Restoran Annie1 Kopitiam @ Damansara Utama PJ

PJ is nothing short of good food to eat - those who practically live in this area their entire lives would agree with me indefinitely :) and given PJ has attained its "bandaraya" status, the second city to achieve so after KL (duh!)... many business has shifted/expanded from other states to PJ in order to capitalise (or serve) on the highly populous city.

This restaurant cum kopitiam is one of the latest to set up business is this busy commercial area of Uptown. The "famous menglembu wanton mee" printed on the awning piqued my interest. For one, I have never been to Menglembu in Perak before and secondly, I wonder if the wanton mee served here can compete with my all-time favourite (747 Kopitiam in Aman Suria). FYI, I have passed this place several times and noticed that it is almost packed everytime. Both Jenn & I could not agree on what to have for breakfast on Sunday (12/9) and suddenly this place came across my mind. She was hesitant at first but after much persuasion, she gave in.

Arriving around 8.30am, there were already a few families enjoying the breakfast. I noticed a smile on Jenn's face, as the place was airy and cool (unlike 747) which was perfect for Sher Ryn to enjoy her meal together with us. If you notice, there are more small tables compared to the big ones. I reckon that the owner's main business came from the office workers in this area who usually come in a group of 2-5, hence the arrangement.

Menu was simple with A4 sized laminated paper with food list on the front and drink list at the back.

Our drinks comprised of Ipoh White Coffee Ice for me and Teh-C for Jenn. One sip of the white coffee and my eyes lit up. Definitely not one of those diluted coffee normally served in those cheapo kopitiam who only care to maximise profit. A good cuppa coffee is very important to me to enjoy breakfast :) but Jenn's Teh-C was so so only.

My plate of Wanton Mee with Char Siew and Wanton @ RM5.20 came shortly after. One bite was all it took to send me to heaven. I don't know if they ever toss the noodle high up in the air to drain the excess moisture or even put it through cold bath, but the noodle texture was springy. The char siew was tender and had the melt-in-the-mouth experience. Crunchy cabbage (with a hint of sesame oil) was thrown in together with a bowl of wanton soup. Not the best wanton that I've ever tasted but good enough!

I was so engrossed in my plate of wanton mee that I forgot to take a picture of Jenn's choice of English Breakfast which made up of 2 fried egg, toast, 2 pcs of bacon, baked beans and pork sausage (yes! it's pork and not chicken). Costing RM11, both of us thought that it was slightly expensive but on the other side, everything was not so oily plus the crispy bacon & pork sausage.

Leo's verdict - paging J2kfm, if you read this... do you know where this place is located in Menglembu?? Have you ever tried at their original outlet there? Good thing is that I don't have to go all to Perak just to try this. Starting at RM4 for a plate of wanton mee (minus the char siew), no wonder this kopitiam is a success in Uptown. Definitely give 747's char siew a run for its money.

Address:
No.20, Jalan SS 21/58,
Damansara Utama, PJ

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.
3) Non-Halal

Hon Kee Restaurant @ Jalan SS21/1A Damansara Utama PJ

Who's familiar with Petaling Street area? I mean... someone who knows every crook and cranny of this area? I'm not one of them (obviously!). But Jenn used to read law for a few years here in ATC, which is located within walking distance to Petaling Street. Naturally, she knows more on where to eat delicious food here compared to me.. who never appreciate good food until I dated her! So I have to thank her (hope you read this dear!)

Whenever she had class early in the morning, she would come earlier to savour a bowl of piping hot porridge together with a plate of sang yue (raw fish slices)... that was what she told me. I didn't even know on their existence until Honkee Porridge opened their stall in Hutong Food Court @ Lot10 and then in Damansara Utama or simply known as Uptown among PJ-ites! Now I don't have to drive all the way downtown just to have this delicacy :)

So one early (I mean very early.. like 7++am) weekend morning, I arrived in front of their Uptown outlet. Parking was a breeze unlike weekdays where you would have a hard time finding a spot.

