Lorong Seratus Tahun @ SS2 PJ

Who haven't heard of the famous Penang Curry Mee of Lorong Seratus Tahun (LST) with its humble beginnings as a hawker stall in Penang, right?  For KLites who never got to taste the original in Penang or want a taste of that curry mee, they've a few outlets here in Klang Valley. 

 

Although I'm aware that they've been in KL for quite a few years now, I never went to try it until recently.  So, on a Sunday morning, we finally made our way to Restoran Lorong Seratus Tahun @ SS2 PJ.  The outlets here don't just sell Penang curry mee, they have a host of other (supposedly) authentic Penang cuisine to offer as well.

 

Of course, the first thing I wanted was the LST Curry Mee (+ Meehoon) @ RM9.90 which came with prawns, cuttlefish, "see hum" (blood cockles) and "tau fu pok" (bean curd puffs).  Portion wise, it was quite a generous bowl of noodles and would certainly make a fulfilling meal.

 

Since this is Penang-style curry mee, you'd expect the broth to be thin and light in coconut milk with a slight seafood sweetness (not the creamy laksa with savoury chicken broth variant of our KL ones).  On its own, it won't do anything for you...you have to add on the homemade chilli paste to give the broth the extra oomph!  The chilli paste here is very dark (almost black) in colour, so I added in a bit just to gauge the spiciness level (what you see in the picture is just 1/3 of what I ended up putting in).

 

There were a few prawns (maybe 3 or 4), some slices of cuttlefish and a fair amount of bean curd puffs.  What I didn't like was that the fresh cockles were really puny in size (can you spot them?)...and I love my cockles plump and squirting with blood!  Also missing in a bowl of authentic Penang curry mee was the coagulated pig's blood but since they went pork free, we have to do without it I suppose.

 

My mother-in-law had the Prawn Mee (+ Meehoon) @ RM9.90 which contained prawns, fish cake slices, hard boiled egg, bean sprouts, kangkung and fried shallots.  She seemed to like it.  I had a taste of it and thought it was alright since it was predominantly a seafood broth (can't ask for too much when the soup is not made with pork bones).  The broth was slightly sweet coz she didn't spice it up with the chilli paste provided.  But, then again, there's plenty of other better prawn mee out there.

 

Some Penang favourites they offer include Assam Laksa, Fried Koay Teow, Koay Teow Th'ng (Soup), Fried Chee Cheong Fun, Nyonya Laksa, Fried Mee Mamak, Rojak, Otak-Otak, Pie Tee and many others.

 

My son went with the Sambal Fish Rice @ R12.90, a simple dish of plain rice with a piece of fried fish, egg and sambal.  I don't know what fish that was (probably frozen dory) but, at least, the fish didn't taste fishy or stale.  I did enjoy the sambal which had a predominant fragrant kaffir lime leaf taste.

My husband had the Sambal Chicken Chop Rice @ RM12.90 which was exactly the same as the previous dish (sambal bowl not in the pic) except for the piece of fried chicken.  The fried chicken was decent, fragrant and crispy on the outside and still fairly tender on the inside.

I also ordered the Chicken Lor Bak (Set) @ RM13.90 that featured crispy bean curd skin, fried tofu, "lor bak" (marinated minced meat roll), century eggs with pickled ginger and served with two dipping sauces.

 

The lor bak wasn't too greasy but, what can I say, it's chicken lor bak...it'll never be as good as those made with minced pork.  As for the century eggs (which we both love to eat), let's say it wasn't the creamiest I've eaten and they were quite stingy with the pickled ginger too.  My mother-in-law was kind enough to leave me two pieces of the century egg....but without any ginger! ;D

 

I also ordered the Sago Gula Melaka @ RM5.90 and it arrived with the gula melaka already poured in.  In this day and age when all of us have a different sweet tolerance level, I would have thought that they would be smart enough to serve it separately.  If you're not diabetic yet, eating this may turn you into one instantly! 

 

Not only was it insanely sweet, the sago pearls were cooked until they were an overly soft and mushy blob.  My spouse had to painstakingly finish this one for me.

 

My Personal Opinion

 

The food here wouldn't impress a Penangite....in fact, it wouldn't even impress a non-Penangite like me.  The food is tolerable at best but I suppose I can give some leeway since it's pork-free (or maybe that's why, since it went pork-free, it doesn't taste as good?).  But the place do have its customers, like someone said...you just need to let them think that the food is from Penang and they'll go gaga over it.

