Little Wok Kitchen

Food Huntz was invited to review Cornery's gourmet popcorn so we decided to head to KL Festival City to pay Cornery a visit at their new branch. You can read my take on Cornery at the following link: http://foodhuntz.blogspot.com/2013/10/cornery-popcorn-gallery-collins-take-on.html

So after doing our food blogging stuff for Cornery, I decided to have a bite at...

My lunch venue.

The environment looked pretty nice and I didn't feel like having western at that time so this seemed like the perfect choice for lunch.

After what felt like centuries (I'm indecisive when it comes to food), I finally decided that I would have this for lunch. Looks really delicious and healthy. 

This is actually one of the set lunch in their menu.

Customer service was OK I suppose, nothing memorable. I didn't intend to blog about this restaurant at first as there was nothing about it that screamed "BLOGGING MATERIAL!". That is until my order came...

My "delicious" looking order.

one can see the shocking similarity with the picture in the menu immediately. The vegetable doesn't look too inviting and God only knows where the carrots and potatoes are. To top it all off the main dish looked liked it is served in a spittoon or some other sanitation device you see in a hospital's toilet. 

After digging in, I only discovered that the carrots and potatoes are actually camouflaged with the thick black gravy which also covers the entire chicken drumstick. I could not taste the natural sweetness from the 2 vegetables as the salty taste of the gravy was very overpowering. The only other taste I notice in the gravy is the hint of Chinese mushrooms. The soup was nothing to scream about as it was only chicken stock mixed with ajinomotto and spring onion. This entire meal cost me RM 20.80 (including taxes).

My verdict, if you are willing to spend RM20.80 on  a meal, I would STRONGLY suggest that you spend it somewhere else.

Aaron Cafe @ Taman Melawis, Klang

This "cafe" is not your ordinary cafe. It does serve coffee but the main attraction here is not the coffee.

Aaron Cafe is more of a little restaurant but on the menu, there are only one general item, Char Kueh Teow or stir-fried ricecake strip. It is more popular among the older generation of Klang (I was introduced to this place by an ex-colleague's boss) but that does not means the younger generation don't know about it.

For me, once I tried it, I always tried to come back for more.

If you guys remember about the unnamed shop that served loh yee mee and red wine misua that was featured here in FoodHuntz (link here), Aaron Cafe is basically on the same row of shop, except that it is on the other side.

The whole shop consist of the boss and his two helpers.

As with any other char kueh teow shop, the boss allow you to choose how your meal is to be cook with. Basic ingredients includes prawns, cockles, bean sprouts, eggs and Chinese chives. You can tell the boss which ingredient you want and which ingredient you don't want and he would prepare it as how you wanted. Also, you can ask for different level of spiciness.

I usually ask for a plate without cockles and prawns and here is a look of my meal on my latest visit to Aaron Cafe.

While it maybe more "greasy" than usual, it is really yummy. I don't recommend you to come for it everyday but once in a while, it is definitely worth the visit.

Address:
Lintang Gangsa,
Taman Melawis,
Klang

Klang's Unnamed Hainan Curry Rice Stall

This famous unnamed Hainan Curry Rice stall that is located behind Klang's old Cathay cinema. Well-known by the locals, this place attracts a big crowd particularly everyday.

The stall

Tables

For Hainan Curry Rice, the rice is usually served with the some curry gravy. While it is called curry, the taste is actually very mild and not really spicy. It still give your an aroma of the nice curry flavour. But if you don't like curry or don't like the curry gravy all over your rice, you can either ask the stall worker put it on another bowl just for you. I like the gravy over-flowing on my rice.

The curry rice, dishes and the soup

Serving together with the Hainan Curry Rice are a variety of dishes that customers can choose according to their liking. They have braised bean curd pork roll, braised pork meats, braised stuffed bean curd (tofu), braised hard-boiled eggs, tomato sauce fish and curry chicken. These dishes are usually cook fresh everyday.

keeping hot

My usual order

My usual lunch here would consist of braised bean curd pork roll, braised pork meats, braised stuffed bean curd and braised hard-boiled eggs, topping up with their tasty peppery soup of innards and pig's blood curd.

