Yummy Taiwan @ Kota Kemuning

Found this new place from my brother and friends few weeks back. I am always a fan of Taiwanese cuisine so when I heard there's a new place around my area I can't resist to go and have a try. It's located at Kota Kemuning border to Bukit Rimau. There's a lot of new shops opening at this particular area now. 

First on the table would be wifey's favorite Oyster Mee Sua. Portion is just nice for her. Oyster not as large as the one over at ShihLin but it's OK. Taste wise wifey said she preferred the one over at ShihLin since it has that oyster sauce which increased the taste of the whole noodle.

I am a fan of stewed pork rice or ru-lou fan after my visit back from Taiwan few years back. So I will not miss any chance to have it again over here. But my previously encounter with it isn't as nice as the one over at Taiwan. So I give this one a try when I saw it in their menu. Portion was nice since they are charging it close to $7 for this. But there is an additional half of an egg that goes with the rice. Pork was aplenty as you can see. Taste is on average but I can bare with this. I still think that the one I had over at Tian Xiang Hui Wei is way better though. 

Next is their famous 3-Cup Wine Chicken rice. I regret that I ever ordered it. This has got to be one of the worst 3-cup I had. I had a few rounds over at Fong Lye which I think served the best to date for me. The sauce isn't that strong hence I can't really feel that I am really having a wine rice. The garlic scent was strong thou. Fail~! 

This is another recommended dish. My brother had this before and I give it a try on my second visit. Yes, it's really worth the $9.50 you are paying for this. Portion was nice and the curry tasted really good with the chicken. If you are hungry, order this. 

Brother highly recommended this meat roll as his first visit having this was really memorable. But when this arrived on our table and I sink my teeth into it, it felt slimy. I looked inside the meat and saw that it's very raw and soft like it's not even cook. The weird thing is that, we finish it off as we're not sure if it's supposed to be this or not. Quite a gross experience for me. Yes, bro forgot how it was like on his first trip. haha~!! 

Last but not least the salted fried chicken rice. Portion isn't that large but sufficient if you are a moderate or small eater. As you can see, there's 5 pieces of fried chicken sprinkle with some hot powder. Something like ShihLin's XXL chicken but in mini size. The rice is topped with some stewed pork gravy if I am not mistaken. My friend said it was quite OK for her. 

Overall, there's hit and misses but I guess I am alright with this place. Since they have a lot of food to offer. I can always order those which I like anyway. The place is quite pack during dinner time. They served bubble milk tea too but I highly doubt that it's anything comparable with Chatime or ShareTea. 

Rating: 

Food: 3.5 out of 5.0 (hit and misses but bearable) 

Service: 3.8 out of 5.0 (quite fast at some time) 

Ambiance: 3.8 out of 5.0 (brightly lid up and clean) 

Address: 

2-37, Persiaraan Anggerik Vanilla, 

Seksyen 31, Kota Kemuning,

40760 Shah Alam

Grand Imperial Kitchen @ Empire Gallery

My last visit to Grand Imperial would be luncheon with my colleagues at BSC. This time around when I got an invitation for lunch again at their new outlet at Empire, I quickly said YES. When I arrived, the place was packed but luckily we managed to get a seat and straight away looked through their menu. From the menu, we could see that the restaurant focuses more on their individual super value set rather than their dim sum. Don't get me wrong, they still have dim sum but not as much as the one over at their other larger outlet.

The main objective of our trip over was to try out their so-called super value set. They have 10 value sets in their menu. Most of the sets price ranges from RM11.80++. They have the common, Roasted Pork rice, Curry Chicken, Yang Chow fried rice, Braised Ginger Duck, Lamb Belly, Chicken Curry Noodles, BBQ Sliced Pork Noodles, La Mian Soup with Preserved Vegetable & Shredded Pork and La Mian with Minced Meat with Mushroom.

The first that we ordered would be their famous Roasted Pork rice. The rice also come with fried egg. I think all of their set also come with fried egg. The roast pork although not as good as the one we had at BSC but still it's above average. Portion was alright I guess. My friend even ordered an extra bowl of plain rice and remember to get some extra sauce from them too. If you're really hungry don't order this. 

