Food Review - Kim Lian Kee

Location
VIVA Home Mall, Jalan Loke Yew (not to be confused with the VIVA Mall as I was.)

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Getting there

The restaurant is located on the 1st floor of the VIVA Home Mall. This mall is very easy to spot as it is located along the famed Jalan Loke Yew (parallel to Jalan Cheras) and right next to the new hotel - VIVATel.

Parking
If you are going to the VIVA Home mall, then you'll have no problems parking as there are tons of parking at the mall itself or if you are trying your luck at the free weekend parking at the shops right outside the mall, you may also do that.
Ambience
One interesting aspect of this place is that its kitchen is located right smack in the middle of the dining hall. I guess that's why they have a separate section for the diners outside on the verandah. The seating on the verandah is rather interesting as it overlooks the constantly busy Jalan Loke Yew. So I suggest you try it out there if it's not too hot for you.
Presentation
The food comes quite nicely presented on dainty little oval plates. I have to say they have very nice plate-ware as their logo appears on each of them. They seem clean enough and I think the place is still fairly new and thus, the logos on the plates still look pretty clear & vibrant.
Variety
All the standard noodle varieties are found on their menu, even the Not-so-Standard Loh Mee, Claypot Loh Shu Fun (which Literally means Rat Noodles) and Moonlight Hor Fun (with a raw egg on top). So in terms of variety, there's definitely reason for a repeat visit, which was what I did, unfortunately.

Taste & Value For Money
Yes, the noodles here taste good despite the person doing the cooking may not be a Chinese at all (Yes, it looks like many of the foreigners are really picking up these culinary skills very quickly).I have to say each time I eat here (I've been here 4x thus far), I ask myself why do I even come here? The prices are a little on the high side for the portions and ingredients (or the lack of it) we get for the prices that they charge. On average, each menu item is around the RM10-11 (and this is before the taxes mind you) and the portion is similar to a snack or tapas - ie: just enough to tantalize but not enough as a full meal (unless you are trying to lose weight).
I actually tried to count the pieces of shrimp in my plate of noodles the other day when I was there. Wow - there were 3!  I think that was my lucky day. So what do you get for RM11 - 95% noodles and 5% of ingredients if you are lucky.
Having said that, it's easier to accept what I have to say next - which is, despite Kim Lian Kee's reputation and pedigree as a big name in Chinese Fried Noodles (especially for the Hokkien-Style - where the noodles are fried in thick dark soy sauce), I have had quite a few equally good, if not better, Hokkien-Styled noodles even in unassuming street stalls. And these places only charge between RM6-7 per serving and their sizes are very much more reasonable.

Verdict
Overpriced and over-rated. Definitely not worth your time or money unless it's just to sate your curiosity as to how good Kim Lian Kee Noodles actually taste. But then, you know what they say about curiosity.

Food Review - Baba Low's

Name

Baba Low's 

Food

Baba/Nyonya Cuisine

Getting There

The best way to get there is to take note of a couple of major landmarks. The most notable 1 would be the NSTP (New Straits Times Press) Building at the corner of Jalan Bangsar & Jalan Riong.

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Tucked away in a remote corner of Bangsar, coming here brought me back to the nostalgic feel of the yester-years. Except for the number plates on cars, this place looks like time had somehow stood still here.

 Parking

As the shop is located on a tiny 1-way street, despite having parking bays along it, there aren’t many. However, right in front of the shop is a tiny community field. Diners can park their cars along the roadside if doing so doesn’t obstruct traffic flow.

Ambience

Baba Low’s is a quaint little place that brings back nostalgia from the 60’s/70’s because it has bits that reminded me of the old world charm. It seems to be a family-run type of establishment instead of the big-budget franchises that have no soul, that are usually found in malls. This place hasn’t really

When you’re sitting in there enjoying your Baba/Nyonya fare, you’d hardly think you’re still in the Klang Valley. 

Presentation

Served in dainty little bowls that has painted sides typical of the uniquely 60’s Malaysian/ Malaccan Straits heritage designs. These are quite common in Melaka (Malacca) even today but in KL, they scarcely can be found.

Variety

They have a few sections to their menu and despite not being a very extensive menu, they have enough items to warrant repeat visits.

• Satae-Satae (not to be confused with Satay or Sate aka BBQ meat skewers, another Malaysian favorite)
• Otak-Otak
• Chicken Pongtae
• Cendol, the All-Time favorite of MalaysiansTaste

I was floored when I ordered the Nyonya Laksa the 1^st time I was there. It was 1 of the best I ever had in a very long while. So of course, I could be biased as I had not had a Nyonya Laksa in quite a while.The 2^nd time I went back there, I wanted to have the Nyonya Laksa again but the item was sold out! Apparently, many who dine there know of this little gem and I surmise it must be 1 of their top selling items. So, predictably, when I went there for my 3^rd visit, I had to have the Nyonya Laksa. I managed to get it but this time around, I felt that the flavour and taste was a little less intense compared my previous visit.Still, having said that, it is still by far, 1 of the best I’ve ever had in the Klang Valley.  Value For Money

The items are not expensive as each dish is less than RM10. However, the portions are really small. I could easily wallop 3-4 menu items with ease. So it you’re there with your family members, be prepared to have a table full of items! Even if you’re there with a date, be prepared for 4-6 items on your table.

Food Review - Postcode (Cheras)

Name

Postcode - Good Malaysian Food
Food1
Local Favorites/Fusion
Location

Bandar Tasik Permaisuri

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Getting there

Located at a prominent corner of the Bandar Sri Permaisuri shop-lots facing the main roads. You should be able to spot it.

You can use the HUKM (Hospital UKM) or the KL Football Stadium as a reference point landmark. The place is just a stone's throw away from these 2 landmarks. 

Parking

I haven't been there on a weekday but every time I was there, it was over the weekend and there are lots of car park bays around the shop-lots in the vicinity as most of them aren't open. However, I'd have to say that the parking bays are all still there on weekdays and your chances of getting a space is as good as anyone else.

Ambience

This is a rather small & homely place that probably can seat up to 40 guests at any time.

The place has a slightly retro & "Kopitiam" feel to the decor. I guess it's due to the marble top tables and chairs with dark hued wooden trims. The theme is quite consistent for the whole restaurant, which makes it look good.

Another big plus point is that the place is clean and quite well-lit. However, I was only there during lunch and usually the brightness from the natural lighting from outside overpowers the interior lights a little (as you can see from my pics.)

The multiple entrances make it feel more inviting and less claustrophobic than places with a single entry/exit point.

Variety

They have a menu with quite a varied number of items ranging from rice (meat & meat-free) to noodles (fried, dry or with soup) and toast and lastly there's also coffee & fruit juices.

Some of the rice items include:

- Nasi Lemak (Coconut Milk Rice) varieties

- Chinese Styled rice varieties (eg: Kung Poh Chicken/Fish Rice, Marmite Chicken Rice, Yong Chow Fried, etc)

- 

Some of the noodle items include:

- Hokkien Mee (Fried Thick Noodles in Dark Soy Sauce)

- Curry Mee (Noodles)/Beehoon (Vermicelli)

- Fried Kueh Teow (Flat Vermicelli)

- Wat Tan Hor (Flat Vermicelli in Thick Egg Gravy)

There are also come Fusion items:

- Black Pepper Chicken Chop

- Fish & ChipsService

The Service Staff members are quite nicely dressed in their uniform. Which was a pleasant surprise to me for a place like this. 

Additionally, they are quite attentive and ready to serve. However, the service levels were a little inconsistent because I was there a few times and on those times I was there, the crowd size was almost the same but the time it took for the food to arrive was quite significantly different. I remember once, it took about 15-20 minutes while on another occasion, it took less than 10 minutes. I remember quite vividly that I was very surprised the food arrived so quickly. (Hmmm, maybe I was having more fun & distractions that time...)

Presentation

The way the food was presented was quite good as well. I mean, the dinner-ware was nothing spectacular but I guess this stemmed from my expectations from a place like this - very budget-friendly & accessible. So yes, I was a little pleasantly surprised and I hope more eateries continue to pleasantly exceed diners' expectations like this.

Other than the dinner-ware, the food placement was also very camera friendly. It's obvious some degree of care and effort was put into the way their food was presented. And that's a good thing.Taste

Unfortunately, there is nothing to really shout about in terms of taste. Please don't get me wrong, the food is not bad. It's just that there was nothing that really stands out or memorable that would give guests a compelling reason to return or recommend to others.

Value For Money
It's not street food prices but it's not really restaurant prices either. So it's pretty affordable and it provides a nice place for guests to relax and surf the net at no extra charge if they so choose.

Overall

I'd say it's worth a visit or two, perhaps just to experience the ambience and try out the menu items. So yes, I'd say worth a try but nothing really compelling or extraordinary.