Restoran Ahwa

I used to have Hokkien Mee at Damansara Utama. That was before I tried the famous Ahwa's Hokkien Mee at Jalan 222. My parents are quite insistent on Ahwa when it comes to Hokkien Mee, and for good reason.

Chilli sauce.

Reason number one, the chilli sauce. Usually, I do not apply any sauce to food, especially chilli sauce which spoils the flavour. Ahwa's chilli sauce is so good that I do not mind spoiling the food. Heck, I can even eat the chilli sauce only. The sauce has a strong taste of belacan (prawn paste) which makes the sauce very fragrant and flavourful. The spiciness of the sauce is also well controlled, enough to pack a punch but not enough to numb the tongue.

Hokkien mee.

Hokkien bee hoon.

The best Hokkien Mee I have tasted thus far.

Cooked using charcoal and obscene amounts of lard, sprinkled with a (used to be) generous helping of deep fried lard; that is all the description needed for people who understand the great power of charcoal flames and lard. I suppose that makes all the difference, as most Hokkien Mee I have tasted previously are cooked by gas instead of charcoal.

Fried lala.

The fried lala is nothing to shout about. Beware though, as the quality of the dish is pretty inconsistent. Out of the three times I have eaten lala at Ahwa, the first time was decent, second time was horrible and the third time, as they say, is the charm. Nonetheless, I am not going to trust it that soon.

Oyster omelette.

This dish was an abomination. The oysters were so tiny that there I could not taste them. Even as an omelette, it was still a horrible omelette. The taste and texture was substandard and definitely not fit for sale, in my opinion.

Teochew stewed duck, tofu and egg.

The stewed duck was pretty good. The meat was tender and juicy, probably due to the stewing process. The stew gravy was also tasty but perhaps a little under-seasoned, which resulted in rather tasteless stewed eggs. However, the duck was salty enough, which made me think that the eggs should be stewed separately from the duck in the stewing process and seasoned more heavily.

Restoran Ahwa is probably the place to go for for Hokkien Mee. For the other dishes, there are other places which make better versions.

66 Jalan 14/48, 

46100 Petaling Jaya, 

Selangor,

Malaysia.

View Larger Map

Restoran LYJ (Part Two)

Third time to LYJ this trip, this time to try out the more famous dishes. It is also Kaili's last meal for her trip to K.L.

Char siew.

LYJ's char siew definitely looks the part. Charred, caramelised and glazed on the skin and thick layers of fat in between thin layers of meat. The texture was as expected. The meat was tender and the fat was melt-in-your-mouth perfect. The sauce I am not such a fan of. It was poorly balanced with a potent taste of garlic, which overpowered the other flavours in the sauce.

Bittergourd lala.

The second lala dish I have tried in LYJ. This time, the consistency of the sauce was a lot better than the previous lala with ginger and spring onion. The bitterness of the bittergourd was not completely infused into the sauce, whereas the sweetness was. Also, the bittergourd was tender yet not mushy, just perfectly done. What I do not like about the dish is the black beans. I felt that it spoiled the flavour of the sauce, lala and bittergourd.

Steamed rice.

The steamed rice is amazing. It is difficult to describe the fragrance emanating from that small bowl of rice, even more so to identify the ingredients used in the brown sauce applied to the rice. Do not waste time on plain old white rice in LYJ, go for the steamed rice.

Fried fish with petai (stinky beans) sauce.

Possibly the best fish dish in LYJ. The sauce was so well balanced with the flavours of assam, chilli, onions, sour plum and other unidentified ingredients. Somehow, the sauce did not taste like petai, which is a good thing for me. The problem I have with the fish is that it is deep fried to an extent that it was crispy, but with not much meat left on the fish that was still flavourful. Nonetheless, the sauce is still the main attraction so I will still return for this dish.

Claypot kangkung (water convovulus).

Jeremy swears by this dish. When I told him what I ordered in LYJ the first time I was there, he told me I ordered the wrong dishes and recommended this, saying that "there is nothing quite like it". I took his word for it, and did not regret that one bit.

