Toran Coffee at Section 13, Shah Alam

Hiya folks. 

As in the Grease post earlier, I mentioned that F&B business has started to grow rapidly here in Shah Alam. A lot of exciting new cafes opened here & there in Shah Alam now. Last year, a new cafe emerged here in Shah Alam called Toran Coffee. A friend of mine who i played futsal with every week is the owner so he recommended me to try. So try i shall. 

This cafe serves both western & asian food plus shisha as well for shisha lovers. It was a bit hidden from the plain sight but it wasn't hard to find. Yeah yeah i know getting lost in Shah Alam is normal but surely you won't miss this one. So me & my friend went to grab an early dinner here. After browsing the menu, at first i wanted to try the pizza but unfortunately pizza wasn't available for awhile. So we decided to go for Pizza Fries & Cheese Baked Macaroni. 

The menu

Pizza Fries were under the category of Light & Easy but i don't think it best suited there. The portion was big. I couldn't finish it all by myself. French fries topped with a dash of tomato base sauce, chili flakes, beef pepperoni, capsicum & mozzarella cheese. They certainly not saving their cheese as there was a load of it on this dish. It was a decent dish although i would prefer more sauce inside. 

Pizza Fries (RM 12.90)

My friend ordered Cheese Baked Macaroni. Same as pizza fries, it was loaded with cheese. Baked macaroni with capsicum, slices of mushroom, & cheese sauce. It was decent as however, it lacked some seasoning. Perhaps some bacon bits should do the trick to prevent from getting 'muak' easily. 

Cheese Baked Macaroni (RM 14.90)

Pricewise, this place really worth it. Portion is big so for big eater, you will be satisfied. There are still lot more to explore so I will definitely come again. 

Toran Coffee

Jalan Ragbi 13/30, Seksyen 13, Shah Alam

Coliseum Cafe at Plaza Jaya 33

Hi folks.

I'm sure no introduction needed for this place. The main branch have been around since 1921! Older even than my dad. But of course, I'm not exactly sure what they serve during that year. Nowadays, this place are famous because of their steak. But they also serve asian food like fried rice & noodles. 

Recently, they open a new branch at Plaza Jaya 33 in section 14, PJ. Since it is way near to us than the main outlet, we try it out. The interior concept still maintain the classic feeling of kopitiam like what we saw in P Ramlee movie, Bujang Lapok where he was cheated by girls. After browsing the menu, we decided to try both asian & western dish. My mom ordered Hainanese Fried Noodles while I ordered their chef specialty, Chateau Briand Steak. 

The noodles was decent. Full of flavor especially the sauce. Served with slices of fishcake, prawns, & chicken. 

Hainanese Fried Noodles (RM 17)

Next, the steak. A 300++ grams cut of meat, wood fire grilled & topped with a dash of homemade sweet sauce. The thickness might be close to 1 inch. The taste was decent as the woody taste just struck the sense in your mouth. Meat was tender & soft. However, I've ordered the meat to be medium-well but i get the middle of it medium. A bit undercook to my liking but still ok-lah. The steak comes with mixed diced carrots & mushroom, salad & fries with your choice of sauce. 

Chateau Briand Steak (RM 75.90)

Overall it was decent. Steak wasn't disappointing although a bit undercook from what i've ordered. A lot of customer ordered their sizzling steak so i might go for the same next time. 

Coliseum Cafe

Plaza Jaya 33

Wheel Loaf Food Truck at Damansara Utama

Damansara Utama will always known as one the best place to search for food. From their evergreen food court to restaurants & cafes surrounding it, this place almost have it all. Kinda like SS15. Last time it was much more livelier thanks to the night market that now have been relocated. I used to have my supper there after doing some window shopping. 

Last week i was instructed to pick up a cake for my boss from Wondermilk. So me & my mom went there thinking of having dinner there as well but we had a different thought once we passed by a food truck parked nearby just maybe 100-200 meters from Wondermilk. It was Wheel Loaf. I recalled the name having read about it earlier from a link shared by my buddy, Am. 

