Is Yezi the most gorgeous looking steamboat restaurant in town? Maybe. Does Yezi have some of the most unique broths for steamboat? Definitely. However, those qualities come with a price and it’s quite a hefty one too.
But if you can afford to pay around RM200 or so for a meal for 2, Yezi is an experience worth trying for its unique concept, and not to mention the food’s not bad too. Yezi also places great emphasis on using coconut (hence the name) in their coconut-based broth and in a handful of dishes – a concept that was inspired from a Chinese steamboat restaurant in Shenzhen.

I like to think we came at the perfect time because there was a special MIGF dine for meal deal for 2 @ RM168++ which is only available throughout this month. The set includes most of their best selling dishes so you are able to sample all of them without having to order them a la carte.
Broth is included too and you can choose one out of the five available: Original Yezi Broth, Imperial Canton Broth, Aromatic Taiwanese Beef Spice Broth, Fragrant Shao Xing Wine Seafood Broth and Wild Forest Truffle Mushroom Broth.

We did not think think too much of it and selected the Wild Forest Truffle Mushroom broth simply because it was listed as the ‘best seller’. Plus, it’s the most expensive broth too at RM78 so I guess this would be the one to pick if you want to get the best bang for your buck.
I am not gonna lie though, the broth doesn’t look very good. But it comes with plenty of mushroom and you could smell the truffle as soon as it hits the table.

It could take a while for your steamboat pairing dishes to arrive, so munching on a couple of hot dishes while admiring the restaurant’s decor can help to ease the wait.
The Coconut Bacon @ RM15 is exactly what it is: a slice of coconut wrapped in bacon then deep fried. While I could appreciate the novelty, it is a tad dry and chewy.

At RM12, the Salt and Pepper Mushroom is a steal for the price – mainly because of its portion size. Taste wise it won’t disappoint but in hindsight we wouldn’t have ordered this because the broth we chose already comes with loads of mushrooms.

The Garlic Chili Fried Prawn @ RM25 was surprisingly sweet instead of being spicy. Nevertheless the mix of ‘chili’ powder, garlic and sugar was fragrant and enjoyable even on its own.

And here are the items that you could expect from the set: tiger prawns, fish paste, clams, abalone slices and prawn paste (excellent).

Beancurd skin with chicken floss, special beef slices, fresh pork slices and meat balls.

More seafood and meat balls, coconut dumpling (interesting), seaweed fish noodle (a good change from the usual) and mixed vegetables and mushrooms. As you can see, there’s no processed food at all and even the meat balls and seafood paste, which seem like the most ordinary stuff, are all homemade by hand fresh daily.

Besides fresh and high quality ingredients, Yezi’s dipping sauces are noteworthy too. Their chili sauce might very well be the spiciest in town and it’s wonderful.

For dessert, we had the Fragrant Coconut Ice Cream that’s absolutely decadent and delicious. It’s full of coconut flavour, not too sweet and the intense creaminess is simply divine. This is as good, if not better than Sangkaya’s.

Although the hot dishes we had did not really impress, the steamboat here is satisfying enough to hit the spot. The amount of food served in the set meal might be underwhelming for some, so you will end up filing yourselves with all the mushrooms that never seem to finish.
Unfortunately service was inconsistent with plenty of rooms for improvement, as some staff are noticeably more attentive and alert than the rest.

Yezi @ The Roof
First Avenue Sky Floor
Bandar Utama, 47800 PJ

Tel: 03-7726 1588 / 012-323 5841
Business horus: Daily (5pm – 1am)

The post Yezi Premium Steamboat Restaurant @ The Roof appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

If you happen to be in Chiang Mai and looking for a place to enjoy a no frills dinner, I will recommend Sukontha. Sukontha is supposedly the largest restaurant in Chiang Mai and one of the best places to experience Mookata, a Thai barbecue steamboat.
For us Malaysians, Mookata is not something foreign or new so I don’t think an explanation is necessary. As long as you have been to BarBQ Plaza, you already know what a Mookata is.

To say Sukontha is big is an understatement. Actually, humongous will be a more appropriate word to describe this football field-sized buffet restaurant. What you see in the photo above is merely a tenth the size of Sukontha, which could seat up to thousands of diners easily at once.
If you are not familiar with the city, it’s recommended that you take a ‘red car’ or tuk tuk to reach the restaurant. The fare will be between 20 and 50 baht per pax, depending on your pick up location.

For a fixed price of 209 baht (~RM25), you are allowed to eat all you can at Sukontha with no time limit. But if you ask me, that’s not the main reason you should be here.
Rather, it’s the unique cultural experience that you take away with you. In fact, there are plenty of other buffets in Chiang Mai where you could stuff yourself silly for a cheaper price.

Although we already half-expected the ingredients available for the Mookata, we were still pleasantly surprised by the amount of cooked food, tropical fruits, cakes and desserts they offer. Just for seafood alone there are probably a few dozens of them including various squids, fish, clams and cockles.
Processed food like fish cakes shaped in cartoon characters are inevitable and they are clearly there to entice the children, but they are kept to a minimum as most of the ingredients are still natural.

There’s also a wide range of beverages to accompany your meal – colourful cordial drinks, coffee, Ovaltine and multiple fruit juices. Beers and soft drinks are also available but not included in the price, so you’d have to pay extra for them.

Some of the desserts might seem alien to first-timer visitors to Thailand, which is why the ice creams are so popular with the foreigners. Choices are aplenty and you have the options of scooping from the various flavored ice cream tubs or simply grab a branded ice cream cone or ice pop.

Some of the more premium items such as tiger prawns and river prawns only appear once in a while, maybe every 30 minutes or so. They won’t make an announcement but you will definitely know because there’d be a queue for them.
And to be fair to everyone, each diner is entitled to a plate’s portion. If you want more, simply queue again. Anyway, the queue moves fairly fast so you wouldn’t have to wait long until it’s your turn again.

Almost all the raw seafood and meat are not marinated in any way, so they might taste somewhat bland after being grilled or boiled. Luckily there are a couple of well-made dipping sauces provided and all of them go well with the cooked food.
The sauces are mostly spicy with some being more sourish than the rest. That said, the soup’s not really good and it’s more for boiling the seafood instead of imparting any flavor into them.

Generally speaking, the ingredients provided by Sukontha for the Mookata are fresh except for the frozen ones like the bamboo clams. We were also pleased with the quality of the cooked dishes such as grilled squid, stir fried clams, pork ribs soup and fried fish – all of them tasted pretty good and even better than what we had at another ‘authentic Thai restaurant’ the day before.

Throughout the meal, you will be entertained by a live band churning out classic Cantopop songs, all performed with a Thai accent. Kind of peculiar, but interesting nonetheless.

The restaurant even has a tiny market of its own selling clothes, bags, trinkets and souvenirs. And right opposite it is a children’s playground with arcade games. It’s quite a happening place alright.

For those who are traveling on a budget, it’s true that you could get a noodle or rice dish in Chiang Mai for a fraction of the price you pay at Sukontha. However, it’s still cheap by Malaysian standards because if you were to have something similar like this in KL, it’d cost you at least twice as much.
Lastly, despite having read a lot of negative comments about the ‘kiasu’ Chinese tourists piling up their food like hungry ghosts, I did not personally see any unruly behavior. So all in all, it was a good experience, we enjoyed ourselves and will recommend this to any of our friends who are visiting Chiang Mai soon.

