Thai Fish Farm Restaurant @ Hulu Langat, Selangor

Thai Fish Farm

Nestled in Hulu Langat (just turn right into a very narrow little dingy road right after Lookout Point), is a Thai Fish Farm serving fresh seafood and vegetables cooked Thai style, owned by a Chinese "Datuk".

Fruit Station

Vege Station

The weather here seemed fresher and cooler, and most of the workers here are Thais. Smacked right in the middle of the restaurant is a huge fish pond where the fish you order is reared, and if you  come before dusk, you will also be able to see their huge vegetable plantation not far from the restaurant.

Fried Talapia with Garlic @ RM30 (RM3 per 100g)

A company of 4, we ordered 2 Talapia Fish (1 steam and 1 fried - Yes! We are big fans of fish : )), 1 Pandan Chicken, and a Stir Fried Brinjal with Garlic.The Fried Talapia with Garlic was fantastic! The fish was very fresh and crispy, and the fried garlic that accompanied it was chewy and tasty. A great dish to snack on even without rice.

Steam Talapia with Lime and Chili @ RM33

For the steam fish, we opted for the famous Lime and Chili style. It was very spicy and I would encourage asking the Chef to tone down the spiciness a notch so that you can taste the freshness of the fish. It was a good fish, but I personally found the sauce a little too sugar sweet  for my liking (Sandal liked it just the way it was).

Pandan Chicken

The Pandan Chicken at the price of RM16 came in 8 medium-sized pieces, making it very reasonable for a Thai Restaurant. Once unwrapped, you will find the chicken bursting with aromatic flavours with each bite taken.

Stir-fried Brinjal @ RM8

Last but definitely not least, the Stir-Fried Brinjal was really fresh and tasty as they grow their own vegetables here. It was stir fried with garlic and I believed, seasoned with Thai Fish Sauce. All four of us loved this dish!

BBQ Crab

Baked Fish

As this is my second visit here, I would also like to point out that we have tried their BBQ crabs which was big in size but slightly lacking in sweetness, and do avoid the Fried Squid with Salted Egg as the salted egg had a wet, mashed potato sort of texture which not only did not suit the fried squid, but also made the fried squid very soggy.

Verdict :

For a total of RM108.20, it was a tasty and reasonably-priced meal for 4. Please bear in mind that it is advisable to go with a minimum of 3 people if you intend to order 3-4 dishes as all their fishes have a minimum size of about > 900 grams, and even the chicken we ordered that served 8 medium-sized pieces, was the smallest portion they had.

If your first visit here is for dinner, once you have turned into the dodgy road with a very small sign board stating 'Thai Fish & Vegetable Farm', take note that you will be traveling through a very eerie, dark and bumpy road for about 5 minutes before you reach a clearing where the brightly-lit restaurant is, with tons of patrons.

Toothpick says : Will drop by again to try their Tom Yum, afterall, it is a Thai restaurant right? = )

Sandal says : Good food but stupid to charge RM2 per car for "trespassing private land"

Address :
Km 4, Jalan Ampang Hulu Langat,
68000 Ampang, Selangor

GPS :

N = 3° 7' 46.57", E = 101° 48' 17.77"

Google Map :

3.129603, 101.804936

Ice Zone @ SS15, Subang Jaya, Selangor

Avoid this place

On a hot, sunny afternoon we caught sight of this dessert shop as we were cruising around to see whether there were any new interesting restaurants in SS15. Although it was empty, we decided to give it a try hoping to stumble upon a hidden gem. When looking through the menu, we noticed that marketing has placed a lot of emphasis on '100% natural + low in fat'. We also noticed that most of the desserts here were fruity flavoured and prices of desserts were on the high side, RM8 and above.

Amour Passion Fruit @ RM8.90

Sweetie Strawberry @ RM.8.90

Both the Passion Fruit and Strawberry Ice we ordered tasted....well hmmm...tasted like....NOTHING. OK fine, the Passion Fruit actually had one taste, it was very sour as it had some lemon in it I think (no passion fruit taste), but my Strawberry ice was really tasteless. It was such a ripped off and a con job! Being natural doesn't give you a right to be tasteless. After all, a ripe fruit for example a mango, taste naturally sweet doesn't it? BUTTTT, yes there is a but here unfortunately, the shaved ice here had better texture than the ones we tried in Snowflakes, 100Yen, KTZ, and well, about every other shaved ice we've tried. But then again, who eats shaved ice just for texture alone right???

