Thai food @ Thai Thai, Sunway Pyramid

Sorry for the few days of MIAs ......No worries, not "sent back" to China.
Anyway, there are many Thai food lovers in Malaysia as we are neighbour to Thailand, and in Malaysia, there are countless of Southern and Northern Thai restaurant, be it in Hawker centres, or restaurants.
As i am a fan of Northern Thai Food, (Southern Thai food = red color Tomyam, Northern Thai food = clear color tomyam soup, a quick example of differences) there is on particular that i like a lot in Klang Valley and can be my reasonable alternative than having the real deal in Bangkok myself. It is called Thai Thai and is located inside Sunway Pyramid, new wing, first floor

Restaurant Thai Thai, Sunway Pyramid New Wing

The restaurant's interior

They have a nice and cosy eating environment

 

 Food here is quite authentic, as i have frequent Thailand a lot last time. Their tomyam (RM11/ head) is very close to real deal in Bangkok and of "clear soup" northern Thailand style.  Another nice thing i like is their coconut ice blended (RM12), nicely blend and fragrant coconut, couple with coconut flesh inside this super soothing drink, a must during a hot afternoon.

Their must try Coconut Ice Blended

Other noteworthy ala carte orders include their basil leave chicken with rice (RM15), pineapple fried rice (RM15). Service here is fast and food portion is not too big, just nice. Environment here is very nice and cosy.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Basil Leave Chicken with rice

Their Tomyam Soup - Super Yummy

Overall verdict: 
Cosy and nice environment, authentic Northern Thai food, price not overly expensive

Organic food (Vegetarian) @ Organic Fresh Mart

Vegetarian Bah Kut Teh

Fancy a bowl of Vegetarian "Bah Kut Teh" ? Then head down to Organic Fresh Mart located at SS18. This is no ordinary vegetarian food in that it does not serve you the "Taiwanese" style vegetarian food (those with vegetarian mutton curry, vegetarian roast pork, etc. which personally i think it is unhealthy and oily), or the Indian style vegetarian. The vegetarian food menu here is quite interesting and all food here are prepared using their own organic vegetables, which are very fresh and crisp. They also have a mini mart selling all their organic produce at a very reasonable price compare to some other outlets in Klang Valley.
Among the noteworthy must try in this restaurant is their Basil Leave fried rice, and their Vegetarian Bah Kut Teh.

Organic Fresh Mart Restaurant

They have a mart to sell their organic produce too

The Basil Leave Fried Rice (RM9 if not mistaken) has a very nice basil fragrance and it's not oily at all. Portion is just right for a guy, but maybe a bit too large for typical Malaysian Ladies.
The Vegetarian Bah Kut Teh (RM10 if not mistaken), on the other hand, taste just like normal Bah Kut Teh (interesting as no pork is used in the preparation of this dish), and in fact, to me, better than some of the bah kut teh stalls in Klang Valley. The herbs used created the same bah kut teh aroma in this special concortion, and it is laden with fresh vegetables, mushrooms, and other Chinese herbs. Very yummy.
Service here is fast and efficient, and the ambience is nice, quiet, and air conditioned.

Their Basil Leave Fried rice - Yummy

The "Greedy" meal i ordered - Fried Rice + Bah Kut Teh

How to get there? If you are coming from Sunway direction, take 12 o'clock at the persiaran roundabout and go straight all the way until you reach SS18 area. Organic Fresh Mart is on the first row of SS18 shop lots at your left (no turnings all the way from Bandar Sunway, just keep go straight until you come to SS18)

Final Verdict: 
Nice and fresh, healthy vegetarian food (halal also), quiet environment, good service.

The Coffee Club in Singapore

When it comes to cuppa of coffee, most will mention the likes of Starbucks, Coffee Bean, even Old Town, or Mc Cafe (for Singapore). But The Coffee Club ??? That was what on my my mind when my wife told me they have better coffee than Starbucks. Hmmm .....now that's worth check it out.

The coffee Club branch in Takashimaya 

The Coffee Club basically is a 100% local Singapore brand, with the owner being a young and successful entrepreneur. It already has many branches in Singapore and business is brisk. Queues are expected before you are being ushered in to be seated.