Sukontha Buffet Restaurant
46/1, Huay Kaew Rd, Chiang Mai
Business hours: 5pm to 12am daily
Tel: 053-215666, 081-9527048

The post Sukontha Mookata Buffet 千人火锅 @ Chiang Mai appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

Just a stone’s throw away from the Yellow Thai food truck is Moo-Ka-Ta Krua Thai, a humble restaurant with an affordable menu. It’s different from the usual Thai restaurant in the sense that their menu is less elaborate offers only the basic dishes. Mookata is a specialty here, along with a couple of noodles and some street food options.

The Mookata pork set @ RM39 comes with a few different cuts, mostly fatty parts like pork neck and thin pork belly slices. Also included are pork meat balls, glass noodle and some greens. Seafood is also available but you’d have to opt for the mixed set.

One thing for sure is that they are not stingy with the lard. 3 large chunks are given to oil the pan so the meat won’t stick and get burnt while grilling.
The friendly lady boss will also help you to arrange the meat and vegetable properly. I must say, she did a very good job. Then, the egg was cracked into the soup for extra richness.
The grilled meat tasted fresh and good, even better when dipped into their homemade chili sauce. Rice is not part of the set so you will have to order it separately. That said, Salasabaii is still our top recommendation for Mookata in KL.

Thai instant noodle has a superior texture compared to ours, so I couldn’t resist trying ordering the Spicy Minced Pork Salad with Instant Noodle @ RM12.
As you can see, the noodle was perfectly cooked to a springy firmness and it went well with the appetizing salad dressing. However, it was far from spicy.

If you like BBQ pork, a la Thai street food style then this is worth a try. Succulent with a juicy sweet bite, it tastes really close to what you get in Thailand.
But just so you know, they were grilled ahead of time, then grilled again upon order to warm them up. RM9 for 3 skewers, add RM1 for glutinous rice.

Drinks are reasonably priced and I like that they are prepared with less sugar. Both the Thai iced milk tea and green tea milk tea are RM3.50 each.

Besides serving food, they also carry a number of Thai snacks and sauces for sale. Even the fridge looks extra colorful for having so many different kinds of soft drink.

Considering Kepong does not have a lot of great Thai restaurant, Moo-Ka-Ta Krua Thai would a decent place to enjoy an inexpensive Thai meal. For those eating on a budget, single portion rice dishes and noodles are available from RM7 onwards.

Moo-Ka-Ta Krua Thai

G-11, First Residence Condo
Jalan Vista Mutiara 1, Kepong Baru
Business hours: 12pm – 10pm (lunch & dinner), 10pm – 6am (supper), closed on Mondays
Tel: 018-382 5186

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Xing Hot Pot & BBQ is the latest addition to C180 – a plaza of sorts that is awash with steamboat restaurants. What makes Xing different though, is that that it serves buffet style dinner @ RM45/pax. And their main selling point? Purportedly unlimited live giant tiger prawns.
We found out about Xing from their Facebook ad and the idea of unlimited giant tiger prawns seemed too good to be ignored. Well, you know what they say, if something is too good to be true, it probably is.

Based on our experience, I can only say that if you don’t have an ounce of ‘kiasuness’ in you, you can forget about coming here. If not, it’s probably a better idea to spend your money elsewhere. Trust me on that. Anyway, I am just going to lay down the facts. Lets start with the pros:

1. Food variety is good, seafood is generally fresh especially the prawns. They offer some of the more uncommon ingredients such as frog legs and river prawns.
2. The service we got was better than expected despite it was their grand opening day. I think we were lucky to be assigned with two good waitresses.
3. Soup is better than average, their signature milky broth (三鲜) is recommended.
4. Ice cream is of higher quality, definitely not the cheap kind.

The cons:

1. Food replenishing rate is laughable. The live prawns are said to be refilled every 30 minutes, 1kg each time. They are gone within seconds after being refilled. Why? Because customers just stand around and wait to snatch them. Some clever parents actually sent their kids to do the job. Fun right?
   If you are not ‘kiasu’ you won’t get anything. If you are wondering how ‘kiasu’ you need to be, imagine grabbing the live prawns from the aquarium with your bare hands while the water splash everywhere.
   So ask yourself whether you are prepared to do this. Is all this worth your time and effort? This is obviously a marketing ploy to draw customers.

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2. Other seafood such as oysters, normal prawns, flower crab and scallops are refilled quite slow as well. You need to be on standby mode constantly in order to get something. Flower crabs are too mini to enjoy.
3. The BBQ stove is inefficient to cook food on wooden sticks, they tend to burn and break easily.
4. Drinks wise, only plain water and Chinese tea are available. They are always out too, frustrating.
5. Table is too small and uncomfortable for groups to eat.
6. Made a booking via phone, but we were told the booking was not found when we reached the restaurant. Got booking = no booking.

And here’s a tip: the pork and beef slices have to be ordered from the staff. Lastly, check out their Facebook reviews, the polarized reviews say a lot about this place.
If you ask me, I think Xing has a lot of good ideas which unfortunately backfired because they lacked transparency and failed to deliver on their part. They could still be successful if they start taking the necessary steps to ensure customers’ satisfaction.

Xing Hot Pot & BBQ

E-UG-10, Centerstage, Dataran C180,
Jalan C180/1, 43200 Cheras
Tel: 018-282 6688 / 016-561 7301
Business hours: 5:30pm – 12am

The post Xing Hot Pot & BBQ Buffet @ C180, Cheras appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

Due to the challenging economic situation, more and more restaurants are offering buffets to increase sales. These restaurants are usually Japanese cuisine steamboat, known to rake up the bill if you over order from the a la carte menu.
Having a buffet has its perks, as it lets you have a peace of mind of not overspending beyond the indicated price, yet you still able to go home on a full stomach.
Gourmet Definition is a steamboat restaurant in Sunway Giza Mall which started their buffet not too long ago. Prior to that, they have always been known to serve good fusion steamboat with fresh and high quality ingredients.

The price for Gourmet Definition’s steamboat buffet is RM50+ for adults and RM35+ for children aged 12 and below. The buffet is conducted a la carte style, meaning you are given a paper menu to tick your orders. This is not surprising at all and it’s actually expected from a restaurant which holds itself to high standards.
61 items are available in the menu and that does not include the fresh king prawn (1pc) and fried chicken wing (1pc) which are offered to every customer. Click here to view the menu in higher resolution.

Instead of delivering your orders served on individual dishes, they come in a huge bowl on a bed of ice. While waiting, you could see the chef and his assistants painstakingly arranging the ingredients through the open kitchen. So you don’t really feel like having a buffet, but highly customized steamboat sets according to what you fancy only.

As mentioned earlier, every paying adult gets a piece of their King Prawn, which is essentially a huge freshwater prawn. The size of the prawn is really something to behold and you could tell it’s extremely fresh just by the looks of it.

After being cooked, it oozes with orange juice from the roe in the head. The flesh is thick, sweet and succulent too, simply delicious.

Their signature fried chicken wing tastes very similar to Inchi Kabin (Nyonya Fried Chicken) and it’s good enough to warrant extra orders. For buffet customers, it’s RM2.50/pc compared to it’s original of RM5.

We were very satisfied with the seafood’s freshness and props must be given when deserved. The sea prawn, wanton, handmade fish and meat balls, fish slices and scallops were some of the things we highly enjoyed.
The lack of crabs might be the only downside of this buffet, while the meat slices are unfortunately slightly below expectations especially the beef slices that had an excessive baking soda (to tenderize it) taste.

