Malaysia Food, Travel & Tourism Blog
vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Banana Leaf Rice @ Restoran Sri Paandi (PJ), Section 11
Apr 24th
There are quite many Banana Leaf restaurants in PJ and the famous are Sri Paandi, Raju and Kanna Curry House. Recently, Sri Paandi has become my favorite one for being reasonably priced unlike the other two, which could get quite cut throat just for a simple meal. Even though Raju is the most expensive of all I like still like their airy environment and efficient table service. Sri Paandi on the other hand, is lacking on these two.
Here, it cost RM4.50 for a traditional banana leaf rice set (vegetarian) with free refills of rice, vegetable curries, papadum and chutney. This should be the chepest banana leaf rice in the vicinty. Others would cost at least RM5 to RM5.50 for the same and free sweets are also given if you ask for it.
The Loaf Bakery & Cafe @ Bangsar Village 2
Apr 21st
You don’t need me to tell you that The Loaf, the gourmet bakery and pastry restaurant owned by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is expensive. There are a few outlets that serve full a la carte lunch and dinner menu so you could enjoy the breads and pastries in-restaurant if you wish. I was at the Bangsar Village 2 branch not long ago and found the food to be generally good and prepared with quality ingredients. And since this is a bakery cum cafe themed restaurant, expect a lot of bread to appear in the dishes.
For example, the Creamy Mushroom Soup @ RM18 is served in a big hollow bun. It is noteworthy that Truffle oil is added into the soup for a slightly earthy aroma, which also explains the expensive price tag.
I really liked the Smoked Salmon Croissant (RM16.80) It is light, flaky but not overly flaky to the extent of not being able to hold itself together. The moist and nutty Norwegian smoked salmon slices are the perfect filling while the shaved parmesan cheese topping is ingenious to bring out the former’s flavor.
Toast & Roast Hakka Mee & Char Siew @ SS2
Apr 17th
I know Toast & Roast has been blogged to death. But surprisingly there are still quite a number of people (even PJ-ians) who are not aware of this small eatery located in the quiet neighborhood behind Tropicana City Mall. It is easy to drive past this row of shops and pass them as normal houses because they are quite hidden from view. And those whom I have brought here have been hooked on the Hakka Mee and Char Siew since.
The good thing about Toast & Roast is the affordable price. They are basically charging the same price as any hawkers out there and the environment is better too being cleaner and not stuffy. A small bowl of Hakka Mee here is RM4.50 may it be topped with minced meat or char siew. Although they are generous with the toppings (minced meat/char siew/lard) the noodles’ portion is still quite small. So I usually order the large one at RM5.50 as shown here. For the extra portion of noodles given, the RM1 is worth spending.
Ishin Japanese Dining Restaurant @ Old Klang Road, KL
Apr 13th
Ishin is a Japanese restaurant that buzzed the blogosphere recently. It doesn’t take anything more than a simple Google search to know how many invited reviews have been posted on it. Usually I am very cautious towards restaurants with this kind of reputation.
So when Ishin was suggested as a venue to celebrate a friend’s (a Japanese food lover) birthday, it was only natural that I had reservations. Anyway, let me just say, despite my skeptisism the meal turned out to be a good one that all of us enjoyed.
Previously a bungalow turned doby, Ishin is now a classy restaurant after clever and tasteful renovations. iPad is used as the restaurant menu but when it comes to ordering food, still pen and paper are used. Such is the irony.
But the hi-def dishes shown in the iPad are so beautiful and tempting that they make you feel like trying each and every one of them. And I actually flipped through the entire menu just to admire the food photography. I guess all the money and efforts investmented into the menu are really worthwhile.
I am also glad that the actual food does look like those shown in the menu. The Salmon Sashimi @ RM25 is sliced into thick pieces, just the way it should be. Presentation is top notch as well.
