Grandmama's @ Pavilion, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

A couple of weeks back, a friend was in KL. I wanted to go for Sang Har Mein at Restaurant Soo Kee but she wanted a place with air conditioning. We ended up in Pavilion. So I chose to Grandmama's since people have been telling me good things about that place.

For a Saturday afternoon, I must say the place seemed kind of empty. Recession must be really taking a toll on the country eh. Anyway, service was very very fast. I was quite surprised at how fast the food arrived.

Teh Tarik

Umbra Juice with Sour Plum

I had the umbra juice. It was nice and refreshing. Beats the ones found at coffee shops around Penang.

Nasi Bonjari

Priced at RM20.50, the nasi bonjari consisted of a fried egg, fried chicken, beef rendang and assam prawns. Lynnette was rather satisfied with her food.

Fish Head Noodles

The fish head noodles here was surprisingly pleasant. I found it to be better than most places around PJ/KL. It didn't have much of that oomph from the Chinese rice wine, but nevertheless, I enjoyed it.

I must say I was rather impressed by the food served at Grandmama's. This place definitely deserves a revisit.

*Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience
Pricing: About RM25 per person.


Map to Pavilion

Address:
Grandmama's
Lot 6.01.01, 6.01.02,
Level 6,
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur,
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Contact:
Telephone number: 03 2143 9333

Opening hours:
As long as Pavilion is open?

Read how other people rated it at:

Masak-Masak
Lots of Cravings

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Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice @ Restaurant Yat Yeh Hing, SS4, Petaling Jaya

Chicken Rice is one of those dish that looks amazingly simple to cook, but is unfortunately almost impossible to be done right. The chicken rice at home somehow never taste as good as some of those exceptionally good ones found outside.

Kee Kee Chicken Rice is widely known as one of the most famous chicken rice in Petaling Jaya. He has been selling chicken rice since 1992, which definitely is a long time.

Chilli and Ginger

Actually, the chili that comes with a plate of chicken rice plays a major role in determining the quality of the dish. The chilli served in Kee Kee, is one of the best I've tasted. The chili wasn't too spicy and had a nice sourness from the lime. The sauce is probably the only reason I keep coming back to this place.

Lime with Sour Plum



Char Siew

The char siew had a nice coating to it. The meat was very soft and flavourful. The accompanying sauce was a little too sweet. I preferred eating it on its on.

Bean Sprouts

The bean sprouts (tao ge/nga choy) was okay. Nothing really great about it.

Bentong Style Steam Chicken

The unique thing about the chicken found at Kee Kee is that the chicken is dipped into icy cold water immediately after steaming it to stop the cooking process, leaving the meat firm and tender. This results in a very smooth and tender bite to the chicken. The only problem I find with this method of cooking is that the chicken is barely cook, meaning that the bone still has blood in it which actually isn't too big of a problem. But when a chicken is barely cooked, the meat will tend to stick to the bone, resulting in difficulty removing the meat from the bone when eating.

Note: Specially request for breast meat if you want to avoid the hassle of removing the meat from the bone.

All in all, Kee Kee serves one of the best chicken rice in town. The bill came up to about RM42 for the 3 of us. I'm addicted to the chili. I will definitely be back for more. Special thanks to a particular someone who footed the bill as she recently received her first pay check.


*Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience

Pricing: About RM10 per person.


Map to Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice

Address:
33, Jalan SS4D/2,
Taman People's Park,
47301 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia.

Contact:
Telephone number: 012 629 4807

Opening hours:
10.30am-2.30pm daily (closed 1st Tuesday of the month)



Read how other people rated it at:

6th Seal
Kampungboycitygal
Kyspeaks

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Lunch @ Moxie Restaurant and Bar, Plaza Damansara, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur

The name Moxie comes from one of the first carbonated drink widely sold in the United States. Don't mistake it for 'moxy', as 'moxy' has a totally different meaning all together.

According to Urban Dictionary, Moxy means guts, or to put it crudely, 'balls'.

An example would be: He sure has a lot of moxy telling his boss to go F*ck himself.

Anyway, we were suppose to go to Flamenco but they were not open for lunch on a Sunday. So we settled for Moxie instead. Finding a parking is relatively easy on a weekend.

Moxie Restaurant & Bar

We started with a Caesar Salad to share.

Moxie Caesar Salad

Priced at RM18, the salad was ridiculously small. Taste wise, it was alright. Nothing really special about it. How special can a Caesar salad be right?

5 Spice Duck Spaghetti

Cooked with lots of garlic and riped tomatoes, the pasta was the winner for the day. I would easily say that the pasta was the best main course we ordered. It was well flavoured, had a nice garlic taste accompanied by the flavour of the duck, just thinking about it makes me want to sink my teeth into something. Its freaking 9pm and I haven't had dinner, so you can't blame me. It was priced at RM38.

