K.L, Malaysia: Kafe Snowflake

Our short trip to Kuala Lumpur brought up three favourites, two of which we returned to twice. Kafe Snowflake is one of the two of course (the other is an awesome dim sum resturant: review out this Friday), and is really a Taiwanese-inspired chain of iced desserts which would satiate your sugar cravings as well as give brief reprieve from the heat and humidity outside. You might also be interested to know that everything is claimed to be handmade and cooked fresh everyday, with no artificial flavours, artificial colouring or preservatives added. Great reasons to well... order more :)


There's this beeping device (or as they would like to call it, Beeping UFO) that is supposed to beep and flash once your orders are ready for collection. I guess it does help to prevent congestion at the counter, though I'm really more intrigued by what it says on the device: "Psst... Now you know why Taiwan is so much more technologically advanced... ALIENS..." *speechless*


A lot of personal mix-and-matching goes on here, so you can take your pick of things like peanuts, red bean, yam and a range of jellies, as well as fruits like mango, peach and papaya. You should try must order the popular house-special Soy Shaved Ice as your base because it adds a delicious sweetness and milkiness to the dessert.


Grass or sea coconut jellies are also recommended for that added layer of texture. Some of the desserts come with an extra cup of creamer too, but I will leave it up to you on how much you want to crank up on the sugar rush.


If Singapore had such desserts, I'm sure I would have them often. We do have the soy ice-cream from Mr Bean (which I personally quite like) but soy shaved ice with red beans, peanuts and grass jelly seems like an even better deal.


For the less adventurous, there's always the traditional Cheng Tng on offer. Not as satisfying as the others for sure, but does the job of cooling you down too I suppose.

Price
About RM6.50-RM8 each. Pretty large portions by the way.

Place
Pavilion K.L, Units P4.01.00 & E4.01.00
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

K.L, Malaysia: Nando's

There's one fundamental difference between the Nando's in Singapore and the Nando's in Kuala Lumpur - the price. With everything else pretty much identical, you can get say, a half portion of chicken for RM19.90 (slightly over S$8.30 compared to S$17.90 here) or a whole grilled chicken for RM38.90 (about S$16.30, again compared to S$33.90). You can't fault me for feeling somewhat cheated whenever I'm having Nando's in Singapore, but then to-date I've restricted myself to only a single meal anyway, just to make sure the taste is the same.


Since we've already been introduced to Nando's, and I must say it is pretty good grilled chicken, here's just a couple more pictures to (perhaps) get you hungry. Best if you're heading up to K.L soon to satisfy that craving though, else you're paying double here :P




Price
RM10.90 for a quarter portion of chicken
RM14.95 for a quarter portion of chicken with two sides
RM19.90 for a half portion of chicken
RM23.90 for a half portion of chicken with two sides

Place
Pavilion K.L, Unit 1.29.04
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

K.L, Malaysia: Ying Ker Lou

Glenn wanted to try out some Chinese-Hakka cuisine in Malaysia, but since the more popular ones were too far off from where we stayed we settled for this restaurant at the posh Pavilion Kuala Lumpur mall. This is one of the shopping malls in K.L where you would be totally spoilt for choice for food by the way, just look at the food directory at the link here.

Salted Fish and Seafood Fried Rice


I didn't want to be a spoiler for the rest and stuck to my usual Seafood Fried Rice, as I would normally do at Chinese restaurants when others on the table are contemplating ordering pork dishes. The fried rice was quite good actually, with that "wok-hei" flavour and fresh ingredients.

Braised Basil Chicken with Three Cups Sauce


I may not have tasted this dish (commonly known as Sanbeiji), but I could at least let you know that the "three cups" refers to a cup each of soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil that were added to it. One of the popular dishes of this cuisine.

Here's the rest of the pictures, no reviews though since I did not try them.

Hakka Style Yam Abacus



Dong Jiang Style Stuffed Beancurd in Hot Pot



Hakka Style Fried Pork Belly with Black Fungus



Price
RM17.90 for the Salted Fish and Seafood Fried Rice
RM24.00 for the Hakka Style Fried Pork Belly with Black Fungus
RM17.00 for the Hakka Style Yam Abacus
RM23.00 for the Dong Jiang Style Stuffed Beancurd in Hot Pot
RM24.00 for the Hakka Style Fried Pork Belly with Black Fungus

* Prices subject to 10% service charge.

Place
Pavilion K.L, Unit 1.03.00 & 1.04.00
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

K.L, Malaysia: Happy Meal

Many Malaysian food blogs have raved about the durian puffs from Happy Meal at Petaling Street but these did not out to be as great as we would have expected them to be. Perhaps it was a case of overly raised expectations, but we do know it couldn't match up to some of the ones we have here in Singapore - most especially the king of all durian puffs at Goodwood Park Hotel. I'm not saying these blogs were "wrong" or "misleading" of course - taste after all is subjective.



