Coca Restaurant Seafood Steamboat Buffet Review
June 12, 2008Last weekend, I was invited by Coca to their restaurant for a steamboat buffet dinner for 2 adults worth RM78++ per pax. In return, I will write a review for them. It was the first time I was personally invited by a Marketing Manager to do a review on a restaurant. So, how could I reject the invitation? To be honest, it was an honor and who wouldn’t want a free buffet lol. Although this can be considered a paid (via free food) restaurant review, I will not be biased. If it’s good, then it’s good and vice versa.
The restaurant is clean, well designed and I immediately felt welcomed once I entered it. The very nice and polite staff immediately ushered me to my seat and I finally met Andrea, the Marketing Manager. She presented me with the menu and we immediately got down to business, ordering the food!
I thought that having a steamboat would be quite hot, so I had a fresh coconut while Siang Leng had her favorite iced lemon tea. The coconut was really fresh and well-ripe, just nice to be enjoyed.
Coca uses electric steamboat which I feel is better than using the conventional cooking gas. Sitting next to a gas tank while having steamboat isn’t exactly very nice lol. And it’s not that messy too! For the soup base, we chose a dual of Chicken and Tomyam Soup.
These are only some of the ingredients you could choose from. Coca has their very own fish balls with different flavors that taste a lot better than they look. Honestly I was a bit skeptical when I saw the fish balls. But, they were packed with flavor and certainly does not taste like the usual fish balls you get from the market or any normal steamboat restaurants.
There was a particular type of fish ball I didn’t like, which was the one on the lower left. Because they were pretty much tasteless. Good thing about the flower crabs and tiger prawns though, extremely fresh with sweet and firm meat. It’s hard to find steamboat buffet restaurants that actually serve fresh seafood. And for the price you paid, you can be sure of the seafood’s freshness and quality.
A view of the seafood and vegetables we have taken. The oval shaped plate actually contains Fish Glue, which is basically fish paste made from fresh Tenggiri fish. It is a specialty of Coca and we were highly recommended to try it.
The fish glue sticks to the plate. So, the pieces are easier released from the plate by pouring hot soup over them constantly. They tasted good, and had nice bouncy texture.
Besides steamboat, ala carte Thai dishes can also be ordered. Some of the more expensive food like shark fin soup, scallops, cod fish and live crabs can only be ordered once while the others are unlimited. Coca Stuffed Prawns were one of the recommended appetizers. The prawn meats were removed, made into paste and stuffed into the prawns followed by deep frying them. The prawns were as big as my hand and totally satisfying! Looking at it alone already made me crave for it again lol. Definitely a must try from the appetizer menu.
Second appetizer to come was Pandan Chicken. The Pandan Chicken I have had in the past are either too salty or the meat is tough. Coca’s chef did a great job on preparing very delicious Pandan Chicken. The meat is soft and tender and tasted just nice. Another must try in my opinion, simply for its reputation as a Thai food.
Mango Salad was pretty normal.. The portion was huge and since we are not really a big fan, we didn’t finish it.
Cod Fish Steamed in Thai Style was the next dish. It was sour and spicy due to the cooking style. Cod fish is an expensive fish because of its soft tender meat. Like other seafood we had, it was very fresh also and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Any steamed fish must be finished fast before they become cold. Else they will be chewy and lose the bouncy texture and taste.
Each diner is entitle to a small pot of Shark Fin Soup. Yes, a small pot and not a bowl. It was packed with real chunky shark fin crab meat and mushroom. If you ordered this in any Chinese restaurant it would easily cost RM20-30 per bowl. So, go figure how much it costs for a small pot. We didn’t have two orders even though we were entitled for it because the portion was huge. We wanted to save space for other foods as well.
After shark fin soup is another expensive dish: Scallops Stir Fry with Asparagus. I thought scallops are supposed to be thin and small but wow I was so wrong. Look at them, they are thick!
Green Curry Beef was good too, cooked using really tender meats. Not overly spicy and just spot on. Another thing worth mentioning is that the Green Curry Beef is cooked using yoghurt instead of the usual coconut milk. Definitely a healthier choice!
Coca Special Curry Live Crab. It’s a pity this dish turned out to be a disappointment because I had really high expectations. The gravy is overly salty and it didn’t really taste like curry..
If you’re fan of raw oysters then you will be delighted to know that Coca also serve raw oysters in their buffet. The oysters were really fresh and you better be quick to get them. They were gone within minutes after being refilled, lol.
Then it was time for dessert. Thai Cendol, Ice Cream Fruit Cocktails, Coconut Jelly With Red Bean, Mango with Glutinous Rice are only a few among the vast selection of desserts to choose from. One of the things I like about Coca’s buffet is that the dishes and desserts are prepared upon order. So, they are always fresh and warm when arrived. Steamed Tapioca with Coconut Milk was one of the desserts we had. Coca did a really good job in transforming something so normal and cheap into something really delicious. At first glance they look nothing special but it was so good we finished the whole plate!
Fresh Mango with Glutinous Rice and topped with Coconut Milk was good too! I have always had funny feeling about this dessert.. Honestly eating rice together with mango is quite weird don’t you think? I’m glad my funny feeling is cleared lol.
