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

Torii Teppanyaki @ MyTown Shopping Centre

Torii Teppanyaki is a string of restaurants with its presence in malls like MyTown Shopping Centre, Gardens Mall,  KL Gateway Mall, Paradigm Mall, Setia City Mall and IPC Shopping Centre.

As the name implies, their speciality is teppanyaki (of course) but also offers a selection of other Japanese fare that includes iron rice, donburi, okonomiyaki and ramen.  After a visit to Ikea, we stopped by Torii Teppanyaki @ MyTown Shopping Centre for dinner.

Their iron rice series is basically almost similar to their teppanyaki series which offers a meal of rice (except it's served with fried rice instead of white rice) with a protein of your choice of beef (beef patty, steak or slices), chicken (katsu, karaage or grilled), chicken gyoza, lamb, salmon or unagi.  The difference is just the name being slightly more intriguing...they probably called it iron rice to denote the iron plate (teppan) in which it is served.

Various donburi (chicken karaage or teriyaki, katsu curry or omelette, kimchi or yakiniku beef slices, salmon or tamago mentaiko, ebi fry curry or unagi), okonomiyaki (chicken, beef, salmon or vegetables) and ramen (signature, miso, shoyu, sukiyaki or spicy jigoku) complete the menu.

This was my son's pick, the Beef Slices Iron Rice @ RM24.90 (a la carte) served with fried rice, some sweet corn, together with a bit of chopped scallions, and their speciality sauce.  For drinks, we had Green Tea at RM5.90 per pax.

To my surprise, the fried rice appeared very plain.  It was literally rice fried with some seasoning/sauce only, you won't find even simple ingredients like egg or spring onions in it! >.<

The beef slices were very thinly sliced and arrived with adequate searing.  The flavours were satisfying and the beef fairly tender since they were cut so thinly.

Even though the beef was cooked with their speciality sauce already, my son decided to add-on an additional black pepper sauce @ RM3.90 for a punchier flavour.  You can also add-on kimchi sauce and kimchi for RM4.90, cheese (!) at RM3.90 or omelette at RM3.90.

I, on the other hand, was after their teppanyaki...and you have a choice of either beef (steak or slices), lamb, chicken, seafood (fish of either salmon or saba, prawns & squid) or mixed mushrooms.  I chose the Prawn Teppanyaki @ RM29.90 and made it a set meal (a la carte, RM25.90).

The set meal gets you extras of a miso soup, pickled cucumber and a dessert of (red bean) mochi served alongside Japanese white rice (a very huge portion, I might add, which you can upgrade to garlic fried rice for RM5.90) with a tasty, spicy green chilli paste (something you only see in a Malaysianised teppanyaki....we love our sambals...lol).  The mochi was good and a nice ending to the meal. ^.^

The teppan-fried prawns with thin shells (and there were six acceptable-sized ones) were of adequate freshness and sweetness.  They were nicely seared with reasonable flavour.

As with any teppanyaki meal, expect it to come accompanied by teppan-fried vegetables of cabbage, carrot, red bell pepper and beansprouts topped with crispy fried garlic slices and a sprinkling of chopped green onions.  I've to admit, the beansprouts were a bit too thin that day and so they were limp and overcooked + I was hoping for a bit more seasoning in the vegetables too....but they were a bit kedekut (stingy) lah with the crispy garlic! ;)

My Personal Opinion

The teppanyaki or iron rice here is average fare but always fulfilling and enjoyable as it's a complete meal with hearty portions of protein (of your choice), veggies and rice.  I guess many people simply enjoy eating it as it's a meal that is the closest to what we eat regularly like chap fan (Chinese mixed rice) or nasi campur (Malay mixed rice).

If you happen to be shopping in this mall (or Ikea) and looking for a place to eat to re-energise yourself with sustenance for even more shopping, consider Torii Teppanyaki as a possible choice for an affordable lunch or dinner spot.  Based on what I had here, I wouldn't mind making a repeat visit at all. ^_~

Torii Teppanyaki

Lot B1-071 MyTown Shopping Centre

6 Jalan Cockrane Seksyen 90

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 016-215 7230

Ume Tei Japanese Restaurant @ MyTown Shopping Centre

We were strolling through Ikea one day to get some furniture inspirations.  It has been quite a while since I've visited or bought anything from Ikea...and even longer that I've not visited MyTown even though the mall is pretty close to where I stay.

After we were done, it was time to get some dinner before heading home.....and I remembered a place that choiyen.com dined in that looked rather good.  So, that's how we ended up at Ume Tei Japanese Restaurant @ MyTown Shopping Centre that evening (they used to be in Amcorp Mall PJ before moving here).

