Something New....Lammeeya @ One Utama

Saw a new F&B outlet opposite Kluang Station Kopitiam in One Utama recently while trying to decide on a place to lunch. As te outlet was relatively empty compared to its nighbours (aka no waiting time), we thought there's no harm giving it a try.

Like its namesake, this outlet specializes in various type of Lam Mee. My lunch partner ordered their original while I went for something slightly different, the Mushroom Lam Mee.


Original Lam Mee. Looks as good as the one pictured on their wall (see picture at the top of this post).
The Original Lam Mee arrived first and it looked truly promising. My lunch partner was slurping the noodles up in big gulps; a sign that he has given it his seal of approval.


Mushrooms Lam Mee
Soon after, my order arrived. Again, it looked truly tantalizing - assorted mushrooms including big glossy chinese mushrooms on top of thick noodles in a hearty and aromatic broth. And boy, I was so glad that it tasted as good as it looked. Despite my initial doubt that the serving size would be too much for me to finish, I enjoyed every slurp of the noodle up to the very last bite.

Besides Lam Mee, other typical local fares are available too. Their menu was pleasing to browse through as it was filled with gorgeous and mouth-watering pictures of their offerings. In fact, it reminded me of another outlet in JayaOne and I suspect that they could be related.

The noodles are priced around RM10 and above. A tad pricey for a plate of Lam Mee (if compared to the kopitiam version) but then again, the serving was generous, the taste - delicious, and after all, it is located in One Utama.

Will be back to try more.

By the way, Happy New Year, folks!

LAMMEEYA
One Utama, New Wing.
Opposite Kluang Station Kopitiam

Assam Laksa with a Twist (Well Cook Gourmet)

Ever heard of "assam laksa goreng" (fried assam laksa)? I haven't till I read it here. I thought to myself, "how unique and innovative"; and since I stay in the same area there is no reason not to satisfy my curiosity.

And this is how it looked like. Loaded with generous servings of shredded chicken, cucumber, pineapple and shallots, and topped with natural taste enhancers such as torch flower (bunga kantan), mint leaves and a squeeze of lime, the dish was appetizing and well-flavoured. However, it reminded me of a spiced-up and more tangy version of mee goreng. I thought the absence of the two most important ingredients; chunks of fish meat and har koh (prawn paste) automatically disqualifies it from being called assam laksa, fried or otherwise.


The outlet also serves quite a decent version of popiah. The popiah was fat and juicy, and generously loaded with fillings. Although not the best that I have tasted (still prefer SS2 Sakura popiah), it was decent enough. However, I thought it is rather expensive at RM2.50 for one roll or RM4.50 for 2 rolls.

Restaurant Well Cook Gourmet
74, Jalan SS 14/2, Subang Jaya
(along the same road as the famous nasi lemak stall in the corner kopitiam)
Open from 12pm - 9pm

Other reviews:
masak-masak
KampungBoy Citygal

Steamed Fish Head in Paramount

Steamed Fish Head in Claypot
One of my regular haunts during lunchtime for a venue that is close to my office; and when I am in the mood for fish head. I am not sure the exact name of this restaurant but if I am not mistaken, it is called Paramount Fish Head Restaurant. It used to be called something else but I think there was a change of owner. Anyway, this place is located opposite Giant in Paramount and so it's pretty easy to locate.

The default order is usually Steamed Ginger Fish Head (which is pretty good, by the way) but on this day, we decided to ask the "si tao poh" (lady boss) for her recommendation. She recommended their Steamed Fish Head in Claypot. I reckoned that it must be good for I saw the dish on quite a number of tables so we went along with her recommendation.
When it arrived, it looked promising. It's not too different from the Steamed Ginger version. The paste on top of the fish with its gorgeous green hue tasted like a mix of pounded ginger, garlic and spring onion or maybe cilantro.

Whatever it is, it paired perfectly with the fish head. I guessed that the fish was also steamed with a dash of wine which resulted in an absolutely delicious and tummy-warming soup (or stock) at the bottom of the dish. I was slurping it all up non-stop. The fish was also fresh; its flesh tender yet firm, and sweet too.

