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Food Therapy For The Soul

Lemon grass has long been used for its therapeutic properties.  Some massage oils contain essence of lemon grass, there are also tea with lemon grass and lemon grass drinks. Lemon grass is also used in cooking due to its sweet and soothing smell it eminates.  Its soothing and calming oil properties help the human body to invigorate itself and rejuvenate the senses through the blood.  Lemon grass too have been traditionally used to fend off flatulance in one's body.  It is no wonder that in Thailand, warm or cold lemon grass drink mixed with sugar is a common drink in hotels to welcome guests.  Even their cold towels are dipped water mixed with lemon grass as the aromatherapy of it, soothe the senses and relaxes the mind.  Almost everywhere you go in Thailand, lemon grass is used in many ways to relax and calm the body and mind.

        That is why not far from Kuala Lumpur, lies a quiet restaurant that extensively uses lemon grass and it is located in the bustling beehive area that serves great food.  So good is the food, I would dubbed it as the "Food Therapy for the Soul".  At first, your mind would be active in absorbing the ambiance and interior of the restaurant.  When the food is served, it is an orchestra of fantastic smells and fireworks of taste that blends together for an orgasmic finish which leaves you just...breathless.  This fantastic restaurant is called BumbuBali.  BumbuBali is a Balinese concept in food and decoration. 

The Restaurant
BumbuBali doesn't just feed your sense of smell and taste but also your eyes and ears.  The over all ambience of the restaurant is totally Balinese, from the decoration the moment you step in, to the authentic Balinese gamelan music that is played.  One may think that they might have stepped into a spa by mistake as the soothing gamelan music is heard throughout the restaurant.

Merchandise Items For Sale As Soon As You Step In

There are 2 levels of dining area for dine in guests at BumbuBali.  The lower level holds a long bar but lesser tables for diners as it too houses some authentic Balinese merchandise which you can purchase and the prices are reasonable.  The merchandise items range from simple ornaments to hand painted small sized surfboards to reflect that the island of Bali is also a surfer's paradise.  Some of the items would be worth getting such as the cloths and hand crafted wooden items. 

        After making your way up through the wooden spiral staircase, you will be welcomed by several large paintings.  Right at the top of the staircase you will get to see numerous newspaper and magazine clippings regarding the restaurant.  BumbuBali has been featured in many food and culinary newspaper and magazine sections, just to show that the said restaurant has a good reviews and credibility in the food and service given.  The level above features a larger dining and seating area.  It has the same airy feeling as the dining area on the ground floor as the windows are widely open and there is mistyfier all around the openings of the windows with large fans blowing cool air into the dining area.  The level above is dotted with many large plants and pictures and frames of the island and wood carvings on the walls.  Also a point to note is the clothed salamanders stuck to the walls as though it is crawling towards the ceiling.  The all wooden furniture just adds to the atmosphere of the restaurant and those seated next to the windows have higher tables and chairs for them to look out of the restaurant.  Onced inside, the surroundings and decoration will make you forget that you are actually in Kuala Lumpur.  The restaurant has the aire to make you feel relaxed and unwind, very much like a spa.

The Food
What makes BumbuBali special is their food.  Balinese food differs from the all too plenty Padang type of cooking which is widely available in KL.  It is richer in flavour and the usage of spices is more abundant.  The first impression you get when you open up the menu that the restaurant offers is, the difficulty to choose what to eat and to understand what each dish is about.  They have an extensive variety of food and drinks to choose from with exotic Indonesian names tagged to it.  The drinks section itself is divided into alcoholic and non-alcoholic where the latter has a wider portion to choose from.  Beware, as food portions served in this restaurant is huge and if you are a small eater, ordering a dish may require 2 or 3 people to finish it.

BumbuBali restaurant's speciality dishes are simply fantastic.  When you are there, these signature dishes are worth a try:

• Campur Campur Tiga - very similar to Triple Play dishes you would find as entrees at TGIF, HRC and Planet Hollywood, this dish comprises of Satey Lilitan, Cumi-Cumi goreng and spiced up chicken wings with different dippings.
• Nasi Campur BumbuBali - a small portion of Nasi Uduk with fillet of marinated grilled fish, a choice of rendang ayam or daging, grilled prawns and squid which is  lightly marinated, 'rempeyek' a sort of Javanese keropok which my grandma always make to accompany her tea time and small  bowls of sambal, chili padi potong dipped in oil and acar.
• BumbuBali Famous B-B-Q Combo meals - they have chicken and lamb, chicken and fish, fish and lamb, beef and chicken and the combination goes on.  This combo comes with garlic mashed potatoes and refreshing coleslaw.
• Nasi Ma Pasih - basically similar to Nasi Campur BumbuBali but with less dishes.

        Okay those are some of the signature dishes which you just have to try when you get there.  They also cater a wide variety of western food, but cooked Balinese style.  That means that the flavours and marinate used is Balinese which makes the food, more authentic and goes well with the environment.

Food Review
I was there with some friends for Buka Puasa and this is what I ordered. After ordering we were served with a small plate of kuih and a small bowl of dark suspicous looking liquid.  Immediately I thought, that this is the brown sugar sauce for the kuih as the kuih looked sinisterly similar to what I have eaten before at hotels and restaurants.  I was informed that the liquid is actually for us to drink!  I was suprised, as the dark looking substance had to be dark brown sugar or gula melaka that you pour over the kuih.  To my suprise, its actually cool sugared lemon grass water with cincau.  It was indeed a great thirst quencher as the properties of lemon grass and cincau instantly wetted our parched mouth and soothed our dry throats.  The kuih served had some grated cocount over it and taste very similar to some of the kuih you would buy at Pasar Ramadhan.  The drink which I ordered is somewhat unsual for a place like this.  I had the Mojito with Lemon Grass.  The real Mojito drink is alcoholic and is popular in Latin countries especially Cuba.  The real Mojito would contain rum, Sprite or 7-Up with mint leaves and lime.  It is a refreshing drink.  Here in Bumbubali, the Mojito is of course, non-alcoholic and is concoted of soda water, a bit of sugar, essence of pandan, green coloring, lime and mint leaves and of course, 2 sticks on lemon grass.  It offers the same thirst quenching properties as the real Mojito but without the alcohol.  Great, tho it could use Sprite or 7-Up instead of soda water because the essence of pandan would just go great with it and the sweetness of Sprite or 7-Up would be more quenching.

