Ra-Ft Cafe/Bistro @ Lorong Binjai

Ra-Ft Cafe/Bistro @ Lorong Binjai has gotten from strength to strength.  I was first introduced to them through their first outlet in Binjai 8 with Mont Kiara and Sungai Buloh (which is also their roastery) branches to follow not long after.

This was a blast from the past...lol!  Since discovering them in 2017 (that's close to 10 years ago...you can read my previous postings here, here and here) and I'm happy to say they've managed to maintain their good standards in both food and service...although they're not as crowded as they used to be.  You know lah, with new cafes sprouting up every day, people want to be the first ones to be seen there so that they can say "been there, done that"! ;D  Glancing at the menu, I see a lot of old favourites here...you know the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

My very first introduction to Ra-Ft was through this all-time favourite dish of theirs which is equivalent to a Big Breakfast which they simply call My Ra-Ft Breakfast - Build Your Own Breakfast @ RM28...perfect for those who want to customise what they want on their breakfast plate.  The standard items in this breakfast dish are eggs your way (we asked for scrambled eggs), hash brown, cheesy baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and a slice of toasted sourdough bread with herbed butter.

You can then customise your breakfast (as in build your own) by choosing add-ons of pork bacon 2 slices (RM9), chicken or pork sausage 1 pc (we chose pork sausage), roasted porchetta (RM12) and/or home-cured salmon gravlax (RM14).  Everything was as good as I remembered...savoury, meaty, housemade sausage, creamy and fluffy scrambled eggs cooked just right, juicy button mushrooms, crispy sourdough and hash brown with a special mention to the grilled tomatoes that day which had a nice, smoky flavour. ^o^

Our other breakfast dish was something I've not ordered before, the Ra-Ft Crown BLT @ RM34 which featured a smashed avocado open sandwich with pork bacon, sunny side-up egg on a slice of toasted sourdough topped with a crispy cheese crown and a mixed salad on the side.  

Loved the creamy, smashed avocado on the crisp sourdough, especially the slightly salty, crispy, fragrant cheese crown (which was actually infused into another piece of smaller sourdough toast with some bits of crispy bacon).  Some sourdough, the crust can be very hard and the bread rather chewy...but not the one here...very good sourdough.  I enjoyed the salad very much too with fresh, mixed salad leaves, finely shredded white and purple cabbage and the grilled cherry tomatoes with balsamic dressing.  A beautiful dish all-in-all. ^.^

After chit-chatting for more than 2 hours, my friend and I was ready to share another dish (+ it's the rightful thing to do if one is occupying a table for far longer than you're supposed to)...anyway, they were winding down in preparation for dinner service already, so the place was empty besides us and another table.  We opted to share a more dessert-like dish of American Pancakes with Maple Syrup & Butter @ RM24 and I added on a fresh fruit salad at an additional RM6.

The pancakes were nice and the maple syrup is served on the side for you to tweak the level of sweetness you prefer (I would have preferred a better tasting, more fragrant maple syrup though).  I thought the addition of fresh fruits of crunchy green apple, juicy watermelon and lightly tart oranges brightened up the entire dish and gave it a much more refreshing and light take.  On a side note, their tiramisu (which I've had on many occasions) is really excellent and if you're here for the first time, you should so get that.

Of course coffees is a must...an Iced Latte @ RM12 for my friend and a Hot Latte @ RM11 for me (as I was still coughing).  Hey, I got a cute rabbit for my latte art! ^_*

My Personal Opinion

If you don't know what to have, you can't go wrong with My Ra-Ft Breakfast where you can customise what you want in your breakfast plate. Trying the Ra-Ft Crown for the first time, I was very happy with my choice as the crispy cheese crown was savoury and outright delicious (and that's coming from someone who doesn't like cheese all that much).  I guess when you make anything crispy, it's difficult to not like...lol!

