Plus One Shabu Shabu @ SS2

Although this restaurant has opened in 1 Utama for quite a number of years, for some reason we have never really noticed it.  However, when their latest branch in SS2 opened just a couple of months back, not only did we notice it we decided to give it a try.

When we were in Hong Kong earlier this year we had the most marvelous steamboat in this Restaurant called Tack Hsin where they serve really lovely hand sliced fatty beef together with a variety of different soups you can choose as a base. Upon checking out the menu at Plus 1, we saw a similar concept and were truly excited that we might have found our HK replacement.

From top left (clockwise) pork balls, sliced fish, sliced pork, diced fatty beef, sliced lamb and fried bean

We ordered the diced fatty beef (RM 20), sliced pork (RM 15), sliced lamb (RM 15), Homemade pork balls (5 balls for RM7), Fried Bean (RM4) and a plate of sliced fish (RM6).

Super - Tasteless Pork Soup

Chew Chow Soup

Sadly this not a replacement but a below par imitation at a hefty price. The food portions here were small and the taste of all the meat ordered was ordinary lacking the sweet, succulent, chewy taste of fresh meat. Moreover the soup (we chose Chew Chow and Pork Bone with Corn) was tasteless, albeit charging us RM 4 per pax for it.

You Must Pay for This!

Additionally the restaurant charges RM1 per pax for their sauces, and even if you do not want any of their sauces they will still charge you. Packet cold tissues were RM1 per piece and drinks' prices were exorbitant for a restaurant of this standard. The cheapest drinks which were their carbonated drinks like coke, 100 plus, sprite OR mineral water were RM 4 per can.

Our total UN - Happy Meal came up to RM90 plus tax, and worse of all we were still  hungry when we left.

Verdict : 
This restaurant is not worth a try. Don't bother! And if you do decide to try it, make sure you bring a Mandarin speaking friend along. All the staff here can't speak Cantonese or English, only Mandarin.

Toothpick says : Bad! Mad! Sad!

Sandal says : There's nothing free here.

Address :

No. 76 Jalan SS2/60,

47300 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor

GPS :

N = 3° 7' 0.18", E = 101° 37' 19.85"

Google Map :
3.116717, 101.622181

D'Rich King Of Good Food @ SS2

Newly open in just less than a month, this restaurant is packed with people. The interior is wide and spacious with good ventilation, and patrons can choose to sit in the shaded or alfresco area. However, due to its location it is rather difficult to find a parking spot. In fact, we had to circle 7 rounds around the area before we found a spot. If you're wondering where they are located, they are just right behind BHP SS2 and near Donald's Durian.

Interior

Sandal's "Cham Ice" @ RM3.50 - Cheaper than Pappa Rich, but not as concentrated

The restaurant's menu and concept is basically the same as all the other coffee shops around such as Pappa Rich, Old Town White Coffee, Hainan Tea and etc.,that has been mushrooming out faster than you can say Boo! of late. As it was our first time here, we decided to order a few different dishes to see whether the food here is better than its competitors around.

Chee Cheong Fan with Shrimp Floss

The Chee Cheong Fan (CCF) at RM 2.30 was the first dish that arrived. The CCF was soft, springy and had a nice bite to it. The shrimp floss that accompanied it was salty, which is perfect as CCF's are generally quite plain. Among the shrimp floss, there was also a sprinkling of dried chili thrown in to give this dish a slightly spicy tang. Will definitely order this again if I return.

Mushroom Soup served in a Bread Bowl

Next came the Mushroom Soup priced at RM6.90. This dish was very small,and although the mushroom soup was homemade and quite lovely, the bread bowl that was served was utterly lousy. The bread was dry, plain and really took away the taste of the mushroom soup when eaten together. I think they should have used puff pastry instead, and this sort of bread bowl is more suitable for fillings like curry chicken.

