Food Trail @ Damansara Uptown

- Inspired by people who have done numerous food trips all over the place. -

Here's what you'll need:

1) 5 hours of your precious time.

2) Good company - in your terms. A small party of 3 is excellent for the sake of seating convenience.

3) A relatively big appetite. Don't be fooled by the idea of walking around being quickly burning off what you have eaten.
4) Money. About RM35 - RM40 per person should be sufficient in this case.

A tip that will most probably save your lives:

Control yourselves and do not get ambitious at each stop.

Ready, set, go!
p.s. link to the map of this food trail available at the end of this post

Stop #1: Village Park

Yup, no surprise that this is a part of the lot. I can finally say that I have had tasted their nasi lemak. The place was swarming close to 11.00 a.m. and you'll need luck to get a table. Fortunately for us, Carmen managed to get us a spot.

Nasi lemak with fried chicken [RM9.00]

It took ordering through 3 waiters to finally get this dish to our table. The way the rice was done wasn't up to standard (a little towards the dry side and not fragrant enough) but the sambal did some justice. The fried chicken had a gingery hint to it which complimented the rice. In all honesty, I had set some expectations for this place but this turned out to be rather ordinary to me. 

If you wish to have a classic Malaysian breakfast of roti bakar and soft-boiled eggs, you can get them here as well. Might I suggest a cup of kopi ais to accompany them; something I ordered to kick start my day.

Information

Address: 5, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Contact no.: +60377107860

Opening hours: 7.00 a.m. - 8.00 p.m. (Mondays - Saturdays) & 7.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. (Sundays and Public Holidays)

Ratings (out of 10)

André (A): 7.5

Carmen (C): 8.0

Emily (E): 7.0

Stop #2: Ecole P

Located along the same row as Village Park, Ecole P is a restaurant designed for you to reminisce about your primary school days. 

Upon entry, you'll see a whole bunch of your childhood candies, chocolates, biscuits, etc. available for sale.

Anyone's school canteen had cups like these? Mine had styrofoam cups though.

This is the most classic one of all, methinks. I'll let you figure out the significance of the clock. 

Hint: We did not visit at 10.10 a.m. 

This drink is called the Pokemon [RM8.90] which comprised mango, pear, raspberry, lemon, orange and passion fruit juices. It's technically a punch and there were too many competing flavours in one drink. T'was refreshing, nevertheless. 

Chicken chop fried with goldfish biscuits batter [RM16.90] served with a nicely done side of mashed potatoes and mushrooms along with a sour-ish fruity salad. The concept is pretty clever but we found the chicken chop quite ordinary. 

Despite the friendly owner and atmosphere, I personally don't plan on returning knowing that there are cheaper and more filling options around Damansara Uptown. I still, however, recommend that you try this place out at least once because it's not often one discovers such a nostalgic environment.

Information

Address: 19M, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Contact no.: +60377329711

Opening hours: 11.00 a.m. - 10.00 p.m.

Closed on: Thursdays

Ratings (out of 10):

A: 5.0

C: 5.0

E: 5.5

Stop #3: Annie 1 Family Restaurant

We stopped by here to try only one dish: their dry wantan noodles with char siew. 

[RM6.50] The char siew was pretty amazing and no complains about the noodles. We only found the boiled cabbage, instead of the typical field mustard leaves, a little out of place.

We arrived at lunch hour only to find one table indoors available in the entire double shop lot restaurant. For the sake of lighting, we decided to sit outside anyway.

Information

Address: 18-20, Jalan SS21/58, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Opening hours: 7.30 a.m. - 9.00 p.m. (Mondays - Fridays) & 8.30 a.m. - 3.30 p.m. (Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays)

Ratings (out of 10):

A: 6.0

C: 7.0

E: 6.5

Stop #4: Obanhmi Shop

One of the most talked-about places in Damansara Utama serving Vietnamese sandwiches.  

Fresh bread ready to be eaten - the reason behind the mesmerizing smell of the restaurant.

We ordered the BBQ pork sandwich [RM10.50] which was pretty good thanks to the Vietnamese chili sauce. The portion is huge for one person considering the thickness of the bread (not my kind of bread, unfortunately) and the amount of filling it holds. I love the beautiful colours of the ingredients and how they compliment each other so well.