Ra-Ft is still one of my favourite cafes to dine in...and still is after so many years as their food and coffees have stayed consistently good.  A breakfast/brunch plate that ticks all the right boxes...it will remain a beloved cafe of mine in the years to come.

Ra-Ft Cafe/Bistro

Unit G-1 Ground Floor

Binjai 8 Premium Soho

2 Lorong Binjai

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2181 1091

Udon-Ya San @ Pandan Indah

Udon-Ya San @ Pandan Indah has been around for many years and though I noticed that they have a rather high rating (4.4) on Google, I've not come around to try.

The reason being I've never been a big fan of udon noodles....I prefer soba or ramen! ;)  But since it was one of my friend's favourite udon place (and she wanted me to try), we were here for dinner one evening.

Well, you're in the home of an udon specialist, so what do you have?  Udon, of course! ;D  I had the Tsukimi Udon Soup Set @ RM18 that comes with chicken kaarage, a mini salad, soup and green tea.  I've to agree with her that the udon is not bad at all (they were slurp-worthy)...and the soup had wakame, an onsen egg and batter bits in a subtle tasting soup which I appreciated.

My friend had the exact same thing, the Tsukimi Udon Dry Set also @ RM18, except she opted for the dry version.  The chicken kaarage that came with both the sets were 3 huge pieces, so the set was indeed value for money.  Well fried and crispy, they were decent tasting.

The mini salad that came with the set was the standard salad of shredded cabbage and carrot, a usual at Japanese restaurants (with a light dressing of roasted sesame).  Other choices of udon besides tsukimi (dry and soup) include cha su, duck, beef, seafood, curry, carbonara, mentaiko, goma salad and kake udon.

I placed an order for a side dish of Fried Gyoza @ RM12.  It was missing that crisp and well charred bottom (and edges) we've come to expect of a good gyoza.

Another side dish for sharing was the Assorted Vegetables Tempura @ RM7.  I was hoping for the batter to be lighter and crispier and not so thick.  Other side dishes include ebi tempura, kakiage, tonkatsu, chicken katsu, ajitama, goma salad and edamame.

My Personal Opinion

It's a place you can come for your udon fix...and that's about it! ^_~  The udon here is certainly slurp-worthy and decent (just not sure how it compares to other udon places since I've not eaten enough udon to be an authority on it as udon is not way up there on my list of favourite noodles to eat).

Also, don't expect too much from their other menu items that aren't udon.  In the end, I think the low prices may be the contributing factor to its ratings and popularity.  If you don't set your expectations too high, you should have a fulfilling meal here (with the emphasis on "full") at a very decent price.

Udon-Ya San

65 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/3A

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-236 8131

Rakuzen @ Sunway Velocity

Rakuzen chain of restaurants is a popular Japanese restaurant that is known to serve consistently good food with fair portion sizes.  That's why they're a favourite with families and their many branches is a testament to their popularity.

They have branches all over the Klang Valley but the Rakuzen @ Sunway Velocity is our go-to when we happen to be in the mall for a bout of shopping (not at the mall but at Ikea next door) and feel like a Japanese meal thereafter (I've blogged about this place twice before...apparently both way back in 2017)! :O  Glad to see they're still alive and doing well after so many years.

Prices may be a bit more premium here but service is good...they always start you with a warm towel and complimentary green tea! ;)  I was rather famished and decided to splurge a bit and got myself the Executive Course Menu @ RM99, a 5-course menu featuring an appetiser, sashimi, a grilled dish, a course of rice/noodles and finally a dessert.

Although tamago tofu and grilled eggplant was listed in the menu as the appetiser round, what I got that day for the Appetiser Course were Tomatoes & Asparagus.  These were some really sweet, juicy, cherry tomatoes, skin removed and served chilled (if I remember correctly) in a little soy sauce.  I'm guessing they're Japanese cherry tomatoes as they're a lot sweeter than regular cherry tomatoes apparently...they were very good.

The other half of the appetiser highlighted, cooked to tender, sticks of (shaved?) asparagus topped with (what looked like) natto (fermented soybeans) for that salty, umami flavour.  They were pleasant too.  The meal was getting off to a good start.

