Malaysia Boleh! 4 @ Shoppes at Four Seasons Place

Malaysia Boleh! @ Shoppes at Four Seasons Place is undoubtedly our current favourite go-to modern food court for its location, comfort, cleanliness, atmosphere...and, ultimately, the food, of course.  We visit on a regular basis.

But in our last visit, we noticed something different....the drinks stall right at the entrance was no more. Initially, we thought they had left as we saw bottled mineral water neatly arranged for sale at most of the food stalls.  I said to myself, "A food court without hot and cold drinks like coffee and tea?  How can?"

Before

That's when we realised the drink stall has moved next door and took over the entire space previously occupied by Encik Tan, a popular brand of halal-certified hawker fare chain restaurant from Singapore (oops, their first branch in KL didn't last very long!).  I took a photo of this place coz I wanted to try their food but they folded before I could. >.<

After

The drinks stall is now situated here with additional seating for Malaysia Boleh! customers.  I guess that's testament to how well Malaysia Boleh! is doing to have invaded the space next door (and they didn't have to do much to it courtesy of the previous tenant).  Food and drinks can now go in and out of both venues.

And the lot vacated by the drinks stall is now occupied by Yong Peng Xi Dao Fishball that sells fish ball noodles (soup or dry version) and deep-fried fish cake...and a Bukit Mertajam Rojak.

This was my order of Fish Ball Noodles (Soup) @ RM9 that came with fish balls, fried beancurd rolls and some lettuce.  My noodle of choice was kway teow, which was nice and smooth, while the soup base was very ching probably too subtle for most tastebuds.

The fish balls, like most fish ball noodle stalls, has the usual springy texture that most are accustomed to.  I, personally, like my fish balls less springy.  Eating this brought back fond memories of a fish ball noodle stall (from a long time ago) that I used to patronise that had these fish balls that tasted like all fish paste and not of flour.  The old man who manned the stall made the fish balls by hand.  When he retired, he passed the baton to his son who first started making them by hand but soon turned to machine-made ones.  They never tasted the same and he (the son) soon decided to 'retire' as he said the work was too hard.  That's the current dilemma faced by a lot of hawkers nowadays when the (lazy) next generation doesn't want to take over a business they deem too much work.  Sadly, I've never found another fish ball noodles that could compare or even come close to the excellent one I had before.

Anyway, back to the fish ball stall here.  The fried beancurd rolls, stuffed with fish paste, were rather tasty. For me, it was the best thing in the bowl.

This round we also got to try the Wantan Mee @ RM9 and I was happy to see pun fei sau (half lean-half fat) cut of char siew given without requesting for it.  Not only that, the noodles also came topped with crispy chee yau char...and that's why you can taste the fragrant lard oil in the sauce that's used to toss the noodles in.  It may not be among the better ones that I've had, but overall, still a decent plate of wantan mee.

Of course, no trip is complete without having our no. 1 favourite Curry Laksa @ RM9...and this time I was glad to see that they have finally decided to include top-up ingredients of yong tau foo (as they did when she was running the stall in a coffee shop in Jalan Imbi).

But these top-up ingredients don't come cheap...it's RM2 - RM2.50 per piece (I think it's double the price from what she used to charge at her stall).  She only offers 3 types here...stuffed brinjal, fried beancurd sheet and stuffed beancurd but my favourite yong tau foo of hers, some kind of stuffed beancurd roll, is sadly not available here....and her reason...mm sik hup (not suitable) here...don't know what she meant by that.  I guess I have to add that to her ever growing list of things that are not suitable here...cockles and chicken liver! :'(

The additional yong tau foo can easily bump up the price of your bowl of curry laksa by another RM6.50...can you imagine a bowl of hawker stall curry laksa costing more than RM15?  Not a pretty thought at all! >_<

If you don't do any add-ons, the default bowl of curry laksa do come with default ingredients of beancurd puffs, rehydrated pig skin, long beans and some pieces of poached chicken which should be pretty sufficient if you want to keep the price in check.

