Wednesday 29 February 2012

Mee Goreng Singapore @ Lot No.10 - Tanjung Aru Hawker Centre


Mee Goreng Singapore is a spicy, fried, mixed seafood, noodle dish. The flavour was curry like with prawns, squid, fish cake slice, fish ball slice and some green veggie. It tasted ok, nothing to get too exited about really.


The Little Nibbler opted for Nasi Goreng USA. We tried relating this concoction to America but drew a blank! Fried rice was served with beef in a spicy tomato sauce with red chilli, topped with a fried egg. Again taste wise it was ok.


The Satay was a little disappointing, quite tough and really dry. Peanut sauce was good though, my advice would be to choose your own satay and not just order from the food vendor. Satay Street as I like to call it is located along the far side of the hawker centre.


Tanjung Aru Hawker Centre is located at First Beach just opposite Waikiki Condo, opens every evening with a few of the stalls open during the day.
Not quite sure of the protocol at this hawker centre as we ordered our food from a menu that had No.11 Penang Seafood on it but our  food came from No.10. One of lifes little mysteries!


The Bill : 1x Mee Goreng Singapore, 1x Nasi Goreng USA, 10x  Sate sticks = 17 MYR

I have to say that from my experience the overall standard of food at this hawker centre isn't great. Which I don't really understand as the quality of food around KK is normally quite high! Maybe I'm just ordering the wrong dish from the wrong stall, if anyone has any favourites and can point me in the right direction, let me know.

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Special Fried Dried La Mian @ Chicken Recipe Restaurant - Karamunsing Capital


I really enjoyed these noodles at Chicken Recipe Restaurant, even though I thought the portion could have been a little bit larger! With a choice of chicken or seafood I opted for chicken which was fried with noodles, choy sum, onion and a few beansprouts. This dish reminded me of home as it had the flavour of Chow Mein back in the UK. One thing I might add though, from an internet search regarding La Mian I found out that these should be handmade noodles, now I'm no expert but I don't think these were. I could be wrong of course but anyway they tasted great all the same.


The Little Nibbler opted for the Chicken Curry Rice. Chicken and potato in a spicy coconut curry sauce with a big kick of chilli. The reports back were good and the taste I had would confirm this too, very tasty indeed.




Chicken Recipe Restaurant is located in Karamunsing Capital opposite Peppermint. Just look for the sign with the three fish on it ???


The Bill : 1x Fried La Mian, 1x Chicken Curry Rice, 1x Ice Milo, 1x Chinese Teh Ping = 16.50 MYR

I've walked past this restaurant a few times and wondered what the connection is between Chicken and Fish? I'm still none the wiser but happier for having eaten here. Top tip if your very hot their air conditioned room is very very cooling!

Monday 27 February 2012

Kon Law Mee @ Kedai Kopi Soon Li - Tanjung Aru


When I first started eating this Kon Law Mee I thought it was a bit plain and boring but the more you eat the better it seems to taste! It  just grows on you and in the end I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminds me a lot of Kolo Mee that I've tried in Kuching on a previous visit. Noodles come topped with slices of char siu, belly pork, minced pork and also a kind of pale, pork sausage wrapped in egg which I'm sorry, but I can't remember the name of right now, if anyone would like to remind me, please do! This is definitely a pork lovers dish! 


Kedai Kopi Soon Li occupies a corner lot next to the Esso petrol station at Tanjung Aru. In the evening grilled fish and seafood are available.



The Bill : Kon Law Mee, Teh = 7 MYR

Kedai Kopi Soon Li serves a handful of noodle dishes, porridge, chicken rice and pau. A relaxed quiet place for breakfast or lunch and of course grilled fish in the evenings.









Friday 24 February 2012

Wantan Ho @ Manja Cafe - KK Times Square


Wantan Ho is another favourite of mine! When it's cooked well it's simply delicious. Unfortunately though at Manja Cafe it's a little lacking. Ingredients wise it's generous with lots of fresh vegetables including carrot, onion, broccoli, choy sum and chilli. I ordered ayam and there was plenty of chicken too, the problem lies in the taste it's just not got that savoury smoky flavour that you get from a searing hot wok. Don't get me wrong it tasted ok but with such great ingredients it could have tasted better!


The Little Nibbler opted for a new dish that neither of us had tried before, Mee Bandung. Again ingredients were fresh and plentiful, very fresh in one case as a raw egg was added on top. Noodles come in a rich spicy tomato sauce along with veggies, chilli slices and chicken. You can taste the egg come through in the sauce which is a great touch, very tasty indeed.


Manja Cafe is located next door to Manja Hotel in KK Times Square. Free Wi-Fi is available.



The Bill : 1x Wantan Ho, 1x Mee Bandung, 2x Teh Tarik Ping = 21 MYR


KK Times Square is filling up at last, with quite a few eating and drinking establishments to choose from. Manja Cafe is bright, clean and uses fresh ingredients. With a large menu there's plenty of choice as well as a nasi campur counter.

