Ooh Lala @ Pandan Indah

Besides Pulau Ketam Seafood Steamboat that has been operating in my neighbourhood for many years, the other newer steamboat player is Ooh Lala @ Pandan Indah that has been around since late 2023.

But as the name implies, this steamboat restaurant is obviously focussed on lala/clams-type steamboat but they also have a wider variety of food on their menu that includes snacks, noodles, rice and desserts.

On our first visit, we tried the Crispy Fried Sotong @ RM9.90 which featured very crispy deep-fried squid in a well-seasoned, medium thickness and tasty batter.

I was expecting the squid rings to be on the chewier side (based on the many experiences I've had with fried squid) but this was surprisingly rather tender to the bite.  I also thought that the price was relatively cheap compared to the portion of squid we got.

Another shared snack we tried was this Crispy White Prawn @ RM9.90 which was equally delicious as well.  I could see from the looks that it had the same batter coating as the previous crispy fried squid.

The tiny white prawns with shells on were fried to crunchy perfection, so there's no worry as you can eat the crispy heads and tails too.  Again, I thought it was a great portion for the price charged.

One of my favourite things to eat these days is Salted Egg Pumpkin @ RM9.90.  It's a dish I order regularly at dai chow places though the version wasn't quite as good as the ones I ate at dai chow restaurants.

But they were still acceptable and yielded soft (perhaps a tad too soft), sweet pumpkin thereby making the salted egg coating less crispy + the saltiness could also be dialed down a notch.

As mentioned earlier, this place specialises in lala steamboat and they put on quite a show if you order that. Each serving of steamboat (RM38) comes with 1 kg of lala.  They would fry some shredded ginger and cili api in some shaoxing wine which will burst into flames (for a bit of a side show...lol) once it comes into contact with the charcoal fire.  Finally, the clams and soup are added into the claypot...and that becomes the soup base for your steamboat.  You can then order/add on whatever proteins or vegetables you like for your steamboat.

Since my family isn't overly interested in anything soupy (which includes steamboat), let alone a lala steamboat where the soup base has ginger and Chinese wine in it, I've to resign myself to the fact that I won't get to try this.  Of course I can go it alone but I feel it's not worth paying RM38 for the soup base + the 1 kg of lala may be too much for me to handle.  Even if I could finish the lala by myself, I won't be able to eat anything else for the steamboat.

So, my best (and only) way to try their lala would be in their Lala Bihun Soup (without milk) @ RM15.90 and the bowl was filled with some shimeji mushrooms, lettuce and a single red bird's eye chilli (for a bit of heat, I suppose) and lala, of course, garnished with fried garlic bits and chopped spring onions.

They use the thicker-shelled clams here (instead of the thin, elongated ones) which I prefer as they tend to have less sand in them.  I was very happy with the freshness and size of the clams.  You can clearly see that the clam meat is rather plump yielding juicy clams to the bite.

As for the clear soup base, it was alright though there's still room for improvement for a better, all round flavour.

The Lala Fried Rice @ RM14.90 is more in the wheelhouse of what my family would rather eat in a place where everything is soupy...lol!  It's fried rice served in a claypot topped with a fried egg.

The darkly coloured fried rice made it look more like claypot chicken rice.  It's a simple rice dish fried with lala meat, egg bits and chopped spring onions.  I didn't taste this but my son mentioned it was a bit on the oily side.

Since the earlier lala got my seal of approval, I revisited (on my own) to try other noodles, one of which was the Lala Prawn Mama Mee @ RM19.90.

The bowl came with a chockful of ingredients of lala, prawns, shimeji mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, egg bits and lemongrass in the soup.  I added chopped spring onions and coriander.  At first, I was wondering what mama mee is only to find out when served it's actually instant (egg) noodles (Mama brand, I assume).

I do like this brand of instant noodles and meehoon...and the thick green (spinach?) noodles didn't disappoint with its soft, springy texture (not overcooked).

The soup base, with the beaten egg, was thick, rich and flavourful.  It had both spicy and sour notes, so it was like a cross between curry and tom yum.  Very appetising indeed...and it was a very filling portion for one.