Simply plain, simply waste of money!

Verdict :

Don't bother. Expensive and here we go again, Tasteless!

Toothpick says : In my super banned list.

Sandal says : The only good thing about this place = free WiFi

Address :
No.19, Jalan 15/8A,
47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor.

GPS :
N = 3° 4' 26.76", E = 101° 35' 19.10"

Google Map :
3.074115, 101.588647Address:

Village Park Nasi Lemak @ Damansara Utama, Selangor

As Village Park is so famous for their Nasi Lemak, it would only be just that we give it a try and see what all the hype is about. We arrived here at 5.30 pm, and lucky for us it wasn't as fully occupied as it usually is.

Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng

I ordered the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng (RM7.00), and Sandal had the Nasi Lemak Daging Rendang (RM6.50).

Nasi Lemak Daging Rendang

When our food arrived, I was really impressed with the portion. For the price paid, the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng was a real steal as it was served with a full L-shaped (drumstick + thigh) fried chicken. Upon taking my first bite, I found the fried chicken to be very crispy on the outside, and tender in the inside. The rice however, could have been a little more 'lemak' and fluffier. I also found the sambal a tad too sweet for my liking. The Daging Rendang that was served with Sandal's nasi lemak was tasty and fragant, but leaning on the tough side.

Verdict :

For the portions served, it is probably one of the most reasonably-priced Nasi Lemak you can find in Klang Valley (for this sort of air-conditioned coffee shop setting). Taste wise however, we found it satisfactory but definitely not the best around.

Toothpick says : Will drop by again to try their Nasi Dagang, provided there isn't a long line.

Sandal says : Mediocre, I have tasted other better ones around. In fact, I recollect having fantastic ones from some random makcik stalls by the road side.

Address :
No. 5, Jalan SS21/37,
Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.

GPS :

N = 3° 8' 15.99", E = 101° 37' 23.82"

Google Map :
3.137809, 101.623304

 

Restoran Makanan Laut Loong Sing @ Kampung Bukit Tinggi, Pahang

For very fresh and tasty Steam River Fish, you should always head eastwards to Pahang.

Beautiful evening

On a cool evening, we drove from KL to Kampung Bukit Tinggi, Pahang (approximately 45 minutes drive) to get a first-hand taste of their renown Steam Patin. Upon reaching, you will notice dozens of seafood restaurants around the area. We settled on Loong Sing, as we have heard good reviews from friends and family about this particular restaurant.

Look for this shop

For a party of 3, we ordered a steam Patin fish with soy sauce (Cheng Jeng style), spare ribs with sweet and sour sauce (Pai Kwat Wong), homemade fish paste with mushrooms and vegetables (Yu Wat), fried brinjal with garlic and cili padi, and homemade tau foo with minced meat.

700g Steam Patin @ RM42

True to word, the Patin fish was excellent! The texture was bouncy and firm, and most importantly, it was totally devoid of the raw fishy taste (in Chinese we call it 'Sang Mei') of river fish that you'll commonly find, when you order steam river fish in KL/PJ restaurants (excluding high-end Chinese restaurants).

Homemade Tau Foo @ RM8

Fried Brinjal @ RM6

We also enjoyed the smooth, creamy taste of the homemade tau foo, the crispy and chewy brinjal accompanied by little pieces of dried fried shrimps, and the sweet and sour tang of the fried spare ribs.

Homemade Fish Paste @ RM15

Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs @ RM9

However, we would advise against ordering the homemade fish paste as it had a funny taste that we couldn't place our fingers on. In my opinion, the fish paste from another restaurant, Loong Kee Restaurant in Gotong Jaya, is much better.

Outside the restaurant

Verdict :

At the price of RM91 inclusive of drinks and rice, we had a great and satisfying meal. Coupled with the clean and cooling weather up there, it is a perfect stop for a meal if you are on the way to Bukit Tinggi, or if you don't mind a little detour from your journey to Genting.

Take note however, the restaurant is located quite deep in. In other words, if you are coming from KL, take a left turn and make a U-turn to Kampung Bukit Tinggi. Following this road, you will pass a row of commercial shops (many seafood restaurants here) facing the KL - Karak highway (these shops should be on your left now). Continue driving and you will pass a little bridge and right before you reach the junction to the real village itself, you will see Loong Sing on your left.

Have a happy journey and a great meal there!

Toothpick says : I know where to go now, whenever I crave for a good fresh steam river fish.