Sandal's Kampung Chicken Koay Teow @ RM8.60

The Koay Teow used for the above dish was delicious as the texture was smooth and springy (suspect the noodles were imported from Ipoh). The soup was flavorful too, but the chicken however, was not very smooth, which is often the case with "Kampung" chicken.

Fried Chicken @ RM6.90

This Fried Chicken is one of the signature dishes here (Signature dishes have a CROWN symbol denoted). The portion for the chicken was rather small and the chicken was quite unique tasting. It tasted a little bit sweet, had a very light seasoning of nam yee (fermented red beancurd) and a strong lemon grass flavor. I would have personally like more nam yee added, but overall it was fried perfectly and easy to snack on.

Verdict :

We would definitely return to this restaurant again as the ambiance and ventilation is great for chilling-out sessions. Additionally, they also sell quite a few delicious looking cakes and desserts here that my sweet tooth is aching to sink itself into. 

Toothpick says : Will return here again, provided there is available parking space.

Sandal says : Food here is better than most of the cafes around.

Address :

D'Rich

Lot 255886, Jln SS2/65,
47300 Petaling Jaya.

GPS :

N = 3° 7' 5.1", E = 101° 37' 25.9"

Google Map :
3.118083, 101.623861

Frog Porridge, Geylang Lor 9 @ SS2 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Exterior view of the restaurant

To think that the food in Singapore is as good as the ones you can get in Malaysia is like saying Malaysia is cleaner than Singapore. So boy were we surprised when we stepped into Geylang Lor 9 (A Very Famous Frog Porridge Restaurant in Singapore) to try their fresh frog porridge.

Kung Poh Tin Kai

Keung Chung Tin Kai

As there were only 2 of us eating, we decided to order a small portion of Kung Poh Tin Kai (Frog cooked with Dry Chili) at RM 12, small portion of Keong Chung Tin Kai (Frog cook with Spring Onion) at RM12, and a mid size portion of plain porridge at RM4.

Plain Porridge

Now, I am not a big fan of porridge. In fact, porridge to me is for the sick. However, after tasting the porridge here I am 100% reformed! The plain porridge was served in a hot clay pot like the frogs and the texture was smooth, creamy, thick and basically as Goldie & the 3 Bears would say 'Just Right!'

A succulent piece of frog's leg. Yummy!

The water used to boil the porridge has been infused with other flavors before it is used to boil the porridge. This I believe adds so much more flavor to the porridge as compared to using plain water to boil your porridge. Additionally, I think starch might have also been added to give the porridge the perfect creamy thick consistent texture it has. The frogs on the other hand arrived sizzling in their respective clay pots. Once stirred, the sweet aroma of rice wine from the frogs' sauce permeated the air.

Mix it & start chomp-ing

Frogs as always are succulent, springy, and tender. If you'd like something spicy, the Kung Poh Tin Kai is the way to go. However, those looking for a runny nose, sweat inducing sort of experience will be sorely disappointed as the dish was only mildly spicy. On the other hand, if like me, you love a strong essence of rice wine with a light sourish vinegar tang, the Keong Chung Tin Kai would suffice. Both frog dishes are cooked with plentiful of spring onions and a little bit of ginger.. just the way I like it =)

Nice!

Verdict :

For RM29.90, inclusive of all the above and 2 glasses of cold Chinese tea, we were both full and very satisfied. Needless to say, I will definitely be returning to Geylang Lor 9 for more of their heart warming delicious porridge. So, for the 'War Of the Best Porridge' Singapore 1 Malaysia 0.

Toothpick says : Perfect texture. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Sandal says : Best porridge I've ever tried.

Address :

Fresh Frog Porridge

10, Jalan SS2/61,

Petaling Jaya,

Selangor.

GPS :

N = 3° 7' 1.8" E = 101° 37' 18.5"

Google Map :
3.117167, 101.621806

* For those planning to visit this restaurant, it is located on the same row as SS2 McDonald's but nearer towards the other end of the row, where Island Cafe is.