Their specialty is Grilled Cheese Sandwich. There are 2 types of bread used here; white bread & panini. Some side orders like Nachos are available as well. Simple menu yet easy to manage.

The menu

There are difference between panini & white bread menu as panini sandwich use cheddar while white bread use mozzarella to get the ooey goey melted cheese. After browsing the menu, we ordered Pesto Maniac & The Great Dan. As usual, seats are limited so takeaway is an option since they used a recyclable pack. You can eat in by sitting at the street curb as well. 

The Pesto Maniac was good. Filled with ooey goey melted mozzarella cheese, grilled boneless chicken, pesto sauce & diced tomatoes. To get the better of this sandwich, eat it immediately while it is still hot. You will be blown away by the melted cheese & crunchy toasted bread. 

Pesto Maniac (RM 9.90)

Next is The Great Dan. Filled with BBQ pulled beef from beef brisket, ooey goey melted mozzarella cheese, capsicum & BBQ sauce. It was good as well but my personal favorite will be Pesto Maniac. 

The Great Dan (RM 9.90)

The chefs recommended us to try the Panini on our next visit. With our stomach satisfied, we definitely will come for it soon. You can track their movement via their FB & Instagram to avoid missing out on them. 

Wheel Loaf Food Truck

Damansara Utama (Same street as Wondermilk)

Food Hunters Festival 2015 change of date & venue

Hi peeps, 

I've posted before earlier regarding Food Hunters Festival 2015 : Return of the Vendors. Recently they've made an announcement regarding change of date & venue. The date will be 7 - 8th March 2015 & venue will be at Encorp The Strand, Kota Damansara. Get your mark change on your calendar & book this new date & place!

As usual, you can follow them on their instagram, foodhuntersfestival for more updates & foods that going to be available. 

See you there!

Frisky Goat & Kulcats Barrio at TTDI KL

TTDI have been one of the food haven for foodies. From local to western, restaurant to cafe, this area have it all. Even if one place shut down, there surely will be a new place open to replace the old one. Recent food hunters festival enhanced this place reputation even more. 

Frisky Goat is one of the popular place to have a breakfast. They not only offer food like waffles, pasta but also homemade pastries. Don't worry, lunch & dinner served here as well with plenty of promising dishes. Recently they announced a new menu launched for 2015 starting this month so me, my sis & mom went there for dinner, 1st time!

Even during dinner, the place was fully occupied so we had sit outside. After browsing the menu, we decided to go for Pasta Alla Putanesca, Ciao Bella Pizza & Chicken Ballotine. 

The menu

Pasta Alla Putanesca arrived first. You can choose either spaghetti, linguine or angel hair. Pasta cooked with olive oil, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, slices of garlic, anchovies, squids & prawns. It was a very good pasta. Similar to Aglio Olio but with a touch of anchovies which added some edge to the dish. It was their house special after all. 

Pasta Alla Putanesca (RM 29)

Next to arrive was Ciao Bella Waffle Pizza. The aroma was very pleasant. Crispy waffle topped with beef pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms, with oozy mozzarella cheese. The base sauce was very delicious as well. But beware, the waffle will be soggy if you didn't finish it quickly because the base sauce will be absorbed by the waffle. 

Ciao Bella Waffle Pizza 

Finally, the Chicken Ballotine. Deboned Chicken stuffed with spinach & cheese on a bed of mashed potatoes, mixed diced veggies & sauce. The mashed potatoes was a bit bland but goes well when mixed with the sauce; a light tomato based with hint of sweetness. The chicken cooked well as well. 

Chicken Ballotine (RM 29)

After the dinner, my sis & mom felt like eating dessert so we drove to the nearby Kulcats Barrio, another place that often crowded even after peak hours. This place offered western food mostly with a various choice of desserts. My mom & sis ordered their mud pie. The mud pie made of warm open top chocolate pie, topped with a scoop vanilla ice cream & drizzled with choc & caramel sauce. It was heavenly & sinfully good. 

