MM Cafe @ Happy Mansion, Section 17 PJ

I heard about this place for the first time after reading Cumi&Ciki's blog... I know that I can rely on them to get to know more places to eat :) after all, I have put a link to their webpage in which I clicked almost everyday to see if they've been to any new places lately. This was actually my second time coming to Happy Mansion area, the first being to 6To10 Grill & Nasi Lemak which is located nearby.

Tuck in the corner of Happy Mansion, this place is quite secluded and you will easily miss it if you don't look carefully.

The interior is kept simple and nice, and they even have a VIP room for private function.

Or you can just relax on the sofa, while sipping drinks and snacks if you plan to hangout with friends here.

This place is also children-friendly, as they provide Ikea's high chair for those who bring along their kids.

The menu was given once we were seated. The recommended foods are highlighted with a Star.

Since Jenn was not feeling that hungry, she asked for their Caesar Salad @ RM8.90. Jenn said that the salad doesn't worth the price stated, as it was plain with only lettuce, egg, bread crumbs. However, she really loved the cheese bits that provided extra flavour to the salad.

As for me, I wanted to try their Kam Heong Chicken Fried Rice @ RM8.90. I'm not a fussy eater and since the fried rice was not very oily with a strong aroma of kam heong (which I like), I gave this dish a thumb up!

Leo's verdict - the waiter was very attentive (maybe there were not many customers at that time) and made effort to have a friendly conversation with me after the meal & to check on how we felt at the end of the meal. I also love the simple interior of the place and the service was fast too. Parkings are ample around this area, maybe because it's weekends.

Breakfast at La Bodega @ Pavilion KL

Having breakfast in a hotel is always a costly affair, unless they throw in free breakfast while you are staying with the hotel. As I got a cheap rate for staying in The Westin, no free breakfast :( and since Jenn & I already had lunch at the Living Room yesterday, both of us decided not to dine in for the second time. Instead, we walked across the street to this place, The Pavilion KL. The whole place looked deserted in the morning, as most outlets had not opened for business... YET!

Walking further in and we'd come to one of Jenn's favourite places for breakfast, La Bodega!

Joining us were her sister, Erynn and her husband, Erick... not to forget Jenn's favourite niece, Jenning!!! Look how happy the father and daughter was :)

I took some time to take some pictures of the interiors... it was still early so we were the only diners sitting inside.

The bar... I'd forgotten on how long that I have not gone out to have a night out with my friends for drinks...

Some of the old pictures hanging on the wall.

I'm feeling hungry and that's why I opted for their English Breakfast @ RM27. For this price, I got 2 scrambled eggs, chicken sausages, hash browns, slice of homemade toast, fresh fruit juice (I asked for orange juice) & a cup of latte in the end... yummy!!! I managed to finish all in record time, yay!!!

Jenn had Omelettes (3 fresh farm eggs) @ RM7, sauteed mushrooms @ RM4, smoked chicken ham @ RM4 and homemade wholemeal toast @ RM5

Leo's verdict - breakfast at La Bodega has always been a satisfying experience for us. As high as the prices seem to be, it actually cost us half of what I had in The Westin itself. My stomach was very full by the time I finished... hahahah!!!

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.

Happy Dumpling Festival

Ah!!! Dumpling festival is just 3 days away! And I got to taste my mom's bah chang creation a few weeks before that... tailored to suit my taste buds. A good morning to have a piece of this delicacy as breakfast :) glutonious rice, salted egg yolk, a few slices of mushroom, and pork belly... all wrapped in lotus leaves.

And it went well with our very own Lingham's chilly sauce + a cup of my version of Milo kosong (very kaw!!!), unlike those diluted Milo outside...

Have you had your bah chang yet???

CM Home's @ Tropicana Mall, SS2 PJ

Your family cafe... this is what they try to sell to the public. Not that I'm dumb enough to take the bait, but I'd done my chores for the day, and it was time for lunch. Initially we planned to go to Solaris Mont Kiara which we'd passed by earlier, but Jenn wanted to go someplace nearer to home... so we settled for Tropicana Mall. Parking was not a problem at all, as it was newly opened and not many people. I think most people still prefer to go to 1 Utama, Mid Valley or Sunway Pyramid as opposed to this neighbourhood mall due to more choices.

