Hailam Kopitiam

It's not unusual to see kopitiam all over Malaysia. I bet you can find one near your neighbourhood. Let's just say, kopitiam is like the new "it" thing. It's the cheaper version of Starbucks. They usually provide free WiFi and you are allowed to sit there for hours, although it's not advisable as many people are waiting for a table, especially during peak hours. A newly open Hailam Kopitiam was opened here in SS 2, Petaling Jaya (the same row of shop lots as 7-Eleven and next to Swensen). The atmosphere here is great. The moment you set foot into this kopitiam, you'll smell the classic perfume of every kopitiam and i mean classic. If you walk into a kopitiam and you don't smell this strong fragrant, walk out now! No, i'm just kidding. This classic smell is none other than Coffee! This place is filled with coffee aroma and it will just tickle your taste buts. This place is everything you can ask for in a kopitiam. The only downside is, the place is quite cramp. The tables and stools (yes, stools. What will a kopitiam be without the classic brown stool?) are closely placed together, so close that you can hear exactly what the other table is saying. The other downside is, the price is a little bit more pricey than a usual kopitiam. You would actually need at least RM 10 for a meal (including drink). One plate of normal rice and chicken, it cost about RM 8++. And the list goes on. I guess you would need to try it yourself to know. They do have much, much more variety in their food (scroll down and you will know what i mean) and i give them an applause for their creativity.

Hainanese Chicken Chop with bread (mushroom sauce)

Hainanese Chicken Chop with black pepper sauce

Chicken Hot Dog

Hainanese Fish Fillet with rice

Honey Lime

Cham (Tea+Coffee)

Jasmine Tea

Fried Rice

Nasi Lemak

Nando's

What's the most eaten bird from the bird family? No, this has nothing to do with science. Just ask your tummy. It starts with a "C" and ends with a "N". Ok, if till now you don't know what on earth i'm talking about, there is obviously something very wrong with you. OK, i'm just joking, no offence alright. Nando's is located all over Malaysia and if i'm not mistaken, it has 30 over branches in Malaysia itself (it was stated in the restaurant). If you haven't guess what bird i was referring to, it's chicken. Nando's specializes in chicken. Not rearing chickens but cooking them. I went to the newly built Jaya One to have a taste of their chicken. And it is my first time eating there. Nando's is just next to Old Town Coffee. The price is as usual, the same as any expensive restaurant - about RM 10 to RM 30. Not cheap i must say. The drinks itself is expensive. For Ice Lemon Tea, it cost about RM6+ but the upside, it's not one glass, it's refillable. Which means you can refill your class with Ice Lemon Tea before it hits the bottom - same goes to soft drinks as well. I had Grilled Burger which was really delicious. I love the fact that it's just nice for me but the only problem i have with it is, where to start and how to start. The burger is so huge that it's impossible to bite it with my mouth! They have their own filled up water bottle. The bottle is so cute that i had to take it home with me. Anyway, the place has free WiFi so you can surf while you eat. But i recommend to just enjoy eating before you start tapping on your keyboard. They have 4 different flavours for their chicken - Lemon & Herb (non-spicy), Mild Peri Peri (juz a hint of spice), Hot Peri Peri (spicy), and Extra Hot Peri Peri (very spicy). I tried the Mild one thinking it'll be more spicy than it is. It's not spicy at all. Just like Kenny Rodgers, Nando's also lets you choose from different sidelines. Unfortunately, there's no muffin like Kenny's but they have other varieties as well. Not to bad for a restaurant that sells chicken... Definitely 2-thumbs up!

Hot Peri Peri flavour half chicken

Chicken Pita with one sideline (Fries)

The different sauce available to go with your chicken
(Caution: Do not take the Extra Hot Sauce if you can't take spicy)

Mango Smoothie

Grilled Chicken Breast Burger with Peri Potato Salad

Grilled Chicken Strips, Rice & Fresco Salad

Do you smell something fishy?