Mud Pie

Both places most lightly crowded during meal time except for Kulcats Barrio during lunch. It is best to book a table a day before at Kulcats or risk of queuing for a table. As for Frisky Goat, the brunch hours are the most heavy. 

Frisky Goat

Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi

Kulcats Barrio

Lorong Rahim Kajai 13

Kerepek Pisang & other lots of kerepek by krupkrap

Ah Snacking. Who doesn't love them? From chocolate to potato chips, we eat them while watching tv, playing games & even working. Excessive of snacking can lead you to weight gain so be careful. lol

My favorite snack have always been kerepek pisang masin. Thin sliced banana then deep fried before seasoned to perfection. It was the perfect snack for me. Before this i never had a truly good kerepek up till now when a wife to a friend of mine started selling lots of kerepek & her best selling is kerepek pisang masin. It was crunchy yet soft & perfectly seasoned. The best thing is the sweetness of banana surfaced after eating it. 

Kerepek Pisang masin

You can order from her by call or whatsapp her at her number 012-9046050 or by clicking #krupkrap to check other kerepek option. She offered delivery service as well for a minimal charge. Check her schedule for delivery. 

Try it. You're going to love it. 

Ichiban Boshi at Sunway Giza

I never write about Japanese food before even though I frequently eat at Japanese restaurants. Never thought about it before probably because i was hungry. lol. Anyway, today I'm going to share my recent japanese cuisine experience here. 

Nowadays, there are a lot of japanese eateries out there be in Selangor/KL or other states. It is getting more & more popular thanks to the growing F&B business here in Malaysia plus the influence of anime culture. Hey, i gotta admit, i learned to eat Ramen because of Naruto, pastries because of Yakitate, Japan! & food because of Cooking Master. My first japanese cuisine experience wasn't that nice. I drank a cup of ketchup thinking it was a coffee. I even cooked the sashimi on a hot plate. But now, I'm a fan of salmon sushi. 

I was in Kota Damansara yesterday for futsal game & have plenty of time before the game so i decided to have a dinner. Since last week my diet have been only chicken & beef so i decided to get some fish for balance. There are plenty of japanese restaurant here so i decided to go for Ichiban Boshi. 

The menu divided into 3; 1 for ala carte food, 1 for sushi/sashimi & 1 for drinks. I decided to go for lighter choice so sushi it is. 

The menus

I ordered Salmon Yukke (Fresh salmon, rice roll with cucumber, omelette, mayonnaise, japanese hot sauce & topped with slice of avocado). The salmon was good & goes well with other element. Not spicy though. Perhaps the explosive wasabi way hotter than the sauce. 

Salmon Yukke Roll (RM 17.90)

Then i snatched 3 more plate of salmon sushi from the sushi belt. The 1st one was Aburi Salmon (Seared salmon belly). It was nice with lightly seared salmon. The meat was fatty.

Aburi Salmon (RM 3.99)

Next was Salmon Mentaiyaki (Aburi Salmon with Salmon roe & hot mayonnaise). Compared to the one i had at sushi zanmai, it wasn't too far left behind. Lightly seared with additional taste of mayonnaise & roe.

Salmon Mentaiyaki (RM 3.99)

Lastly it was Double Salmon (Lightly seared salmon roll topped with salmon roe with salmon mayo). It was mouthful. This time around they used just normal seared salmon but thick cut instead of seared salmon belly. The salmon mayo provided some edge for this sushi. 

Double Salmon (RM 5.99)

Overall it was good meal. I will pay a visit again to try other dish like bento & ramen. Each restaurant have their own signature dish. Surely there are a lot to try out there. 