The soup with innards and pig's blood curd

The most awesome thing about eating Hainan Curry Rice here is that even by ordering so many dishes, it just cost me RM8.80 which include a glass of ice herbal tea. One word of caution, get yourself ready for the heat if you are going there on a sunny day. The heat would make you sweat a lot.

 The stall

Don't be fooled by the look. The food here is really awesome!

One last thing, they only open from morning until afternoon. Try to go there before 1pm. The earlier the better.

Address: Jalan Sena, Klang
GeoTag Location: 3.049733,101.447035

Ningbo Traditional Snacks @ Gangyagou - 缸鸭狗

Even though it may not be on the list of a tourist from outside China, Ningbo certainly has many things to offer. Known as the "Yong Cuisine", the Ningbo's seafood style is a must try for someone who is visiting Ningbo. But what many dont really know is that Ningbo is actually also famous for its snacks as well.

To taste the best snack Ningbo can offer, one must go to this particular restaurant call 缸鸭狗 (Gang Ya Gou), loosely translate to "Cylinder Duck Dog". Dont ask me why it is named like that. 

Nevertheless, the restaurant is definitely popular with the Chinese. The branch, which is located in Ningbo Tianyi Square, is packed with people all the time. It didnt takes us long to make our order (my travelmate has everything written down in advance) and our order comes soon after.

Ningbo Tangyuan

Ningbo tangyuan is slightly different from the usual tangyuan that we have in Malaysia. I went thru the net and found out that they actually put grounded sesame seed with sugar into the middle part of tangyuan. A simple recipe but definitely make it taste nice....

Crystal Pao

I cant remember exactly how this crystal pao is different from the usual pao that we usually eat. Let me refresh my memory first. If I can remember, I would edit this page and tell you more about it.

Fried Muaci

Another snack that is different from the usual stuff that we ate in Malaysia. Muaci is being rolled into a ball before it is being deep fried. Tasty as well...

Muaci with sprinkle of seaweed

Slightly more tradition but with the seaweed twist, the taste is totally different.

Green Tea Roll

The foods that we ordered was superb, except for the green tea roll for me as I was already full with the other food that I cant really enjoy it. I also cant remember the damage done but it is really worth it. 

I must thanks Jessy (my travelmate for the trip) for giving me the permission to use her photos here.

Gangyagou has a few branches around Ningbo and the easiest to find would definitely be the one in Ningbo Tianyi Square.

Pork Stick

While I was in Hangzhou, I came across something that I like very much.

It looks like something that we have in Malaysia, satay, but it is totally different from it. The fact that it is extremely juicy really make it different and making me want to learn more about it. I cant read the chinese wording so, I just just call it pork stick. It cost RMB10 for 4 sticks (equivalent to RM1.25 per stick) and for the price, I says it is worth every cent I paid.

In case you are wondering where to find this pork stick, it is available at Hefang Street, Hangzhou.

Tea Biscuit @ Mount Fuquan, Ningbo

Sorry guys, for being absent from this blog for so long.

Both Collin and I were going thru one of our most hectic period of life and to an extend, we have to keep one of our beloved hobby, food hunting, aside for a while.

Nevertheless, I managed to find some good stuff that I wanna share here and from now onwards, I would try to make more time to do something here.

I was in China recently for a well deserved holiday (have been working like a log for more than a year without proper rest) and in one of the place I been to, I found this. ~ A MUST TRY ~

It is something like a desert thing but I felt that it is more like a biscuit. One of the main ingredient to make this biscuit is actually tea leaves. Yes, you read it right. It is a specialty in this area call Mount Fuquan where they actually produce tea leaves for the people of China and all over the world. I was told that this particular biscuit is only available here so, if you want to try it, Mount Fuquan in Ningbo is the place. There is only one restaurant here, so you cant go wrong with it.

Here is a look at what is inside. I cant tell you what is being used but I can tell you one thing for sure. It is really very delicious.

Kedai Kopi Lee Brothers

It has been a while since I last written a blogpost here. It has been a busy December for me, and lucky thing, we have Collin around to help introduce some nice foods.

Anyway, I am back to write some food review. Please be advise that even though I may not be writing any blog post here but that doesnt mean that I am not hardworking at hunting for nice food to be feature here.

So, here is my review for today.

...................................

One of the question that everyone would be asking everyday is that "what do you want to eat today?". Most of the time, the question would be asked either in the afternoon or evening. That is the main reason why we start this blog. To tell you where to find good food for lunch or dinner.

