vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
With GPS Coordinates
Sumo Japanese Restaurant @ Subang Business Centre, USJ
Oct 23rd
I only got to know about Sumo Japanese Restaurant after they approached me to photograph food required for their restaurant’s new menu. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, my photos aren’t great and I am not a professional, which is why I turned it down in the end. Even though the project did not kick off, I was glad I had the opportunity sample some of their food during the project’s initial discussions.
Anyway, I am not going to lie to you: the meals were complimentary but I honestly thought the food was good. Hence SL and I returned as paying customers a few days ago to celebrate my birthday.
Sumo serves very fresh salmon and that is also the main reason that got me hooked. The Salmon Sashimi Belly @ RM30 seems expensive for the portion but if you compare it with other Japanese restaurants, the serving size and price are actually similar.
The Rainbow Roll @ RM19.90 is a combination of tuna, white tuna and salmon served with a creamy and sweet Tobiko (fish roe) Mayonnaise sauce. The rolls have a slightly crunchy texture at the center and taste delicious on their own, but it is the rich dipping sauce that makes the dish so satisfying. Personally, I like this a lot and I feel it would suit those who have strong taste buds.
Authentic Penang Nasi Kandar @ Restoran Kok Siong, Puchong
Oct 20th
The truth is that it is hard to find a decent Nasi Kandar in Klang Valley, at least one that could satisfy a Penangite’s craving. I can understand the lack of enthusiasm towards Nasi Kandar among KL people because I have to agree with them that it is more like an overpriced curry rice over here. It is also sad to know that the more popular Nasi Kandar chains like Pelita and Kayu are being used as yardsticks for our famous Penang Nasi Kandar, when in fact a hardcore Penang Nasi Kandar lover would gladly choose Kampong Melayu or Shariff‘s on any given day for the authenticty and affordability.
So when a colleague recommended me a Nasi Kandar at a coffee shop in Puchong that actually tastes like Penang’s, I jumped to try it. I never doubted his recommendation at all because besides him being a Penangite, he is one of the hardcore Nasi Kandar lovers I mentioned earlier. Turns the boss did not put up the word ‘Penang’ on his stall for nothing, his curry dishes do carry that unique spicy flavor of a true Penang Nasi Kandar. Well, of course it is not great as Kampong Melayu’s or Shariff’s. But given that you don’t need to travel all the way to Penang for the best ones, this particular stall at Restoran Kok Siong is probably the next best thing.
Aunty Curry Mee @ Jalan Delima, Island Glades Penang
Oct 13th
You will be surprised to know that one of the best Curry Mee in Penang can be found at a quiet residential area called Island Glades. The stall has no name so people just conveniently refer it as ‘Aunty Curry Mee‘. Well it is the one and only one in the vicinity anyway. The stall’s setup is as bare as it could possibly be and only a handful of seats are available since most customers opt to take away.
Even with the rising cost of food prices, Aunty has managed to keep her Curry Mee’s price so low that it would get you saying “Wah, so much ‘liao’ but so cheap ah!” I am not kidding when I say the Curry Mee is filled with ingredients to the brim, just look at the noodles itself. For the same price you pay elsewhere in Penang, you might be getting only half the amount Aunty is giving.
I had the large bowl at RM3 and it was loaded with fresh prawns, cockles, cuttlefish and complete with a lot (and I mean A LOT) of tofu poks. Too bad I was like the second last customer, Aunty has ran out of pork blood cubes or else my bowl of Curry Mee would have had even more toppings. But of course being cheap with lots of toppings are not the reasons of it being worthy of a recommendation, it has got to be tasty as well.
Char Siew ‘Chap Fan’ @ Chuen How Restaurant, Batu Berendam
Oct 6th
There are two popular Char Siew rice in Melaka, one at Jalan Bunga Raya and another at Batu Berendam. Even though they are basically selling the same thing, their style and business hours are totally different.
The one at Jalan Bunga Raya is famous for their fatty Char Siew and only opens during the day, while the one at Batu Berendam sold in Chuen How restaurant is the leaner type and previously they only open for dinner. Now they are also open for lunch from 10am onwards until 10pm.
Chuen How’s Char Siew is the one I am going to show you and it was surprisingly very very delicious, one of my most memorable eats in Melaka. Anyway, you won’t find a lot of information about this Char Siew online so if it wasn’t for my friend’s (a Malaccan) guidance I wouldn’t know about it. And since this is at Batu Berendam it was quite a drive from the town center, but man was it worth it!
Chuen How is basically a ‘chap fan‘ (economy rice) restaurant and most of the customers are locals comprising of the working people and families who take away packets of packed rice for dinner. Besides the Char Siew, the assam fish is equally popular. The sourness and spiciness are very strong but in a good way that it opens up your appetite nicely. Price wise it is as common as any other ‘chap fan’ stalls you will encounter.