Next was the Sashimi Course featuring fresh cuts of Salmon (Belly), Kanpachi (Amberjack), Hotate (Scallop) & Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp) Sashimi.

Nothing to fault as everything was as it should be...pristinely fresh, clean and subtle in taste and texture.  A little dip into the soy sauce (or wasabi as some prefer) and you're good to go.

The third was the Grilled Course and it was a choice between Karasu Karei Saikyo Yaki 70g or Angus Ribeye Steak 70g not that I had a clue what the former was as I zeroed in on the ribeye steak right away.  It was served with some charred vegetables on the side.  While writing this post, I googled and found out that karasu karei saikyo yaki is actually a type of fish (Greenland halibut or Atlantic flounder) marinated in white miso (saikyo yaki).  They should include an English translation of the dish and not expect us to know what the dish is in Japanese.

The Angus Ribeye Steak was cooked properly to medium rare doneness as I had requested.  The meat was tender and flavourful with the soy sauce (and some slivers of cooked down leeks).

My next course was the Rice/Noodles Course with a choice of Unagi Hitsumabushi or Tempura Inaniwa Udon (hot/cold) and I knew instantly the former would be my pick.  I've always wanted to try unagi done this way...and it came served in a wooden bucket with a pot of dashi (broth) and a plate of condiments on the side.

You can savour Unagi Hitsumabushi in a few ways, making it a layered culinary experience.  First is, of course, as it is savouring the pure flavour of the smoky, tender, flavourful unagi with the rice which had bits of eel mixed into it for extra flavour.

Secondly, you have it with the condiments of shredded seaweed, some tiny crispy puffs (a bit similar to tempura batter) and finely chopped spring onions (with wasabi and sansho pepper too if you like) mixed into the rice for a more complex taste.

Thirdly, you pour in the pot of hot dashi into the rice and eat it ochazuke style.  The dashi was delicate and light (I believe it was dashi when I poured a little into my spoon to taste it on its own coz it can also be green tea or just hot water).  When mixed into the rice, it had a refreshing but savoury aftertaste.  The broth was very hot, so for those who enjoy hot soup with rice, this will be right up their alley.

The tender unagi over flavourful, sticky Japanese rice in a hot and delicate soup is comfort food at its best. I'm glad to have finally tried unagi hitsumabushi and enjoyed it though I felt eating it the first way lets you savour the pure, unadulterated taste of unagi and because the unagi-flavoured rice was already flavourful on its own, the taste of the soup was lost in the dish (I wish I had eaten more spoonfuls that way before pouring in the soup).

My fifth and final course was the Dessert Course of Matcha Ice Cream with Red Bean.  I've never liked anything matcha but this matcha ice cream I truly enjoyed...it was creamy with a light matcha taste.  I finished the whole thing even though I was very full.

My son went for the Steak Don Set @ RM48 showcasing pan-fried steak (60g wagyu) with onsen egg and rice (the other option was 100g Angus Ribeye @ RM42.

The set was served with sides of cawanmushi, sesame-dressed salad (of spinach and carrot), miso soup and diced fresh fruit (of watermelon & dragon fruit).

The wagyu was cooked correctly to medium rare as requested, and it was tender and reasonably flavourful when I tasted a piece (can't expect premium wagyu based on the price charged...especially when the charged is not much of a difference compared to the ribeye).  All in all, it was a decent beef set for the price.

My Personal Opinion

I've heard about unagi hitsumabushi for quite some time now and glad to have finally tried it since I'm a die-hard fan of anything soupy with rice.  Perhaps I would have enjoyed it even more if plain white rice was used instead as I would then be able to savour the true flavours of the delicate soup more.  I'm hoping to try salmon or beef patty chazuke style in future now that I've had a taste of what it's like.

