T Garden @ Pandan Indah

I don't know how long T Garden @ Pandan Indah (not to be confused with the Tea Garden chain of restaurants, which I did so myself initially) has been around in my neighbourhood but I reckon it has been quite a while.

Although we have noticed their presence for quite some time but, for some reason, we never ventured into the place until about a year ago.  Not everything is edible though but you can certainly find something to eat here that's fairly decent.  Just choose wisely...haha! ;)  Some were acceptable, some borderline and some you won't want to have again.  

The menu is so extensive, it's bonkers, but recently the menu has been significantly reduced, so some prices have been increased while some dishes have been dropped from the menu altogether.  And here are just a sample of those I did try...and took a photo of (over the past one year), so some prices may differ and some may not be on the menu any longer.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Pork Chop @ RM19.90 - this is probably our most ordered dish.  The pork chop is seasoned well and always seared properly.

Since the pork chop is all lean meat, don't expect it to be tender but because it's been butterflied thinly, at least the chewy aspect of it is significantly reduced.  There's also a version with chicken chop.

Though the cooking of the pork chop is consistent, the same cannot be said of the aglio olio.  Sometimes it's properly done with enough colour on the garlic and heat from the chilli flakes, sometimes the spaghetti will look quite pale and yet other times they might even be cooked with added ingredients (like carrots and Chinese dried mushrooms) besides the usual ingredients of green bell pepper, button mushrooms, garlic and chilli flakes.

If you prefer not to exercise your jaw with the chewy pork chop, you can have the Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Bacon @ RM17.90 instead.

The Grilled Spicy Chicken Chop @ RM17.90 was a bit of a 'train wreck' with so many different sauces on the plate.  You have an apple sauce, black pepper sauce, a sauce for the mashed potatoes, a mayo sauce for the coleslaw and a sesame sauce for the salad.  How on earth all these five sauces going to combine together, I have no idea.  They obviously have not heard of the saying 'less is more'! :P  The chicken chop itself was alright but stay away from anything that gives you that horrible gluggy coleslaw as a side.

The Special Spicy Curry Noodles @ RM14.90 turned out to be a bit of a surprise coz I wasn't expecting a cafe like this would be able to churn out a respectable curry....and it was decent.  It was a big bowl loaded with ingredients of chicken, fish cake, tofu puffs, fried bean curd skin, long beans and the eggplant was especially welcomed.

But during a more recent visit, the curry broth tasted a bit less creamier and a bit more heavier in curry powder flavour.  

T Garden's Nissin with Ham & Egg @ RM10.90 is a poor copycat of Kim Gary's well sought after version where their instant noodles soup has quite a following.  I think this has been taken off the menu since.

Their T Garden XO Twin @ RM13.90 was an enjoyable noodle dish of meehoon fried with XO sauce and lots of generous ingredients of squid, prawns, fish fillet, egg, spring onions and I loved those fat, crunchy bean sprouts.

I was also delighted with the taste of the Glass Noodles with White Prawns in Claypot @ RM17.90 if you don't mind the soft noodles.  There were some good-sized prawns in the claypot for the price paid.

Stay away from the Cantonese Style Fried Yin Yong @ RM14.90 as the sauce was not good plus they used very thin meehoon that disintegrated into the hot gooey broth.

The Spring Onion & Ginger Fish Fillet Kuey Teow @ RM14.90 was at least edible partly because of the sliced ginger (and fish slices) that added some flavour to the broth.  Give both a miss and you won't miss a thing.

Besides noodles, they have many rice dishes and rice sets (which my family members preferred) and which I thought fared better than their western-style dishes and noodles.  The Sweet & Sour Pork Rice @ RM13.90 was fairly well done.

It was nice that the Fish Fillet Rice (with black pepper sauce) @ RM13.90 came with three side dishes...and the fact that the rice wasn't just plain rice, it has been wok-fried with egg.

If you want the same dish (as above) but prefer chicken, you can go for the Chicken Chop Rice instead @ RM14.90 with the same sauce and side dishes.

For the Deep-Fried Fish Fillet with Egg Floss @ RM17.90, other than the less than stellar quality of the fish fillet, the egg strands were super crispy and the dish was fragrant with crisp curry leaves.  It was served with plain rice and a fried egg.

The Thai Style Roasted Pork Rice @ RM16.90 is a favourite with my son but be warned that the pork is lean.

It's served with pickled vegetables, braised peanuts and a fried egg.  If you're looking forward to a runny egg yolk, I'm sorry but you won't find it here...in any of their dishes! >_<

The Thai Seafood Tomyum Rice @ RM13.90 isn't among some of the better renditions I've had but an option when I'm looking for something sourish and spicy.

XO Seafood Frice Rice @ RM13.90 - actually all their fried rice is pretty decent in taste.

The Salted Egg Prawn with Yam Basket Rice @ RM19.90 is a dish with many components to eat.  You have three crispy salted egg yolk coated prawns, a fried yam basket filled with sauteed vegetables and cashew nuts, a fried bean curd roll (this is good), a fried egg and fried rice.

But an even more filling dish is the Kerabu Fried Rice with Rempah Chicken @ RM16.90, so this will be ideal for those with big appetites, otherwise come very hungry.

The dish boasts of a crunchy whole spiced chicken leg (much like ayam berempah although sometimes it can be a bit over-fried) with fried rice, crispy bean curd roll, a refreshingly tangy mango salad (I really liked this) paired with a sambal and a squeeze of lime.  This, for me, was definitely one of the better rice dishes I had here.  Not only was it good, it was good value with great portion size.

There's also an insane amount of snacks available for those who want something lighter or as an add on to their main meals.

French Cream Mushroom Soup @ RM9.50

Curry French Fries @ RM8.90

Porkle Fries @ RM16.90 - pricey fries coz they're luncheon meat fries after all!

Spicy Crispy Anchovies @ RM7.90 - this snack is too salty to be eaten on its own, best with rice.

Crunchy Spiced Squid @ RM10.90 - hmmm, I don't remember eating this, so it must be pretty forgettable...no wonder it's no longer on the menu.

T Garden Sandwiches @ RM13.90 - maybe this one doesn't qualify as a light meal as the portion was enormous.

The drinks I felt was a bit on the pricier side for a place like this...didn't like the coffees but the juices were alright, perhaps a tad sweet for me. 

Orange Juice @ RM9.90/Watermelon Juice @ RM9.90

Plum & Lime Juice @ RM12.90/Honey Lemon (Cold) @ RM9.90

Mango Ice Blended @ RM10.90/Sour Sop Ice Blended @ RM10.90

HK Style Coffee @ RM8.90/Cafe Latte (Cold) @ RM11.90

My Personal Opinion

Depending on what you order, you may come away with a fairly satisfying meal here with prices that are within the affordable range.  I think the rice sets and dark sauce noodles are the more successful dishes here.

It's just another option for our family dinners when I don't cook...and when we don't feel like eating at hawker stalls.

Restoran T Garden

No 31 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/4

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 010-660 8460