Manhattan Fish Market

Six years had gone by since its inception in 2002, homegrown casual seafood dining chain, Manhattan Fish Market (MFM) has presence in most major malls in Klang Valley, major cities in Malaysia and even in the Middle East. Having heard and read about it,my hubby and I decided to give it a try one Sunday evening. Since we were not in any malls and not planned to step into any, we went to the outlet in Centrepoint in Bandar Utama.

It was simple dinner as we ordered our drinks and a main course each. There was no appetiser or side dish or dessert.

Grilled Pacific Cod with MFM sauce and rice

I ordered the grilled Pacific Cod with fries instead of butter rice (RM29.20) whilst Adrian ordered grilled King Salmon fillet with butter rice (RM26.90). For drink we ordered a bottle of mineral water and Tropical Breeze. We were the only table, contrary to us expecting the restaurant to be at least half filled as it was dinner time. Ten minutes after our orders, a couple stepped into the restaurant.

Our drinks came.Tropical Breeze turned out to be Sprite with orange concentrate, much to my displeasure but of course the fault was mine as I did not ask for further descriptions which in my opinion should have been printed in the menu. Our wait was more than 20 minutes before my cod was served. Yikes! it came with butter rice when it was supposed to be with fries. I decided to wait to see if Adrian's salmon would come with fries. True enough, five minutes later the plate of salmon landed in front of him, with fries! My first response was the restaurant was not running full house, and we were probably the first order for dinner since we were at at approximately seven in the evening. Simple orders yet came out wrong. Hmm.... anyway, we swapped our fish instead of making a fuss over the mixup.

I thought the cod was not really fully cooked and the sauce tasted funny. Adrian's salmon was mediocre but the butter rice was quite good. I guess that was the saving grace. Nevertheless we found the pricing over-rated and quality of food did not justify at all. We decided it would likely be our last visit to MFM, and we'd not recommend it to friends, at least not the Centrepoint outlet.

Grilled King Salmon Fillet with MFM sauce and fries

Kopitiam SFS 747

Recommended by another patient at the chiropractic clinic that I am currently seeking treatment at, I decided to try it out. This was also after my hubby and a few friends tried it out after his round-the-clock support at client's data centre.

Kon loh (Dry) wan tan noodles served with BBQ pork (char siew) from a stall in an ordinary nextdoor chinese coffeeshop in Sunwaymas Commercial Centre in Aman Suria. It was a long wait of 45 minutes as practically all tables were waiting for their servings. "This must be good," I thought. I almost finished my glass of 100 plus drink during the wait. Then the lady, presumably the hawker's wife, asked if we'd like to have the char siew with fats or lean. I askedfor one with lean meat and another with fats. Finally, the helper carried two plates in a tray headed for our table.

I dugged into the noodles having tossed them abit to get them evenly flavoured with the dark soy sauce. Chewing the first piece of char siew, I was not impressed. Came recommended and even my hubby, a pork lover, thought it was good. By the second piece, I was disappointed. I turned to tell him that he has to try the char siew at Meng Kee in Tengkat Tong Shin, or its branch in Glenmarie Shah Alam. That char siew was REALLY good. I am one that hardly take fatty part of any meat. The Meng Kee char siew were roasted to perfection, tasty flavourful on the outside, the inside was tender and the fats melted in the mouth. The other place is at Choon Yin coffeeshop, front corner lot of the same block of Happy Mansion flats as My Elephant in Section 17, Petaling Jaya.

Restoran 747
31-1, Jalan PJU 1/3D
Sunwaymas Commercial Centre
47301 Petaling Jaya

Cuppy Cakes

These colourful cute looking cuppy cakes were warmly given by Connie and Fai when we met up for dinner on Saturday night. They were earlier shopping in Subang Parade. Adrian was not a great fan of cup cakes and only took a bite off the one resembled a lion's head and manes. That cup cake was orange flavoured whilst the one in lavendar with green flower and tiny white ones of icing sugar was chocolate chips. They were yummy as I enjoy cup cakes. I supposed if one enjoys muffins, then one would also enjoy cup cakes. The icing was sweet but thankfully the cakes underneath the sugar layer were not and they provided a good balance. The lovely goodies were from A Taste Boutique.

A Taste Boutique (Sdn Bhd)

22, Jalan Putra Markota 7/4B

Section 7, Putra Heights

47650 Subang Jaya

Tel: 03-5192 0577

Fax: 03-5191 0577

http://www.atasteboutique.com/

atasteboutique.blogspot.com
mail@atasteboutique.com

My Elephant

Tucked in the back corner on the ground floor of one of the Happy Mansion blocks of low-cost flats in Section 17 Petaling Jaya, My Elephant was the brainchild of a group of university graduates. The small restaurant adopts simple decor of glass panels that allow one to see through to the inside of restaurant. Its tables are of basic shape of square and rectangle and wooden mixed with aloy chairs. A set of comfy looking sofa at the right next to the entrance allow a laidback mood, perhaps for a drink and snacks but might not be too comfortable for proper dining.