Topped up RM5.00 for a iced Vietnamese coffee and this was superb. Now I understand the hype over Vietnamese coffee.

Can't say much about how authentic this place is but it certainly has a different feel to it judging from its significant flavour in the food. Also, be prepared for ingredients to be falling out of your sandwiches.

Information:

Address: 33, Jalan SS21/56b, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Contact no.: +60377328540

Opening hours: 9.30 a.m. - 9.30 p.m.

Closed on: Monday

Ratings (out of 10):

A: 9.0

C: 9.0

E: 7.5

Stop #5: Fat Spoon

We were stuffed full like teddy bears primarily from Obanhmi despite only ordering one sandwich. Thankfully, we still had room for desserts. Wait, what am I saying?! There is always room for desserts. 

It was a hot day but we were in need of something to flush our system. Hence, green tea [RM7.00] it was. They have free refills so why not? #TypicalAsian

Durian crème brûlée [RM15.00]. I love durians and I'm perfectly fine with crème brûlée but this was a complete rip off because of its tea-cup size of serving and price. 

This was the saviour of the day; cempedak spring rolls served with ice cream [RM12.00]. The warmth of the spring rolls and cempedak filling complimented the ice cream well although I personally prefer having the spring rolls simply by themselves. 

Information:

Address: 73, Jalan SS21/1a, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Contact no.: +60377283323

Opening hours: 11.30 a.m. - 3.00 p.m. // 5.00 p.m. - 10.00 p.m. (Tuesdays to Sundays) & 11.30 a.m. - 10.00 p.m. (Fridays to Sundays)

Ratings (out of 10):

A: 5.5 (3.0 for durian crème brûlée, 8.0 for cempedak spring rolls)

C: 5.0 (2.0 for durian crème brûlée, 8.0 for cempedak spring rolls)

E: 5.0 (2.0 for durian crème brûlée, 8.0 for cempedak spring rolls)

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All in all, we have covered the following the following cuisines: 

Malaysian, Western, Chinese, Vietnamese, Nyonya

Parking tip: I am a newbie when it comes to food trails but I can tell you that I was in dilemma trying to pick a parking spot. Especially when your first and last location are miles in between, the primary encounter would be, "Do I walk far now or walk far later?" My advice: "Walk far now." Why? You have energy now, use it. By the end of the day, you'll be exhausted, stuffed with goodness, and would want to head to your car ASAP.

Thanks for reading and have a good day!

Click HERE for the map of all 5 locations in this trail.

Special thanks to Carmen and André for being a part of the plan, contributing your calorie counts and your great company.

Kum Chuan Coffee Shop: Hawker Food @ SS13, Subang Jaya

Yes, you read it right. Hawker food. I thought it was time to be blogging about my true blue Malaysian side.

Being half Penangite and faithfully paying annual visits to the Pearl of the Orient, I've appreciated hawker food for as long as I can remember; much thanks to my parents who exposed me to local cuisine. So just FYI, my foodie journey doesn't strictly evolve around cafés and coffee (:

* * * *

Time of visit: 8.15 a.m. (peak hour) on a weekday 

Kum Chuan Restaurant is a coffee shop in SS13 which has been open for quite some time. I've made several visits here before and was never particularly disappointed.

Here's the must-order for any hawker food breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper. A cup of goodness a.k.a. kopi ais (to my non-Malaysian readers, this is our version of coffee and milk).

This was pretty darn good. I'd say it's kao enough (kao - thick, bold in flavour, has "body" ... you get the idea). In all honesty, I could have gone for seconds.

As for food, these are the 3 main dishes you should order:

Curry laksa with slices of char siew. One of my foodies mentioned that this has less coconut milk than the one she typically has. I thought this was quite well done! Bear in mind that this is a KL version of curry noodles which is different from the Penang version. 

Wantan noodles with char siew. I do recommend this if you're the type who goes for a slightly sweeter and more flavourful version of wantan noodles. The noodles were well mixed in the sauce before serving.

Hakka noodles. Verdict from my Sarawakian friend: this is close to authentic. Note: close. Still a dish I recommend trying out at this place! 