I had decided to order their Yang Chow fried rice. I regretted ordering it when I saw the size of it. I was really hungry that afternoon and the portion was really small. Well, other than the portion which I didn't really satisfied with, the taste was really good and the prawns are fresh and plenty too. Remember to get plenty of chili oil from them to go with the fried rice. Again, don't order this if you are hungry. 

I should had ordered this as the portion was really generous. This is their Curry Chicken Noodle. The noodle was at least 1.5 portion. The noodle is a bit different from the one that we had outside. It's really thin and not too soft. Just the way I like it. The curry chicken was strong of curry powder but still it's alright. I don't expect any authentic curry from a Chinese Restaurant anyway. Chicken was really generous too. 

The Curry Chicken Noodle set also come with soup dumpling. And all cost the same as my fried rice and also roasted pork rice. You can order this if you're really hungry. Well, at least I think it's filling and worth my money.

Steamed Siew Mai with Prawns - RM4.80

We won't miss the chance to try out their famous dim sum and we decided to start with the basic. Their steamed Siew Mai with prawns isn't a fight to the one over at BSC but still really good comparing with others. Prawns are fresh and importantly it's not all wet like it's over cook.

Steamed Glutinous Rice - RM4.80

Next would be their Lou Mai Kai or steamed glutinous rice. Surprisingly it's really good. There's the usual mushroom, fried pork and chicken. The rice isn't that sticky though but still it's alright with me overall.

Overall, I am quite satisfied with the quality of the food as in their taste. Service I wasn't that satisfied. Well maybe they are still new since the restaurant had just open. The place was really pack throughout lunch hour. The restaurant isn't that large so it's called 'Kitchen' in their name. The wanna do some sort like a quick lunch outlet for their customers. I like that, cause you won't think that the place only serve expensive food and we can also have a taste of their good food with a reasonable price. (Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0)

Wen Heng @ Kinrara

I was driving around Kinrara with babe looking for a place for an early dinner when I thought about this place. My last visit would be 2 years back which didn't really leave a good impression. But the place is so pack most of the time and I can still remembered the last visit was so hot and stuffy as it was a full house. Was crossing my fingers this time around hoping that this time would be better as there wasn't much customers when we arrived.

  

 At the front of the shop you could see one section dedicated for cooking all their soups. They have all kind of Chinese soup which you could mumble out. We decided to order a pot to share while waiting for our food. You could actually smell the nice strong scent of the soups when you pass by.

 

On the other side of the restaurant, you could see a lot of claypot being cook by the maestro. Yes, it's the owner and also the main chef of the restaurant. It's really a sight if you arrived around dinner seeing him cooking all the pots at the same time. I was surprised when I saw him pour some beer into a glass to cleanse his thirst in between cooking. But heck, I don't really care as long as the food is good.

 

 We had decided to order 'Sai Yong Choy' soup. There's plenty of vegetable and also a few large chunk of chicken in the pot. Soup was hot and the scent was just alright.

 

Since we arrived early, they didn't have the large claypot so we ordered two small (single). I had also asked for extra salted fish and also Chinese sausages. I was right, the food was better this time around. Reason was because my last visit was during peak hour and the chef might be rushing for food to go out hence the quality is not there. Now I finally tasted the real deal. The rice was just right not too hard and not too wet. The black sauce was sufficient for the whole pot which is really important too. This is really a treat.

From my review above you could have guess that this is a good visit for me. The place wasn't pack and the food was good. Almost on the same par with the one from Damansara Utama which I had previously. The place starts their business at 5pm and end at 10pm. I would recommend that you come before 6pm so that you can beat the dinner crowd. Try not to come during the rush hour as you will need to wait for almost 30mins or more and the taste might not be as good as I had. (Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0)

Kong Sai @ Bandar Puteri

This place is highly recommended by my colleague. It's located next to Puteri Mart for those who is familiar with Bandar Puteri. The place are selling Steamed Chicken or Choy Yuen Kai. The place is normally packed after 5pm everyday according to my friend and during lunch hour weekends. So I had decided to have a visit and decide by myself. The place is half full when I arrive but was pack after a while. Went through their menu and there were so many food to try out.