The restaurant is located inside BookXcess, a bit hidden from view, so you have to walk towards the centre of the bookshop before you come across the entrance to the restaurant.  The place is actually tastefully furnished with a nice, quiet environment to dine in.

I had the Beef Steak Set @ RM40 which was served with, rice, miso soup, salad, braised radish, pickled takuan (daikon radish) and dessert.

The beef steak comprised of beef cubes that were cooked with quite a bit of chopped garlic which I appreciated.  I'd say the doneness was probably between medium to medium well (I don't remember being asked on how I want my beef done).  I found the beef to be a bit chewy but still considered sufficiently tender and fair quality for the price paid.  Just wished it arrived at my table a little hotter (it felt like it had been sitting on the pass for a little longer than it should).

You can upgrade the white rice to fried rice at no extra charge and, of course, I did.  The fried rice with sticky grains was alright in taste.  Did you notice what's in the little saucer next to the fried rice?  That was most surprising as it was a condiment of chopped garlic and bird's eye chillies in soy sauce (this may not seem authentically Japanese but obviously to cater to local tastebuds)...lol!

The fresh salad was made up of very finely shredded white and purple cabbage, carrot, radish and lettuce tossed in a roasted sesame sauce.  The appetiser of pickled takuan was nice and crunchy while the braised daikon was soft and juicy.  The miso soup could also have been warmer when served.  The dessert (which I initially thought was nata de coco) turned out to be agar-agar (jelly), one red bean, the other lemon-y (yuzu maybe) in taste, something sweet and refreshing to end the meal.

The other set selected was a full-on meal of Chicken Kaarage Set @ RM28 (or RM30 with add-on sashimi) that featured 8 items.  It came with almost the same side dishes like the previous beef set with rice, miso soup, braised daikon and carrot, potato salad, pickled radish and 5 pcs of fried karaage (or Japanese fried chicken), of course.

I could see that the karaage was freshly fried to yield a crispy texture and there were at least 5 large-sized pieces, so no complaint on that...but wished it was accompanied by some kind of dipping sauce (like Japanese mayo or even a spiced mayo).

It would be foolish not to add-on the value-for-money fresh sashimi for just an additional RM2 as what came were thickly cut sashimi slices of salmon, butter fish and lightly seared maguro (or tuna tataki).  I didn't partake in the tasting of this set as I was struggling to finish my own set.

All the side dishes were almost similar to the earlier beef set except there was an extra Japanese potato salad with very thin slivers of cucumber, carrot and onion.

Their menu has quite a bit of variety from donburi to noodles, sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki, yakimono and more...but the more popular items are their affordably-priced set meals ranging from RM25 - RM40 with lots of choices that cover almost all the major proteins you seek from beef to chicken, fish, prawn, squid, oysters, unagi and more.

My Personal Opinion

Based on what I had (the beef set and similar side dishes), I found the food to be average tasting (and thought that the Google rating was perhaps a little too generous).  Then again, their ratings could have been contributed by patrons being satisfied with the big and fulfilling portions + reasonable prices for a set meal filled with 7 - 8 items (even a guy will feel full to the brim if he eats up everything!).

Although the food was decent, I just wished that the restaurant had served them (and some of the side dishes) a little warmer which I would have appreciated more for a better meal experience.  Even the green tea was lukewarm (maybe I was just unlucky that day). >.<

Having said that, if you happen to find yourself in MyTown looking for a place to eat away from the maddening crowd, this is still a good option primarily for the portion and price. ^_~

Ume Tei Japanese Restaurant

Lot L1 - 012 1st Floor MyTown Shopping Centre

Jalan Cochrane

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-247 7911

myBurgerLab @ MyTown Shopping Centre

When one mentions burgers or gourmet burgers, you bet the name myBurgerLab would be in the mix.  Started by 3 friends who had no experience in the F&B industry in 2012, the brand was an instant hit and became a mainstay in the gourmet burgers industry.

Going from strength to strength, myBurgerLab now spans six branches located throughout Klang Valley in Seapark, OUG, Sunway, Cyberjaya, MyTown and Bangsar.  Not only that but their success led to spin-offs (like popular TV series lah) of myPizzaLab in Seapark, Desa Sri Hartamas and Subang Jaya and Chick n' Buns in Hartamas Shopping Centre.

After hearing that myBurgerLab is phonghongbakes favourite burger + news of them selling out daily during their heydays were well documented, there can be no further doubt as to how good their burgers are.  With an outlet opened near me in MyTown (in 2018), there can be no more excuses of not trying though I know I'm a decade late (lol)...better late than never, right?

