Tujoh Cafe @ Sec 17 PJ

For our next get-together, my friends and I wanted to grab some grub from ahong but our plans were derailed when we turned up late and by that I meant we arrived half an hour late at around 7.15 pm instead of 6.45 pm as we originally planned (the place opens at 6 pm).

By then (even at such an early dinner time), the place was already fully occupied/booked and there were no tables available.  We were told it could be more than an hour's wait before they expect a table to free up. Since we had already parked our cars (and it was still raining then), we noticed a cafe across the street, Tujoh Cafe @ Section 17 PJ, and decided to eat there instead.

Their menu consists of brunch options (till 5 pm), nibbles, salads, soups, burgers & sandwiches, pasta and an all day dinner menu.

We ordered a couple of bites to begin with from their Nibbles menu.  Simple nibbles that weren't difficult to execute like Cajun Potato Wedges @ RM10 with sour cream....

.....and Calamari Fritos @ RM12, with wasabi mayonnaise that was obviously squeezed from a tube (kinda grose looking actually).  It somehow resembled cod fish sperm/semen/sac (aka cod milt, a Japanese delicacy...ewwwww!).

Next was a salad of Tuna Tataki @ RM20 with quail eggs, pitted olives, asparagus and a honey-soy glaze (as described in their menu) but there were no quail eggs or asparagus (in its place were lettuce, carrot and sliced almonds instead).  This was far off from what it looked like on their Facebook...nicely presented with quail eggs, asparagus and thinly sliced radish.

Worst still, when a salad arrives with such a sloppy presentation, you're not even attracted to eat it.  No restaurant or cafe would just throw large salad leaves and chunky carrot shavings on top...and cover the main focus (which should be the protein)! O_o  It was like the lettuce and carrot were an afterthought, replacements that were thrown on top the plate like they don't care.  I, for one, do not take kindly to ingredients being replaced at a kitchen's whim and fancy unless the substitution was advised/explained at the time of ordering.  This is made worse if the substituted ingredients are deemed to be inferior (lettuce & carrot vs quail eggs & asparagus!) as I'm a staunch supporter of you give me what I paid for.

From their pasta menu, we went with the Potato Gnocchi @ RM22 with beef bacon bits, mushrooms and wilted rocket in a cream and cheese sauce that I thought was a bit too much, too thick and, in the end, too heavy.  It probably needed a touch more fresh herbs too.

Their house-made gnocchi was alright, just that I'd prefer mine to have a bit more colour on them.  The ones here just didn't match up to the lovely ones I remember I had at La Casa that were well seasoned, nicely seared and beautifully browned! :P

For the mains, we went with a recommended dish of Tujoh Fried Chicken @ RM25 made up of a whole chicken leg served with a red cabbage slaw, chunky potato mash and a chicken demi-glaze.  Let's just say I wasn't expecting the fried chicken to look like that.  It didn't have that all round fried and well browned look with crispy skin.  In fact, it looked more like baked chicken which was seared on one side to give it a bit more colour.

I found the meat of the chicken to be very dry and bland tasting which made me think it could possibly be frozen chicken. >.<  I also felt that the chicken may have been partially cooked ahead of time for the meat to dry out like that.  Whatever it was, be it the quality of the produce or the cooking process, something wasn't right.  The chicken, being one of the easiest proteins to cook and get right, was far from juicy and moist like it should be. :(  The sides and sauce were probably the better things on the plate.

The Tapenade Salmon @ RM28 on creamy ratatouille with black olive duxelle and balsamic reduction came next.  Again, it didn't quite look like the ones I saw on blogs.  I've always thought of ratatouille in a tomato-ey sauce but this one had a creamy white sauce on top of yet another creamy texture of a potato and carrot puree.  It was creamy on creamy...and was screaming for some acidity (perhaps the freshness from a tomato-based sauce of the ratatouille could have worked better).

