I booked myself a trip to Sunway in KL for a bit of RNR over the holidays. My initial plan was to concentrate on my writing while spending quality alone time with myself. I managed to do both of those of course. What caught me by surprise however, was a sumptuous selection of food, like a child lost in a candy store – the anxious and confusing feeling of fear and excitement at the same time.
Here then is a recollection and review of the few eating-places, some with regrets that I managed to get a chance to taste. This then, is a record of the holiday travelogue that became an eat-alogue.
Sunday – Uncle Lim’s Penang Laksa.
It’s my first day in KL. I wanted to try something local. Okay, so I was reminded that most of the stuff that I can get in KL is most probably what I can get in Singapore too. But hey, there has to be something right? Like Ipoh Hor Fun, Sarawak Laksa, Malacca Chicken Rice, Johor Lontong… well, the list goes on. Since I am in the capital city of the Federation, there has to be something interesting… KL has to be famous for something(?). At least, there has to a “Selangor Something”.
But no, at least not in Bandar Sunway.
But I found Uncle Lim’s. A glorified kopitiam that asks nostalgic questions like “do you remember this…?” with the illustration of an antique coffeemaker (you know the kind made of tin complete with a ‘sock strainer’). Seeing that it was actually crowded, I assumed that the food they serve must be of some caliber. So I sat down and ordered myself an item from one of the states of Malaysia, one that my aunt-in-law (who is incidentally from Ipoh) does a wicked version of – the Penang Laksa.
The verdict – it’s good. I love the sweet, tangy flavour of the stock complete with spearmint leaves, fresh red onion rings and sardines. Unfortunately, the sardines were served a tad too chunky and there shouldn’t be any sardines in Penang Laksa, not the authentic/original ones anyway.
So it’s not too bad a bowl of noodle if you are ever in KL and is looking for something edible. But there is no need to sweat if you miss it.
If you ever book a room in Pyramid Tower, give the breakfast a miss. Opt for “no breakfast”. There are plenty of choices around the hotel vicinity. What's more important is that the hotel's breakfast is really bad. To make things worse, they serve the same thing everyday! So it's the same shitty stuff every day of the six days I was here.
Seriously folks! Save yourself the heartache! Opt for no breakfast!
(Sigh… six more days of this crap…)
I had just been at the Theme Park at Sunway with my friend. So I thought I could share a platter. After all, I had overheard someone mentioned something about the servings being “American portions”.
It was perfect! The beef ribs were huge AND tender and grilled to perfection. The accompanying sauces were absolutely delicious too. We also shared a salmon salad. But what was best about it - the prices are to die for. It's the same digits in RM as it is in SGD.
If you are ever in Malaysia, a rib fan and with friends, do yourself a favour! Go get yourself hung over a rack of ribs.
This is supposed to be a franchise from Thailand and it is really good.
Conceptually, it isn't very different from the Korean BBQ that has mushroomed all over Singapore. However, unlike the over marinated cousin (read 'everything tastes the same'), this version is refreshingly neither seasoned nor marinated. Instead, what you get is a serving of the freshest ingredients (choice selection of pork, chicken, beef and seafood) to be grilled and tasted at its best - i.e. its original taste.
Nevertheless, in contrast to Tony Roma's reviewed earlier, this restaurant's portions are decidedly Asian (specifically Thai). I ordered a beef set apportioned for 2 and easily polished it off. It was served on a platter of choice beef fillets, chicken fillets, fresh and tender salt-water prawns and squids sitting on a generous bed of Chinese cabbage and lettuce. It really is a complete meal of meat proteins, rice carbo and roughage aplenty - guiltless indulgence.
This restaurant is definitely on my list of 'To Go Again' eating-places. If you are ever in KL or Bangkok, do give it a try and tell me what you think.
Someone please get a franchise and bring it over to Singapore! It's THAT good!
Oh, and while at it, please modify the “Singapore Laksa” recipe to include fresh delicious cockles and a sprinkling of laksa leaves.
It sucked like a black hole on speed.
I have never had a Japanese so bad that it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, literally.
Let me describe the gastronomically excruciating minutes.
I ordered a bento that was supposed to include a serving of grilled mackerel, a serving of tempura moriwase, a selection of sushi and maki and for carbo' - a serving of buckwheat noodle.
But here's what it really was.
The grilled mackerel was cold and chewy - evidence that it had been cooked and exposed for a long time. The tempura pieces tasted rancid which obviously meant that the oil had been used once too many times. Or maybe lots of too many times… I wouldn't know.
The sushi and maki samplers were bad too. The only one that was really edible was the single morsel of sake (salmon) sushi. The others were all terribly stale - the same exposed-to-air texture and taste. I mean, they would taste great if they were meant to be chewing gum but they're not, so I suppose they fail.
The ONLY saving grace of the bento was the soba (buckwheat) noodles. Served in a clear dashi soup and topped with a sprinkling of spring onions. But then again, how can you go wrong with such a simple dish of store bought soba and stock? Well, if they did even foul up this simple this, then this would have been a wordless piece of writing. I'd have been stunned to silence.
In the end, how does Sushi King fare? I am afraid it has to be dethroned as a failure. In fact, at this stage, it might even need extra credit just to score an F+.
This family restaurant outlet prides itself in its self-made noodles. In fact, they are very proud of how they prepare all, any and every of the dishes in their menu. They actually have a poster that deconstructs the make up of the stock, noodles and other accompaniments of a single noodle dish - demonstrating the amount of care and attention given to even the most basic of the ingredient; the stock.
Both out of curiosity and inspired awe, I stepped into the eatery and ordered their signature noodle dish of SJK noodle and a side order of prawn dumpling soup (水饺汤). I have to say this - they lived up to their claim. The stock was deliciously robust (albeit suspiciously so) and their noodles, each untangled strand of it was delectably chewy and bouncy. These are textures that I look out for and appreciate in my noodles.
The dumplings did not disappoint either. Each generously sized portion of the serving was thus filled with whole prawns, crunchy root vegetables and thoroughly well-seasoned! It's well worth the price paid for the serving - certainly an experience for the palette that has grown jaded of Chinese noodle dishes.
On the last day of my holiday in KL, I booked myself an appointment with Mandara SPA. It naturally means that I should cap the treatment with a nutritious yet light meal. Conveniently, there was O Viet which I have not tried yet.
With the massage oil leaving a nutty floral lingering trail as I move (I was advised to leave the oil on for the next hour to work on my skin), I checked myself into O Viet and promptly ordered a Pho Bo Duc Biet (mixed beef noodle) and summer rolls as appetizers. For the uninitiated, Vietnamese summer rolls are the lighter, un-fried cousins of the spring rolls which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The serving of Pho Bo was expectedly delicious and refreshing with its generous array of herbs (Asian basil, spearmint) and vegetables (a whole heap of bean sprouts, yum). I absolutely enjoyed the tasty stock used to prepare the noodles as well as the delicious chilli sauce used as a condiment for the beef.
Although this restaurant isn't any special, it does however, serve authentic (to my judgment) Vietnamese food which leaves me wanting another serving of Pho Bo when I get back home.
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