For drinks, we were actually treated to their smoky iced sour plum drink. As much as we appreciated the kind gesture, we weren’t wowed by the taste and thought it was like a very diluted version of iced lemon tea.

As far as steamboat restaurant goes, Gourmet Definition has got to be one of the cleanest we’ve ever stepped into. Service is friendly and enthusiastic and we were impressed by the level of care they provide to their customers. For RM50+ this steamboat buffet is not too expensive and should appeal to every seafood lover in town.

Gourmet Definition Steamboat

Sunway Giza Mall, Petaling Jaya
Business hours: 12pm – 11.30pm
Tel: 03-6151 8638

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Only Me is a relatively new steamboat & BBQ buffet restaurant that opened in Kepong early this year. Despite being the new kid on the block, they are doing exceptionally well and are giving QQ a run for their money. If you don’t know yet, both restaurants sit in the same row and they are just a stone’s throw away from each other.

The price for an adult is RM38.80 while children under 90cm eat for free. Price wise, it’s pretty standard considering most of the steamboat buffet in KL charge almost the same. For those looking for a long and relaxing dinner, do consider this place because there’s no time limit or how much you can have.

While Only Me’s variety of ingredients is far from impressive (especially if you compare them with QQ), they make up in quality. Honestly, we did not expect much on from the seafood, more so considering it’s a buffet kind of establishment. But we were pleasantly surprised to find that most of the seafood here is fresh. Live shellfish including mussels, clams and cockles are available too.

If you’re a prawn lover I think you wouldn’t be disappointed with what you get. Besides the usual tiger prawns, river prawns like those used in Thai cuisine are thrown into the mix. They are easy to peel and come out a whole piece too.

Flower crabs were very enjoyable – the flesh was sweet and firm and did not have that dreadful ‘dead’ taste

As for the live shellfish, needless to say they were absolutely fresh and tasted clean without any gritty feeling.

We didn’t really care for the BBQ but from what I could see, many customers seem to be having a blast with it. Like QQ, Only Mee also serve a couple of cooked dishes. The most popular items are their Crabs in Special House Sauce and Seremban style baked crabs.
They are undeniably delicious so it’s no wonder the customers rush for them whenever they come out from the kitchen. During our 2 hours at the restaurant, we saw the crabs being replenished three times, and we always end up with some bits here and there. So if you really want the crabs, be prepared to fight for it.

Overall, we were satisfied with the meal and felt they are definitely the better steamboat and BBQ buffet restaurant around. Thus, I would recommend them to any steamboat lover. One thing they should improve is their soups, as they were far from being great.
Lest I forget, for those who plan to come in 8 pax or more, do note that you are eligible for a free crab dish. The catch is, you need to make a booking three days in advance.

Only Me BBQ Steamboat

No C-G-6 & 8, Fortune Avenue
Jalan Metro Perdana 3
Taman Usahawan, 52100 Kepong
Tel: 012-639 2781
Business hours: 5pm – 12am

The post Only Me BBQ Steamboat Buffet Restaurant @ Kepong appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

If you love steamboat and are looking for something new to try, Coconut Steamboat surely fits the bill. Like the name says, you can enjoy food cooked in light and sweet coconut broth which brings out the flavor of the ingredients naturally.

The restaurant dons a clean, modern and sleek decor that’s untypical of the usual steamboat restaurants. It actually felt more like a cafe instead.

The first thing to do is to pick the broth, choices include their signature pure coconut, coconut chicken or coconut tom yum. You may also opt for a mix of any of the three and I think that should be the way to go.
That said, do note that the broth is chargeable between RM23.80 and RM27.80 depending on what you choose. Shown above is a mix of pure coconut and tom yum broth.

Kampung chicken is a specialty here and worth ordering if you could appreciate the taste and texture of free range chicken. As you can see, the meat is lean, firm and more flavoursome than normal farm raised chicken. Half a chicken is RM29 and it can be shared among 3-4 people.

Since the coconut broth is pure and does not contain any artificial seasoning, it is recommended that you cook the kampung chicken first for 7 minutes to infuse extra flavor.

While waiting, we had a couple of appetizers: Special Grilled Bacon Rolls @ RM9.80, Crispy Fried Sesame Chicken @ RM12.80 and Bean Curd Skin Crisps (not shown) @ RM7.80. Among all, I liked the bean curd skin the most, you should really give it a try.

As for the steamboat ingredients, choices are aplenty with selections of their special homemade items, meat balls, fresh seafood, meats and vegetables. Everything tasted fresh but what really stood out were their homemade dumplings (stuffed with strips of coconut flesh), fish and meat balls. Not to mention their dipping sauces are well-concocted too, especially the spicy ones.

The fish paste comes in a syringe. It’s cool and all but the main reason to get it is because it has an extraordinary fish flavor – in a good way of course.

For something to accompany the hot and steamy experience, you won’t go wrong with their Coconut Shake @ RM6.80. Trust me on this, it’s refreshingly creamy and you could really taste the coconut bits in it.

Same goes for their Premium Homemade Coconut Ice Cream @ RM8.80 – I don’t see how anyone would say no to this. It’s just irresistably good and could rival those that you’d pay for at a gourmet shop.

As of now Coconut Steamboat is only open for dinner but from what I was told, they will be operating for lunch soon and will be offering single-pax rice or noodle dishes to cater to the lunch crowd. Makes sense and I think the concept will continue to do well as long as they uphold the quality and service.

Coconut Steamboat 好椰火锅

20, Jalan SS 2/10, Petaling Jaya
47300 Petaling Jaya
Business hours: 5.30pm – 12am
Tel: 03-7865 8613

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Just when we thought we have tried all the steamboat restaurants in Bandar Menjalara, we actually missed out a big one – Taifeng Taiwanese Hotpot. Actually, I wouldn’t even know this place exists if not for Foursquare.

Being hidden from view doesn’t seem to affect Taifeng at all and they were operating at full capacity when we arrived. So we were lucky to get a table without a reservation.

Taifeng offers a few unique soup bases that cannot be found at other local steamboat restaurants. One of them is their signature Sour Vege with Pork Soup @ RM26.50. Yep you read that right, soups are not provided FOC here.
With that said, we didn’t mind paying for it because the soup was appetizing and tangy with no hint of MSG. It also comes with plenty of vegetables and pork slices so the price is pretty justified.

Since the soup already contains a good amount of meat, we ordered only a single set meal @ RM23. For every set you order, you will get a free scoop of Haagen Dazs ice cream at the end of the meal, not bad at all! If you order 2 sets and above, the ingredients would be served in tiered baskets instead of on a plate.

Before you start cooking the ingredients, it is recommended that you taste the soup in its purest form first to appreciate the flavor. Although the pork slices appear lean, they are tender and not chewy.

The food is fresh and even the processed items like meat balls and seafood tofu are of better quality. Not to mention the tiger prawn is unusually large too. At this point, the soup starts to sweeten up with a richer more body – delicious.

Taifeng’s unique condiment is a mixture of peanut butter, chili flakes and dried shrimps. As you can probably tell from the combination it is fragrant and crispy, which it sure is.

Some ala carte items we had include their homemade special pork @ RM17.50, Taiwanese white sausage @ RM6.50 (worth a try, nice and peppery) and mix meat balls @ RM8.70.

