Vietnam Kitchen

This is my second visit to a Vietnamese restaurant, and coincidentally both times to the same restaurant ... Vietnam Kitchen. Vietnam Kitchen now has 5 outlets, – besides 1 Utama and Leisure Mall it is also in Taipan USJ, OUG in Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur and also in Sungei Wang Plaza. Vietnam Kitchen offers authentic Vietnamese cuisine as their Executive Chef Hiep used to work for The Equatorial in Ho Chi Minh City for 15 years.

If you are new to Vietnamese food, and don’t know how to order, I would recommend a very special combination set of Banh Hoi Thap Cam, which is a DIY spring roll with rice paper, pork, chicken and vermicelli, fried spring rolls, minced shrimp on sugarcane and pork balls. These make a good introduction to this delicate cuisine. The rice paper is specially flown in from Vietnam, so expect a fragile texture. Served on a platter, matted by banana leaves, it comes with fish sauce and sweet sauce, both of which are used as dips. As the platter serves up to four people, it can either be an appetiser or eaten as a full-course meal. For less than RM25, it definitely is worth a bite.

There are also the broken rice dishes, using fragrant rice from Vietnam. You could have rice with lemon grass-flavoured chicken and pork chop and egg, or rice served with beef in tomato sauce. It doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket eating at Vietnam Kitchen. The huge bowl of Special Beef Rice Noodles is RM9.90; Mixed Vietnamese Ham, RM8; Flat Rice Rolls with Minced Pork, RM6.90; Soursop Milkshake, RM4.90; and the combination set RM21.90.

Vietnam Kitchen Outlet List
39, 41 & 43 Jalan USJ 9/55 Subang Business Centre UEP, 47610 Subang Jaya (Tel: 03-8024 8475)
34, Jalan SS2/66, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor (Tel:7873 5624)
Lot G12, Ground Floor, Citrus Park, Plaza OUG, Jalan Klang Lama, 58200, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan (Tel:79803970)
Lot S 312, 2nd Floor, 1 Utama Shopping Centre (New Wing), Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama, PJ (Tel:7724-1336).

Ratings

OVERALL RATING : * * * *
Environment Rating : * * * * (average setup, varies between outlets)
Food Rating : * * * (average)
Service Rating : * * * (average)
Value Rating : * * * * (not too expensive)

Operation Details

Average Price : RM15 - RM25

Operating Hours : 11am to 3.30pm and 6pm to 9.30pm

Accepted Cards: : Cash, Visa, MasterCard

Miscellaneous Details

Halal : Non-halal

Dining Method : Dine-In Takeaway

Food/Cuisine : Prawns cooked in a coconut, Combination of vermicelli, Beef carrot stew (French influenced),
Special beef noodle soup, Pork ribs in caramel sauce, Braised pork in coconut juice, Assam fish fillet (a recent addition to suit the Malaysian taste), Vietnamese seafood salad, Vietnamese grilled chicken with preserved, bean curd Prawn wantan (fresh and sweet prawns marinated and wrapped in wantan skin, then deep fried to perfection and served with a special sauce)

Ambience/Features : Family . Air Conditioned . Business Friendly.

Reservations : Accepted

Bumbubali Restaurant

Influences from all corners of the globe make up Balinese comestibles. Curries, cucumber, eggplant, Indian mustard and cow peas came from India; the Chinese brought the wok and stir-frying, Chinese mustard, and vegetables such as brassica and Chinese cabbage; from Arabia came kebabs and mouthwatering goat stews, while the Europeans introduced avocados, peanuts, pineapples, guavas, papayas, tomatoes, squashes, pumpkins, cocoa, soybean and cauliflower.

Travelling to Bali just for a meal isn't something everyone can afford but fortunately for us, restaurant owner Eddy Tan has brought a taste of Bali closer to home. Bumbubali Restaurant, double-storey shoplot in Bandar Puteri Puchong, has the most serene Balinese ambience with soothing traditional Balinese music and sounds from Bamboo windchimes to add to the feel. Most of the furnitures and the rest of the items in the outlet were brought in from Bali. such as contemporary paintings, artistic wood panels. Balinese figurines and sandstone carvings are displayed to add to the ethnic touch.


Restaurant settings aside, it's the uniqueness of the dishes that attracts. Dishes such as Siap Mepanggang, which comprised two pieces of barbecued Balinese chicken served with sautéed kangkung (water spinach), repemyeh (crackers made from anchovies), Sambal Matah and Sambal Belacan. This dish was served with Nasi Kuning (yellow rice), a traditional Balinese rice steamed with coconut milk and turmeric. There's also Nasi Campur which has Nasi Uduk, a Balinese-styled Nasi Lemak steamed with sweet potato served with Chicken Rendang, barbecued squid, dory, prawns, sauteed kangkung and a sprinkling of fried shallots.

Besides the Balinese cuisine, the Western and Malaysian selections are interesting too, starting with Beef and Lamb Combo. Although the dish was pretty standard fare, what made it interesting was the lemony flavour because the meats were marinated in lemongrass before they were grilled. And if you have never tasted what jackfruit tasted like in a drink then this would be the best place to discover the Nangka Shake was fresh jackfruit blended with vanilla ice cream and palm sugar. Lastly, don't forget to complete your meal with the Hot Fudge Brownie made of hot chocolate fudge served with vanilla ice cream topped with fresh mint leaves which leaves an unforgettable experience.