And of course, no hawker food breakfast is complete without the dynamic duo to accompany all the dishes you've ordered above: roti bakar (toasted bread; typically served with kaya and butter) and soft boiled eggs/half-cooked eggs. 

Yes, I still had room in my tummy for these so you can imagine my monstrous appetite. 

The best seat in the house? Under the tree/umbrella outside. That's where you'll get to experience the hawker food ambiance. 

Note: All dishes mentioned above are less than RM5 each. Sorry, I didn't get down the exact prices. #IrresponsibleFoodBlogger

Special thanks to Hanny & Aric, two foodie friends of mine, for accompanying me!

* * * *

Address: Corner of Jalan SS13/1A, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Closed on: Sundays

Opening hours: 7.00 a.m. - 3.00 p.m.

Stay tuned for my next post on a food trail done in Damansara! Have a great day, everyone (:

Fuel Coffee, Damansara Uptown

Damansara Uptown. An area in which its culture I have yet to explore although I can strongly vouch for the fact that the availability of parking spots depends on your luck like most congested places.

Thanks to a fellow blogger friend, Carmen, who discovered and was so keen on visiting this cafe, we managed to schedule a meet up this Saturday afternoon - to which was our second time meeting in real life since the Cosans bloggers event (read about it here).

Setting

Recently opened about four months ago by a guy from Beijing, this place looks pretty hip from the outside I must say. Spot the old-school post box.

I personally thought this is clever.

Much of its decoration comprise antique subjects and mostly household items in which may seem odd in terms of its placing but somehow suit the cafe's environment. 

Matchstick pens.

Nope, not my journal. Their menu looks like this and the charm is very Vintage 1988.

 What went into our tummies

What this place is known for: Bonsai Coffee [RM10.90]. As a coffee lover, it's not a superb cuppa but I was particularly amazed at its conceptualization of a bonsai plant - the warm coffee insulated by cool whipped cream sprinkled with Oreo crumbs and topped with mint leaves. 

A tip on how to consume this: don't eat all the whipped cream at once (I know, it's Oreo but control yourselves). Instead, drink it to a point where you can taste both the whipped cream and coffee. That's where it gets interesting.

Iced cappuccino [RM10.90] and Carmen's lil bro.

Hot Mocha [RM10.90] which was different from the usual where you can distinctly taste both coffee and chocolate. This one had a nice balance but was really mild.

Old Beijing Noodles with Chicken Chop [RM10.90]. Mind you, mix thoroughly before consuming to ensure the flavour of the excellently marinated minced pork is coated on each strand of the noodles! It is served with chili which looks like the chili pan mee's chili drenched in oil.

We also ordered Leek Pork Dumplings [RM10.90 - I just noticed every thing we ordered costs the same price respectively]. In all honesty, we spent a bit too long shooting pictures of our orders so this became a little cold when we ate them, unfortunately. However, it was still pretty tasty on the inside! I personally expected a bit more filling to it.

So where's the best seat in the house? 

It definitely has to be by the window! Excellent lighting for photoshoots for you Instgrammers and photographers out there.

Before signing off, presenting the fellow blogger:

Thanks for recommending the place and for your great company. Also thanks to Benny and Carmen's little brother for being great company too as well as extra tummies!

Click on Carmen to visit her blog (:

* * * *

Address: 111G, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Contact number: +60377336895

Email: fuelcoffee.my@gmail.com

AH OR Chu Yuk Fun @ Dataran Mentari, Sunway

Confession: I'm a particular person when it comes to what one would claim to be a good bowl of pork noodles

Just a note before you proceed: in case you are not aware, you may follow my blog via email or with your Google account. Just check out the sidebar on the left. I regularly share pictures on my Instagram, not necessarily food, but just bits and pieces of my favourite things and news.

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Alright, back to business. This post has been structured chronologically. You'll see why by the end of the review.

Does anyone actually remember Quilin Restaurant (I actually didn't myself so I had to Google it up)? Once upon a time, many years ago (probably almost a decade ago because I was really young), there and then was a single pork noodle stall amongst the many other food stalls under one roof. Something was so unique about this simple-looking bowl of pork noodles which tested the patience of every single customer due to its waiting time. They say that waiting for just one bowl can take up to 45 minutes or even an hour. To refresh your memories, check out this blog post here.

