Dondang Sayang Coffee House @ Corus Hotel

It was a celebration of some sort and we received an invite from my brother-in-law to a makan gathering on National Day at Dondang Sayang Coffee House @ Corus Hotel.  Our go-to dining venue at Corus Hotel is usually Ming Palace but they were closed on a public holiday.

So, we decided to meet at the hotel's coffee house instead.  It has been a while since we last ate at their coffee house...our previous visits here were always for their high-tea buffets.  Since there was no buffet offered on that day, my brother-in-law made orders from their a la carte menu...and everything was ordered by the time my family and I arrived.

He ordered 7 individual plates of food (mainly local dishes) for the seven of us...but all for sharing...and all the plates arrived almost simultaneously.  The Biryani Lamb @ RM58.62 came served with a flavourful tri-coloured biryani rice accompanied by a very refreshing vegetable pickle (of pineapples, cucumber, carrot, onions & chillies) and crispy prawn crackers.

The lamb shank was adequately tender and full of flavour from being cooked in all the rich and aromatic spices.  The tri-coloured biryani rice was delicious as hidden within the centre of the perfectly cooked basmati rice was some sauce (presumably from the lamb shank) which made the rice even tastier.

This was followed by a dish of greens, the Caesars Salad @ RM22.41 that was made up of really fresh, crunchy romaine lettuce, sliced onions, cherry tomatoes, olives, hard boiled eggs and sliced ham served with caesar dressing, of course.

There was this sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top but, luckily, this wasn't as pungent as some of the Parmesan cheese I've tasted before, so it ended up as a salad I enjoyed.  Only thing missing were some crispy croutons to bring that crunchy element to the dish.

Next was the Fried Mee Mamak @ RM24.13 garnished with a sunny side-up egg (that was executed well with a still oozy yolk), some crispy prawn crackers, some greens, a wedge of lime and a dip of bird's eye chillies in soy sauce.  I think there were some prawns in there too.

The mee mamak was fragrantly fried with egg bits and lots of vegetables (of choy sum, onions, tomatoes and taugeh).  The flavours turned out better than I expected and was really appetising with a squeeze of lime.  I'd even say loads better than many of the mee goreng I've had at mamak restaurants.  I really enjoyed this.

The spaghetti in the Seafood Aglio Olio @ RM24.13 was cooked al dente and tossed with ingredients of prawns, squid, green bell peppers, carrot, onions and served with a slice of buttered garlic baguette.

It was alright but probably my least favourite dish from here as it needed more chopped garlic and chilli flakes in the noodles for a punchier flavour.

Following after that was the Hainanese Chicken Rice @ RM28.44 which my brother-in-law said is a best seller here....and I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.  For a more atas hotel version, the plating must be different lah! :D  The poached chicken was served with cucumber slices and tomato wedges, a soup that contained some silken tofu cubes with three dips of a fresh chilli paste, blended ginger and a not-so-common condiment of dark soy sauce.

Everything was respectably executed, the chicken tender and smooth, the rice sticky (I think there's some glutinous rice in there somewhere) and flavoured and both the chilli and ginger pastes were of very acceptable standards.  I was pleasantly surprised by the pretty commendable effort (for a hotel version) I've to say.

Next up was their rendition of Char Kuey Teow @ RM24.13, another highly popular hawker dish of kueh teow fried with prawns, egg, taugeh and chives served with a fried egg on top.

You'd find this plated up exactly like the earlier fried mee mamak with its prawn crackers, greens and fresh bird's eye chilli dip but minus the wedge of lime.

Our final dish was the Oxtail Rendang @ RM41.37 and it was super tender, flavourful and delicious.  I don't think I've had oxtail rendang before.  It's a little bit more unique that the more common beef rendang.

It was served with the same tasty tri-coloured rice, pickled vegetables and crispy prawn crackers...and the plating again was very similar to the earlier dish of biryani lamb).  The plating may seem a little old-school (and repetitive) but (hey) it evokes nostalgic moments in our past.  A bite of those three-coloured crackers with the yellow, green and red rims (which featured prominently in more than half the dishes here) brings back fond memories of eating it as a child.