A side dish of vegetables is usually ordered to accompany the fish head. In this case, we ordered "Sin Kong Tau Foo" (Stir-fried beancurd with assorted vegetables in thick gravy).

"Sin Kong Tau Foo" (Stir-fried beancurd with assorted vegetables in thick gravy).

Prices are pretty reasonable too. The total bill for the above dishes, and 2 plates of plain rice and drinks was around RM34. Not bad for a healthy, wholesome and satisfying lunch, eh?

Taman Sri Sentosa Pan Mee

Continuing my "pan mee" fetish, recently I finally visited this "pan mee" (broad noodles) shop in Taman Sri Sentosa that I have been wanting to try for a long time now ever since I read about it from Boo's and Precious Pea's blogs.

Exterior of shop. No proper sign board, just some chinese characters scribbled on a panel.

Armed with the direction guide from the afore-mentioned blogs, this place is not too hard to find although a bit obsure. My friend and I went at a slightly early lunch hour on a weekday, hence there were ample seats available as the normal lunch crowd had not fully descended yet.

My friend went for the classic pan me, cooked in broth while I chose the other style which is the dry or kon lou.

Classic pan mee cooked in broth


Pan mee "dry" style (served with one small bowl of clear broth on the side)

Both received praises from us. My friend liked the soup version. She thought that the soup was very "ching" (clear) and flavourful. On the contrary, I thought the soup although clear, was not flavourful enough (as in the anchovies stock was not rich enough). I love mine though. The dry version came with some minced meat, deep fried anchovies, leafy greens, chinese mushroom in a delicious black sauce. Mix everything together, it was utterly delicious! I requested for my usual preference which is the hand-shredded noodles (vs the machine-shredded noodles), I was told that they only have one style which is the "hand-pulled" style. The noodles came in long ribbon strands and were rather thick in texture. Because of this, it was chewy yet bouncy. Very nice indeed!

Chili sauce
The compulsory condiment to go along with pan mee is of course the chili. Different shops prepared them differently. My personal favourite is Lian Heng's style (aka minced cili padi). The chili sauce provided here is adequate enough although not remarkable. Cut limes are also provided so that you can squeeze it over the chili sauce to give it an extra zing.


Original Pandan Chicken
I also order their original-flavoured pandan chicken (also available in black pepper flavour). It was so aromatic when it reached our table. It was another winner in my books! Deep-fried succulent chicken, slightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Also, it seems like it was stuffed with some kind of paste that reminded me of otak-otak. Not sure about this, but it was how it tasted like to me when I bit into the flesh.


So far, so good, no? Oh well, I did have some gripes about this place. Firstly is their serving size. The pan mee is available in either BIG or SMALL serving size. Naturally, we ordered the small size but it was one of those rare occassions when I was actually taken by surprise to see how small the serving was (small bowl costs RM4.50). It should be re-labelled as XS instead. Secondly is the "smell" of the surrounding. Not sure if this is the norm but when we were there, the air reeked of a foul "longkang" smell. Not sure where it came from as there was no sight of a rubbish dump near the shop and the surrounding looked "ok" enough. We sat near a blowing fan so that the stench wouldn't spoil our appetite. But other than that, I would like to come again for their dry pan mee and the pandan chicken!

Read about my other pan mee adventures here, here and here.

Bean's Dessert Kitchen

Looking for simple desserts in the vicinity of Subang Jaya? Why not give Bean's Dessert Kitchen a try. Serving a variety of tongshui (sweet broth) and herbal drinks daily, they also serve simple meals not uncommon to those usually found at local cafes and "cha-can-teng". Their tongshui are not bad and I usually go for them but today, I decided to try something different.

I have been craving red beans lately, which I have a real fondness of. When I saw a picture of the Special Red Bean Ice dessert, I knew I had to have it.

Well, it happened to be a hot day so the dessert really worked in cooling down the dreadful heat. It's basically shaved ice topped with lots of tapioca pearls, sago, red beans and "lightly" drenched in milk (not too sure whether it's coconut milk, evaporated milk or condensed milk- haha). The abundance of the big tapioca pearls really gave my jaw a big workout. It's chewing, chewing, chewing all the way. But other than that, although pleasant, it was not that special after all.