But the worse was yet to come.  One bite of the salmon and I knew it wasn't fresh (even the rocket leaves had a droopy demeanour).  In the end, we had no choice but to put in a complaint to the management as it was too fishy to render it edible.  The gentleman-in-charge (one of the bosses maybe?) was quick to take away the plate and came back to inform us that we were indeed right.  I certainly appreciated his honesty and for taking responsibility for his food (he subsequently reimbursed us for that plate of food).  I just wished their kitchen would better manage the freshness of their food (with proper quality control).

Our final main for sharing was the Australian Beef Ribeye @ RM39 with buttered root vegetables and a carrot and potato puree.  Again, the actual plate came without buttered root vegetables (mentioned in the menu) but two grilled tomato halves (and some rocket and lettuce leaves) instead.

When the dish arrived, I actually thought the sauce was some kind of black pepper/brown sauce until I tasted it and realised, to my horrow, that it was chocolate. >_<  I mean...I like chocolate as a dessert...but not in something savoury as I find that the flavour overpowers the meat (although one of my friends seemed to like it...she must really love chocolate)! ;P  I was once overly adventurous and had BBQ coffee sauce with beef...and made a mental note to myself not to pair steaks with overly strong sauces ever again.  But, in this case, I have no-one to blame but myself since the dark chocolate demi-glaze was clearly written on the menu (I just didn't see it).

Though the ribeye was executed right (medium rare) as requested, the meat had a bit of sinew in it which required more work from the knife to cut through.  I suppose I shouldn't ask for much seeing this wasn't an overly expensive piece of meat.  They were so heavy handed with the chocolate sauce that the beef + carrot and potato puree were drowning in them! O_o  Just imagine that combination all mixed together...chocolate, meat, mushy carrot, potato mash...does that sound appetising to you?  They seriously need to rethink their sauces...and their combinations.  Not only that, they need to do better with their food presentation too (with a keener eye of the colours on a plate of food).

Luckily, the coffees (Iced Latte @ RM11 and Hot Cappuccino @ RM10 saved the day night...they were at least decent enough.  Hopefully our second venue for the night can salvage our miserable evening so far (*wink wink*).

My Personal Opinion

Perhaps I didn't order the right dishes....perhaps the chef had an off day...perhaps it was his off day (and his kitchen comrades didn't execute his vision as well as he had trained them)....perhaps...perhaps.....

Let's just say I wasn't in seventh heaven.....at Tujoh...and leave it at that! :'(

Tujoh Cafe
617 Jalan 17/10 Section 17
46400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 03-7932 3611

K Intan (Wantan Mee) @ Sec 17 PJ

We stumbled upon Restoran K Intan @ Section 17 PJ by chance when we were in the area on a Sunday morning looking for a Chinese Nasi Lemak Stall.  Finding the stall not opened after we have parked our car, we were reluctant to go elsewhere and started looking around to see if we could find another place to eat.  

That's when I noticed this restaurant with its banner listing "curry, roasted meat mee, yong tau foo & wantan mee".  Stepping inside, we were greeted by a single stall upfront...and there weren't any curry or yong tau foo, by the way :(  They sell only one thing and that's wantan mee! O_o

So, our orders were (of course) Wantan Mee @ RM6 (estimate) which you can have with either "char siew" (barbequed pork) or "siew yoke" (roast pork)...and all three of us chose to have it with char siew.  The char siew, though not the best I've had, was still decent...it wasn't too sweet and had well caramelised sides.

The wantan noodles, on the other hand, are noteworthy as they're handmade which they proudly display in their shop front. 

These handmade noodles, made fresh daily without preservatives, look thicker and rounder compared to the usual factory-produced ones.  I enjoyed the noodles very much which had a nice texture with a good bite to it...and we found a few (very small) pieces of pork lard hidden within the mee and the sauce (yay!).

The wantans, filled with juicy minced pork, had thin delicate skins and were served in a light broth which I didn't care much for (the broth I mean).

