Restoran Lan Je at Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

Now this is one interesting food experience that we had during one of our quick getaway to KL. 

One person gets one fish, literally. 

This is quite a great find as everyone knows that steamed fish dish is not a cheap dish when it comes to having a few-courses Chinese meal with your family or friends. It is often one of the expensive items where people usually would not order if budget is a thing. 

However, at this restaurant, everyone is supposed to get a steamed fish each. It could be because of the price. 

The price is depending on the tilapia fish that they get that particular day and it ranges from RM15-RM20, if I am not mistaken. 

His sister brought us to one of their cawangan, and we both fell in love with the whole concept of it. The place is usually packed with humans too okay. 

They do have other chinese dishes that people normally order. Not everyone who eats there will order one fish each. Some will order 2 plates of steamed fish, a plate of meat and vege dish and that's for dinner. 

No, they do not have variety style of cooking the fish. Only one standard style - steam. I think if not mistaken, its teochew style. 

 

 He says: Fulahhhhh! I really like this steamed fish! The taste of ginger is really strong though. I guess it is to cover the fishy smell. Another must try in KL!

She says: I am never big fan of fish and I rarely crave for fish-dish, especially steamed kind of fish. I tried this once and now I look forward to my next trip to KL, just so I can have this again. The steamed sauce is really tasty. It's almost like teochew style but this one tastes a lot better with the chopped ginger and cilipadi. You can opt to have it done less spicy. LOVE THIS DISH!

Restoran Lan Je at Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

Branches: 

- Jalan USJ1, Regalia Business Centre, Subang Jaya

- Jalan Kasturi 3, Off Jalan Balakong, Selangor

- Desa Aman Puri

- Jalan Setia Rawang 1

Price: Quite cheap

Ratings:
His rating: 8/10
Her rating: 9/10

Huong Que Vietnamese Restaurant at Lebuh Melaka.

We are one of those people who fell in love with food items once we've been to the particular country and tasted their original local foods. 

It is no surprise that when we came back from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam not too long ago, we were craving so badly for their local iced coffee, pho and banh mi!

One of the usual Vietnamese Restaurant that we usually go to when we have such cravings is this. 

A good friend told us about a place that he thought was better than the one that we always go to. So, we decided to give it a try. 

We can never say no to Vietnamese food. Never. 

Now that I think about it, I am craving for it now. G.

Not a very big shop.

Cafe Sua Da (Trung Bguyen Vietnamese Coffee Milk) - RM4.70

He says: My favourite! Anywhere, anytime!

She says: Pretty okay. Not too milky, not as strong as I thought it would be. 

Pho Bo (Beef Noodle) - RM10.70

He says: Just okay okay. Soup takda ohmmm!

She says: The soup is pretty sweet and lovely. The beef okay-okay amount. I think it tasted really normal and doesn't have much wow factor. 

Banh Mi Thit (Vietnamese Pork Sandwich) - RM10.70

He says: Banh mi! Could be better.. the pork is a bit too fat.

She says: I'm sorry but this one I really don't like. I love banh mi, but this one is just different. Bread is different. The roasted pork slice in there tasted fake? It's very plastic-ish and the whole piece is basically frozen fats, or at least it tasted like it la. Nope for me.

Ca Loc Kho Tieu (Snake Head Fish with Pepper) - RM15.70

He says: Like the sauce but overall doesn't suit my taste.

She says: Snake-fish hmm. Interesting. I have never had anything like this. The sauce of this dish is amazing! Too bad it's the dry kind. I cannot express how much I love the sauce. The fish has lots of tiny bones so gotta be careful with that. Overall, this one I love. 

Huong Que Vietnamese Restaurant at Lebuh Melaka.

Price: Expensive

Ratings:
His rating: 6/10
Her rating: 6/10

Din Tai Fung Restaurant at Gurney Plaza.

"Sin jamban ho pangsai"

Direct translated from hokkien: New toilet very nice for pooping.

When this restaurant was first opened at Gurney Plaza, there were always long lines outside of the restaurant. Everytime when we were there, the lines just doesn't seem to get any shorter and mind you, we don't go there often so we don't really know how it's like during weekdays and stuff. 

We thought the phrase above was perfect to describe the whole crowding thing in front of Din Tai Fung. That and also we thought that the food here must be really good. 

And yes, we decided to give it a try. 

We were not gonna line up for 45 minutes for a meal so we decided to go during a weekday lunch time. We were wrong. There was a line, just not that insanely long. We waited a while and we got a corner table, very closely placed next to another couple. 