I recently saw this place nominated on Time Out KL Food Awards 2015 for Best Char Kway Teow but I didn't try this dish when I was here, so I don't know if it was any good but, judging from the other food I had here, this would probably be an 'insane' choice!

 

As I've never eaten the original Lorong Seratus Tahun Penang Curry Mee, I don't know how this one compares.  Let's just say I won't be rushing back anytime soon!

 

Restoran Lorong Seratus Tahun

No 56 Jalan SS2/66

47300 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: 03-7865 8577

 

La Mexicana @ Bangsar

After an absolutely mind-blowing totally awesome authentic Spanish meal at Ohla Tapas & Cocktails recently, my friend and I thought that if we could love Spanish food that much, we could love Mexican too. 

 

So, feeling a bit more adventurous, we were game to try some Mexican food which The Yum List recommended as authentic Mexican cuisine.  We ventured to their newly opened outlet, La Mexicana @ Bangsar, for dinner one evening (their first outpost is at Ampang's The Terrace @ Hock Choon).

Stepping into the restaurant, you'll be greeted with a burst of bright contrasting colours of yellow, orange, bright pink and blue from the walls (featuring intricate heart-shaped mirrors) to the bar, floor tiles, hand-painted tables and chairs and even the napkins which give the place a happy and vibrant feel.

Settling down, we took our time to browse through the menu as we were in unfamiliar territory.  As I'm not a fan of cheese, we basically steered clear of dishes that have cheese in them.  It's usual to start off a meal here with "antojitos" (little cravings) and this is probably one of the best known snacks in any Mexican restaurant....the Guacamole "La Mexicana" @ RM25 served with homemade tortilla chips.  The tortilla chips were slightly thick, very crispy with a good aroma and taste of corn.

Guacamole is traditionally made with mashing ripe avocados with sea salt (by hand) in a mortar and pestle (in fact, it was served in a cute little mortar).  I think this one had some tomatoes, onions (maybe garlic) and lime juice added.  The guacamole was creamy and luscious...and utterly addictive when eaten with the crispy corn chips.  You can taste the freshness of the guacamole and know that it was freshly made to order....we thoroughly enjoyed this!

Our next little craving for sharing was the Ceviche "Acapulco" @ RM25 served with the same crispy corn chips.  Ceviche is basically a dish of raw fish (or seafood) marinated in lime or lemon juice and it's the citrus juices that 'cook' the raw fish, so freshness of the produce will be key.

The cubes of marinated fish, with chopped tomatoes, onions, coriander and olives, were fresh and firm in a relish that had the right amount of fresh and tangy flavours.  Just scoop a spoonful of the ceviche onto a crispy corn chip and put that into your mouth...it was zesty, it was crunchy, it was simply delicious!

For our mains, we stayed with a more familiar route and what could be more Mexican than the traditional Mexican dish of tacos which is made up of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled with a filling.  Tacos are probably the most eaten food in Mexico as they're widely available in Mexico from street vendors to restaurants.  La Mexicana offers a few varieties of filling such as beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables and cheese.

I read somewhere that if pork taco is available on the menu, one should not miss that and, so, we went with an order of Tacos "Campechanos" @ RM24 which came with three handmade corn tortillas stuffed with pork "Carnitas" a La Mexicana served with "Chicharron" (pork crackling) and "Salsa Roja" (or red sauce usually made with tomatoes, chilli peppers, onion, garlic and coriander).

The pork crackling that I envisaged turned out to be quite different from the one served.  The pork crackling in these pork tacos looked like minced floss and wasn't very crispy either.  I don't know if it's the shredded pork itself or something in the shredded pork that didn't sit well with us.  Let's just say we took one bite.....and that was it!  And let's just say I'll leave it at that!
 

Our other order of Tacos "Ensenada" @ RM24 featuring two wheat tortilla tacos filled with tempura style fish and coleslaw served with 'Salsa Verde' (or green sauce made with tomatillos that look a bit similar to green tomatoes) turned out a lot better. 

The tempura fried fish was crispy on the outside and soft and flaky on the inside with a creamy coleslaw.  A squeeze of lime and some salsa verde on it and you're good to go.  What could go wrong with simple fried fish and coleslaw, right?  It was 'familiar' and alright in terms of taste but nothing 'wow' about it.