        Next came my dish of Nasi Campur Bumbubali which was served on a woven rattan plate layered with banana leaf.  Almost all their signature dishes are served this way to bring out the flavour of the food as it is served traditionally on banana leaves.  Now this Nasi Campur BumbuBali is strictly for those who have a large appetite.  What comes with the plate is something that needs a large stomach to digest.  It comes with Nasi Uduk.  Nasi Uduk is a boiled rice prepared with some tapioca.  You can even opt for Nasi Kuning which is yellow glutinous rice.  On the plate comes with grilled fillet of fish.  The fish is succulent and cooked to perfection.  It has the perfectly grilled aroma and almost has a hint of natural sweetness to it.  My option of rendang chicken is also another dish bustling  of wonderful spices and taste.  Not your typical dry rendang, this wet chicken rendang is not hot but filled with herbs and spices.  The grilled squid is another thing.  It is marinated before being grilled thus won't give you the tastless rubbery feeling and so goes with the grilled prawns.  Somehow, there is a hint of charcoal after taste which makes me wonder if they actually grilled it over a charcoal pit.  If that is not enough, they even give you a stick of Satey Lilitan.  Satey Lilitan is actually fine minced chicken with herbs and spices, wrapped around a stick of lemon grass and grilled.  The chicken meat is infused with the flavours of the lemon grass from the inside out as it is being grilled.  To help achieve a more mouth watering sensation, 3 small bowls accompany the large rattan woven plate which is the sambal which is red but not spicy, the acar which produces a stronger sweet sour salty mix that goes well with the Nasi Uduk and the cut chili padi suspended in oil.  I like this the best.  The oil would give a sorta of basil like flavour just like what olive oil would do to pastas.  Very unfamilar that such Asian cooking more over Balinese cooking would require the usage of additional oil, like what the Italians do.

After such a large portion of food, to while away the oils and spices I decided to order the Cincau Jelly with Rambutan in Iced Lemon Grass water.  Was I in a suprise that it too came in a large soup bowl and the pieces of cincau was enormous.  It had slices of rambutan in it covered with ice cubes on top in sugared lemon grass water.  Very similar to what I had in the beginning in the small bowl but in a very large portion.  Just sipping through it is like drinking another glass of cincau water with rambutan and lemon grass.  It did though cool me down a lot tho and wash away the oils and spices of the food.

        I did manage to sample some of the Cumi Cumi Goreng (deep fried squid) on my friend's Campur Campur Tiga plate.  The batter they used for the cumi cumi is simply outstanding.  Not dry but tasty and the aroma of seafood sticks to the batter.  Another sample I had was the a portion of the large Famous BumbuBali B-B-Q Combo of chicken and lamb.  I have never seen a piece of lamb shoulder that large.  It is larger than the palm of my hand and there were 2 pieces of it.  The B-B-Q lamb is cooked until tender and the spices used made it taste very much like stewed lamb.  Perhaps if they went easy on the gravy, it would have made the lamb's taste more prominent instead of the gravy.

    There were other food which I did not manage to sample it as my belt was bursting at its seams.   The food portion is just huge and there are too many things that looked extremely tempting.  I heard the Fudge Brownie served with ice cream was delicious but I had to resist the tempation of sampling it over the fear of passing out from over eating.  One definitely had to do repeated visits just to taste all the dishes they have there.
                                                                                            A sample of Campur Campur Tiga - Triple Play

   

Location
BumbuBali is located in a bustling beehive at Bandar Puteri, Puchong.  Its location is somewhat hidden from the main road thus you won't be able to spot it from there.  The area itself is food haven with numerous restaurants at almost every corner shoplot from KopiKau cafe, Ketam Stim Seafood, Steamboat, Nyonya restaurants and so many others.  If you have no idea where to go for your dinner, just take a drive there and you will end up eating at one of the eateries.

To get there, take the LDP from Sunway to Puchong.  After paying the RM1 toll at Sunway, keep right to take the flyover towards Puchong, Cyberjaya, Putrajaya.  Go straight till you pass IOI mall and TESCO on your right.  Just after TESCO, standby to keep left as there is a flyover to turn left to Bandar Puteri.  As soon as you turn left at the flyover, keep right immediately to turn right.  Giant would be on your left.  After you turn right at the traffic light turn right again in the shophouse area and proceed straight.  Just before you exit back out towards the LDP there is a turning to the left.  That should be Jalan Persiaran Puteri 1 and BumbBali is no 18, a corner lot double story shop.  Here is a Google Earth map to help you align yourself to the location.  Hope you had a pleasant read.

   
Click any of the images to enlarge.  All pictures except Google Earth were taken with Samsung SGH D600 mobile phone.

Aunty Aini's

Out in the boondocks way away from 'civilization' lies a small and very quaint 'kampung' style restaurant called Aunty Aini's.  When I first heard of the place and where the location was, I went "Huh?"  Never knew there was a such a restaurant with such a name.  The usual names for such restaurants in that area would normally be called ' Something something Tom Yam ' or ' Restoran XXX Masakan Thai '.  To hold such fancy restaurant name in that area was somewhat peculiar for me and you would know why after I tell you.

My first thoughts of Aunty Aini's, was some way out place in the kampung but with a modern twist.  I mean, just imagine, in the kampung somewhere you have an English name for a restaurant where the community predominantly is filled with Malay folks.  I had the chance to sample some of Aunty Aini's just last week, after our Satria GTi Club's track day session in Sepang International F1 Circuit.  It seemed very logical to have our break of fast there after such a tiring and sweltering day at the track during the fasting month.

The Restaurant

Aunty Aini's restaurant has this laid back feeling of being back in the kampung.  To those who stay in the city and hardly go back to their hometown, one can relate to the kampung ambience where the restaurant is surrounded by trees, chicken and cats roaming freely around the restaurant.  True to the name, Aunty Aini's setup is very rustic and rural.  Guess that is what 'em city slickers would like.  To get away from the normal high flying attitude like restaurant and go back to basics.  A place where they can remember home.  That is why it is called 'Kampung Cafe'.  Aunty Aini's couldn't hold such a large crowd.  Full capacity would prolly be around  80 pax.  There is an area where you sit under the open clouds and another that is sheltered plus a special area, where you sit cross legged around a very low Japanese like table ala kampung style.  So, imagine having your hot rice with authentic kampung dishes served to you on a very low table with you sitting cross legged feasting on such delicacies would just be bliss.  After a heavy meal, sit back and relax and listen to the slow and soft jazz and R&B tunes being belted out the speakers of the restaurant.  Although the restaurant may look small and it is filled with plants and trees and the birds and bees, you can be sure of a place to sit to have your food.  This place would remind you of other restaurants where the location is in town, but they try to have the setting with a kampung mood like Naili's in Ampang and Sentul.