I didn’t really enjoy the special pork due to its overpowering ginger taste. If that was mentioned in the menu I probably wouldn’t have ordered it. But from a value perspective, it’s a good deal considering the portion is large enough to be shared among 2-3 people.

The free Haagen-Dazs ice cream did not disappoint a bit as it came in a big scoop. You don’t get to choose the flavor though.

Fresh and nice food aside, the excellent service rendered (the waiting staff is all local) at Taifeng is a breath of fresh air. If you feel uneasy with the service being ‘too good’ for some reason, feel free request for no service and you will be able to enjoy your meal without any interruption.

All in all, Taifeng Taiwanese Hotpot is not exactly a cheap place to eat but it’s definitely worth experiencing for their food, ambiance and service. If you value these above anything else, I am positive you will have an enjoyable meal here. Taifeng’s HQ restaurant is located in Cheras C180.

Taifeng Taiwanese Hotpot 台风台式火锅

Lot 1-10, 1-11, Plaza Menjalara
Bandar Menjalara, 52200 Kepong
Tel: 03-6270 0162 (reservation highly recommended)
Business hours: 5pm – 12am

The post Taifeng Taiwanese Hotpot 台风台式火锅 @ Plaza Menjalara, Kepong appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

Everytime we visit Melaka, we make it a point to have satay celup before heading back to KL. Reason being, satay celup is unique only to Melaka and you can’t find it elsewhere.
Some of the more popular satay celup joints in town are Ban Lee Siang, Capitol, Kingtu and this one at Bandar Hilir – McQuek’s Satay Steamboat Recipe.

Among all the satay celup restaurants I have been to so far, McQuek’s would be the cleanest and most comfortable. Converted from a bungalow, the seating arrangement is spacious and the indoor area is well ventilated. But what I really like about this place is the ‘kampung atmosphere’ it exudes, especially if you are eating at the courtyard.

Food choices are aplenty with a good mix of seafood, meat, vegetables and processed items. All the skewers are stored in the refrigerators while the fried stuff is stored in plastic tupperwares. As far as hygiene is concerned, we were happy with what we saw.

Price wise, an unmarked stick is 80 cents each while those marked with colors are RM1 (red), RM1.50 (green) and RM2.50 (blue). The premium items such as squid and large prawns are skewered with multiple sticks so watch out for that. You don’t want to end up with a bill shock later.

Overall, I wouldn’t say McQuek’s satay celup is fantastic but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t good. The satay sauce here is adequately thick with just the right balance of sweet and spicy. It’s a crowd-pleaser alright.
As for the ingredients, the real meat and seafood skewers are satisfyingly fresh. The processed food items on the other hand taste exactly as expected so no surprise or disappointment there. Some of the more memorable items we had were the cockles (I had dozens of it alone), bacon and prawns.

Based on the amount of food (45 sticks in total) we had, I was prepared to pay a hefty price. But as it turned out, our meal only cost a little more than RM50 inclusive of GST.

McQuek’s Satay Steamboat Recipe

231, Jalan Parameswara
Bandar Hilir, 75000 Melaka
Business hours: 5pm – 12.30am

The post McQuek’s Satay Steamboat Recipe @ Bandar Hilir, Melaka appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

While most steamboat restaurants in Kepong operate in commercial areas, Popo Steamboat Cafe occupies a breezy, open space next to an industrial area. The location is pretty hidden from view and if not for their large signboards, you might not even realize their presence. It might be a little challenging for outsiders to find Popo, but I assure you the extra effort will be worth it.

Popo offers 8 types of soup: Superior Pork Bone soup, Szechuan Peppery soup, Teochew soup (served with fish slices), ABC, vegetarian, Peppery Piggy Stomach Soup (comes with 1 whole piece of pork stomach), clear and tom yum soup. All of the soups mentioned are chargeable (between RM7 and RM23) except for the clear soup which is provided free of charge.
Naturally, we opted for their signature one pork bone soup @ RM18.90. And like many other pork bone soups, Popo’s is also simmered for a long time. But they don’t add evaporated milk into the broth to achieve that milky white appearance and creamy texture.

The soup tastes wonderful even at the start, just add noodle and it’d be a good pork noodle! If you prefer a heavier/lighter tasting soup, just request for it while ordering. They will gladly adjust the amount of pork essence that goes into your pot.
Besides, if you come during the weekdays you will get a FREE serving of pork slices for. What’s the catch? You will need to order one of their homemade soups.

The steamboat set (2 pax @ RM17.90 each) here is slightly more expensive than the rest in town, but we were pleased to find that most of the processed food ingredients are of better quality. The white sausage is quite similar to the one we had in Taifeng too.
And of course a good steamboat meal wouldn’t be complete without great condiments to along with it. Popo keeps things simple by offering only red chili, green chili, soy sauce and fried onion oil. Ask them for the mixing proportions, I followed their recommendation and it was awesome.

For those dining as a couple, my suggestion is to get the half-portion steamboat set then top up with their 7 Treasure platter @ RM18.80. The platter consists of 7 different kinds of homemade meat balls and dim sum.
All of them are great especially the pork siew mai and prawn ball which tasted like ‘har gao’ sans the wrapper. So even if you decide not to get this platter, you should at least try the siew mai and prawn ball. Trust me, you won’t go wrong with them.

We also tried their fried sui gao (4pcs @ RM8.30, delicious), Hong Kong Fried Fish Skin @ RM7.80 (nicely seasoned, no fishy taste and crispy like a prawn cracker) and Fried “Drunken” Chicken Wings (3pcs @ RM8.80) – best enjoyed while still hot.
The chicken wings had a familiar “Nam Yue” taste, but we were surprised to learn that it was only marinated in Chinese wine and a secret spice. Among all the side dishes we had, I think the fried fish skin would be the top for its uniqueness.

There aren’t many steamboat restaurants in KL that let you enjoy your meal in an outdoor setting among coconut trees. That said, do expect some mosquitoes but not worry as the courteous owner will set up mosquito coils under the table to repel the nasty bloodsuckers.

Food wise, I think Popo is ahead of every steamboat restaurant (with similar price range) I have been in Kepong. Safe to say, they are now my new favorite in Kepong.

Popo Steamboat & BBQ Cafe 宝宝火锅

No. 12, Jalan 7/32A, TSI Business Park
Off 6.5 Mile Jalan Kepong, 52100 Kepong
Tel: 019-828 2118
Business hours: 5.30pm – 12am, closed on Mondays

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Impressed with the food at Senthai & Mookata, we returned shortly the next day to try their Thai barbecue and steamboat. But let me preface by saying that both their mookata and steamboat are excellent (as we hoped) and the ingredients served were high quality and fresh. So even though their price is slightly higher than the alternatives, you get what you pay for.

To keep the tradition alive, charcoal is used as the heat source and also to impart extra flavor into the meat. For steamboat, the food is cooked in a copper hot pot that took no time to get the soup hot and boiling.
Pork bone soup @ RM17 was recommended to us, as it’s prepared using the chef’s Thai-influenced secret recipe. The taste is actually quite similar to tom yum, minus the intense acidity and spiciness and a lot more aromatic.

This is their Seafood Set for 2 pax @ RM58. As you can see, the set consists of mostly real seafood (prawns, scallops, mussels, abalone & squid) except for a couple of imitation crabsticks and some meat balls. Also included in the set is a bundle of vermicelli noodle, hidden underneath the seafood.