The dish looked quite harmless but it is nothing like it seems. Beneath the initial layer of bright green kangkung, there were bits of chilli padi (birds eye) in the dish, which gave it a real sting. In addition, the claypot helps retain the heat of the dish, making it even more painful to eat. However, the kangkung was delicious despite, or even because of the sheer spiciness. It had that charred flavour found in vegetables flash fried with what I call jet flames. The belacan (prawn paste) was also very potent, but not overwhelmingly salty. This stands as one of the best kangkung dishes I have ever eaten, perhaps only second to the one in Hock Seng Hin.

Kaili's verdict? "Awesome".

Jin Xuan Hong Kong Dim Sum Restaurant

Good dim sum is hard to find, more so in Malaysia. After sampling dim sum in Perth, Melbourne and Hong Kong, I had to accept the sad fact that Malaysia has no good dim sum place. During one of my previous trips back from Melbourne, I was proven wrong when friends brought me for lunch at Jin Xuan Hong Kong Dim Sum Restaurant in Damansara Jaya.

This review is actually written for my fourth visit to the restaurant. Why the delay? During my first trip this blog was not yet nascent. The subsequent three trips were made within a week. Finally, this time, I hauled my camera along. Also, I have brought a fellow eater, Kaili, with me.

炸海鮮卷.

This is one of the more impressive dishes that I have tried in Jin Xuan thus far. It consists of fresh, crunchy and succulent prawns, juicy scallops and golden salted egg yolks wrapped in a thin, deep fried beancurd skin. The  salted egg yolks used for this dish were not too salty and did not overpower the flavour of the seafood. Problem? When this dish reaches the table, it is often cold and that is a big no-no for deep fried food.

芋角.

This dish is another must-eat for deep fried food lovers. Jin Xuan does this dish pretty well. The flaky bits on the crust were crispy but not soaked with oil; the layer of yam was thin enough to leave enough room for the pork filling but thick enough not to have its flavour masked by the sauce for the filling. The pork pieces could have been cut into smaller cubes though which would make the chewing process a lot more effortless and a more enjoyable experience.

蘿蔔糕.

I am not really Jin Xuan's fan when it comes to the fried carrot cake. It is not bad, but I have tasted better.  Dragon-i does theirs much better with the crispy salted egg yolk crusted carrot cakes.

糯米雞.

糯米雞, is a common dish in dim sum places. Personally, I prefer the 珍珠雞, which is a variant of glutinous rice with chicken but wrapped in lotus leaf and is savoury instead of sweet. However, I have yet to find a dim sum restaurant in Malaysia that serves that, so I had to stick to the usual. Jin Xuan's glutinous rice with chicken was not too good for me. There was too much rice and too little chicken. Besides, the thick sweet sauce makes the dish too sweet for my liking.

蝦餃.

Prawn dumplings are the most symbolic dish in the dim sum genre. The preparation of this dish is an art kept secret, which is probably why most dim sum restaurants fail when it comes to it. Unfortunately, Jin Xuan failed to impress me with their version, despite being the best I have tasted in Malaysia so far. The skin was too thick, which in good prawn dumplings should be so thin that they are translucent, such that the prawns are clearly visible through the skin. This does not only affect the presentation but also the texture. The prawns were as crunchy as those in Perth, Melbourne and Hong Kong, but pretty bland. The thick skin also masks the flavour of the prawns with the floury taste.

上海小籠包.

Shanghainese dumplings, not the usual sight in dim sum shops, and for good reason. Jin Xuan's Shanghainese dumplings were disastrous. It was extremely difficult to lift the dumplings up without the juices within flowing out due to the skin of the dumplings sticking to the bamboo steamer. That alone is enough to kill the dish. If not bad enough, when I managed to lift one of the dumplings onto my spoon without bursting it, I tasted it and I was extremely disappointed. The pork filling inside tasted bad such that I do not even know how to describe it. This is a dish best left not ordered.

燒米.

Huge! Jin Xuan does not stinge when it comes to this dish. They serve humongous balls of pork. As much as size matters, it is not the only merit. Jin Xuan's 燒米 are tender and juicy, unlike the rubberised 燒米 in most Malaysian dim sum places. Taste wise, it is on par with the better dim sum places in Hong Kong, and that says a lot.