Shaved ice made from coconut milk is what makes the Thai Cendol special. Other than that it was pretty normal tasting. Maybe because it was heavily overshadowed by the two awesome desserts we had before it. We didn’t eat the rest of the desserts at the dessert counter because we were already too stuffed to eat anymore. So, just to show the other things available for the buffet.
In conclusion it was a very great and satisfying buffet for us. And the foods I have shown are only part of what the dinner buffet has to offer. There are many other things to order like venison (deer), Thai Seafood Fried Rice, Tiger Prawns, Deep Fried Mussel, Mango Pulut with Durian.. etc. There’s just sooooo many choices! This would benefit group of diners the most.. The two of us can only eat so much lol. Other than the curry live crab which really disappointed us, the rests were great especially the shark fin soup and the fresh seafoods. This is definitely one of the better buffets I have been to. IMO, you are actually paying a single price for two types of buffet so it’s very worth it. FYI, Coca’s dinner buffet is available at the following branches:
- COCA Subang Parade
Lot G28, Level G, Subang Parade
5, Jalan SS16/1 Subang Jaya 47500 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03 5632 8766 Fax: 03 5632 8767- COCA 1 Utama
Lot G38 & F40, 1 Utama Shopping Centre
1, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama 47800 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03 7727 3180 Fax: 03 7728 2151
You can also read what the other bloggers had to say about Coca’s steamboat buffet. Just follow the links below:
Technorati Tags: restaurant review, Coca, seafood, Thai food, shark fin soup, dessert, buffet, dinner buffet
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Coca Restaurant Seafood Steamboat Buffet Review | Malaysia Food Blog, Malaysia Travel Blog…
I was invited to write a steamboat buffet review for Coca. Please take a look. Cheeserland and Minishorts were the earlier bloggers invited to review the restaurant :)…
Wow the food definitely looks very tempting!! Great post by the way
vk: Thanks! A competition is coming up soon and 3 lucky readers will get to dine at Coca with a guest for free! Stay tuned!
wow… look like a worth while buffet
slowcatchupkuan’s last blog post..Table Manners in Paris, France Continued
I love Coca’s Chili Sauce!!!
wmw’s last blog post..China Treasures @ Sime Darby Convention Centre, Bukit Kiara
hi…i was wondering if u could affiliate my cupcake blog?
have a look..thanx
http://pokedot-cupcakes.blogspot.com/
Looks very awesome spread of food!
its been a long time..the chilli rocks..
as far as i knw the fish paste on the plate is not frozen..it just sticks on the plate..pouring soup over makes it easier to scrap it off..
lotsofcravings’s last blog post..P Ramlee The Musical Special Edition CD-DVD, All mine!
GREAT entry vkeong…
k-tuck’s last blog post..Review: Starbucks In A Bottle
vk: Thanks K-Tuck
when i reached the end of your post i dreaded to see the location only to find out it’s only in Penang. but rejoice! it’s in KL! yes!
chaborkia’s last blog post..I haet smokers.
In Sarawak areas, there is one Coca restaurant on the Crown Plaza.
It’s a pleasant stay around those eating outlets.
RollsRoyce’s last blog post..MapleStory Private Server @ AncientMS
vk: Hmm I am not sure if there’s any outlets in Sarawak.. referring to Coca’s website the restaurants are all located in KL only..
COCA’s steamboat is always tempting.. guys should try it out. It’s NICE! =D
kkDei’s last blog post..Phuket Travelog
I had a COCA in Bangkok and its great, the price is affordable too! The food is awesome.
Benghan’s last blog post..Visiting Pico Thailand, Bangkok
they used to have one outlet in Penang - Island Plaza. unfortunately they had closed down due to no biz. by looking at this, they do look like johnny steamboat kind of steamboat, huh?
New Kid On The Blog’s last blog post..The Loaf, Langkawi
A very good mixture of ingredients with all the additional side dishes really makes us Penangites envy la…bring back memories of the good old days….now can only drool over your mouth watering photos.
ck lam @what2see’s last blog post..The Sire Museum Restaurant, Penang
Eh, quite good hor, invited personally for review.
jason’s last blog post..Restoran KL In Ipoh
vk: Yeah totally unexpected.. another surprise coming soon
I like the fish glue very much… and steam boat too.. ya.. the serving method look alike jonny steamboat or vice versa….
but it would be proud and honor to invited for a food review like this…
dun know if anyone will ask 3 of us for a review… hihi..
i think they will regret after knowing our giant stomach and tummy…
[...] you should win the contest. No restrictions on the comment length. Read the review I posted about Coca’s dinner buffet. In your comment, include the dish you want to try the most among all. Winners will be picked by [...]
Dazzling spread, colourful photos, good review, and great food. though pity the expensive options can only be ordered ONCE. steamed tapioca and mango rice have always been my fav Thai desserts!
J2Kfm’s last blog post..Taiping Getaway (Finale)
My mom like thai cuisine a lot. I wish to bring her along. Coca is having a brave idea where buffet include steamboat as well. In my mind, I only remember that Coca is offering steamboat, I didn’t know that they have buffet as well. This is really great due to stiff competition in this industry. I am a big fan of mango salad and Fresh Mango with Glutinous Rice.