The Food

What is served at Aunty Aini's?  Well thats the special part.  Aunty Aini's speciality is the kampung cooked dishes.  Some of these authentic home cooked dishes would just whet your appetite.  Dishes such as ' Daging Salai Masak Lemak Cili Padi ', ' Ikan Jenahak Asam Pedas ', ' Sambal Tumis Udang ', ' Ayam Kampung Goreng ' would just send some city dwellers making a beeline to the restaurant.  Apart from having authentic kampung styled dishes, Aunty Aini's also belts out local dishes like Tom Yam and other stuff and also Western food.  Yup, when I was there, I saw huge portions of steaks, chicken chops and even pizza being served to patrons.  So if you have a sensitive tongue to the taste of chillies, you can opt for the bland western food.   If chillies are your thang, then to cool you off, Aunty Aini's has an assortment of blended drinks.  I had the Lemonade Freeze and let me tell you, it is guaranteed to wake up the sleepy eyed after a heavy meal and cleanse your pallatte.  Aunty Aini's also has this cute little hut that looks like a bar where they serve ice cream from.  Well sort of your ice cream hut instead of a beach bar.

The Location

Now trying to find Aunty Aini's on your oen may be a little bit hard as it is a little way off from any town.  The restaurant's location is infact, just beside a busy little trunk road that heads towards Salak Tinggi.  I'll try my best to describe to you how to get there.  There are actually 2 ways for you to approach the restaurant.  One way is through the North South PLUS highway where you exit at Nilai town while the other is from KLIA airport.  I'll describe the one from the airport as that was the route that I took to get there.

From KLIA toll heading towards the KLIA airport, take a left towards the Sepang International F1 circuit.  Once you have turned left, you will head towards a roundabout and go straight which is 12 o'clock.  Go straight all the way until you see a traffic light and take a left.  From there proceed straight till you see another traffic light and take another left towards Salak Tinggi and Nilai.  You will see a small traffic light that turns slightly to the left and right.  Take the RIGHT.  Proceed straight and you shall pass several more traffic lights and also a Petronas petrol station.  Aunty Aini's is some  few kilometers on your left after the Petronas petrol station by the side of the road.  I would advise that you travel slowly as Aunty Aini's restaurant is partly hidden and if you travel fast on that trunk road, you will definitely miss it as you would mistake it for another person's house.  Parking is a wee bit hard, so you have to make do by parking by the roadside.  Make sure you are well inside the dirt road and not to park haphazardly as that trunk road is busy with vehicles plying it.

Summary

Aunty Aini's is a great restaurant to get away with that special someone.  It is some sort of a getaway restaurant away from the hustle and bustle of the town.  You can take your time to eat and relax in a nice kampung environment.  I would suggest you bring a few of your close friends, get the area where you sit cross legged on the floor and order your hot steam rice with authentic kampung dishes.  You may even get to share your dishes with the local cat that roams the restaurant to give you an even more authentic kampung feel.  Try it, and I guarantee, it would be a great place to unwind.  Another one of those, 'well kept secret' restaurants.

Hope you had a pleasant read.

All pictures were taken with Samsung SGH-D600 phone

Japanese Food-soh

Since-o da Japhang GT will be coming soon-des, I thought-o it would be most appropriate to write-o about Japhan-ese food-soh. Sorry about my extremely bad impersonation of a Japanese but, Hait! We are talking about Japanese food.  Aaahh..one of my blissful pastimes. Nooo not Jap women or Jap cars but Japanese food.  Just thinking of Unagi's and Sashimi and Sushi is enough to make me drool anytime of the day.  So in love I am with Japanese food that I attended 2 Japanese food classes last year which I blogged about.  Yummy!

The other day I had the opportunity to have some decent Japanese food.  My cravings for Japanese food are usually satisfied with a trip to Jaya Jusco's supermarket section where they already have wrapped sushi's and you pick out the ones you want and I would always pick up at least 4 Unagi Sushi's to complement my Ebiko, Sake and other fishy sushis.  Most to most I would visit Sushi King if I have the cravings for Chawan Mushi and Soft Shell Crab. Hardly would I go to a proper Japanese restaurant for a sit down meal because I never thought it was worth it, until recently.  My makan partner had a craving for Unagi (grilled eel) and so off I went to search for a nice Japanese restaurant around Kuala Lumpur/Selangor/Subang Jaya etc. 

After doing some research on the net (and asking a few people) its seems that each reviewer would give a different answer from Sheraton Subang Jaya, Concord Hotel, PJ Hilton, Hyatt Saujana and some place in Subang Jaya.  Even reading the reviews from the net, they would have different locations reviewed by different people for different purposes and taste.  This is similar to your Italian restaurants which are almost everywhere in the Klang Valley but not all of them are really good.  Looking through Friedchillies website, we decided to go to Saisaki, which is a popular Japanese buffet restaurant which had many good reviews.  So off we went for dinner at Saisaki in Menara OUA 2 at Jalan Pinang.  Little did we know that Saisaki there is closed for renovations and only after that did I know that they opened a new one in 1Utama (sheesh...).  So off we trotted to the next nearerst good Japanese restaurant which was is Equatorial Hotel's Japanese restaurant,  and it came highly recommended by my colleague.  You know I don't really write about restaurants which are usually already popular nor ones that are in hotel's but this one deserves a mention.

Kampachi is located on the 2nd floor of Equatorial Hotel.  It is serves exquisite Japanese cuisine trained by the culinary masters of Ginza. 
The Restaurant
The restaurant itself is fairly decorated.  Unlike some other Japanese restaurant that gives you that 'out-of-country' experience, Kampachi's decor is mild.  Nothing much to say about it but the environment is busy and bustling with guests having good conversations with their friends over the meals.  A tad to noisy for my liking but then, I guess thats the normal environment for Japanese restaurants in Japan.  The dining area is simple and so are their tables and chairs.  They do have private Tatami function rooms though, for your privacy with VIP guests or family members but you do need to have that room booked in advanced as to my suprise, Kampachi was fairly packed with patrons that night.  As this is a 'Halal' restaurant, you do see many Muslim diners there too enjoying their meals.

The Food
Since we were desprately hungry (because Saisaki is closed) we immediately ordered.  It consisted of Unagi (duh...but of course), Tempura fried Osysters, Chawan Mushi, Seaweed soup and of course, vinegared rice.  The Seaweed soup came first.  It is in an almost clear broth and the seaweed was just thick and juicy.  This is one seaweed that looked more like slices of Aloe Vera than seaweed.  It was thick and the soup was nicely salted, almost like using the saltiness of the seaweed to make up the taste of the soup.  The Unagi came next and the Tempura Osyters with Chawan Mushi.  Unagi was juicy and tantalizing.  It didn't drip as much soy sauce like the ones you buy from Jaya Jusco nor was the eel overly coated with it.  Perfectly grilled, it was springy to the touch but succulent inside.  Perfect with the vinegared rice that we had.  The Tempura Fried Oysters were lightly coated with tempura flour.  Lightly fried, the oysters remained soft and juicy inside the batter.  It went very well with the radishes and mustard that was served with the dish.  The Chawan Mushi to me was just so so.  It had all the normal ingredients and was double boiled nicely.  When I attended the Japanese cooking class, Cawan Mushi was one of the tedious dishes to as you need to make sure that the white egg is cooked perfectly.  It cannot be under nor overly cooked as the taste will be very different.  I regretted not ordering any sashimi or sushi that night but after those few dishes, we were already full.  Well not full enough to gobble some Leonida's chocolates downstairs at E'toile Bistro before going back..hehehe.  Price wise, Kampachi's food is fairly priced for a decent Japanese restaurant, but do bring some extra moolah if you decide to order more food.

