New Formosa @ SS2/24 PJ

I think that I better insert this blog ahead of others. Sher Ryn is more than about 15 months now as I wrote this blog. Yes, she's that big :) anyway, nothing is more important than celebrating her first anniversary together with families. For those who read my previous blog, my parents threw a simple birthday party for her in Kuala Lipis. They just hate KL's traffic so much that they just want to celebrate in their own hometown. Oh well, I ran out of excuses to make them go KL.

On the other end, Jenn's parents are more adventurous despite staying in Kuala Lipis most of their lives. Once in a while, they would go to KL just to visit their friends and families. On top of it, they love trying new food which is just fine for me. After all, I share the same passion :) Jenn's elder sister treated us to an extravagant dinner at Elegant Inn (Menara Hap Seng) the week before and therefore, I scratched my head on where to bring them in return. Then I remember my 555 notebook which was chucked somewhere, collecting dusts. Browsing through the never ending list one by one, I found one particular name which was quite a Stand Out - New Formosa!

Let me list down all the points why this place is the CHOICE
1) It's within 10 min drive from my house
2) It has been ages since I had good Taiwanese food
3) This place stands against the test of time... more than 20 years I think!
4) The price range fits my budget (but I will definitely not reveal it)
5) New Formosa has been patronised by most of my blogger friends... Becky of thenomadGourmand, Sean of eatdrinkKL, Jonathan of alilfatmonkey just to name a few :)

Jenn & I went to pre-order the food on the day before the actual lunch date. Reading all the blogs, we finally made up our mind on what dishes to order. By the way, the waitress has been particularly helpful in recommending some of their popular dishes too. Talk about good service :) no wonder they manage to stay in business even after so long!

Oh yes, I did notice alilfatmonkey's signature comic strip on New Formosa posted at the entrance of the restaurant :) a lot of familiar faces too!

I doubt there are a lot of changes made to its interior from the earlier days. However, it still maintain its charm after all these years. All of us felt cosy and comfy.

We started our meal with Formosa Combinations - Fried Enoki with shell meat & seaweed; deep fried pig intestine with sesame seeds; and 3-Cup Squid (initially I wanted top shell but it was not available) in soy, sesame oil, Chinese Wine & Basil. For once, I thought that the intestine was good as I didn't normally eat pig intestine. All the dishes won praise from Jenn's family.

8 Treasure Chicken - the chicken was served in a whole bird and dissected expertly right in front of us using a pair of scissors, revealing a wonderful sight of stuffed rice and other ingredients inside. The crispy skin and moist chicken meat were another delight!

Pork slices soup - using only lean meat, it was surprisingly tender and joy to bite :) the soup was packed with chinese mushroom, scallion and white cabbage. Very flavourful and healthy! Jenn's family is sucker for soup everytime they have lunch or dinner

Hakka style bamboo rice was packed with flavours and has sweetish note due to the presence of pumpkin. Topped with fried onion and spring onion, it only made the dish irresistable.

Taiwanese famous bamboo prawns with herbs - fresh prawns provided sweet flavour to the already flavour-packed soup!

Sze Chuan style duck - we love the flavour and crispy skin. However, the meat was a bit dry and tough to chew.

Formosa stir fried butter eel - this dish was a hit with everyone but I thought that it was a tad too salty. The butter enveloped each and every piece of the unagi, and the presence of curry leaves further enhance the taste.

Being a true blue fan of pig intestine, Jenn's mother ordered stir fried pig intestine with capsicum and pineapple. I didn't eat this though...

Stir fried kailan with almond flakes and pamelo sacs - sounds healthy huh??? Nevertheless, the combination proved to be a favourite among us.

Fried lily buds, asparagus, green peas, fresh ginkgo nuts and pumpkin - by the time this dish was served, all of us were quite stuffed but this veggie dish was good nonetheless.

Low sugar vegetarian pumpkin yam ginkgo pudding - the pumpkin was served separately on the side of the yam pudding with ginkgo nuts on top.

I also ordered several bowls of the famous "ai yu bing"

Our meal ended on a sweet note (again!) with sweet yam in honey sauce taiwanese style - the piping hot yam was covered with honey sauce & sesame seed before dipped into the icy cold water. As a result, the outer layer was crispy while the yam maintained its moist and softness. The combo pictures below show the actual process.

Complimentary sweet plum drinks were served in order to wash the oil inside our stomach :P

Little Sher Ryn with her cousin, Xueney! Her cousin was nearly twice as big despite older then Sher Ryn 9 days.

A happy mom with the birthday girl :) Sher Ryn has grown up looking like her mom.

Leo's verdict - we had a memorable meal with so many delicious dishes. My choice proved to be a wise one! With so many other dishes to choose from, Jenn demanded that I plan another lunch or dinner here soon :)