The whole place looked deserted even on weekends... well, it's too early to tell as the mall was new and not all shops were opened yet.

We scouted from Ground floor to Second floor for a place to eat. Sushi Tei was one of the places that I wanted to try but since Jenn couldn't eat raw stuff, we passed. In the end, we settled for CM Home's. The name didn't sound attractive nor creative enough but its menu looked promising.

Bunting outside its entrace to show some of their foods... plus very short mascot of the premise.

The interior decor is nothing to shout of... look like regular cafe everywhere.

I ordered what made me came here at the first place... pepper salt sotong @ RM8.90 - crispy on the outside, chewy and piping hot on the inside! A bit salty though...

Portugese Chicken Chop rice @ RM10.50 - I don't really like the sauce on top of the chicken chop, as it felt like mayonnaise mixed with some seasonings... but then the portion was big.

Special Taste Spare Ribs Rice @ RM12.90 - the pork meat was stewed together with a secret recipe (trade secret according to them) and it was very tender and the gravy went very well with the rice. But be careful of the bone bits that were scattered inside the gravy.

Honey Lemon Ice @ RM5.90 - now, I finally found a place that offered full flavoured drink... unlike other places which are diluted!

Leo's verdict - I used my ixus870 for the first time to take pictures. The quality was good :) by the way, the food was OK but not that great and the portion can be quite big for some people.

Restoran Ban Lee @ Jalan Ipoh, KL

Jenn and I had errant to do in Jalan Ipoh one Saturday morning and so we planned to have breakfast here. We spotted this particular restaurant as we drove by, parked our car near intended destination and walked here. They occupied two shoplots which are just next to Dinasty Hotel, so it should be easy to find.

Along Jalan Ipoh which is in its usual chaotic and busy traffic situation. And it was especially hot and stuffy that particular day... geram betul!

These 2 foreign workers preparing the bah kut teh for customers...

The morning crowd having bah kut teh breakfast...

As usual, a pot of puer tea to wash down the oil from consuming bah kut teh. For me, I think bah kut teh is not complete without Chinese tea!

We asked for claypot bah kut teh for one pax... and it was served not long after. The broth was quite thick with the aroma of herbs, and the portion of pork ribs + lean meat, golden needle mushroom, button mushroom, yaw mak and fu chuk were quite generous too...

To me, bah kut teh is not complete without these - deep fried dough fritters or yaw char koay (^_^) it was quite crispy to my liking!

Leo's verdict - overall the bah kut teh was good but I seldom come to Jalan Ipoh area unless there's thing to do. So I think that I'll stick back to my usual places in PJ or Sungai Way area. To those who stay nearby or happen to be in Jalan Ipoh, this place is worth to be given a try.

Kluang Noodle House @ Aman Suria PJ

This is the 2nd time that I came here with Jenn. The first time was when Ho Chak introduced this place in their TV show long time ago. They used homemade noodle which has been a secret recipe in the family for 3 generations. What we like about the noodle is that it doesn't have artificial flavouring and preservation.

Contradict with the last time we came here, this place looked almost deserted from the outside.

They even put up a signboard with Ho Chak sign outside.

We were the only patrons at that time. The whole place is very simple and there's smoking and non-smoking area.

Their menu is in a folder file

Jenn asked for their signature dish (refer back to the signboard photo), which was Pork Chop Dry Noodle @ RM7.90. The pork meat is marinated with their special sauce before deep fried. The dish comes with minced meat and mushroom slices. The noodle was tangy and chewy, but the gravy was quite diluted... far cry from what we had the first time. It tasted like the soup was mixed with soy sauce. The pork chop was however... OK!

Nyonya noodle with tuna @ RM5.90 - using the same homemade noodle, it tasted just like asam laksa but it's dry type. Ingredients such as onion, pineapple and cucumber slices topped with mint leaves and tuna flakes. It really tasted pretty decent rather than great...

Leo's verdict - the quality has dropped and we didn't really enjoy the dining experience this time. But for those who have not come here before, the noodle's texture is really good, comparable to my hometown's very own Hakka Mee (Chong Ko). But it all goes down to the way they prepare the dishes in the end. So cross your finger and pray that they improve the on way.