For my first try of myBurgerLab's gourmet burgers, I got myself the Hangover (Set) @ RM32 (inclusive of soft drink and RM1 for the packaging).  First impression....I was indeed impressed by the thick quality paper box the burger came in.  The picture of a double beef patty (on the box cover) being pressed down by a fork with juices flowing was enough to get me salivating.

The Hangover burger was described in the menu as a beef patty paired with mushrooms, topped with a crispy hash brown and covered in maple syrup for a combination of sweet and savoury flavours accompanied by a side of awesome fries.  Sounded very promising....but that was all it was unfortunately! >_<

Let me dissect my burger experience for you.  First of all, when I opened up the box and placed the burger on a plate, I realised that there was no accompanying maple syrup.  Neither was it already drizzled on the burger (I peeked).  That was the first bummer! >.<  Missing out an accompaniment (like a sauce) is not accepted SOP from a gourmet burger joint....from a fast-food burger chain, maybe.  I used to get missing creamers, sugar and chilli sauce from McD (and having cheese when I requested for no cheese) but that's probably easier to forgive and forget seeing the price of their burgers.

Let's start from the top.....the burger bun itself.  This is myBurgerLab's signature bamboo charcoal bun that's freshly baked to yield fluffy, tasty and oh-so-addictive buns.  It was soft and fluffy indeed but tasted bland like any charcoal bun...maybe that's how they want it to be for the rest of the burger ingredients to shine.  I felt it was just a tad dry too maybe because the sauce (in this case the maple syrup) was missing + I also had no runny egg yolk to help its cause.

I think charcoal buns, when they first came out, was a bit of a novelty but it's now quite common in many burger joints.  It's a pretty sight alright and looks striking in photos because of the contrasting black.  But I'd settle for a brioche bun anytime with its complimentary sweetness against the savouriness of a buttered and grilled bun (even better).

Lifting up the burger bun, I could see a piece of nicely fried hash brown.  The hash brown was perfectly fried to yield a crispy exterior with the finely diced potato cubes offering a good bite.  The hash brown was good but probably from a frozen food supplier like Simplot (coz I doubt they'd take the trouble to make their own hash brown)...hehe!  They offer this as an add-on in other burgers at RM3...and if it's offered with your burger of choice, I suggest you to take it...lol.

Underneath the hash brown lies a thin piece of lightly grilled tomato....too scant to offer much to the burger but still welcome that it's there for juiciness.  And beneath the grilled tomato was the beef patty itself.  It was seasoned well and cooked to medium doneness (as advertised) as it was still a little pink in the centre. The patty was well seared achieving a nice crust on the edges of the patty but not as juicy as expected (and certainly quite unlike the juiciness depicted in the photo sticker on the box....lol).  Overall, it was still a very decent patty.

Beneath the meat patty was the sauteed mushrooms atop fresh lettuce with some scant sauce (this burger does not come with cheese).  The sauteed mushrooms were properly seasoned and adequate in taste but ended up as the culprit that made the burger soggy.  I initially thought the fresh lettuce was some form of sauteed greens (like spinach) coz it was so soft and disintegrated (bits of which were left in the paper bag after I slipped the burger out onto a plate).

The sauteed mushrooms must have been scooped on top of the lettuce right after they were cooked while they were still hot thereby causing the fresh lettuce to wilt (and darken) tremendously and the bun getting soggy as a result (just cooked mushrooms tend to leak out water too).  You can see just how soggy the bottom piece of the bun was.

And because of that, you can't hope to hold the bun with your hands and eat it the way a burger should be eaten.  I had to eat it with a fork and knife. :O  That aside, I wasn't able to get the true experience of the burger without the maple syrup...and didn't get to find out if the sweet and savoury flavours worked in this case (though I know it has worked before in my other food experiences).

As with any burger set, it comes with a side of their Awesome Fries (if you sell it as awesome, it better be).....well...it didn't quite turn out as awesome as promised.  That's because they were no longer the thick cut fries (that I've seen online, with skin on) but replaced with shoestring fries (don't know when this took effect or whether it was due to the fries shortage experienced lately or they simply changed supplier or changed to a cheaper type of fries). >:(

These shoestring fries, though crisp on the outside, just weren't as fluffy on the inside as one would get with better quality, thicker cut fries (the insides tasted a bit powdery like those frozen fries bought from supermarkets).  If I wanted lower quality shoestring fries, I'd get myself a cheaper McD burger and fulfill myself with lower expectations.  To say the fries was a disappointment is an understatement.  The saving grace was the red dipping sauce that was creamy, tangy and moderately spicy.

My Personal Opinion

I know it's not fair to judge them on only one burger experience but with the burgers costing in the region of RM30 - RM40 (via delivery), let's just say it isn't the cheapest burgers around, so I certainly expected more based on the price point.

