Checkers

It’s time for us to pay homage to that cunning place of ribs, grilled goods and arguably the best jerk chicken in town. We are regulars as most of the clientele here and have never been disappointed by a meal here yet. Checkers is a place where merry friends gather to gorge on all things grilled usually of the porcine persuasion. However we can never really get past Porky's Best so all the other piggy stuff will have to be another review. The menu changes on the whim of the cook or when interesting ingredients are available. Hence on any day you might have a mixed bag on the blackboard like Harry Trotter, Lord of the Ribs (which are baby back) and Roasted Pork Knuckles.

However, Checkers also do pastas, the infamous jerk chicken and lip smacking steak with a side of stinking rose. Stinking rose being the romantic name for garlic roasted in olive oil until the cloves faint off the stalk and dissolves in your mouth. Start off with the homemade limeade. This is served in jam jars and coffee jars and it’s very, very good to cut through all that luscious, cholesterol dripping fat.

Grab a plate of grilled squid while you are waiting. It’s good here, soft and thrown on the grill in between meats. If it’s not hot enough for you, they have a rather suspicious fiery red homemade chilli sauce called ‘After Death Sauce’. Yes, its hot enough to singe your nose hairs. However, in my humble opinion there’s no need for extra condiments as the marinades and sauces here are good to slurp on its own. Porky’s Best is still the ultimate house favourite. It’s two chunks of meaty ribs, rolled in the house marinade and grilled until blackened. It comes heaped on your plate with a side of mash and corn. More...

Restaurant Tasik Raban

As a Perak-born girl, the predilection for tempoyak seems to be ingrained. I never really touched it as a child but somehow one day finding myself on a mat in a friend’s house in Sitiawan I was honing in to the sourish edgy gravy with the keenness of a heat seeking missile. And yes, patin is the perfect fish for this, soft flesh yielding hidden depths of flavour within the gulai. Corny, but to me gulai tempoyak tastes like coming home.

However, outside the realm of homecooks, gulai tempoyak is not necessarily well executed in eating shops. Until one day, I was driving to Grik for a hike in Belum and discovered Restaurant Tasik Raban, literally a restaurant in the middle of nowhere perched at the banks of a lake (that would be Lake Raban). Here they make gulai tempoyak like grandma used to make. All you need folks, is hot white rice slightly on the lembik (soft and squishy) side, lashings of gravy and a side of tongue tingling sambal belacan. And then to complete this, a light afternoon rain drumming across the lake during the meal.

Imagine my delight when they opened an Ipoh branch some time ago near the stadium. Pak Teh, the same guy who started the original shop, transported the same formula here- a specialisation in freshwater fishes and ancestral recipes. Forget about asking for the recipes here, it’s all strictly family only and even then you need talent to make it taste the same. Other than tempoyak, they have a huge ikan bakar counter, again with an emphasis on freshwater fishes like catfish, terubuk and temoleh (a rare fish but my dad will drop everything he’s doing and pop over here when they have it a supply). Apparently this is a nostalgic fish for those who grew up near Sungai Perak before the Japanese Occupation. Tasik Raban also do sea fishes like stingray and mackerel very, very well. More...

Rojak Mamak Titiwangsa

No one likes to wait in line when paying telephone bills or dealing with telco issues. Somehow you always find yourself paying bills at the hottest time of the day, feeling murderous, with no parking and having to deal with things beyond your control. However, next time get yourselves to the Titiwangsa branch and cool off with a superb bowl of rojak.

So the thing that makes this rojak addictive is the gravy. It’s smooth and not chunky but don’t be fooled by first appearances. The gravy is a dark golden colour and heavy with chilli and finely ground nuts. Now we know peanut loving people are in two camps, the smooth as butter camp and the chunky with texture camp. However we find both are in agreement with this rojak. There is such a thing as a near perfect rojak sauce, not too thick nor runny and filled with the essence of nuts and everything tasty. Hence the gravy-sauce here is smooth but with the depth and soul of a chunky diva.