The place is actually one of the last place I would thought of finding good food. But after tasting the food, I realized I was wrong and I told myself that this is a place I must feature here.

The coffeeshop, Kedai Kopi Lee Brothers, doesnt look much. But the food they offer is something that is a must try.

Kedai Kopi Lee Brothers

Inside the coffeeshop

We ordered a total of three different dishes. First up, "wat tan hor", which has been a regular offering in Malaysian Chinese foodstall. Taste really nice, and I really like how the broth is being cooked. 

Another regular in a Malaysian Chinese foodstall is Singapore Meehoon which was our second order. I didnt managed to try it but my colleague said it taste nice as well.

Going thru the menu, I find something intriguing and I cant help myself but to order it. 

Marmite Fried Rice.

I find the taste of this marmite fried rice kinda sweet, which I like alot. It doesnt taste exactly like marmite but the fried rice smell good and judging by the number of order they received for this marmite fried rice, I believe that this is one of their signature dishes.

Address:
Kedai Kopi Lee Brothers
Jalan Bendehara 14,
Taman Sentosa,
Klang

Pan Mee @ JoJo's Little Kitchen, Subang Jaya

The hunt for good and cheap food is a never ending quest for us Malaysians and sometimes our hunt can proof to be a daunting process due to the numerous restaurants we have. We Malaysians are definitely spoiled for choices when it comes to food. Luckily you have us to inform you on what's good and what's toxic sludge . Today's blog entry is thanks to our first follower of our blog! Thanks Joyce for your support and contribution for this week's entry. If you also like to have your favorite restaurant or food featured on our blog, drop us a line at foodhuntz[at]gmx[dot]com. Now, onwards with the review!

We were introduced to another player in the Pan Mee business and who would have thought that it is also located in Subang Jaya. No, I am not referring to Face to Face but to JoJo's Little Kitchen (lets call them JoJo's for short) located a few shops down from Face to Face. Now, since their main noodle dish is Pan Mee, I will be comparing JoJo's with Super Kitchen in terms of environment, service, food and price.

Like Super Kitchen, JoJo's Little Kitchen has 6 branches in the Klang Valley located in:

1. Kuchai Lama (HQ)
2. Serdang
3. Puchong Jaya
4. Subang Jaya
5. Cheras Mahkota
6. Uptown (Damansara Utama)

They have recently just opened their Uptown outlet on 15th August 2010. I have only visited their Subang Jaya branch so this review will be base on my experience from this particular branch.

As you can see below, the layout is similar to Super Kitchen and the tables are arranged into 3 rows which allow their waiters / waitresses to maneuver without disturbing their customers. Their premise is divided into non-smoking section and smoking section with a glass divider and the smoking section is located nearest to the building's main entrance. Don't worry too much about the heat as JoJo's is air conditioned just right so that its cooling and not freezing. Unfortunately, the smoking section is not air conditioned so you'll have to bear with the heat on a hot day.

Each table has their own box of tissue, eating utensils and a container of their chili mix for convenience and the premise is pretty clean. Don't worry, the tables are big enough to have enough arm room when you eat. Lighting plays an important role in mood and ambiance but you need not worry about poor lighting in JoJo's as the place is well lit which puts people in a good mood when eating. The only "bad" points I noticed is that it can get pretty crowded during lunch time on weekdays and parking can be an issue as Subang Jaya is a busy commercial area but these factors are out of JoJo's control.

So we can safely conclude that JoJo's is a well planned establishment with the customer's comfort in mind.

Service was also pretty prompt despite the many hungry customers who came in for their lunch and my order came within a reasonable time frame so I have no complaints about their service. When compared with Super Kitchen, I don't see JoJo's loosing out in terms of service.

During my visits to JoJo's, I had the opportunity to try their Lat Jiu Pan Mee / Chili Pan Mee (辣椒板面) and their Fish Head Pan Mee (鱼头板面) so lets get into the meat of the review! First, lets see how JoJo's Lat Jiu Pan Mee fare against Super Kitchen's.

