Hahasiu Pan Mee (Puchong)

Hahasiu Pan Mee

43-01 Jalan Kenari 19A

Puchong Jaya

47100 Puchong

+60380765311

(Coordinates: E101° 37' 24.0" N3° 2' 41.0")

As is always the case, we were actually in the area looking for a beef noodle soup restaurant but to no avail. This area of Puchong plays hosts to a myriad of eateries but for the life of us we were not able to locate KB Beef Noodles, turns out it was located within another restaurant. In hindsight, had it not been for this we would not have been given the opportunity to sample Hahasiu’s very wide ranging dishes based on the humble pan mee.

(Rest assured we will be giving KB Beef Noodles another go the next time we’re in the vicinity.)

 

within an eating district

 

apparently it's a chain restaurant

Since Cat started preparing her very own pan mee Brendan has not had much of a hankering for the dish. On this occasion still, Brendan opted for the traditionally prepared Pan Mee while Cat and I were a little more adventurous. Brendan ordered the aptly named Traditional Pan Mee; Cat tried the Penang Prawn Soup Pan Mee while I sampled the Herbal Chicken Pan Mee. We added a side order of Fried Fish Cakes as well.

 

what Cat ordered

 

she did not complain

 

Brendan's choice

 

he preferred his mother's rendition

 

what I ordered

 

pretty interesting

 

the condiments

 

we can never get enough of fried fish cakes

 

our beverages

 

time to put the camera away

 

pretty decent

The verdict? We quite enjoyed the diversity Hahasiu breathes into its Pan Mee menu, and thought it was a very important plus point. However, having been used to Cat’s MSG-free Pan Mee it would be pretty difficult for any Pan Mee establishment to measure up, but two thumbs up for the variety though. And the damage? Three bowls of Pan Mee, a plate of Fried Fish Cakes and a round of beverages later, the total came to a very respectable RM34.80, well within the dominion of the everyday food for the everyday person.

Frankie’s Char Kueh Teow

Frankie’s Char Kueh Teow

(Within Restoran 8888)

Jalan PJU 8/5D ‪Damansara Perdana

47820 Petaling Jaya

(Coordinates: E101° 36' 24.0" N3° 9' 53.2")

The first thing on Brendan’s mind (and in his palate) after being a week away from home was Char Kueh Teow! Apparently during his debate camp ¹Char Kueh Teow was not on the menu and he missed it terribly. We might need to send him to Penang to further his studies if he keeps this up, there he can have his favourite Char Kueh Teow for breakfast, lunch AND dinner.

¹flat rice noodles stir-fried over very high heat with light and dark soy sauce, chili, a small quantity of belachan, whole prawns, de-shelled cockles, bean sprouts, chopped Chinese chives and egg

Surfing the internet we came across Frankie’s Char Kueh Teow which was touted as doing a pretty decent job emulating the famous Penang Char Kueh Teow, and so we headed over to Damansara Perdana to give it a go.

 

Restoran Four Eight or 8888?

 

Penang char kueh teow!

 

Frankie hard at work

Located within Restoran 8888, we found out that Frankie is a one man show (he stir-fries, he serves and he collects) so you can imagine how hectic it can get if he is flooded with orders. Notwithstanding this, our dishes were prepared pretty speedily. We all had Char Kueh Teow; Brendan and I deferred from having it with bean sprouts (our pet hate).

 

one man show

 

excellent chrysanthemum tea!

 

Brendan's first plate

 

Cat had hers with bean sprouts

 

while I deferred

 

bon appetit

 

paying his compliments to the chef!

Brendan enjoyed it so much he ordered a second plate, so no prizes for guessing that we’ll certainly be back for more. At RM5 a plate, together with beverages the total came to a reasonable RM25, so yeah, Frankie definitely serves the everyday food for the everyday person.

Restoran Safiz Corner

Restoran Safiz Corner

No. 2 Jalan 31/70A, Sri Hartamas

50480 Kuala Lumpur

+60163608795 ‎

(Coordinates: E101° 38' 53.9" N3° 9' 46.9")

After a week of flying the coop, our chick is returning to its mother hen. Brendan has been away from home for a week and believe you me, Cat was really out of sorts with no one to nag. Before fetching him from my sister’s place, we stopped by this restaurant for breakfast. Restoran Safiz Corner is our default breakfast destination if we’re ever in the vicinity, and has been mentioned in passing before.

 

locatedin a quite corner of sri hartamas

We both ordered the classic Malaysian favourite Roti Canai with Iced Coffee and Iced Milo.