This is the main reason why we're here so the chicken is a must. I had ordered the chicken for 2 pax which I regretted later on. The chicken is soft and nice to bite on. I am not a big fan of steam chicken actually but I am willing to try out everything for my readers sake. Portion was really generous for two person.

The chicken is being served together with their blended sauce which consists of garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and green onion. If you're eating steam chicken, it's always nice to go with a good sauce and this is one good sauce.

This is another favorite dish in the restaurant. It's their pork intestine spicy soup with mushroom. I am not a big fan of pork intestine or any for that matter of fact. So I just drank the soup and ate the mushroom and also pork slices in it. Damn the soup was so nice and spicy too. The taste of pork intestine are so strong in this bowl of soup and it's being served in their clay pot which is able to keep the soup warm for a long time.

This is a new dish which the boss recommended to us. It's a mixture of fish and pork meat being blended together and stuffed with taufu. I was really surprised with the size of each of the mix ball. There are five of them. Other then the fish and pork meat, they also place a lot of green onions in the ball. Very filling dish.

Last but not least, I had decided to ordered some green to go with all the meat. Yau Mak is my favorite greem of all time, well other then Broccoli of course. Nothing special here but a normal plate of vegetable. It would taste better if they added more spiciness in the dish.

The whole lunch cost me RM40 which I think is a bit pricey but thinking of the amount of food which I had ordered, well the lunch could feed 3 or maybe 4 people. The reason was, I forgot that the spicy soup had so much pork and intestine in it. So I was really struggling to stomach the whole lunch down that day. For me, the soup was good, chicken was alright while the other dishes are just compliments. There are other dishes like Pork with Yam and Curry Pork which I would like to try on my next visit. (Rating: 3.8 out of 5.0)

Shih Lin @ IKANO (revisited)

Was walking around Ikano and decided to have some light lunch. Babe had always been into Taiwanese food and Shih Lin had always been her favorite. I think most of you out there had already heard of the place or at least try it out before. The one at 1Utama old wing is their first branch in Malaysia and the store is always crowded with customers whenever I passed by the place.

Chicken Rice Box Set (RM10/set)

The set comprises of their famous spicy crispy chicken, Japanese bean curd, duck's egg served with Japanese rice. You can opt for spice or none spicy for the dish. As for me, definitely extra hot and spicy. Chicken was not as much as I remembered it would be but still alright. The sauce they use for the rice and bean curd is sweet and tasty. Definitely worth my money as the dish come with a bottle of V-Soy or mineral water.

Other then the chicken rice set they also offer XXL Crispy Chicken, Crispy Floss Egg Crepe, Seafood Tempura and Handmade Oyster Mee Sua. For those who like oyster, you should give their Mee Sua a try as it was really delicious. Their famous crispy chicken and mee sua are sold at RM6 while the tempura and egg crepe at RM5.50. Their mee sua is recommended to eat with just a spoon without any chopstick but it's damn difficult. They have a policy that states that all their crispy chicken would be serve UNCUT as to preserve their original taste. So save your time and energy asking them to cut for you like the one you had at the night market like Uncle Bob. (Rating: 3.8 out of 5.0)

Choong Kee Kampar Claypot Rice @ Damansara Jaya

I had waited so long for Irene to re-open his stall again for business for so long. Choong Kee was previously located in one of the stall inside Koon Kee Restaurant. The new Restaurant Choong Kee is located at the same row as the old one.

