vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Kuala Lumpur
China Man House of China Restaurant @ Kepong
Mar 9th
China Man restaurant, a full-fledged Chinese restaurant (obvious by its name) next to Carrefour Kepong. The entire staff is made of Chinese nationals, from the reception to the waiter to the cook. It is also one of those restaurants where you would find dishes whose English names are translated literally, word by word using Google translate. You know, the ones you have seen and chuckled on the internet. That aside, the menu selection is large and reasonably priced.
One of their signature dishes – Squirrel-Shaped Fish @ RM32. It is actually a Tilapia that has been deep fried and served with sweet and sour sauce. Mandarin fish is usually used in China, as per tradition.
Flying Chillies Halal Thai Restaurant @ The Gardens
Mar 1st
There are only a few Thai restaurants in The Gardens. Flying Chillies is expensive but suitable for people who are dining in groups. Rak Thai (lower ground floor) on the other hand is cheaper in comparison and has more individual set meals. But avoid the latter because their food is a joke. It was so bad that none of us managed to finish the so-called signature dishes at Rak Thai. So if you’re craving for Thai food while shopping here, you could either head to the food court for the cheaper Thai food stalls or you could splurge at Flying Chillies.
We started off with the highly recommended appetizer here, Mieng Kam @ RM21.50, a traditional Thai appetizer that combines various ingredients as fillings for the betel leaves. If you are unsure of how to eat it, the staff would gladly show you the way.
Starting with a betel leaf, it is rolled into a pocket shape. Then ginger, shallots, roasted peanut, coconut, bird’s eye chili and dried shrimps are added into the leaf according to your personal liking. And lastly, spoon a generous dollop of the tangy sauce on top and you are sure to experience a burst of flavor later. If you are new to this, lower your expectations and you might enjoy it more.
Ying Ker Lou Chinese-Hakka Cuisine Tea Time Promotion @ Pavilion KL
Feb 24th
Ying Ker Lou – an expensive looking and award winning restaurant that claims to serve authentic and MSG free Chinese-Hakka cuisine. If it’s not for their tea time dim sum promotion, I don’t think I’d ever step in for a meal. But also thanks to the promotion, I wouldn’t have the desire to dine there anymore. But just to be clear, this post is only valid for reference if you intend to try their tea time promotion. Their “normal hour” food could paint a different story though.
I will start with the dim sum we liked most – Steamed Siew Mai with Prawns @ RM6. The compact texture is a rarity in Siew Mai, plus the prawns were fresh and intensely sweet so there was really nothing to fault with it.
Hakka Bamboo Shoot Dumplings @ RM5, the skin was way too chewy while the fillings tasted forgettable.
Goon Wah Restaurant (Claypot XO Fish Head Noodles) @ Kuchai Lama
Feb 13th
Goon Wah is an extremely popular restaurant at Kuchai Lama that specializes in their Claypot XO Fish Head Noodles, a dish they proudly claim as a self-creation. Goon Wah initially started out as a buffet catering business for functions. But their dishes are so good even for catering standards they decided to convert the shoplot into a full fledged restaurant.
We decided to try as many dishes as we could so the dishes’ portion are kept to a minimum. The minimum order for the XO Fish Head Noodle (in person’s portion) is 1, followed by 2 then 5. Shown here is a two persons’ portion, quite big actually to be shared among 4-5 pax just to get a taste of it.
Compared to the other fish head noodles I have had before that are usually sweet, Goon Wah’s version tastes more towards salty by heavily utilising salted vegetables. The soup is quite clear without too much of a milkish appearance too. Delicious with soft, smooth and flavorful chunks of fish head, this is simply a must try. And you should be happy to know the soup could be refilled at FOC.
