Restaurant Lee Hong Kee, Sg Buloh – I am very excited about publishing this. My mum has been talking about this place ever since she was taken to Lee Hong Kee. Very rarely is she enthralled with eating out or impressed by a restaurant. Lee Hong Kee restaurant made it to one of her few favourites. Not to mention that this place is about 45 minutes drive from home.
When we arrived, she was disappointed to find that the place was shut. Tightly shut, closed and relocated. Fortunately, there was a banner stating their relocation and we were correctly directed to the new Lee Hong Kee. When we arrived at the new place, goodness me, it was clear that we, or rather my mum, were not the only ones fascinated with Lee Hong Kee. The restaurant was.busy and still pouring in with customers!
Menu: A la carte menu. Festive set menus available. Special dishes of Lee Hong Kee are Pun Choi, Tea Pot Ginseng Soup, Glutinous Rice with Farm Chicken, Stewed Suckling Pig in Soon Teck Style and Braised Duck with Yam to name the few.
Kedai Kopi Mee Bon, Jalan Ipoh – Jalan Ipoh used to be known as the dim sum place to go to. As children, we earn a dim sum meal only if we could tear ourselves from bed at dawn and complete the Titiwangsa exercise routine. Otherwise, stay in bed and no breakfast.
Menu: No menu. Only serves steamed dim sum. No fried dim sum. Open everyday.
Order: Dim sum arrives and you pick and choose; no paper ticking involved. Other dishes for example the sticky rice, big steamed buns and porridge, you have to order it from the waiter.
Coffee Société, Publika Dutamas – Speaking about having a cup of coffee in Publika, you are not going to be deprived of the choices of cafés in the area. So what does Coffee Société has got to offer that stands out and attract the crowd?
The answer to this is easy. At Coffee Société, it is the proprietor himself, Kar Wai! Kar Wai loves his coffee. Spending a mere ten minutes talking to him regarding his business, the immediate feeling that this person is passionate about his cup of coffee is confirmed. Even with the constant flow of happy customers, Kar Wai is not complacent. He listens to the requests and feedbacks, and if possible, tries to introduce them in the menu. Be sure to check their facebook, Coffee Société, for more updates.
A very low profile and down to earth person, when questioned about his progress, he smiled humbly and says that Coffee Société will expand by a further two branches. I sincerely wish him all the best!
For us, it was purely by chance that we were wandering in the area at a coffee-ish hour, therefore already on the lookout for coffee. Standing by the entrance of Coffee Société, the moment the aroma of grounded coffee ‘whops’ over all I knew was I am in, seated and ordered my cuppa.
Menu: A clipboard of three to four pages of choices. Based solely on the menu, Coffee Société comes across somewhere between a café and a restaurant. Savoury main dishes range from RM 15.00 onwards with choices of salad, pastas and sandwiches. Coffee (of course!), milkshakes and cakes available. Beer served here too.
Kopitiam Desa, Wangsa Maju – Living near Wangsa Maju means that I witnessed the development of this area. From a quiet, unheard precinct till today where every investor jumps at the opportunity to invest in any sort of accommodation that comes on sale here. Needless to say that the Putra Wangsa Maju station has positively increased the value of property prices. The largest lot of rental prospects are the students from TAR college.
Kopitiam Desa knows their market – students and working class group. The restaurant provides the answer to everyone looking for a well balanced meal and a little luxury for dessert. Prices charged are very reasonable. Restaurants, hawker stalls or night market stalls here are extremely competitive in Wangsa Maju.
On a hot afternoon day, we arrived at Kopitiam Desa, desperate to be fed. The excitement intensity grew with the crowd. The queue grew longer and longer but the motion rate was still tolerable and decided that we better hurry and find a parking space before we turn into hungry monsters. We also wanted to go where the locals went. Especially students, who knew what good value means.
Menu: on the board but what you see is what you get – the station buffet. A variety of home-cooked food both savoury and sweet and also, herbal drinks. Continue reading Kopitiam Desa, Wangsa Maju
Yuzu KLCC, Jalan Ampang – This Japanese restaurant is on the 4th floor of KLCC. If you were going to have something to eat in KLCC and be charged a premium anyhow, why not go for a classier version? It will not be cheap, anywhere. But is that stopping the crowd?
On a weekday, KLCC is full. Food courts, shopping outlets and supermarkets were busy. Queues appearing during dinner times. It does seem like hunger is not stopping people from spending for food with a little bit of luxury.
Money and price is not a criteria for choosing a restaurant in KLCC. It is best you go for what you want and just be prepared to spend. Continue reading Yuzu KLCC, Jalan Ampang
Beauberry House, Dulwich – The place is magnificent. Where shall I start? From the moment I saw Beauberry House on the website, I thought, “wow, this is amazingly grand”. The wide and huge building standing proudly in white, spotlights shining from beneath enhancing the grandiosity of the structure but at the same time shows a very homely and inviting side. I want that house! Unfortunately, I do not think that it is for sale. As we arrived for the evening, it was an awe inspiring moment. The darkness surrounding the Beauberry House emanates an intimate and romantic mood. Beyond this darkness, the Belair Park stays in it’s silence. I never knew how large the park was until I looked it up on google maps.