Ichiban Boshi,

Sunway Giza, Kota Damansara

Serai at Seksyen 3, Shah Alam

I bet nowadays everyone knows Serai. They're almost everywhere around Klang Valley from Subang Jaya to Cyberjaya, serving western to local cuisine with selection of desserts like pavlova that been their signature. But, does everyone know that Serai have been around since 1990s? Yes, they are but back in the days, they only served local & thai cuisine in the good ol' section 3 neighborhood. My parents used to rent movies from a video shop at the same row of shop houses. We went there like few times when i was just a little boy who value cartoon & toys more than food. lol

Few weeks ago i had a meeting with an old friend at section 3. It was to my surprise to see the first, original Serai outlet still operating like they did back in 1990s. They could easily been one of the long operated restaurant in Shah Alam beside those fast food outlet. So i went for a dinner with my mom few days ago. During dinner time, this place tend to be crowded. Please come early to get a table. Unlike other Serai outlet, this place only served local & thai cuisine so don't expect any pavlova to show up. 

The menu

Upon ordering, you will be served with these on house condiments as starters consisted of peanuts, some crackers, & pickles. 

The starters. 

After browsing the menu, we decided to order Seafood Tomyam, Fried Kailan with Salted Fish & Deep Fried Squid with Salted Egg. As for the white rice, a waiter will come to you and scoop the rice onto your plate so you can tell them if you want more or less. I personally like the Tomyam. Full of squids, fish fillets & prawns. The soup was a bit clear than expected. Not too spicy but there's a heat. Sweet & Sour with a hint of lemongrass. 

Seafood Tomyam small (RM 15)

Fried Kailan with Salted fish was good as well. The veggies was fresh & perfectly cooked with more leaves than the sticks. The gravy are sweet thanks to the oyster sauce with saltiness provided by the chunk of salted fish along with slice of carrots, button mushrooms & corns. 

Fried Kailan with Salted Fish small (RM 15)

Lastly, the deep fried squid with salted egg. The squid was fried well with a hint of spiciness however the salted egg flavor wasn't strong enough. Just lightly. Still a good dish though as the squid was soft & not rubbery. 

Deep Fried Squid with Salted Egg small (RM 15)

Overall, this place served a decent thai cuisine. Price wise almost the same as other thai restaurant. Remember to come early for dinner in order to secure a table. 

Serai Thai Restaurant,

Section 3, Shah Alam

Grease at Persiaran Alami, Section 13

This will be my 2nd entry for Grease. Previous entry is here Grease 1st entry. 

Before this, everytime I went to Grease, I will definitely eat their cheesesteak. I really like them cheesesteak. My friend pay me a visit over the weekend so i decided to bring her to this place as I always told my friend about it. 

We went during the non-peak hour so there are plenty of seats available. I recommended to her the exact same thing i had days ago, Texas Chili Cheesesteak & she ordered just that. As for me, this time around i decided to go for something different so i ordered their Texas Chili Dog. 

Texas Chili Dog (RM 20)

The Texas Chili Dog consisted of Chicken hot dog on a bun, topped with cheese sauce, Texas chili with beans & meat & diced onion. The chicken hot dog was perfectly cooked & tender. The chili was good with beans in it. Not too spicy just some heat for the after taste. The fries was lightly seasoned & well cooked. A warning though, you will tend to get messy. Be ready with a napkin on your neck & lap. 

Grease has an instagram account as well. You can follow them at grease_my. 

Grease Cheesesteak

Persiaran alami, Seksyen 13, Shah Alam

Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudgy Brownies by Gula Bakery

Ah chocolate brownies. Who doesn't love them brownies? I know I do. In fact I love them. From the normal spongy brownie to flourless to fudgy, brownies have taken some kind of evolution. Recently, i was introduced to an awesome brownie by my office mate. She brought with her a box of them & gave me a taste. It was really, really delicious. From that moment on, I ordered from her until the moment i started to follow the baker herself on her instagram, gulabakery. On her instagram, there are a whole lot of other cakes made upon order. I have yet to order them but surely soon i will. 

Anyhoo, I love the brownies. You can opt for either normal fudgy brownies or salted caramel fudgy brownies. The one i ordered is the salted caramel fudgy brownies. Same brownies with a drizzle of salted caramel & chocolate sauce on top. It was heavenly. The outer layer was crunchy but the inside was soft, fudgy & rich in chocolate but not too sweet. It was really pack with goodness. You can either eat on its own or with ice cream. 