I also ordered their yam cake which was one of their recommended dishes in their menu. This was rather good although not the best that I have tasted. Not too dry and not too wet and not too stingy with the yam either. Be sure to ask for some sambal chili to go with it.

Bean's Dessert Kitchen
SS15/8B, Subang Jaya (Corner Shop)

Hawker Food Feast @ Medan Selera Section 17, PJ

It never crossed my mind to try out the Medan Selera (Food Court) in Section 17 despite passing it numerous times until I read Masak-masak's rave on their Fishball Noodles. That got me interested enough to give this little nondescript place a try. Actually it does look a little bit forbidding and unwelcoming from the outside, giving me the impression that unless you are a resident of the nearby flat, enter at your own risk...haha....But of course, my impression was just nonsense!

Anyway, here it is. Teowchew Fishball Noodles from Stall No. 14.

Smooth kuey teow noodles (no idea if it is homemade though) in clear and relatively MSG-free broth, topped with some spring onion, sliced fish cakes and homemade fish balls. Everything was great in its simple goodness, but obviously the highlight is the fish ball. Fresh, no overpowering fishy smell and with just the right bounce.

From the same stall, you can also order Char Kuey Teow which also seems to be rather popular judging from the flow of orders from customers. I sampled some and it was good too! It was fried a "darker" version and topped with generous sprinkles of cockles and bean sprouts with enough wok-fire, it was delicious even for a non-CKT fan like me.

There is also a tongshui stall a few stalls away, selling a variety of tongshuis and snacks.

I tried Lotus Glutinous Rice Dumplings in Osmanthus Flower infused broth. The taste of the osmanthus flower is rather unique but the broth was a bit on the diluted side. The dumplings were just average only, texture and tastewise.

This is something called "Lek Tau Suan" (Skinned Mung Beans broth). Again, rather average.


Outside the food court (across the road) are two vans selling Rojak and Cendol.

The rojak was rather disappointing. Served with the usual condiments, the sauce lacked taste and the entire concoction was just not very satisfying.

The cendol fared better but not memorable. Just a slightly better-than-average cendol for me, but good enough the appease the bothersome heat on a hot day. You can read a more detailed review of the cendol here.

Disclaimer: No, I did not have all the above food all by myself, in case you are wondering. *grin*

Continuing the Hunt for Great Pan Mee (Desa Sri Petaling)

Continuing from my previous post on Pan Mee, my friend (who is even more a pan mee afficionado than me) told me that she found a new favourite in Desa Sri Petaling which she claimed is even better than my current favourite (Lian Heng in SS19, SJ). With a claim like that, obviously I must go and try this pan mee out. So I persuaded my friend (not much effort needed actually) to take me there for I am totally clueless to look for the place myself.

The place wasn't too hard to go to actually. Arriving for lunch on a weekend, the no-frills (I don't even recall seeing a signboard if there is one) restaurant was pretty crowded but at least there was no queue in waiting. I ordered what my friend ordered, one pan mee in soup with hand-shredded dough with one additional "sui-kow" (meat dumpling).

Less than 10 minutes later, we were served with our bowls of steaming goodness. And what a big bowl it was! I double-checked with my friend whether did we mistakenly ordered the "big" size but was told this is the normal serving size. Definitely a plus for the big eater but for me, I think I only managed about 1/2 a bowl or 3/4 at most.
Back to the pan mee, what I like most about it is the texture of the noodles. Just the right amount of chewy/springy/thickness, it was good. Instead of potato leaves vegetable, they used either kai lan or choi sum (I think but I forgot which for sure). The soup was pretty tasty but overshadowed by the "overly" generous sprinklings of crispy and crunchy ikan bilis. If you like lots of ikan bilis in your pan mee, then you will love this for sure!

And the must-have to go with pan mee and also another mark of a good pan mee, is the accompanying chilli sauce. I like mine with lots of pounded green cili padi and a dash of lime. Just like the one that they served here so their chilli sauce definitely gets thumbs up from me!

Not forgetting their sui-kow too. One fat, meaty dumpling, it was pretty good for a simple sui kow. Generous filling, thin skin, not overly laddened with pepper and other msg. Would recommend this if you visit this shop. Apparently, their deep-fried ones are also very popular too!