Thursday 23 February 2012

Steam Chicken Noodle Soup @ Peppermint - Jalan Gaya


I'm no stranger to Peppermint, normally popping in for their Raw Beef Pho but today I thought I'd have a change from the old routine opting instead for Steam Chicken Noodle Soup. The tasty clear broth comes packed with rice vermicelli, or you can opt for imported Vietnamese noodles, a generous portion of silky smooth steam chicken breast topped with fresh corriander and a sprinkling of chives. While I was eating this I definitely thought I was doing my body a favour! It tastes clean, refreshing and so healthy! You can add sliced fresh chilli and lime for extra punch, I opted for their chilli and soy sauce with lime to flavour my soup. As I've said before it would be nice to choose from a selection of fresh herbs to add to the soup as in Vietnam's pho shops.



This branch of Peppermint occupies a large corner shop on Gaya Street, look out for the lunch time crowds.




The Bill : Steam Chicken Noodle Soup, Ice Lemon Tea 8.80 MYR

I'm a big fan of Peppermint, great food, spotless surroundings and lots of choice. Now it's time for me to try even more delicious Vietnamese food!

Monday 20 February 2012

Pan Fried Fish Cake & Home Made Egg Noodle @ Kuo Man Restaurant - Suria Food Court


Kuo Man Restaurant's Home Made Egg Noodles are famous here in KK. One look at the full tables and queues of hungry people most mornings outside their shop in Sunny Garden speaks volumes. Today I decided to try their other branch located in Suria Food Court at Suria Sabah. To go with the Noodles I ordered their self proclaimed 'must try' dish, Pan Fried Fish Cake. I'm guessing the fish cake is the same mixture as their fish ball, flattened out and fried. Its the first time I've eaten fish cake this way and have to say, for my taste it's just ok, nice enough, you can tell it's definitely home made and not manufactured though which is a plus. Sweet chilli sauce is a spicy accompaniment.



The Noodles are pretty good served in a nice savoury sauce, quite simple. Personally I'm not to sure what all the fuss is about, but I'm not about to argue with the fine people of KK, maybe I just need a few more noodle eating years under my belt!


You can find Kuo Man Restaurant here in Suria Sabah or at Sunny Garden, if you go to the latter be prepared to wait for a table!


Fantastic views over Gaya Island and TARP, Suria Food Court's a great place for a meal, with seating outside and in. 


I can't help but think that the architects and developers of KK have missed a fantastic opportunity to fully incorporate these stunning views in their developments, why exactly do the car parks of Centre Point, Wisma Merdeka and Suria Sabah have such amazing views?


The Bill : Pan Fried Fish Cake, Home Made Egg Noodle = 11.50 MYR

Plenty of choice and stunning views are reason enough to check out Suria Food Court located on the third floor of Suria Sabah.
Kuo Man Restaurant has lots of dishes to choose from, give them a try, you'll be in good company!

Sunday 19 February 2012

Kari Kambing Gear Box @ Restoran Salim - Lintas Plaza


If like me you thought 'Gear Box' was something you found under the bonnet of a Kancil, then think again! It is in fact according to Restoran Salim 'leg or shank' and in this case Goat Shank, more importantly Goat Shank Curry. Not that I had any idea of this when I headed to Salim, in search of their wonderful Tandoori Chicken Tikka and Naans. 
Upon sitting down we saw the big sign advertising Tham Biryani and Kari Kambing Gear Box, we looked at each other, then back at the sign, then back at each other again wondering what on earth was Gear Box? But with Tikka on our minds we placed our order and carried on wondering. It wasn't until we found out that Chicken Tikka was 'habis' that the Little Nibbler's curiosity won over and had to go take a look! I on the other hand changed my order to Tandoori Chicken and Plain Naan, when the Nibbler returned, carrying two huge plates the mystery finally revealed itself. On one the Kari Kambing Gear Box on the other a lovely looking Tham Biryani.
Goat is a meat we don't tend to eat too much of in the UK, in fact I don't think I've ever eaten it back home, I've mainly eaten it on my travels in India and here in Malaysia. I have to say eating such a large piece on the bone is slightly off-putting, I think mainly because it's so unfamiliar to me, but to be fair it didn't put me off too much, as together we finished off every last tasty piece. It was very well cooked and obviously slow cooked in curry spices as the meat was very tender.


The Tham Biryani was very generous and had quite a unique taste to other Biryani's I've tried, which I just can't put my finger on! It had big chunks of chicken, veggies and cashews all mildly spiced, goes great with the kambing curry sauce.


With no Tandoori Chicken Tikka available I opted for 'on the bone' chicken or plain old Tandoori Chicken, though there's nothing plain about Tandoori Chicken from Salim, in my opinion the best Tandoori Chicken in KK. So juicy and cooked to perfection, their Tikka is fab by the way (watch this space for a review).


