Otak-Otak Place @ 1Utama Shopping Centre

Like I said in my previous blog, I am going to clear my back logs as fast as possible. Some of the posts have been sitting inside my thumb drive for months and if I didn't get rid of them now, I don't know when is the best time to do so.

My idea of a good afternoon tea time... well, of course, would be a good cup of tea or coffee! Not necessarily a high tea session at posh hotels or elegant cafes for me, as even a simple RM2 cup of tea is sufficient to make my day. When the kopitiam craze started, Jenn & I always patronised Old Town Kopitiam. Back then their coffee & tea were the best! Perhaps they expanded too fast through franchising and own expansion and as a result, failed to control the standard of their F&B. These days, you would see at least one kopitiam everywhere you go...

Otak-otak Place is another kopitiam-styled establishment, but with a new twist. As the name suggest, their signature food is otak-otak, a delicacy originated from Johor. So far I have only gone to their 1Utama and Tropicana City Mall's outlet.

Also known as otah otah, this dish is prepared using fish (normally tenggiri or mackarel) mousse wrapped in daun nipah (my English failed me once again!). Then the otak-otak is either grilled or steamed before served. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Otak-Otak Place only served the grilled version.

And when it is grilled, the daun nipah will emit a rather strong aroma which will make the otak-otak aromatic and delicious.

Back to the place, if you happened to visit their 1Utama outlet (which is located in the New Wing by the way)... you would notice a lot of stuff that reminds of our youth (to those who was born before 1990)... like this congkak.

And these...

They even used homework book as menu.. obviously trying to make you reminiscent the olden days! in my case, it really works! I remember playing guli, congkak, rubber band rope, etc... which makes me think that the children nowadays are so pampered with PSP, Wii, iPod, iPhone, etc...

During tea time, there are a few sets to choose from the menu. I settled for their Set A which comprises of kaya & butter toast (mediocre at best!) served in dimsum basket, half boiled eggs which were perfectly done, and a cup of teh tarik. Costing only RM5, definitly a value for money.

I have to say that I love the teh tarik here.. as it's milky but not to the extent of overly sweet. With a piece of Hup Seng cream cracker to dip in, I felt like a school boy once again :)

Their ayam percik with nasi lemak @ RM9.90 was OK... not too bad but also not blowing my hat off. The acar was good though but I wish that the ayam percik was more fork-tender.

I also ordered their set of otak-otak sticks (5 pcs) at RM3.. normal price would be RM5.50 but they were having promotion at that time. The promotion probably is over coz I had these months ago.. lol!! Anyway, taste-wise it was slightly spicy which suits my taste bud. I'd say one set is definitely not enough for me :P

Feeling greedy, I ordered their otak-otak toast. instead of kaya & butter, you spread the otak-otak onto the toast before eating. Heavenly!

Leo's verdict - they do sell some of the old stuff that I mentioned earlier in this post but at a rather high price. Service was quite fast and attentive...