L-R: Unagi (partially hidden), Tempura Oysters and Chawan Mushi below it

We staggered out of Equatorial Hotel feeling contented with the Unagi and seaweed soup that we
had and vowed to try other Japanese restaurants once a month.  It seems that each Japanese restaurant has its own speciality.  One may be good with Unagi while the other may be good with sushi or sashimi or tempura.  So other restaurants left to try would be Saisaki, Ozeki Tokyo, Moritomo and prolly other Japanese restaurants.  If you yearn for Japanese food, hell, why don't you drop me a line.  If I decide to go with you, then you are the lucky one *smiles*.  Hope you had a pleasant read.

- It is not the place nor the food, its the company you're with that makes the food taste better -

Ikan Bakar Ratus

Ahh lunch time in KL.  If you are trapped in the rat race in KL during lunch hour and would like to treat yourself or a prospective business associate, why not bowl him/her over at this very unique place slighty out of Kuala Lumpur area, but definitely satisfying.  There are not many places in Kuala Lumpur where you can find ikan bakar for lunch.  Many would be at a proper Malay restaurant but even that, its not hot and tantalizing enough.  Many people know about the ikan bakar (grilled fish) place at Jalan Bellamy which is behind Istana Negara.  Many many reviews have been made regarding that place, and to those of you working around the KLCC area, would definitely know about that other ikan bakar place off Jalan Stonor, across the used-to-be Bon Ton Restaurant.  For your information, the ikan bakar place at Jalan Stonor is no more there.  It has been closed for sometime now and I don't know where they are now.  Those of you who have info, please let me know okay?

The Restaurant
Now this other place that I am reviewing is in Jalan Ulu Kelang.  Its a medan selera (food court like) area infront of Sapura.  It opens only on weekdays at noon till evening.  This place is called, Warisan Rasa Kuala.  Warisan Rasa Kuala has been there for ages.  Only those working around that area or stay within that housing area would know where it is.  One glance and you won't find it.  Its an outdoor medan selera type place and only a few stalls are open during the day for lunch.  Seating is abundant and there is a parking area for you..but its kinda limited.  One thing that you will instantly notice about this place is that, its very smokey and I guess you should know why.  The restaurant has a very nice feel to it because the owner has made some nice touches to his seating area.  Its like a small garden.  You may want to sit near a blowing fan though and slightly away from the grill as during the day, it can get a tad hot, especially after you've tucked in a good share of grilled fish and chicken with its kuah asam.  Another thing you would also notice about this restaurant is that, unlike other restaurants which you have to order plain water, this restaurant leaves a container of plain water on the table with some plastic cups to go with it. So that means, plain water all around - self service and not only that, the container that holds the plain water is made from crafted clay called 'Labu Sayong' (water calabash). Don't know what clay means?  Its that earth and mud that you mold with a bit of water to make those pots of plants, but this Labu Sayong has a different making process so that it holds the water nice and cool.  It is also said to be able to 'cure' certain illnesses if you drink the water from Labu Sayong.  One thing that I know, is that the water kept in there is refreshing and cool.  It could just be my imagination, trying to deceive myself into telling, yeah, it does actually work but then hey...you try it for yourself ok?

The Food
Speciality food here is non other than their ikan bakar.  They have a lot of varieties from Cincaru, Kembong, Pari (rayfish) and Keli (catfish).  The fishes are grilled as early as 11.30am to cater for the hordes of people that would come during lunch hour.  You can specify which fish you want, if you don't already see it already done.  The ikan bakar goes with 2 types of kuah asam (dipping sauce).  One is the normal kuah asam and the other with kicap (soy sauce) whereby both has cut chilli padi and also onions in it.  The ikan bakar is self service.  Take a plate, pick the fish thats already been grilled and if not, place your order and wait for it to be grilled and take a small saucer for your kuah asam or 2 saucers if you want to have both varieties of the kuah asam OR just do like I do, pour the kuah asam all over the hot grilled fish...MM..MMM...yummy.  The fishes are grilled to perfection and they use charcoal instead of those normal gas fired with a large flat pan ontop.  So this ikan bakar is the Real McCoy of ikan bakars.  The slightly burnt charcoaled skin and the tender, juicy soft insides of the fish, dipped with kuah asam and hot rice on a hot sunny afternoon...bliss bliss but that is not all....

Apart from their tasty mouth watering, saliva drooling ikan bakar, they also belt out other dishes buffet style.  There is a whole load of other cooked dishes from kari, to gulai, to soups of meat, chicken or fish and other cooked vegetables in so many styles.  The section on gulai kuning itself is just unbelievable, what more the rest of the other dishes. They have gulai kuning nenas, labu masak lemak bercili, ayam masak kicap just to name a few.  All the dishes cooked is authentic kampung style dishes so you get the real kampung cooked food taste.  So if you don't take grilled stuff (scared of carcinogens in the charcoal by products), you can opt for their cooked dishes.  It is way much more than any other restaurant can produce in that area. 

To top the food section off, they have a hearty section of ulam (uncooked wild vegetables).  This is the first time I have seen so many varieties of ulam other than a hotel's restaurant buffet during the month of Ramadhan.  They have ulam raja, ulam pegaga, kacang botol, petai, kerdas and jantung pisang to name a few.  What goes with these ulams?  Thats right...they also have a container of sambal belacan, tempoyak and budu to go along with the ulam.  So picture this.  You are hungry...its noon.  You have just finished a long morning meeting in the office from 8.30am till 12.00.  You skipped breakfast because you were late for the meeting.  You get out of the office, go to Restoran Warisan Kuala and grab yourself a plate of hot rice and you make your way to the ikan bakar section and you get a whiff of the delicious aroma wafting through the air in bundles of smoke.  You take an empty plate, grab the thong and pick up the ikan keli and pari that has already been grilled.  You then set the thong down, take the ladle of the kuah asam and give it a good pour over your hot ikan bakar.  Then you make yourway to the ulam section.  Pick up a few ulam raja leaves and a few sticks of kacang botol.  Pour a little sambal belacan on the side of your plate and prolly a dash of tempoyak.  You sit down, uncover a plastic cup and open the top of the Labu Sayong and pour the cool refreshing plain water.  Say your Doa and dig in, knowing that your boss is away for the whole afternoon after lunch.  BLISS!!  Dontcha wish you wanna go there now?  There is a saying in Malay that when you eat and the food is so good, you won't even notice your mother-in-law passing by (mak mertua lalu pun tak nampak).  Hot plain rice, charcoal grilled ikan bakar succulently done, oozing with its juices and kuah asam to dip with and crunchy fresh ulam raja and sambal belacan is already orgasmic for me.  The only thing to top it off is, if that place is by a cool flowing river, stream or brook and you get to take the day of, cooling yourself in the cool water after lunch..rest at a small hut and after that later in the evening have hot coffee with pisang goreng (banana fritters) with sambal kicap cili (soy sauce with cut chilli padi)..DOUBLE BLISS!!  Thank God its still in the outskirts of KL and I have to go back to work after that...hehe. 

