Teppanyaki @ Aeon Maluri

I can still remember when teppanyaki first arrived on our shores (was that in the 80's or 90's?), its popularity was off the charts!  I think it was called Mr Teppanyaki with its inaugural branch in Sungei Wang Plaza. Droves of people would visit and the restaurant would always be filled to the brim.  Although teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine, the ones we have here is more of a localised version.

A Mr Teppanyaki plate was instantly recognisable then by its lightly grilled meat of choice sandwiched between sauteed vegetables on one side and rice on the other, topped with the all familiar crispy garlic chips (which makes us want to say...more please!) and cubes of salty-sweet preserved radish (choy poh) on one corner of the plate.

The chefs manning the open cook stations would put on quite a show when they cook by tossing their steel spatulas in the air.  What is it about the sound of clanking steel spatulas, coupled with the showmanship of the chefs, and watching your food cooked right in front of you that delight diners to make a beeline for seats where the action is! ;)

At the height of their success and popularity, there were so many branches (that you can't keep count) but a few decades later, most of them had closed.  I'm not sure if there are any original Mr Teppanyaki branches left though I've seen quite a few that call themselves Teppanyaki.  Not sure if they're the same ones (as Mr Teppanyaki) with just a change of name (to Teppanyaki) or they're copycats.

Either way, teppanyaki is still a well sought after meal that appeals to many as it's a complete meal with rice, meat and vegetables....and that's exactly what we wanted when we stopped by Teppanyaki @ Aeon Maluri located in Aeon's Food Harbour (the food court itself).

I ordered the Sirloin Steak Set @ RM28 (there's also an option for thinly sliced beef @ RM26) as beef has always been my first choice when it comes to teppanyaki though I like seafood just as much too.

The steak set offers a thicker cut beef which gives it more of a bite.  The beef chunks were sufficiently tender but not super tender due to the quality of beef you get with the price which I thought was fair.  At the end of the cooking, the beef is doused in their special sauce which is some kind of brown sauce with hints of garlic and black pepper.  The sauce was very likeable (and this was the differentiation coz most of the other teppanyaki restaurants don't come with any sauce).

Common to all teppanyaki sets is their signature accompaniment of sauteed vegetables and that all-important crispy fried garlic chips (which I always want more of but too shy to ask!).

The Squid Set @ RM26 offers basically the same thing except you get squid (instead of beef) and the squid seems to have been cooked with onions, carrots and green bell peppers in a similar sauce.  I didn't taste this but the squid looks decently fresh.

The sauteed vegetables of cabbage and bean sprouts complete the dish.  I always enjoy seeing the vegetables being stir-fried on a flat top iron grill and, depending on the cook, sometimes you get them a little crunchier in texture and sometimes you get them a little limp when they're cooked longer.

All the sets come standard with a bowl of rice and miso soup.....

...with condiments of kimchi and chilli sauce and fresh watermelon cubes to end the meal.  I liked the chilli sauce.  This place is obviously doing alright seeing that they withstood the pandemic and is still going strong from the looks of it.

This was the Seafood & Meat Combo Set @ RM34 from before the pandemic...lol.  I found it in my archive of photos and thought I'd show it to you just to let you know how much the price has increased.  It's now RM48 on their menu.....that's how much the price went up...by 40%! O_o

This combo came with (two) prawns, dory fish and sirloin (you can also opt for chicken drumstick).  The only two differences I detected were the inclusion of a green vegetable (choy sum which I prefer) and the sauce tasted more like black pepper sauce then (I think the sauce is much better now, much more balanced and less peppery).  Besides these, they also offer chicken, lamb, prawns, mushroom, salmon (RM30) and dory (even dory costs RM25 which goes to show how much fish cost these days).

If you're seated at the action counter, they actually serve the meat/seafood and vegetables on a piece of foil paper placed at the edge of the teppanyaki grill.  Eating off the cook top I feel is not so ideal in current circumstances, so do make a request if you want it served on a plate.

My Personal Opinion

Even though the taste wasn't wow, a simple meal of protein, carbs and veggie is a balanced meal that appeal to many rice seekers as it's rather similar to a chap fan meal or a siu chow (one-dish) rice meal that many of us eat on a daily basis...although this one is obviously on a higher price point.

But you do get to see the theatrics of the meal cooked right in front of you (minus the spatula throwing these days...lol!)....and I find that rather enjoyable (it's quite fun to watch them cook fried rice on a flat top).  And the best thing is you get to eat it piping hot right after it's cooked.