Sandal says : This is the right place to stop for highway cruisers. Forget about Karak or Gohtong Jaya.

Adress :
No. 97, Bukit Tinggi,
28750 Bentong, Pahang. 

GPS : 
N = 3° 21' 0.21", E = 101° 49' 17.72"

Google Map :
3.350101, 101.821621

 

Xian Ding Wei - Taiwanese Tea Room @ 1 Utama Shopping Centre

If you're in the mood for Taiwanese food, you should visit Xian Ding Wei - Taiwanese Tea Room in 1 Utama.

When you look through their menu, you will notice that they have many different sets to choose from - sort of like the Bento sets you find in Japanese Restaurants, only it's Taiwanese dishes in this case. Each set comes with a choice of plain rice or braised pork rice, main course selection, 3 side dishes and a soup of the day.

Braised Pork With Spring Onion

Braised Pork Rice

During our visit today I ordered Set No. 10, in which the main course was the Braised Pork with Spring Onion at RM18.90++. The Braised Pork was tender, very flavourful, and served in a generous portion. It went very well with the Braised Pork rice I chose. For sides, I was given some preserved pickles which was tasty without being too sour, a slice of mushroom abalone with mayonnaise, and some nuts in a sweet brown sauce. Every bite was a delight as they were all uniquely different in taste. To wash everything down, was the complimentary Lotus Root Soup which was neither diluted or artificially sweet. Simply perfect!

Braised Meatball with White Cabbage

Side Dishes, which came with both sets

Sandal had Set No.8, in which his main course was the Braised Meatball(pork) with White Cabbage instead. His set was also priced at RM18.90++ and his main course consisted of  2 large meatballs, a few pieces of pork belly, black fungus, mushrooms and white cabbage, braised together in a thick brown sauce. The meatballs were very chewy and tasty, but the sauce was a little light in taste. Overall, it was a nice dish but we both agreed that the Braised Pork with Garlic from my set was better.

8 Treasures Snow

For dessert, we shared the Eight Treasures Snow at RM6.90. The Eight Treasures Snow consisted of assorted beans, peanut, yam balls, pumpkin balls, jelly, raisin, and figs. Nothing outstanding as the ice was lacking in syrup, but the various ingredients made it a very beany and chewy experience.

Verdict :

At a total price of RM54.85, it was a very enjoyable meal for us.  The food, nicely separated in different little bowls and saucers allowed us to slowly savour all the different infusion of flavours. Hands down, one of the better Taiwanese restaurants I've tried in PJ.

Toothpick says : Will definitely return to try their other sets.

Sandal says : The braised pork was good - a must try.

Address :

G360, Ground Floor, Rainforest,

One Utama Shopping Centre,

1 Lebuh Bandar Utama,

47800 Petaling Jaya

GPS : 
N = 3° 9' 0.73", E = 101° 36' 56.72"

Google Map :
3.150202, 101.615756

Daidomon Japanese BBQ Buffet @ Great Eastern Mall, Jalan Ampang, KL

@ Level 3 Great Eastern Mall

Interior

If you are a big fan of BBQ Ox tongue and beef slices, Daidamon's buffet is value for money. For just RM45.90++ per head, you will be able to feast on unlimited amounts of ox tongue, tripe, beef harami, beef ribs, yukke, sashimi, chicken, fish, seafood, hot Japanese dishes, green tea, cordial drinks, fruits, desserts and etc.

Sashimi, Karubi&Harami, Prawns

The buffet package also came along with 1 serving of oysters in a foil, and 1 serving of scallops per person, which we found to be fresh and delicious.

Rosu, Scallops, Honetsuki

Ox Tongue, Oysters, Gyu Tataki

However, apart from the BBQ Beef dishes most of the other dishes were at best, mediocre. Most of the hot dishes on the buffet spread table were cold and soggy, and the salmon sashimi was sliced very crudely and lacking In freshness. Additionally, the fruits and salads on the spread were not covered and I saw a couple of flies hanging around it. The biggest dissapointment of the night was the BBQ prawns. Although it was huge in size, the meat was soft and mushy.

Mushrooms

Yukke Sashi

All BBQ buffet dishes here are served only when ordered. As a party of 4, we ordered many rounds of ox tongue. On our 6th round and onwards, we found that the tongue was more frozen than chilled, and got progressively harder to chew on. However, this could be a one-time off scenario as some of our friends recently visited and did not experienced any frozen beef even after their 10th serving. They however, complained that even when they had specifically ask the waiter to bring a bigger portion when serving, the waiter still brought a small serving of 5 slices only.