To us, the Durian Puffs weren't as flavourful and rich as we would have liked them to be. The pastry would have been better if it was softer too. Similarly, the Pineapple-Coconut and Almond tarts were a tad hard and dry (beyond the intended crispy outer layer I'm sure) and we couldn't go more than half of each. The rest were quite forgettable.

Price
RM2.80 for four durian puffs
RM2.00 for each coconut tart
RM2.50 for each almond tart

Place
Kafe Happy Meal
143, Jalan Tun H.S. Lee
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

K.L, Malaysia: Nasi Lemak Tanglin

This Nasi Lemak stall took a little walking to get to, but since it was so highly recommended by some blogs and even a food guide endorsed by the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism we thought it would be well worth the time and effort. It's located near the National Mosque as well as close to the Kuala Lumpur Community Clinic. For Singaporeans, don't think this is a "food court" even if it has been described to be so, because it's very much a tiny hawker place.


Truth be told, I found nothing special about the Nasi Lemak, and was in fact apologetic to my peers for making them walk quite a bit to get to this place. The much-raved about Sambal Chilli was too watery and diluted, which didn't help it's star dish - the Sambal Sotong (in case you're wondering, "sotong" means squids).


The Paru Goreng (fried beef lungs) were disappointing as well, as they were too dry and came off as rubbery even. The Grilled Fish, also recommended by many, was the worst of the lot - it was stale and had a smell to it. Oh dear. The only thing that I think I should add is that, just maybe, the Malaysians prefer their nasi lemak and sambal chilli this way and we're just not used to it.

Price
About RM10 per person.

Place
Stall No. 6, Kompleks Makan Tanglin,
3 Jalan Cendarasari, Off Jalan Tanglin,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

K.L, Malaysia: Restoran Chee Meng

Chee Meng Chicken Rice has a fairly long history, dating back to 1965 when it first started out as a humble chicken rice and porridge stall at Old Klang Valley. It's most popular chicken rice shop is now located along the famous Bukit Bintang street in Kuala Lumpur. Chee Meng specialises in Hainanese-style chicken rice but I would leave it to the experts to decide if it is truly authentic, or not. Me, I'm just here to enjoy the food :)


What do you look for in your Chicken Rice? Some people say the rice is the deal-breaker, while others point to the chicken or even the chilli that's served with it. If you like your rice a tad drier and less oily, this one from Chee Meng would do well for you.


The Roast Chicken was disappointing because it was a bit too tough and dry for our liking. If only they had some steamed chicken available on the day we were there.


The Sambal Kangkong was not too bad, but would have been better if it was a lot spicier. We like to "torture" ourselves this way you know, go hissing with all the spiciness, keep going for more, and then come out of it commending the sensuous experience. It's an Asian way of life.

Price
About RM16 per person, including drinks. Not cheap by Malaysian standards.

Place
50, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

K.L, Malaysia: Krispy Kreme

The donut craze has long gone and passed us, but the bigger chains are still trying to hang on here in Singapore and Malaysia. Krispy Kreme has yet to arrive in Singapore though (I doubt it even would in the near future), so the least we could do was try these much-raved about donuts during our little holiday in Kuala Lumpur.


It's no rocket science making these fried, sugar-coated treats, but you have to wonder how they could have started such a frenzy (long, long lines mind you) when places like Donut Factory and J.Co came up. Me, I like the chocolate or nutty ones. And oh, I quite fancy those with a berry filling in the middle too :D


Friends who have been to the States talk about Krispy Kreme as if it's the next best thing to say, Belgian dark chocolates or pizza from Naples. But the ones we got here weren't all too impressive or mind-blowing, and were pretty much similar to the rest of its counterparts.


The jam-filled ones were the best of the lot. Sugar-rush guaranteed.

Place
Berjaya Times Square, G-10
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

K.L, Malaysia: Marrybrown Chicken

Marrybrown Chicken is Malaysia's answer to the world-famous KFC, with a "global reach" of over 250 outlets in countries like Indonesia, China, India, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria and even Iran. The menu is identical to that of KFC's, with the main focus on fried chicken and chicken burgers. If I have to be blunt though, I would say Marrybrown was quite bad and fell flat on expectations - give me KFC and Popeye's anytime man.



Even the colour codes are the same as KFC's red and white! Speak about originality.


The chicken was tiny, thin, dry and tasted bland (uneven marinating I suppose?) on some parts. I wonder if they actually re-fried their chicken due to the low turnover.


The Marrybrown's version of KFC's Zinger Burger was not all too bad, except that it was really small. All-in-all, a waste of calories (and fats).

Price
RM9.50 for the chicken set.

Place
Berjaya Times Square, #03-98A
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

K.L, Malaysia: Restoran W.A.H

Blogs, travel guides, websites, you name it, at one point or another, the popular Jalan Alor food street is bound to come up as you go through the pages looking for something good to try. Even more so, the famous Ayam Panggang (more familiarly known as barbecued chicken (wings)) comes highly recommended by many, so there was no way we could possibly pass up a chance to have a go at this much celebrated hawker treat.


