where and what to eat lah?

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I usually head to Restoran Makanan Teow Chew for some good Teow Chew porridge whenever I am at Cheras feeling unwell and lazy to drive down to Pudu. Apart from Teow Chew porridge, this place too offers one of the best claypot chicken rice ever.


There are a variety of side dishes to pick from ranging from stewed chicken/duck, braised tofu/eggs/potatoes/peanuts, braised pig intestines, salted eggs/preserved vegetables, steamed minced pork, sauteed long beans, fried luncheon meats, chinese sausages, fermented bean curd, fried fish in black bean sauce, and it goes on and on...


To complement all those fantastic side dishes, one bowl of fragrant smooth white porridge (RM 1.00).

Strong acrid smell from the fermented bean curd (RM 2.00) pairs flawlessly with the warmth and velvety texture of the porridge.


The stewed chicken (RM 6.00) was tasty, tender, smooth and not overly fat. Their stewed duck is equally tasty as well.

Braised eggs (RM 1.00/each), nothing fancy, they are just eggs...


Mouthwatering braised potatoes with minced pork (RM 3.00), cooked till the potatoes melts and creates a rich thick sauce, dig the sauce!


Suen lat choy/chap choy/choy keuk (RM 4.00) also known as the sour and spicy vegetables that we usually cook during the Chinese New Year with all the left-overs. Nothing beats my mom's version yet, the taste was not strong and flavorful enough.


Verdict: Decently good Teow Chew porridge and most important, not too expensive.


Address:
Restoran Makanan Teow Chew / Mr. Claypot
19 & 21, Jalan Desa Aman 2,
Block C, Taman Desa Aman,
Cheras, 56100,
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9133 1339
Business Hours: Opens daily from 11:30am - 10:30pm
Halal: No
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 3.09705, 101.73957
Map:

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Meng Kee Char Siew was one of those legendary char siew that goes down in my memory as one of the best in my life. Perfect lean-to-fat meat ratio with sweet sticky glaze and slightly charred caramelized skins that totally melts in your mouth! Those were the days...


Ever since they have moved from their old iconic shop in Jalan Tengkat Tong Shin to a street behind in Jalan Alor, the standard drops somehow. No idea why even-though they are still the same bunch of owners. It no longer melt in the mouth, the meat is way too dry and coarse. But, one thing for sure that didn't change, premium priced char siew! For that tiny plate of char siew, it will cost you RM 20 - generally more expensive than outside.


Decent tau geh (bean sprouts) sprinkled with deep fried shallots and drenched with soy sauce and oil.

Don't even bother ordering the steamed chicken, it is not that fantastic and there are better steamed chicken else where. However, if you do order their steamed chicken, you will get a slightly bigger portion of char siew, weird huh? They do have another branch in Glenmarie, Shah Alam and it tasted slightly better there with more varieties - roast chicken and bbq liver sausage.

Verdict: Honestly, Meng Kee's legendary char siew seems to have dropped out over time. With the hefty price tag, I might as well stick with other top-notch char siew contenders.


Address:
Meng Kee Char Siew,
Restoran Alor Kopitiam,
26, Jalan Alor,
50200, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2144 2463 / 017-6388 648
Business Hours: Opens for lunch everyday except Sunday
Halal: No
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 3.14536, 101.70789
Map:

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Back then, we used to have sushi almost every week at Sushi Zanmai. There was hardly any long queuing, portions were bigger and cheaper. But now, you ought to expect loooooooonnnnnggggggg queues during lunch and dinner time. Even so, Sushi Zanmai is still our preferred place for good quality sushi at an affordable price - for sure putting Sushi King and Sakae Sushi out of business.


Instead of the usual soy sauce, you can opt for the sweet soy sauce which is my personal preference.

Stamina Roll (RM 12.80) - omelette sushi roll topped with unagi (roasted eel).


Dai Dai Roll (RM 12.80) - spicy crabmeat sushi roll topped with salmon and shrimp roe.


Soft shell crab maki (RM 6.80).


One of my favorite kiasu dish that I usually order, salmon or tuna maki (RM 4.80) - used to be only RM 3.80! It comes with big chunks of fresh salmon and for sure, you will not be treated with such generosity at Sushi King or Sakae Sushi.