For desserts, my sister-in-law picked some mooncakes @ RM36 each (since it was mooncake season!).....though we didn't eat them as desserts but as appetisers while waiting for our food to arrive...lol!

Of course I had to finish my meal with a Cafe Latte while others went with Teh Tarik, Fresh Orange Juice and a selection of ice cream.  The drinks here can be a little pricey (as would be expected in a hotel) but water is always available and refilled promptly as what you'd expect from a hotel's good service.

My Personal Opinion

This was the first time I've had eaten from their a la carte menu and I'd say I was pleasantly surprised at how successful they were at dishing up some hawker favourites.  Not only was I pleasantly surprised with the taste of the food, I was equally surprised that the prices weren't that upmarket (which I'm sure many, like me, will think they are seeing that it's a hotel coffee house).  I'd say the prices are within the range of some of the cafes and restaurants out there.  If I'm a guest at the hotel, I'd surely consider eating at the hotel coz the prices aren't that different from the nearby malls in the area.

If you're planning to hold a little celebration or get-together, this venue could possibly be a great choice since it's more quiet and not as hectic (as some overly popular cafes/restaurants)...but, most of all, you'll be eating in comfort amidst good service.  You can linger and chat for as long as you want (no-one's going to chase you off as there's plenty of space...lol....unlike some restaurants who would like to do so when they're packed). Less people also means less noise interference, so it's a place that encourages conversation with members of your dining party.

We stayed for more than 3 hours....food is always more enjoyable with good conversation.  If I had to pick a favourite, my top three would be the Fried Mee Mamak, Oxtail Rendang (with biryani) and Hainanese Chicken Rice.  Who knew that a hotel coffee house can be quite adapt at churning out good hawker fare.  If you're a tourist or hotel guest (or even a non-hotel guest), I think you'll be pretty pleased with their rendition of some hawker favourites! ^_~

Dondang Sayang Coffee House

Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Ampang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2161 8888

Xiu Ye Zai @ Pandan Indah

My regular (and favourite) breakfast place, Chang Kitchen, sadly has called it a day in June.  Although a beef noodle specialist, my usual order here had always been their shredded chicken hor fun (not Ipoh kai see hor fun) sinced they added that into their menu.  Even though I wouldn't rate their food highly, I was still a regular coz the owners are a really friendly bunch of people (so, I come for my weekly makean + chit chat...lol).  They close because the lady boss's son doesn't want to do it anymore but, truth be told, if they were doing a roaring business, they wouldn't have come to that decision as they can always hire more help to replace her son.  I think the profit they made was probably negligible and didn't equate the effort put into it, hence the decision to close.

Taking over the premises is this new restaurant, Xiu Ye Zai @ Pandan Indah, that specialises in wantan mee. Incidentally, the old Chang Kitchen's see tau por (lady boss) was offered to work for them.  Well, why not, since she's free after all.  Anyway, the new owners isn't what I'd call a friendly bunch as they don't engage with their customers (unlike the previous super friendly owners of Chang Kitchen).

I think they offered the previous lady boss a job with the hope that she would bring in her old regular customers (and there were a lot of them I've to say).  Her previous clientele was made up of 80% - 90% regulars (we may not know each other by name but we certainly knew each other by sight).  I've only seen a few of them patronising this new place since.

My first visit was a week after they opened (which was in July).  Taking my cue on its speciality, I ordered the Char Siew & Wantan Mee (Dry) @ RM10.50 for my first taste test.  When my noodles arrived, I could see that their char siew wasn't the common thinly sliced lean-type that you'd usually get at other wantan mee stalls but a thick-cut char siew that you'd associate more with those served by roasted meat stalls.

Averagely sweet with fatty and lean meat, the char siew was decently tender taste wise with a visually caramelised look though not as charred or smoky-flavoured as some of those commendable char siew sold by good roasted meat stalls.

The wantans were also much bigger in size (than the usual ones offered by wantan mee stalls) and plumply filled.  The soup was very light tasting (even for me), so I don't think it would be acceptable to the masses who would find it too bland.  Not only was the soup not flavourful enough, the dark sauce for the noodles was also rather subtle in flavour which, again, will not go down well with the majority.

