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