Buffet Spread

Verdict:

On the night we visited, there were only 1 or 2 other tables occupied. With such a buffet spread (mixture of bbq meat + sashimis & Japanese dishes), Daidamon should be packed with customers. Perhaps due to their lack of quality control, business is slow and they should definitely start correcting these issues. If you plan to offer buffets, always offer with a generous heart - good portions and high quality. There are so many restaurants mushrooming out every month in the city. It only takes one bad impression before patrons write you off for good.

On weekends the dinner buffet is slightly more expensive at RM 55.90 ++. If Wagyu Beef is your thing, they also offer a dinner buffet with unlimited wagyu at RM 88 ++ per head.

Toothpick says : Will visit again to see whether presentation and quality have improved.


Sandal says : Skip the food on the buffet table. Choose only the made-to-order dishes from the buffet menu.


Address :
Lot 4, Level 3, Great Eastern Mall
No. 303 Jln Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : (603) 4252 8155

GPS : 
N = 3° 9' 36.75", E = 101° 44' 12.88"

Google Map : 
3.160215, 101.736906

.

Mezze @ Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara, KL

Excitedly, I dressed and got ready for my anniversary dinner with Sandal. Lucky for me, Sandal had picked up on the little hints I have been dropping on where I would like to dine at, and booked us a table at Mezze, this little Mediterranean restaurant located next to Vintry, on Jalan Kasah at Medan Damansara.

At 8 pm we arrived and the waiter showed us to our table. The restaurant only had 1 other table filled up and that was peculiar, considering it was a weekend. The deco was warm and cozy, and service efficient and friendly. After glancing through the menu, we decided on 2 appetizers, 1 main and a dessert to share.

Duck Liver Pate

First to arrive was the duck pate with grilled country style bread. The bread was crunchy and chewy, and went very well with the pate. The pate on the hand, was mediocre only as I felt that it could have been smoother, and I also detected a hint of bitterness. The fennel marmalade served as a side however, was lovely as it had a refreshingly fruity taste which helped to balance out the cloyingly rich taste of the pate. Overall a dish worth ordering if you are a big fan of duck pate but I would like to point out that the price of this dish has increased significantly from just RM13.50 last November to RM18 this November, even though the portion is the same.

Jamon Iberico De Bellota

Country Bread

Next up, was our second appetizer which was the Jamon Iberico De Bellota (sliced Spanish Iberico Pork) at RM39. Due to the price and the waiter informing us that this was an appetizer to share, we were taken aback when it arrived with just 5 thin slices of very fatty Iberico pork. The dish was served with a portion of country bread, which was slightly burnt as can be seen from my picture above. Portions and burnt food aside, the sliced pork was really hard to swallow, literally. It tasted like very,very, oily Chinese wax meat with a dash of plastic (or what I imagine plastic would taste like) added to it. The texture also felt like rubbery plastic to us. Each bite, due to the oil, fat and texture took forever to swallow. This was by far one of the worst dishes Sandal and I had ever experienced together. I am not going to say that this was bad though, more that it definitely wasn't our cup of tea!!

Chargrilled Spatchcock Chicken @ RM34

Our third dish, was the main that we were sharing which was the Spatchcock Chicken. The meat was tender, but the chicken was very salty all the way into the deepest parts of its flesh. Every mouthful required a gulp of icy cold water. Talk about sodium overload! The Provencal potatoes served with the chicken however, was excellent. It was crispy and bursting with flavor.

Brownie @ RM16

To end the night, we had the brownie with vanilla ice cream. The brownie was rich in taste but not moist in texture. However, coupled with the vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce, was palatable.

Verdict:

The total bill for the dinner was RM123.05. All in all, it was a rather disappointing night. For the price increased of most of the dishes here, I would expect better quality if not portions. Anyhow, I am glad I got Mezze out of my system as I have been hankering for it ever since I read a write up in The Star that it served Duck Pate and decent food.

Toothpick says : Disappointing. Shall continue to look for other restaurants that serves better duck liver pate.

Sandal says : No wonder it was empty.

Address :
132 Jalan Kasah,
Medan Damansara,
50490 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : (603) 2095 0122

GPS : 
N = 3° 8' 23.44", E = 101° 39' 26.82" 

Google Map :
3.139855, 101.657422  
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