Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House @ Taman Connaught Cheras

To the loyal followers of Axian, you might have heard or come across this place which is located at the busy area of Taman Connaught in Cheras. Surprisingly I have not heard of it until my friend who saw Axian's program started asking me for direction to this place. Armed with a good sense of direction, I can easily pinpoint the exact location of certain places after the first visit. No wonder my friends still call me "Taxi Leo" until today... LOL! But if everything else fails, I still have Garmin module embedded in my E60 :P I hardly utilise my Garmin from the day I installed into my car... what a waste of RM2k++ spent!

Madam Chiam is very popular among those who live in Cheras. When one talks about chilly pan mee, this place would be among the first (if not the first) which comes to mind. Jenn & I stopped by for lunch one Saturday afternoon while on our way to her sister's house in Alam Damai. Parking can be a headache but you can take your chances by parking by the roadside.

Axian's bunting proudly displayed!

This place looked just like regular Chinese kopitiam with plastic tables and chairs. Good thing was that they have a unit of air-conditioner which made the whole place not-so-hot!

Dry chilly pan mee @ RM4.50 - practically the signature dish. Even though the signboard stated "Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House", you can spot a bowl of dry chilly pan mee on each and every table that you see. The thin pan mee resembled those of wantan mee but slightly thicker. It didn't disappoint! This dish really packed a punch after I put all the dry chilly flakes into the mee and stirred with chopsticks. The minced meat, anchovies, half-boiled egg & chilly flakes combined really well to make each and every slurp a delight! However, they served spinach soup instead of using sweet potato leaves that I like (which was quite a letdown)

Curry Pan Mee @ RM4.50 - Jenn's choice of curry pan mee was normal. The curry broth was good but not the best that she had! Cockle lovers take note - look closer :)

Both of us had the boiled chrysanthemum tea to counter the spicy-ness of the pan mee.

Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House
Jalan Cerdik, Taman Connaught Cheras

P.S: Non-halal

Leo's verdict - This particular restaurant serves only noodles such as traditional pan mee, chilli pan mee, curry noodles, wantan mee and the list goes on. I don't mind going back there again to satisfy my craving for chilly pan mee... after all, I have yet to find a place that can match its taste.

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Restoran Sim Hap Ke @ Jalan Waras 1, Taman Connaught Cheras

A few years ago when I was still working with Thule, I called Cheras my second home. Why??? Because my colleagues both stayed in Cheras area and normally we would have our yam cha session in Taman Connaught. Surprisingly, I never took notice that such a wonderful restaurant exists in this area. Frankly, I would never have known about this place if not for Precious Pea. Thanks! Once in a while, Jenn & I would go down to Cheras as her sister lives in Alam Damai (which is quite near to Connaught) and therefore, it would only mean a matter of time before both of us finally made our way here.

Some pictures of their popular dishes were pasted on the glass at the entrance.

Salt-baked lala - this is a truly different approach to making a lala dish. As far as I concern, I had only tried siong tong (superior soup) lala, kam heong lala but not salt-baked lala. Even though the lala was baked with salt, they remained juicy and thick. Naturally the meat will shrink a lot due to the extensive usage of salt in the process. They had the aroma from the slightly burnt salt and most importantly, it didn't taste salty at all. Just watch out for the salt bits scattered all over the plate :P

Thai style kailan with salted fish - appetising! The dish was sourish, salty and spicy. Perfect to go with a bowl of rice.

3 Flavour Ribs - Another winner for both of us. The usage of lemon, curry leaves and butter gave a distinctive flavour to the ribs without overpowering the whole dish. A must try dish here!

Leo's verdict - there are a lot of other interesting dishes that we wanted to try but there were only two of us. Total damage? RM38 for the 3 dishes excluding tea and rice... even with those stuff, it cost slightly over RM40! A value for money lunch indeed! You definitely can expect another post about this place soon, but if you can't wait.. head over to Cheras and try for yourself. Don't worry about what dish to order, as the friendly staff will recommend some dishes to you in case you couldn't make up your mind! Most importantly, it won't hurt the wallet :)

Restoran Makanan Mr. Claypot @ Jalan Desa Aman 2, Taman Desa Aman Cheras

Also known as Restoran Makanan Teow Chew, as this restaurant also whipped out famous Teo Chew dishes such as stewed duck, braised taufu and others for rice or even porridge. You can even notice that there are two (2) different names on their signboard. Even before they moved into this establishment, I'd been patronizing them from the days when they were still doing business by the roadside heading from Cheras Business Centre to Taman Desa Aman. The boss had to move its business entirely to nearby location to make way for development.

My objective coming here everytime is only one - claypot chicken rice, in which I still have yet to find a place that can match its taste. The food is so good that even so-called God of Eating, Tou Tou, from Hong Kong had come here before.

It was not lunch time yet, and therefore we managed to find parking and table easily. They normally start business at 11am but it's advisable to come around 11.30am.

There's one corner for claypot chicken rice...

And another one for Teo Chew ducks + side dishes...

Normally I'd order claypot chicken rice only, but this time I was quite hungry. Therefore, I asked for the Teo Chew duck, braised taufu and egg.

close up! The meat was quite tender & I love to mix my rice with the gravy from the stewed duck... simply delicious.