Onced you've done eating the owner will come and calculate your bill.  This place is not that pricey.   If you take dishes such as 2 grilled items like ikan bakar and ayam bakar (yes, they also have grilled chicken), rice, ulam and prolly 1 other dish with ice lemon tea, it would cost you maximum RM15 but let me tell you, its worth paying for it.  Don't be suprised when the owner tells you the bill comes out to 1500 as he calculates it in the hundreds.  Yup, for every RM1 he calls it 100.  So when he tells you your total bill is 2,500, don't faint alright.  Its this uniqueness in the owner calculating the bill that regulars in the area as far as people from Jalan Semarak (UTM and Celcom) know that restaurant as Restoran Ikan Bakar Ratus (hundred grill fish restaurant - loosely translated).  The owner is friendly and as he calculates your bill, most times he will sit with you and have a chat with you too and your friends.  He even prepared a jar filled with sweets for you to take after your lunch to freshen up your breath and its free!  As you walk out (if you face the restaurant and walk towards your right side) you will come across another stall selling authentic Kelantanese desserts and one of them which caught our fancy was Akok Panas (Hot Akok).  This pancake like dessert is sweet, much like the kueh bakar but a lot flatter.  Take it in small bites as its sweet.  You can call it Malaysia's crepe suzzette without any sauce to go with it.  Other dessert that this stall sells is kueh bakar and some other authentic Kelantanese desserts except for Jala Mas. 

Man, that is what I'd call - Power Lunch.  Bring a business associate who just loves kampung food and I guarantee you'd land that deal. 

The Location
This place is located on Jalan Ulu Kelang which runs parallel to MRR2 from Ampang Jaya (near Suzi corner) towards Zoo Negara (National Zoo).  There are 2 routes to that place.

1. Easiest route.  Take the MRR2 from Ampang Point and head towards Taman Melawati or Zoo Negara.  As you travel on the MRR2 just a few kilometres from Ampang Point, keep to the left.  When you see Sapura and Pernec on your left (across the monsoon drain), there will be a turning to the left just a few hundred metres from there.  This left turn would be under the flyover with a roundabout and traffic light.  Take the left turn and go across the monsoon drain bridge (used to be a real river many many years back y'know), and after crossing the bridge, you will get to a roundabout.  Turn left.  Go straight and pass Pernec and a few hundred metres from Pernec is Sapura.  Slow down and look right.  You will see a Medan Selera there with some parking space under the trees.  Park there and walk into the medan selera.  The restaurant is not visible from the main road so you have to walk into the medan selera.  At one glance, you'd think non of the shops actually operate during the day because it looks like everything is closed.
2. You can approach Jalan Ulu Kelang from a variety of entry points, but you need to get at least to either end of the Jalan Ulu Kelang.  One side you can approach is from Jalan Ampang.  From KLCC head towards Ampang Park or Menara Citibank.  You will come across a big traffic light cross junction.  Go straight and you will pass Land Rover showroom on your right.  Head straight some more and there will be Volvo showroom and Proton Edar showroom along the way and a traffic light to your right but you just keep going straight until you hit the traffic light that can turn LEFT at Great Eastern Mall which is to Jalan Jelatek.  Turn left at the that light and proceed straight until you come across another traffic light that turns to your right which is to Jalan Ulu Kelang  Go straight until you see Sapura on your right.  The medan selera will be on your left hand side.

Its one of those places that you have to go if you love food.  Hope you had a pleasant read.

Jackson's Burger

Since my previous posting regarding Hot Dog heaven, I thought it would be most appropriate for me to write about this review, regarding a local burger and hot dog seller who is popular but still less known to many people.  This burger stand had been around since 1973 and at that time, he was selling his burger and hot dogs at Taman Jaya.  A long way since then, Jackson Burger has been selling since then and hasn't closed shop unlike many other burger and hot dog sellers.  Due to its simplicity and unique flavors in his burgers and hot dogs (unlike Sloppy Joe's), this stand has garnered the publicity from Malay Mail, The Star and other local dailies.

The Stand
Unlike any other usual burger stand which operates at night and infront of 7-Elevens, Jackson Burger operates during the day and infront of his house.  Where else can you get a burger or hot dog in the middle of the day..EVERYDAY!  Jackson Burger has always operated infront of his house since the mid 70's.  I remember passing through his stall whenever my mum wanted to visit our tenant (back then we rented the existing house) in Petaling Jaya.  We were staying in Malacca then (remember my posting regarding Memory Lane..).  If I am not mistaken, back then, it was this current guy's brother who was selling the burger and hot dogs.  At that time since we moved to PJ in 1979, their Jackson Burger was this normal burger stall like the others.  Now, he operates from one of those mobile vans.  One thing funny about this place is, like any other popular food places in Malaysia, its located under a tree (must be something about trees that makes a food place popular, like Nasi Lemak Tanglin, Raju's Place, that kari kepala ikan (fish head curry) in Cheras etc).  To find a place to park at Jackson's Burger is pretty hard especially during lunch time either on weekend or weekdays.  On weekends you will see even exotic cars parked by the road side just to have Jackson's Burger.  Jackson's Burger those days, didn't cater for 'in dine' patrons.  Most of them just 'take away'.  Now with the lunch time crowd that he receives, he has crates of drinks in his chiller box and where do you eat your scrumptious burger and hot dogs?  On the little brick wall at his house or in your cars.  Funny when you pass by and see droves of people just sitting or standing having their lunch at Jackson's Burger.  I guess Jackson's Burger has all the right location and ingredients that makes his customers come again and again to his place.

The Food
Jackson's Burger is cooked simple and neat.  Nothing about those fancy Sloppy Joes or with some extravagant toppings or relishes.  His burgers come with either onions and cucumbers and thats it.  Very much like what you would get infront of those cinemas back then remember?  Ones like infront of Cathay, Rex, Federal, Odeon and the like.  Its cooked with margarine on a flat pan with much love and care.  The place is clean and so is the way that they prepare the food.  Everything is done neatly and even the wrapper is of clear plastic.  I ordered myself a beef burger with egg and a hot dog (cannot tahanlah after seeing Hot Dog Heaven..hehehe).  The burger with egg isn't even wrapped like most other burger stands.  They just fry the burger, and top it with a fried egg on top.  Simple but nice.  Why so many people would go to Jackson's Burger though his food is simple..you tell me when you've tried it okay?  Its just simply mouth watering and I will guarantee, its something you will remember for its simplicity and taste.