The one thing that makes this curry laksa stand head and shoulders above the rest is the savoury, creamy taste and thick consistency of the broth.

And that's because of that pot of gold there....that's what makes it so awesome!  She would ladle a small scoop of it over the curry laksa to give it that yummy thickness.  So good.  Although I have to say that on a more recent visit, the curry didn't felt as thick. :(  I immediately made that known to her.  I just hope the recipe will not be compromised in order to rake in more profits as it tends to happen when business is good.

The stall that sells chai kueh also sells various steamed buns (pau).  I got a Char Siew Pau @ RM3 and their signature Golden Sand Bun @ RM3.50 for later.  I re-steamed them at home.

The char siew bun was alright but not quite of the same standard as some I've eaten from dim sum shops. The filling wasn't too sweet but was a bit lacking in a soft but not overly fluffy bun.

The golden sand bun is probably so named because of the colour of the bun.  It looked like it had a skin made from pumpkin or sweet potato.  I asked the worker what the filling was and I remember her saying yam and salted egg.

I thought the filling would be purplish (since she said yam) but it was yellowish when I tore the bun open.  It tasted like sweet potato to me (so I'm not sure why she said yam) and the salted egg yolk taste was practically non-existent (if, in fact, there was any).  It was good but too pricey for such a small bun.

My Personal Opinion

It looks like Malaysia Boleh! is doing very well, so well that they 'chased' their neighbour, Encik Tan, away (I guess they weren't very nice neighbours, poor Mr Tan)...wuahahahaha! :D

My top favourites here...curry laksa, KL fried Hokkien mee, Ipoh bean sprout chicken rice and Penang fried carrot cake...and in that particular order (hehe!).

The food here has spawned four blogposts from me already (check it out here, here and here).  Am I done? Hmmm.....perhaps? ^_~

Malaysia Boleh! (Food Court)
B1-01B Shoppes at Four Seasons Place
145 Jalan Ampang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Just One Food - Nando's New Smoky Peri-Peri Flavour

In our last visit to Nando's, we were given the opportunity to try their soon-to-be-launched new flavour.  At that time, the new flavour was known as "Secret" Peri-Peri, of course.

And now the secret is out...on 14 Nov to be exact....and the new flavour is called Smoky Peri-Peri! ;) 

After getting a glimpse and taste of their Smoky Peri-Peri flavour via two complimentary chicken wings, I liked it enough to want to return to have it again.

Looks like the new flavour of Smoky Peri-Peri is available not only with chicken wings but with any chicken meal (even grilled chicken tenders).  I had the 1/4 Chicken (what else but Smoky Peri-Peri) with 1 Regular Side (Chargrilled Vegetables) @ RM19.90 (RM22.90 with 2 regular sides).

Well, first of all, I did get the secret sauce right...it was indeed a flavour reminiscent of a good barbecue sauce.  Their Facebook shows the ingredients that went into making the sauce...garlic, chillies, onions, lemon, lime, tomatoes, paprika...and probably some secret herbs and spices too.

On the Nando's Peri-ometer, the Smoky Peri-Peri flavour is in a spot higher than Lemon & Herb but lower than Mild Peri-Peri (meaning it's slightly spicier than Lemon & Herb but less hot than Mild Peri-Peri).  The heat level was really mild, almost insignificant, if you ask me.  So, no worries for those who can't eat any level of spiciness...it's safe even for children.

This sauce delivers a more robust flavour, with hints of zesty lime and lemon (without the sourish taste of Lemon & Herb and their other Peri-Peri sauces), mild heat from the smoky paprika and natural sweetness (probably from the onions and tomatoes). ^.^

Those who love the bold flavours of a good barbecue sauce will embrace this flavour.  The brushed-on sauce gives the chicken real flavour...and, for once, I didn't need to use any bottles of peri-peri sauce whatsoever to try to amp up the flavours.  In fact, this is the only peri-peri flavour that doesn't have a sourish undertone, so I can see why children would gravitate towards this flavour.  Although I love all things tangy, I'm not so on board when it's the dominating flavour in something savoury.