If not for the previous lady boss working here, I'd probably not return seeing how underwhelming the wantan mee was (on my first try) but decided to give them another chance just to support the old lady boss lah. Luckily I did coz, to my surprise, the flavours were much better when I ordered the Hakka-Styled Stewed Pork with Fungus Noodles @ RM13.

First of all the dark sauce for the wantan mee had more flavour this time (probably because it's tossed with pork lard + oil) and the choy sum was cooked till tender (I couldn't eat them previously as they were too hard).  The noodles also had a better bite (I was told someone else cooks the noodles now).  Not only that but the soup was also slightly more flavourful.  Glad to see that they've tweaked the flavours either as a result of their own doing or feedback from their customers.

The Hakka-styled char yoke was sufficiently tender with a meat composition that's both lean and fat.  It came served separately which was rather strange.  So, if you want the meat and sauce to flavour your noodles, you have to pour it over the wantan mee yourself.

This was a portion of Hakka-Styled Stewed Pork with Fungus (a la carte) @ RM13 I tapau-ed for dinner later. The flavours were ok, a little on the salty side, but I've to admit that I've also eaten better tasting Hakka char yoke than this.

The Dry Curry Chicken with Potato Wantan Mee @ RM12 is a serving of dry wantan noodles with a plate of dry curry chicken with potatoes served separately (again).  The problem with this dry curry chicken is that it's way too dry a version for a wantan mee.  It lacked the curry sauce we'd want to coat the noodles.

Moreover, their curry is the type that's distinctive with an overwhelming flavour of dry spices (curry powder mostly) as opposed to a creamy, savoury one cooked with santan.  Incidentally, the previous lady boss's chicken curry tasted a lot better in comparison (they should get some tips from her...lol)!  Can skip this one....and obviously something I won't be having again.

When I tried their Shredded Chicken with Wantan Mee (Soup) @ RM9.50, I was glad to see some improvement in the taste of the soup which wasn't as bland as before but still subtle enough for me with a light peppery kick.

Seeing that I enjoyed the soup version, I had it again and ordered the Char Siew and Wantan Mee (Soup) @ RM10.50 this time.  If I'm looking for something light to eat, I'd definitely go for the shredded chicken soup which is now my default noodle when I eat here.

For some light bites or side dishes to accompany your meal, I tried the Stewed Eggs @ RM2.50 (1 pc).  They tasted more like those herbal tea eggs that you see selling in many supermarkets or shopping malls (where the eggs are kept warm in a rice cooker submerged in a herbal concoction) rather than eggs braised in soy.

The Fried Wantan (5 pcs) @ RM6 were freshly fried to order and arrived piping hot and super crispy.  I enjoyed that.  Other side dishes include pork balls, dumplings (fried or in soup), braised beancurd and chicken giblets.

On one of the days, I also got a takeaway order of Poached Chicken (Thigh) Rice @ RM10.50 for my lunch later.  The poached chicken (normal chicken, not choi yin kai) was edible but a bit fatty and nothing quite like some of the stellar poached chicken I've had before.  They do sell choi yin kai (I was told + you can see it in the menu) but that is only offered if you order the chicken on its own (quarter, half or whole).  I find it strange that they offer choi yin kai but not in a standard dish of chicken rice (don't understand the rationale behind it).

The chicken rice came with half a stewed egg and some pickled cabbage and carrot (a nice change from the usual cucumber).  I guess they have to distinguish themselves from the standard chicken rice for the higher price charged.  Their chilli and ginger paste were decent too.

The drink prices here are also slightly higher than other kopitiams - Ipoh White Coffee (Cold) @ RM5.60 (L), Kopi-O (Cold) @ RM3.30 (S) and Teh (Cold) @ RM3.40 (S).  The Ipoh white coffee is nothing like its predeccesor (ie. the previous Chang Kitchen and now I'm down to just one place in my taman for this). T_T  I think  I'll stick to kopi-o here.