I’ve been frequenting Coca for the last 20 years or so. I can even remember my first Coca experience at the Jln Raja Laut outlet (old Wisma Cyclecarri ?) which is no longer there ? The chilli sauce just blew me away! Over the years, I’ve tried most dishes on the menu but what keeps me going back for more are the fresh seafood for the suki steamboat, fried squid with garlic & black pepper, the stuffed crab shells. And the Coca special chilli sauce, of course !
I just like you, like to eat good and tasty food…..especially buffet….Coca is one of the restaurant that I like to try, but… there are no Coca in place where I stay…..
Everything about the spread looks delicious!
I should win the contest for the buffet meal at Coca because of not one, not two but THREE reasons:
1) I have been on a self-inflicted diet for the past two weeks consisting of raw vegetables and soup and I am very very hungry!
2) Like what you went through, vkeong, I will be moving from Penang to KL for a new job in a couple of weeks. I will surely miss Penang food and my family but I believe this fabulous Coca buffet (which is not available in Pg) will help welcome me to KL!
3) I am in constant serious competition with my friends to see who has covered the most buffets and currently I am in the lead, but very narrowly. The buffet at Coca KL will help ensure I stay ahead in this competition!
I am very keen to try the fresh ingredients in the steamboat, but the Fish Glue especially because I have very pleasant, mouth-watering memories of it from my visit to Coca many years ago. As for the alacarte dishes, I am totally bowled over by the Thai style steamed Cod fish! The dessert spread looks gorgeous too.
I really hope I win the contest, for the reasons listed above!
I shall be visiting malaysia (from Adelaide, South Australia), in July and would love love to win this contest pure and simply to satify my desire for good food, (for which Coca apparently has ample amounts of). Steamboats are not well represented here in Australia and having never had one myself, would be the dish I am looking forward to the most.
Oh, and a great review as always…
Wow!! My stomach is growling just looking at those delightful dishes!! I have heard rave reviews about this restaurant and what better way to try it myself than winning this contest.
The Coca Stuffed Prawns definitely gets my vote for the being the most sumptuous, tempting dish out of the many entrees. The crisp and shiny shell prawns just begs you to savor it for yourself and crave for more.
Pandan Chicken is in my must-order list whenever I walked into a Thai restaurant. I am looking forward to taste Coca’s Pandan Chicken to see how it fares with the other Thai joints.
The desserts offered is seemingly endless. Who can resist a serving or two of Cendol, and then continues to indulge in Mango with Glutinous Rice.
Wow,..good for you. Get free food in exchange for a blog entry. It’s hard to imagine that the 2 of you can taste so many food at one go! I am impressed ;p
After reading your wite up about Coca, I cant resist to tell you why I have never been into one since 1999. I use to go to their KL Plaza’s, Bangsar and Raja Laut outlets but after one bad incident in KL Plaza, I vowed not to go there anymore and not only that, I have never recommend or taken anybody there since.
I go there quite frequently and no doubt their food taste good but it is also come with a price. However, their services deteorated tremendously and the last time i was there, they charged me 50cts for a bowl of fried garlic which usually FOC. The waiter did not inform me in advance of the charges and although is only 50cts but it is their duty to inform customers on items that are chargeable. Even when i query them, their feedback is unsatisfactory and very sour …hence to me, there are still many good and yet cheap food out there!
Had dinner at the subang parade outlet and it was really not up to all the hype bout it being a great steamboat place with exceptional chilli. I’m afraid it’s just too much hoohaa over nothing. We had the supreme buffet at rm68++ each and on the appetizer spread were only a miserly helpings of curry puffs, spring rolls and few other odd looking pieces of deep fried items. There were some glazed chicken wings which tasted a little stale and a half chaffing dish of untouched fried rice that looked like it was smashed up at the top by another chaffing dish whilst they were setting up perhaps? The only saving grace of this spread would be the fried wontons.
When our steamboat items came it was not all of it stated in the list and moreover two types of the fishballs were turning sour and eventho the manager changed us new ones they didn’t taste that great either. Next gripe I had was the items we ordered never came until we were about to pay the bill because we got fed up of waiting. Plus I on got my ice water refill after bugging 4 different waiters and a full 10 minutes later. Im wondering if it’s their strategy to stay the repeat orders for long enough so customers wont get to have as much as they like???? Lastly I don’t think the chilli sauce is as happening as many purport it to be. Its too sour and doesn’t blend well with the steaboat items. But that’s subjective.
Overall that would be my first and last visit as it’s a real let down.
I have pay a visit to One Utama branch last week. It seems this is the first time and last visit for me.
Supreme buffet at rm68 only eat the steamboat stuff such as fish ball, fish paste, chicken & fish fillet and etc. The appertizer corner food look not attractive at all, and the tomyam soup will have additional charges at RM 10 ??!!! And the staff didnt inform us for the additional surcharges…
Damn dissapointed….
hello can i ask u that how much per person ?? hehehe~~~