The Moxie Burger

The burger was RM28. One could opt for the burger to come with Foie Gras and pay a lot more (I would certainly like to try that one day). The burger was quite ordinary. For better burgers, kindly head over to The Daily Grind.

Cattleman Barbecued Short Ribs

The meat came off the bone very easily. It was soft and nice. The only complain I had was that the sauce was a little too overpowering. However, this dish tasted better than Tony Romas' beef ribs. It was priced at RM59.

Steak Diane

Although Moxie pride themselves in only serving Australian beef, I have to say that the steak was a little tough. Australia beef doesn't mean tender beef. However, it was cooked to middle, which I requested for. Taste wise, it was above average. The dish was RM65. For a more accurate picture on differentiating beef, kindly read my article.

Chocolate Lava Cake

This cake sealed the deal. Inside was warm chocolate sauce that complimented the cream and ice cream. It certainly was one of the better desserts I've tasted in a while. It was priced at RM16.

Bananafee Pie

Bananafee or better known as Banana and Toffee is as the name says. Kampungboycitygal highly recommended it. I have to say it was quite good. However, when compared to the chocolate lava cake, it didn't put up a very good fight. Maybe it was because I was in the mood for chocolate.

All in all, Moxie does a hell of a job in food presentation. Some of their dishes might not be exceedingly good (they were good), but their presentation and the friendly staffs sure did made up for it. Moxie can also create/customize a menu for a party of 10 people.

I certainly would be back to this place for try some of their other dishes. Until then.


Note: Sorry about the long absence. I've been crazily busy.

I've decided to remove ratings from my blog.


*Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience

Pricing: About RM80 per person.


Map to Moxie Restaurant & Bar

Address:
44 & 44M, Plaza Damansara,
Jalan Medan Setia 2,
Bukit Damansara,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Contact:
Telephone number: 03 2095 0016 / 03 2095 0017

Opening hours:
12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm.
Closed during lunch time on Saturdays.



Phrase of the day: All we can do is make the best choices we can, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

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Win Soon Fish Head Noodles @ Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur

This was the first place that I ate in, in Kuchai Lama. We used to joke that Geoh Soon's father owns the place, after all, its also called Ah Soon Fish Head noodles.

Anyone, I was short of places to go, so I decided to head over to Win Soon for a bowl of fish head noodles.

The lunch crowd here can be a killer. Be prepared to queue up if you're here during lunch hours. Normally we are given a paper to fill in our order while waiting. On the bright side, food comes extremely fast upon sitting down at a table.

Note: Pictures were taken using my phone, hence the quality.

Win Soon Fish Head Noodles

I went for the fish head noodles whereas my friend went for the fish paste.

Fish Head Noodles (Yu Tao Mai)

Fish Paste Noodles

Both the fish head and fish paste noodles were priced at RM7.50 per bowl. The noodles here taste quite good. However, I feel that a good amount of MSG have been added into the soup. Do not that one would most certainly feel very thirsty after this. Lard fritters are also used to give the soup a nice flavour

All in all, good taste, lots of MSG, not that healthy. I do drop by occasionally to indulge in some of this guilty pleasure. I doubt the food served here is anything close to healthy, but then again, healthy food tend to taste like crap.

On a side note, we happened to stumbled into Wong Choong Han, the ex-world number 1 badminton player. Jien was brave enough to go up and ask for an autograph. I am not sure if he still has it, but it was good fun.

Note: I am certainly not a fan of MSG.


Restaurant Rating: 7/10
Pricing: About RM10 per person.


*Ratings are based on ambience, service, value and food quality for the price you're paying. Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience


Map to Win Soon Fish Head noodles

Address:
No. 46, Jalan Kuchai Lama Maju 9,
Off Jalan Kuchai Lama,
Kuala Lumpur.

Contact:
Telephone number: 03 7981 9287

Opening hours:
9am - 10pm daily

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Fish balls and Yong Tau Foo @ Ah Koong Eating House, Taipan USJ, Subang Jaya

Ah Koong Eating House has been around in the back part of Taipan since Taipan first opened up. It used to be 2 shops, but I guess since business took a downfall, 1 shop lot space would suffice.

Ah Koong Eating House

Normally, you stop to choose what you fancy at the entrance, whether it is Yong Tau Foo, the various types of sea fish, thai fish cake etc. Then, you choose your noodle type and whether you want it dry or in a bowl of soup.

Crispy Fish Cake with Thai Chili Sauce

It used to be good, now its just edible. A fish cake is RM3.80.

Yong Tau Fu

Priced at RM1.20 per piece, the YTF is relatively expensive compared to other places. It was not bad.