Main highlight of the day - Claypot Chicken Rice!!! Most of the restaurants out there don't give anchovies, but this one does. I love the crunchy-ness of the anchovies when I gulped down the rice and chicken. With the right combination of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce plus other flavouring, it brought out the best ever taste out of the dish. Let's not forget the waxed sausage and chicken meat, which were so delectable. And yes, with the salted fish... they are match made in heaven :)

Leo's verdict - the service is quite fast here. But parking can be a problem here, as this restaurant is located near residential area, ie. flats.
Don't forget to ask for their red bean dessert and also boiled chrysanthemum tea.

Restoran Gui Lin @ Taman Connaught Cheras

It is often a difficult task to find a table without having to berebut with other diners, especially during Chinese New Year period where everyone come out to dine with their families. This newly opened restaurant is located along Taman Connaught (pasar malam side).

So many people were waiting for tables that it took us about 15 minutes before one was available. I really hate waiting for so long.

Stir fried nai bak - the first dish of the night. The veggie was fresh...

Kam Heong Lala - one of my favourite ways to eat lala apart from superior soup and chilly style. I just love the smell of curry powder, curry leaves and dried shrimps mixed together with this seafood. This dish really opened up my appetite.

Claypot taufu - braised Japanese taufu + mushroom slices and veggies in claypot. Still piping hot when it was served (notice the smoke coming out of it)

Tong Po Meat - the gravy was very sweet and made me asking for extra bowl of rice (something I rarely do ever since my waistline expanded). For those who are not afraid of the fat layer, you would find this dish appetising. For me, I couldn't afford to risk my effort so far... so I separated the fat from the lean meat and it still tasted good. I wish that they have man tao (bun) so I can dip into the gravy.

Herbal Chicken - A simple and traditional way to prepare chicken meat with wolfberry before topped with coriander. A point of note... they used kampung chicken (according to the boss)

Steamed patin fish - RM50 per kilo... so the price is reasonable. The fish was free of soil odour.. did I mention before that Jenn's family is sucker for steamed fish???

Leo's verdict - The total damage is about RM170 but it was for 7 person, so it can be considered as value for money. what important is that the dishes are good enough to justify the prices.

Restoran Makanan Laut Leng Kee @ Taman Taynton Cheras

As a matter of fact, I never thought that I would be coming back here again. Partly because the food is not that great and the service can be rude sometimes (especially when there were a lot of diners). But it was quite hard to find a restaurant that is opened during CNY (yes, you guess it right... this is a very backdated blog). Initially we were planning to have dinner in Puchong but our intended destination was closed for the holiday, so we went to Cheras instead (her parents were staying with her sis in Cheras).

It's not easy to locate this restaurant, as it is located further inside Taman Taynton.

There was huge crowd waiting for table by the time we arrived. We opted to sit outside under makeshift canopy, as most of the diners wanted to dine in their air-conditioned room. Feeling very hungry, we quickly placed our orders.

Steamed "wan" fish topped with ginger paste - some slight soil odour, that is why they like to prepare this fish this way... just to cover up the smell using ginger's pungent flavour. Oh yes, please be careful when having this fish, as it's famous for its fine bones.

Marmite pork ribs - the meat was slightly burnt but the gravy was quite good though.

4 Heavenly King - a decent dish... not too spicy.

Braised taufu - my words failed me again. I didn't know the name of this veggie but according to Jenn, it's called 'seng kua' (cantonese). Using Japanese taufu, the gravy provided a sweet taste to its already sweet texture.

Leo's verdict - apart from the rather rude waiter who took our order (he seemed to be in rush to give birth) and the rather below average food, we managed to fill our stomach :) But if you ask me if it's worth coming here, I'd say "give it a try", as the food quality differs everytime I come here. Good luck!!!!

Restoran Lim Kee Pan Mee @ Jalan Dato Haji Harun, Taman Taynton Cheras

Recently migrating to Blogspot, I couldn't seem to import all my previous blogs from facebook & I am lazy to copy and paste everything all over again.

We arrived here one early weekend morning for breakfast, as I had haircut appointment nearby. That's right... my hairstylist is in Cheras. It was still early and therefore, not many customers came yet. Normally it would be packed during weekends.

The drink counter was placed outside instead of near the kitchen, so you can see the worker preparing your drink order.

My camera phone's zoom function was like shit... and the picture quality was not too good when I tried to take the newspaper cutting, as well as the picture of Chui Ling (One Day Five Meal) with the proprietors.

Both of us had the same thing in mind - dry pan mee. I always like the soup version instead of dry ones. But here at Lim Kee, their dry pan mee is a must try... the mixture of the sauces was simply wonderful with a hint of sweetness in it. It is served with minced meat, shredded mushroom, deep fried onion and anchovies... and separate bowl of soup with potato leaves. Simply wonderful! Let's not forget the chilly sauce which makes the eating experience more oommmppphhhhh... lol!

Just stir the mee like this and you're good to go!

Sui kow @ RM1 per piece - prawn and minced pork wrapped together in wanton skin before boiled in hot water. A must try side dish here!

Leo's verdict - The mushroom flavour here was the best that I'd ever tried in KL. Did I mention that the chilly sauce (or sambal belacan) is great too??? To me, pan mee is not complete without mushroom and great sauce! The whole place was already packed by the time we finished and left. Parking can be quite hard to find here so good luck!!!

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!