The difference is this one comes with their special house-made sauce (which some other teppanyaki eateries usually don't offer) but I do remember eating one with sauce too at Express Teppan-Yaki in Pavilion's Food Republic.  Many Malaysians like to eat their rice with some kind of kuah (sauce) and if there's some sambal or chilli sauce to go with that, lagi (even) better! :D  We have quite a few sushi joints in my taman but no teppanyaki eateries...I wish someone would open one in my neighbourhood. ^_~

Teppanyaki @ Aeon Maluri

Level 1 Food Harbour

Aeon Taman Maluri Shopping Centre

Jalan Jejaka

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Mee Jawa & Curry Puff, Lim Food Stall @ Taman Muda

Penang Mee Jawa gets less attention than their other more popular Penang hawker fare like Penang Hokkien Mee (Prawn Mee) or Char Kway Teow.  It's commonly found sold by Malay restaurants/hawkers but it's not as easy to find mee jawa sold by hawkers in Chinese coffee shops here in KL...and even more difficult to find good ones.  So far, I've only come across a decent one in SS2's Chow Yong Kopitiam.

You could say mee jawa is quite similar to mee rebus or what some would refer to as the Chinese version of mee rebus.  So I was excited when I saw Mee Jawa & Curry Puff, Lim Food Stall @ Taman Muda on the delivery platform.

The Mee Jawa @ RM11.50 arrived looking the part with default yellow mee and its usual ingredients of crispy fritters, hard-boiled egg slices, tofu pieces, potato chunks, bean sprouts (but no cuttlefish), topped with some fried shallots and accompanied by a spicy sambal.  Some versions would also include those Indian fritters (the same ones they use in mamak mee goreng or Indian-style fried mee).

The noodles were drenched in a gravy made with sweet potatoes (and probably potatoes too) to thicken the sauce and some tomato paste to balance out the natural sweetness from the sweet potatoes.  The consistency of the gravy wasn't as thick and although I prefer a thicker sauce, I'm beginning to appreciate this lighter version as it's less cloying to finish.

A kasturi (or calamansi) lime is included too, so do squeeze that in as it's crucial to give a light sourness to brighten the plate as well as your palate.

The spicy sambal provides the added spicy kick needed and I'd recommend that you don't forgo it.  Mixing it into the noodles definitely lifted up the taste of the gravy and the dish overall.  This was a very decent mee jawa.

But, unfortunately, I can't say the same for the Curry Puff @ RM10 a piece.  It was a pretty humongous curry puff! :O  As you can see, it was as big as the palm of my hand.

It was filled with lots of potato chunks, hard-boiled egg and (for that price) I believe there would be chicken chunks too although I didn't taste much of it.  And because of that, I thought the RM10 price tag was too much even for curry puff as giant as that! >_<

Because the curry puff was so big, the pastry had to be quite thick too in order to hold the filling together, so expect the pastry to be slightly doughy (or underdone) in some parts.  If you eat it immediately, the pastry is acceptably crisp and flaky but you won't want to eat it later coz, once cooled (or left for a longer period of time), the pastry can become a little hard especially around the crimped edges.

My Personal Opinion

If I feel like having mee jawa, I now know of a place where I can get a good one near me.  But I'll probably skip the curry puff...not that it's all that bad, just that I can get a better one from a nearby wet market for half the price (not as big but filled with hard-boiled egg too).

They also sell Portuguese Tarts (RM10 for two) but I thought RM5 for one sounds a bit high even for delivery prices.  Anyway, I've not ordered that before so I don't know the size of the tart.  Recently they added wantan noodles (both dry and soup versions) onto their menu as well...and that is pretty much their entire menu. ^_~

Mee Jawa & Curry Puff @ Lim Food Stall

3 DA14 Jalan Tanjung Bunga 10

Taman Muda

56100 Kuala Lumpur

Fried Shrimp Cake (and Others) @ Pandan Perdana

Fried shrimp cake or prawn fritter, otherwise more commonly known by their local name as cucur udang, is one of my favourite fried things to eat.  Not something for the faint-hearted or health conscious since it's deep-fried...and can (or will) be oily (it comes with the territory)! ;)

You'd usually find this fritter in a round, flat, disc-shaped like...and that's because the batter is spooned onto a round ladle before being submerged in hot oil to deep-fry.  Well, at least, that's how the Chinese hawkers (selling this) do it.

But the Malay hawkers do it differently though.  Theirs are normally ball-shaped like or randomly shaped for want of a better word.  Their fritter is filled with chopped onions, carrot, spring onions, chillies and prawns (some recipes may include corn kernels and/or beansprouts).

They also do a version with ikan bilis or dried anchovies (cucur ikan bilis) or just onions (cucur bawang). They can be eaten with either a chilli sauce or kuah kacang (peanut sauce).  The Chinese version is usually accompanied by chilli sauce only.