This is actually my dad's favourite place to eat because he loves fish. So if you are a big fan of fish, you should try this place, Manhattan Fish Market. The branch i always seem to go is at Subang Parade, next to Carrefour (Subang Jaya). But they have other branches such as at Sunway Pyramid. The place here serves mostly fish or else seafood. The moment you walk in, the waiters will greet you with a "Welcome" cheer. There are no rules at restaurants but of course its good to be in your best behaviour in such expensive place. Trust me, at the end of the day, depending of how many people, your bill will end up to a hundred despite what you order. They have the 3 famous fish, Salmon, Cod, and Dory fish. Make sure to bring more people with you if you are a small eater. One dish itself is very filling and at the end, you won't be able to eat any dessert. While waiting for your meal to arrive, my advice is to look around and enjoy the decoration and interior. If your eyes are sharp, you will be able to pick up a couple of jokes hanging on the wall. They hung a few decos that has some humour jokes that can be quite entertaining. Your meal will arrive before you know it. Personally, this place is great for families, whether it's children or your mom or dad. It is a very family friendly kind of place. And feel free to answer the suggestion form. "Aye sir..."

The table top

Ice Lemon Tea

Sweet Home Alabama

Baked Dory Fish

Grilled Salmon Fish with rice

Seafood Pasta

Wild Mushroom Soup

Jom Pergi Mamak...

I'm pretty sure all Malaysians have their very own favourite mamak stall or their favourite place to eat nasi briyani or nasi kandar. Honestly, to tell the truth, as a Malaysian, I haven't eaten nasi briyani before in my life! Until today that is. Well, it's not the original , authentic nasi i must say but at least it taste like one. I know, from my experience from eating real Indian food, authentic Indian food is rich with flavour and spices. But this nasi briyni i tried was very normal but still acceptable to me, especially for someone who hasn't eaten nasi briyani before. The place i eaten this delightful dish is at Summit, USJ. A place called, Mamak Village. It was formally named "Mamak Tong". Probably from "tong" which means stall, it became a village maybe??? Compared to an original mamak stall, either at the road side or a normal open air restaurant, this mamak is air-conditioned and it's in a shopping complex. So, i guess i can say it's a little more tasteful with the decoration? I mean what can an original mamak on the road side decorate, right? Besides being different from it's location and others, it is still a normal mamak with real mamak food, from roti canai, Maggi mee goreng to nasi kandar. Their Milo and Nescafe is definitely "kau" like the real mamak. So what it's not original and it's a little different? This Mamak Village has definitely given Malaysians a different feel towards roadside mamak and brought it to a different notch. Though i still love the roadside mamak cause it just feels so Malaysian-lah...

Nasi Briyani Ayam (Chicken)

My place or yours???

Well, well, well... my place or yours huh? None! We'll go to The Apartment. Yup, you heard me. Who owns it? Who knows, I'm just there to eat! Yes, The Apartment is a restaurant. Duh! What were you thinking? Anyway, The Apartment is located at The Curve Mutiara Damansara, PJ - next to TGI Fridays. It's a two-storey restaurant that made an effort to look and feel like home, literally - with the sofa bed, chic chairs, and the decoration that i just adore! I went to this restaurant to celebrate my birthday, so having to celebrate it in a place that want people to feel at home is just amazing. The waiters are friendly and i have to point out, the day i went there, the waiters were all wearing pink polo shirts as their uniform. I'm not sure whether it's their official uniform but i think it's really cool and different from other restaurants. So, lets talk food. The food is not bad. On the scale of 1 to 5, i'll probably give a 4. That includes the music, service, food, and comfort. I can definitely hang out there the whole day. Overall, i like the place a lot! The environment is cosy with the dim litted lights, just perfect for a date or something that gives a romantic feel. They have a bar right in the middle of the reastaurant and i heard it has a bar upstairs which is only open at night. Hmm... sounds nice, isn't it? So, the next time a guy/girl hit on you with that cheesy pick-up line, you just have to say, "Lets go to The Apartment." And guess what, you can talk and talk before deciding whether to bring that person home with you. Sounds like a plan. Good luck!

The menu (it's actually printed on a graph paper!)

Lemon, as the table setting

The unique ceiling lights

Strawberry drink

Andrew's Pasta

Baked Fish

Pasta

Nooooodle......

What do you get when a restaurant sells nothing but noodles? Noodles of course! Tons of it, with different varieties. Naming it noodle restaurant would probably get them sued or probably the name was already taken. Who knows right? Noodle Station is the name of this noooodle restaurant. They serve all kind of noodles from dry to soup-y kinds. It is located at SS15, Subang Jaya, just around the corner from Taylor's Business school. The price here is also quite reasonable from RM 5 onwards. The service is also fast so that you don't need to wait long or keep your tummy rumbling. The waiters here are mostly foreign workers, so they don't speak Malay (take note). You may think they are Malay but they are not. I tried talking to them in Malay and they didn't understand a single word. They just stood there blankly. Anyway, the food here are okay but too little if i must say. I'm a big eater and sometimes, it isn't enough for me. I would only recommend this place to people who are small eaters, noodle freak, and "Anything-kind" of people (you know, those people who you ask what they want to eat and they say, "anything"?) The surroundings in the restaurant is neat and clean, which i like and the upstairs area is also my favourite place to sit because, if you are lucky, you'll be the only person up there or maybe it's really quiet. Great when you need some peace and quiet with your meal and you can even pull out your laptop as well. Take note that when you go there, don't throw away the little piece of paper they give you every time a meal arrives because if you would want to separate the bill among your friends, that lil' paper would help a lot. But if no gold-Dutch involve, for all i care, tear it, dump it, or burn it. (L.O.L)

"Ling Yong" Noodle

Springy noodle with black sauce
(sorry for the colour, it's the lighting)

Springy Noodle with Onion Sauce

Springy Noodle with Onion Sauce

Mango Ice Blended with Red Cherries

Mango Ice Blended with Red Cherries

Wong Kok CCT

This is a Hong Kong style restaurant that is found all over Malaysia but the branch that i went to was in SS2, Petaling Jaya. The environment in this restaurant is fun and cheerful. Maybe because of the bright purple wallpaper surrounding the restaurant. What i like about this place is the endless menu. Yes, sometimes i hate having a menu that have tons of choices to choose from but sometimes i also like to see choices and indeed Wong Kok Char Chan Teng have it. The drinks in particular is so unique just from the name itself. I have to warn you, the drinks itself can cost you a meal. It is quite pricey but worth a try once in a blue moon and not always or else you'll just have a hole in your wallet. I came here a couple of times but the day when i really put my camera to work, instead of sitting on the purple bench and white tables, i chose to sit at the corner on a purple sofa and white table. The sofa was not as comfortable but a nice experience to be sitted on a sofa in a fancy restaurant. The waiters was all dress in purple (yet again) and the menu was also purple (talk about purple obsession?!).

The food here is not too bad, but don't let the pictures on the menu fool you because it looks better on the menu than it's taste. Not that it taste horrible but just not as nice to look at. (???) I would definitely go there again when i sew up my wallet from my last visit but this time, i'll bring extra cash just in case. Believe me, after looking at the menu, you'll end up ordering more than you can eat or afford!

"Wong Kok Char Chan Teng"

Black Pepper Chicken with rice

Honey Pork and Veg with rice

Pineapple Chicken and Veg with rice

Noodle with Taufu and Veg

Blueberry Chocolate Ice

Bleuberry Chocolate with Ice Cream

Blueberry Chocolate with Ice Cream

Egg Omelette with Chicken Floss

Egg Omellete with Chicken Floss

Bean-tastic!

This little cafe located just at the corner, right opposite of Canai Cafe and Station One Cafe of SS15 Subang Jaya. This cafe called Beans Cafe (no, i'm not talking about the funnyman, Mr. Bean). This is a cafe that serves from typical Malaysian food to unique international food with, of course, a touch of Malaysian style. From classic mee goreng to Mongolian Chicken Chop Rice. This cafe is not only reasonable, it is also clean and friendly. The service is fast but don't expect a smiling waiter taking your order. The price range from RM 2 to RM 10++. Trust me, with RM 5, you can have at least one bowl of tong sui and some delicious kuih. And before i forget, this cafe specializes on tong sui. Translation? Sweet dessert. They have a wide range of tong sui and my favourite would be the Sweet Potato Tong sui which only cost me RM 2! And if you are a small eater, one bowl of that will be sitting nicely in your tummy. They even have sets which is much cheaper than ordering a la carte on the menu. Beans Cafe is a popular spot for a lazy afternoon lunch. A definite must-try!

Seaweed Fried Rice

Hot Chocolate and Gingko Tong Sui

Chee Cheong Fun

Peanut and Anchovies Porridge

Kuih Lapis and Sweet Potato Tong Sui

Mongolian Chicken Chop Rice

Mee Goreng with egg

Sweet Potato Sago Tong Sui