tankiasu's Reviews
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First thing that you will notice when you walk in is the antiques and some really old photos showing some Babas and Nyonyas. But some decos like "fortune cats" and some dolls are slightly inappropriate? But overall, this place is cosy and the lightings are calming.
The place was already half-filled when we walked in. And most of the tables were mostly occupied by families. Looking at the menu, we were pretty clueless what to order as none of us is really familiar with Nyonya delicacies. But lo and behold, Michael Chuah the owner came to our rescue. He patiently recommended and explained few choices to us. Wanted to order everything he mentioned, but there were only 4 of us, so we decided to order 4 dishes this time round.
Our drinks arrived shortly after, served by one of the few Burmeses/Thai waiters there. The Cincau (RM2.00 ) is alright. Not very different from the normal ones you can get elsewhere. But a good and refreshing choice when eating "heaty" food like Nyonya's.
All four of us were mega tired. And it was quite awhile before the food is ready on our table. So imagine our facial expressions and our stomach reactions when the Curry Fish Head (RM46.70 ) was put on our table!
Goodness me, it smelled so good! Served in a sizzling hot claypot, the curry was bubbling before our eyes. And there was no escaping as the aroma of the combination of spices in the gravy floated around in the restaurant. *slurp* Besides the fish, there’s lady fingers, brinjal and "tofu pok". The gravy is both tangy and creamy at the same time. It tasted so good that between the 4 of us, we walloped 8 plates of steamed rice (each bowl of rice cost RM1.20 ).
To satisfy the carnivore in us, we ordered the "Inche Kabin" (RM12.70 ), recommended by the owner himself. A popular (not to ignorant people like me) Nyonya snacktime dish apparently, it is actually deep fried chicken with spices. Unlike those bland fried chicken elsewhere, this one is very aromatic and you can really taste the different spices used to marinade this chicken, before being battered and deep fried. The chilli sauce that came with it is simply fantastic too.
The Egg Belanda (RM9.70 ) is basically egg omelette with some kind of gravy poured on top of it. Nice but in the end, its just an egg omelette so nothing to shout about (don't stone me dear egg-lovers out there).
Then the surprise star dish of the day came. Since all four of us like brinjal (egg plant), we decided to order a plate of them (name forgotten, sorry). Unlike the typical Nyonya Brinjal Curry, the one here is of completely different style. I have no idea how to describe this dish, but please believe me, it is really really really *gasping for air* really really really nice. We sapu-ed it finish in a blink of an eye (ok I'm over-exaggerating).
The food here is definitely not cheap, but it's not easy to put a price to such a hearty, satisfying home style cooking. All cooking here is done by the owner's wife, and both of them hailed from Penang (of course).
We had a pleasant conversation with the owner, and he was more than happy to tell us about the history of the restaurant. How he named the restaurant in remembrance of his mum. How our beloved (I mean this sarcastically please) Prime Minister came and eat here frequently, and sometimes tah pau it all the way back to Putrajaya (no wonder he wants to build the controversial KL-Putrajaya highway).
And he also told us about his story of being a national ten-pin bowler. He was the runners-up in the World Ten-Pin Championship in Mexico back in 1982 (a feat not repeated since then by any Malaysian male bowlers).
Food might be pricey, but great service and such a nice and friendly owner? Priceless.....
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The cafe was already almost fully-packed when we walked in. A waiter promptly guided us to one last remaining vacant table next to the window. And you know what? Ning Baizura was seating just next to us!! Ok ok, she's not a very big deal nowadays.
After browsing through their menu for what seems like eternity (we shoo-ed away 3 waiters that came to ask for our order ), we finally managed to decide. Phewww, tough to choose when you feel like trying everything!
The drinks arrived shortly after,the first being my Banana Smoothies (RM9.00 ). The taste was good, and you can tell that its made of real fruits. Its pretty thick too, which I like, but not smooth enough as I can still feel some ice-particles in it. The fresh taste of bananas made this treat the au natural choice for purists.
Rachel's Watermelon Juice - Single Dose (RM7.00 ) is fresh as well. But she found it a tad too tasteless, maybe because they put little sugar in it. Not everyone would fancy this I reckon.
And the I saw my humongous Moroccan Lamb Shank (RM22.00 ). I've eaten Lamb Shank many times, but this is my first for Moroccan's style. Well it turned out I like it very much.
This Lamb Shank came with rice, wedges of potato, heaps of vegetables, and delicious gravy that rich in many different spices. The gravy actually reminds me of some curry that you can get at Indian restaurants, but this one is more aromatic and less spicy. Some of the spices you can find are like star anise, cardamom pod and black pepper. I'm sure there were other spices but they were probably finely-grounded.