My Personal Opinion

Even with the improvement in taste (after the early weeks), the place is not bustling with customers even in the mornings.  In fact, it's dead quiet, especially at dinner time when the place is only filled with 1 - 2 tables (there was a time when we were the only ones there from the beginning to the end of our meal)! :O  I've not been there during lunch hours though, so hopefully there's a better crowd.

Actually the food isn't half bad and they certainly don't deserve so few customers (for average tasting food). The possible reasons attributing to this I can think of are: 1) they could have shot themselves in the foot when they first started by not making it taste right and having to tweak the flavours later, 2) the average prices of RM12 - RM13 they charge are higher (and yes, they're air-conditioned with an open front) than what hawker stalls would charge, so people obviously expect more in terms of taste and 3) the owners not engaging with their customers could hurt them as service is equally important these days in the food business (especially in securing regulars).

I still eat here occassionally (like once in 2 - 3 weeks) just to lend support to the previous lady boss (wouldn't want to see the place close down and the lady boss without a job!).  I do hope people would give the place a second chance (as the flavours have improved from their early days) but can't shake off that sinking feeling it's going to be difficult for them to make it. >_<  I think if their prices were slightly lower, they wouldn't be judged so critically and that would probably translate to more business.

Restoran Xiu Ye Zai

No 14 Jalan Pandan Indah 1/18

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 017-733 2644

Mr Wu (Taiwanese Restaurant) @ Pandan Jaya

I can't remember what I was googling but it must have been something on Taiwanese food when I chanced upon Mr Wu (Taiwanese Restaurant) @ Pandan Jaya.  What?!...I don't even know there's a Mr Wu in my area.

So, I checked their Facebook and lo and behold...Mr Wu indeed has a branch near me (in Pandan Jaya) besides other branches in Damansara Uptown, Puchong, Setapak, Segambut, Old Klang Road, Kajang, Klang, Bukit Tinggi and Shah Alam (as well as one in Ipoh and Penang).  Then I remotely remembered that phonghongbakes may have eaten here (well, having a branch in Uptown was an obvious clue), so I checked her posts and noted that she not only enjoyed the food...she later even had a threesome there...lol!  P/S: At the time of writing, I just found out that the Uptown branch has since closed.

This Pandan Jaya branch isn't located in the most conducive of surroundings (in my opinion) as the road where it's located is a bit unkept and not brightly lit.  The surrounding shoplots are also a bit dark and dodgy with a few of them being vehicle repair shops. What's worse is the fact that there's a pasar malam in the area on Saturdays (a time when most people want to dine out) which made access to the place and parking more cumbersome.  When you arrive at the outlet itself, the place is the most brightly lit one on the entire road. Inside however, the place has a clean, bright and comfortable ambience but smallish (with just about 10 tables).

I ordered the Soul-Satisfying Spicy Minced Meat Noodles Set + Salted Crispy Chicken @ RM25.90 (now who wouldn't want something that can satisfy the soul, right?).  The main dish is complemented with side dishes of pickled vegetables and soup.

The bowl of noodles came with a mixture of tender braised (fatty) minced pork belly and (leaner) minced pork with crunchy shredded cucumber, finely shredded egg bits and Taiwanese sausage.

Give the noodles (they're much softer, certainly not al dente texture) a good toss to mix in all those flavours and you're ready to eat.  There was quite a spicy kick to the noodles even when I omitted eating the sliced chillies in the bowl.  Those who appreciate spicy flavours will appreciate the resulting taste of this.

I thought the nuggets of crispy fried chicken (shaped like popcorn chicken) were well seasoned with a not-too-dominant five-spice powder flavour.  The chunks of chicken (from the thigh portion, I think) came freshly fried and piping hot with a nice crispy texture but, more importantly, the meat was tender and moist, not dry.

They were very generous with the fried chicken chunks (there were at least 13 fairly huge pieces).  As I was struggling to finish the large portion of noodles given, I only managed to eat about 4 - 5 pieces in the end (and the rest went into my trusted container).