The prawns were pretty large-sized for the price paid...and there were two! ^.^  You can roughly judge the size of it on the plate.  They were fresh and firm, no complaints there, just that you have to get your hands dirty to deshell the prawns.

You can help yourself to any of the condiments you need for your meal...and there are plenty of dips and condiments to choose from.  In my first visit, I remember they even had a bottle of shaoxing wine on the table for you to add to your soup to your heart's content (and I thought to myself, how generous of them).  On my next visit, it wasn't available anymore (I guess they wised up since wine is too expensive to leave in the hands of customers to use freely) though you can still get your hands on the wine at the condiment station.

Here, I picked a reddish sambal, a green chilli paste, crispy fried garlic bits and some chopped spring onions + coriander for some freshness.  My noodles hardly needed any chilli dips, they're more suitable if you're having steamboat.

Another dish I tried was this Crispy Fish Fillet Noodle (with milk) @ RM15.90 which had shimeji mushrooms, small bits of salted vegetable and lettuce.  I helped myself to the fried garlic and fresh coriander + spring onions (from the condiments station) and added them to my bowl.  The soup base was too thick and milky for my taste, so unless you like yours very milky, you might want to stay away from this.

The fairly crispy fish fillet was served separately.  I believe the fried fish was patin which had a nice, soft texture but I felt the fish was underseasoned on its own.  Luckily there was the green chilli paste to perk up flavours.

For drinks, I broke my curfew and decided to have the Kedondong Asam Boi @ RM7.90 as I can't resist if I see it on the menu.  It's my all-time favourite drink/juice to have...and for some reason, I always find this drink at steamboat places.  The other steamboat place in my neighbourhood, Pulai Ketam Seafood Steamboat also has it.  Maybe it's because you'd be sweating buckets when you eat steamboat that you need a cold, refreshing drink to cool you down.

The other drink above was the Calamansi Asam Boi @ RM7.90 that my son had.  Other times I just stick to Iced Barley (no sugar) @ RM1.90, the price of which startled me (it's dirt cheap!) as I've paid anywhere between RM2.70 - RM3.20 at old-school coffee shops for the same thing.  Surprisingly, the Tie Guan Yin (Chinese) Tea cost RM1.90 also.

My Personal Opinion

Ooh la la indeed.....though the food isn't fantastic enough (to garner a 4.8 rating on Google) but it's also not as bad as I was led to believe.  I now have two places in my neighbourhood to indulge in lala noodles (the other one being Tasty Lala Noodles) that's equally decent although Tasty Lala uses a different type of clam.  I prefer the clams here I as they're little bit more meatier while the soup base in Tasty Lala probably a tad better.

Of course this place offers more than just lala noodles, so if you happen to enjoy steamboat, tom yum/curry lala noodles or a (very) milky version of fish head noodle, this place may be worth your while.  And if you like some crispy snacks to go along with your meals, they have that too.

This place has been opened since late 2023 but it took me a while before I made my first visit.  That's because I was told the food isn't good, in the end it's best to try it out yourself.  This place occupies the previous space vacated by Poppo Kanteen (not sure if it's under the same management but the receipt has the name Poppo Canteen on it...and, incidentally, all Poppo Kanteen branches have closed down).

Ooh Lala

27G Jalan Pandan Indah 4/2

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-4288 6923

Tap Room @ Bamboo Hills

Bamboo Hills is a culinary haven and home to a unique dining concept within a green landscaped setting housing many restaurants in one place like Ginger, Locarasa, Potager, The Qing Banquet, Botanica+Co, Hanam BBQ, Nok Yung Thai, Tap Room, Pizza Duo and Kampai Yakiniku which we had the pleasure of visiting recently.

Most of the restaurants here give you a front-row seat (some better than others) to the beauty of its landscaping amidst serene and lush surroundings with a scenic bamboo garden and waterfalls at the centre of it all.

The lush greenery and water feature is a sight to behold as we took a little walk to take in all that charming surroundings (it was like a picture off a postcard!).  No wonder you see many people taking selfies and wefies at the many instagram-worthy spots here.  I can just imagine the surroundings being possibly even more attractive at night when the place is lighted up.

After our sumptuous and gratifying wagyu meal at Kampai Yakiniku, we proceeded to our next destination, the Tap Room @ Bamboo Hills to chill, chat...and chomp further!

