Meng Kee Char Siew @ Tengkat Tung Shin, KL

Char siew is one of my favourites. I could never get enough of char siew... if not for health reason, I think that I can eat it almost everyday! Anyway, it is always hard to find a place that can whip out great char siew... I'd been in KL for a few years and yet, I couldn't find a place where I can give my thumbs up to... call me picky but then, I have my certain expectations on this particular dish.

The first time I heard about this place was through my friend's word of mouth but I didn't pay any attention because the place was quite far from where I stay. Until I saw Ah Xian's program introducing this place... so I didn't wait long and quickly planned a day out to KL city centre with Jenn to give it a try.

Parking is not easy to find especially if you come here during lunch hour, not to mention that it's even harder to find a table to sit... as the lunch crowd keeps on coming in non-stop, supposedly for the famous char siew. We were lucky to find a table as soon as we walked in, as someone has just paid the bill and leaving.

Situated in a old-style house turned shop, there is no sign board but there are 2 stalls in front of the shop... one mainly for take-away and the other one for dine-in...

Ah Xian had been here...

The condition was quite stuffy and noisy.. you would hear people shouting here and there... lol! They even washed dirty plates and cups outside!

We ordered char siew and chicken for 2 pax...I had to say that the char siew really lives up to its expectation. It was really good! It felt like the char siew melted in my mouth once I put it in. The only downside was that the fat layer can be quite a turn-off for those who are health-conscious, but then... it's the fat that makes the char siew so darn aromatic!!!

Complimentary soup will be given once you are seated... and please decide on whether you opt for white or oil rice, as they would serve the latter if you didn't request.

Barley drink is just nice to cool your body down...

Leo's verdict - Getting here can be frustrating at times due to the lunch traffic. My suggestion is that you come here before 12pm and you will be able to find yourself a table easily. As for parking, you can either park at nearby open carpark or try your luck to park nearby the restaurant. But it will be very well worth your effort, as the char siew lovers will find this dish delectable! Thumbs up!!!

Purple Cane Tea Restaurant @ The Gardens Mid Valley

As a member of Purple Cane, they would send me birthday card + discount vouchers every year during my birthday month of October. One of the vouchers entitle me for 20% on food & beverages. So one day when we were shopping in Mid Valley, Jenn & I went there for lunch. They have a very nice wooden table and chairs that look like being cut out from a log... I'd dreamt of this in my house :)

The discount vouchers

The whole interior was quite modern... with a lot of shelves to display tea & other related products.

Most of the shelves and walls were white... including their menu

Appetiser was braised peanut in herbs & tea - the peanuts were soft and nice.

We started off with Puer Tea @ RM2/pax... I like their teapots!

Then we had one of their herbal egg @ RM1/pc...

Next on the menu was their Burdock Chicken Tea Soup (cooked with dong ding oolong) @ RM5 - also served in teapot where you drank like how you drink tea :)

Pan fried egg with anchovies and tea mill (tie guan yin) @ RM8 - the tiny and crispy anchovies spread on top of the egg provided the difference compared to ordinary fried egg

Tea rice with simmered chicken in black tea (lychee black tea) @ RM7.90 - this particular dish tasted just like braised chicken teo chew style.. tofu included!

Fried mee hoon homemade style with tea mill (tie guan yin) @ RM8.90 - just like Singapore fried mee hoon... tasted as good! They gave a bolw of curry gravy for spicy flavour.

Leo's verdict - The tea was great, food was good, and service was fast! This is a place worth giving a try if you want healthy food...

The Champion Duck @ Damansara Utama PJ

Fronting the LDP, this restaurant is easy to find as it is located on the same row with CIMB Bank in Uptown. So one evening while we were heading out for dinner in this area, Jenn & I came to this restaurant. Parking was relatively easy to find, and we parked in front of this place.

Tables and chairs were placed outside on the designated parking bays... similar to mamak stalls. The lady boss quickly attended to us and was rather hard-sell on her roasted ducks.. and claiming that the ducks were freshly made in the afternoon. So we asked for a quarter portion of her so-called famous duck. It was not to shout of, as it tasted rather plain and the meat was not too tender nor succulent... not a match compared to what I had in Kepong and Pudu area. Did I mention that the fat layer was quite thick as well?? In the end, I ate most of the ducks coz Jenn disliked the taste and texture. Wasted a lot of time getting rid of the fats before eating the meat!!

Hokkien Mee - there was one make-shift stall outside the restaurant. It was our plan to try their hokkien mee initially. It turned out to be quite OK... the gravy was not too thick nor thin, considerable amount of pork lard.

Leo's verdict - even though the duck meat was a disappoint, the Hokkien Mee turned out to be good, provided that you are not too fussy. conclusion... unless you are in the vicinity and looking for hokkien mee, there's no point to make any effort to come here. I have read a place with great Hokkien Mee in Jalan Templer area and Setapak. I'll write more once I pay a visit to the mentioned places OK??

Cosy Corner @ Taman Yulek Cheras

My ex-colleagues brought me here a few times several years ago when I was still working in KL. They were staying in Cheras so they knew the area very well. This restaurant is located under low cost flat, and if you are not familar with Taman Yulek, you won't even know how to get to this place. Jenn & I arrived for breakfast... a long way from PJ you might say, but I had appointment with my regular hairstylist nearby.

The owner preparing the dishes herself...

Jenn went for their Lam Mee - their specialty - the mee was thick yet soft, just how she would like it. The gravy is not too thin nor thick...