A few years later, the restaurant with food stalls closed down and was converted to a cafe (now known as Daiki Cafe) and above situated a shop lot hotel. Fans of the pork noodle stall were wondering where the business moved to. Did they even decide to stay in Subang Jaya?

Much later (I apologize for I really do not remember the specific dates), people started to discover where they shifted to. It was still an individual stall at a restaurant called Pomander. Next to them was a chicken rice stall which I thought I'd try, but I never did because a bowl of pork noodles sounded way better regardless of how long I had to wait as compared to chicken rice.

Photo source: http://www.vkeong.com/2010/03/pork-noodles-restoran-pomander-ss15-subang-jaya/

It didn't take long for them to own the lot.

As of today.

I used to head there for lunch sometimes but I've stopped about a year ago because one of the ladies was just not very pleasant to my friends and I. So to those who would still like to head there, don't expect too much from their service. They have so much business they can afford to not smile at you. Order your bowl(s), sit, have a chat with your friends or what you might probably do is play Candy Crush Saga on your smart phone, don't leave while waiting for your order (yes, don't leave your seat), Instagram your food, eat, leave and be happy that way.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

That's the bowl. And like I said, I haven't been there in a year. If I'm not mistaken, that bowl definitely will cost you more than RM6.00. Adding an egg would cost you RM1.00 and of course, the bigger your bowl gets, the more you pay. 

During my first year of university, a friend of mine mentioned that this pork noodle business expanded to another branch in Dataran Mentari, Sunway. I remember I was craving for pork noodles that day and I was eager to check this one out.

Photo source: http://my.openrice.com/klangvalley/restaurant/ah-or-chu-yuk-fun/274133/

And good lord, I was the happiest girl in the world. From the many times I've been there, I've only waited a MAXIMUM of half an hour for one bowl (but that was because there were so many people). I usually wait 10 - 15 minutes. Apparently, this one is owned by the sister of the guy based in SS15. Ever since this discovery, I never went back to the SS15 branch again. I should add that looking for a parking spot here in Dataran Mentari is way easier too!

I like how they don't mash up the egg and leave the yolk in its original shape. I have this love for egg yolks, you see. 

The menu is as such for this branch:

Small [RM6.00]
Large [RM7.00]
Special [RM12.00]
Dry (comes with a bowl of soup) [RM7.00]

With egg [add RM1.00]


The soup for Ah Or's is clearer than Ooi Noodle House in SS15 for some reason. There is much resemblance to the flavour but I personally prefer Ah Or's mainly because of how they present their dish, the aunties are way nicer and that I do not have to wait centuries for my meal. I'm still curious as to why Ooi Noodle house takes an hour to serve one bowl whereas Ah Or's can do it within half an hour to most.

So to this date, I have not discovered anywhere serving pork noodles either similar or better than this; even in Penang (or maybe I wasn't looking hard enough). If you think there's a bowl of pork noodles out there which is way better than this one, drop me a comment/email by all means! 

They have a Facebook page with, sadly, only 24 likes when I visited while doing research for this place.

Then I spotted this flyer!

I haven't checked out the other two branches yet but if you have, let me know how it is like. I personally did not know that they have expanded to 4 branches in total for now. 

Information for Ah Or Chu Yuk Fun @ Sunway:

Address: No. 3, Jalan PJS8/17, Dataran Mentari, 46150 Bandar Sunway, Selangor.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AH-OR-Chu-Yuk-Fun-%E7%8C%AA%E8%82%89%E7%B2%89/302612109769427

Ah Lye Curry Fish Head Restaurant @ SS19, Subang Jaya

Tonight I decided to write a simple review of this Chinese restaurant my family and I had dinner at. I am personally very fond of Chinese food - especially mom's cooking. From egg fu yong to stir-fried vegetables, bean curd and steamed fish with soy sauce, I cannot imagine my life without those dishes. Guess my roots are shown quite clearly in my food preference. 

As you can tell from the title, the restaurant's speciality is curry fish head. I never knew the existence of this place until dad looked it up on the internet. It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. And by nowhere I mean rows and rows of houses and suddenly *poof!* Behold, a row of shops!