The quality of the beef (Angus ribeye) here is definitely reasonable in both taste and tenderness...and it matches their price point.  As for the matcha ice cream, the creamy taste was much stronger than the matcha taste but, at least, I won't shun matcha from now on...lol!  Always worthy of future visits (although their Google rating is very low at 3.8 mostly due to complaints of poor service which I've been fortunate enough to not encounter).  That's why it's always good to filter through the reviews as it may not always be about the food coz I've always enjoyed my meals here (glad to see they've maintained their standards).

Rakuzen 

Lot 1-28 Sunway Velocity Mall

Lingkaran SV Sunway Velocity

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9770 1170

Sik Thong Ba @ Cheras Traders Square

Sik Thong Ba @ Cheras Traders Square was our next destination for dessert after our wonderful Japanese meal at Two Chefs Lab because of its convenient proximity.  It was already 10.30 pm then but we were shocked to see a queue when we got there (but it turned out to be just a short wait only).  Wow, people still eat dessert at such a late hour? O_o

Well, I guess so...since we were also there to sik thong ba which literally means eat sugar lah! ;D  Actually, not really...we just wanted to adjourn somewhere so that we could chat some more.

Since they converse mainly in Chinese/Mandarin, I got my friend to make the orders at the counter.  We got this Eight Treasures in Ginger Soup or Soya @ RM13.90 and we chose a soya & tau fu fah base with brown sugar syrup.  It was a visual feast for our eyes as well as our palates.

Since there was no detailed description in the menu, the eight treasures I'm guessing are taro, purple & orange sweet potato balls (more like rectangles), boba pearls, red beans, peach gum, soya/tau fu fah base and brown sugar syrup.

The tau fu fah was smooth and slurp-worthy.  We added on black sesame rice balls (3 pcs) for an additional RM4.50 coz my friend requested for the add-on as it's her favourite (well, mine too). ^_~  The balls were chewy and delish with a fragrant sesame filling.

Taking a bit of everything, we each customised our own bowl and could tweak the sweetness to our liking since the brown sugar syrup was served on the side.  I enjoyed the silky smooth soy pudding base with only a tiny bit of the syrup as the chewy taro balls, black sesame rice balls, tapioca pearls, refreshing peach gum and sweet adzuki beans provided the natural sweetness needed. ^.^

Our next dessert for sharing was not on their regular menu when we were there in (apparently it's a limited edition) but I saw a pic of it online, so we enquired and was pleased to find out that it was available that day...the Matcha Black Glutinous Ice @ RM18.90 (perhaps it's on the permanent menu now).

It featured a matcha ice cream, a match pudding, black glutinous rice, mini rice balls and soy milk ice.  My friends, being matcha fans, absolutely loved the matcha ice cream and (wobbly) pudding.  The texture of the pudding and creamy ice cream was done right...the matcha flavour was quite pronounced for me (and that's because I'm not that big a matcha fan).

So I left most of it to my friends while I enjoyed the smooth soy milk shaved ice with the soft, chewy black glutinous rice and mini rice balls...and partaked in more of the earlier dessert (which I preferred).  Due to the mild, pleasant bitterness of matcha, this dessert will be embraced by those who don't like their desserts to be excessively sweet.  Durian lovers can opt for durian flavour which comes with durian ice cream & durian flesh.  There's also mango flavour which comes with mango ice cream and mango cubes.

P/S: Sorry for the weird colour background in the photos...don't understand why it turned out that way (two different coloured background based on two different desserts - one orangey and one bluish)...probably due to my phone camera (though my friend's phone camera also had a similar result) or the place's lightings (more likely) that made the photos that way.

My Personal Opinion

These little bowls of happiness was a happy ending to our earlier wonderful Japanese meal.  It truly affirms their high ratings and reviews...a testimony to their popularity (and the many branches all across Klang Valley).  I think it's also partly due to their very reasonable pricing with many of their desserts coming in at around RM10 or under and the more special ones not costing more than RM20.