Their Banana Butterscotch Coffee Latte

Their Berry Smoothy - Yummy

Hazelnut Latte with Honey Glazed Chicken

They have quite a wonderful selections of sandwiches and western food menu for food (Price between SGD 10 - 15) , some pretty nice cakes and ice creams for desserts, and being a coffee connoisseur, of course they have a wide variety of coffee, latte, and mocha to choose from (Price between SGD6 - 15). They even have some mojito and smoothies which are also nice.

Their Chicken Sandwich - Super nice!

Chicken Sandwich - Close up

Honey Glazed Chicken - So so only

Another worth mentioned local competitor will be  The Coffee Connoisseur or in short (TCC). Will blog about it next round.

Overall Verdict: 
Nice ambiance, not too expensive price, very nice sandwiches menu, so-so main courses, to-die for dessert, and very nice coffee/mocha/smoothies varieties.

"Qiu Zhao" Bah Kut Teh at Kelana Jaya

Fancy a bowl of transparent/whitish color of bah kut teh? (Unlike the conventional dark soup base) Then look no further, head down to Restoran Yi Xin at Kelana Jaya to try it out yourself.

The bah kut teh is served in bowls, not in claypot, but when it is presented to us, it is piping hot (so no worries of cold soup). The best part of this bah kut teh is the soup. The soup base is white/transparent but yet the aroma and taste of bah kut teh, especially the herbs are all there, making it very yummy, and not that oily. Besides bah kut teh, there is also vegetables, side dishes like pork trotters in vinegar, preserved vegetables ("mui choi"), and many others to complement the bah kut teh.

The white color bah kut teh soup base. YUMMY

What we ordered on that day

The fresh and crisp vegetable

They only serve normal white rice though, a bit to my little disappointment as Yam rice or oily rice will enhance the meal, in my humble opinion. Business here is very good and it is a well established setup in this area for many years already, so there are many regular and loyal patrons.

Price wise, it is a bit on the high side but not too much. We ordered a bah kut teh (for 3 person), a plate of vegetable, a side dish, a bowl of yao char kuay, a pot of chrysanthemum tea, extra mushrooms, and 3 bowl of rice and the bill came up to RM54.

How to get there? If you are travelling on LDP heading towards Puchong direction (U turn at taman Megah exit if you are coming from Puchong/sunway direction), slow down when you pass the Kelana Jaya LRT station, and turn left at the first left turn available to you after you pass the LRT station. There is a row of shop houses and Restoran Yi Xin is in the middle lot of this shop row.

This restaurant is open everyday from 10AM onwards. 


Overall verdict: 

Different type of soup base compare to conventional bah kut teh. Tasty food. Clean environment, good and friendly service. Highly recommended.

Mini Round up of Dry Chilli Pan Mee Tour

So, after visiting 3 of the famous Dry Chilli Pan mee shops in Klang Valley within a week, i think it is good to do a short summary. (Ratings below are strictly personal. Taste may differ from individual to individual)

To me, a perfect bowl of dry chilli pan mee needs to score in all the following departments (Min 1 , Max 5):

1. The noodle - Texture must be just nice, not too thick, not too thin, and taste smooth and feels solid, not hollow. 
2. Poached egg - Must not be "hard boiled egg". The yolk must be watery, but not too watery as well. Kin Kin has the best among the 3 for poached egg. Also, consistency must be taken into considerations. 
3. Anchovies - A very important ingredient. Must be crispy and super fragrant. Must not be hard and non crispy. 
4. Topping - Misc toppings other than anchovies that makes the pan mee overall blends well and taste good with the chilli. 
5. Chili Flakes - The MOST important ingredient for Chili pan mee. Must not be too oily, or too dry. Must packs the oomph, and must not taste too salty.
6. Overall Look - The dry chilli pan mee, no matter how tasty, must be presentable and looks appetizing when it is served in front of you. 
7. Aroma / Taste - After blending all the ingredients in, it must taste and smells good. But this is more subject to individual taste buds. 
8. Soup - Ideally should come together with the noodle. Also, it should be made fresh and hot. The soup, a lot of people are not aware, is also suppose to "cool down" the spiciness of the chili.
9. Eating environment - A few factors to consider here, stuffy/cooling ? Hygiene of the stall and food preparation, service of the restaurant, attitude of the owner. 

