Eateries to Avoid in Pandan Indah

As I live in Pandan Indah, it goes without saying that I would eat on a daily basis the places in my neighbourhood the most often as it's obviously the most convenient without having to travel far.  My taman is not as affluent as some other neighbourhoods and we don't have celebrated, renowned cafes or eateries here.  We have a few good places to eat but chances of bumping into one that's not good is much higher....and here are just some places I tried recently that I thought you should not waste your money...or your calories on.

#1 - Zhang Lao San Beef Noodle

You won't find many places offering beef noodles as beef is something that not all Chinese would eat either out of religious beliefs or they just don't fancy the taste of it.  I can only think of two speciality beef noodles standalone shops here, one (more well-known for beef ball noodles) has been around for a very long time and is still going strong and the other used to be the now-closed Chang Kitchen (with perhaps one or two hawker stalls).  But just as one speciality beef noodle closes, Zhang Lao San Beef Noodle opened up not long after.

So I stepped into this new beef noodle place one morning and since I'm not into beef innards, I ordered the Dry Braised Beef Noodles (RM13.80).  Not sure if the braised beef was ngau lam aka beef brisket or some other parts due to the often inaccurate English translation from Chinese (in the menu).  Anyway what came was the worst beef noodles I've ever eaten.

I would always order the dry noodles if I'm trying the beef noodles for the first time just in case the soup base is too intense in flavour, either in herbs or beef taste.  But instead it was the sauce used for this dry beef noodles which had such a strong beefy smell and taste that it was practically inedible for me.

I had to dunk it into the bowl of soup given to wash away that overly beefy taste that was so off-putting.  My mom doesn't eat beef for that very reason, she says it's "chow sow", a term used by non-beef eaters to refer to the overly beefy taste and smell that they cannot tolerate.  I used to tell her that good beef doesn't taste like that (but now I can understand exactly what that taste/smell is like to them).

You have a choice of ramen, hor fun or mee hun and I went with ramen since they didn't have lai fun which is usually what I'd have with beef noodles.  The braised beef cubes (not slices!) was tender enough though but had parts that were a little fatty with some connective tissues! >_<  The only saving grace was the nice chilli dip but even that couldn't save the disastrous dish.

The soup (though looking very murky and robust) was thankfully not too herbally or beefy in taste but still way off what I would term a decent broth.  The two chunks of radish was the only thing I mustered enough strength to finish.  I was told by the ex-boss of the other (now-closed) beef noodle place (Chang Kitchen) and she said that this is China-style where the beef taste is very prominent but which many locals can't accept (I guess I'm one of them).  In the end, I had to abandon the unfinished dish as I just couldn't take another bite.

Worst still was when I ordered coffee, it came out from a machine! O_o  I should have known better since it was right in front of me (they even dare put it in the front of the shop for everyone to see) but I thought they were for the fizzy drinks.  Seeing how eerily quiet the place was, there were only two tables (of 1 -2 pax) occupied when I walked in till the time I left, I doubt they will last much longer.

#2 - Kheong Kee Bak Kut Teh

Kheong Kee Bak Kut Teh is not new but have been around for ages in my taman.  They started out as a small shop before relocating opposite (just across the street) to its current larger space.  When they were operating from a small shop, it was the neighbourhood's go-to bak kut teh place and we dined there often.  Since their relocation though, we have not been back as regularly as we did before.

But the last two times we did dine here (a couple of years ago), I remembered the food to be still passable. We had Dry Bak Kut Teh, Soup Bak Kut Teh, Pork Stomach Pepper Soup, Onion Omelette and vegetables of Brinjal and Oyster Sauce Sang Choy then.

So we chose to have our dinner here again one evening.  This time we ordered the Dry Bak Kut Teh again (RM40 for minimum 2 pax), Taufu Brinjal with Dried Shrimp (RM15) and Oyster Sauce Sang Choy (RM12) but the taste, to our dismay, had changed drastically.  The most significant difference was the Dry Bak Kut Teh (you can see for yourself based on the photo itself).  All the meat and innards were so tough and chewy and the sauce was off too.  I was told (unconfirmed) that the place has changed hands.  I suppose that explains why the taste is different.  I also see Google reviews of people asking why the place has such good ratings when the food is so bad but little do they know that those good reviews were from before (under a different management).  I guess I should have checked before coming here again.  That's it...no next time!

#3 - Paw Paw Cafe

We noticed this place, Paw Paw Cafe (that was situated above Kheong Kee Bak Kut Teh), when we had our last (and I meant literally our last) dine-in at Kheong Kee Bak Kut Teh.  We walked up the stairs to find no-one at the reception counter or any customers there.  There were only two staff (foreigners), one manning the drinks counter and the other, the kitchen staff/cook!  The one at the drink counter was like half asleep and only realised a while later that we were there (too late to turn around now).

I ordered the Fish & Chips (RM19.90).  Again, I was swayed by the photo on Google (as the breaded fried fish looked fresh and flaky) before realising  that 90% of the photos were posted by the same person.  What I got instead was over-fried fish strips with a hard crumb texture and dry fish meat.

Even worse was the overly dressed lettuce salad with Thousand Island dressing.  Obviously the chef cook have not heard of the phrase "less is more"! >.<  Everything on the plate either came out of a bottle (the black pepper dipping sauce and Thousand Island dressing) or is frozen (the fish strips and crinkle-cut fries).

My son's Seafood Aglio Set (RM16.90) came with prawns and squid (of the frozen kind, of course) tossed in garlic and chilli flakes.  It was run-of-the-mill in taste and presentation, a western food hawker stall can do better.

The Mushroom Soup (RM3 was an add-on for the set) may look the part until you put a spoon through it and realise that it's watery like hell.  It was totally unlike the ratings/photos left on Google.  If you thought the cheap price tag is deserving of a watery mushroom soup, know that this was offered as an add-on at a special price.

We ordered two drinks but was billed for one only and even after we highlighted the error, the foreigner would rather not charge us than have to go through the trouble/extra work of amending/re-doing the bill again.  That's the problem when the owner is no where in sight and the workers he/she employs have a "I don't care" attitude since their only concern is their fixed salary.

When we were halfway through our meal (and till the time we left), only one table (of three) got filled! Needless to say, anyone with a sane mind would know they can't survive like this (even if the rental is cheaper for the first floor).  But the funny thing is, you'd see quite a few of such places in my neighbourhood (where they're totally deserted but yet remains open!).  Rumours (unconfirmed, of course) are that such places may be a front for laundering purposes (and I don't mean the clothes kind) or some unscrupulous acts.  When I see an eatery open without the owner/s anywhere in sight, it makes me think that the owner isn't concerned about profits or passionate about his business at all.  If you're an owner, would you do that?  Not be bothered if your investment goes bust?  I think not.

I'm sure there are more eateries to avoid in my neighbourhood which (hopefully) I would not be lucky enough to try.  So, here's me doing my little part for the good folks of Pandan Indah that they would not have to go through the not-so-good dining experience I had here...eateries that I would not be caught dead in again! >_<