As I've mentioned earlier, the Chinese version of fried shrimp cake that I've encountered thus far has always been disc-shaped but I recently came across this Chinese-style Fried Shrimp Cake @ Pandan Perdana in a shape that's not common at all (one I've not seen before).  The first time I bought this Fried Shrimp Cake @ RM2.70, I asked for it not to be cut so that I can show you the shape and what it looks like.

Shape aside, they were the best fried shrimp cake I've had so far! ^o^  These utterly delicious shrimp cakes, I believe, are filled with just shrimps (with shells on and heads included), Chinese chives and onions.  I liked that they were generous with the small shrimps (at least 4 - 5 in one fritter) which elevated its flavour.

They were so incredibly crispy all round but still with a bit of softness from the batter.  The texture was not dense at all as opposed to some fried shrimp cakes I've eaten in the past (case in point...the first photo).

Although they have a stall operating from inside Restoran OK (a corner coffee shop behind Hong Leong Bank), they choose to set up a roadside stall (in the vicinity of Pandan Perdana's wet market).  A man does the frying in the coffee shop while a lady will do the selling from the roadside stall (not sure if this is a husband & wife team).

I was excited when a fresh tray of the ready-fried shrimp cakes came out but they were gone in a jiffy as soon as they landed on her table (she pack, pack, pack before I could take a photo to show you so that you can drool over a tray full of them).

Besides shrimp cakes, they also sell a version with just vegetables.  The Vegetable Fritter @ RM1.70 is made with just loads of garlic chives and onions.  Essentially the same recipe minus the shrimps.

I don't know how they do the batter but it's so unbelievably crunchy, it's stark raving bonkers!  Not only were the fritters crispy, mind you, they stayed relatively crunchy some 3 hours later.  I've never had shrimp (or vegetable) fritters this crunchy before! ^.^

Not only were they super crispy, they were fluffy to eat too.  The taste was heightened by the very fragrant, mildly garlicky taste of Chinese chives and you get that sweetness from the onions too....and they're not stingy with both.  The accompanying chilli paste is good too but when the fritters are already so good, you don't really need it.

Though the shrimp and vegetable fritters are their no. 1 best sellers, they also do a very decent Fried Yam Puff (or Wu Kok) @ RM2.20.  Can you see just how light, thin, airy and crisp the outside batter is?

The minced pork filling was very tasty too and the yam paste totally soft with a remarkably crispy exterior (which you have to eat immediately). They were so well done it would put some dim sum sellers to shame.

Not so successful though was their Fried Radish/Carrot Cake (or lor bak go) @ RM1.  You can safely give this a miss.

It had more flour than the taste of radish thereby making the texture of the radish cake rather dense.  I've had loads better fried radish cake elsewhere (especially at dim sum restaurants).

But you probably won't want to miss their Fried Dumpling (or fried sui kow) @ RM1.30 a piece.  At least this batch of fried dumplings didn't fly off the shelves as soon as they came out and I was still able to snap a photo with an almost full tray. ;P

These adequately-filled dumplings were fried to perfection (noticed those small puffy spots on the skin?.....those are pops of crispiness!).  I think I detected some chopped yin sai (Chinese coriander) in the filling too coz it smelled so fragrant.  It's so yummy you won't be able to stop at one.

The Fried Popiah @ RM2, filled with shredded jicama and carrots, didn't leave much of an impression as they weren't particularly outstanding.  The crispy popiah skin also didn't stay crispy for very long.

Besides these six fried stuff I tried, ham sui kok (RM2.20) or literally translated as salt water ball (a salty-sweet fried glutinous rice dumpling filled with pork, vegetables and mushrooms) and fried sesame balls (RM1) round up their menu.  Note that this price list was taken in May this year (not sure if the prices have changed since).  Good news is that they're now on ShopeeFood (with delivery prices of RM4.10, RM2.60, RM3.30, RM3.30, RM2.90, RM1.80, RM1.80 & RM2.20 in comparison to the price list above).  If the price list above is still current, then the delivery prices are rather steep (at least 50% higher).

My Personal Opinion

Certainly a heart-stopping, calorie-laden, guilty-pleasure snack that one shouldn't be having too often.  I'd go for the prawn fritters first followed by the yam puff and fried dumpling (in that particular order)....hehe! ;) The vegetable fritter is good too if you want an all-vege fritter but I thought the addition of prawns just gave the fritter the edge.

Please note that as this is a stall by the roadside (near the wet market), they're only open in the mornings every day (from 7 - 11am) although they operate from a physical stall inside Restoran OK (where the frying takes place).