The sauce also allowed the chicken to be browned even better (compared to their other sauces).  Just look at the beautiful charring on the chicken which brought about a smokier finish to the chicken.....yum, yum! ^o^

Even the chargrilled vegetables (of red and green peppers, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms) were good this time...first time they were so well-charred (looks like they do a better job when they're less crowded).

I did fancy their Mango & Lime flavour previously but I think this Smoky Peri-Peri is their best flavour yet (incidentally, their Mango & Lime has been taken off the menu and replaced by this new flavour).  It's not-too-hot and not-too-sweet flavours will make this a favourite with the kids...and the adults too (from now on, this will be my default flavour with any Nando's chicken!).

They now have a flavour I can see myself coming more often to enjoy.  For those who have never liked Nando's chicken before, this may well change your mind.....finally.  Tempted to try? ^_~

Sg Besi Wantan Mee @ Sungai Besi

After being impressed with their wild boar curry on a previous visit which led me to believe that they must be good with curries, I was eager to try their curry laksa to see how it compares to my benchmark of a good curry laksa.

So, we were back to Sg Besi Wantan Mee @ Sungai Besi for yet another round.

I ordered a Curry Laksa @ RM7 on this visit.  I asked what the curry laksa contains and the lady boss told me that it comes with poached chicken.  I was delighted to hear that as I do like smooth poached chicken with curry laksa but I wasn't expecting to get the majority of it in chicken breast...there goes my wat kai (smooth chicken) out the door! >.<

One of my favourite ingredients in a curry laksa are the beancurd puffs.  They're like these little pillows that soak up all the delicious broth.  I like it when they're really soft and had absorbed all the lovely flavours of the curry and when you bite into them, they'd be bursting with all the curry juices in your mouth.  That's the should-be scenario.  Unfortunately, it wasn't quite like that.  Perhaps we were too early and the beancurd puffs had not had enough time to soak in all that curry.

Though the laksa broth was more savoury than sweet and the flavours were decent...and you can taste the santan, it wasn't quite enough and the consistency was a little too thin for me.  It certainly wasn't in the same league of my favourite laksa but still better than some of the curry laksa stalls you'd find in coffee shops.

When I was almost half way through my noodles, I found the see hum (cockles) at the bottom of the bowl...cooked all the way through! :>(  What happened to my bloody cockles (pun intended)? O_o  Now why would they serve it that way? *scratch head*  Don't they know cockle lovers prefer their cockles raw and bloody...and that's why they're always served on top.  If they want it less raw, they can dunk them in the hot broth to cook it a little...it's our choice, you don't get to decide for us! :P  Now, I think even less of their curry laksa! >_<

It was the smashing Wild Boar Curry @ RM10 in the first place that convinced me to return, so, of course I had to order it again.  Still as good.  Still as delicious.

Since they serve rice here, they also offer vegetables.  We got the Po Li Sang Choy (Iceberg Lettuce) @ RM9 with oyster sauce, garlic oil and crispy minced garlic.  For those not into wantan mee, you can make a meal of these two dishes with rice.  Some other dishes that can complement rice would be their Char Chee Yoke or more commonly known as Hakka Char Yoke (Braised Pork Belly with Wood-Ear Fungus), Chee Kiok Chou (Vinegared Pork Trotters) and yong tau foo.

If you're having rice, don't forget to help yourself to the splendid ma lai chan lat chiew (cooked sambal belacan) that's on the table.  Very generous of them to leave it on the table to let us take however much we want.

On my last visit, my wantan mee came without wantans, so I made sure I got to try these this time round.  I ordered both the Soup Wantans and the Fried Wantans @ RM0.50/pc.  The wantans were alright, with a thicker than usual skin and a minced pork filling, nothing special.

The fried wantans offered a crispier bite than the fried dumplings (I had the last round) as the skins were thinner.  The fillings were probably the same.