Estuary Grouper Soup

Estuary Grouper, better known as Long Dan, Kerapu Naga, Giant Group or Goliath Grouper was cooked in clear soup and served with lots of coriander. I didn't know the dish was going to be RM18 or I wouldn't have called it. The soup wasn't too overpowering, had a mild and pleasant taste. But, I found it a waste of money. After all, Long Dan are sought after for their skin. The meat taste quite similar to ordinary Group (or as what locals call it Samy Vellu) which is much cheaper.

Fish Ball Noodle Soup

The fish ball was bouncy and had a nice bite to it (I'm not sure what made it bouncy, but I prefer not to think that boric acid was used in making it). The noodles (kuey teow, yellow noodles, mee hoon, low shu fun) were ordinary. A bowl goes for RM5.

Kon Loh Noodles with Fish Ball Soup

Priced at RM5, this noodles is pretty similar to the above one. Its just that I rather have my noodles tossed in dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and some lard fritters. Okay, I'm not a big fan of lard fritters, but I guess it does add that nice oomph flavour to the noodles. The noodles were quite ordinary. The fish ball soup had a nice clean taste to it.

All in all, Ah Koong is a place I like to come back to when I don't feel like trying anything new around Taipan. It is one of those better eating places for lunch around USJ (although I think some MSG was used in its cooking).


Note: I am very very busy nowadays, hence my post are getting a bit shorter. Sorry about that but I need all the time I can get at the moment.

Restaurant Rating: 6.5/10
Pricing: About RM10 per person.


*Ratings are based on ambience, service, value and food quality for the price you're paying. Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience


Map to Restoran Ah Koong Eating House

Address:
Ground Floor,
47 Jalan USJ 9/5P,
Subang Business Centre,
47620 UEP Subang Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Contact:
Telephone number: 03 8024 1554

Opening hours:
9am-9pm daily

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Ben & Nick's Diner @ Subang Jaya (Opposite carrefour)

Situated next to VIP fitness (the new gym next to Carrefour Subang), This family run business has been pulling in a regular stream of customers night after night. Run by Sonny Cheah, wife and sons (Ben and Nick), this cosy little place is tucked away in a ground floor corner lot of an apartment building.

B&N Diner

The last time I was here, Ben was manning the kitchen single handedly. Since then, he has hired a chef to man the kitchen, giving him more time to chat with customers. He has a regular stream of loyal patrons who comes back almost every fortnight.

Since I'm a sucker for buffalo wings, we started with half a dozen of them.

Buffalo Wings

Priced at RM13.90 for a 1/2 dozen, the deep fried chicken wings came coated with hot sauced and served with celery sticks. The wings were not bad. I had rather they gave a good portion of blue cheese sauce along with the wings to dip the celery in, but oh well..

Beef Bacon Carbonara

The Carbonara (RM15.90) was reasonably good. It was not overly creamy and the Parmesan and bacon taste was quite distinct. Recently after tasting Buonasera's @ SS2, I have to say that the carbonara at this place somehow seemed to taste better (Or maybe buonasera's wasn't good).

Seafood Aglio Olio

Since I had some minor procedure done on my leg, I was advised by my grandmother not to eat seafood (especially prawns). She said that prawns contain some toxin that causes the wound not to heal or something along that lines. Coming from a scientific background, I didn't really care but someone at the table insisted I shouldn't eat it. Oh well, I shall not be able to comment on this dish since I couldn't taste it.

Beef Ribs & Chicken Tenders

The Ribs (RM54.90) came with pieces of small bite size chicken, a corn on the cob and some boiled vegetables. The ribs tasted just average. However, the meat came off the bone easily, which was a plus point for this dish.

Rib-Eye Steak

The Steak (RM54.90) was very tender and nice. I was actually quite surprised with the texture and taste of the steak. It certainly surpassed my expectation. This had to be the winner for the night.

Lamb Shank

This lamb shank is the chef's recommendation. The lamb was cooked for at least 4 hours until tender. It had a nice, subtle pleasant taste. The problem with this dish was that the sauce was too thick. It was so thick till the extend that it made you full quite easily.

Since we only had 4 people but we ordered food for 5, we were way too full for dessert. I have to say that this place is one of those better food joints around Subang. You don't get many western places around Subang Jaya. I personally would come back again to dine here.

Restaurant Rating: 7.5/10
Pricing: About RM50 per person.


*Ratings are based on ambience, service, value and food quality for the price you're paying. Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience


Map to Ben and Nick's Diner

Address:
Beside Carrefour Subang
Lot G10, E-Tiara Service Apartments,
Persiaran Kemajuan,
47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia

Contact:
Telephone number: 016 201 0189

Opening hours:
Monday-Fridays 12 pm to 2.30pm, 6pm - 10 pm
Saturdays -6pm-10pm; closed on Sundays

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