The next time you need a sugar rush, Sik Thong Ba may be your answer.  Well, as Annie Lennox said "Sweet dreams are made of this.  Who am I to disagree?"...and that should be that! ^o^

Sik Thong Ba

37G Jalan Dataran Cheras 2

Cheras Traders Square

43200 Balakong

Selangor

Hakka Yin @ Taman Salak South

We don't usually come to this area but we had something we needed to get from a shop here, so that's how we ended up at Hakka Yin @ Taman Salak South one day during lunch time.

After we came here to do what we had to do, we looked around for a place to eat in the vicinity and settled on Hakka Yin.  As the name implies (Hakka Yin means Hakka people), they specialise in Hakka food obviously.

Their signature noodles is this Hakka noodles and that was what we started with, their Braised Pork Belly Hakka Noodles @ RM10.90 and I made a request for a thinner cut of pork belly.

The braised pork belly was, without a doubt, tender and delicious (the best thing I ate here), as the Hakkas are known to make the best Hakka char yoke (or braised pork belly) there is.  I had it with their original Hakka noodles that was flavoured with crispy pork lard bits as well.

The other noodle of choice was the Fried Pork Belly Noodles @ RM10 with original Hakka noodles topped with fried pork belly.

The Hakka fried pork belly was decent but isn't among some of the better ones that we've had.  Maybe because the cut we got was rather lean thereby contributing to the dryness somewhat.  Other choices of noodles include options for braised chicken feet, meat balls, poached egg, sui kow (dumplings) and minced meat.

We also tried two of their side dishes like this Fried Sui Kow (3 pcs) @ RM8 and Fried Meat Patty (1 pc) @ RM2.50.  Other choices include pork meatballs, kwong sai taupok, fried fuchuk, fried wantan, wantan and sui kow in soup as well as a la carte additions of fried pork belly, braised pork belly and chicken feet.

Both the fried sui kow and meat patty were fair...and though the dumpling skin was thick, it was crispy. Nothing extraordinary to overly like but nothing to complain or not like either.

The noodles were served with a bowl of soup with choy sum (again, ordinary tasting) and they have 3 types of chillies to choose from...pickled green bird's eye chillies, a dry chilli sambal and a fresh chilli dip (all housemade, of course).

When I first visited, I didn't know that not everything I saw online is available daily.  Apparently they do daily specials and only certain dishes are availabe on specific days...like Hakka Yong Tau Foo (on Fridays), Hakka Lam Mee, Hakka Sui Pan and Curry Hakka Noodles (on alternate Saturdays apparently) and nasi lemak and bubur cha cha (on Sundays).

I was yearning for some bubur cha cha (that's why I wanted to visit in the first place) but to be disappointed (after coming all the way) that it's not available every day.  Even though it was a Saturday when we visited, yet the Curry Hakka Noodles was also not on their specials that day (only the Hakka Lam Mee and Sui Pan was available).  That brings me to a conclusion that if you're a first timer and doesn't know about their daily specials, you'll be sorely disappointed (like I was).

My Personal Opinion

This restaurant seems to be more suited as a neighbourhood restaurant...to be visited by residents who stay in the area who can pick and choose which day they want to come (based on what they want to eat) but for the rest of us (not from here), it becomes an inconvenience.  On the day we are there, the food you want to eat may not be on the menu.  I don't know how a restaurant can run on this modus operandi and hope to be successful...perhaps they're a family-run restaurant and not hoping to make a killing from the business (this was made worse with their new announcement on their FB page that they're now open for 4 days in a week only, Thursdays to Sundays).

Anyway, it's up to them how they want to run their business...but for me I'll have to be there on 3 different days just so that I can eat the things I want...which is their yong tau foo, curry noodles and bubur cha cha is a real inconvenience (since I don't live nearby).  So, unfortunately, this will probably be my first and last visit...more so when the food isn't all that outstanding that'll make me want to return no matter what...lol! >_<

Hakka Yin

57 Jalan Hang Tuah 4

Taman Salak South

57100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 011-1285 5303