High-End Hawker Food @ Champ's Bistro, Bangsar Shopping Centre

Located inside the posh Bangsar Shopping Center Champ's menu serves up a number of KL Hawker Favorites and Western Dishes. It was introduced to me by a friend who claims their Char Siew was very good.


Pork Noodle Soup

This was one of my favorite. The Broth was full of Pork Flavor and the extra Pork Lard and Fried Garlic added a lot of depth to the overall dish.


Char Siew and Siew Yoke

Their Char Siew was excellent. The Pork had a deep caramelized flavor and had a good balance between fat and meat.


Fish Head Bee Hoon

Their Fish Head Bee Hoon is another favorite dish. The broth was milky and had a nice flavor from the use of Shao Xing Wine.


Beer Batter Pork Chop

Surprisingly good. This is probably the Beer Batter used for Fish and Chips. It has a very crisp texture and the Pork was moist inside.


Pork Chop

The Pork Chop was ok for me. The Meat was a little tender but the Sweet and Sour Sauce was little too sweet for my liking.


Chicken Rice

Not a favorite of mine.


Spaghetti Carbonara

Their Carbonara Sauce was not very creamy. The Bacon however was crispy and had a good flavor.


If you're looking for some really good Hawker Dishes that's loaded with Pork, Pork Lard and Pork Flavor Champ's is the place to go.


Food: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5
Price: USD $15 per person


Contact Information
Address: F136, Level 1 (behind Madam Kwan's),
Bangsar Shopping Center, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603-2288-1855
Map:

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Thai BBQ @ Thai Fish Farm, Ampang

I've been trying to find a Thai Restaurant in KL that is similar to Bangkok's Nathong Restaurant which offers a relaxing open-air environment. We stumbled upon Thai Fish Farm while surfing the web and decided to give it a try after seeing photos of its open-air village like ambiance.

The restaurant is located in a really obscure location in Ampang where one would have to drive down a small valley of uneven road before reaching the main entrance. The restaurant specializes in Thai BBQ Dishes with some Thai Stir-Fried Dishes.


BBQ Squid

The Squid was really tender and had a nice smoky flavor.


Salt Baked Tilapia

The Tilapia was grilled just right. The meat was moist and wasn't too salty.


Grilled Lamb

Our favorite of the night. The Lamb was tender and the sweet marinade complemented the lamb.


Pandan Chicken

Wayne's favorite. The Pandan Chicken was very soft and had a nice mild curry flavor.


Curry Crab

The Crab didn't have much meat but the flavor was very authentic. It had a nice eggy flavor and wasn't too oily.


Fried Prawns with Garlic

This was an interesting dish. The Prawns were served with crunchy pieces of Basil which went well with the Prawns.


Stir Fried Beans/Brinjal with Prawns

The vegetables were a little too oily for my liking. Flavor-wise it was quite good from the dried-prawn chili paste.



Overall we felt the food was above average. The Environment was definitely open-air but it was done quite cheap giving us an impression that the restaurant overall wasn't very clean.


Food: 3/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5
Price: $ (Approximately USD $15 per person)


Contact Information
Address: Km 4 Jalan Ampang, Kampung Nanding, 43100 Hulu Langat, Selangor, Malaysia ‎
Tel: +60 19-260 6493
Web: www.fishfarmthai.com/
Map:

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Dinner @ Two Fatty Seafood Restaurant, SS2

We recently had dinner at Two Fatty Seafood Restaurant in SS2 after seeing their huge signboard showing two chefs with medals. The restaurant serves up your typical Malaysian Cantonese Fare with a special emphasis on seafood dishes. We ordered quite a few dishes to try.


Stean Grass Carp with Ginger

The Grass Carp was steamed just right and had no fishy smell that is usually associated with the Fish. The Ginger Sauce was very pungent and flavorful.

Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs

An alternative to Sweet and Sour Pork. The Pork Ribs had a light crisp exterior and the Sweet and Sour Sauce was quite well balanced.


Homemade Tofu

A favorite of mine. The Tofu was firm on the outside but soft on the inside. It was really good with the Gravy.


Stir Fried Yao Mak



Braised Yee Mee

Their noodles were really good. It had a nice springy texture and the combination of Pork Fat and Soy Sauce melded well together.


The food at Two Fatty Seafood Restaurant was actually really good. It's definitely better than some of the Dai Chow Restaurants around the SS2 Area.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 2.5/5
Price: $ (Approximately USD $15 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 95 Jalan SS 2/6, Ss 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia ‎
Tel: +60 3-7873 1391 ‎
Web: www.twofattyseafood.com
Map:

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Chinese New Year Dim Sum @ Lai Ching Yuen, Grand Millenium KL

I've only visited Lai Ching Yuen once and that was also during Chinese New Year a couple of years back. We decided to pay the restaurant a visit again hearing now that they are serving Pork on their menu. The restaurant was very packed the day we went but we were lucky enough to be given a private room.

The Dim Sum here are all made to order and diners can see the chefs make them via the Open Kitchen.




Soft Shell Crab Yee Sang


This was my first time having Soft Shell Crab in Yee Sang and it was very good. The Soft Shell Crab was very crispy which went very well with the Crackers. The Yee Sang itself was also very good. It had the right amount of sweetness and wasn't too oily.


