Best Nasi Dagang In Town

If you like nasi dagang, you will surely agree that the Terengganu nasi dagang has no rival. And if you are in KL, and looking for Terengganu nasi dagang, you must have not much luck looking for an authentic nasi dagang. Well, if you are reading this, you have come to the right place. There is one called Ulek Mayang Restoran along the Middle Ring Road II between TAR College junction and Gombak-Batu Caves turnoff. I discovered it by chance while travelling via the road and decided to stop over to check it out. Unfortunately, that day, the nasi dagang was sold out. Instead, we had nasi kerabu - real nasi kerabu Terengganu-style, complete with herbs and budu (fermented fish which smells like hell but taste like heaven). We also tried the satar (fish meat marinated in herbs and spices) wrapped in banana leaves and barbecued to perfection. For dessert we had tapai or fermented rice which was wrapped in rubber tree leaves. Check out the pictures (from top): The Menu, The Restaurant, Nasi Kerabu, Satar and Tapai.

Hakka 'Green Tea' Noodles

The hawker centre. The lady chef If you have heard of the Hakka Lui Char (Green Tea Rice), you would have heard it all - or not yet? Well, I was in for a surprise when I stumbled upon this stall somewhere near Desa Aman Puri in Kepong. It is located within the Wang Seng Hawker Centre amidst some workshop area, well-known among regulars and those who drive past this place. Clockwise (from bottom left) Lui Char Pan Mee, Pumpkin Pan Mee, Seven Veggie Pan Mee,Hot and Spicy Pan Mee and Yong Tau Foo (centre). The stall is operated by Ms Nancy Choo, who is the lady chef (her card says that). The stall offers reasonably priced fare of which the star is the Lui Char Pan Mee (home made noodles). The Lui Char soup is very well made, lots of green tea and ginger to boot. The noodles are soft and smooth. Best thing is they are all hand-made with quality in mind. You dont get these often these days. Apart from the noodles, you can also try out other dishes such as the Seven Veggie Pan Mee, Pumpkin Pan Mee, Curry Pan Mee, and a host of others. Prices vary from RM3.50 to RM6.00 (Tom Yam Pan Mee). She serves Yong Tau Foo (Hakka ones) too. Since it was my first time there, I can't give you any directions. But here's her email - ng_lim7@yahoo.com . You don't get many web savvy stall owners today, so ask her for a map and tell her you found her from here. Who knows, she might give you a greater helping!

Step into the kopitiam of old at Yut Kee's

IF you are in Jalan Dang Wangi, previously known as Campbell Street, you will see this shop (picture). It's like stepping into a time zone - back, say 30 years? - as you see the rickety wooden tables with marble tops and black varnished chairs. This is one tue Hainanese coffeeshop that you won't want to miss when in KL - serving its own concoctions as well as age-old successful recipes that have been handed down by the forefathers. Pay it a visit during the morning and check out its breakfast fare of roti kawin (toast with kaya and butter) and good old coffee (see picture). It is something that you don't find at many places in KL these days. Those who have been into coffeeshops during the 60s and 70s will remember the aroma of bread toasted over coal fire and the fragrance of the kaya (a kind of egg jam) as it is being stirred over low fire. Of course, there are other fantastic things you can feast on while at Yut Kee's (also known as Jack's Place). Among them are the famous Swiss Roll and the roti babi (their kind of hamburger and bread. Not to be missed are the noodles as well as the chicken and pork chops which comes in huge helpings and tasty gravy. To make sure you get a place to sit, go early. Preferably by 8am. The crowd builds up towards lunch time and towards the later part of the afternoon. Sundays are also best as the morning crowd is quite sparse and chances are that you will find a place to sit.

An Honest Seafood Restaurant Operator in Pasir Penambang, Kuala Selangor

Pasir Penambang used to be an exclusive seafood haunt known only among the regulars. Not any more today. The fresh seafood are also not cheap any more as more restaurants sprout overnight to tap into the tourists' hungry bellies. As such, whenever I am there with the family, I will go to the less popular ones on the left side of the road as you enter the township. On my recent trip there, I checked out this shop called Sin Hai Ping. We ordered several dishes including sotong fritters. As the food were served, the lady boss dropped by to apologise, saying she could not serve the cuttlefish because they were not fresh. I rarely see this honest trait in city restaurants. Perhaps small town business people are different. Fresh or not, most of them just serve it. If your stomach is strong, usually you won't be the wiser. If not, then you will remember what you ate and where. But this shopowner took the trouble to explain to us. Because of the New Year Holidays, they could only stock seafood in their fridge. Because the flesh of the cuttlefish was no longer fresh, she decided that she would not serve us. And she apologised. We paid RM28 for three dishes - shark meat curry, one plate of beehoon fried with fish flakes, and vegetables - as well as rice and tea. For four persons, this was reasonable. What what came with the food was her honesty. And I won't hesitate to go back there when I am in Pasir Penambang. And may I be so brave as to recommend it to you here. So, if you are in Pasir Penambang, after reading this, check out her humble shop. I have included a picture of it here. tell her you read about her shop here. It will encourage other restaurant owners like her to be just as honest as she was.