Overall, the scores are as per below (personal ratings)

                                        Kin Kin           Face To Face        Super Kitchen

1. The noodle  :            5                            4                            3.5
2. Poached Egg :          5                            4                            3
3. Anchovies :              5                            4                             5 
4. Toppings :                5                           3.5                           4
5. Chilli Flakes :           5                             2                            5 
6. Overall Look :         4                             4                            5
7. Aroma / Taste :        5                            4                            4 
8. Soup :                      3                           4                             5
9. Eating Environment : 2                           5                             4

          TOTAL                 39/45                   34.5/45                 38.5/45

What do you think ? Do share your opinions if you have tried any of the 3 shops above.

Dry Chilli Pan Mee @ Super Kitchen (Taman Bahagia Branch)

After hearing so much raves about this restaurant's "must try" chilli pan mee, decided to give it a try today. Since the nearest to my office is the SS2/Taman Bahagia branch (Chow Yang), i chose to drop by there to complete my "mini pan mee tour" for this week. (3 different shops in a week)

Being a staunch Kin Kin Pan Mee supporter, and the fact that Super Kitchen was labelled as "Kin Kin copycat" as their HQ is just exactly opposite Kin Kin's shop in KL, it is hard not to overcome the mental "prejudice" and be open about the food. I can only reassure myself that this shop has survived, opened so many branches (even more branches than Kin Kin) and has his own loyal supporters ... so the food has to be some what acceptable, if not good.

The environment is acceptable

The shop in Taman Bahagia is actually not hard to find. For local PJ folks and food lovers, i am sure you are familiar with Chow Yang (a restaurant's name). Super Kitchen is located behind Chow Yang, 3-4 shops away from Kayu Nasi Kandar shop.
The environment is acceptable, looks clean, but there are flies flying around. Service is fast and no fuss (definitely better than Kin Kin at their peak hours). Now, the food...

Their version of dry chilli pan mee

To my surprise, the dry chilli pan mee (RM5.50 / bowl) does not taste bad at all! And the chilli flakes is as oomph as Kin Kin's, definitely much better than Face To Face's chilli. But overall, somehow, it still does not taste as nice as Kin Kin's , but for sure comparable to Face To Face's version. Maybe it's the noodle texture, or Kin Kin has some mysterious "hidden" recipe. Or maybe it's just me ....but for sure, it is above standard.
Another thing worth mentioning is their vegetable soup that comes with each bowl of noodle. Unlike Kin Kin's, each bowl of soup is individually prepared and served together with the noodle, hence it is piping hot and fresh. (Kin Kin's soup most of the time are delayed, and they are "mass produced" meaning it is not as hot when it comes to you). Also, their soup portion is bigger than Kin Kin and Face to Face ....:)

The chiili flakes - they are actually quite spicy

The noodle after putting in the chilli

Perfect blend - Ready to be eaten : YUMMY

The piping hot soup

I ended up eating 2 bowls of them to satisfy my hunger. Will i come back to this shop? For sure, on days that i am lazy to brave the jams and traffic to go down KL. So now, i have Face to Face and Super Kitchen as my "lazy alternatives" when it comes to Pan Mee. Which one better between Face to Face and Super Kitchen, IMHO, Super Kitchen fares slightly better on my taste bud and personal ratings.

Overall Verdict: 

Not bad overall, good service, acceptable eating condition, nice bowl of vegetable soup.

Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee

As promised before, my personal favourite of all time when it comes to dry chilli pan mee is none other than Kin Kin Pan Mee shop. This shop has a long history dating back some 30 years ago. Now the owner has passed down the baton to his 2 sons, and they have 2 branches now, the original one in KL, and one more in Pandan Indah, Cheras area.

