Seng Ong Bak Kut Teh

Seng Ong Bak Kut Teh 成旺瓦煲肉骨茶

1-1-3A Jalan Rawang Mutiara 1

Rawang Mutiara Business Centre

48000 Rawang

+60172555680/+60122805680

(Coordinates: N3° 19' 41.25" E101° 34' 48.25")

Ay-yai-yai, I used to blame my expanding belly on Hypothyroidism. I guess the upkeep of this blog sure does come at a price. With the rise in my waistline comes the issue of ‘shrinking’ pants.

So we were in Rawang late this morning to pay the local AEON Jusco Department Store a visit so that Brendan’s old man could look for some work pants that’ll fit the Michelin Man. We were here some months ago and it was pretty desolate (we personally liked it this way) but with the coming Hari Raya Aidil Fitri (Eid-Fitr) it was busy and bustling with shoppers.

We also meant to have lunch at a Chinese food court in Rawang tackily named “I Love You”, which peaked our interest. Unfortunately the coordinates given led us to a dead-end in a housing estate at Bukit Rawang. On our way back to town we stumbled across this BKT restaurant and decided to give it a try.

something about the colour green?

our first time

clear and concise price list, we love the transparency

not just a BKT shop

This restaurant prepares its Bak Kut Teh on a piecemeal basis, and the Claypot hits the fire only when an order is received so we were assured of its freshness.

simple kitchen

our BKT all fired up

The old Uncle who took our order was a very cheerful and friendly person; we were immediately made to feel at home. In hindsight, it was a shame that we didn’t think to take some photographs of this very warm and welcoming Uncle. Oh well, we’ll be sure to do so the next time we’re here.

to take the edge off all that garlic

freshly prepared

good for the complexion

the pot is not yours to do as you please, so please share!

bon appetit!

We don’t know if it’s because we were famished or if it was because the broth made us go all ‘her-ballistic’ but the pot was emptied in a jiffy! The damage? Including a round of Cokes for everyone it came to RM42, within the realms of the everyday food for the everyday person. If you’re ever in Rawang and in the mood for some Bak Kut Teh then head on over here, a place we would definitely recommend.

Restoran Chuan Hupp (Again)

Restoran Chuan Hupp

25G Jalan Wawasan 2/10, Taman Wawasan

68000 Ampang

(Coordinates: 3.145811, 101.766265)

We’re back! It’s been two whole months since we’ve been here and we sure miss this place, and it is fast becoming our default Chinese food court.

something about the colour green whets our appetites

we miss this place

Brendan (surprise, surprise) ordered the Char Kuey Teow (Stir-Fried Rice Cake Strips); Cat tried the Kung Fu (Cantonese) Stir Fried Yee Mee (chewy noodles made from wheat flour and egg or lye-water) while I ordered the usual Beef Soup with Kuey Teow. It turned out to be a rare occasion where we did not consume rice all day.

recently discovered stall

Brendan's char kuey teow

best he's had (says he)

my favourite stall

the reason we came here

she looks happy!

Cat's delectable yee mee

obviously eager to dig in

as always

Brendan who doesn’t usually deviate from his craving for Pan Mee quite enjoyed his Char Kuey Teow and declared it to be one of the best his ever had. I sampled Cat’s Yee Mee and we both whole-heartedly agreed that it was simply delicious. What about the Beef Soup you ask? No words needed for the dish that gave us reason to make our way here in the first place.

And the damage? It came to an incredibly easy on the pocket total of RM19.90 which includes herbal tea all round. Does this food court represent the everyday food for the everyday man? All together now… heck yeah!

Garden Café

Garden Café (beside 7-Eleven)

LG-05, Level LG, e@Curve

No. 2A Jalan PJU 7/3 Mutiara Damansara

47810 Petaling Jaya

+60188711020

(Not to be confused with the Garden Café & Lifestyle Store which is coincidentally located just a floor above)

We found this offer on mydeal.com: “50% Off Western Set Meal: Main Course, Dessert & Drinks for RM12 (1pax) at Garden Cafe (e@Curve). Voucher Value: RM24.15”

We duly obliged and purchasing 3 vouchers, Cat was suitably happy because a trip to The Curve means she gets to browse through stuff at the Daiso store three floors above over at the North Court.

First impressions? Splashes of bright red all over the restaurant sets the tone and we are always drawn to bright and cheery establishments. We were only one of two groups dining here during lunchtime, due in most part to the fact that it was Ramadan and also due to the fact that it was situated in a quiet corner of e@Curve. Interestingly enough, this Western restaurant is run by a family of Iranians.

western joint run by a family of Iranians

right beside 7-Eleven

no, it's not a fire station

Brendan ordered the Cheesy Pizza set; Cat had the Grilled Chicken Chop while I tried the Grilled Chicken Steak. Make no mistake, for the price of RM12 a set we were not expecting a gourmet meal so we were not disappointed. In fact the dishes we had more than commensurate with the price. 

Brendan's smartly dressed

the cheesy pizza

Brendan's cheesy smile!

Cat's grilled chicken chop

she can hardly wait

my grilled chicken steak

Brendan's already digging in

iced lemon tea all round

our dessert

The damage? For a grand total of RM36, besides the main dishes we got a round of Iced Lemon Tea and a scoop of Ice Cream with Chocolate Fudge each as well, so yes it was one heck of a bargain!

Bye-Bye Decimal Degrees!

It is finally done!