I can appreciate why Beauberry House has been chosen, shortlisted and awarded by numerous wedding recognitions for their venue.
Inside Beauberry House the dining room is quite modest. Minimalist but every piece of furniture exudes charm. They all come together in perfect harmony. The dim lights, romantic. A perfect atmosphere in every way to wine and dine your loved ones or make a memorable impression (if you need to) to others while accompanied by the gentle background music that hums along to the aura of the dining room. What is not to love here? Continue reading Beauberry House, Dulwich
Shoryu Ramen, Regent Street – a big bowl of aromatic, soupy noodles is nothing more comforting and homely for the belly of a Chinese Malaysian person like myself. There is one exception though – my brother, the fussy eater in the family. He loathes all soupy or gravy-ish food and that includes any seafood, red and green colour looking dishes.
Looking in from the outside, Shoryu Ramen looks like a casual cafe. Except here people were feasting on soupy noodles rather than sipping their coffees. It was bright and lively. A buzzling restaurant that, when one walks past without knowing exactly what is it, tends to be a show stopper. I say that it is the best advertisement for a restaurant instead of an overkill of outdated-window-sticker-recognitions without a soul.
Shoryu serves up ramen noodles in their famous tonkatsu broth. With the variation of meat, noodle, spiciness, garlicky, the permutation for the combination of noodles are endless. New dishes, curry ramen for example, are constantly introduced to woo us back for more. And by the end of February 2013, we are expecting pop ups with Shoryu. Keep tweeting (@ShoryuRamen)! Both hot and cold dishes for side dishes include tempuras, sashimi, miso soup and tofu dishes. Continue reading Shoryu Ramen, Regent’s Street
Babur, Brockley Rise – this Indian restaurant has been a want-to/must-visit place for us for the last twelve months. Babur is on the corner of the quiet Brockley Rise, between Honor Oak and Forest Hill Overground stations.
Inside Babur is spectacular. Long, rectangular shaped dining room with tables close to one another, I thought that Babur would be more expensive than the prices suggested. Kept minimal in decoration, the restaurant is still very well furnished. Toilets are extravagant although it is freezing in there. Has anyone felt like a toilet could tempt you to order a glass of bubbly? Babur does. Another similar feeling toilet to Babur is the one in Starhill Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. Please do not categorize me as a weirdo.
Babur’s menu is impressive. A wide range of choices; guinea fowl, duck, prawns, buffalo, lamb chops which involves marinating, tenderising with beetroot, smoking and tandoori-ing. Other dishes including paneer, beetroot, crispy roasted potatoes pairing with chutneys and spices are all very desirable. Secretly I was already planning my food choices on my second visit to ascertain what to order for this visit.
Cocktails and wines are chosen to compliment your choice of food. The wine menu suggests an attention and careful selection of wines to pair with your meal. Overall, it has a large selection from Australia and New Zealand but the Shiraz, Sula 2010, Nasik Indian wine made it to our table; full bodied, leaving a peppery note at the end. However, this peppery taste does not stand out with the meal. It started off sweet but after breathing, the sweetness mellows out. It reminds me of an Australian wine I had in Kuala Lumpur. Continue reading Babur, Brockley Rise
Elliot’s Cafe, Borough Market – I simply cannot believe despite the numerous times I have walked past Elliot’s Cafe while on my round trips of Borough Market, without noticing this cafe. It was easily overlooked.
One – standing outside looking into Elliot’s, occupied with people on the bar and the high chairs and tables and the presence of the coffee machine (made quite a statement to passerbys) I assumed that it was merely a coffee and cake place. All around Borough Market, coffee cafes are abundant.
Two – when one does their marketing in Borough Market (Thurdays – Saturdays), there are plentiful of produce to sample. From homemade jams and pickles to artisanal bread and cakes to breads and olive oils, cheeses, humous, pates, salamis, takeaways and not to mention those wonderful ingredients that cries out to be cooked. One can only eat so much!
Three – The crowd in Borough Market, armed with the same mission as myself, is enough to drown the shops, restaurants and cafes, into the background silently without malice.
Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Old Spitalfield’s Market – compared with the previous burger visits, I have my reservations for Gourmet Burger Kitchen; being a part of a huge restaurant chain (and associated with The Real Greek). Nonetheless, I am going in with an open mind, waiting for the food to disagree with my pre-judgement. We visited the restaurant in Old Spitalfield’s Market.
Inside, Gourmet Burger Kitchen was actually quite a cold place despite the fully seated restaurant. Menus, a large piece of paper printed on both sides, were given when we were seated at the table. When you have decided what you wanted, you proceed to the counter (with your table number information at hand), place your order, make your payment and return to your table while you wait for your food and drinks to be served. It is between a self-service and a restaurant in that way. Food wise, it is similar to pub grub manner. No service charge but leave a tip if you are happy with the service. Continue reading Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Old Spitalfield’s Market
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