Other ala carte items you can add include mushroom, meat slices and seafood. In fact, there aren’t many processed food available in the menu.

Meat wise, you won’t go wrong with pork shoulder slice and meat – both also priced at RM15 each. The portion of meat you get is quite a lot and perhaps more importantly, the cuts are selected to have a balanced meat and fat ratio. So as long as you cook them right, regardless of grilling or boiling; they will taste nice and tender.

Senthai & Mookata’s homemade dipping sauces are also brilliantly made to go with the food. To count, they have three different sauces meant for different types of meat.
What really stood out was their sesame sauce. It’s rich, smooth, creamy and the spiciness can be personalized by mixing in your desired amount of dried chili flakes.

We were also tempted by the owners to try other dishes such as Thai style Kway Chap (thin rice noodles in gravy soup) @ RM15.90 and Grilled Pork Neck Salad @ RM16.90.
I already knew the grilled pork salad was going to be great, but I was skeptical about the Kway Chap. As it turned out, the Kway Chap was really good and the scrumptious pork belly slices were simply joy to eat.

Lastly, we had a serving of Coconut Milk Ice Cream (RM12) to share. It’s enjoyable alright, but probably won’t beat what you get at Sangkaya.

It’s pretty obvious that I adore the food at Senthai & Mookata. So if there’s anything stopping them from becoming a success, I think that’d be their decor.
Currently, it’s just not ‘hip’ or attractive enough to attract new customers. But once you’ve convinced yourself to have a meal here, I am pretty sure you will be a regular.

SENTHAI & MOOKATA

Unit 1-12 & 1-13, Plaza Menjalara
Bandar Menjalara, 52200 Kepong
Tel: 012-333 9027 / 03-6262 3757
Business hours: 10.30am – 10.30pm

The post Senthai & Mookata (Thai Steamboat) @ Bandar Menjalara appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

Since their inception in 2013, Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot has relocated twice. They started off in Sungai Buloh, moved to Damansara Uptown and now they are operating in Jaya One.
From what I understood from the owners, most of their menu items have remained largely the same with the exception of a couple of new soup bases.

Pickled Cabbage Pork Belly Soup @ RM48.90 is their latest addition so naturally it was also the most recommended one. While there are other hotpot restaurants in town that also offer similar kind of soup such as Taifeng, Xiao Lao Wang’s rendition uses home-pickled cabbage.
Salt is used to pickle the cabbage (for 1 month) which loads it with beneficial bacteria that subsequently increases the nutritional value. The soup is also not as sour as it sounds, instead it packs a rich umami punch and opens up your appetite. And since it’s topped up with pure pork bone broth, the sourness will reduce gradually as the meal progresses – unless more pickled cabbage is added.

By default, the soup comes with an adequate amount of cabbage and pork belly meat. To make it a fulfilling meal, you could consider the hotpot sets priced at RM50.90 and RM60.90.
The more expensive set comes with pork neck instead of fish noodles. If you love meat, it’s obvious which set is better bang for the buck.

If you don’t fancy pickled cabbage, the best alternative would be their signature Pork Stomach Chicken soup @ RM42.90. This is the polar opposite with a mildly sweet flavor and pronounced peppery tang.

Xiao Lao Wang’s hotpot sets consist mainly of real, natural ingredients and it’s only accompanied by a handful of homemade meatballs. Live prawns are the highlight, as you can see they are larger than usual and taste sweet, succulent and firm to the bite.

For those dining in large groups, I think the live red snapper @ RM7/100g (portion above is about RM75) is a must order.
The deep fried fish head can be added into the soup for extra flavor; while the perfectly filleted (completely deboned) flesh is melt in your mouth tender when cooked. Simply delicious.

Sanbanto Berkshire Pork Belly is another must have to enjoy with the hotpot. These strips of premium pork belly have decent marbling of fat throughout the meat which translates into juicier and better flavor.
Pick a slice and swish it back and forth in the boiling hot pot until it turns white and enjoy immediately. A small portion is priced at RM16.90, large at RM28.90.

Among the few homemade seafood and meatballs we had, the cuttlefish and mushroom pork balls are our top favorites. If we could only pick one, it has got to be the cuttlefish balls @ RM16.90.

The HKG Bean Curd Roll @ RM13.90 is also worth a try. Just dip a piece deep in the hotpot for 2 seconds, long enough for it to soak up the flavor while retaining the crispness.

Condiments wise, you have more than a dozen to choose from. You can either mix your own, or get the staff to mix one according to their tried-and-tested formula.
We tried mixing a bit of everything and put more emphasis on their ‘Dancing Chili Sauce’ and ‘Foo Yee’ sauce. It actually turned out pretty good!

Overall, it was a satisfying hotpot session and we were delighted with the quality and freshness of the ingredients. I should also probably say that we enjoyed Xiao Lao Wang’s Pickled Cabbage & Pork Belly soup more than Taifeng’s. It wins hands down by a mile.

Xiao Lao Wang Hotpot 小捞王

100-G021, The School, Jaya One
No.72A, Jalan Universiti, 46200 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7496 0670
Business hours: 5pm – 12am

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If there’s one steamboat chain restaurant in KL you should know, that has to be Coco. Not only their branch at Old Klang Road is the largest steamboat restaurant I have been to, Coco is also attributed with being the first in the country to have created the Pork Bone broth.

It was a Sunday and the restaurant was full house, partly due to the fact that the following day is a public holiday. Customers were seen waiting in the lobby for their tables and upon seeing that, we were immediately discouraged and thought of leaving.
Luckily, I asked the captain how long it’d take for us to get a table for two, and he gave us a favorable reply: “very soon”. Turns out it’s and we were ushered to our table in less than 10 minutes. So although it’d seem like a long wait, the table turnover rate is quick enough to keep the waiting time to a minimum.

In total, Coco offers three types of soup: Double Stewed Soup (Whole Bone), Fish Head Clear Soup and Healthy Tomato Soup. Since it was our first time here, we decided to try what they are famous for – the Double Stewed Pork Bone Soup @ RM22.20. Actually, it’s a no-brainer as every table was seen having the pork bone soup.

If you feel like splurging, the menu has a couple of nice set choices to choose from. We went for the individual set @ RM19.90 (min 2 pax) and the platter consists of the normal stuff you’d expect.

Having said that, we were surprisingly impressed by the quality of ingredients, as they tasted a lot better than what you get at other steamboat restaurants.
Notably, the fried bean curd sheet, fried yam stick (I usually hate it because it’s mushy, but Coco’s retains a bite), sui gao (wrapped with whole prawn, great texture) and tastier than usual fish noodles.

We also ordered their Homemade Four Treasure Balls @ RM16.90. While all of them are great, the squid balls were the only one that really stood out. If I ever return, I will forget the rest and get the squid balls only.

Coco also serves Canadian oysters and I was enticed by how great the Grilled Oyster with Garlic looks. Alas, it was a mistake which cost us RM16.80. The oysters simply dried up after being grilled and they were rubbery. In hindsight, I would have gotten 4 raw ones for the same price.

Overall, it’s still a satisfying steamboat experience and we enjoyed the pork bone soup a lot. At the end of the meal, the soup becomes super tasty but not salty, which is why we were able to drink a lot of it without getting thirsty.