The famous food here is their Dry type chilli pan mee (unknown to most patrons, this shop sell the soupy pan mee and also yong tau foo, so it is not just dry chilli pan mee). Depends on your appetite, normally a guy can finish off 2 bowl easily (RM5.50 per bowl).What is it that makes it taste so good? To me, i think it is everything, from the noodle, the perfectly poached egg, the anchovies, and the to die for chilly flakes. When all these normal items are perfectly blend in, the wonderful taste of the chilli pan mee kicks in! (a word of caution, compare to many other pan mee outles, the chilli here are more on the oomph side, so apply them sparingly)

Business here is always good, especially during lunch time in weekdays, and 10AM onwards on weekends. So, if you come here at their "peak" hours ...make sure you bring along magazines/newpaper to kill your waiting time. During good business time, the owners can be quite bad tempered and easily agitated. So, if you do want to eat their famous noodles, make sure :
1) Be patient and wait for your noodle to be served, do not push the owner for quicker service
2) Be prepared to sit with others, i.e joint tables.

The famous Kin Kin Dry Chilli Pan Mee

The soup that complements really well with the chilly pan mee

The noodle after blending them all.

How to get there? It is off Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. If you come from Jalan Sultan Ismail heading towards Hard Rock direction, turn left at the Maju Junction Mall traffic light. Go till the end and turn/curve right. At the next traffic light, turn right. Go till you see the Pizza Hut, and turn left there. Immediately turn right again and you should see Kin Kin on the left, near the end of the road. Lost? It is nearby Honda showroom and Air Asia Hotel (Tune Hotel)

Overall Verdict:

My personal favourite when it comes to Dry Chilli Pan Mee. Almost every weekend i will still drive down all the way from Kota Kemuning in Shah Alam to have them in KL. Worth a try yourself, but individual tastes may vary. Also, if you are those that don't like bad tempered/lousy service owner, do not try them.
Highly recommended.

Dry Chilli Pan Mee @ Face to Face, Puchong

I am a self confess dry chilli pan mee lover as i am a chilli eating maniac. And when it comes to this dish, my personal numero uno is still Kin Kin Pan Mee shop in KL, off Jalan TAR. (which i will blog about seperately). However, ever since i stay put in Kota Kemuning, travelling to KL can be quite troublesome and jam packed. So i need to search for alternative, at least a close number two in my personal ranking.

When my wife introduced this shop to me, i am a little skeptical at first. Face to Face ? Never heard before. But after trying out their pan mee, i am well satisfied to park them under my number two ranking for the chilli pan mee.

This shop has many branches and is run under Face to Face franchise. But, QC are quite good in the sense that the same noodle taste the same in many of these branches ( i have tried the Puchong, Damansara Uptown, and also PJ Old town ones so far)

Besides chilli pan mee, this shop has many version of pan mee, wanton mee, as well as Sarawak Kampar Mee. (all are nice and tasty) For this blog, i shall stick to their dry chilli pan mee. The noodle is nice, not too wet/moist. The egg is my favourite "Explosive" type haha. And their chilli is ok ,and not too hot. (though Kin Kin one is still way better and pack much more oomph)  

The dry chilli pan mee at Face to Face

Their version of dry chilli flakes (not as oomph as Kin Kin's)

The pan mee after putting in the chilli flakes

After it is well blended with all the ingredients ...yum yum

Besides their noodles, they have some nice snacks as well, among the noteworthy one is their golden fried wanton. Taste really crispy and yummy, to go with your pan mee. And for drinks, try their white coffee, or their ribena lychee....nice to go along the hot chilli pan mee. 

Their golden fried wanton (not "shui jiao")

How to get there? For this Puchong branch, it is in Bandar Puteri, same side with Giant. The shop is same row with Maybank nearby Giant in Bandar Puteri. It is open daily until 9:30PM.

Some of my friends was saying the BEST pan mee these days is the Super Kitchen Pan mee (the one that started as a "copycat" opposite Kin Kin in KL) Will give it a try really soon and review it. Stay Tuned.

Overall Verdict:
Clean and air-conditioned environment, fast and efficient service, nice variety of noodle dishes, noteworthy snacks and drinks, and acceptable dry chilli pan mee (IMO).