The Location
Jackson's Burger is located infront of his house in Petaling Jaya.  It is at Jalan Dato Jamil Rais.  The main road infront of the used to be Lee Lee Lian ballet school, a famous ballet school for kids.

1. If you come from Jaya Supermarket go down that straight road towards Stamford College (used to be Vanto Acadamy and Hino).  When you reach the T-junction, turn right and its about 10m from that right turning on your right.  You stop your car on the left infront of the houses and walk across the road.
2. If you know where the Jalan 227 Medan Selera, the one that has the SHELL station or NAZA (yeah that one way road), just go straight towards Jaya Supermarket or Cold Storage.  You will see it on your right.
3. If you come from Handymart side (Rothmans roundabout, Sec 16, 17 that area), at that traffic light infront of the Masjid Bulat (round mosque), take a right and just proceed straight passing 2 more traffic lights.  It is some 2km from the lights on your left.

If ever you are in Petaling Jaya area and would like to have lunch, why not try something different and have Jackson's Burger for lunch.  A quick and simple lunch to get you going in no time.

Hope you had a pleasant read.

-Pictures and video taken with Samsung D600- (hoping for Samsung to sponsor me the D870 or D900 in the future...hehehe)

Hot Dog Heaven

Did you ever get to see an episode in Travel and Living about Hot Dog Heaven?  Man, it was something which was this close --> <-- to make me go out and grab myself a hotdog from the nearest hotdog stall at some 7-Eleven anywhere near my house.  It was very tantalizing to watch that on an empty stomach at 2.30am.  Well, I had a hotdog earlier, 1901 at Low Yat after an hour's worth of walking around and finally purchasing a Belkin WiFi router for my office (yup, now I can be connected anywhere in the office without having to tug that LAN cable PLUS, I got the super duper range model, the of course more expensive version that can go up to 300m!!  Which means, I should be able to get connected even if I'm at the next building or prolly at the popular basement coffee shop that I we go to for breakfast and after work drinks.  Hrmm...makes me think of getting a PDA then..ehehe.  Nah, gotta save money for..for..eer...the future *grin*.

Okay back on track, Hot Dogs.  You've had them, you've seen them and in Malaysia, hotdogs are cooked in almost the same way, if they're from Ramli lah.  What I meant was that its fried over the flat pan.  Well thats different in the States.  Everytime the host mentions a place, I looked it up under Google and guess what?  At least 3/4 of the places the host mentioned, has a website.  Yup, selling hotdogs can get you a website.  Its funny though I thought.  Here in Malaysia, some established commercial companies don't even have a website and here in the States, restaurants selling hot dogs have their own website.  I mean c'monlah...they sell hotdogs man!  I bet if nasi lemak was popular in the States, you'd prolly get nasi lemak websites too. 

Some of the hotdogs places that was shown was pretty unique I might add.  Let me go through some of those that was shown:

1. Puka Dog in Hawaii.  What a name for hotdog restaurant.  The name Puka comes from the Hawaiian word 'hole'.  The one piece hotdog bun is cooked inside out by poking it thru a stainless steel stake called a puka stake.  This stainless steel stake makes a hole in the hotdog bun and toasts the inside of it.  Then, a cooked hotdog is placed inside this hole and the relish is then put inside it too.  Now what makes it different and since its in Hawaii, is that the relish is made from fruits.  Instead of your usual relish or garnish of mustard, ketchup, onions, tomatoes or cucumbers like in Malaysia, they have mango, coconut, papaya and banana relishes.  They do have the usual onions and mustard combo but what makes this place unique are those fruity relishes.  Customers find it very tasty and the combination of spicy dog plus sweet relish is explosive.  Now that is something I would just love to try.

2. Papaya King Hot Dogs in New York.  What a funny name for a hotdog restaurant and especially in New York right?  Papaya King has been selling hotdogs since 1939!  Yup, longer than what any Malaysian would know what a hot dog is back then.  Can you imagine, they have been selling hotdogs since 1939.  The place started off as a fruit stall and later introduced fruit drinks and later hot dogs.  Well, thats a nice humble start.  One thing about these hotdog places, they have nice names for their hotdog menus.  Let's take this place for example, they have the 'Home Run', 'Slaw Dog' and '100% All Beef Spicy' hot dogs.  It seems that this hot dog restaurant is one of the most popular ones in New York city.  So if you are there, don't forget to try some of this stuff and let me know k?

3. Snack Nook in Las Vegas.  This little place, a snack bar at the Slots-A-Fun Casino in Las Vegas serves the cheapest and largest hotdog.  Their 1/2lb hotdog sells for only 99cents.  Believe it or not.  Yup, that is half-a-pound of meat for only 99cents.  Read my lips..I meant type written words, 99cents.  Are these guys nuts?  How can you make money by selling a 1/2lb sausage for just 99 cents?  This seems to be the speciality food for Slots-A-Fun casino.  People would go there and order 1 and some even share it with 2 or 3 people.  They just cut it in 3 pieces and share it because, it is so much longer and thicker than the footlong (ladies, stop grinning ok!).  If you think that people will get fed up of that hotdog well think again.  According to its owner, they serve an about 800 1/2lb dogs a day, thats 400lbs of sausages.  Amazing! I guess you do work up and appetite when you gamble but also according to the owner again, "Even if you lose your money at the slots or tables, you won't go hungry".  At 99 cents for a 1/2lb hotdog, who would?

4.  Ted's Hotdogs at Amherst.  This chain of hotdog restaurants have been around since 1927.   What?!  1927 also got hotdog?  Well, can't complaint since I had 1901 just now...heeee.  Okay, so whats so famous about Ted's that according to the host, some people actually flew all the way across America to taste Ted's hotdogs?  Well, first, its charcoal broiled.  Now when you have it charcoal broiled, you will definitely know that cooking a hotdog that way, seals all the juicyness and flavour inside the hotdog but yet cook it nicely all around PLUS you get that charcoal bbq pit taste with its smoke.  Second, Ted's hotdogs are famous for its home made secret sauce which makes it very popular amongst people who dined there.  Now, this secret sauce is actually their chilli sauce dogs. Well, it looks a lot like Coney Dogs from A&W but as you know, chilli dogs are more spicy and delish. It looked mighty potent on the tv screen when they showed it cooking in this pressure cooker filled with chilli gravy.  Now, the chilli is a 'family' secret and tradition.  Thats why Ted's is very popular for its Chilli Dogs.  So much so, they even have bottled Chilli's for those who miss the taste so much and would love to bring the taste back home.