蒸排骨.

The steamed pork ribs with black bean was a big disappointment. The pork ribs did not have the porky stench, which is good. However, they tasted like green chilli. All I could taste was pork and green chilli such that it seemed like the black bean is just added for presentation.

流沙包.

The molten custard bun, which is my English name for it, is what brings me back to this restaurant time and time again. The core of the bun is a sticky, molten salted egg yolk which oozes out upon biting. There is nothing more enjoyable than slurping the filling and letting it warm the mouth. Mmm. This dish was perfect for me but Kaili just had to influence me by saying that the bun was a bit dry, which I noticed after her critique. Oh well.

I have a lot to complain about the dim sum in Jin Xuan but only because I compare it to all the dim sum restaurants I have dined at, be it in Malaysia, Hong Kong or Australia. However, one has to appreciate the fact that Jin Xuan is an absolute winner in Malaysia, where good dim sum is as rare as buried treasure, despite its shortcomings.

Kaili: Awesome meal.

59, 61 & 63 Jalan SS21/19,

Damansara Jaya, 

47300 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor.

03-7729 6866

View Larger Map

Mizu Japanese Fine Dining

Up on the first floor.

Mizu is one of the restaurants I miss dining at when I am stuck in Melbourne. I had only been there once before this, yet I have already fallen in love with the food ever since. Today, I return to seek my old flame.

Getting some shots before food arrived.

The place was not as crowded as it used to be. In fact, the entire TTDI Plaza resembles a ghost town nowadays. Back in the days, which is not that long ago, it used to be bustling with activity, be it eating, drinking or clubbing. The hot spot is now as cold as the dim, blue lights that shine upon the few lonely souls that still come to visit.

Fortunately, for us, that also meant less customers for Mizu, more seats and more privacy. That being said I hope the business is still profitable and stays open for my future visits.

The service was reasonably fast, for a fine dining place.

Unagi kabayaki.

The grilled eel glazed with a sweet soy sauce base was the first to arrive. Everyone else had their chopsticks ready, anticipating the moment I stop taking pictures.

I used to think that all unagi kabayaki taste almost the same, and the steep price that Mizu charges for their version does not really justify. That was before I tasted the dish. The freshness of the eel was evident in this dish. The flesh does not crumble into bits when I tried to cut a cross section in the eel with my chopsticks, which usually happens with cheap unagi. Texture is definitely a first class.

Taste wise, Mizu's unagi kabayaki stands above others that I have tasted. While others are bombarded with the sweet soy sauce to the extent that I cringe due to the overwhelming sweetness or saltiness; Mizu's unagi was just right, such that the natural flavour of the eel was not completely masked by the sauce. Also, the black belly of the eel is nicely charred, which added flavour to an already wonderful dish.

Another factor that justifies the price is the size of the dish. To put it simply, they serve the eel whole.

Assorted sashimi.

I am a self-proclaimed sucker for sashimi. Every now and then, I crave for a nice tray of fresh cut fish, be it salmon, tuna or any kind of seafood, if it is raw, I want it.

The first thing that caught my eye when the waitress carefully placed the massive dish on the table was the size of the dollops of wasabi given. Without giving it much thought, I took one of the five dollops and mixed it with my soy sauce.

I do not know enough about Japanese cuisine and fish to be able to identify the cuts served. All I can see is salmon and tuna. I started off with the white fish with the grey skin. I dipped it in a generous bowl of wasabi and put the fish to my lips. The moment I started chewing, my heart smiled. It was so fresh and chewy. The same goes for all of the other fishes on the plate. 

The salmon deserves a praise for having the melt-in-your-mouth texture. The fat content was more than what you find in the cheaper sashimi. The prawns were also amazing. I have never tasted such sweetness in prawns before. I even suspected that it must have been glazed with sugar or other sweeteners. Biting into the head is nothing short of heavenly. Sweet and savoury prawn paste exploding onto your tongue, giving a split second high. The unfortunate part was that each of us could only have one piece of each fish, and only two of us could have the prawns.

Garlic fried rice.