Black caviar sushi (RM 3.80) and katsuo tataki (smoked bonito) sushi (RM 3.80).


Inari kanimayo yaki (crab meat roasted with mayonnaise in sweetened tofu skin) sushi (RM 4.80).

Spicy salmon maki (RM 4.80) - my latest favorite kiasu dish that comes with big chunks of salmon topped with mayonnaise and wasabi roe.


Kanimayo maki (crab meat mayonnaise) sushi (RM 6.80). We are talking about real snow crab meat here, not those crab sticks that do not actually contain any crab.


If sushi does not fill up your stomach, you should try chicken katsu udon (RM 10.80) which is used to be only RM 8.80! It comes with a bowl of udon noodle and chicken cutlet.


Plus, the chicken katsu comes along with some salad. Now you know why they have to increase the price due to the overwhelm demands from the kiasu people.


More money-saving tips when dining in Sushi Zanmai, try not to use their wet tissue, they will charge you for it. Ocha (green tea) for only RM 1 and it is refillable. Drinkable water used to be free but now it will be RM 1. Mayonnaise used to be free but now it is chargeable as well. argh!!...I still can't get over with the sudden changes, are you not earning enough yet?

Verdict: Up-to-date, I am still a happy returning customer and will come back again and again and again. Most important, you will get good quality freshly made sushi at an affordable price - hopefully they don't increase the price further! And I realized there were some significant differences in quality between different outlets, particularly Sunway Pyramid's outlet, it was bad!


Address:
Sushi Zanmai,
T-217, 3rd Floor, The Gardens,
Mid Valley City,
Lingkaran Syed Putra,
59200, Kuala Lumpur
Check out their other available outlets at Sunway Pyramid, 1Utama from their website.
Tel: 03-2282 1160
Business Hours: Opens daily from 10:00am - 10:00pm
Pork Free: Yes
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 3.11951, 101.67654
Map:

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This is probably one of the best claypot chicken rice I had ever tasted - compare it with the other popular ones such as Restoran Koon Kee at Damansara Jaya, Hong Kee at Petaling Street and Restoran Gafan at Cheras. I have yet to try Huen Kee at Pudu, Choong Kee at Damansara Jaya and the original ones in Kampar.

Restoran Makanan Mr. Claypot aka Restoran Makanan Teow Chew is located in Desa Aman, Cheras, not too far off from Cheras Business Centre at Taman Yulek.


Apart from serving world-class claypot chicken rice, this place offers pretty decent Teow Chew porridge that goes well with flavorsome side dishes such as stewed duck, braised tofu, braised pig intestines, salted egg, steamed minced pork, etc.


Every time I am here, I will only go for the claypot chicken rice with salted fish and egg combo (RM 13 for two person). Unlike its counterpart, this claypot chicken rice has anchovies in it together with some tender chicken meat, chinese sausage and spring onion.


Not to forget that the egg and salted fish are ordered separately. From the look of it, the salted fish is probably steamed with ginger and I usually mashed them up before mixing it into the claypot.


As you mixed the rice up and you will notice that how easy the bottom layer of crispy rice comes out. Mr. Claypot definitely has gotten the right combination of sesame oil, light and dark soy sauce, the rich toasty aroma of the freshly cooked rice and the slight crunchiness texture of the rice. How can we not trust the God of Eatery (not me :P), Tou Tou from HongKong - even the God himself had visited this place before.


As you can see, the crispy layer of rice underneath comes out easily. The charred rice do not taste entirely burnt at all, in fact it tasted like soy sauce which is slightly sweet and flavorful. No idea how but I believed they must have drizzled a dash of sesame seed oil and soy sauce at the bottom of the claypot with some state-of-the-art technology.


This place is big and clean enough, service is fast with high-tech PDA gadget to take down your orders efficiently.


Verdict: This is what I call a good claypot chicken rice! Others, please siam aside...


Address:
Restoran Makanan Teow Chew / Mr. Claypot
19 & 21, Jalan Desa Aman 2,
Block C, Taman Desa Aman,
Cheras, 56100,
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9133 1339
Business Hours: Opens daily from 11:30am - 10:30pm
Halal: No
Taste:
Value:
GPS: 3.09705, 101.73957
Map:

View Eat Lah Food Map in a larger map