Roaming: SS2 Wai Sek Kai (2)

Todays roaming led me to the ss2 wsk. I decided to have grilled fish again! This time i tried penang style grill fish from stall 55.For a review of the Portugues style grilled fish from stall 56, click here: Portuguese Grilled Fish review 

Review

Address:Jalan SS2/63, SS2, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

https://goo.gl/maps/SUukM

Dish: Penang Style Grilled Fish

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Penang Style Grilled Fish served on Banana Leaf

Price: MYR11 (Fish MYR10, Rice MYR1)
                            
Taste: In contrast to the Portuguese style with 'gravy' the Penang style was dry. But I think the dish was a slight bit over cooked as the marinade was too dry and hard on the fish.

The dish was tasty overall, it had a very neutral taste (and it was not at all spicy) which was accentuated by the sour belacan sauce served by the side. The fish was a bit tougher compared to the other style (could be due to over cooking. Better tasting than the Portuguese style though. Rating:7/10

As you can see it was slightly overcooked, but didn't affect the taste much

Value: the serving was alright for the price paid. Good enough for a single person to feel full, but can also serve as a shared side dish for two. Rating:7/10

Overall Rating: 7/10

Accompanied by the ice kacang, after a second try, the dish was consistent in flavor and texture. You can click here for the ABC review:ABC Stall 11 Review 

OH, glorious ABC!

ABC from stall 11

This was mother's Char Kuey Teow, it looked good!

Till next time, zoom zoom! :D

Roaming: Air Panas Market, Setapak

Today I roamed to the chinese food court in Air Panas (across the road from the Air Panas Market, Setapak). Its a sheltered food court, but its quite hot due to the zinc roofing.

Review

Address: Jalan Ayer Jerneh, Kuala Lumpur Setapak

https://goo.gl/maps/aEzXg

Dish: Dry Sauce Pan Mee 
Pan mee cooked and served with black sauce, anchovies, black mushrooms, pork slices, and some green vegetables.

Dry Black Sauce Pan Mee served with pork slices, anchovies and black mushrooms

Price: MYR5.30

Taste: Overall, the dish delivers as a pan mee dish but the taste is rather plain, nothing special. The mee was homemade (on the spot) and mushrooms tasted good and fresh. The pork slices tasted slightly sweet, not to my liking. A downside is that the green vegetables aren't very fresh and the fried anchovies prepared are too hard. Rating: 5/10

Value: the dish was an alright serving for lunch, you wont be too full but leaves you full enough to carry out daily activities. For me the price is a bit high for the ammount of meat provided, I feel MYR5 would have been better, but priced at MYR5.30 is not too bad. Rating: 4/10

Overall Rating: 4.5/10

Dish: Air Batu Campur (ABC)

The first thing you would notice is that it overflows with ingredients such as red bean, cincau, cendol, red jelly, nata, and corn topped with brown sugar syrup.

Overflow of red beans and corn 

Price: MYR3.70

Taste: The first thing I can say is that the dish looked creamier than it tasted. The texture was alright, it was creamy on top thanks to condensed milk and a little santan but sadly, the texture was top heavy as it lightened and became more "watery" toward the bottom. The ingredients used were fresh which is a good thing, you could taste the softness in the red beans and cendol. The top was very tasty but it gets bland and watery toward the bottom. Rating: 6/10

Value: The portion was big, it took 3 people to finish one bowl. The dish was also rich in ingredients as I mentioned. Rating: 8/10

Overall Rating: 7/10

Till next time, zoom zoom :D

Roaming: Satay stall (Next to Ravee's Naan Stall), Ampang

The satay stall is another stall here which serves good food in Ampang. It is run by an old man with the help of his assistants, sometimes he has his family over helping.

the simple satay stall

Review:
Address: Directly opposite Ampang Point, next to Galeri Guitar, near Empire Furniture Gallery and SSF

Off Jalan Ampang

https://goo.gl/maps/Xfhx6

Dish: Beef Satay served with Peanut Sauce, Nasi Impit,Cucumber and Onions.

10 sticks of beef satay

Price: MYR10 (0.90c per stick, MYR1 for Nasi Impit)

Taste: The satay would typically be served with nasi impit,cucumber and onions. A typical stick would consist of two pieces of meat with a small piece of fat in between. The meat is glazed with honey for a dash of sweetness, then grilled over an open fire. Expect some burnt sides on the meat.

As for the sauce, the satay is served with traditional peanut sauce but the sauce in this stall is pretty much lighter than what you'd expect. Also the peanut sauce here has a more spicier and chilli taste compared to the typical peanut sauce. If you come too late the sauce would be a bit watered down, which spoils the taste of the sauce. Rating: 6/10

Nasi Impit eaten with the peanut sauce

Value: the satay is a bit expensive at MYR0.90 because the serving size is pretty standard and not very large. Rating: 6/10

Overall rating: 6/10

Roaming: Ravee's Naan, Ampang

Ravee's Naan stall serves various dishes comprising of cheese naan, garlic naan, butter naan, raisin naan, or any combination of naan which is listed. They even serve various types of meat from mutton to fish, they only don't serve beef.