A fine dish on its own, but pales in comparison to the rest. However, it cannot really be compared as it serves a filler and a side to the magnificent mains.

Tempura prawns.

I am not a big fan of tempura. For starters, it contains too much oil which kills off the eater's appetite. Also, tempura in most restaurants have incredibly thick batter, which soaks in more oil and makes you wonder whether you are actually eating flour or prawns. Thirdly, the thin sauce that comes with the dish usually tastes like water, or mildly salted water.

Bringing the above three points into light, Mizu's tempura prawns definitely won accolades. The batter was so thin that the red marks on the prawn flesh are still visible from outside, yet it still gave the prawns the crispiness expected from tempura.

The sauce was in a different league in comparison to those of other restaurants. It was savoury yet not overpowering and complemented the prawns very well.

Kobe beef teppanyaki.

Me trying to be artistic.

This dish was the bomb. Not much explanation and praise can be given to Kobe beef that what other more experienced and qualified people have already said. Tender beef with a high fat content, marbled into a thin weave of juicy meat and fragrant fats. There is nothing quite like it.

This time, the beef was really tender as I ordered it to be done medium rare. One needs not put force into chewing the beef. Just by applying a bit of pressure on the crust, the abundant layers of fats melt in the mouth, leaving behind a strong aromatic beef flavour on the flesh. Chewing the remnants is far from a chore and more like ineffable bliss.

The beef was also lightly seasoned, if seasoned at all. With such high quality beef, anything other than salt desecrates the meat. Complemented by the deep fried garlic slice and the deep fried beef fats, Mizu's Kobe beef teppanyaki is just mind-blowing. The black pepper sauce, on the other hand, was unnecessary. It is a great sauce, but with Kobe, the best sauce is the marbled fats.

Unagi maki.

Basically the aforementioned unagi kabayaki with rice and seaweed. Could be better without rice and seaweed.

Soft shell crab maki.

Sushi rolls with a generous amount of soft shell crab, salmon roe and crabstick. Nothing really special here. I have tasted better.

All in all, Mizu lives up to its name of "Japanese fine dining". Despite being more expensive than many of the other Japanese restaurants in Malaysia, the prices are fair as the ingredients used are far superior than those used elsewhere. The presentation of the food also deserves the label "fine dining", although there is still vast room for improvement. However, if that involves prices going up two-fold, I would rather stick with how it is now.

C-2-1, Jalan Wan Kadir 3,

60000 Kuala Lumpur, 

Malaysia.

03-77286498

View Larger Map

Restoran LYJ

To begin, I have heard much too many good things about this restaurant while I was in Melbourne. People praised, exalted even the food at this restaurant. Some say it is the best Chinese restaurant in Malaysia that they have ever been to, a serious claim considering the sheer number of Chinese restaurants in this country and the frequency they frequent these restaurants. Nonetheless, it sounded too good to be true. Hence I was a strong sceptic.

As if the bar was not high enough to begin with, my family arranged that LYJ be the venue for my welcoming dinner. After months of continual craving for Malaysian cuisine, this was chosen as the place for me to open my floodgates of desire. I went to the restaurant with hopes of stuffing myself silly with a stellar dinner.

The first impression I got upon arrival is that the place looks like crap, and I do not mean that in a good way. Certain restaurants look crappy, but rightfully so. Such places look crappy but homely. You can sense the history and the experience of the restaurant in every piece of plank with rusty nails and every piece of almost decrepit furniture. This place, on the other hand, looks very mechanical, frigid and just devoid of any soul. It seems that its only purpose is as an eating place. Nothing else whatsoever.

Crappy decor.

Fortunately, I cannot say the same about the food. Calling this place "good" does not do it justice. I shall explain in the detailed review below.

Standing chicken.

Dad in the background.

Mom going at the chicken.

The famous standing chicken is one of the star attractions at LYJ. After months of being tagged in Facebook on the carcasses of impaled chickens did arouse the curiosity in me. To be honest, the cynic in me wanted a taste of this dish as I have had many experiences with Chinese styled roasted chicken and none of them are good. Chickens cooked this way are usually completely devoid of moisture, resulting in almost unpalatable chunks of dry, hard, white meat.