We opted for char siew in our wantan mee as we wanted to order a separate serving of Siew Yoke @ RM10 (estimate) for sharing.  Again, it was a very decent siew yoke with a nice crackly skin and tender meat.  

Presentation could be better though...most of the skin got detached from the meat as this was chopped by the hired help (a man, whom I presume to be the boss, was seen eating his breakfast) >_<  Though the siew yoke and char siew can't compete with some of the very good roasted meat stalls, they can still hold their own on top of a plate of wantan mee.

We also ordered 4 pieces of their "Sui Kow" (soup dumplings) @ RM1.20/pc (estimate) that were plump and juicy, bursting with goodness of pork and prawns and the crunch of water chestnuts (or jicama).  Very good :)

Look at just how plump the fillings are.....with very visible prawns in the mix.

The chilli-vinegar sauce (a bit on the spicy side) went very well with the sui kow =)

The entire meal for three (with drinks) costs us around RM35, so I don't know the actual price of each dish.

My Personal Opinion

Only upon my return, I googled the place and found out that they're pretty well-known for their wantan mee....and that was also how I stumbled upon a well written article on the touching story behind the place (you can read it here).

So, sometimes being unsuccessful at looking for something to eat leads to finding somewhere else equally worthy to eat that you might not have set out to find in the first place...and this place has been around for more than 10 years already (when I asked the lady boss).

The handmade noodles and sui kow set it apart from some of the other wantan mee stalls.  Give this a try if you find yourself in the area.

Restoran K Intan
616 Jalan 17/10 Section 17
46400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 012-754 1287

Kanna Curry House (Banana Leaf Rice) @ Sec 17 PJ

Banana Leaf Rice, one of Malaysia's favourite Indian food, is liked by many although personally I'm not such a big fan and that's because I don't particularly fancy the usual dishes like varuval or peratal that go with these meals.  But I do eat banana leaf rice occasionally coz I do love rice with an assortment of vegetables and pickles, flooded with curry and a side of crispy papadums.

So, when I want to indulge in a bit of banana leaf rice after Sunday mass, my usual place is Kanna Curry House @ Section 17 PJ since it's one where the banana leaf rice is available early in the morning (like around 10am) when most other Indian restaurants (including Kanna in the past) do not serve banana leaf rice until at least after 11am.  I have been to Kanna numerous times over the years although it's usually for a roti canai breakfast more than anything else (check out my previous post here) but, during a more recent experience, the roti wasn't as good (just one off or maybe a different person making them that day?).

But today I'm here for their banana leaf rice as they're popularly known, having been voted the "Best Banana Leaf Rice Restaurant in Klang Valley" by the Star's People Food Awards + making it to many foodies list of Top 10, it remains one of the most well-patronised banana leaf rice eateries.  But, if you want to eat here, you have to get over the fact that they don't use real banana leaves here, it's a paper version that looks like a banana leaf! >.<

Most banana leaf rice restaurants offer between 2 - 5 veggies and here at Kanna there's usually three...and on that day, it was cabbage, radish and cucumber (yay, non-mushy ones).

Also, a must-have condiment at any banana leaf meal...papadums!  The papadums and the various vegetables are the basics, and they're all refillable, before you choose your add-ons ;)  Though I was the only one having banana leaf rice (out of the four of us at the table...my family does not like banana leaf rice all that much either), they were more than willing to let me have refills but I told them I didn't need any (in fact, I saw the table next to us where one member had banana leaf rice while the other had roti canai, yet the server scooped veggies for both of them...very nice of him).

The contraption carrying the 3 types of curries....fish, chicken and dhal will be left on your table for you to "banjir" (flood) your rice with as much as you like.  My favourite is the chicken and dhal.

You'll also get a complimentary rasam, which is a type of South Indian soup that's traditionally prepared with tamarind juice as a base, that's supposed to stimulate appetite and aids digestion.  However, I've never learned to appreciate rasam, so it was left practically untouched.