Yet somehow or another, there was a measure of disappointment; or perhaps it was a case of having too high expectations. We've had better in Singapore (the ones at East Coast come to mind) because these were overwhelmingly sweet. Either too much honey or too much sauce. Zaylene did develop a liking for it after a while, so I suppose those who like their barbecued chicken wings sweet would love what Jalan Alor has to offer.


We also ordered some Satay, which to me were actually quite good. Still a bit sweet but not as much as the chicken wings.


The girls wanted some Grilled Stingray, but would have preferred it lathered with lots of sambal chilli instead. Still, I thought the stingray was really fresh and it tasted quite good on its own. If only we had space for more (this was supper mind you), we could definitely have tried out more dishes.

Price
Close to RM50 for all.

Place
Restoran Wong Ah Wah
1, 5 & 7 Jalan Alor, Off Bukit Bintang.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

K.L, Malaysia: Oblong Burger

When we headed up to KL, I knew I would be stacking up the calories on the quintessential Ramly Burger. Malaysia is, after all, the motherland of the Ramly, and the burgers here come at half the price you would get at Singapore's night markets. A new kid has made its presence felt though, and for all its worth I think the Ramly has met its match. Never mind that it's just "90% pure meat", heck sausages are processed too. So ladies and gents, here's presenting: the Oblong Burger.


Because you already know that you're stuffing yourself late into the night with a mayonnaise-packed, oil-soaked burger, the only way to make things better is to do it with style by going double patty and adding a fried egg to top it off. Don't be confused by the Ramly packaging by the way, somehow that's all the wraps that the hawker had.


The result? A delicious supper treat that, for the lack of a better description, puts you on a high like no other local burger would - I dare say, not even the Ramly. Juicy patties (it helped that there were two of them) packed with mayo, peppers, and chilli sauce - it's a cardiac sin, but boy did it feel awesome.

Price
About RM8 for double patties and fried egg.

Place
At the tail-end of Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang.

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

K.L, Malaysia: Lot 10 Hutong

This series of posts is way overdue, almost six months now since the trip in May this year, and knowing the volatility of the F&B business in KL I wouldn't be able to guarantee that these places are still around now surely. Then again, many of the places that you will be seeing on this blog come well-recommended by the Malaysian food bloggers, websites and travel guides; some even were endorsed by the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism. Do all these live up to the hype? You will know soon :)


Of course, some introductions would be necessary. The two ladies on the left (above) are sisters Zaylene and Zoelene, in the middle would be me (much slimmer then I realise) and on the right is Glenn. We wouldn't all call ourselves food bloggers, but we're definitely food lovers. With all those out of the way, let's start with our first pit-stop: Lot 10 Hutong Food Court.


If you're a Singaporean (or at least, have been living in Singapore for quite some time) and you're walking into this food court, you would probably go - This reminds me of Food Republic - because of the predominant wood decor. Hutong also happens to pride itself for rallying some of the city's famous hawkers under a single roof, which is pretty much what Food Republic claims to do as well in Singapore.


For the "food lovers" that we made ourselves out to be, we were disappointingly conservative on our first meal in KL. A lot of it had to do with the fact that we were too hungry to bother to get in line with the more popular stalls. I settled for an unconvincing Nasi Goreng USA (American Fried Rice, whatever that means!) which had just too much tomato sauce in it.


The rest of the table weren't all too impressed with their orders either. The Singapore Hokkien Prawn Mee fell flat on expectations, but to be fair we shouldn't have expected much from something that supposedly originated from... where we come from. Maybe the word "Singapore" was added in as a disclaimer of sorts.


The Hor Fun was forgettable as well, and if my notes serve me correctly it was found to be too bland.


The Popiah (Asian spring rolls) were a tad better, but somehow there was just something missing that didn't quite cut it altogether. The (food) trip wasn't on the best of starts, but at least it can only get better. Hopefully.


Spotted this sign on the way out. I hope it was alluding to the "melting pot" culture metaphor and not for the fact that things were messy / messed up ;)

Price
Less than RM10 each.

Place
Lot 10 Hutong
Lot 10, Lower Ground Floor
Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice

I may be behind the curve on this one, but I'll be honest and say I've not heard about Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice (yes, that's the name of the place) till my colleagues took me there for one of our lunches. We've been back for quite a few times since then, and because good things are meant to be shared, here's something for you to chew on.


The winner here is really the chicken, and by that I mean the steamed chicken. There's this delicious succulence to it that just outshines its drier and less tender roasted counterpart. The rice itself is admittedly quite oily so I usually stick to a single plate. Less rice but more chicken please :D

Price
Me and my colleagues usually share a large serving of chicken and order a side of stir-fried vegetables as well. It should come up to no more than $7 per person.

Place
Blk 38 Commonwealth Avenue #01-02.

Pictures taken with the Apple iPhone 4.