Now don't get me started on the Naan! If you want to know how Naan bread should really taste just head to Salim's, again for me the best Naan I've tasted in KK!
With a little confusion over the order we ended up with two, oh well never mind! On the left Plain Naan on the right Garlic Cheese Naan.


Teh Tarik comes 'layered'



Restoran Salim is located at Lintas Plaza the sign says twenty four hours opening. I'm not too sure if this is a Sunday special menu but when we arrived at eight in the evening it was almost finished. Arrive earlier to avoid disappointment. 



The Bill : 1x Kari Kambing Gear Box, 1x Tham Biryani, 1x Tandoori Chicken, 1x Plain Naan, 1x Garlic Cheese Naan, 1x Teh Tarik, 1x Ice Blended Orange Juice = 34 MYR

Restoran Salim for me is all about Tandoori, Tandoori, Tandoori! The Chicken and Naan breads are the best in KK! 
You really should give them a try and you never know you might get surprised by something called Gear Box!

Tom Yam @ Kedai Kopi Janggut - Hilltop


Yet another amazing dish to be found in KK, Tom Yam. But nothing like Thailand's signature dish, the Tom Yam here in KK generally comes thickened with condensed milk or coconut milk giving it a creamier milder taste yet still remaining spicy with chilli and lemongrass flavour.
For my pick I had the Tom Yam Meehoon with Fresh Fish Slice. The soup tastes awesome, I actually said "Oh wow" right out loud when I took my first mouthful! There's plenty of fish slice inside too, which is topped off with fresh corriander. If your Tom Yam isn't spicy enough for you then the homemade chilli sambal here at Janggut should do the trick!



A mix of fresh fish slice and prawn for the Little Nibbler's Tom Yam, though it has to be said there was only one prawn (halved) in the dish which was a little disappointing.


We also ordered a side dish of mixed fried, prawn dumpling, fish cake slice and beancurd served with mayo and chilli sauce. These are great on their own but i also like to dunk a few into my soup!


Kedai Kopi Janggut is located at Hilltop, look out for the crowds of happy diners most mornings.


The Bill : 2x Tom Yam, 1x Mixed Fried Side Dish, 1x Teh Ping, 1x Kopi C Ping = 32.50 MYR

There's awesome Tom Yam at Janggut, keep your eye's open around Hilltop as there's at least two other places I know of, that will not disappoint you too!

Thursday 16 February 2012

Chicken Rendang @ Sinario Cafe & Catering - Bandaran Berjaya


Wow! What a great lunch I had today at Sinario Cafe & Catering. I'm no stranger to Sinario's, normally going in for their Indian menu of curries, naan breads and tandoori (watch this space for future reviews). Today, however, I thought I'd try something off their 'Express Lunch Menu' which I've seen advertised around the place on previous visits. With four options to choose from Rendang Chicken won my vote, I'm very pleased it did.
I loved every part of this meal! From the garlic infused rice which was slightly yellow in colour, pickled vegetables with pineapple which I think is called Achar, to the star of the show, Rendang Chicken. I've discovered I really don't eat enough Rendang. When done well, this is an amazingly tasty dish with all the fine flavours that Asia has to offer, truly awesome! And in my opinion Sinario's do it very well indeed!
If anyone out there can recommend more places to try Rendang feel free to leave a comment, where's your favourite?


The Express Lunch Menu Promotion has four dishes to choose from all priced at 6.50 MYR available from 11.00 - 14.00.


Sinario Cafe & Catering is located just behind Marrybrown's Bandaran Berjaya branch, easily visible from the large Bulatan Capitol roundabout.



The Bill : Rendang Chicken, Teh Tarik Ping = 9 MYR

Sinario's specializes in North Indian and Malay food they also have a Western menu too. I knew their Indian food was tasty and now I've got another fine reason to visit!

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Nasi Campur @ Liew Chai Vegetarian - Centre Point


A Nasi Campur that I know I'm not going to find any hidden 'extra parts' simply because it's all vegetarian!
Liew Chai Vegetarian is probably my second favourite place to eat at Centre Point's Food Court. With lots of curries, stir fries, and tofu dishes to choose from there's definitely no chance of accidently stumbling across, say liver, yuk yuk yuk!



Today's pick was a bit of a green bean feast! Stir fried green beans with some kind of mock meat, a really tasty omelette with sliced green beans and a wonderful creamy coconut curry of fried beancurd puffs and you guessed it, green beans! All on top of nasi putih alongside a small bowl of vegetable broth, washed down with chinese teh ping.


Liew Chai Vegetarian is located in Centre Point's basement Food Court occupying a corner lot near the middle.



The Bill : Nasi Campur, Chinese Teh Ping 5.50 MYR

In England great food and shopping malls are two things that don't go hand in hand. Not so, here in Malaysia and KK, it's often where some of the tastiest food is found at an affordable price. If veggies are your thing head to Liew Chai and fill your boots!