Coco Steamboat – Old Klang Road Branch

No. 1, Batu 4 3/4
Jalan Kelang Lama, 58200 KL
Tel: 019-277 6596
Business hours: 5.30pm – 11.30pm

The post Coco Steamboat Restaurant 海底炉 @ Old Klang Road appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

As someone who has been staying in Kepong for most of my working life, it is my duty to introduce you, in my opinion, some of the best Kepong food stalls and restaurants to eat. So you can definitely use this as your Kepong food guide.
If you don’t find your favorite(s) listed below, that’s probably because I have omitted them by purpose on the ground that they have been over-covered. Some examples are the queuing rojak stall, mamak under the tree, ‘wai sek kai’ nasi lemak and many others.

FAT YOONG RESTAURANT 肥仔炭烧叉烧云吞面

Address: Block C-G-5, Fortune Avenue, Jalan Metro Perdana 2, Kepong Entrepreneurs Park
Business hours: 6am till finish, closed on 1st and 15th day of the lunar calendar

Fat Yoong’s char siew is a thing of beauty, the caramelization at the edges is just spot on without being too little or overdone. That is what makes their char siew wantan mee so good.
Another thing I like about Fat Yoong is the effort he puts into assemble the noodles ensuring every plate that goes out look identical. Always opt for extra char siew here, it costs only an additional RM2.50 – worth every cent!

KIN HERBAL ROAST DUCK 坚记药材烧鸭

Address: H.L Yee Cafe, Jalan Mergastua. GPS Coordinates: N3 12.180 E101 38.667
Business hours: 5.30pm till midnight, closed on Sundays

Kin Herbal Roasted Duck opens exclusively for dinner, great for those who have a sudden craving for roast duck at night. Their Hakka Mee not only looks appetizing but comes with all the qualities that make it wonderful – springy well-cooked noodle, tossed in an awesome mix of sauces aromatic infused with fried shallot oil’s aroma.

SENTHAI & MOOKATA THAI STREET FOOD

Address: Unit 1-12 & 1-13, Plaza Menjalara, Bandar Menjalara
Business hours: 10.30am – 10.30pm

Although Kepong has its share of Thai restaurants, only a handful of them serve Thai street food. Senthai & Mookata is one of them, and probably the best one too.
Their Thai steamboat, grilled pork neck, claypot seafood glass noodles and Koay Teow Nam Tok are highly recommended. You will feel as though you are eating at a soi stall in Bangkok.

PAK THONG RESTAURANT 颜国泰生骨生面 (九仔)

Address: Kepong Baru Market, Jalan Ambong 3
Business hours: 11.30am till late

The owner of Pak Thong, Kau Kiah is very particular about the ingredients that he uses. So despite being a little pricier than the other restaurants of the same class, you definitely get what you pay for, and let me just say that it’s worth it. You must try their crabs (always huge) and clams in superior soup.

Penang Corner 槟岛之恋

Address: Jalan Kepong Baru
Business hour: 8am till finish, closed on alternate Mondays

Penang Corner is a personal favorite of mine for lunch, I come here at least once a week to have their Penang style white curry mee topped with fresh cockles. Besides curry mee, their koay teow th’ng (pork soup noodle) is delicious too.

ABC WITH GULA MELAKA

Address: Jalan Burung Bebarau, Taman Bukit Maluri. GPS Coordinates: N3 12 0.57 E101 38.004
Business Hours: 1.30pm to 9pm, off days not fixed

The ABC stall is manned by two elderly women: one prepares the drinks and desserts while the other helps out by taking orders and collecting money.
What you get for RM3 is a bowl of ABC with an intense gula melaka flavor. It’s really quite awesome. The shaved ice has a soft and silky smooth texture too which melts in your mouth.

AH KEONG ROAST DUCK 亚强烧鸭

Address: Jalan Wangsa Utama, Wangsa Permai
Business hours: 12pm – 5pm (or until finish), closed on Mondays

Ah Keong is an expert in roasting ducks and herbal salted roast duck (药材咸烧鸭) is his specialty. To ensure freshness, freshly slaughtered ducks are delivered to his house every day at dawn.
After hours of preparation, the ducks would be hung in traditional charcoal oven where they are roasted until the skin becomes crisp and golden brown, but not overly dry.

ROJAK SITI & CENDOL

Address: Jalan 1/62b, Taman Menjalara, Kepong
Business hours: 12pm – 6pm (closed on Fridays)

Rojak Siti has been been operating their nondescript food van around SMK Menjalara for 14 years now. The ingredients used for the rojak here are standard, but there is something special about their fried coconut.
It is simply delicious and imparted an aromatic coconut fragrance which elevates the rojak to a different level compared to the others.

SAN CHING SAN HOKKIEN MEE 新青山福建面茶餐室

Address: No.29, Jalan Metro Perdana Timur 3, Taman Usahawan Kepong

While San Ching San’s Hokkien Mee is pretty good on its own, the star has got to be the kick ass sambal chili. It has an appetizing flavor that I can’t put my hands on and we could not help adding it to each spoonful of noodle.
They also serve a handful of great side dishes and snacks that would go well with the noodles such as lala, chicken wings, fried pork and dumplings.

THE CHAMP KITCHEN 猪多宝

Address: No 19, Jln KIP 1, Taman Perindustrian KIP
Business hours: 11.30am – 9.30pm

Braised pork knuckle is the main reason why you should be eating at The Champ Kitchen. A large stainless steel pot is used to gently cook the boneless pork knuckles over 72 hours until they are melt-in-you-mouth tender.
The recipe used originated from Fujian, China which was handed down in the proprietor’s family since the late 1800’s.

LIEONG KEE BAE GOOD TEH 良記早市肉骨茶

Address: 19, Jalan Development, Taman Kepong
Business hours: 6am – 2pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm, closed on Mondays

It’s important to note that the style of Bak Kut Teh here might not appeal to everyone – especially those who have a particular liking for Klang style BKT. The soup here is clear with a very faint herbal flavor, extremely garlicky and tastes quite sweet.
Pork tendon is Lieong Kee’s specialty and I can’t recommend it enough. Make no mistake though the pork tendon here does not come from the knuckle but from the loin section. Because of that they are slightly meaty with a crunchy texture – just imagine biting into a thick slice of bacon.

YELLOW THAI FOOD TRUCK

Jalan Vista Mutiara, Off Jalan Kepong
Business hours: 2pm to 6pm (sometimes 8pm, until finish) Closed on Sunday

This bright yellow food truck operating under the Vista Mutiara apartment is a hit with the Kepong folks for their Thai street food offering.
Some of the food are prepared fresh, while the rest are pre-prepared and packed in plastic containers. Recommended items include seafood tomyam bihun, mango sticky rice and duck noodle.

FOOK LOONG CHICKEN RICE 福龙鸡饭

Address: M Two, 2, Jalan Burung Pucung, Taman Bukit Maluri
Business hours: 8am till finish. Closed according to coffee shop schedule

What’s really good here is their top notch roast pork (siu yuk) and char siew. The siu yuk’s crackling is simply amazing and the seasoning is just spot on without being overly salty.
The char siew on the other hand, had that delicious tender bite encompassed in a jelly-like exterior. A serving of chicken rice (drumstick) and ‘char siew siu yuk’ rice came to a reasonable total of RM12.90.