 

perennial favourite

 

unusually chipper?

 

truly Malaysian breakfast

 

time to dig in

 

Malaysian beverages too!

And the damage? Would you believe us if we told you it came to only RM5.40? You better believe it!

KK Kopitiam (Alam Damai) - Revisited

KK Kopitiam

No. 11 & 13 Jalan Damai Puspa 5

Alam Damai Cheras

56000 Kuala Lumpur

(Coordinates: 3° 3' 27.00", 101° 44' 45.00")

We’re back after a long absence. As always, if we’re in the neighbourhood it means there’s something wrong with our computer. Our spare CPU keeps resetting its date to somewhere in 2008 (we were told a simple change of the CMOS battery should do the trick) while Brendan’s CPU’s video and sound card drivers have mysteriously disappeared.

It took only about 10 minutes to fix these (big thanks to Shawn and Carmen, if you ever need an expert look your computer over just give him a call at +60391073084) and we headed over to KK Kopitiam nearby.

 

we're back!

 

our kind of restaurant

our favourite stall

Cat and I both ordered the brilliant ¹Nasi Goreng Pattaya while Cat thought she’d try the ²Som Tam.

¹fried rice wrapped in an omelette, similar to Omurice, a contemporary Japanese cuisine consisting of an omelette made with fried rice and usually topped with ketchup

²green papaya salad is a spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya which combines the five main tastes of the local cuisine: sour lime, hot chili, salty, savoury fish sauce, and sweetness added by palm sugar

the choice of a new generation?

 

fiery siamese dish

 

Cat could not wait

 

so let's dig in

As always we are never disappointed, and on this occasion the Nasi Goreng Pattaya was excellent. The Som Tam was equally good, but being from the East Coast we felt that it lacked the sweetness. This being said, if you’re ever looking for a dish to turn you into a fire-breathing dragon then this dish highly recommended. And the damage? With Brendan being away the total came to only RM22.80, well within the realms of the everyday food for the everyday person.

Strawberry Fields Café

Strawberry Fields Café

Lot 16 Ground Floor

Jalan Tengah

46200 Petaling Jaya

+60379602648

(Coordinates: E101° 38' 40.0" N3° 5' 58.2")

Brendan decided to extend his stay at my sister’s place to spend more time with his cousins, so it was just Cat and I left to gallivant over the weekend. We read about this place and seeing that we were in the mood for some Western we decided to give this place a go.

 

an area we are are not familiar with

We were pretty early (it was hardly noon) and found the place not yet opened for business. Though the sign said 11:30AM we were turned away and told to come back at 12:00PM. With time to burn (and a belly that was groaning) we headed to the Chatime stall nearby to have a drink while we waited.

 

pretty large branch of Chatime

 

happy friendly people here

 

we didn't know that!

 

spacious and cozy

 

to while the time away

This particular branch of Chatime was more of a shop than a stall, since it occupied a whole shop lot.

 

happy friendly people? NOT!

 

the 'Specials'

 

is that a real Stratocaster?

Since it was past noon we headed back to Strawberry Fields Café only to be turned away (again). This time the excuse was the staff were busy hanging up Xmas decorations (a pretty lame excuse, don’t you think?) and we were to head to their ‘coffee club’ next door if we wished to be seated. I know, it’s all coming to a slow boil and all this time, I was thinking it was neither the time nor the place to ‘vent’. At the back of my mind, I kept telling myself that what I could say in this blog will do way more damage than anything I could say to these sad pathetic condescending un-customer-centric waiters/waitresses.

 

next door, pretty much in the same vein

 

though the people here were fractionally 'friendlier'

 

outdated magazines

Temper in check, we went to the store beside to have our lunch. I ordered the much-touted Fried Fish n Chips while Cat tried their Spaghetti Carbonara.

 

'fried' fish & chips...

 

... or was it fish fritters?

 

spaghetti carbonara chicken

 

right out of a can? 

 

the beverages

 

all smiles, as always

 

time to put the camera away

 

tolerably priced

The verdict? Biases aside, we found their western fare to be unremarkable, and I was particularly not impressed with the fact that the much-touted Fried Fish n Chips was nothing more than fish fritters. Cat thought the Spaghetti Carbonara was something straight out of a can that she could just simply whip up at home. We however understand why this place received much hype online; the damage came to a respectable RM27.55, which explains the popularity.

So if you’re in the mood for some Western cuisine at relatively low prices but don’t mind being served by disdainful and pompous waiters/waitresses, then by all means come here. Us? We’ll just give it a pass.