As you can see, JoJo's Lat Jiu Pan Mee basically consist of the same ingredients as Super Kitchen's but served slightly differently. The potato leaves are added into the noodles together with the handmade noodles, minced meat, fried anchovies (a.k.a. fried ikan bilis), poached egg and fried shallots which gives an interesting texture to the overall dish. The other differences I noticed is that they do not add any spring onions and the chili has been added into the noodles together with a secret ingredient.What's the secret ingredient you ask? You see the greenish brown paste in between the red chili and minced meat?

Yep, you got it! That's the secret ingredient. It's actually just blended green chili with belacan but when mixed together with the other ingredients, it gives JoJo's Lat Jiu Pan Mee a unique taste of it's own.

Enough talking and lets get to the eating and tasting. So break that poach egg and start mixing!

As you can see, the noodles didn't have the bold fiery red color. Why? That because the red lump in my bowl which I thought was chili turns out to be an UFO (Unidentifiable Food Object)!

The manager told me that it's actually one of the ingredients use to make their chili which wasn't mixed very well. It looks like a piece of dried up onion skin or prawn shell so, ok-lah...I'll let the matter slide. Anyways, we can add as much chili as we want from either one of their chili containers to suite our taste.

You can choose to add either the red chili mix, green chili mix, sambal or all three. I chose to add the red and green mix to my bowl and was not disappointed with the results. The moment you put your pan mee into your mouth, you can taste the slight savoriness of the belacan and "eggy" taste of the poached egg which harmonized with the spicy and sourish taste of the green chili mix. The red chili mix further enhanced the flavor as it gave the Pan Mee an umami taste as the red chili mix is made with Chinese dried shrimps while the fried shallots and potato leaves gave the noodle dish a very mild sweet taste. Unfortunately, I could not remember the taste of mince meat and anchovies very well as the taste from other ingredients might have overpowered the taste.

The other dish I tried was their Fish Head Pan Mee which was served with a special blend of chili sos. The soup of this dish is made with milk boiled together with fried fish head, tomatoes and pickled vegetables. This combination of ingredients suppose gives the soup a unique milky and savory taste.

However, I am afraid that JoJo's Fish Head Pan Mee was very disappointing as there was no poetry in this dish. What do I mean? The moment I had a taste of this dish, I could only taste the saltiness of the soup. Actually, the soup was so salty that the noodles became salty! I think I'll have receding hair line issues after eating this noodles. So needless to say, I don't recommend this dish unless you like salty dishes and have lots of hair on your head to spare.

They also have a variety of drinks and desserts in their menu if you need a temporary reprieve from the spiciness of their chili mix. I tried their sugar cane with water chestnuts and chrysanthemum with honey dew drink.

These drinks have a unique texture to them as they have thin slices of water chestnut and honeydew in them.

They even have Tau Fu Fa in the menu but I would not recommend this dessert to people with high blood sugar levels as it is drench in tons Gula Melaka and the Tau Fu has a weak taste of soy beans.

Now, I'm sure most of you are waiting to know the answer of this question. How much does it cost to eat at JoJo's? Unfortunately, I must say that their prices are a little on the expensive side as it cost RM 5.80 for a bowl of Lat Jiu Pan Mee and RM 8.50 for a bowl of Fish Head Pan Mee. Generally their items are about RM 0.30 to RM 0.80 more expensive compared to Super Kitchen.

All in all, JoJo's Little Kitchen is still a good place to have your bowl of Pan Mee if you don't mind their slightly more expensive prices and saltier cooking. JoJo's have more variety of Pan Mee dishes and sweet treats as well in their menu. You can find JoJo's at these locations should you decide to try them:

Kuchai Lama (HQ)

Address:	No. 30, Jalan Kuchai Maju 9, Off Jalan Kuchai Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel:	03-79871090

Serdang

Address:	1-1, Jalan SP2/7 Taman Serdang Perdana, 43300 Seri Kembangan
Tel:	03-89431090

Puchong Jaya

Address:	51, Jalan Kenari 21, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47100 Puchong
Tel:	017-5100332

Subang Jaya

Address:	30, Jalan SS15/4D, Subang Jaya, 47500 Selangor
Tel:	03-56211732

Cheras Mahkota

Address:	No. 2A-G, Jalan Temenggung 17/9, Section 9 Bandar Mahkota Cheras, 43200 Kajang
Tel:	012-2970091

Damansara Jaya

Address:	No. 92G, Jalan SS 21/62, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya
Tel:	03-77311515