Three Meals Of Goodness

During my last visit to the Old Town Kopitiam in Prima Avenue, Cyberjaya .. I spotted a cafe next to the Kopitiam. Eventually I found out the cafe name ... Padi House. Pretty interesting and creative name, I would say. So I decided to schedule one of my Friday lunches there .. which is today.

I guess Padi House did score some plus points for being so close to my office. That means I don't have to travel more than 10 kilometres to the nearest "mixed rice" source.

Arriving Padi House, I encountered my first problem ... the parking lots are not accessible ... apparently you can only access it using a smartcard or something. Guess what I did next, there was a huge gap beside the carpark exit barrier .. I drive right past it and parked my car. I know, I know ...I shouldn't do that ... but for some reasons, I did.

The cafe has an open-air concept, pretty much like any coffee shop but the seats are quite comfy. We sat right next to a landscaped fish pond, with the fishes swimming right next to you while you enjoy your course of salmon fish....

Ordering process, unfortunately ... is via pencil and form, here we go again ... with the tickings. And I guess the form was too small, the waiter brought us a large piece of A4 paper to write our orders, ourselves!!! Anyway, to cut the story short, we got our orders in and waited. And waited. We were the first few to arrive. By the time the restaurant filled up, we were still waiting.

Then eventually they brought our drinks and then the snacks that we ordered. The first to arrive were the Onion Rings and then the Deep Fried Sweet Potatoes. The Crispy Duck Noodle was considerably alright. The noodle tasted very much like instant noodle probably because it is one but fortunately the duck meat was very good, though! Soft, fat-free, very tasty without any of that sou mei (overly strong meaty taste).

One of the item found in the western favourites section is the Chicken Chop Rice. This, apparently is a fusion of western (Chicken Chop) and oriental (rice) and happens to be the favourite among the patrons. Another item from the western section is the Grilled Lamb Chop, which is also a favourite order. You can choose between the black pepper or the mushroom sauce but I personally like the black pepper sauce as it brings out the taste of the lamb, with a slight touch of spicyness although some commented that the sauce is a little salty. That aside, the lambs are as tender and juicy as it can be.

Those who would like to try something different can opt to order the Grilled Salmon Fish Rice. Topped with black pepper sauce, this item should have scored high on the chart but unfortunately the Salmon is a little dry. I had to request for extra black pepper sauce for the salmon dressing.

Here's our bill for the day ...
Drinks - RM2.50 - RM2.90
Chicken Chop Rice - RM5.90
BBQ Chicken Noodle - RM6.90
Crispy Duck Noodle - RM6.90
Mushroom Soup - RM3.90
Onion Rings - RM6.90
Deep Fried Sweet Potato - RM5.90
Grilled Lamb Chop RM14.90
BBQ Honey Chicken Rice - RM5.90
Grilled Salmon Fish Rice - RM8.90

Contact Details

Padi House
Block 3503, Jalan Teknokrat 5,
63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor D.E.

Ratings

OVERALL RATINGs : * * (Average food ... average everything)
Environment Ratings : * * * (Open-aired - plus point for the pond with fishes)
Food Ratings : * * (there's a lot of room for improvements)
Service Ratings : * * (I got pissed, what do you think?)
Value Ratings : * * * (affordable for 2-3 visits a week)

Operation Details

Average Price : RM10 could get you a good square meal
Business Hrs :
Accepted Cards: not sure

Miscellaneous Details

Halal : Yes
Dining Method : Dine-In . Takeaway
Food/Cuisine : Local / Western
Ambience/Features : Open-aired Coffeeshop concept
Reservations : Accepted (I still don't have the phone number ....)

Labels: chicken chop, Cyberjaya, grilled, lamb chop, lunch, meal, rice

Finally !!! A decent food establishment in Sahara .... I mean Cyberjaya. For the last 3 years of my employment term in Cyberjaya, I have visited countless number of food establishments in and out of Cyberjaya (more outs than ins). Let's just say working in Cyberjaya is different, very different from working elsewhere. Be it the working lifestyle, dressing sense and even eating habits will have to change. No more frequent Bah Kut Teh sessions (the one in Dengkil doesn't count... it's far away!!!), I doubt you can find a decent stall with deliciously fried Hokkien mee ... poor those hokkien fellows ... that includes me!

The opening of Oldtown Kopitiam in Cyberjaya of course, is

not my dream come true .. but it provided us fellow Cyberjayans with a sense of hope. A hope that someday, we don't have to organize a Guided Tour Package just to go for lunch. Or visit that "Lego land" foodcourt. Or that overpriced Bistro ... in my workplace. And I heard that a chinese coffee shop has opened next to the Oldtown Kopitiam as well ... Padi House, I think. Thank you ....

Anyway, reverting back to Kopitiam .. after all this article is about them. Smacked right in the middle of the hot, hot Cyberjaya - behind DHL ... stands the Old Town Kopitiam and apparently that area is known as Prima Avenue (I never knew). I heard froma friend, who heard from another friend about this new place - I think they opened about a week ago, somewhere in early October 2006. The place looks cool with little fountains on the front - with this huge OldTown signage. You'll never miss the road.

There are 2 sections, outdoor if you choose to fry and sizzle in the hot sunny Cyberjayan lunch noon or indoor with the almost comfortable airconditioned area. I wish they'd fix that problem, airconditioning is a neccessity not a luxury (yes, i know it's not true ... you go sit in the sun then).

Food ordering, like the rest of the HK themed restaurants and also kopitiams .. is a hassle with the pencil ticking on a list of paper menu. Why can't they just take the order like any other decent food establishments - just because they've taken off service charges?

Anyway we ticked and ordered. Some of our food came and we ate (forgive our manners, firstly it's Cyberjaya.. what manners, secondly it's lunch and we're starving) while the even hungrier ones waited and waited for their food. Finally we couldn't wait and reminded the waiter, which he eventually said .."Hah, not yet come ah ... wait ah, I check" ... subsequently ALL the food came. No further comments on the service quality.

The OldTown Coffee which I presume is from Ipoh, is good, especially the "Cham" or better known as YingYong, the ice ones of course. By the way, they do sell the coffee powder, if you feel like making one yourself back in your office. The rest of the coffee are pretty much the same. I believe the Oldtown Nasi Lemak Special is their speciality, almost every customer that visited this place ordered that. Me, as usual .. ordered something else .. just so that I have more variety when I take my food shots. I ordered the most pathetically expensive Nasi Rendang Chicken, rice, with a dry piece of Rendang Chicken ... a little patch of sambal and cucumber. Go imagine.

Generally, the food is somewhat common, with "kopitiam" concepts mushrooming all around town. Nevertheless, it's a welcoming concept ... think of it as a 'chinese' mamak if you may.