We had embarked on a side project to convert latitude and longitude geographic coordinates from decimal degrees to degrees, minutes, and seconds listed in our posts. We did this because we discovered that we were not able to punch in the coordinates on our cheapo GPS navigator in the decimal degrees format. At the same time, we discovered that some of the coordinates (sourced from Google Maps) were not very accurate.

We’ve checked and re-checked all coordinates after the conversion, and are confident that the placements are accurate to within 50 metres of the address. So long as it’s within sight, even if it’s a little off you should still be able to sight the restaurant/stall/food truck.

(We will not be inserting coordinates to eateries location within well-known shopping malls and department stores as we’re pretty sure based on the addresses provided you should be able to locate the establishments)

The only problem we had was trying to pinpoint the exact location of Uncle Chow Kopitiam in Cameron Highlands. Initial searches on Google Map yielded inaccurate placements. So in the end we resorted to an approximation based on memory of where the location was. We still think that even this is still not accurate, hopefully we’ll have a chance to pay Uncle Chow Kopitiam another visit and pinpoint the location accurately.

With any luck after the conversion it’ll be easier to locate the places we’ve posted about, and if our coordinates were way off in the past please accept our deepest apologies.

Happy eating! And to my Muslims friends happy fasting and breaking fast!

Restoran Kam Kee

Restoran Kam Kee

Pusat Penjaja Jalan Tiong

Jalan Tiong, Batu 3 off Jalan Ipoh

51100 Kuala Lumpur

(Coordinates: 3° 10' 55.75", 101° 40' 55.00")

We were here yesterday patronizing Face to Face Noodles House. Having been reacquainted with the area we vowed to come back, and we did just that. Jalan Tiong and its surrounding vicinity are known as the Chinese food district of Jalan Ipoh, with a wide variety of cuisine ranging from noodles to dim sum.

used to be vibrant and packed to the rafters

only one of two 'food trucks' left

Cat remembers Pusat Penjaja Jalan Tiong (or Tiong Road Hawker Centre) to be a lively and vibrant place many years ago when Brendan was still a toddler. Today apart from Restoran Kam Kee there is only one other nameless food truck (as Foursquare categories these types of eateries) selling a variety of noodle-based dishes. How times have changed.

the patrons seem to have aged with the place

dinner on a grassy plain

approaching dusk

We were seated at table laid out on a grassy plain beside the restaurant, and it was getting dark. We ordered the Japanese tofu cooked in a Claypot, the Kam Heong (Stir Fried Golden Fragrance) Chicken and the Deep Fried Pork Ribs, with a round of herbal tea for everyone.

as always, as always

the kam heong chicken in thick starchy gravy

japanese tofu cooked in a claypot

the star of the night, deep fried pork ribs

time to dig in

dining under the stars (hope it doesn't rain!)

The Kam Heong Chicken came as a surprise to us in that it came with thick starchy gravy, unlike the drier variety we’re used to. It was just so-so, but we quite enjoyed the Deep Fried Pork Ribs while the Japanese Tofu was pretty average.

We like this place for that fact that we get to dine under the stars, but where price is concerned it is borderline everyday food for the everyday person as the total came to RM45.20, which is not bad (but we’ve had better). We’ll be back though, as we later found out their signature dish is the Pandan Chicken (fried chicken wrapped in screw pine leaves, which infuses the chicken with a sweet and fragrant aroma).

Sanuki Udon

Sanuki Udon (pork-free?)

No. 9 Jalan Bukit Desa 5

Taman Bukit Desa

58100 Kuala Lumpur

+60379803704, +60122418131

(Coordinates: 3° 6' 38.50", 101° 41' 5.50")

As with most Sundays I woke pretty early this morning and went about my usual weekend routine including moderating and administering my car club’s official website, www.primeperdanaclub.com.

Browsing through my two favourite ‘makan’ sites, Malaysian Most Wanted Food and Openrice Malaysia I stumbled upon this japanese restaurant. Described as a hidden gem of a place that’s reasonably priced, my interest was definitely peaked.

Soon as Brendan and Cat woke up and showered, we punched in the coordinates and made our way to Taman Bukit Desa. We are unfamiliar with this part of town and if not for the GPS navigator we would be hard pressed to locate the restaurant.

It was indeed a treasure concealed within a residential area cuddled up among rows of terrace houses and located right in front of a condominium. It was a diminutive and narrow shop with 'strategically' spaced chairs and table, very Japanese indeed. The Udon however, more than made up for the tight seating arrangements.

right across Desa Villa Condominium

quiet suburban settings

simple, clear and concise

taking in the sights

free-flowing green tea at RM1

waiting to be served

Brendan ordered the Kitsune Udon (literally means fox noodles, wheat flour noodles served in hot soup and topped with seasoned aburaage - thinly sliced deep-fried tofu), Cat tried the Kakiage Udon (wheat flour noodles served in hot soup and topped with Kakiage, a kind of tempura in which different ingredients are mixed together in tempura batter before being deep-fried) while I sampled the Tan Tan Udon (wheat flour noodles with spicy, red chili oil soup, ground pork, preserved vegetables and green onions).

Brendan's Kitsune Udon

he looks pleased

Cat's Kakiage Udon

chopsticks at the ready

my Tan Tan Udon

 itadakimasu!

The verdict? Hands downs some of the best wheat flour noodles we’ve had so far. Then again, we have not been extensively exposed to Japanese cuisine so don’t hold us to this. Like we've said in the past, we're no food critics but we know what we like.

I kid you not!

And the damage? A mind-bogglingly respectable RM23.00 including free-flowing green tea at RM1.00 a pop. Everyday food for the everyday person? Heck yeah!