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.

Plus One Shabu Shabu @ Rainforest 1-Utama Shopping Centre

Jenn was in the mood for steamboat... or should I say shabu shabu??? Since we had seen this place when we dined at Bar B Q Plaza the other day, it naturally came to our mind. Plus, we want to try out Hong Kong style steamboat and see the difference compared to Malaysian or Japanese style.

It seems that there is a celebrity endorsing this restaurant... but I couldn't recognise her.

The setting was simple with a lot of pendant lights and posters of their food.

There were quite a lot of patrons during dinner time...

I like their menu which was thick cover and with high quality paper.

To my delight, it was totally different from Shabu Shabu that I had in Puchong. They offered a lot of types of soup to choose from the menu. We settled for their signature pork bone with corn broth to go with the pork loin set that we ordered.
Our choice of soup

They have a counter specifically for sauces... lots of them!!!

I took 6 types - Hawaii, taiwanese satay, tom yam, black pepper, see chuan & teo chew soya.

The soup was very delicious and aromatic... and the meats and other accompanying dishes were fresh too!

Leo's verdict - There are other types of soups available - see chuan hot & spicy broth; chinese herb broth & shark fin broth just to name a few :) Of course, apart from the dish that we ordered, other sets and side dishes are also available depending on your appetite.
Their drinks such as iced lemon tea and water crest+honey go by the jug...
Shabu shabu lovers... please make some time to try out this place OK??? You won't regret it...

Greenwood Cafe @ SS2 PJ

If you read my blogs a lot... you would notice that I blog about PJ area a lot, just because I stay in this area. SS2 is an area that I go to... A LOT!!! In fact, I have seen this particular cafe for a long time too. I only came here when I read from the magazine review on it. Situated on the same row as Bread Story and Eu Yan Sang, it is not that hard to find.

It was 3pm when Jenn & I stepped into the cafe. We wanted to try their set lunch but the supervisor-looking man informed us that the lunch hour was over. Sensing some disappointment in our looks, he made an exception by asking us to sit down and served us the set lunch menu. That put back a smile on our faces. Talking about customer service :) I'm sure that he knows that both of us were new patrons.

They wrote their menu list on the huge mirror too...

Their set lunch is priced at RM6.50++ - Jenn had their Nasi Lemak with Ayam Masak Merah, which also came with complimentary Chinese tea (apart from that, you can also opt for Ayam rendang, sotong sambal or sotong with satay sauce). The nasi lemak was good... the rice smells good with pandan leaves. The sambal was quite spicy but tasty nonetheless. The ayam masak merah was quite tender and the gravy was not too salty. The minor setback was that the hard-to-chew anchovies.

As for me, I went for spicy buttermilk with fettuccine with crispy fried chicken @ RM20++ - fusion between CHinese and Italian style. It tasted exactly like our Chinese "nai yau", creamy but not too thick. However, a bit spicy due to the curry leaves and chilly padi. The chicken was deep fried and went on well with the buttermilk. Thumbs up for this dish!

Bon appetit!

Feeling hot, I ordered their Greenwood Smoothies - ice blended with fresh mint, lime and Sprite @ RM8.90++ - just like mojito less the alcohol content. Definitely a cure for the spicyness in my mouth :)

Leo's verdict - it gave me a good first impression due to the service given and also the good food. I will definitely come back to try their other dishes.

Bar B Q Plaza @ Rainforest, 1-Utama Shopping Centre

Looking for a new place to eat is easy but finding a good place to eat is easier said than done. Jenn and I had seen their ads countless times everytime we came shopping in this mall. Funny thing is that we never once came here to try out their food. so one day we finally decided to try out and see how good their food is...

The mascot is dragon-like creature placed in front of the outlet.

The whole place was rather big... and when it was at its peak, you might have to walk further behind to look for table. Most of the waiters and waitress were Thai... but of course, they speak basic English too. Menu was given upon seated.

Look! They even have signs to teach you on how to cook using their BBQ set.

The hot plate was looking rather weird... they have steamboat area around the plate. It's for the vegetables... cabbages, corns, carrots, etc...

They gave these in order to grease the hot plate... Pork lard!!!

Like this...

They also provided a special sauce which was quite sweet... you can opt to mix with chilly, garlic and lime slice. Personally, I love the sauce!!! I ended up taking a lot of the sauce from them.

We ordered their Supreme Pork Set (2pax) @ RM29.90 - comprises of pork, bacon, chicken, squid, shrimp, udon, sliced cabbage, baby corns, carrot, lettuce & tomato. Of course, you can always order extra BBQ item from the menu if you think that the portion is not enough

This is how you are supposed to cook them

I also tried their Fried Bacon Roll which was wrapped around asparagus. It was very nice

Final outcome... lol!

Leo's verdict - It is similar to Korean BBQ but less pricey. If you happen to shop in 1-Utama frequently, chances are high for you to see their funny ads. Next time when I crave for BBQ again... I have a place to go, as it's less messy compared to Talipon Restaurant.

Benta K3K Kopitiam @ SS15 Subang Jaya

The first time I saw this Kopitiam, I thought to myself "Wow... a Kopitiam from Pahang small town. I wonder if I know the boss?" So when Jenn & I finally stepped into the place one day, it turned out that Jenn knew the boss... as he was from the same hometown. It certainly felt great to see someone we know :)

It seems that this place had been reviewed on air before...

Stepping into the kopitiam sort of like going back down memory lane... the whole place was designed in such a way that it looks like you have stepped into 1950s era.

You can see a few traditional items that the Chinese used in the past.

They offer special daily selected main course that comes with free drinks too... but only available during weekdays from 12pm-2pm
They also sell kaya made using own recipe...

A glass of their signature 'Kwai Sam' cham is a must everytime I came here... full of taste!

Not to forget "Kwai Sam" tea... it's milky and smooth.

Since we were not that hungry at that time, we settled for snacks. I placed my order for one of my favourite meals - Roti Jala with Curry Chicken. They are so-called roti jala due to its shape that is similar to net. The curry was thick and very aromatic to dip the roti jala with...

Jenn gave their new Pocket bread a try... it was filled with chicken cubes that was deep fried and then marinated with buttermilk. I think that was a fresh concept for a kopitiam, and it tasted good too.
Toast Soft Bun - the bun was hot from oven & quite crunchy, with kaya... nice!
K3K Milky noodle - another new product offered, as it was not in the menu the last time I came. The buttermilk was not thick and the whole dish was decent. The mee was quite soft... must had been over-cooked.
K3K Special Toast Bun - kaya inside; peanuts and chocolate syrup on the outside. Bun was big and crispy... a must try!
Giant curry puff - almost 8 inch long!!! The biggest I'd seen so far in my life... with chicken meat and potato inside... we couldn't finish it! lol...

Leo's verdict - They have other branches in Damansara Perdana and Klang. Normally Jenn & I would go to their Subang outlet whenever we have chores to do in this area.