The refreshing bite of the tangy, crunchy pickled vegetables (of cabbage and carrot) provided much relief in between each mouthful as it was needed to cut through all that meaty grub.  I don't do so well with a too-meaty dish (unless it's a steak!) and found myself going for the pickled vegetables with each bite and wishing there were more.

The soup is not the usual clear ones (it has a milky look) but tasted alright.  While digging in, I found some tremendously soft chunks of radish that was a pleasure to eat.

The other set was the Salted Pepper Pork Chop Bento @ RM23.90 which featured a rice bowl that's typical of any lu rou fan (except for the minced pork in place of a fattier minced pork belly), fried pork chop and a side dish of 3 snacks...fish cake, pickled vegetables (that was mentioned as kimchi in their menu?) and crispy golden pumpkin ball.

His rice bowl came with minced pork, slices of Taiwanese sausage, a piece of fried/braised tofu and half a braised hard-boiled egg.  Although the minced pork had good flavours, he would have preferred the more fatty minced pork belly (that was in my bowl) if he had a choice (so I picked out some of my fatty bits and gave that to him)...lol.  Also, the rice was a little too mushy for his liking.

The fried pork chop that arrived was again a huge piece.  It was nicely executed with a light crisp on the outside and the meat was pleasantly tender as well.

If I were to compare the two, I'd probably say the chicken was a tad juicier and, because they were in little nuggets, you'll also get a bit more crispiness overall.  Both I'll say are pleasurable to eat but isn't something that will get me all eager and enthusiastic about on the other hand.

The side dishes included a few thick slices of fish cake (that's studded with fake crabmeat and some greens), kimchi (which was actually pickled cabbage & carrot) and a crispy golden pumpkin ball (that popular street snack somewhat similar to those hollow, crisp and super airy golden sweet potato balls with a little filling on the inside).

The accompanying chilli dip is a salted bean paste chilli dip that's both spicy and salty which you can dip your fried chicken/pork chop in or add that into the noodles to spice it up even further (the noodles were spicy enough for me).

For drinks, there was the refreshing Cold Lemon Green Tea @ RM9.90.....and the portion was really generous as it was served in a huge beer-like mug.

A startling surprise was this rather unique drink of Cold Lemon Bitter Gourd Tea @ RM12.90 which was also served in the same big mug.  I say unique coz I've not seen or had a drink which contains bitter gourd.  I've only had bitter gourd in soups or as a vegetable stir-fry.  You know what, the drink turned out surprisingly good...but only for those who like to eat bitter melons as you can certainly taste the bitterness in the drink.

I thought the overall drink had a nice balance of sweet, sour and bitter flavours.  The bitter flavour was obviously from the bitter gourd while the sour flavour came from a combination of assam boi (sour plum), lemon and lime slices.  Knowing that bitter gourd featured in the drink, I stopped short of asking for the drink to be less sweet (thankfully for that) as it definitely needed some sweetness to balance out the bitterness in the bitter gourd.

My Personal Opinion

First and foremost, the food here comes in very generous portions that even a big-eater will be fully satiated by the set meal (it can even be shared by two not-too-hungry people).  Perhaps I better just stick to ordering snacks (for a smaller portion meal) and they have quite a few that attracted my attention like oyster pancake, scallion pancake, stir-fried clams, fried sweet potato and crispy king oyster mushrooms.

The soul-satisfying noodle set on the other hand was satisfying no doubt...but perhaps not to the extent of being so-satisfying lah! ;)  Overall, the food, offering familiar flavours of Taiwanese food, is decent in taste but maybe a bit too much meat for me.  Sometimes, it's not that the food tastes different to us (as in differing views on how good it is) unless it's really bad (of course) but because of what we prefer (or love) to eat.  Obviously those who love meat will find this more suited to their tastebuds.

Not sure if I'll be back....not because of the taste of the food (or my preference)...but because of the location of the outlet in not so conducive surroundings. >_<  If there's one thing that will pull me back to the place, it would be the very, very refreshing bitter gourd drink which I've not drank elsewhere. ^_~

Mr Wu (Taiwanese Restaurant)

6 Jalan Pandan 3/7

Pandan Jaya

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 011-1282 6947