HAPPY CITY STEAMBOAT RESTAURANT 快乐城海鲜火锅

Address: Jalan Metro Perdana Timur 2, Kepong Entrepreneurs Park
Business hours: 5pm – 1am

My favorite soup base at Happy City is their Drunken Pot. It derives the flavor and sweetness from the various Chinese herbs used to cook it like goji berry and Chinese dates.
Seafood like red snapper, clam and tiger prawn are extremely fresh because they are picked out of the tanks alive. Quality definitely comes first here.

DOUBLE SEVEN NIGHT ‘DAI CHAO’ 孖柒夜市大炒

Address: Restoran Double Seven, Jalan 3/36, Taman Sri Bintang
Business hours: 5.30pm – 11pm

Double Seven’s dai chao stall has been our go-to place for whenever we feel like having a proper meal, yet won’t put a dent in the wallet. The Fish Head Curry here is a favorite of mine and it’s also available in Toman fish slices.
For RM20 you get a generous serving with loads of vege thrown in, so much so that you don’t even need to order a separate vege dish. Other recommended dishes include lemon chicken, salted egg squid and kangkung belacan.

TOP KITCHEN PENANG CHAR KOAY TEOW 红厨

Address: Jalan Burung Bebarau, Taman Bukit Maluri. GPS Coordinates: N3 12 0.57 E101 38.004
Business Hours: 3:30pm to 9:30 pm, closed on Sundays

Top Kitchen is manned by a team of family who hails from Butterworth. The CKT here is every bit as good as you’d expect from a good one – fried plate by plate, uses lard, full of ‘wok hei’, sufficiently spicy, aromatic and comes with fresh and firm prawns.

BIG TREE TRADITIONAL YONG TAU FU 大树下古早味家乡酿豆腐

Address: Jalan Development, Taman Kepong. Refer here for Google map location
Business hours: 8am – 3pm, closed on Sundays

A rather hidden Yong Tau Fu restaurant that needs a bit of exploring to find. The big tree provides shade and a peaceful eating experience. The meat paste in the yong tau fu stuffed to the brim and is also mixed with salted fish for extra depth of flavor. Delicious.

HONG HONG IPOH CHICKEN RICE 鸿鸿(正)怡保芽菜鸡饭

Address: No.3-56A, Jalan Desa 2/1, Taman Desa Aman Puri
Business hours: 10.30am to 9.30pm, closed on every alternate Thursday

Ipoh style bean sprout chicken rice and koay teow are Hong Hong’s signature dishes. The poached chicken is well-cooked without traces of blood yet silky smooth and tender. Their pork meat balls taste great with a nice bouncy texture while the soup is sweet with a hint of herbal fragrance.

TAKE EAT EASY BAKERY CAFE

Address: Ground Floor-2, Wisma Fiamma, No.20, Jalan 7A/62A, Bandar Menjalara
Business hours: 8.30am to 10.30pm

Take Eat Easy is the most gorgeous looking bakery cum cafe in Kepong and can even rival those in down town KL. Their fruit juices are freshly squeezed upon order and are given a novel and playful twist – they are served in light bulbs! It might seem gimmicky but the juices actually taste great, pure and fresh because it’s placed in an icy water bath to keep it cold.

NORWAY SALMON FISH HEAD NOODLES 挪威三文鱼头米粉

Address: No 7 Jalan Jambu Seri Delima (behind Brem Mall)
Business hours: 8am – 4pm

Everything from the soup to the noodles and fried fish head were great, well-seasoned with minimal MSG, savory tasting yet not too salty. The price has gone up slightly since my first visit, but the portion is still being maintained. The other flavors available here such as curry, clear soup and sour and spicy are pretty good too.

Part two is coming soon and I shall include another 20 recommended Kepong food and restaurants.

The post 20 Best Restaurants & Food to Eat in Kepong – Part 1 appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

Remember when 4-tier steamboat was the talk of the town? You can boil, grill and steam food using the same steel pot so it was a unique concept back then.
The thing with our local restaurants is that when a particular food or dining concept becomes popular, everyone starts to copy and replicate it. Just look at how many salted egg this and that and half baked tarts we have now. It doesn’t pay to be original anymore.

Although Oppa Steamboat Buffet is not the first restaurant to come up with the idea of 4-tier steamboat, at least they doing it right. The variety of food you get is more than enough to keep you a happy camper. For RM45, you can eat and drink as long as you want until they close.
Besides the usual prawns and frozen shell fish, you will happy to know that roe crabs and yabbies (crayfish) are also offered in the spread. In fact, we were surprised that roe crabs were available for the price that they are charging. Not to mention the freshness is commendable too.
Pork, lamb and beef slices need to be requested at a dedicated counter. Since they are sliced from frozen blocks of meat, prepare to wait especially if there are customers who request dozens of portions at once.
Dim sum is also available and you can retrieve them from a chiller next to the meat counter. Honestly, we expected the dim sum to suck because that’s usually the case in buffets like this. But they were surprisingly good and the selection is great as well. Just don’t expect them to proper dim sum restaurant quality so there won’t be any disappointment.

Basically, we stuffed ourselves silly with roe crabs and yabbies that night and went home satisfied. Service wise, I thought it was great and I approve the fact they hire local aunties to work in the restaurant. They were some of the most efficient, friendly and courteous staff we have ever encountered.
With that said, I feel the biggest weakness of Oppa Steamboat Buffet lies in their soups. We had the chicken herbal and tomyum soup and both of them tasted kind of weird. Not terrible, just don’t taste expected. Maybe it’s their own recipe or something.

Oppa Steamboat Buffet 欧巴火锅

No.2, Jalan Rimbunan Raya, Taman Rimbunan, Kepong
Business hours: 5pm – 12am
Tel: 03-6179 3039

The post Oppa Steamboat Buffet @ Kepong appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

I have always known that Harbour Steamboat is one of the best steamboat restaurants in KL. But it’s only recently that we finally managed to eat here.
Believe it or not, our prior two prior visits back in 2013 and 2015 resulted in us walking away because the restaurant was full house.The waiting line was so long that it filled the entire five foot way. So if you plan to eat here, reservation is recommended especially if it’s a weekend. Either that, or come as early as possible.

Harbour Steamboat serves HK-style steamboat and Macau pork bone soup is their signature soup. Unlike most steamboat restaurants in town, they don’t serve sets so everything is ala carte.
Luckily the menu options are great and most of them are natural ingredients plus a couple of hand made items. You won’t get any artificially flavored scallop or lobster balls here.

Their dipping sauce is also unique and you can customize the taste according to your liking. There are 6 condiments which you can combine: fu yu (fermented beancurd), Chinese parsley, soy sauce, chili sauce, chili paste and garlic oil.
They taste odd individually but once you mix them up, it’s delicious! FYI Hong Kong Hot Pot and Xiao Lao Wang also offer a similar style of dipping sauce.

Although no sets are available, ordering wouldn’t be a problem for couples because almost every item can be ordered in half the portion. The prices are kept reasonably affordable too and nothing really exceeds the RM10 mark unless it’s a seafood like prawn or mussel.
We also like that the staff is as helpful as they can be. They will make recommendations based on your party size to ensure you don’t over order.
We had the Macau Pork Soup (half @ RM11) and Herbal Soup (half @ RM8). The pork soup was great, rich and flavorful, almost similar to those you get in a pork noodle but we felt the herbal version was just alright, nothing extraordinary.

Special Beef Fat Slice (half @ RM11) and Special Pork Slice (half @ RM8) – our must haves when having steamboat.

Prawn Wan Tan (half @ RM7) – plump and succulent and stays in shape after being cooked, recommended.