Ravee in Orange

Review:
Address: Directly opposite Ampang Point, next to Galeri Guitar, near Empire Furniture Gallery and SSF
Off Jalan Ampang

https://goo.gl/maps/Xfhx6

Dish:Naan served with Tandoori Chicken and Mixed Vegetables

Price: Plain Naan MYR2, Tandoori Chicken MYR 5, Mixed Vegetable Masala MYR3.50

Taste: Im going to break this review by parts:

• Naan the naan is cooked tandoor style. It has a soft puffy bread texture which is very hard to find even from 5 star restaurants. By far the naan bread here has the best texture in the KL/Selangor area. The naan will be serve hot on a plate with 3 basic curries; dhal, chicken curry and a green sour-bitter chutni/curry.

Plain naan, soft and puffy

The soft texture and thinness 

• Tandoori chicken: the tandoori here is a specialty dish and a must have! The chicken is very well marinated with homemade tandoori paste which is spicy but not tasting of chilli. The chicken itself is cooked to perfection which leaves it soft and cooked with the outer sides crisp enough and not too burnt or hard. The chicken is served with lime to squeeze over for the zest. Some days if the chef Ravee is on leave then the chicken may be a bit overcooked leaving it dry, but that happens very very rarely (maybe he goes on leave 5 times a year)

Tandoori Chicken serving served with lime

• Mixed vegetables: this dish is an alternative to another specialty dish which is the spinach. The dish basically consists of potatoes, carrots and long beans which are diced and cooked in masala style. Tastes very neutral, it is not spicy but rich in spice flavours. Some may complain the vegetables are a bit smashed but to me its alright.

Mixed Vegetable Masala

Rating:10/10

Value: The food here is all cooked freshly on the spot with the exception of the spinach, mixed vegetables and the curries. So for the fresh food, the price is very reasonable. And the portions are also very generous.Rating:10/10

Freshly skewered Tandoori Chicken servings

Overall rating: 10/10

Till next time, zoom zoom! :D

Roaming: Tarbush, Ampang Point

Today my roamings took me for lunch at Tarbush, Ampang Point. Tarbush is a restaurant serving authentic Arab food. It has a rather classy set up but the prices are not too bad (expect cafe pricing MYR20-30+ for mains)

Review

Address:Jalan Mamanda 3, Taman Dato Ahmad Razali, 68000 Ampang, Selangor
https://goo.gl/maps/F4QVv

Dish: Chicken Shawarma

Price: MYR 7

Tarbushs Chicken Shawarma is sort of a specialty here as you walk in and you will see the meat on the skewer ready to be served.

Taste: The dish is served wrapped in paper. The chicken is sliced off the skewer straight into a Shawarma bread wrap, with serving of red onions and tomatoes topped with an original garlic sauce.

Chicken Shawarma, served wrapped

The meat has a great marinated taste which is rather neutral (not too strong tasting in any sense). Altogether mixed it gives you a meaty with a hint of sour taste which blends well overall. The only real shortcoming is that there's no green vegetables in the wrap. Rating: 9/10

Grilled Chicken wrapped in Shawarma bread

Value: the wrap is a decently sized wrap towards the larger size. There's also a good ammount of meat with only probably 5-10% of it being fat. Fir the prices of food these days. Rating: 9/10

Overall Rating: 9/10

My roaming companion Julie, opening her wrap

Till next time, zoom zoom! :D

Roaming: Hawker stalls, Honda, Jalan Imbi

Today's roamings led me to the Open Air Hawkers at Jalan Imbi (Next to Honda showroom)

These hawker stalls are a throwback to the days before Pavillion and Times Square took up residence in the heart of KL. The best thing about these stalls are, all the hawkers are locals (except for the Thai food, which is run and cooked by Thais) This ensures that you're getting local cooked delicacies cooked by locals which provide that homegrown flavour, not just ajinamoto :)

Review

Address: Jalan Imbi (Next to Honda)https://goo.gl/maps/cmhhX

Dish: Banana Leaf Grilled Fish

Banana Leaf Grilled Fish served with Sour Chili Sauce and lime

Price: MYR 18
Fish (Medium size) MYR 16, Rice (2 bowls) MYR 2 
Price of fish ranges from MYR 11- MYR 20+

Taste: The Banana Leaf Grilled Fish is pari fish grilled and served on a banana leaf. The fish is served in a marinade of a spicy homemade flavoured paste. The first thing you would notice is that the paste is not pure chili, there is a hint of sourness in it. Also the dish is served with lime. 