The lamb itself was amazingly tender and juicy. It is probably braised for a long time, as you can taste the lamb is so infused with all the warm, soft flavours of the spices and is meltingly tender. It is so tender you can practically eat it with a spoon!
The vegetables and the potatoes were a welcome addition to the shank. They also made the dish looks much more colourful. Love those alfafa sprouts and the purple cabbage, really heighten up your appetite! The same can't be said for the rice though. I thought it was pretty soggy and too soft.
The Beef Lasagna (RM19.00 ) was equally impressive. Probably not the best I've eaten (those Italian's in Australia are pretty hard to beat), but certainly delicious enough for me to come back for more next time.
I've no idea what was the white sauce that they poured all over the lasagna, but I can tell you it rocks! Goes very well with the minced beef. And just like most of the dishes here, they put in heaps of vege such as alfafa sprouts and cabbages.
The portion is quite substantial, so you might get abit overwhelmed by the lasagna after eating about two-third of it.
I can tell you I will absolutely come back again as their food is simply delicious. I also love the bright natural lighting, thanks to the huge windows that allow sunlight into this spacious cafe.
They put some bean bags just next to those windows. So those who have some free time to spare might wanna come here to chill out, looking down to the busy and bustling streets of Bangsar below.
Health-concious chics might find this cafe appealing too, as their meal is considerably good to your health with all those veges and fruits. Check out their cakes and other desserts too, they looked pretty good. We didn't as our stomach has expanded to its limit already.
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One of the reason why I never try the one in Segambut was because of the notorious traffic jam over there, and I heard many people telling me how hot and errr....unhygienic that place is.
But one afternoon I had wantan mee at Restoran Okay in Cheow Yang area, and I noticed this Restoran Yu Ai. Now that they are in PJ and within the radius of my lunch's hunting ground, nothing can stop me from trying them anymore!
The place was already packed with mainly office workers when me and my colleagues reached there at about 1pm. Finding a parking spot here during lunch time is a bit tough, so you might have to park further in the residential area. Just make sure you don't park inconsiderately and you should be fine.
Once you managed to find a table, the Burmese/Thai waiters will promptly put down worn-out menus. The menu is pretty straightforward, with few large photos of their specialties and the prices.
Once you made the order, the waiter will immediately pass the orders to the cook/chef in the kitchen, which is in full view of the patrons at the back of the shoplot.
From the photos I saw of the Segambut main branch, I can tell that the kitchen's arrangement and processes are similar, if not exactly the same. First a kitchen worker will get the ingredients and the noodle, and put it all in bowls.
Then the cook will throw those into individual small pots, and add in the respective broth (tomyam, curry, seafood). It will be cooked over an extremely hot fire, and it will be ready in about 10 minutes. Once garnished with some green onions and coriander leaves, another staff will serve the noodles to the customers.
The Tom Yam Mee (RM13 for small and RM15 for large) came brimming with assorted types of seafood. There are some green mussels, considerably large prawns, chicken meat, la la (clams), and squids. The tomyam soup itself is the dark and thick, and its more sourish than spicy. The yellow noodle tasted different from the usual ones, with a slightly more chewy texture. Not bad I reckon, but I personally would prefer it to be spicier and with a not-so-thick broth.
Some of my colleagues whom can't take spicy food opted for the regular Clear Soup Seafood Noodle (same price as the Tom Yam). Similarly with the Tom Yam Noodle, this one also came with heaps of seafood. In addition to the ones mentioned, you can also find seaweeds for the clear soup (ching tong) version. My colleagues told me that the soup tasted very sweet, most probably because it was cooked together with the mussels, clams and the prawns.
A colleague of mine who only takes vegetarian food requested for a special vegetarian noodle. They entertained the request, but fishballs were added into it. Maybe they thought that fish is considered as vegetarian food as well? This customized noodle costs RM5.00.
One of the thing I like about this restaurant is the chilli paste they put on each table. If you need extra kicks, just eat your noodle with it, or better still, add heaps of it into the broth and mix it up! Sweats are guaranteed! There is another type of chilli that is more suitable to be eaten as a dip for the seafood.
A very satisfying meal and definitely a filling one as well. No doubt its overpriced in my opinion, and some hardcore spicy food lovers might find the noodle here a tad too mild. But I will come back one day, to try their Curry Noodle, or when I have cravings for seafood or tomyam! Those that find Segambut to be a bit too out of the way might wanna pay a visit to this branch soon too. And this PJ branch is open for dinner as well, while the Segambut's only open till 5pm.
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