I'd be more than happy with just this simple meal of rice, veggies, papadum and lots of curry @ RM6.30 per person....and all are refillable on request to appease even those with hearty appetites! ;D

As with any banana leaf rice, there are many types of add-ons to your banana leaf meal for you to choose (be it chicken, mutton or seafood...and cooked in various styles like curries, varuval or peratal).  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of these styles, though I do eat them occasionally, but I've not eaten enough to comment on how good they are or aren't.

I'd usually go for the fried stuff like this Fried Squid @ RM7.60 that's a perennial favourite of ours and the difference of this one was the onions and curry leaves.  Freshly fried with onions for sweetness and curry leaves to add fragrance to the squid, they were tender and crisp.

Every bit of the onions and curry leaves won't go to waste (wished there were more).  I especially like to chew on the fried curry leaves to release a burst of fragrance in the mouth...absolutely delish!

The Fried Chicken @ RM5.80 a piece (for a whole chicken leg) is another must-order for us for its moist meat and crunchy skin.  The chicken leg arrived whole and we asked it to be cut and it came back looking like this unfortunately....butchered to death! O_o

Ok, here's a more flattering pic of the fried chicken leg coz, the next time we ordered it, we made sure we left it as it is.

The Fried Tenggiri @ RM5.50 for half a piece (it was a fairly thick cut) is something only I enjoy.  At times the fish is fresh and moist but, other times, it may be a bit on the dry side.

Having these dishes with my banana leaf rice is all I need for a fulfilling and satisfying banana leaf rice indulgence! ;)

If you're not into banana leaf rice, you can still enjoy all these dishes with a packet of Nasi Lemak @ RM1.90. Nothing great, just ordinary and edible.

My Personal Opinion

Since I'm not that into banana leaf rice + I've not eaten most of the dishes served with banana leaf rice here, I can't say if it's the best banana leaf rice restaurants in Klang Valley but probably among some of the best judging from the full crowd on Sundays (making parking here a nightmare) >_<

But I certainly think that the fried squid (with onions and curry leaves) and their fried vadai (my favourite vadai so far) are among some of the better ones I've had.

For loyal enthusiasts of banana leaf rice, you be the judge if they're worthy of the title given by the Star's People Food Awards...or their self-claim of 'Finest Banana Leaf Concept in Klang Valley'....hehe! ;D

Restoran Kanna Curry House

29 Jalan 17/45

46400 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: 03-7958 4814

Two Scones One Cup (Hot Food) @ Sec 17 PJ

Ever since my earlier visit with friends to Two Scones One Cup @ Section 17 PJ, I've wanted to return to try their hot food.  [#Note: My earlier review of my scones and tea experience was good enough to earn me some free scones but, incidentally, not good enough to be featured on their Facebook....kekeke! ;D]  Thanks for the gesture anyway, it wasn't necessary really (and, no, I didn't claim the free scones when I revisited).

So, on a Sunday morning, I did return (with my family) only to find that the café was not 'fully' opened at 10.10am (incidentally, they open from 10am to 10pm).  By that, I was told that coffee was not available (until the 'boss' shows up) and hot food were only limited to a few items on the menu (like their all day Big Breakfast and some sandwiches until their 'chef' shows up).  We left (since they could not confirm as to what time the 'boss' and 'chef' would turn up) but I did return another day, this time for dinner to ensure we won't be disappointed again.

We ordered an appetiser of Fried Calamari @ RM10.90 for sharing.  It was served with a side salad of green, red and yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and mixed salad leaves with a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar dressing.  The fried calamari was nicely executed, crisp and crunchy, but (surprisingly) didn't come with a common dipping sauce (like mayo or tartare sauce).  When I enquired, the gentleman only offered chilli sauce which I politely declined.