There's alfresco dining if you so choose where you can dine amidst all the breathtaking scenery.  I can just imagine the ambience when night falls...but since it was midday, we chose to sit inside, safe from the heat.

As we've already had lunch, it was time for something light...coffees and desserts is a must...and a couple of snacks won't hurt either.  The first was this refreshing starter of Watermelon Meze @ RM13.80, the flavours of which caught me by surprise, not that it's bold or anything like that but just so delicate and light that it was a joy to eat.

It is a very simple dish of juicy watermelon cubes with some crunchy wakame and crushed peanuts tossed in an equally light Thai dressing.  If you're a light eater or want something truly refreshing after a heavy meal, this is perfect! ;)  All of us enjoyed this tremendously...a wonderful starter (on a hot afternoon), for sure, and certainly one we won't hesitate to order again.

Next was these Sole Fish Tacos @ RM29.80 featuring lightly battered and fried sole fish (locally sourced, the menu says from the shores of Kuala Terengganu) with guacamole, tomato salsa, purple slaw, tartar sauce and sriracha sauce.  Served with a wedge of lime, the tacos were finished with some micro greens and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper (or paprika).

A squeeze of lime over the top...and it's ready to eat!  As you can see from the photo, they were light-handed with the dressing of guacamole (mashed avocado) and tartar sauce which I really appreciated.  Good choice for a light meal or as a shared starter.

My third pick was supposed to be the charred, grilled chilli peppers but the server came back to inform us that it wasn't available that day, so I replaced that with SuperShrooms @ RM26.80 which were just deep-fried enoki and white button mushrooms served with two sauces, a spicy-sweet Thai chilli sauce and a creamy mushroom sauce.

Nothing to fault as the mushrooms had a light batter coating and were fried to crispy perfection.  A great snack with beer.  I especially liked the button mushrooms coz they were extra juicy to the bite.  Between the two sauces, I preferred the creamy mushroom over the common dip of sweet Thai chilli.

It's been a while since I had a "real" dessert...and sharing it with 3 friends is a good thing if you're trying to limit sugar intake coz that means you'll probably get only 2 bites (or 2 tsp)...lol!  I chose the Flourless Chocolate Cake @ RM26.80 (my friends are chocolate lovers) with raspberry ice cream, oreo crumbs, granola and a mixed berries compote finished with some fresh strawberries and blueberries on top.

The flourless chocolate cake was rich and fudgy with an intense chocolate flavour.  It was very good (even for a non-chocolate lover like me) as everything went so well together.  It was a symphony of textures and flavours with the bold, rich flavours of the chocolate together with the tanginess of the raspberry ice cream, lightly sweet + tart berries compote and granola offering a crunch! ^.^

The final dessert of Orange Souffle Waffle @ RM19.80 was served with vanilla ice cream and an orange reduction.  The souffle was high and mighty when it arrived (sorry it deflated a little by the time we got to it) and the texture light and airy.

I enjoyed the tanginess of the orange reduction with the nice, crisp waffles.  It also offered a good contrast to the sweetness of the vanilla ice cream.  All in all, it was still a very decent dessert, just that it didn't quite match the highs of the previous flourless chocolate cake which was flawless in execution and superb in taste.

Of course where there are desserts, there must be coffees...and two of us went with an Iced Caffe Latte @ RM16, one had a hot Cappuccino @ RM16 while another had a Detox drink @ RM18.

Was that all?...not quite!  You can't come to the Tap Room and not order a PaperKite, a local craft beer brand that's brewed in small batches and proudly made in Malaysia (which even won Gold at the 2023 Word Beer Awards).

So, we ordered two beers, one a Pale Ale @ RM23 and another Happy Lager also @ RM23.  Yes, craft beer is more expensive than regular, mass-produced beer but they also taste far superior (and my friends can attest to that)! ;)

My Personal Opinion

The menu at Tap Room is quite extensive from brunch offerings to pastas, burgers, sando, superbowls, soups, snacks and desserts, along with food that have Asian, Spanish and western influences, with even a section for carnivores.