The texture of the fish is just right as you would notice its not too firm and not too soft, as for the taste, you do not get the burnt taste some grilled fish dishes have. The paste i reckon is put on almost toward the end of the grilling because you can get some taste of it absorbed in the fish but it is not too saturated with the taste. This gives it that just nice taste of marinade meaning you get to taste both fish and the paste.Rating: 8/10

Value: The price of the fish justifies the amount of fish served because the fish is fresh. The dish could have been made better if there was some onions or ladies finger added to the grill though in my opinion. Although some may argue for a stall, the price is high, but to each is own :) Rating: 6/10

Overall rating: 7/10

The size of the fish next to my hand for comparison

Some shots of the dish, courtesy of Juliana

This is Juliana, my roaming companion ;)

Till next time, zoom zoom :D

Roaming: MyBurgerLab

Today's roamings led me to MyBurgerLab, in Seapark, a place I'm quite familiar with since it opened in 2012.

MyBurgerLab is a burger joint which operates with a canteen like ambiance (long benches and long tables). Its comfortable but not somewhere you would want to come for private family dinners etc. The place is usually crowded with youth and a touch of one or two 'older' people (usually parents accompanying their children).

Expect a waiting time of about 10-15 mins on a regular day and up to 30-45 mins when its crowded.

Review

Address: Jalan 21/22, Sea Park, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
https://goo.gl/maps/5O3ol

Dish: A++ with added Parmesan Crisps meal set (comes with a bottomless drink and seasoned fries)

Price: MYR 24.50 (excluding 6%)
Burger MYR 16.50, added Parmesan MYR 2, meal set MYR 6.

Taste: The A++ is a burger with a beef patty (+-100g), Sharp Cheddar, Caramelized Onions, Shiitake & Enoki Mushrooms and Parmesan Crisp (with their signature special sauce)

First thing you'd notice is that the bun is black! (No its not bad or mouldy) Apparently the buns are made with activated charcoal which are supposed to be a healthier choice but what struck me the most about the bread is that it was very soft!

As for the beef, even with the sauce, mushrooms and the cheese, the beef still stood out in the burger. MyBurgerLab claims their beef patties are made of 100% grass fed cows, and yes one bite and you would be able to taste the difference between these patties and the other conventional burger joints. Its certainly miles ahead of McDonald's and Burger King.

The sauce and mushrooms gave a certain Oriental feel to the burger, there were some bites which made me feel like I was eating traditional dry 'kicap' pan mee burger cos of the black mushrooms. I wanted a bit more 'crunch' in my burger so I added a Parmesan crisp.

The meal set comes with herb seasoned big cut fries. The fries are served with a special signature sauce as well (not the same sauce as in the burger). I cant quite put my finger on what's in the sauce. Rating: 8/10

Value: the price is a bit steep for a burger but the size of the patty and the quality of the ingredients used do slightly balance out the price but still it could be a ringgit or two cheaper. Rating: 6/10

Overall rating: 7/10

A+ Beef Burger courtesy of Juliana (my roaming companion)

Till next time, zoom zoom :D

Roaming: SS2 Wai Sek Kai (Food Court)

Today I had roamed to the Wai Sek Kai (food court) in SS2. I will be reviewing stall 55 and stall 11. Both stalls are on the darker side of the foodcourt (side with less lighting). First look you would think this place was a market, but its actually an old-style food court. Cleanliness is okay, but not fantastic. On the plus side, there's free WIFI :D

Review

Address:Jalan SS2/63, SS2, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

https://goo.gl/maps/SUukM

Stall 55 was the famous Portuguese Grilled Fish stall which sells squid, pari and many various other types of seafood (whichever you fancy) and the stall sells these dishes in 3 styles, Portuguese, Asam or Thai styled marinade.

Dish: Portuguese style grilled fish

Price: MYR 15/- (MYR 14 for medium pari, MYR 1 for rice)
Prices vary with size (MYR 11 for small, MYR 14 for medium, MYR 17 for large)

Taste: The dish was well made, it had a very authentic 'Portuguese style' marinade but there was a few downfalls to the dish. There was a very slight burnt taste (from the banana leaf), but its so slight you could barely taste it. Besides that, there would be a small problem if you're the type of person who doesn't like the taste of chilli, there is a strong chilli after taste which could unsettle some people. Rating: 6

Value: The size of the dish was alright, not too small pretty good sized actually. The cook is very generous with the sauce and veges. For MYR 14, its worth the money. Rating: 8

Overall rating: 7/10

For dessert I tried the air batu campur, ABC at stall 11. First thing you'd notice is that the ABC is made by elderly ladies which is refreshing cos were so used to seeing foreign workers cooking and preparing food. In fact most of the stalls here are operated by locals who are middle aged to elderly which would explain the great tasting dishes here. The ABC has a waiting time of about 5-10mins as the elderly don't work so fast.

Dish: ABC

Price: MYR 3

Taste: The texture of the ABC was out of this world. I'd say its one of the best textured ABC I've tasted. We're so used to the watered down, 'cair' version of the ABC. This is very rich in ingredients as well. Digging through, you will find cendol, pink jelly, black cincau jelly, corn, red bean, gula melaka, peanuts and condensed milk for thickness. The ingredients were also very fresh. Rating: 10

Value: The serving is large for the price. Rating: 10

Overall rating: 10/10

Till next time, zoom zoom :D