5.  Rutt's Hut in Clifton New Jersey.  Now this hot dog restaurant is different from any other hot dog restaurants.  This restaurant features its deep fried hotdogs.  Thats right, anyother hot dogs would either be boiled, charbroiled or at least fried on a flat pan (like what our Ramli burger stalls do here in Malaysia).  This place, Rutt's Hut has been doing deep fried hot dogs and thats the way their guest just love it.  Its crunchy and greasy.  It may even be the ugliest looking hot dogs you have ever seen (guess they haven't seen Malaysia's Sloppy Joe's dogs that I reviewed before..hehehe).  Their famous dogs in Rutt's Hut is called the 'Ripper'.  Now the 'Ripper' means to have your hot dog deep friend until the skin of the hot dog breaks and rips apart exposing the meaty interior.  When it rips, is when you know that the hot dog is done to perfection.  If you're adventurous person, you'd prolly want to take their 'Cremator' a try.  Do you remember the time when you left a hot dog on the barbie and forgot about it?  Yup, thats the 'Cremator' and its dark brownish almost black super well done hot dog.  It is very crunchy and its an aquired taste to handle the overcooked hot dog.  Same like the rest, Rutt's Hut has a special relish that is made out of several different types of vegetables smothered on top of the hot dog.  This special relish, looks a lot like the stuff you get at Indian banana leaf rice shops, you know, that one vege where they plonk it on the banana leaf.  This special relish is also another 'secret family recipe'.

6.  Pink's Chili Dogs in Los Angeles.  This hot dog restaurant I remember it being showcased in Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour when Tony visited LA.  This restaurant has been serving hot dogs since 1939 and its location is what made it famous.  Just a stone's throw away from all the film studios, it gets it patronage from films stars as well as the general public.  The owner said that it was the place where Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore (back then lah).  This hot dog restaurant serves the most varieties of hot dogs and that the dogs there, just don't look like your normal everyday hot dog.  Its toppings and relishes are just to unbelievable to believe.  Just click on the link and you'll see the numerous varieties of hot dogs that they have.  You can hardly fit the hot dog in your mouth if you order one of their speciality hot dogs...its that large with all the toppings on top.  As the restaurant name suggests, I guess it would be an attraction to some people who just loves the color pink *wink* and oh yeah, the restaurant was featured in dozens of newspapers and magazines in Los Angeles.  Make sure to try it out if you are in LA the next time you're there.

7. Nu-Way Weiners in Georgia.  Way out in Georgia is where you will find the best hot dog in the state, the Nu-Way Weiners.  What makes this weiner or hot dog different from the rest?  Its the hot dog itself...its RED in color.  Yup, the hot dog has been dyed red in color to give it the authentic red weiner look.  The restaurant has been there since 1916 and the restaurant hasn't changed since.  Some of its staff is on their 4th generation of family and that Nu-Way restaurant has gone far since those days.  Their famous red weiners comes with different types of  relishes but most would go 'All The Way' which means, everything on it and many of their customers would swear by it.  To follow their red hot dogs, the staff of Nu-Way restaurant even has bright red t-shirts as their uniforms.  Many of the signage are still in their 40's and so are their customers too.  Now, Nu-Way has gone a long way than just selling hot dogs, they have expanded to selling Nu-Way merchandise even.  You can check it out at their website.

Now just look at all these hot dog restaurants and where their history lies and where they are now.  Almost all the restaurants featured in Travel and Living have their own websites. One thing I realised what makes all these hot dog restaurants last and have their loyalty of customers is their history and of course, their 'secret family recipe' for their relish or sauce.  In order for a hot dog restaurant to be different from the rest, they have to come out with their own special sauce.  That is what makes the difference.  I guess, its very much like our nasi lemak stalls.  Why some are more popular than the other, the differentiator is always the sambal.  Different stalls have their own unique secret recipe for their sambal and that is what makes you remember it.  Contrary to the fact, did you know that the hot dog 1901 that you see all around shopping malls is actually NOT from the United States?  It is actually a Malaysian franchising company that uses the look and feel of American hot dog restaurants.  It fooled me until my sister told me that its not one of those US hot dog restaurants making its way into Malaysia but infact is a 100% Malaysian company.  So next time when you gobble down on a Texas Ted or Chicago hot dog of 1901, just imagine yourself having an American dog somewhere in Chicago or New York.

Hope you had a pleasant read.

Sloppy Joe's

If you happen to be out partying in KL and come back to an empty stomach, why not stop over in Ampang for Malaysia's very own "Sloppy Joe's". A termed which me and my cousin use to describe this unique and particular burger stall in the fringes of KL.  Sloppy Joe's in the States means a burger made out of minced meat and tomatoes and stuff.  The term Sloppy Joes is that when you eat it, the meat and all other goodness just escapes through your fingers as you hold the buns together to take a bite.

In Malaysia and in Kuala Lumpur, I have discovered this particular place, and ONLY this place has Malaysia's very own, Sloppy Joes.

The Stall
The stall is located in front of 7-Eleven in Ampang Jaya, as with any other burger stalls scattered around KL and PJ, and Subang, and Shah Alam, and Klang...etc etc etc.  Ok, basically you can almost find a burger stall, infront of ANY 7-Eleven and that's a fact ok.  This particular burger stall only opens after 9.30pm every night.  If you come early, you will see another burger stall a mere 5 metres away but thats not the right one.  This stall owned by this 'Wak', only starts selling burgers after 10pm.  This is because he comes in at 9.30, sets up his stall and starts cooking his burgers and hot dogs in the dark.  He doesn't switch on his stall lights until after he is ready to sell.

Once his stall lights are on, and you hear the oh to familiar Malay+Hindi music on god-knows-what-radio-channel, then you know he's in business.

The Food

What makes his burger so different from the rest of the other burger stalls?  If you can see from the picture, first, he cooks ALL the hot dogs and burgers.  If you go during the weekend, you will see stacks of chicken, beef burgers and hot dogs, all cooked.  This reduces the waiting time if you want a burger or a hot dog as it is sort of 'pre cooked'.  Now the speciality there is to ask for his 'Burger Special with Cheese' or if you have just come back from a rugby game in the middle of the night or just plundered a small village as part of your hobby and you're hungry like Vikings, then ask for his 'Double Special Burger with Cheese'.  Special burger means that the burger is wrapped in friend egg. I will personally guarantee that you will never forget this burger stall.  Unlike any other burger stall, this 'Wak' which means Uncle in Javanese language, has no respect for tidyness in his cooking, and that is what makes it great.  He cooks is just the way he wants it.  There is no recipe, there is no timing and there is disregard for all the laws in cooking a burger.  This is your original sloppy joe's burger.  None of those nicely tidy egg wrapped around your burger.  He just cracks the egg over the flat pan, whisks it around in the greasy oil and you can hear the egg cracking and popping as it gets cooked.  Drops a piece of Cheddar cheese on top of the cooking fried egg, tops it with a burger, a dash of Lea and Perrins sauce and a squeeze of mustard on top.  Messily wraps the fried egg with the melted cheese around the burger and quickly lifts it off the pan and onto the bed of burger bun, stacked with coleslaw, mayonaise and if you like a dash of HP sauce which he calls 'engine oil'.  After the burger is on top of it, he squeezes some tomato or chili sauce and wraps is all out.  Now you won't believe it, but all that melted cheese, mustard, fried egg, chili sauce, mayonaise and oil mixes into this oozing gooey stuff which is just orgasmic.  Check out this video below:

Now when thats done, you wouldn't know which way is up and you'd be cursing at how to eat the burger as its just so messy and the whole burger would be oozing stuff and you may find it very hard to get a mouthful of it without messing your mouth or your cheeks. If you're having the 'Doube Special Cheese' where you have 2 pieces of burger in that sandwich, just squeezing the buns together will definitely slip all the gooey, cheesy greasy goodness out the other end.  Most people would start off by licking the plastic as its just too gooey and the cheese and other stuff is just oozing out of the burger. Its the only burger that has gravy into it, imagine that.  One thing for sure, its hell of a lot cheaper than that McDonalds just a few hundred meters down the road and its 200% tastier than that.  This Sloppy Joes is one of those things which you must have at least once a month, or twice a months if you've just started it.

The Location
Again, the food is useless if you don't know how to get there.  You can approach this place both ways.  If you are from the KL City Centre, take the Jalan Ampang, right up just before Ampang Point.  If you know where Suzi's Corner is, its so much easier because you just head towards Ampang Jaya and when you passed the ISKL (International School Kuala Lumpur), its just beside it.  Ok that doesn't make much sense if you still don't know where it is.  From Jalan Ampang, take a left before you hit the flyover to Ampang Point.  At that left corner is Suzi's Corner.  Go straight but keep to your right after that left turn at Suzi's and you will be under the MRR2 flyover.  Turn right at the lights underneath the flyover and proceed straight.  You will pass a huge Petronas station with McDonalds on your right.  Keep going straight.  On your left would be International School Kuala Lumpur.  Keep left and slow down as the junction into that area is unseen.  You will see 7-Eleven signboard and turn left.  There you are.  If you are there early, wait for that guy to start his business.  If you are terribly hungry, may I suggest, Zaini's Satay which is located across 7-Eleven.  That satay is really good, but thats another review.  Until then, just to whet your appetite, check out another video.  This will really make up your mind to go there ASAP.  Quote of that night "Dude, have you ever looked at your food and swear".  Well with sloppy joes burger in Ampang Jaya, you will definitely do that.  Hope you had a pleasant read.

The coupe de gras video

What is that..!!??

What in God's name is that!?  Looks like a burger..but its too mushy...or can it?  Stay tuned to find out in Food Stoppe.

Nasi Air Berlauk

Its easy to find food in Kuala Lumpur.  Just look around and you'll see eateries just a mere stone's throw away from where you are standing.  Be it street food ala carte to fancy dining or the now so mushrooming mamak stalls.  Food stoppe is not just a review about these places, but to distinguish the special from the norm.  Sure you can eat anywhere you want and anything you want but when it comes to bringing people, you surely would like to bring someplace special, that not many people know about it because 'it ain't cool' street food or its just plain out of sight.  This is what my reviews are going to be about, the unique, the best out of the rest.  I wouldn't want to waste time in writing reviews of stalls, restaurants of places that is already popular. 

My first food stoppe review, which I have promised all of you that I would have this done onced I get my new handphone is nothing far from Kuala Lumpur.  Infact, its location is right gobsmack centre in the heart of Kuala Lumpur which is Kampung Baru.  To many, when you mention Kampung Baru, its a haven for food lovers.  You have a whole variety of Malay foodstalls to choose from, mostly selling the ever so popular Tom Yam.  Funny as it seem, even in Thailand, its pretty hard to find an area that houses many Tom Yam restaurants and stalls.  Another popular place in Kampung Baru which is even known to foreigners is the Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa.  My review is nothing about these places but although its in Kampung Baru, not many people have been there.  This is Restaurant Johan.

The Restaurant

The restaurant itself is nestled in between the teeming Tom Yam serving restaurants of Jalan Raja Uda.  It has 'alfresco' dining and if you're afraid of a sudden downpour, they have covered dining area.  Parking may be a problem as the restaurant is beside the main road so you may have to source for a good parking area.  If you are bringing friends, my advise is CAR POOL!  You may want to sit outside because it has a lovely view of KLCC and KL Tower and its dinner by candlelight.  Very romantic to bring your some special people or a couple wanting to have some good food, with a good view (make sure its not raining or your date will give you a hard time).

[As you can see, the parking may be a wee bit tight.  Restaurant is well lite]

The Food
Restaurant Johan's specialty is the Nasi Bubur Berlauk (Porridge with dishes).  It is almost like the Chinese Teo Chew porridge where the porridge itself is plain and you have to choose the dishes.  Dishes range from many varieties of salted fish, salted egg, some cooked food like kerabu kerang, limpa, and some fried dishes if you wish like burung puyuh (fried quail), fish and chicken with assorted vegetables.  You can specify the type of cooking you would like with the veggies and if you ask for mix veggies, they'll cook it with soy sauce and add in some fresh mushrooms.

[Choose your variety of cooked or uncooked dishes here to be served with your plain porridge]

For a good sizeable meal, do choose some 3 ~ 4 dishes with your plain porridge if you are eating for 2. Anything more could make you look like a pig eating out..hehehe.  It would be nice to have something thats salty (the salted egg is recommended or the salted tenggiri fish) and something thats sweet or spicy to accompany your porridge as the porridge is very plain and tasteless.  I had several dishes which consists of paru-paru goreng (fried beef lungs, thinly sliced), salted egg, mix fried vegetables and stuffed fried squid.  Pricing would range between RM20 ~ 30 depending on the number of dishes you ordered and the drinks.
[Dine in a romantic candlelight setting alfresco with a view of KLCC and KL Tower]

So if you have no where to go or would like to try something new, why not Restaurant Johan.

Location
Ain't no good telling all the good stuff but don't know how to get there.  If you come from Jalan Raja Laut, that straight road heading towards Jalan Sultan Ismail, just after the turn off to the elevated highway, there is a traffic light that turns left to Kampong Baru.  Take that turning and drive straight till you see Jalan Raja Uda on your right side.  Turn in and voila! you're there.

So hope that this review is informative.  Stay tuned for the ultimate review in burgers with the first ever Malaysian Sloppy Joe's coming your way.  Hope you had a pleasant read.