I had ordered their Groundnut with Pork Rib soup for starter. I think their favorite soup would be Old Cucumber with Pork Rib as it was already sold out when we arrived. Not the best soup I had but definitely above average soup. RM5.00/pot

I had ordered their Claypot Chicken Rice for 2 pax. I had also asked for additional Salted Fish and also Sausages. Maybe not as good as I had previously but still an above average chicken rice. I don't really fancy claypot chicken rice that much but this really change my opinion on them. RM13 + RM2 for additional salted fish and sausages

The place was packed when we arrived. Although the seats and table had double or even triple the previous stall, but it's all full. So you bet that you require to wait for at least 10 - 15 minutes for your chicken rice to come. So I reckon for you to call in to make your reservation and also order some soup to drink while waiting for the main dish. Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

Chung Hwa Chicken Ball Rice @ Melaka

Was craving for some Hainan Chicken Ball rice and where is the best place to have it? Melaka of course. So I drove down to have my lunch over at Chung Hwa in Melaka. OK, a bit dramatic. The truth is, I have a meeting down at Melaka and decided to have my lunch over at Chung Hwa. It was not as unhygienic as some of my friends had described to me. The place was organized and clean.

Walk over and told the boss, "Tauke, Pe Qui Phua Chiak, No Ge Lang". OK, for those who doesn't know Hokkien (or don't understand what I translated even if you know Hokkien) it means, Boss, Half Steamed Chicken Rice for two pax. LOL!!

The steamed chicken was really soft and juicy. Just the way it should be.

One plate of rice consists of 5 rice balls. We had ordered a second later on. I am OK with the texture of the rice but my boss like his balls to be harder (no pun intended).

Was looking for some thick soya sauce to go with my ball rice but was told that they don't have it. Gosh~! Wasted~! Can't really enjoy my rice ball or chicken rice without thick soya sauce. Production was good as balls were seen coming out from the kitchen and customers started to poured in during lunch hour.

Overall it's a nice lunch to have and not that expensive too. The whole lunch cost us RM21.60 inclusive of drinks and extra 10 rice balls. Can see a few Japanese girls ordering the dish and taking some shots at it. During holidays or weekends, the place is so packed that we can't even find a place to sit. The place is located at the end of Jonker Street near to the bridge next to the Red Post Office building. (Rating: 3.8 out of 5.0)

Restaurant Ong Kee

So this is my first try over this place at Ipoh town during my CNY escapade. There were actually another famous restaurant (Lou Wong) which is just next to this but it was full so we just try our luck on this one. The place is called Ong Kee Restaurant. As usual, they sell bean sprout with steamed chicken served in both kuet teow soup or rice.

The bean sprout was crunchy and juicy but the size is smaller than it used to be. I remembered the size of the bean sprout if way bigger than this. The size here is around the same as the one in KL for me. But other than that, I have no comment on it.

We had waited so long for this main dish to come. We practically chased the lady boss for our chicken that day. And when finally the dish arrived, I just took one shot of it and dig in. Fresh and soft. That is what I think. I think all Ipoh's chicken or bean sprout are added with pepper on top. I like the touch of the simple pepper as it add a bit of spice to it.

The restaurant was really packed and we're actually really pissed with the service at that point. As we had finished off our bean sprout and still waiting for the chicken. Other than that it was a alright. How much does it cost? I'm not if we really did paid. Since we called for the lady boss so long and no one layan us. I think one of my babe's aunt paid. Or I hope they did. As I was running towards my car as they are setting up the night market at the place I was parking. (Rating: 3.8 out of 5.0)

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice

And the on top of the "Must Eat" list was Chicken Rice. And in this case Hainan Chicken Rice Ball. The name of the place is Hoe Kee and it's highly recommended by both my friend MD and CP. I noticed that most of the restaurant located along Jonker were all very long. The shop it self is really long, so they were able to fit a lot of customers behind their shop.

So here's the famous chicken rice ball. We need to take in some normal rice as they do not have sufficient ball rice for us all. Are they for real? Not to say that spectacular compared to the one which I ate on my previously trip at Melaka Raya.

Steamed White Chicken and some chicken liver as normal. Chicken was soft and tender as it should be. Not bad but nothing much to brag about either. We had ordered 2 plates of cabbages too as we though we don't get enough green during the whole trip. This was one of the last meal we had before we left. Luckily I had a good breakfast that morning so I wasn't totally disappointed bout the chicken rice. I think some of them understand what I meant from this. LOL! (Rating: 3.8 out of 5.0)