Salted Caramel Fudgy Chocolate Brownies (RM 40)

I'm not sure if this brownies have other size but you can check with gula bakery. 

Follow her on her instagram, gulabakery. Her number is there for you to order this brownies or any other cakes. 

Little Fat Duck Food Truck & 3 layer fruit juice at SS15

Recently, food trucks have been a hit for F&B business. Before this, food truck only limited to food such as steamboat, cendol, rojak, & some other street food. Nowadays, tacos, fruit juice, sandwich & even nasi beriyani are on the food truck. SS15 have developed well as a place full of cafes, restaurant, food court & now food trucks. Which is a no surprise why this area is pretty hectic even after peak hours. Parking is a gem here. 

I started to notice food trucks such as Little Fat Duck & Cowboys food truck few months ago but never had the chance to try them. The first time i enjoy a food truck offerings was during last year food hunter festival. My buddy, Am recently posted on my FB a link of food trucks which ignite my hunger for food trucks. So the other day after a badminton session with my office mates, I went to SS15 to meet up with my buddy, Ijam & Alin for a dinner & yumcha. I suggested to Ijam about eating at Little Fat Duck. The location of the truck is in front of the Public Bank. You won't miss it! During peak dinner hours, expect a lot of people queuing for order. The drawback is there are only 3 tables for eating here. Me and Ijam decided to take away & eat at Asia Cafe for a dose of 3 layer fruit juice. 

The menu is simple. Little Fat Duck offered 5 selection of pasta (Bolognese, Aglio Olio with beef bacon/Chicken, Carbonara with Beef/Chicken, Fish pesto), a roast chicken, & omelette. The best thing is the pasta only cost RM 5! How cool was that. 

The truck. 

So after staring at the menu for few minutes, I decided to go for the basic Spicy Aglio Olio with beef & Carbonara with beef. The badminton session drained me! You can park your car nearby while waiting for your order for take away. Be sure to inform the waiter. You will be given a number after ordering your food. 

Take away pack. They use this for eating in as well. 

After receiving our order, we walked to Asia Cafe & ordered the 3 layer fruit juice. The pasta used is linguini, a smaller size version of spaghetti. The Spicy Aglio olio was good & decent. The trick is you have to stir the pasta with the bacon before eating it as the pasta relied on the bacon saltiness for salt. The hint of fried garlic was good. A bit spicy but not too much. 

Spicy Aglio Olio with beef (RM 5)

Next is Pasta Carbonara with beef. The gravy was sufficient to cover the whole pasta. Loads of meat as well. Hint of cheese in the gravy but not too heavy on both cream & cheese which makes this dish very decent. Really worth it for RM 5!

Pasta Carbonara with Beef (RM 5)

While you're in SS15, make sure to head down to Asia Cafe for a mug of 3 layer fruit juice. Usually we often heard about 3 layer tea or coffee but this time around, it's a juice. Unfortunately, they only offered dragonfruit, mango & honeydew. But it is still good. The fruits was blended with the fiber still retained in the mug. The mug offered is medium or large. Medium would cost for RM 7.90. You can either stir it to mixed all the fruits or you can drink it layer by layer. I prefer the latter. The mango usually provide the sour taste but depends on season, i think. A good thirst quencher!

3 layer fruit juice (RM 7.90)

Nearby Little Fat Duck are Cowboys food truck & La Famiglia. They will be next on my list. 

Little Fat Duck & Asia Cafe Food Court

SS15

 

Restoran Nasi Vanggey at Sri Rampai

Before this, i often heard about the deliciousness & addiction of Nasi Vanggey or better known locally as Nasi Ganja. Hailed from street of Ipoh, this dish have been one of the famous delicacies for the local or for travelers that happen to pass by Ipoh. Recently, the owner ventured out of Ipoh to bring Nasi Vanggey to KL at Sri Rampai business park. Near to my office! 

So one fine day, my office mates dragged me along for a lunch here. I have no expectation or whatsoever going to this place even though i knew about their reputation. The restaurant looks like a mamak restaurant but a bit upscale. The menu here surprisingly offering a lot of choice ranging from local mee mamak to western calzone. But of course, their main specialty is Nasi Vanggey. 