We opened the menu and thought that since this is our first time,we shall order their recommended items and maybe a few more dish that has the most delicious look-in-photo. 

Let's see how it goes, shall we?

Pork Xiao Long Bao

6 pieces - RM13.10

10 pieces - RM20.80

He says: Like this one. But tasted better ones before.. work it out Din Tai Fung!

She says: So overpriced for this kind of dumpling okay. Got 'soup' inside I know, but it tasted so normal ni. It's pretty normal la. Nothing to shout about. 

Spicy Shrimp & Pork Wonton

3 pieces - RM7.50

6 pieces - RM14.00

He says: Normal..  The spicy sauce is pretty good though!

She says: This one I like better than the xiao long bao. Also, really like the chilli, surprisingly though it's not as spicy as it seems. 

Hot & Sour Noodle Soup - RM18

He says: Could be the best dish of the night for me. Hot and sour at the same time =D

She says: I thought this was going to be mind-blowing amazing but I have tasted something similar at a hawker place in Penang. Hah. BUT the noodles are amazing! It's chewy and soft at the same time. Prolly one of the best textured noodle I've eaten. I think..

Shrimp & Pork Fried Rice - RM23.90

He says: High expectations but disappointing outcome. Could get a better fried rice at food courts!

She says: It is apparently highly recommended and chef's top pick something like that. Hmm. Let's see. All I tasted on this fried rice was the eggs. Yeah, I dare say I make better fried rice at home. This is very very disappointing. 

Stir-Fried Baby String Bean with Minced Pork - RM25.10

He says: Normal.. come on!

She says: Bleh. 

Din Tai Fung Restaurant at Gurney Plaza.

Price: Very expensive

Ratings:
His rating: 3/10
Her rating: 4/10

El Faro Tapas Bar and Wine at Burmah Road, Penang.

If you do not already know, we are engaged! We have been engaged for about 2 months now and we finally arranged a night for us both to have fancy-schmancy dinner to celebrate our engagement. 

If you would like to know the story from his side and her side, see below links.

Will You Marry Me : His Side (Part I)
Will You Marry Me : His Side (Part II)
Will You Marry Me : Her Side 

We thought of trying a new place and a new kind of food, hence the restaurant of the night. We heard quite a few of good reviews on this place and thought that this would be the perfect time to try it out. Got reason to wine and dine like a boss. Heh. 

He called in the noon and made a booking ahead so we will not be greeted with, "I'm sorry but we're fully booked today" when we get there. So, prior planning is good. 

Spanish kind of night it shall be then :)

We were the first customer to walk in for dinner that night and we were greeted with a warm welcome. We sat down and looked at the menu. It was like new language for us. Our intention that night was to have their signature dishes and wine away the night, laughing at each other being all awkward and all. 

One particular thing that we hated dislike was how the Waiter 1 treated us. He gave us the menu and because we are so unfamiliar with Spanish kind of foods, we asked a few questions on certain food items and there he was, standing with his unhappy face, so unwilling to tell us more details on the items.

We even asked him what are some of the signature dishes and he rudely replied. Maybe it's his accent or the way he explained but we couldn't understand what he was saying and when he needed to repeat, he raised both his eyebrows, looked at us as though we're dumb.

Umm. That is plain rude okay. Then, he gave us a list of wine bottles to order and we told him we will just have a glass each since we are going to need to drive to somewhere else later, he raised his eyebrows again and stared at us.

Wah. Since it was a special night, we decided we shall just not let that bother us. Thank God it was another waiter who served us our food and smiled to us everytime he did that. He even helped us take a photo and yeah, it's not the best photo in the world, but A for effort :)

Anyways, shall we now proceed for food thoughts now. Heh.

We were taking quite a while to choose between the pre-set course or choose on our own from their general menu. We decided that since it's such a new thing for us, we will just go ahead with FOR 2 course.

There are a total of 7 food items in the FOR 2 for the price of RM132++ (10% service charge and 6% GST). 

Boquerones

Spanish white anchovies on watermelon with mint, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.

He says: Fishy. However, it works quite well with the mint and watermelon.

She says: I thought that this was an interesting dish. I don't like fruits in general but I was curious to try this one. Mint and watermelon, best combo ever. However, the anchovies were a bit too fishy to my liking. There's this not-fresh-smell if I may say that. 

Cold Capellini - We asked to change the Mackerel dish to this because she doesn't like Mackerel

Angel hair served with konbu (Japanese seaweed) and lumpfish caviar

He says: I love this one! Maybe because there is not much cold dish that I've tasted before. Please try!