But that is not all. Gravy alone does not merit a great rojak. Your plate will arrive with the usual freshly julienne cucumbers and jicama, deep fried tofu, whole boiled egg and the kueh. Kueh in a mamak rojak is the pasembur. At the very base level, kueh is a concoction of flour and onions. However the kueh here has coconut in it and they fry it crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Infact, it tastes like deep-fried meatballs, dense and so scrumptious when soaked in gravy. For a more satisfying bowl, ask for sotong (squid) on top.
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Bellaroma

There has a been a rash of new Italian places opening up in the Klang Valley. So what makes Bellaroma so different from the others? Situated just around the corner from the Foodsters' HQ we sauntered over there one day for lunch. The meal started with their highly recommended Focaccia with Tomato Jam. Why jam? And not relish? Because it's sweeter and highly spreadable on their crispy made on order focaccia bread. Set in a cosy atmosphere with the most romantic lighting ever, lunch here feels like dinner time. Definitely a good place to have a romantic dinner for two. Or even a great family feast for 12 or more, as how the Italians do it. Family First.

And now back to the focaccia. Here it's oven baked to crispy perfection, and in some cases it is also used as a base for their Italian pizzas. The focaccia here is wafer crispy then drizzled with herb infused olive oil on top, perfect for a dip in the tomato jam. The slight saltiness in the bread blanketed with the sweetness of the jam was simply mind blowing! And to imagine that this was what farmers in Italy used to pack for their lunches daily. No wonder they always looked so happy toiling away on their farms. Before we could say focaccia, it was eaten clean off its Mexican inspired plate. Thankfully our other orders came swiftly after that. A starter of Pumpkin Soup is great for a palate cleansing session, thick and creamy with pumpkin goodness. More...

Mum's Place

Furniture shop? Restaurant? Furniture for sale? Cafe? These are the usual questions first timers have when they enter this place. But unmistakeably during dinner time, it IS a restaurant and a busy buzzing one at that. The crowds that flock in are usually in search of good food, similar to what Mum used to make.

With a mixed fare of Malaysian, Nyonya and Portuguese dishes, the mere flicker of images in the menu can easily trigger your drool reflex. A well known favourite that everyone must have a go at is their Black Pepper Terung (Aubergines). These morsels are meticulously seared with black pepper, yet it is still very moist and succulent with every bite. The sweetness of the well cooked flesh of the terung is enhanced by the subtle deep spiciness of the grounded black pepper. Absolutely fabulous! Or it can just be the fact that aubergines are a favourite of mine. What comes next can definitely settle your sniffles in a licking. At first, the Deep Fried Cencaru (Torpedo Scad) with Chilli Padi (birds-eye chilli) Paste & Petai doesn't really look like it offers much. And here we are reminded of the phrase 'don't judge a book by it's cover' for it certainly blew our minds! More...

Lontong Klang

Just say Lontong in Klang and you will be pointed to the Emporium Makan. It has been here for 30 years and has accumulated quite a following. Though time might have taken a toll on its façade and number of tenants, there are still a few stalls standing strong. Local Klang-ites will have the memory of having blissfull Sunday breakfasts with their parents (and other children doing the same with their parents) at these mom & pop places.

The legacy still holds on till now with these children all grown up and coming here with their own friends and children for Sunday breakfasts. And the taste, is still as good as it is then. The ambience is nothing much to shout about but the food itself will make you sing hymns of praises. The Lontong here usually runs out by 10am. Even if they stock up extra, the longest they can last is 10.15am. What makes the Lontong here so delicious is that their Sayur Lodeh is thicker than most and with an abundance of veggies. More...

Ikan Bakar Pasar Keramat

After a Sunday morning market run, a stop at the nearby ikan bakar place on a hot steamy afternoon might be just the appetising diversion you need. Nowadays not that many people visit wet markets where our parents and grandparents used to acquire our daily feed. Guess supermarkets have taken over that now. But in the midst of all that, there are still local neighbourhood wet markets with charm and flair that supermarkets can never accomplish. And the bonus is great food is never far from a produce market.

For instance, tucked in the nether regions of Pasar Dato Keramat, is this unbelievably delectable good to the bone Ikan Bakar shop. To be specific there is actually two of them, side by side in the long row of shops lining the Pasar. This does not seem to deter business in either shop, as one operates from morning to noon, while the other from noon till evening or till their fish runs out (whichever comes first).