We finished with a traditional Spanish dessert of Churros @ RM20 served with a dipping sauce of Cajeta (burnt milk caramel).  These are supposed to be deep fried dough pastry treats.

But these turned out to be pretty dense although they were crispy.  My first impression when I saw the dish was how much a darker shade of brown the churros were compared to the nicely golden ones I saw on The Yum List's blog.

And what made it worse was that the churros were so heavily dusted with cinnamon sugar it was difficult to eat.  Luckily there were only three pieces...and, luckily, we spilled one of our drinks on it....so, we didn't need to finish them.  I can't believe I just said that coz I actually love churros!

Our drinks for the evening were these non-alcoholic drinks.

The Horchata @ RM12 is a traditional rice milk based drink served with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  I wasn't in love with this drink though my friend found it alright.

The Agua de Jamaica also @ RM12 which is actually fresh roselle (hibiscus) flower juice.  This beverage has a slightly tart, berry-like flavour and sweetened with sugar.  If I had to describe it in one word...it would be....Ribena!  It does taste freakishly similar to Ribena, only better and made fresh, of course.

And here's a peek at the bar, I think you know where I'm going with this....

We can't very well walk out of a Mexican restaurant without trying at least one margarita, right?  It's the quintessential drink of Mexico consisting of tequila, triple sec (which may be reduced or eliminated entirely when sweeter fruit juices are added) and lime juice served with salt on the rim of the glass.

Passion Fruit Margarita @ RM35

 

This Passion Fruit Magarita was freaking awesome.  It was citrusy in taste more than it was intoxicating, much like a refreshing thirst quencher.  This was probably due to the passion fruit juice added into the mix.  This was the drink we spilled on the churros....we were happy....for the churros.....but sad...for the margarita T_T 

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The margarita was so good, we just had to have another.  I didn't know that I would love it so much coz my previous memory of having margarita (only once) was not memorable.  The tequila was so strong, I had to bite on a wedge of lime to cut out the taste (that one was served 'straight up' or without ice unlike the ones here that were served shaken with ice and 'on the rocks').  So, you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to find that margaritas can be so darn delicious.

 

Dragon Fruit Margarita @ RM35

 

The Dragon Fruit Margarita was just as amazing (just that I preferred the passion fruit one a wee bit more).  I think their margaritas taste so good because their fruit mixes are made fresh daily with the perfect balance of tequila to juice.

La Mexicana also offers the classic, tamarind and roselle variations and even a version of frozen margarita (blended with ice).  So, there's bound to be one that'll fulfill your fancy....I think I can down all five!! ;D

My Personal Opinion

The food I wasn't loving as much but the reviews on this place are mostly positive, so don't take my word for it as this was my first try of authentic Mexican food...what do I know!  Try it out for yourselves coz I'm sure they stay true to authentic Mexican flavours for those who love this cuisine...it's just not for me.....maybe it doesn't suit my Malaysian palate or maybe I don't know how to appreciate Mexican food.

Having said that, I did enjoy the guacamole and ceviche...those were absolutely great.  And what's even greater....the margaritas!!  Couldn't you tell?  Since I devoted 1/3 of my photos just to the margaritas....kekeke! ;)  And they're served in the cutest looking glass (ever!) that resembles an inverted sombrero.

Well, they say it's the best margarita in town...and I can't say I agree (coz I've not drank enough margaritas to say that..heehee) but it certainly was a darn good one.  I definitely wouldn't mind coming back for more margaritas!  I'm licking my lips just thinking about them.  Now you know where to go if you have a margarita urge....cheers everyone!

La Mexicana
No 12 Jalan Telawi 5
Bangsar Baru
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2201 7155
 

The 60's Teow Chew Fishball @ Pandan Indah

From the information I gathered online, this fish ball restaurant seems to have many branches in the Klang Valley and one blog mentioned that it used to be known as Tang House of Fishball....but I wouldn't know as I've not heard of or eaten at this fish ball place before.

So, when I recently noticed a new addition to our neighbourhood restaurants, Restoran The 60's Teow Chew Fishball @ Pandan Indah, I knew I had to try.  After all, it's one more affordable choice I can add to my 'repertoire of restaurants' to eat when I'm not cooking.