* Note: I apologize for the low quality photos from my phone because I did not expect myself to write a review about this place and therefore did not bring my camera. You'll see why I ended up writing one anyway somewhere at the part where I introduce the dishes (: 

Setting

An article stated that this restaurant has been around since the year 2000. When you visit the restaurant, you can tell that the sign board is really old and is not well lit at night.

The restaurant's sign board barely visible.

One of the waitresses serving rice. The counter behind her is where they make drinks and cook rice. The kitchen is pretty much hidden way at the back.

The restaurant is air conditioned. Design wise, it's typically a modern Chinese restaurant in a suburban area. It is not decorated with many (or any) pieces of art and the tables are placed fairly closely to each other. I was a little annoyed at a lady who was sitting at the table behind me because her chair kept hitting mine and she did not turn to apologize at all. Because I wanted to enjoy my dinner and my table had some space, I had to relocate my seating position. 

It wasn't a full house during my visit but there were many big families of six members and above.

What went into our tummies

The following dishes we ordered are eaten with rice. Typical Chinese way of eating - except that we did not use chopsticks. 

Mmmmm...

I don't know about most people but I really love to add garlic and soy sauce to my rice before eating it. Garlic is like the ultimate flavour enhancer to me!

Hot sea coconut

This is a home made drink. You can tell from the taste of the filtered water and the sweetness of the drink. Aside from that, other drinks they had tonight was honey ginger and also a lime drink. 

Bean curd [RM6.00]

This is served with something I believe is pickled white radish (please correct me if I'm wrong) along with spring onions and fried onions. It's a salty dish and the flavour of the sauce compliments the bean curd.

Asam Prawn [RM20.00]

Real pricey for a small dish of four prawns but they are not miserable prawns. They are HUGE. The asam sauce is also pretty good. It's quite sweetish. I wouldn't order this dish on my next visit. Once is enough.

Sweet Pork [RM14.00]

I think this dish is okay. The pieces of pork are quite tender. I do think there's something missing in this dish to make it more syok (erm, I'm not entirely sure how to explain this Malaysian term to foreigners but I can give you an idea. Syok represents the fireworks in the night sky full of stars. If that made any sense at all ...) 

Stir-fry Bean sprouts [RM6.00]

A simple, average dish. You can't go very wrong with stir-fry bean sprouts unless you're not a good cook. 


And here's the highlight of the dinner:

Their speciality: Curry Fish Head [RM27.00]

This is the reason why I decided to write a review. I think this dish is close to amazing. The curry is thick and full of flavour from the spices they used. The fish is fresh, although they weren't super generous with its amount, and so are the aubergines, okras and tofu. While eating it with rice, it suddenly reminded me of the Nyonya style of cooking curry for some reason. The fairly spiciness of the curry enhanced the flavour of the dish as a whole. 

Some regulars would say that this dish went down standard since a few years ago but as a newbie, I still think it's fine.

This is how thick it is!

A couple of tips

If you are new to the Chinese restaurant style of ordering and paying, there will be the manager/supervisor who would either seat you and/or come to your table the minute you are seated to take your order. Places like this do not have a printed menu. Tell them what you want and they will suggest the cooking style of your dish to its availability. i.e. Chicken with Marmite sauce, fish and ginger sauce, stir-fry french beans, etc. When finished, they will bring the bill to your table. Some restaurants do not give you receipts like this one.

This applies to most Chinese restaurants: Come early! Peak hours can start as early as 6.00 p.m. for popular restaurants. Alternatively, you can give them a call to make a reservation on weekends though I think it's not really necessary. 

Parking is not an issue for this place. It can be really dark and dodgy at night so bring along some company. 

Finding your way there

If you're not familiar with the SS19 housing area, it's going to be a little tough for you to look for this place. I would recommend mapping your way before coming. The restaurant is located along a row of shops where Subang Jaya Gospel Centre and Pasaraya Ria are too. And pray on your way out. 

Information

Address: 28, Jalan SS19/1G, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor

Contact no.: +60356380468 or +60356349692 
Operating days: Not specified
Operating hours: 12.00 noon - 3.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. - 10.00 p.m.

WiFi: Unable to comment
Parking: Public

The verdict says: ★ ★ ½ (out of 4)