We went with a local favourite for our main course, the Nasi Lemak Combo @ RM14.90, and was amazed with the generous portion size when it arrived (this can be shared by two if you're a small-eater).  The fragrant rice was served with a bowl of "sambal sotong" (chilli squid), a piece of "ayam goreng berempah" (spiced fried chicken), fried egg and condiments of sambal, fried anchovies and nuts and slices of cucumber.

The sambal sotong, cooked with sliced onions, was slightly spicy and sour but with a nice punchy flavour.  The amount of squid was rather generous, I must say, and they were tender enough.

The ayam goreng berempah featured a whole chicken leg, marinated with spices (especially lemongrass), which was fried to a nice crisp though slightly over-fried to render the meat a bit dry.  Though I thought that the chicken could do with a wee bit more seasoning, it was still alright since I prefer food that is less salty but, for those used to robust flavours, they would find the chicken very under-seasoned (like my husband did).  But, at the end of the day, you can't really fault this truly value-for-money dish, coz at RM14.90, you get one whole chicken leg and a substantial amount of sambal sotong...even if the flavours came up a bit short! ;)

Our other main was the Salmon Steak @ RM29.90 served with mashed potatoes and a side salad.  Though the menu described it as a salmon steak, it was actually a salmon fillet.  I asked to make sure it didn't have a bone in the centre (I didn't want a repeat of what we encountered at Coliseum Café).  Sometimes, I just wished the restaurants would get the names of the salmon cuts correctly described or properly labelled in their menus.

We were given a choice as to how we want our salmon done and it was properly executed to our preferred doneness.  The salmon was moist and flaky.  It was topped with a creamy and buttery sauce...not too cloying as some had dripped onto the part-smooth-part-chunky mashed potatoes underneath.

I enjoyed the Ravishing Rose Petal Tea (not part of the Gryphon brand of teas) so much the last time I was here for the scones that I immediately ordered that again, but, this time, the iced version!  The Ravishing Rose Petal Tea (Cold) @ RM10 wasn't quite the same like the hot version.  The cold version (with all that ice) was so watered down and diluted, making the tea flavour almost non-existent, so stick with the hot version if you want to savour the aroma and taste of the tea.

Honey Lemon (Cold) @ RM5.50

 

#Side Story
Referring to my earlier story on the place being not 'fully' opened when I was there, one of the owners was rather apologetic (when I mentioned this experience to him) and offered us a slice of sponge cake (on the house) for the 'inconvenience' caused.  I said it was perfectly alright and that he didn't have to do that but he said the cake was already being warmed up.  In the end, it was a small but nice gesture on his part and sincerely demonstrated his desire to provide the best service possible :)  For me, I just wanted to highlight the fact that if one can't be ready to open at a certain time, then just push the opening time later and we would be fine with that (just not say you're open at 10am but aren't ready to serve when your customers get there at 10am)...hopefully, this was just a one-off case.

My Personal Opinion

For the reasonable (café) prices they charge, the food is more than acceptable.  A fried rice or nasi lemak (with either sotong sambal or ayam goreng berempah) costs just under RM10, sandwiches at around RM12 and a selection of pasta at around RM15....with warm and friendly service.

If you're not here for Two Scones One Cup (actually, don't miss the scones) but for Two Mains One Appetiser, know that it won't cost you an arm and a leg! ;)

Two Scones One Cup
627 Jalan 17/8
46400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 012-613 8200
 

Two Scones One Cup @ Sec 17 PJ

After our lunch at La Casa, we proceeded to our next stop for more chit chat and a bit of afternoon tea.....and what could be better than a tranquil afternoon of teas and scones, right?

So, we found ourselves at the doorstep of Two Scones One Cup @ Section 17 PJ, opened since March this year, by a group of five young entrepreneurs.  Located in a housing neighbourhood and occuping a corner lot directly facing a row of residential houses (parking is scarce), there's a cosy indoor space and an al fresco area for you to dine in.