The simplest things are usually the most delicious. Fish here is dipped in a simple tumeric based marinade, then wrapped snuggly in a banana leaf before sizzling to perfection on a hot flat plate . The smells wafting out of the grill will induce a mouthwatering frenzy in you. A warning though, try not to stare at the grill too long or you will be caught up in a time-warp of scrummy fishiness. Big ones, small ones, skinny ones, plump ones... yes. It is hard but you must try it all. More...

Restoran Ayuthai

As Malaysians, we all enjoy the usual Thai fare ever so often. But after awhile you realise that most Thai dishes loose its zing(!) when it comes to Malaysia. However, ever so often you will find a place that still has its Thai roots in place while inserting a Malaysian twist to it. Ayuthai has been opened for over ten years, but only known to those who live nearby due to the nature of its location. It has a loyal following with their original customers now bringing their children here.

The setting does not differ all that much from any other Thai eatery. It has a makeshift bamboo roof over the counter and many hanging pictures showing Thai dishes (some of which you can't really pronounce). It’s a rule of thumb to try out a few signature dishes that deem a Thai place worthy of their name. Usually it's their Tom Yam and Pandan Chicken with an emphasis on their fish dishes such as Ikan Masak Tiga Rasa.

For starters their Tom Yam is excellent! Really delicious thick sauce not made with the store bought Tom Yam paste. You can actually taste the lemongrass, juicy sourness of the tangy lime, the bite of the kaffir lime leaves, heat from the chillies and some unidentified pounded spices. Why bother figuring it out? The soup itself is SO good! And for those who are counting the floating prawns in the dish, well, I can assure you it is more than most places will willingly toss in there. And then the Pandan chicken arrived. More...

Village Park

Damansara Uptown is well known to be a food hub for foodies. There's something good to eat on almis no different. The reason for their fame is their Nasi Lemak, simple and plain nasi lemak that'll make your day.

The exterior of the place is pretty much calm and cooling but once you step in the reality of the famous lunch spot comes to attention. The ambience is boisterous and aromatic- a kaleidoscope of food food food! The thing about Village Park is that the food is laid wide open for you to stare and drool dumbfoundedly at. Just picture a whole fish head sitting in a pool of deliciously sour assam pedas gravy and topped with a bouquet of ingredients. Then next to that you have a whole array of dishes from spicy to sweet, soft to crunchy and all just sitting pretty and enticing you to take a bite.

Undoubtedly the main star attraction is their Nasi Lemak. Like proud parents, articles, newspaper clippings and pictures of this Nasi Lemak are hung and stuck on each wall, casing and even the glass windows. Even if you were having doubts on what to choose, the Nasi Lemak would command your attention. What gets every visitor is that this Nasi Lemak doesn't clump together. They fall on your plate grain by grain while releasing beautiful rich aromatic scents of coconut milk, pandan (pandanus leaves) and some secret ingredient that makes your world all that brighter. But the deliciousness doesn't just end there. More...

Kheng Heong Restaurant

“You have to try the fish here,” my friend knows that I like nay LOVE fish. Just the thought of fresh fish steamed with garlic, ginger and scallions in superior soy sauce is enough to make my mouth water, and the fine hairs on my tongue rise in anticipation. Here, the fish they are famous for is the Chinese carp. It took us a while to figure out what’s the English name of the fish whose Chinese name completely eludes me. But no matter. With a lot of gesturing and pointing, they knew what we wanted.

You can order the whole fish here but trust me that just the head is enough for you to enjoy it; plus its easier on the pocket too. The head is pretty big and comes steaming on a plate with loads of firm flesh glistening under a heap of shredded ginger, garlic and emerald coriander leaves. Argue for the fat and succulent cheeks. Remember Hannibal Lector saying that the cheeks of any animal are the best part of the beast? How true. How true. Alas! Being a well brought up Asian person, I ended up digging it out and then passing it to my mates. They confessed though that each sliver of cheek is a burst of fragrant flavour.

This is the sort of fish head that I can spend the whole night picking on. Each crevice of the fish reveals juicy sweet meat and cooked unadorned save for the soy sauce means that you can really TASTE it. Another famed dish here is the Chinese cabbage stir-fried with preserved tofu and garlic. More...

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