During lunch time, customers will go for the Nasi Campur selection. Kinda like nasi kandar to me with lots of dishes with lots of gravy. 

The counter for nasi campur

Nasi Vanggey is actually a plate of white rice, topped with boiled salted egg, a paste of spices, slices of cucumber & Ayam Merah Vanggey. Pretty simple which cost about RM 7. You can ask for kuah campur depends on your taste bud. I thought it was pretty empty so i decided to add Kurma Kambing. 

Nasi Vanggey with Kurma Kambing (RM 13)

Rice is well cooked however i have a mixed feeling for the spice paste. It's not hot, not like sambal belacan. Taste kinda sour. The kuah campur was OK-lah to me. The ayam merah vanggey gravy was decent but dry with a bit of spiciness however the meat might be a bit overcooked or perhaps they're using meat that have been frozen for quite a while; a bit hard, not tender. Kurma Kambing was a major disappointment for me. The gravy was bland in taste & the mutton meat was very hard to bite off from the bone. The first bite i had immediately made me utter the infamous late Sudin's dialogue in Bujang Lapok, "Ini kambing ka, kayu ka?" 

For anyone who wanted to try this place, it is safe to go only for the basic Nasi Vanggey. Probably the cook had an off day with the Kurma Kambing since my office mate couldn't bite off the meat as well. For now, not sure if i'm gonna pay a return visit soon. 

Restoran Nasi Vanggey

Sri Rampai Business Park, KL

Inside Scoop at Bangsar

To tell you guys the truth, even though I have a thing for dessert, I rarely an ice cream eater like going to a shop & buy an ice cream to eat on a sunny day or going to place like Baskin Robbins to buy a scoop. The only time i eat ice cream when the dessert have a scoop or two like on waffles or pancakes. Unbelievable? Believe it. 

Last time i really did that when i was in Melbourne on vacation. There I was at Lygon St (a street full of Mediterranean restaurants) after a lunch. My buddy, Yus recommend me to try local ice cream so i went to the nearest i could find (sigh, too bad i don't recall the name of the shop). The ice cream there was heavenly. Freshly made, creamy, milky, the core ingredients just struck you in your mouth especially the durian. Yes, they have durian ice cream in Australia! 

After the whimsical experience, Yus been telling me that Inside Scoop is quite good as well. So I went there the other day to try. It just a small shop but can be crowded at night as customers going for a scoop or two or their waffles. There are lots of flavors with some of them are your usual suspects & some are unique like cempedak & durian. Don't worry, you can sample each flavor before buying the ice cream. This place offered a take away container so no worry about not able to try all. 

The ice cream selection. The covered one is the durian. 

I've tried their durian, cempedak, kopi ais, teh tarik, pistachio, horlick, salted caramel & Valrhona Choc. The durian & cempedak ice cream was surprisingly good. Tasted like the real stuff but with a twist of creamy & milky buy my favorite is their teh tarik. The flavors changed from time to time so expect new flavor to show up on your next visit. The plus point here is you can suggest a flavor of your choice! I haven't suggest anything yet. Maybe in the future. 

The menu. 

So me, my mom & my sis decided to go for their waffle this time with triple scoops of ice cream. Our selection was Valrhona choc, horlick & salted caramel. The Valrhona choc was extremely good. Pure dark choc with no or maybe less sugar. The horlick was good as well but their salted caramel just OKlah. Not too bad but not too wow either. However their waffle was good. Light waffle with lightly salted and goes well with each ice cream flavor. A must try. 

Waffle with triple scoop (RM 21.90)

I managed to have a chat with the owner. Apparently, she studied in Australia & decided to bring back aussie ice cream goodness here. She quickly know about the shop i went when i told her about my experience there. 

The crowd might temp you away on first visit as there are only few seats in the shop but no worries, you can always pack away a scoop or two. Don't forget to sample first!

Inside Scoop

Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar