Food Review - Kim Lian Kee

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

View Larger Map

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 - Postcode (Cheras)

Name

Postcode - Good Malaysian Food
Food1
Local Favorites/Fusion
Location

Bandar Tasik Permaisuri

View Larger Map

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.

Food Review - Ah Koong Eating House

Name

Ah Koong Eating House
Food
Chinese Fish Ball/Fish Paste Noodle/Mee
Location

Pudu (in the Berjaya Times Square vicinity)

They also have an outlet at the Subang Business Centre and another one at Taman Sentosa, JB.

View Larger Map

Getting there

There are various ways to get there depending on where you are coming from but if you just zoom in on a landmark (there are quite a few landmarks in the vicinity) such as the Berjaya Times Square or the Pudu Prison/Jail. Once you have located these landmarks, then, you just need to get your bearings and then make your way there as they are all within the vicinity.

Parking

There are lots of parking around the shop-lots or even at Berjaya Times Square itself which is located at about 300m away.

Ambience

Despite this place having the comfort of air-conditioning, this is strictly a no-frills dining place (hence I categorize it under "Street Food").

The place is relatively clean & well-lit, which is a plus point in helping it look clean & bright.

Variety

The process begins at the front door when diners are given an empty bowl and need to select the type of noodle they wish to have and whether they would like to have it dry or with soup. The standard noodle types  plus a couple of less common types are available:

- Bee Hoon (Vermicelli)

- Mee (Yellow Noodles)

- Loh Shue Fun ("Rat" Noodles)

- Kuey Teow (Flat Rice Noodles)

- Wantan Mee/Noodles (both flat & thin varieties)

- Spinach Mee/Noodles

There are simply too much choice in terms of the many types of accompanying items you can add on to your meal. They range from:

- Fish Cakes (this is a "must try" item when you are there*)

- Fish Balls

- Fujok (soya skin with fillings) items

- Tofu & Yong Tau Foo

- Prawns (or shrimps as the Americans like to call them)

- and many more

* The fish cakes are fragrant, springy in bite texture and it just looks fantastic! Can't resist this item!

Service

The place is mainly manned by Nepalese or Myanmarese workers. It used to be manned by local Chinese. Other than the occasional inability to understand due to their lack of command of our languages or strong accent, the service is quick & fuss-free.

You order your food when you arrive up at the front door, go find a table and the food will be served to you in usually 10-15 minutes. After you are done, just bring the order chit to the cashier counter located right behind the open kitchen, and you're done.

Presentation
Again, despite this place being a no-frills dining outlet, they have nicely branded themselves as all of their wares, from the white plastic plates & bowls to even the spoons have their branding. This helps make the place a lot more presentable than a mere food stall.

Nicely done.

Taste
I'd say that the food here is a little bit too savoury (salty-lah macha). However, I personally, quite like strong flavours in my food (despite my liver's silent protestations). 

I like my noodles dry while some may prefer their noodles in soup. Either way, you won't lose out on the soup as the goodies (fish balls, fish paste slices, sea-weed, etc) all come in a separate bowl soaked in the deliciously fragrant soup!

I usually like to add the finely cut red chillies to my bowl of Ah Koong noodles. However, they have recently switched from the red chillies to the significantly spicier Cili Padi (more commonly known as Bird's Eye Chili). And sadly, the red chillies are nowhere to be found! I guess the reason why they switched was because the Cili Padi is much cheaper when compared with the red chillies.

Overall

This place is a favorite of mine when I'm in the area and have run out of ideas as to where or what to eat. It's affordable and delicious at the same time. No need to worry about whether I'm appropriately dressed or not. As I had said, no-frills fuss-free quick bite kind of place that never lets you down.