We chose to sit inside and glancing at the menu, we just zeroed in on the two things we came here for....and that is scones and tea!

These are the various scones they have available (rotated on a daily basis).....plain (or original), cranberry, raisin, black sesame (tahini), green tea, blueberry, rose petal, orange and apple cinnamon oat.

On the day that we were there, they had 7 types of freshly baked scones available minus the blueberry and raisin, if I remember correctly. 

I ordered six scones (RM9 for two) and asked for one flavour each (excluding the green tea).  The well-made scones arrived warm and all were good but my preference was for the original and cranberry ones as these seem to pair better with the jam.

They serve their scones with Devonshire clotted cream and strawberry jam, the only way you should have your scones, they (or the English) would say, but you can also choose to have it with kaya and butter (a more Malaysian way, perhaps)....hee...hee! ;D

I found the scones to be buttery and light with a moderately crumbly texture.  I did like it better with the clotted cream and jam rather than the kaya and butter.  Scones are one of those desserts one can indulge in if you don't have a sweet tooth coz they aren't all that sweet (in the first place) and you can very much control the sweetness with the jam.  We ended up asking for more strawberry jam and they gladly obliged.

Now you can't enjoy your scones without a cup of tea, can you?  Knowing that this is a scones place, you'd expect a long list of teas available, some of which are more common than others.  They have British Breakfast, Earl Grey Lavender, Chamomile Dream, White Ginger Lily, Pearl of the Orient, Lemon Ginger Mint, Lemongrass & Ginger, Green Tea, Ravishing Rose Petals, Fruit Tea, Pu-Erh Classic and Imperial Long Jing (this last one being the most expensive one of the lot).  They use mostly Gryphon teas here, though not all, according to the nice gentleman who served us.

We chose a common one of Earl Grey Lavender and two we've not tried before, White Ginger Lily and Ravishing Rose Petals @ RM9 a pot each.  All the three teas we tried were nice but the favourite one across the board was the Ravishing Rose Petals which was fragrant with a light floral taste and a slightly tangy flavour.  Besides tea, there are also other options like coffee, soda, juices and coolers as well if you're not into tea.

You can choose to have the pot of tea meant for one or two at the same price.  For the pot meant for two (the White Ginger Lily), we just get a bigger pot but with the same tea bag, so the flavour would probably be milder.

I spotted this rather charming porcelain tea cup set on top of their cake counter which I assume is for display only.  To drink from this would certainly have added more style and elegance to our scones and tea experience! ;D

Apart from scones, they have numerous cakes you can indulge in if scones and tea is not your 'cup of tea'!  Among them...hazelnut torte, salted caramel chocolate, tiramisu, green tea mille crepe, vanilla mille crepe, oreo cheese and salted caramel mousse.

Or go with a simple teatime favourite, the Victoria Sponge Cake @ RM5 a slice with a choice of jam or kaya in between two layers of butter and rose flavoured cake.

It's a good spot for a calm and quiet afternoon tea.....just that the calm and serene part ended prematurely for us when a little one in our party decided to launch into her *singing career* (aka crying her lungs out)...and we had to scoot out of there real quick! >_<

My Personal Opinion

In the end, our 6 Scones 3 Pots at 2 Scones 1 Cup did hit the right spot...and was memorable and pleasurable at the same time!

I've not eaten enough scones to rank this the best scones in town but I'll admit it's among the best I've had and certainly better than the famed ones in Cameron Highlands (proclaimed a friend in my 'eating party' who had just returned from there a day earlier and tasted the scones there).

So, the next time you're looking to wind down with a nice cup of tea and some terrific scones, come on over to this spot where service is personal, warm and friendly.  And they not only serve tea and scones but hearty, comfort food as well.  I'll be coming back to try those in the not very distant future! ;)

Two Scones One Cup
627 Jalan 17/8
46400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 012-613 8200