Our second visit to this place, we had dinner with Fai and Connie as they had been asking about its whereabouts. This round, we ordered six dishes as opposed to four the first Adrian and I were there; two being salads.

Red rice served with dishes



Tod man plah, deep-fried Thai fish cakes served with sweet sour chilie dipping was priced at RM8 for five pieces. These were fresh and good, with just the right thickness and bursting with lemongrass fragrance.

For RM10, Yum Mamuang was green mango salad with shredded carrots, onions, pounded chilies in spicy dressing and served with lettuce, sliced cucumbers and and roasted peanuts. The salad was spicy and sour and would have been a turn-off for those who are unable to tolerate such level of spiciness. Too much pounded chillies camouflaged the mango fragrance in my opinion as one who loves mango salad. The ones at Baan26 and Ceylon Hill are much better and less spicy. Nevertheless, for the price, the portion was worthwhile.

Tempura Squid served with semi sweet Thai sauce was mediocre. The upside was that the squids were fresh, coated with thin batter and the portuion was reasonable for price of RM18.

This version of Laab Gai, northern Thai style of sauteed minced chicken with chillie-lime-mint dressing and freshly crushed peanuts was not too bad though the one at Sri Siam was better and refreshing. For RM14, it was a good portion for four.

Khai Jiao Ho Mok, priced at RM12, was special egg omelette with fish otak-otak and it was something different. Not too oily, it was quite tasty and juicy. The special thin sweet sour sauce (more sour than sweet) that came with the dish was really good and complemented the omelette very well.

Tom Som was clear galangal-lemongrass-lime soup with aromatic Thai herbs, which was recommended to be served with fish although chicken was also available. The large portion was priced at RM20 and small for RM15. We had the large serving, which was more than enough for four with reasonable appetite.

Paku with sambal, onions and dried shrimps was our choice for My Elephant's Jungle vegetable of the day. Fresh and crunchy, the RM 12 paku dish was quite delicious, with the right hint of taste and saltiness.

Small restaurant with simple modest dining tables and chairs

In one corner of the restaurant lies a raised concrete platform for those who fancy getting cosy sitting on the floor, with a glass panel wall that faces a small fish pond. At the bottom of the glass panel, on the inside of the restaurant, there is an open gap that offers a sneek peek at the koi that steal a gulp of air or two before happily gliding away. One could even dip own feet into the water.

My Elephant

Block C - G4 Happy mansion

Jalan 17/13

Section 17

46400 Petaling Jaya

Tel:

Patrick 012-328 5028

James 019-360 8911

Soong 019-379 5759

Kom 016-345 9298

www.myelephant.com.my

Reservation is highly encouraged to avoid disappointment.

Business hrs:

Tue-Sun (except Sat & Sun Lunch)

Lunch: 12noon-2.30pm

Dinner: 6pm-10pm

Oriental Pavillion

Table snack of braised-fried peanuts, beancurds and french beans

Cousin Anthony and cousin-in-law, Mei Yee had exchanged vows at the Thean Hou Temple in KL earlier and both families and immediate relatives and close friends gathered for dim sum brunch at Oriental Pavillion in Jaya33, Section 13 Petaling Jaya. Formerly the Oriental restaurant in the Old Jaya on the opposite side of Jalan Semangat.

As the food quality by the Oriental Group was quite a reputation, I had expected the same of this outlet that had also been given a new look. Rather disappointed as most of the dim sum items were not up to par; they were way too mediocre, too fishy or too porky, or too fat for the freaking expensive prices.

Pan-fried Shanghai dumpling

The pan-fried Shanghai dumplings, priced at RM6 for three pieces, were mediocre as I had better ones in Ramen in Damansara Uptown, PJ as well as Tai Thong restaurants. The freshly shredded ginger with chinese black vinegar was so little that we were not sure who should have the dumpling with the condiment.

Baked BBQ pork tarts, deep-fried prawn dumpling, steamed BBQ pork buns

Tai Thong's BBQ pork tarts are a lot better than these that we had. For three small pieces at RM5, the pastry was bit too thick, and the filling was just so so; neither tasty nor bland. The deep-fried prawn dumplings served with mayonnaise were dry to me and the pastry was not crispy. That RM6 for three pieces was not worth paying for. The BBQ pork buns filling had too much fatty pieces, and we had dig them out so as not to get too stodgy, though the bun skin was soft and not overly thick. They were served in three for RM5.

Roasted pork (siew yuk), BBQ pork (char siew), steamed beancurd

The roasted pork, BBQ pork and steamed beancurd (tofu) came in a platter. The roasted pork were way too thick and the skin were hardly crispy with an overly strong porky taste. The tofu was nothing to shout about, plain, hardly any fragrance and were flavoured by the light soy sauce. The BBQ pork was the only item that was good. Sweet, crispy fragrant chargrilled outer layer and tender on the inside, the proportion of fats was just nice and that melted in the mouth.