Unfortunately, I was right about the chicken. Although the skin was a lot crispier and tastier than any other I have tasted, the meat was still dry as husk in many parts, especially the breast. The fortunate part was, there were parts of the chicken which were still tender. The thighs downwards, the wings, the ribs were still good, and those were the pieces I enjoyed.

Another disappointment was the chilli sauce that came with the chicken. It had a very artificial taste to it which I can only describe as plastic-y. There is no real flavour to it and the chicken was way better off on its own.

Fried lala with ginger and spring onion.

The fried lala with ginger and spring onion was good. It would be better if more than half of the shells were not empty. The lala were really big, fresh, succulent and juicy. Luckily, the sauce was not bombarded with salt and other seasonings, thus, the clammy flavour of the lala was preserved. However, the sauce was too starchy and thick. Most of the sauce was stuck to the plate rather than to a lala, making me think that the ginger and spring onion were redundant.

Fried kailan with yellow wine.

This is definitely one of the best fried vegetable dishes I have ever eaten. The fragrance of the cooking wine is balanced with the savoury sauces, a perfect combination with the slightly burnt kailan. The most important aspect of frying vegetables Chinese style is a strong flame, or what I call rocket fuel frying. Flash fried for slightly more than a minute, the vegetables retain the crunchiness, moisture and the attractive green colour that turns yellow if the vegetables are fried for too long. I guess I could complain that the vegetables are not burnt enough, but this is a healthier alternative. However, this is just me trying to find fault with an almost perfect dish.

Pork belly with salted fish.

This is definitely a favourite in my books. Thinly sliced strips of succulent pork belly in a claypot, seasoned with salted fish and a thick sauce. LYJ has certainly done all the right things with this dish. The saltiness is not overpowering unlike many versions of this dish that other restaurants serve. It was just right. The thing I enjoy the most would be the crispy crust on every piece of pork belly. It was just like a perfectly baked middle bacon, but with local twist. The lard and salted fish melting in your mouth is one of the best sensations in life. I could not praise this dish more without exaggerating. It is that good. In fact, it is the best version I have ever tasted.

Steamed tilapia with green sauce.

This dish, for me, would be the most underrated dish in LYJ that I have tasted. The fish itself is not the main attraction, it is just steamed without any seasoning. However, the freshness of the fish is important as the texture of the fish is paramount due to the lack of seasoning to mask the imperfections in texture. The sauce, on the other hand, works magic. I do not exactly know what is in the sauce, but I think the ingredients are calamansi, lime, mint and green chilli. The sauce is just a perfectly balanced combination of sweet, sour and spicy.

I can imagine this dish being served in small portions on a big gourmet plate, and plated up fine dining style with the sauce in puree form and spread around the plate. This dish wins all the points in creativity and is a dish no one would forget. 

Cold pucuk paku (fern shoot). 

Pucuk paku has always been one of my favourite vegetables, but I have only eaten it cooked lemak style, in sweet, thick, curry-like gravy. LYJ serves pucuk paku cold, as a salad, with a sour dressing.

It is a refreshing dish. The pucuk paku was fresh and crunchy, and there were deep fried onions to add more crunchy bits to the dish. The only problem I have with the dish is that it should have been served first, as an appetiser instead of coming last, as a dessert substitute. Nonetheless, this is not a problem with the dish per se but the service.

All in all, LYJ is a restaurant far above the average Chinese-Malaysian restaurant, but to call it the best would be unfair since there are restaurants which serve certain dishes better than what they have. However, to have so many dishes that are creative and atypical of the genre does have its merits in my book. It seems to me that LYJ is not only a restaurant but a place where the passion for cooking meets the courage of invention. Even the dishes that are typical of the genre deserve the highest praise, especially the pork belly with salted fish.

I foresee myself dining here very often whenever I am in town. It may not be the absolute best, but it is definitely first class.

Restoran LYJ

PT 11, Jalan Perkhidmatan,

Kampung Baru,

47000 Sungai Buloh,Selangor Darul Ehsan.

03 6140 2678

No Google Maps. This place is literally in the middle of nowhere.