So, did this shop become my new favourite place for pan mee? Like the texture of the pan mee, the crunchy ikan bilis and the sui kow but otherwise, I still prefer my old favourite... Or at least till my next hunt for good pan mee (want to try the one in Klang next).

Directions: (my apology for the vague directions)
From Sg. Besi, go straight along highway until you see a left turning to Desa Sri Petaling. Turn left and go straight, You will see a commercial/business square on your left-hand side. Drive towards that direction (turn left, go straight and then left again to enter the square). The shop is located along the 2nd road inside the square, somewhere in the middle.

More Pan Mee, Please! (Lian Heng Pan Mee, SS19)

Talking about my favourite pan mee stall located in a corner kopitiam in SS19, Subang Jaya in one of my previous posts sets me craving for it. So when my friend who happens to be an even more of a pan mee afficionado than me dropped by in SJ during one Saturday, I suggested that we go much to her delight since she has been hearing my raves over this pan mee for ages.

Now, why didn't I visit this stall more often since I like it so much? 2 reasons, the wait and the fact that I can only have them on days that I am not working (since they usually close by 3pm and on Sundays). The wait can be anything from 30 mins to 1 hour or so. What you do have to do is take a number (token) from the stall and wait for your turn. Hold it for dear life for once you lose it, you will have to restart again. (hehe) You can order their fresh coconut juice while you wait though.


The stall is manned by a mother & son team. The mother shreds and cooks the dough and soup while the son prepares and assembles the final dish. Why do I like their version of pan mee so much?

First, the soup. Tasty with superior anchovies stock and so far, it fares pretty well in my "post-consumption thirst test". It is pretty clear too. If you do not stir in the deep-fried anchovies and minced meat, you will see that the soup is in fact, rather oil-free. Very "cheng". The dough is good too. Hand-shredded (my favourite!), chewy with a good bite and yet, not too thick. The accompaniments are very well-balanced too. The deep-fried anchovies and minced meat each provided a crunchy texture and added some flavour to the dish, while the green vegetables are cooked just nice. One vital ingredient to a truly outstanding pan mee is the accompanying chilli sauce. Here, it is made with minced chilli padi with a touch of lime. I always ask for 2-4 sauce plates of this. On the other hand, you can have their "dry" version too (which is my mom's favourite). I have tried it and it is very good too. But I still prefer my pan mee in soup base.

My friend gave her thumbs up but at the same time, commented that she recently had one in Desa Petaling which is even better than this. Now, I will definitely have to try that place.

Shop name: Lian Heng (I think)
SS19, Subang Jaya.
(Corner shoplot, the other end from Parkway Kopitiam)
Opens from 10:30am (?) until sold out (usually before 3pm. Closed on Sundays.

Late Lunch & Afternoon Snacks @ Rojak-Rojak, The Curve

Recently, after a marathon of gym classes, my friends and I stopped over at Rojak Rojak at The Curve for the much needed "fuel replenishment".


Fruits Rojak with "kangkung".
I like this, the sauce was piquant and rather spicy. To my friend who could not tolerate spiciness as much as me, it could get pretty overwhelming. My only complaint(s)? Not enough crushed peanuts and serving size is rather small for its price (between RM6-7).


Stuffed Tofu "Bakar"
For once, the serving size was rather generous. About 8 pieces or so. Fresh and crunchy, I like the fact that it was not soggy (from being overly drenched in sauce) was already a "plus" point for me. Again, I like the sauce used here.


Spicy Noodles
My friend had scooped out 1/3 of it before I remember to take a picture of this. I only took a couple of small spoonfuls of this so couldn't really comment much. But I remember that the gravy/soup base was pretty delicious.


Roti Jala with Curry Chicken
I stole a bite from my friend. Haven't had Roti Jala in a LONG, LONG TIME so to me, it was another thumbs up!


Black Glutinous Rice tongshui
Erm...., this was "ok-lar...." Not a fan of this type of tongshui though.