She says: So funny to eat angel hair/pasta cold, but let me tell you something. This is a must try because it's very different! I thought I was in another world when I had this in my mouth. The taste is so unique I can't help but have more! Like this one. 

Mix Mushroom Salad

Bacon bits with balsamic dressing on a bed of green vegetables

He says:  Not bad.. Love the mushrooms!

She says: Quite a normal salad dish and of course it was better than those bacon-less salad because hello, it's bacon. 

Anchovy on Toast

Anchovy + red pepper + eggplant on toast

 He says: Love it! Toasted to perfection. Must try!

She says: I like that the toast was hard but not too hard. The anchovy and red pepper was really soft and mushy so the texture that the toast gives is very ngam. Not a big fan of this dish. Quite okaylah. Should try tho.

Spanish Bacon

Spanish bacon served with lychee salsa

 He says: Hahaha. 2nd lychee dish that I know. The other was "lychee pie". Man, this is good, the bacon is scrumptious and the lychee topping surprised me how good it is. 

She says: First taste felt so similar to the canned ham that we eat at home. Second taste and you know this is good stuff. Third taste onwards, my mind blew. Who could ever thought that lychee will go so well with this bacon? Well, El Faro's Chef did! And it was brilliant! Especially love the fact that there is no layer of fats in them. Love this one!

Patatas Bravas

Crispy potatoes served with bravas sauce and aiolli

He says: Not bad.. like it. The potatoes were soft inside and crispy outside. The sauce? Just nice.

She says: I thought it would taste like KFC's cheesy wedges. WRONG! Nothing like that at all. The potatoes were not too soft and the brava sauce was not overly sweet. It was a very good dish. Fork licking good for sure.

Moorish Chicken Thigh

Served with purple pickled cabbage, carrots and moorish sauce

He says:  Just so so for me. Not special to be honest but worth trying.

She says: The chicken thighs were perfect! The Moorish sauce was amazing. It's very similar to Ayam Milanese that we eat at Kapitan, but this one is like an elevated kind. The chicken portion was chun-chun. Amazing dish.

El Faro Tapas Bar and Wine at Burmah Road, Penang.

Closed on every Wednesday

Price: Expensive

Ratings:
His rating: 7/10
Her rating: 7.5/10

Quê Hương Tôi Vietnamese Cafe at Jalan Jelutong.

It is no longer a surprise that we both love Vietnamese food and it's all thanks to a trip to Ho Chi Minh together!

She has always been a big fan of Vietnamese food and as much as she always talks about it, we had always find it difficult to find a decent Vietnamese restaurant that serves decently good Vietnamese food.

Not till one day when she was introduced to this amazing restaurant by her sister and brother in law. They brought her there once and now, it became one of our favorite place to eat at.

It's humble shop looks small from the outside but they can actually cater up to 20 round tables that sits 4 persons if we're not mistaken. Lovely Vietnamese place!

Cafe Sua: Vietnam Milk Coffee (RM3.50)

He says: Could be the best coffee I have tasted?

She says: I'm not a coffee person because I don't like bitter coffee and it's usually the bitter coffee that people like so I am not a coffee person. This one I LOVE because it's not bitter. It's sweet kind of coffee. Funny tho because there's a bit of bitterness in it. LOVE THIS ONE.

Pho Bo: Vietnam Beef Koay Teow Soup (RM7.50)

He says: Thumbs up for this! A big fan now =)

She says: It's better than our local beef koay teow soup okay. You have to put in the raw veg (basil and other kind of leaves) into the soup and let it soak in it for a while. If you don't eat vege, then take it out after. If you eat vege, eat it together with the noodles. BEST THING EVER. The soup is the sweet type. 

Banh Mi Thit Nuong: Vietnam BBQ Pork Sandwich (RM6)

He says: A little bit dry. Could be better!

She says: THIS IS NOT BANH MI! Hah. I'm sorry but the real banh mi that you eat in Vietnam is not baguette bread okay. I feel locally it is impossible to make the same banh mi as the ones in Vietnam because of the bread. It's just different, so this one I no like. Sorry!

Quê Hương Tôi Vietnamese Cafe

Address: 56W, Jalan Jelutong, 11600, Jelutong, Penang (Opposite Peugeot 3S Center) - Closed on Tuesday

Price: Reasonable

Ratings:
His rating: 7.5/10
Her rating: 8.5/10