above, it is a char siew chicken that have been chopped up in rather large chunks.

Soong Kee Beef Noodles are here too. Used to be a favourite for our family but parking was always a nightmare.

If there was one bad thing here, it would have to be this stupid cendol. Their "gula melaka" tasted like caramel which made this inedible. First to close shop i reckon, this berry or rather stall.

The I Love Yoo Tau Foo Far is not too bad either which made a good end to the mini adventure of Hutong Lot 10.

Situated at Lower Ground, Lot 10, Bukit Bintang

Verdict: Some shops are worth 4 stars while others hover from 3-3.5 stars. Convenience is the key here and prices are probably 30-40% premium from their original outlets. A good idea and to many more years to the place because i will be coming back.