It's an irresistible tea-time snack that's also great with a cup of coffee for breakfast.  Every bite (or should I say, calorie) is worth savouring (and I've been back for them obviously).  What can I say....really excellent fritters! ^o^

Fried Shrimp Cake @ Restoran OK

2 - 4 Jalan Perdana 4/6

Pandan Perdana

55300 Kuala Lumpur

Lam Kee Wantan Mee @ Taman Seraya

Recently, the lady operating my regular go-to wantan mee stall in my neighbourhood did not open shop for many days.  Initially, I thought she was taking a few days off but each time I passed by the shop, she was not there.  Days turned to weeks.

By the end of the second week, I decided to ask the stall next to her to find out why she has not opened shop for so long.  I finally found out that she went for an eye operation and would need at least 2 weeks to recuperate.  I think she ended up taking 3 weeks.

Within the first week of not seeing her open, I had to look for other alternatives as wantan mee is one of the noodle dishes I eat quite often.  It's especially relied upon when I want to eat something less heaty but with flavour...and wantan mee fits the bill to the tee!  So I looked up ShopeeFood and found Lam Kee Wantan Mee @ Taman Seraya.

When it comes to wantan mee, I always start with the basics, their Char Siew Wantan Mee @ RM10.50, which I'd usually use to gauge if the place is any good at wantan mee.  I was more than happy with what I got as the sauce was well balanced and tasty, not too wet and not too dry, just nice.

The char siew (BBQ pork) looked very lean when I opened the box but the meat turned out to be very tender, so I had no qualms about my char siew being lean as long as it's sufficiently tender.  Some might beg to differ and would prefer fattier char siew (or at least a half-lean-half-fat ratio), so this may not be the char siew that suits you.

After the much approved char siew wantan mee, I couldn't wait to try their BBQ Pork Ribs Wantan Mee @ RM11.50 as well.  BBQ pork ribs aren't commonly offered at many wantan mee stalls, so I was looking forward very much to try this.

There were four adequately-sized BBQ pai guat (pork ribs) that were fairly meaty with a well caramelised exterior that was not too sweet just like the char siew.  The ribs were deliciously fragrant and tender....I liked it a lot! ^o^

The Steamed Chicken Wantan Mee @ RM10.50 is also something not usually seen offered by wantan mee shops.  I made a request for chicken thigh but got the wing instead (no matter, I don't mind the wing either).

The steamed chicken was tender, just don't expect it to be as wat (or smooth) like how the chicken rice experts do their poached chicken.  It was alright as I thought it was a decent enough rendition.

The Braised Chicken Feet with Mushrooms Wantan Mee @ RM10.50 was my least favourite.  The chicken feet would be considered sufficiently tender by most standards.

It's just that I like my braised chicken feet achingly soft with its skin almost falling apart (not a pretty sight in terms of presentation but a case of it tasting better than it looks).

The first time I tried their wantan mee (I'm always the adventurous curious one to try out a new place first and if it's any good, only then I'd recommend to my family), I ordered the Soup Dumplings @ RM7 (for 3 pcs) as well as I needed my order to be above RM15 to be entitled to RM2 off from delivery.  Yeah, ShopeeFood delivery is no longer free (gone are the happy days!).  The best we can get now is RM2 off (with a minimum spend of RM15) for all restaurants (the RM4 delivery voucher you can see but can't touch as it's only applicable to selected restaurants).

The dumplings turned out to be very plump and meaty (so were the soup wantans) and you can clearly see that the filling had chopped prawns inside (along with minced pork, finely diced jicama and carrots).

I found that the texture of the wantan mee was cooked to my liking, not overly soft but firm to the bite.  I also liked that this wantan mee was slightly thicker than the norm as I don't really like those overly thin (or, worst still, wavy) type of wantan mee.

The only thing I didn't like was the taste of the soup which I found to be a bit too peppery.  It wasn't like the hot peppery taste of (say) pig stomach soup (that I love) resulting from white peppercorns but the peppery taste comes from ground white pepper which is different (and too much of it isn't all that nice).

My Personal Opinion

I'm glad to have found another very worthy wantan mee as an alternative in case I want a different tasting wantan mee from my usual neighbourhood's regular shop (or when the stall owner decides to go on a long break like recently).  In food (as well as in life), it's good to have a back-up plan or a few back-up plans...lol).

Of the 4 types of wantan mee I've tried (they offer a 5th type - curry chicken wantan mee), the BBQ pork ribs is at the top of my list for its deliciously fragrant and well caramelised pork ribs followed by the very tender but lean char siew.

This place is now a regular go-to wantan mee delivery for us....even when my neighbourhood wantan mee stall is now back in action.  When one door closes (even temporarily), I guess another opens.....lol! ^.^

Lam Kee Wantan Mee

No 30 Jalan Bunga Tanjung 10-A

Taman Seraya

Cheras

56100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-648 1266