We thoroughly enjoyed the few dishes we tried with the absolutely simple but refreshingly delightful watermelon meze being the highlight for me.  I thought their plated desserts were especially impressive (for a joint that isn't a dedicated cafe/bakery/dessert place).  Probably the most endearing are their affordable prices (there are a lot of choices priced around RM30)...and let's not forget the awesome view and ambience of the surroundings, more so if you're dining alfresco.

Just as you can't come to the Tap Room and not try one of their local craft beers...you also can't come to the Tap Room and not try one of their pizzas!  Reputedly good (they look absolutely gorgeous in photos)...but we were too stuffed already from the earlier lunch, so these pizzas will have to wait until we return.  This place is a wonderful choice for a get-together with friends as the food, desserts, coffees and beers (even the prices) were all above expectations.

Tap Room Bamboo Hills

Unit P10-01 & P10-02

Taman Bukit Bambu

Off Lebuhraya Duta-Ulu Kelang (DUKE)

51200 Kuala Lumpur

Ipoh Ais Kopi @ MyTown Shopping Centre

There were some shopping trips to Ikea where we did end up not eating at their Ikea Swedish Cafe as we always do but ended up eating elsewhere at Ipoh Ais Kopi @ MyTown Shopping Centre instead.

From the name of the restaurant, it's pretty obvious that they serve Ipoh/Malaysian food.  You can find Ipoh Ais Kopi branches in Sunway Velocity, Paradigm Mall, Aeon Bukit Tinggi, Eko Cheras Mall and, of course, the one we ate at in MyTown.

Glancing through the menu, I decided to order the Curry Mee @ RM15.90 which is supposed to be their signature noodle (having briefly forgotten the name of the restaurant and the fact that I do not like Ipoh-style curry mee). >.<

The curry mee came with siu yuk (roasted pork), shredded chicken, taupok (beancurd puffs) and beansprouts  but no clams.  I suppose I should be thankful that it tasted nothing like an authentic Ipoh-style curry mee (apart from the solidarity mint leaf)...but it was still one of the poorest rendition of curry mee I've ever tasted.

My son had the Fried Bamboo Noodle with XO Sauce & Roast Pork @ RM17.90.  The noodles were fried with egg bits, onions, beansprouts and spring onions....and the roast pork pieces looked like they were cut before being deep-fried (he said it was very crunchy).

The XO sauce probably gave the fried bamboo noodles some savoury, umami flavours with a minimal spicy note.  It looked a bit similar to Maggi mee goreng if you ask me.

On another visit, I tried the Char Kuey Teow with Premium Soy Sauce & Beef Slice @ RM18.90 fried with beef slices and vegetables of green capsicum, fresh red chillies, beansprouts and spring onions.

Actually, it would have been a very enjoyable dish as the noodles were pretty well-flavoured but, unfortunately, I found the beef slices to have that distinct beefy smell and taste that I detest.

My son went for the Spicy Chilli & Crispy Pork Fried Rice @ RM16.90 this time.  The flavours were somewhat like the previous dish he ate except that it's rice instead of noodles.

The rice was fried with crispy roast pork, egg bits, carrot and corn.  The light spiciness could probably come from the xo sauce (though there's no mention of xo sauce in the menu) or just a fresh chilli paste.

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If you make your a la carte order a set to bulk up your meal, it comes with some very simple starters/snacks for an extra RM3...and we got fries, nuggets and watermelon that day.

My Personal Opinion

The Google ratings for Ipoh Ais Kopi is very wide ranging from a low of 3.3 to a high of 4.5 which is a real surprise to me.  To run a chain of restaurants where the consistency of the execution and taste of the food can be so far ranging does not bode well for the business.

For me personally, the food was well below average (for the few dishes we sampled) and there'll be no going back after two visits.  Coincidentally, the branch I ate at (MyTown) happens to be the one with the lowest rating (of 3.3!) which I wasn't aware of when I visited. >_<.  Perhaps I should have gone to the Sunway Velocity branch instead which boasts of the highest rating (at 4.5)...but even so, the food selection doesn't quite excite me! ^_~

Ipoh Ais Kopi

G-012C & G012D Ground Floor

MyTown Shopping Centre

Jalan Cochrane

55100 Kuala Lumpur