And already there were morning crowds enjoying their porridge while reading newspapers!

Their signature dish is Porridge with Raw Fish Slices @ RM5.50. With this price, you would get a rather big bowl of porridge and a plate of "wan yue" slices which was doused in the aromatic sesame oil. Texture-wise the porridge was very smooth and aromatic due to the sesame oil and spring onions. The key is to eat the porridge while it's still hot! Simply dip in the fish slices into the hot porridge for a while and it's good to eat. Normally I am not a fan of porridge, as I have a perception that porridge is only reserved to sick people. I was wrong & my perception was changed forever :)


Chee cheong fun with pork curry @ RM4.90 - the curry gravy was packed with flavour. However, I thought that the pork as it was not proportionate with the amount of chee cheong fun.

Century egg @ RM1.50 - Jenn just love century eggs! it went very well with the porridge.

You Tiao or fried fritters @ RM1 each - If you are early enough, you would see them bringing in fresh you tiao in when you arrive here. Crispy & non-oily, this was my favourite stuff to dip into the porridge.

Leo's verdict - Honkee has been in business since 1949! Now the sons took over and expanded the business. If you see a blue Subaru Impreza parked outside, that means he's in the shop! Boy do they know how to promote their shop by adding a Facebook page (by the way, I am a fan on their facebook page). And they have done a very good job! Now Honkee Porridge is available in Hutong Lot10, Damansara Utama, Bandar Puteri Puchong and the latest outlet in Taipan USJ! Strategic location with good population catchment and we don't have to drive all the way down to Petaling Street just to savour the famous porridge. Service was good and what I like best about this place is that they open very early for business (suits me as I wake up around 7++am). My only grouse is that the drink is below par... they should really improve the standard of their tea & coffee!

Ah Keong Yong Tau Fu Chee Cheong Fun @ Taman Selera Uptown, Damansara Utama

There were times when we suddenly craved for something to eat... so desperate that we had to eat it by hook or by crook! That was what happened to me one particular Friday night when I wanted to eat chee cheong fun. Not any chee cheong fun place... but this... Ah Keong Yong Tau Fu Chee Cheong Fun! Yes the name is indeed very long, but I assume that the proprietor merely wants you to know what kind of stuff he is selling.

Friday night in Damansara Uptown... it was hard to find parking near this hawker centre. What I did was park my car near Public Bank and walked all the way there. Not a very long walk but for someone who sweat easily like me, the task seemed daunting. As I walked along the busy street, I realised that I'd made a wise decision as parking near the hawker centre was packed to the brim.

All the way until I saw this sign... for those who work in PJ area, you should know where this place is right??? huh... a lil fat monkey, bangsar babe.. who else do i miss here? Have you dined here before? This hawker centre has a lot of stalls, mostly enjoying brisk business but my aim is eat the famous chee cheong fun here.

The queue was very long when I arrived... as this stall is very famous among the locals.

How famous??? You will know it when you see the Malays and Indians lining up just to buy the delectable chee cheong fun.. apart from the Chinese.

Armed with penyepit, they just grabbed whatever they want from the trays... onto the orange plate.

Foo chuk, fish ball and others were some of the popular choices.

This is the proud owner, Ah Keong! Sometimes he can be very chatty but there were times when he looked drop dead serious... normal trait for those who work in F&B industry I guess. Normally he would ask if you want kangkung to go with your chee cheong fun or not... please say YES!! Not many stalls offer kangkung but believe me, it's good to go with the chee cheong fun.

The creamy sweet gravy and chilly sauce, ready to be poured onto your plate. Since I ta pao, I asked for extra chilly sauce. Remember - ask for more chilly sauce!