Prawn Ball (half @ RM7) and Pork Mushroom Ball (half @ RM6). The prawn ball tasted like har gao without the skin, very nice.

Marinated chicken slices (half @ RM6) and fresh pork slice (half @ RM6). The fresh pork slice is lean yet tender, it’s as good as the fatty version shown earlier.

Overall it was an extremely satisfying steamboat meal which we thoroughly enjoyed. Looking at the soup and pork ingredients they have, it only makes sense that they also serve pork noodle in the afternoon.
If you are looking for a steamboat meal with decent soup, great dipping sauce that doesn’t emphasize on processed food, Harbour Steamboat is the place to be. It’s a pity that all their branches are so far away from us in Kepong.

The post Harbour Steamboat (海港火锅) @ Sri Petaling appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

Visitors to Melaka may not know that ‘longkang siham’ is not the only place you can enjoy siham, lala and other shellfish.
So if the idea of eating cockles next to the drain with motorcycles zooming by behind you unnerves you, then you should check out the siham stall in Taman Asean. It’s less touristy, more hygienic and you get to enjoy your boiled seafood in a proper eating environment.

This unnamed siham stall has been around for 3 years and it’s a family owned and operated business. They get their supply of shellfish from the local fishermen and their dipping sauce is homemade as well.

During our visit, only cockles and clams were available and we did not see any sea snails. Other options you have include the grilled fish balls and sotong kangkung.

The cockles and clams are priced at a flat price of RM3/plate, which is not too bad considering the scarcity of these shellfish in the recent years. If you went to the wet market you would know that it costs RM12-RM15/kg for cockles now.
Just for the sake of comparison, Tong Bee sold a plate of siham for RM1.50 6 years ago and you probably get two-third of what you see in the photo above.

But of course, freshness comes first before anything else and we were more than satisfied with what we had. The cockles were plump, juicy without any weird metallic taste. If the cockles looks too raw for your liking, you can always request for them to be cooked longer. We always ask for half-cooked.

Since we were already here, we decided to try their sotong kangkung and grilled fish balls too. Ermm, nothing fantastic although the latter would be a better choice. They are really more of a filler to complement the seafood.

The easiest way to look for this siham stall is to set your Waze to Bai Jia Coffee Shop. Alternatively you can also use The Huskitory pet shop as a landmark because they are located diagonally opposite of each other.

The post No Name Siham Stall @ Taman Asean, Melaka appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

It’s not hard to find shabu shabu or steamboat restaurants that serves pork, but it’s a challenge when you are in a shopping mall. Luckily, Sukishi exists. Sukishi is a Japanese Sukiyaki & Sushi buffet restaurant that serves 4 kinds of meat: chicken, lamb, beef and more importantly pork.

There are 4 types of soup base here: shabu shabu, sukiyaki, miso and kimuchi. We picked the shabu shabu and kimuchi for a contrast of flavor. Despite its plain appearance, the shabu shabu soup was already tasty on its own and did not feel MSG-laden, while the kimuchi soup’s spiciness was spot on.

The food bar has close to 30 different ingredients, mostly vegetables and processed food with a few seafood options like prawns and lala. For RM39.80++ and eat all you can in a shopping mall, I guess the price is more than alright.

Overall, we were satisfied with the quality of the ingredients, as the prawns and meat slices were fresh and highly enjoyable. And as expected, the pork slices were the most delicious and went well with the spicy miso dipping sauce. That said, Sukishi’s sushi was terrible so don’t have high expectations for it. Personally, I thought they were worse than what you get at supermarkets.

FYI we had this meal at their newest branch in the Starling mall. Sukishi can also be found in IOI Mall, Puchong.

The post Sukishi Japanese Sukiyaki & Sushi Buffet @ The Starling appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

Since its opening, Chun-Ciou Hot Pot has garnered a lot of attention and it’s now one of the busiest restaurants along Old Klang Road.
We have been putting off trying this place because their dinner buffet is priced at RM75++, which is kind of high considering most steamboat buffets in KL are around RM40.

We only decided to drop by recently after they launched their supper session, as we felt the price (RM60++) was right. Besides, late night supper is always fun especially when it’s steamboat.
Shown above is the standard ‘starting set’ that pretty much includes all the types of meat, mixed vegetables and some typical steamboat ingredients. You are free to omit some of the items if you want.

This is the main reason why Chun Ciou Hot Pot managed to captivate the heart of many customers. The thinly sliced meat is presented hanging on a rack on top of dried ice which adds a lot of cool factor.
But just so you know, the meat will only be served in this manner once. All subsequent order of meat slices will come in the normal black container instead.
There are six kinds of soup base to choose from and we picked their signature Sukiyaki and Tonkatsu. In hindsight, we would have picked something else instead of the Sukiyaki because it was a tad sweet for our liking.

Since we were here for supper, each of us got an oyster too. It’s covered in a spicy sauce and was frankly quite delicious.

Meat wise there’s Australian strip loin, rib eye, pork belly, pork shoulder, chicken fillet, duck meat roll and lamb shoulder roll.
As long as you don’t expect too much, the meat slices should taste satisfying enough. Due to the lack of marbling on the beef, they tend to get tough when overcooked.

For seafood you have 6 choices: sea prawn, fish fillet, mock abalone, bamboo clam, squid and black mussel. Everything was fresh (for buffet standard) and we enjoyed the sea prawn and fish fillet the most. The sea prawns were easy to peel with firm and sweet flesh.

You get to mix your own dipping sauce here by choosing from the 16 different condiments provided. Their recommended dipping sauce involves an egg yolk, sesame sauce, spring onions and the seven spice powder which can be found on your table. Personally, I felt the dipping sauce was the weakest aspect of Chun Ciou Hot Pot – it did not impress despite the complexity involved.

Overall, Chun Ciou Hot Pot is worth checking out if your focus is more on concept exploration, service and ambiance. It’s probably the classiest steamboat restaurant in KL after Yezi.

The post Chun Ciou Hot Pot 马来西亚春秋战锅 @ Old Klang Road appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.

As one of the largest steamboat truck (lok lok) operators in Klang Valley, it should not come to you as a surprise that Fat One Steamboat has a proper steamboat restaurant in Bandar Sunway.

Since most of the trucks are parked near to the nightlife spots, a filling lok lok meal could be pricey because their target customers don’t mind paying extra for it. However, for a flat price of RM43.50 you can enjoy eat all you can steamboat buffet here.

Variety is king at Fat One Steamboat, as it boasts over 300 different steamboat ingredients and many of these include real seafood. If you are lucky, you might find mantis shrimps in the buffet tray.
During our visit there weren’t any mantis shrimps but mud crabs were available. If you ask me, that alone is worth the price and we enjoyed them a lot.

While most steamboat buffets in town offer the usual pomfret and dory fish slices, you actually get grouper here. The freshness was commendable too and definitely a class better than the rest.
I guess that is because they have so many steamboat trucks going around KL, they are able to get the seafood and other ingredients at bulk prices.

Besides steamboat, there are also plenty of other coooked food such as fried chicken wings, oysters, chili clams and barbecue. The chicken wings were unexpectedly good so do give them a try.
On a side note, do you know that the famous Yuen Steamboat Buffet has ceased to operate since early this year? That’s really surprising considering we have never been able to get in because it was always full house.

The post Fat One Steamboat Buffet @ Sunway appeared first on Malaysia Food & Travel Blog.