Contact Details
BUMBUBALI Restaurant
18 & 18-1 Jalan Persiaran Puteri 1
Bandar Puteri, Puchong, Selangor
Tel: 03-8061 8699 Fax : 03-80626698



Ratings

OVERALL RATING : * * * *
Environment Rating : * * * *
Food Rating : * * * *
Service Rating : * * *
Value Rating : * * *

Operation Details

Average Price : RM 21 - 40
Business Hrs: Daily, 11am-midnight
Accepted Cards: : Master Card . Visa Card . American Express . Diners Card

Miscellaneous Details

Halal : Yes
Dining Method : Dine-In . Takeaway
Food/Cuisine : Authentic Balinese . Malaysian . Western.
Ambience/Features : Cosy . Family . Air Conditioned . Alcohol . Kid-friendly . Special Functions .
Reservations : Accepted

Peng Heong Hakka PAIKUT

I practically grew up in Klang, but if it wasn't for KP ... I wouldn't even knew this place existed. All I know about Klang is for it's Bah Kut Teh and seafood of course. Then one fine day, KP brought the whole load of us to this stall, near the Panggung Seri Intan (cinema) somewhere in Klang town. Well, I don't exactly know how to tell you where it is, but I'll provide you the contact details. Trust me, it's worth the effort !!!

The stall actually has a name, Peng Heong Hakka Paikut Restaurant ... that's what it's called. The owner, William Yong runs the place and he's also the Head Chef there. Now, let's dive in to the menu shall we ? We begin with the speciality, the most popular "Pai Kut" - also known as spare rib in english. Interesting enough, the spare rib dish ... is boneless. Now if you ask me, the usual Pork Rib King ... or more commonly known as "Pai Kut Wong" is available almost anywhere and taste pretty common. But what you get here is really ....good.

Imagine yourself smelling the delicious aroma of the "just-served" Pai Kut dish .... taking a piece of it and then sinking your teeth into the tender and soft meat ... and finally the heavenly taste ... just before letting it slip down your throat ...... I think I'll order another plate of that .... and another one for take-away please !!!!

Now, your gourmet experience doesn't end here. The Vinegered Pork, Assam Fish and especially the Curry Chicken ...... deeeeeeelicious ! Somewhat special, the Curry Chicken is similar to Chicken Rendang ... only better. Not getting enough of the chicken, we ordered another serving of Mutton Curry ... which is equally as good.

Finally, a word from the author ...that is myself. Please do yourself a favor and go try this out. A gastronomical experience you wouldn't want to miss, as some would say.

Contact Details :

PENG HEONG HAKKA PAIKUT RESTAURANT
William Yong Yok Pin
Tel : 019-2600855 / 012-2369855
Address : No, 21, 22, 23, 24, Jalan Cox, Batu Tiga Solok Baharu, 41300 Klang, Selangor.

Ratings
OVERALL RATING : * * * * (good food, good value)
Environment Rating : * * (Roadside stalls, not hygiene friendly)
Food Rating : * * * * * (good stuff, recommend to friends)
Service Rating : * * (what service?)
Value Rating : * * * * * (not too pricey)

Operation Details

Operating Hours : no information

Miscellaneous Details

Halal : Definitely Not
Dining Method : Dine-In Takeaway
Special Dishes : Hakka Paikut (Pork Ribs), Assam Fish, Vinegered Pork Ribs
Food/Cuisine : Chinese
Ambience/Features : Family . Open air
BYO Allowed? : Yes
Reservations : Accept pre-orders

Gastronomical Adventure in Jakarta

I just got back from Jakarta ... and after settling down ... finally managed to get some time to start writing again.

First off .. to those of you who haven't been to Jakarta .. it's a big .. no.. that's an understatement. It's a Huge city. You don't see that many high rise lots in the city, that is because the buildings are spread out all over the city. Population ... ? Let's just say it's crowded. Economically ... there's a big gap as what the people would say. Meaning .. the rich are filthy rich and the poor are ... hoohum....

To find food in the J city is not at all difficult. To find good food ... firstly you'll have to pick up some Indonesian slang. "Selamat siang, pak!" is a common greeting term. Then you learn to take the Bajaj, a local transportation that will bring you to the most corner of the city. Finally, you may want to learn how to read Indonesian menu ... of course, if you're heading to a hotel or fast food joint, that doesn't apply, although the currency exchange might have some shocking effect. The Rupiah's are great currency ... you can see that by the amount of zeros it has on the behind. Alright, now that the cultural thingy is settled, let's move on to the topic of food.

Food in Jakarta city, I would split it into a few category ... this is according to my analysis.

First in the chart would be the exclusive hotel/restaurant/fastfood which is easily accesible (i.e. no problem ordering). The food here are easily understood, menu are usually in plain english and mostly international food.

Then, there's foodcourts in shopping malls which is also easily accesible and language barrier shouldn't an issue since most of them working in malls do speak english.

Finally there's the millions of tiny stalls dotting around the big J city. Every corridor turn, every pavement alley, under bridges .. you name it, there they are.