This was what I bought back home... 2 pcs of chee cheong fun, fish cakes, foo chuk, egg plant, char koay, deep fried taufu skin, lady's finger and kangkung in a very big plate... total cost?? RM7.20 :)

Here is how to eat it... kasi banjir! Just pour the sweet gravy and chilly sauce... caution! The chilly sauce can be a little spicy for those who can't take hot stuff. Apart from that... everything was great!!! The plate was literally licked clean after that :)

Leo's verdict - a very satisfying dinner for two and it didn't cost a bomb! Anyone tried this before??? This stall has been one of my favourite place to fix my crave for chee cheong fun since I came to study in KL in 1997!

Umai-ya @ Uptown 37, Damansara Utama PJ

It has been a while since I hang out with my 2 best friends (since secondary years) and have a good time. All of us already started our own family so we don't get to meet up like this everyday except for special occasion or holidays. Matt suggested something other than Chinese food... so we decided to eat Japanese food instead.

All of us met up at my house in BU before heading there. Parking is not that hard to find during holiday seasons. Located in Uptown 37 (developed by See Hoy Chan Group) which also houses HSBC & Starbuck, it should be relatively easy to find.

A big wooden door at the entrance...

This is one of the places where they prepare the dishes for you.

We were shown into a private room by the waitress.. yay!! We can crack lousy jokes and make fun of each other without having to worry about other people staring at us like crazy people.

Look... they even have Chinese New Year addition in their menu!

Kani Unatama Maki @ RM14 (4 pcs) - soft shell crab, tamago and eel wrap with seaweed

Taco Pelt @ RM20 (6 pcs) - fried seaweed roll with soft shell crab and fresh salmon

Dragon maki @ RM24 (6 pcs) - salmon, ebi tempura roll with eel and avocado on top.

Unagi okonomiyaki @ RM18 - Japanese pizza with unagi anf kirimochi

Koebi karaage @ RM9 - deep fried shrimps with salt. Drip with lemon and good to go... quite crispy. However, please chew carefully, as it's shell might pierce into your lips.

Kabocha sapporo ankake @ RM18 - pumpkin with mushroom and chicken thickness sauce

Leo's verdict - I forgot that both my friends are not into raw meat... therefore, most (or should I say all?) of the stuff ordered were cooked. I'd been deprived of sashimi again :( apart from that, everything was great and most importantly, we got to sit down together and chat our night away. When you have families, opportunities like these are rare. That is why I really enjoyed the night.

Park Village @ Damansara Utama PJ

Actually I had been told about this place a few years ago when I was still working with Thule. The bicycle shop (Joo Ngan's Son) next door, Edwin, had told me that Park Village's food was very good but I never stepped into that place. But one thing that I noticed at that time was the huge crowd of people going in and out. Until Jenn came here first... and then brought me here.

Having breakfast here on weekends can be frustrating... especially when you have to compete with other patrons for seats.

Tents were set up outside during weekends only to accommodate customers.

But it's worth the wait... as the food was made fresh from the kitchen. Look at that!

Not forget to mention the kuih-muih as well

A dedicated spot just for the spiced fried chicken... which was always not enough
One worker chopping the fried chicken

The newly fried chicken waiting to be replenished...

Prices of the list of food were shown...

Long queue just to wait for your turn to order

Equally long queue for you to pay the bill once you are finished :)

The lady boss was occupied all the time just to collect money...

Nasi lemak + ayam goreng - sambal was great! Chicken was still hot and great to go with the rice...

Nasi dagang - my all time favourite dish whenever I came here. Normally I had this in Kuantan & couldn't find any other place that whipped out this particular dish as good.. that is, until I found this place. I always had additional "kuah" to go with the rice and fish meat... acar was also given!

Half boiled eggs + roti bakar - just as nice! the roti was crispy and the eggs were nicely done

Teh Tarik - not too sweet, just perfect for me!

Leo's verdict - by far the best place to have nasi lemak, nasi dagang and teh tarik in PJ area. This restaurant had been featured in newspapers and magazines as well. If you are planning to come here for breakfast, please do so before 9am... or else be prepared to queue for a long time just to order, and also to find yourself a table.

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??