 

We tried their Signature Mee Pok @ RM7 which was filled with minced pork and topped with crispy "chee yau  char" (pork lard cubes) and spring onions.  It came with a side soup of fish cake slices and vegetables.  Mee Pok is a type of yellowish flat noodles and is usually sold by hawkers selling fish ball noodles.  The noodles were tossed in flavoured oil, vinegar and probably a bit of soy sauce and pepper.  The taste is very subtle or otherwise bland to those who are more used to strong flavours.  In fact, it tastes a bit similar to Hakka mee or kolo mee, if you ask me.

I had the Handmade Fish Noodle + Glass Noodles (Dry) @ RM8 which was made up of glass noodles tossed with the same minced pork topping as the Signature Mee Pok.  The only difference was this came with additional bean sprouts, shredded carrot, fish noodles and slices of fish cake. 

The fish noodles were actually fish paste made to resemble thick noodles (the same type as those you'd get in steamboats).  Again, I enjoyed the light taste of the glass noodles and I especially liked the fish noodles.

This was the Golden Homeland Mee @ RM8 which offered thicker noodles with minced pork, fried fish cakes, soft egg and pork lard.

For those who find these noodles bland, fret not for they have this kick-ass dried chillies condiment that will surely spice up your noodles.  But, go easy as it's really spicy but I love it! :)

We also ordered the Fried Chee Cheong Fun @ RM5.50 which are essentially broad flat rice noodle rolls fried with bean sprouts, chives, egg and chillies.  It actually looks like fried char kway teow, but it's a much softer texture, and tastes very similar to fried carrot cake except they use chee cheong fun instead of carrot cake.  I enjoyed this dish sprinkled with some of the dried chillies condiment.

This was the Fried Fish Noodle & Chee Cheong Fun @ RM8.  It tasted exactly like the one above except this one came with fish paste noodles.  It may be a bit salty for some taste buds.

And, of course, I had to try their Handmade Fish Balls @ RM7 (for 10 pcs) since this is what the restaurant is all about.  It didn't disappoint as the fish balls tasted like pure fish paste and were just a tad springy.  It didn't have an overly bouncy texture like other fish balls with added flour and made by machine.  There was once an old man making fish balls by hand and those were the best ones I've ever had but when his son took over the fish ball noodles stall, he deemed it too much work and subsequently made them by machine...they never tasted the same again :'(
 

I ordered the Mini Fried Dumplings @ RM7 (for 8 pcs), served with a side of vinegar and julienned ginger, for sharing.  I didn't like the slightly thick and doughy texture of the dumplings and the filling didn't have the burst of chives flavour.  I didn't care for the poorer quality vinegar either, so I will give this a miss and not order this the next time I'm here.  I would prefer to eat Esquire Kitchen's fried dumplings over this any time.

Next up, we tried a mixture of Fish Cake, Tau Kan & Fu Chuk @ RM10 which turned out to be our top favourite.  We really liked all three but if I had to choose my order of preference, I would go with the "tau kan" (thick soft bean curd sheets) on the left, followed by the "fu chuk" in the middle and fish cake on the right. 

The fried fish cake was alright, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.  Just wished that it had a somewhat less bouncy texture.

On another occasion when we were here, we made a repeat order for two pieces each of Fried Tau Kan & Fu Chuk @ RM2.50/pc (RM10 for this plate) to indulge further.
 

These two pieces of fried tau kan (stuffed with fish paste) gets our top vote because the layers of bean curd resulted in it being extra crispy when fried.  We absolutely loved it....it was so, so crispy!

Here's a peek inside the tau kan where you can see the abundant fish filling clearly.

The two pieces of fried fu chuk, on the other hand, didn't come in its usual form in a sheet but in the form of a roll.  That's why you're able to get a considerable amount of fish paste (with very little flour) inside.

This was the Tau Fu Fah (Cold) @ RM4 with a choice of white or brown sugar (which I requested to be served on the side).  The soybean pudding was soft but not as smooth as some of the ones I've had.

Pineapple with Lemon (Cold) @ RM4

Soya + Cincau (Cold) @ RM3.50
(the drinks were far from satisfactory, so I went with Chinese Tea on subsequent visits)

My Personal Opinion

Overall, the noodle dishes are very subtle in flavour and will appear bland to those who like robust sauces but it can be tweaked with help from the two types of chilli condiments.

 

What they do well here is definitely their fish paste products whether it's the fish balls or the fried fish cakes, tau kan and fu chuk which I would gladly have again.

Restoran The 60's Teow Chew Fishball
14G Jalan Pandan Indah 4/8
Pandan Indah
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 012-676 1463