Rojak Rojak
The Curve

Other review:
Da Wheel of Life & Happiness

Pan Mee & Lor Mee @ Paramount Garden

I have a confession to make. I don't really fancy noodles & rice, but I make an exception when it comes to pan mee (also nicknamed Malaysian pasta). My favourite is the "mit" type (aka "tear-and-boil") and cooked in soup. I have tried a few of the so-called famous ones such as Kin Kin, Jalan Chow Kit, Taman Desa and SS19 in Subang Jaya and my personal favourite is the SS19 one.

Anyway, this place was introduced to me with the promise of a good pan mee. After trying their version, I have to say what is outstanding about them is their different variety noodles such as spinach and carrot (although you could hardly taste the difference but they sure are "eye candy").

Spinach Pan Mee in soup
Having said that, their pan mee although not the best, is definitely above average. Reasonably good and tasty soup base, dough is chewy and not overly thick. Their dry versions are pretty tasty too as seen here.

However, on occasions, they do not pass the "post-consumption thirst test".

This shop is also famous for the lor mee and that's what I tried this time. You can choose your own noodles such as pan mee, yee mee (I heard this version is good!) or mee suah (which I chose).

I generously slathered vinegar over the noodles. And with tons of sambal chilli (which I like), the dish turned out to be rather yummy. However, I would have preferred if the broth was thicker. Price was RM4.00. But if you ask me, I think I prefer their pan mee.

Beside pan mee and lor mee, they also serve tom yum noodles (I heard this is good too), sizzling rice and grilled stuff.

This place is usually "full-house" during lunch time. Service is not the fastest so a wait for a table and another wait for the dishes to arrive are to be expected. However, the restaurant is clean and well-maintained enough.

Other review: Masak-masak

Restoran Paramount Garden* (same row as Restoran New Sea View)
*My colleagues call it "Xin Tian Di" in Chinese (???)

Jackson's Burger, Sec.14

Jackson's Burger. They have been around as long as I could remember. I first had this while I was still in secondary school and recently one of my aunts told me that she used to have it when she was a secondary school student herself, and er..., she's definitely a number of years older than me. So you can imagine how long they have been around.

In fact, I had forgotten about this place ever since I finished secondary school until my company moved into that area. I remembered that I was pleasantly surprised to discover them still selling from their van not far from my office when I first moved into that area.

On the other hand, I have been told that their standards had since dropped. Could be true for there was hardly any crowd at their van even during lunch time period. Then again, if that's really true, how come they are still around right? So I decided to judge it for myself.

I got myseld an original Beef Burger priced at RM2.50 or 2.80. Now, I couldn't remember how much I used to buy it for but RM2.50 is definitely affordable, no? The original is a no-frill version. A homemade beef patty sandwiched between 2 soft, fluffy and slightly sweet pan-fried buns; lightly topped with some onions and cucumbers with chilli sauce and maybe some mayo. Darn, I couldn't remember how it used to taste (blame it on my aging brain) but that didn't really mattered. What mattered was that it was definitely fingers-licking-good and it satisfied my craving for their burger! Mmm, mmm, mmm.....!

Besides Beef Burger, they also sell the standard Chicken Burger and "not-so-standard" Fish Burger. Oh, and they sell hot dogs too.

Other review:
Go Blog (Directions to this place are clearly provided here)

MyCoffee Eats: Lunch @ Kluang Station

This is another kopitiam that I have been wanting to try.

I finally did but sadly, I wasn't impressed at all.

First of all, the food seems to take ages to come. Granted it was lunch on a weekday but the place was slightly less than half-filled. Secondly, the half-boiled eggs were more like quarter-boiled eggs. Not a pleasing sight so I didn't take any photo. We sent it back. Minutes later, they gave us another plate. Alas, the eggs were slightly more than 'quarter-boiled'. But we were famished so we just swallowed our disappointment and whacked it. Surprisingly, the toasts were the last to arrive, (after our nasi lemak and mee siam). We actually ordered a toasted bun but were given plain toasts instead. Again, we were famished so we just had that instead.

Verdict? Everything was 'so-so', I thought. My kopi was average and so was the mee siam, although I liked the 'sambal' which was sweet and spicy. And I find them rather pricey too.

My 'kopi' and 'mee siam'

Kluang Station
Ikano Power Center (opposite Harvey Norman)