Prawn Mee was my choice for that morning - not bad! the prawns were quite big unlike other places that gave prawns the size of dried shrimp... lol!!!

Leo's verdict - most of the patrons are regular customers. They also offer yong tau fu as side dishes... quite hard to find a parking,as the road is very small... and cramped!

Simply Fusion @ Jaya 1, Section 13 PJ

We didn't know what to eat for dinner... so I asked Jenn to decide on one particular place/area and I would figure out the rest. Jaya 1 came into her mind and so off we went... We took our time to explore around, as this place is relatively new and we have only been here for about 3 times. This place has a lot of new restaurants popping up recently.

My eyes locked at the dessert section :)

This place looked quite interesting with its decor. Usage of mirrors and chandeliers + dark interior created a comtemporary feeling. There were quite a number of patrons inside, so we thought that the food would be nice.
The menu

The waiter was fast to attend to us once we were seated. Looking at their menu, I ordered their Value Set (total of 8) which was Seafood Garlic Fried Rice. And it came with complimentary coffee/tea/iced lemon tea & a choice of cake from their bar. The price?? RM19.20++! Iced lemon tea was rather plain. However, the fried rice was good... prawns were fresh and the accompanied grilled chicken on skewers with teriyaki sauce really made the difference. Thumbs up!
Iced lemon tea.. not so good. Oh well! At least it's free

Jenn opted for Chicken Shogayaki - Chargrilled chicken, saffron butter rice @ seasonal vegetables @ RM11.80++. This dish was similar to mine, as the chicken was marinated with teriyaki sauce as well. Generous portion of chicken while the butter rice was sweet too.

I had mentioned earlier that I got to choose a slice of cake of my choice... Brownie Cheese Cake. It looked very nice on the shelf and it certainly tasted very nice too. A perfect dessert to conclude my dinner here.

Leo's verdict - A relatively new restaurant which offer diners with a variety of food to choose from the menu. The lunch and dinner sets that they offer were meant to attract new crowds and working executives. I'd say that they really gave me a good first impression... first the overall outlook and then the food. I'll be back to try their other food on my next trip.

Restoran Yik Kee @ Karak, Pahang

This is an old style restaurant which has bee around for a very long time. My parents frequented this place whenever they pass by. They often told me that their food was commendable... but then I didn't have the chance to try it until this particular day. The whole place was quite old style that you won't even consider to go in if you don't know the food is good.

Since I was on the way to Temerloh for business, and Jenn was tagging along... we decided to stop by this sleepy town and give it a try. It is located along Karak's main road on the right side, just before the ONLY traffic light in town if you are coming from KL.

They got "B" for overall cleanliness from local council...

We ordered their Signature Seafood Noodle @ RM10 (for one person) - just like Cantonese mee... deep fried yee mee topped with egg gravy, but with prawns, mushroom, fish ball, crab stick, squid and choy sum. Not bad... not everyone can make a decent Cantonese mee.

Homemade deep fried spring roll @ RM13 - more expensive than the seafood mee... but it was stuffed with a lot of meat and other ingredients. It is best dip with Thai chilly sauce.

Stir fried vegetable with chilly - the veggie was fresh...

They also serve iced sar lei with asam boi... very refreshing drink to open up my appetite!

Leo's verdict - this place also sell confectionaries... and other locally made snacks... the whole place looks very old even from outside. You still can see a lot of old posters hanging around... even chinese caligraphy!!

The Loaf @ Pavilion KL

Rumour has it that this upmarket bakery cum fine dining restaurant is partly owned by our very own Tun Mahathir (ex-PM). As far as I concern, the other branch is in Langkawi... in fact, there are 2 levels - lower level where they sell confectionaries while the upper floor is the fine dining area.

Once we were seated, appetisers were quickly served once orders were placed - 3 pcs of different types of small bun with butter.

Once we were seated and I started to take some pictures, I noticed a familiar famous face in Malaysian Art industry... Tan Sri Lim Kok Weng!!! Look carefully...

I saw my favourite drink - Lemongrass!!! Something to cure my thirst and turn on my appetite.

Initially we were planning to go for their high tea set before I spotted one of their buntings which showed a rather interesting concept - fusion between Malaysian & Japanese food. The name??? Ojyu Special! They priced it at RM40, RM70 and RM100 for one, two and three sets respectively.

1) Tsubaki - smoked salmon quiche, crispy chicken with curry mayonnaise, mushroom soup, asparagus soup & avocado chawan mushi
2) Sumire - edamame, prawn fritter with spicy miso mayonnaise, salmon & tuna tartare with quail egg
3) Murasaki - clam with chilly coriander dressing, tempura pollack fish fillet & otak-otak rolled with nori seaweed, tomato & olive bruschetta.

Jenn & I ordered Set 1 & 3... I love how they prepare the food!!! They even served all the dishes in bento boxes. The portion was quite small though... but it's the dining experience that matters here.

The chawan mushi were served after a short while, as they took some time to prepare it fresh... and it certainly tasted great despite its small portion.

Leo's verdict - Clever usage of hidden lights, mirror and white colour on tables + sofa + chairs to create extravagant feeling.


The sets are enough to fill both our stomachs... and since the whole dining atmosphere in The Loaf is great... there's always one happy customer... he he he
If you are feeling romantic, this place is quite good. Service is rather fast and attentive... but the price is a bit on the high side due to its fine dining status.