Braised Phoenix Chicken, steamed cheong fun with prawns, steamed fish balls

For RM6, the braised chicken feet was mediocre and were bit too oily yet dry to my liking. The steamed cheong fun (steamed rice sheets) with prawns, priced at RM10 per portion, were way too below standard as the skin were bit coarse and rather thick and hard. For that price, I had expected soft, smooth skin with tasty filling and it was real shame that Oriental compromised on its long standing reputation. The version that came with BBQ pork filling also needed tastier and flavourful filling. Steamed fish balls were far too fishy for a restaurant of such standard, as though they were made from some cheap rotten fish and we paid RM5 for a plate of three pieces.

Fried noodles, stir-fried chinese lettuce and pan-fried radish cakes

Fried noodles could do bit more with flavour and taste as I found it rather bland. The stir-fried chinese lettuce was not too bad as the lettuce were fresh and crunchy with the right hint of taste. Pan-fried radish cakes were bland and fragrantless. The pan-fried radish cakes sold in the night market in SS2 on Mondays and Cheow Yang on Thursdays by the one-man-show chinese hawker are far better than these, and they definitely cost less than RM6 with bigger portion.

I guess it's time to bid goodbye to this outlet as we would unlikely to re-visit it.

Oriental Pavillion

Level 1, Jaya33

Jalan Semangat

46200 Petaling Jaya

Porto Romano

Though rather hidden at the end of a row of shoplots facing the bungalows on Persiaran Zaaba in TTDI, Porto Romano catches one's attention, thanks to the huge sign above the restaurant.

Quiet, comfy with romantic hint, the restaurant could be a choice for couples and friends who want to spend some quality time over dinner. Adrian and I checked the place out after having passed the restaurants many times whilst we were in the area.

We ordered Insalata Italiana, an Italian salad of fresh Romain lettuce, tomatoes, onions, capsicums and preserved olives in Italian dressing. Refreshing and crunchy and was priced at RM13.

For RM36, the Roast Rack of Lamb was served with boiled asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower and grilled potatoes. A few choices of sauce available. This was medium rare and served with mint sauce. Lamb was pan-fried before roasting and was very tender, soft and succulent.

Petto di Pollo Ripieno was flattened chicken breast stuffed with cheese, vegetables and herbs and served with cream mushroom sauce and grilled potatoes priced at RM27. The creamy sauce was tasty. Add the parmesan cheese and chillie flakes or Porto Romano chillie sauce for more taste and stronger flavour.

Baklava is a sweet dessert of chopped walnuts and almonds from Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, wrapped in fine butter filo (pastry) and served with syrup and was priced at RM16.

Parmesan cheese and red chillie flakes for extra taste

Porto Romano chillie sauce made of red chillie, ginger, garlic, salt and vinegar. Sour and hot, this sauce goes with with almost anything.

Porto Romano
28, Persiaran Zaaba

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603-7710 0509

Business Hours: 11am - 11pm daily

Boathouse

My boss, Danny called for a team review-update-meeting-cum dinner and we had it at Boathouse in TTDI one Friday evening. The cosy, in-the-neighbourhood restaurant is run by an old school friend, Yen Ni and her partner, Adeline; the former takes care of the kitchen operations and the latter the front of the restaurant. The first time I stepped into the restaurant was more than two years ago when I bumped into Yen Ni outside her restaurant. Adrian and I would pop over on and off for coffee, dessert or dinner.

It happened to be October fest and the place was filled up with regular patrons, friends and others. The meeting lasted two hours after which we ordered dinner, accompanied by Pullaner beer; light and dark.

We had a few appetisers and side dishes of fresh osyters, aubergine, salad, chicken and beef. The salty crispy chicken was really good, especially with beer whilst the beef srips with enoki mushrooms were succently, tender and well flavoured. The fresh oysters were fresh and juicy whilst the other side dish of chicken drumsticks and wings, which I forget the name, was tasty and tender.

Fried aubergine with onions, salty crispy chicken thigh, sweet sour chicken and beef with enoki mushrooms

Fresh oysters and salad

For mains, Jason had a medium-rare Yin Yang tenderloin, Danny and Michelle shared a medium-rare Australian Angus ribeye, Evelyn had a medium-done NY tenderloin, and I had the pan-fried salmon. The Yin Yang tenderloin was not too bad, tender and succulent, which pinched from Jason whilst Evelyn's tenderloin was thick and bit too raw to her liking. The ribeye that Danny had was bit too cooked for medium-rare.

Ying Yang tenderloin, pan-fried cod, Australian Angus ribeye and NY tenderloin

Apart from the rather extensive offerings on the menu, Yen Ni would prepare some specials, which would be listed on the chalk board in the restaurant, including desserts of the day. Done in style, the desserts could be a good treat after the main course.

Another unique thing in the restaurant is that every table is lined with white paper and coloured crayons in glass container. Parents are able to enjoy their meals while their kids entertain themselves with drawing and colouring, and adults too can scribble, or draw their Piccasso materpieces, or at least attempt too :P

Boathouse

16, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603 7727 4426

Business Hours:

Mon to Fri – 11am to 3pm, 6pm to 12am

Sat – 12pm to 4pm, 6pm to 1 am, Closed on Sundays.