Two Scones One Cup (Hot Food) @ Sec 17 PJ

Ever since my earlier visit with friends to Two Scones One Cup @ Section 17 PJ, I've wanted to return to try their hot food.  [#Note: My earlier review of my scones and tea experience was good enough to earn me some free scones but, incidentally, not good enough to be featured on their Facebook....kekeke! ;D]  Thanks for the gesture anyway, it wasn't necessary really (and, no, I didn't claim the free scones when I revisited).

So, on a Sunday morning, I did return (with my family) only to find that the café was not 'fully' opened at 10.10am (incidentally, they open from 10am to 10pm).  By that, I was told that coffee was not available (until the 'boss' shows up) and hot food were only limited to a few items on the menu (like their all day Big Breakfast and some sandwiches until their 'chef' shows up).  We left (since they could not confirm as to what time the 'boss' and 'chef' would turn up) but I did return another day, this time for dinner to ensure we won't be disappointed again.

We ordered an appetiser of Fried Calamari @ RM10.90 for sharing.  It was served with a side salad of green, red and yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and mixed salad leaves with a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar dressing.  The fried calamari was nicely executed, crisp and crunchy, but (surprisingly) didn't come with a common dipping sauce (like mayo or tartare sauce).  When I enquired, the gentleman only offered chilli sauce which I politely declined.

We went with a local favourite for our main course, the Nasi Lemak Combo @ RM14.90, and was amazed with the generous portion size when it arrived (this can be shared by two if you're a small-eater).  The fragrant rice was served with a bowl of "sambal sotong" (chilli squid), a piece of "ayam goreng berempah" (spiced fried chicken), fried egg and condiments of sambal, fried anchovies and nuts and slices of cucumber.

The sambal sotong, cooked with sliced onions, was slightly spicy and sour but with a nice punchy flavour.  The amount of squid was rather generous, I must say, and they were tender enough.

The ayam goreng berempah featured a whole chicken leg, marinated with spices (especially lemongrass), which was fried to a nice crisp though slightly over-fried to render the meat a bit dry.  Though I thought that the chicken could do with a wee bit more seasoning, it was still alright since I prefer food that is less salty but, for those used to robust flavours, they would find the chicken very under-seasoned (like my husband did).  But, at the end of the day, you can't really fault this truly value-for-money dish, coz at RM14.90, you get one whole chicken leg and a substantial amount of sambal sotong...even if the flavours came up a bit short! ;)

Our other main was the Salmon Steak @ RM29.90 served with mashed potatoes and a side salad.  Though the menu described it as a salmon steak, it was actually a salmon fillet.  I asked to make sure it didn't have a bone in the centre (I didn't want a repeat of what we encountered at Coliseum Café).  Sometimes, I just wished the restaurants would get the names of the salmon cuts correctly described or properly labelled in their menus.

We were given a choice as to how we want our salmon done and it was properly executed to our preferred doneness.  The salmon was moist and flaky.  It was topped with a creamy and buttery sauce...not too cloying as some had dripped onto the part-smooth-part-chunky mashed potatoes underneath.

I enjoyed the Ravishing Rose Petal Tea (not part of the Gryphon brand of teas) so much the last time I was here for the scones that I immediately ordered that again, but, this time, the iced version!  The Ravishing Rose Petal Tea (Cold) @ RM10 wasn't quite the same like the hot version.  The cold version (with all that ice) was so watered down and diluted, making the tea flavour almost non-existent, so stick with the hot version if you want to savour the aroma and taste of the tea.

Honey Lemon (Cold) @ RM5.50

 

#Side Story
Referring to my earlier story on the place being not 'fully' opened when I was there, one of the owners was rather apologetic (when I mentioned this experience to him) and offered us a slice of sponge cake (on the house) for the 'inconvenience' caused.  I said it was perfectly alright and that he didn't have to do that but he said the cake was already being warmed up.  In the end, it was a small but nice gesture on his part and sincerely demonstrated his desire to provide the best service possible :)  For me, I just wanted to highlight the fact that if one can't be ready to open at a certain time, then just push the opening time later and we would be fine with that (just not say you're open at 10am but aren't ready to serve when your customers get there at 10am)...hopefully, this was just a one-off case.

My Personal Opinion

For the reasonable (café) prices they charge, the food is more than acceptable.  A fried rice or nasi lemak (with either sotong sambal or ayam goreng berempah) costs just under RM10, sandwiches at around RM12 and a selection of pasta at around RM15....with warm and friendly service.

If you're not here for Two Scones One Cup (actually, don't miss the scones) but for Two Mains One Appetiser, know that it won't cost you an arm and a leg! ;)

Two Scones One Cup
627 Jalan 17/8
46400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 012-613 8200