My Personal Opinion

Though they're more popular for their signature dish of wantan mee (you don't have to be Einstein to know this, it's pretty obvious from the name), I'm not particularly fond of it.  I much prefer their other dishes like wild boar curry which you can eat with rice (perhaps their curry chicken and Hakka char yoke will be good accompaniments too).

Having said that, it's still a place to get a fairly decent plate of wantan mee (with all the "works" as in a lot of different toppings)....especially in the odd hours of the morning! ;)

Sg Besi Wan Tan Mee
302 & 304 Jalan Sungai Besi
57100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9222 8177

Eatomo @ Bangsar

Since making our first visit to Eatomo @ Bangsar to try this branch of Eatomo's, we have fallen in love with this branch more than the one we used to visit at Taman Desa.

Even when parking isn't as easy to find as in Taman Desa!  But we prefer the ambience here, so I think this is going to be the start of a long and beautiful 'friendship'....kekeke! ;)

For some light bites, start with the Salmon Sashimi (Regular) @ RM19.90 (RM37.90 for large) with eight thick slices of fresh Norwegian salmon.

The terrifically fresh salmon was served with ultra-thin slices of pickled fresh ginger and a wedge of lemon.

Accompanied by condiments of wasabi and soy for the sashimi for those who need it (I don't).  The soy sauce always come in super cute cat-like containers.

Was there any doubt that we would order one of our favourites when we're here...and that's the Wok-Fired Spicy Gyutandon @ RM21.90 that needs no introduction of prime beef tongue in a spicy shoyu garlic sauce with lots of fresh chillies.  Great for those who want to spice up their lives...hahaha! :O

Another not-to-be-missed is the unbelievably-priced, not to mention tasty, Mentaiko-Seared Tamadon @ RM14.90 featuring four thick slices of fluffy-sweet tamago.  Have to admit the searing wasn't as well done as the Taman Desa branch as this one was only lightly torched but I did appreciate the generous lashings of savoury-creamy-yummy mentaiko though.

All the rice bowls come with a free miso soup.

Ok, enough with the same old, same old dishes already. >_<  On this visit, we did try something new...another one of their made-to-order seafood pots of Mixed Seafood (Regular) @ RM42.90 (RM68.90 for double) in Thai-style coconut chilli sauce.

The mixed seafood pot contained 1.25 lbs of seafood made up of juicy-firm tiger prawns, mussels, moreish clams, scallops and tender Pacific halibut.  They were all super fresh and absolutely delicious.

The Thai-inspired coconut chilli sauce was more creamy than spicy with full flavours of santan (coconut milk) coming through.  The added flavour and aroma of lemongrass, onions, ginger, chillies, Chinese coriander and fresh lime made the sauce vibrantly appetising.  I've now tried two of the four sauces for the seafood pots but I certainly preferred the lemon butter garlic sauce with clams I had on a previous visit (I guess the freshness and tangy flavours of the lemon appealed to me more).

The dish comes with a default side of calrose rice though you could change it to another side of your choice such as gourmet fries or French bread.  But I think it's the perfect side to drench the rice with the slightly spicy coconut sauce for a fragrant santan-infused concoction.

I like that their seafood pots come served in a sizzling cast-iron pot which helps to retain heat and keep the seafood warm throughout for an even more satisfying meal.

Default drink as always...Green Tea (Cold or Hot) @ RM2.90 that's refillable.  We were given some discount vouchers by GrabFood and DeliverEat only to realise they don't deliver to our address when we tried to use them....T_T

My Personal Opinion

I've always come away with a truly satisfying experience in all my visits to Eatomo.  The cooked-to-order seafood pots are a must-try as the seafood is undeniably fresh and the sauces assuredly delish.

There is more on the menu I want to explore, so I guess there'll be more visits in the future then. ^_~

Eatomo Food Co
No 21 Jalan Telawi 2
Bangsar Baru
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2202 3280