Fun Taipei Tea Cafe @ SS2

 

Was told of this Taiwan restaurant by babe as her family wanted to get the franchise for the shop. So since they know I eat a lot, I mean know a lot about eating places, they asked me to scout around. Didn't have to ask me twice for that. The one I visited is located at SS2, the same row as Pelita and opposite McDonald. Finding a parking during lunch hour on a weekday is HELL in SS2. I spent 15 minutes looking for car park and finally managed to get a spot, by parking illegally at the back lane. The place was almost full house when we entered. Decorations was moderate and I don't really felt as if this is a franchise at all. But heck, what do I know, right. On to the menu and there are a wide range of food from the customary 3 Cup Chicken (San Pei Chi) to Oyster Mee Sua.

 

Beef Noodle 

My lunch-buddy is a beef noodle freak. She will try out all the beef noodle in town if she has the chance. The noodle was alright but the beef portion was moderate. Since she had been to Taiwan and tried their beef noodle, I take her feedback seriously when she said the soup isn't as strong as it should be. We had better beef noodle during our visit to Asia Food House. But this is very subjective as not everyone can accept the strong taste of beef in their noodle.

 

Crispy Fried Chicken Set 

I know I won't go wrong with the crispy chicken set from the looks of this. The set comprises of vegetables, fried egg with Thai sauce, spicy hot soup, rice with minced pork and of course the crispy fried chicken.

 

Don't let the looks deceive you as it taste better than it look. I had tried many fried chicken from other shop and this is really something special. The chicken is fried into thin crispy and crunchy and add that with some spicy chili flakes on top. Delicious. The chicken isn't too overly fried like some places and not too much starch or flour used during the marinating process. So you're not really eating 80% flour and 20% chicken here.

 

Rice is simple with the standard stewed mince pork on top to add some taste to it.

 

They don't give you simple fried egg here but fried egg with Thai sauce to add some spice to the whole meal.

 

I forgot to take a picture of our drinks which we both ordered their Bubble Milk Tea. And I can say that it's really good. The taste of milk tea is strong and not just powder. Overall, the meal is above average for me. The portion worth the money I am paying most importantly. They hired some Chinese lad which I think are from Taiwan. My lunch-buddy said their slang sounds like Taiwanese. But it's good to know that you're being serve by Taiwanese when you're eating their cuisine for me. Imagine a Myanmar or Indonesian taking your order? I am not being racist here, but just that it will make your visit felt more 'local'. If you get what I mean. cause a restaurant is not just about it's food but also the service. (Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0)

Xenri Japanese Restaurant @ Off Jalan Klang Lama

It's been so long since I last said that I wanted to try this place out. But I didn't have the chance or time till an invitation from a friend who work nearby. The place is located at the end of the building right at the back. So you will need to drive all the way in after passing Elken's offices. Right at the end, you will arrive at this beautiful decorated Japanese restaurant called Xenri.

Browsed through the menu and the selections are quite varied. They have all kind of Japanese cuisine but with a price tag of course. Since we're here for lunch, we had opted for their set lunch which doesn't come cheap too. There are also a varieties of set lunch which you can choose from the menu.The set starts from RM29++ up to 45++ if I remembered correctly.

This is the garlic rice which comes with the set which I had ordered. Portion might be small but considering all the side dishes that come with it, it's quite filling. But I still ordered additional rice since I have lots of side dishes left.

Gyuniku Teppanyaki Teishoku - RM38++

This is the Beef Terrayaki which I had ordered. As usual, I had ordered medium well for the beef. Portion for me was alright. The beef was prepared to my satisfaction. I especially like the crispy garlic on top of the beef to add some taste to the beef. Some green on the side if it's too heavy for you.

This is the salad which come together with the set which consists of cucumber, tomato, green salad and some dressing on top.

Before finishing off, there's some fruit for you to cool your body down.

The set also comes with a bowl of miso soup which warm up the tummy before going into the meat.

Here is how the whole set looks like. Worth RM38?

Gindara Teriyaki To Agedashi Doufu Teishoku - RM35

This is the Grilled Cod fish with teriyaki sauce. The fish was really soft and tender as I tried a bit from my fried. The teriyaki sauce was especially appetizing.

Yes, this is the fried bean curd which come with the set. Looks really nice but the taste was just alright. It's all in the sauce for me. 

Overall, we all had a filling and satisfied lunch. Well at least I am full after re-filling with another bowl of garlic rice. Worth the money I paid for the lunch? Well, considering the ambiance and the quality and also the taste, I would say, it's quite worth it. But not my usual lunch spot of course. Don't think I can afford have a RM50 lunch everyday now. I heard they have this lunch buffet going on every Sunday. But better call in for reservation for that, I heard. (Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0)

Ah Balling Peanut Shop @ China Town Singapore

During my vacation down South, I had tried a few spots around town but didn't really found any which worth mentioning. Maybe I just need a good guide to bring me over to the good one and not waste time trying everything I see. Anyway, we're over at China Town and babe told me she tried this stall before and it's worth mentioning. It's called Ah Balling Peanut Shop. No, they are not selling peanut, but rather desserts with peanuts in them. They have a few varieties which ranges from peanut, green tea, sesame, red bean, yam or go vegetarian with their ginger soup. 

Babe had ordered their sesame balls with peanut soup. As you can see, there's plenty of peanuts in the soup and according to babe, it's really nice. There are 5 balls in each bowl if I am not mistaken.

This is how the inside looks like for those who never saw sesame before. Did I tried? Hell no. I am so not into this kind of dessert. Too sweet for me. But again, babe assured me it's worth trying out. The whole bowl cost around SGD2 for 5 balls. Quite cheap I guess if you don't go and convert it to RM. So for those who like dessert, you can try this place out and let me know what you think. But babe and her friend did agreed that the same dessert over at Pappa Rich tasted better. Duh~! (Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0)