Until they improve their SOPs (on how to roll out a complete burger to ensure no missing items) or do some R&D to find the best way to serve the hot, freshly cooked mushrooms (maybe it should be prepared ahead and left to stand at room temperature first?) and not present an overly soggy, I can't help but be cautious so as not to end up paying for something that's going to be less than satisfying.

I actually lined up the next 2 - 3 burgers that I wanted to try after making this order but (sadly) had to take a step back.  But having said that, I do admire myBurgerLab for how they respond to criticism from customers and (hopefully) they'll take all the constructive feedback and strive towards being purveyors of the best burger experience (as they claim or aspire to be).

Perhaps when their fries become awesome again and they re-introduce the cheese crisp (I read that this had been dispensed with...I may not like melted cheese but I do like a fragrant cheese crisp after trying it at another burger place)...and hopefully no more foul-up in the orders, I may still revisit this burger brand one day...for their burgers were great once (based on reviews) and can be again...but for now, it's a No for me! :'(

myBurgerLab

G-020 Ground Floor

MyTown Shopping Centre

No 6 Jalan Cochrane Seksyen 90

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Sakae Sushi @ MyTown Shopping Centre

This place is well-known for affordable sushi but blame it on my tongue which got spoilt elevated from some of the better Japanese food I've had the privilege of eating, I've not been back for a number of years, my last visit to Sakae Sushi was more than two years ago.

Since I had a RM20 voucher to burn, I might as well make a trip to Sakae Sushi @ MyTown Shopping Centre to use it up.  I think it was well past 8pm when we got there and the sushi belt was practically bare.  That would mean we had to order the sushi we want, so we decided to just go with bentos and set meals.

I went with the Sakae Teishoku @ RM27.99 that featured a variety of different Japanese offerings such as breaded chicken cutlet with Japanese curry and grilled scallops with mentaiko mayo, served with chawanmushi, miso soup and rice.

They use thigh meat for the breaded chicken cutlet, so the meat wasn't too dry with a nice, crispy coating. The serving was quite generous with six wonderful slices of which I managed to finish only half (I packed the rest home...in keeping with my resolution of eating smaller portions this year)! ^_~

The Japanese curry is good for 'wetting' your rice with some sauce though I've never been a fan of mild Japanese curry (what can I say, I love my local curry to death!).

Loved the well-torched mentaiko mayo-laced grilled scallops.....lusciously creamy, salty goodness! ^o^

The chawanmushi came much later (that's why it was missing from the first photo of the set meal).  They ran out and had to make a new batch.  Anyway, the wait was worth it as it came screamingly hot...just the way I like it.  I actually quite like the texture of Sakae Sushi's chawanmushi with chicken meat, imitation shark fin, crab stick, shimeji mushrooms, edamame and gingko nut.

Soup and rice complete the set meal.  For under RM30, you won't go away hungry with this value-worthy meal + the taste isn't too shabby either.  There are a couple more Teishoku set meals with prices under RM35 that are bound to please.

Even more value-for-money were the Bento Boxes, some of which you can get for under RM25, with choices of Aki Bento (saba & gyoza), Tomi Bento (beef & tofu), Natsu Bento (fried chicken, scallop & takoyaki) and Fuyu Bento (sashimi & sushi).

This is the Haru Bento @ RM29.99, one of two bentos that's priced above RM25, the other being the Mizu Bento (with eel and tempura).

This set comes with a good-sized piece of salmon teriyaki with crispy skin (maybe a little on the dry side), pleasantly tasty chicken teriyaki and Japanese omelette served with white rice and assorted fruits.  The set is filling and just nice for one though the previous (cheaper) set gives more value for money.

And if that wasn't affordable enough, you can even get Ojyu one-dish rice boxes for under RM15.  That's music to a lot of people's ears with eating out getting more and more expensive these days.

This Chicken Teriyaki Jyu @ RM12.99 of sauteed chicken with onions and teriyaki sauce was tasty enough. Only thing though, I felt that their version of teriyaki chicken seemed to be coated with a bit of batter and pre-fried beforehand.

Certainly no complaints for the generous amounts of chicken chunks we got for the price.  Just that sometimes you get chicken and onions that aren't so well caramelised due to inconsistencies in cooking.

Of course they offer various sushi too since they're a conveyor-belt sushi joint after all.

My Personal Opinion

You know what?  I've forgotten what the food tastes like after so long.  I think I might be coming here more often now.  The prices are truly affordable and the taste isn't half bad....so, why not? ^_*

Sakae Sushi

Lot B1-010 MyTown Shopping Centre

Jalan Cochrane

Taman Maluri

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2720 1723