Xiao Long Bao

Their Xiao Long Bao was mediocre. The skin was a little dense and the broth lacked flavor.


Siu Mai

The Siu Mai was quite good. It had a nice springy and meaty texture which I enjoyed.


Shrimp Dumpling

The Shrimp Dumpling was overcooked. The Skin of the Dumpling was very soggy and the Prawns had a mushy texture.


Spinach in Superior Broth

The Garlic Chips and Needle Mushrooms added a depth of flavor to the Broth. It was however a little bit oily.


Deep Fried Yam

The Yam tasted overcooked but we soon realized it was re-used oil. 3 of us shared the Yam and we had food poisoning.


Egg Tart

The Egg-Tart was a cross between the regular short-bread crust and puff pastry crust. It was ok.


Lemongrass Pork Rib

This was part of their Chinese New Year Special Dish. The Pork Rib flavor tasted similar to Thailand's BBQ Pork but was very mild due to the lack of marination. The Texture however was really good with a good ratio of fat and meat.


Hokkien Mee

A Signature of the Restaurant. The Hokkien Mee was really good. It wasn't too salty and the chefs put in the right amount of Pork Lard.


Durian Crepe

A signature dessert. The dessert would have been better had it been served chilled.


Mango and Pomelo with Sago Dessert Soup

The Dessert Soup was pretty good. The Mango Flavor was very strong and went well with the Vanilla Ice Cream.


Fried Nian Gao

The Nian Gao was left out in the open for too long which caused the crust to become dense and chewy and the Nian Gao to harden.


Overall the food was quite average. There were a couple of things which we quite enjoyed like their Hokkien Mee and Yee Sang. However most of their other Dim Sum was sub-par. What made it worse was of the 4 of us that ate there, 3 had food poisoning including myself. We think it was from the Fried Yam Puff or Fried Nian Gao since my brother did not ate both and was fine.


Food: 2.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Price: $$$$ (Approximately USD $40 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 160 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, MY, Malaysia
Tel: +603-2117-4888
Map:

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Ben's @ Pavillion, KL

Ben's have opened up a number of restaurants across KL within a year and a half serving up local and western Cuisine. We paid a visit to their Pavilion location for lunch where we ordered from both East and West.

Mushroom Soup

The Mushroom Soup had a nice chunky texture however I wished the flavor would have been stronger.


Caesar Salad with Smoked Salmon

Similar to Delicious. The Romaine is crisp and fresh. The poached egg was cooked perfect with the yolk runny.


Steak Sandwich

The Ciabatta Bread was really soft but crusty on the outside. It went well with the medium cooked steak that is also tender. The sandwich was also topped with an Onion Ring.


Nasi Istimewa

Their Nasi Istimewa was really good. It was served with Sambal Udang, Fried Chicken and Beef Rendang. The Beef Rendang was my favorite.


Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Price: $ (Approximately USD $15 per person)


Contact Information
Address: Lot 6.11 Sixth Floor, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +60 3-2141 5290
Map:

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Dim Sum @ Xin Cuisine, Concorde Hotel

Xin Cuisine has been around for decades and have been a popular restaurant among many Chinese Families for their Dim Sum. Unlike many other Chinese Restaurants in KL, Xin Cuisine still serves their Dim Sum using Trolley Carts.


Stir Fried Raddish Cake

A signature of Xin. The Raddish Cake was really good. Every one of the cake had a nice crisp and went really well with the Egg and the XO Sauce.


Egg Tart

The Egg Tarts had a nice puff pastry crust which was very flaky. The Egg Custard itself was also very good.


Shrimp Dumpling



Siu Mai



Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce

A favorite of mine. The Pork Ribs had the right amount of meat and were mostly from the Ribs with the cartilage bone which allowed us to eat the whole rib.


Bacon Wrapped Dumpling with Pork Floss



Spring Rolls



Salad Prawn



Deep Fried Yam Puff



Roast Duck and Roast Pork

The Duck had a nice crisp skin but was a little too salty. The Roast Pork however was excellent. It had a nice combination Fat and Meat.


Food: 4.3/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5
Price: $ (Approximately USD $15 per person)


Contact Information
Address: Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur 2 Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2144 2200
Map:

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Flavorful Hyderabad Dum Biryani @ Fierce Curry House, Bangsar

Despite opening a little more than a year, Fierce Curry House has already achieved a large fan base and was also short-listed by Timeout KL for Best Indian in 2012. Fierce Curry House specializes in Hyderabad Dum Biryani and offers it in Mutton, Chicken, Vegetarian and even Lobster!


Mutton Biryani



I'm no Biryani expert but I really enjoyed their Biryani. The mutton pieces were really tender and the rice was fluffy and wasn't too soggy nor oily.


Chicken 65

A friend of mine ordered Chicken 65 as a side order. The Chicken tasted like Tandoori Chicken but had a nice crisp texture from being fried.


Roti

I wasn't sure what sort of Roti it was. It contained a sweet filling and was served with curry and Dhal. This was so-so for me.


Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 3.5/5
Price: $ (Approximately USD $10 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 16, Jalan Kemuja, KL, 59000
Tel: +6-019-383 0945
Map:

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