This restaurant is usually packed to the brim at mealtimes so we took the opportunity to dine there when we ventured way past dinner time on a weekday.
Fresh tomato fried egg
Set meals which were served with rice and an assortment of condiments
Taiwan style oyster with egg
Having savored the food and paid the bill, we understand why it is so popular. Simple, fuss-free meals at reasonable prices that are served promptly!
Wah, RM19 (Digi customers) or RM20 (everyone else) for a RM40 voucher at this mouth-watering restaurant (go check out the menu!). Quick, purchase vouchers via: https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/437349?ref=conf-jp&rpi=77414828
Firstly, the address needs to be amended on the Living Social voucher. It should be: No. 7 Jalan Putra Permai 1A, Taman Equine. Once one gets over the hassle of searching for a non-existent road on the GPS, getting there is actually quite easy as it located just mere metres away from the McDonald’s drive through in Taman Equine.
Once inside, you can’t help but notice the lack of clientele on a Saturday afternoon. There was not one table filled at 1pm nor were the lights turned on! After our arrival, the waiters were kind enough to switch on the lights and change channels. The overall feel wasn’t exactly delightful as the restaurant is decorated with a mix of ideas. There’s clearly an Australian aboriginal influence (probably due to the owner’s travel to Oz) plus a Malay restaurant feel (the drinks and payment counters were spartanly furnished). To top it all, refrigerators with meats and other kitchen necessities were haphazardly placed in most corners of the dining area.
The inside of the restaurant
If we hadn’t already committed ourselves to dining at the restaurant via purchase of the vouchers, it was clear we would have made a quick exit.
Nevertheless, all said and done, we proceeded to calm our grumbling tummies with the halal menu. Having just come to the end of the week-long Hari Raya holiday, the kitchen took a while to warm up. Several essentials were still not available (such as potato to for the bangers and mash).
Neslo – the everyday concoction of Nescafe and Milo
The Fontana Burger – This was 6 inches in diameter! The huge burger was filled with a very thick piece of meat patty which was sliced to make it look like 2 pieces. What was special about this burger was the added avocado slices – a very pleasant tummy filler indeed.
Teh tarik – a generous serving of one of the nation’s favourite drinks.
Pad thai – not quite the regular Thai fare but it had enough nuts to be palatable. Closely resembling fried kueh teow, this dish would have done better with a tinge of sugar and fresh prawns (the 4 pieces given were close to stale).
Coney dog with fries – I was wondering how a simple hot dog could cost over RM15! Alas, it was due to it's size, which is over a foot long. The beef sauce was a tad too sweet and could have been a bit tangy or perhaps it was the missing onions?
If you haven’t utilised your vouchers, go on and give this place a go! The food isn’t too bad (I’d rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars) …just don’t grade them on ambience or interior decoration and you shan’t be disappointed.
We always wanted to venture into this aptly named outlet based on the Forrest Gump movie. As twas expected, the place is decorated with Forrest Gump memorabilia and if you need some service, you’d just need to change the signage on your table to “Stop Forrest Stop” to call for service. Once the waiter has attended to you, the signage then switches back to “Run Forrest Run”.
Typical of any American restaurant, the portions are large and should be shared. Greasy deep fried options remain their best sellers.
Caesar salad – yum!
Kids meal – hotdog & fries
Grilled prawns and mash – delish!
Bucketful of shrimps and other fried stuff – This deceptive looking bucketful of food is not filled to the brim (thankfully!). As you can see from the pic above, the amount of food is served on the ‘newspaper’ and doesn’t go beyond the mouth of the bucket.
Accompaniments – sauces and coleslaw.
The overall service in the restaurant is prompt despite having to maneuver through the dimly lit hallways and uneven paths (elderly folks will have to mind their step as the ground is uneven with small steps hindering a clear path in this meandering restaurant.
Be prepared to fork out RM30-50 per pax as with any American diner and enjoy being served by foreign staff (mainly friendly Filipinos).
Utilising half-priced vouchers at LonBay in Paradigm Mall, we ventured to try some brewed coffee,ice-blended juice and toast.
Kaya butter toast
The small kiosk is located in front of Tesco and has limited seating. If you are game for a change, try their specialty coffee which made of civet cat poo :)
The deal was too good to miss. RM20 for a Starter + Main Course (Lamb Shank on Bed of Potatoes / Dory Fish Orange-Flavoured with Vegetable and Butter Rice / Honey Grilled Chicken with Butter Rice) + Dessert + Free Flow Drinks at Pastis Cafe in the Gardens, Mid Valley.
The free flow of drinks consisted of a choice of juices (apple/orange), lemon tinged water and sirap bandung (rose syrup with milk). It was self-serve from an island (pic above).
The food was less than mediocre. For something worth over RM60, we got creamy unidentifiable soup (it looked like pea soup), bland mains and cheapo desserts (sago with coconut milk)
Vegetable soup
Dory fish orange-flavoured with vegetable and butter rice – the fish was too ‘fishy and the vegetable was a combination of pickled carrot, zucchini and cherry tomatoes.
Honey grilled chicken with butter rice – this dish was marginally better than the dory fish as it was very mildly flavoured.
Dessert – sigh, amongst all the beautiful dessert placed at the cake counter, we were given two servings of sago with coconut milk. It would have been ideal if this deal was served with fresh coconut milk instead of the packet freeze-dried version.
We also took the opportunity to try other items from the menu:
Nasi lemak – a little overpriced at RM24. The rice was fragrant with coconut milk but the rendang chicken was bland. The sambal saved the day.
Roti john – served with ample amount of onion rings (with very thick batter), salad and thai sweet chili sauce. This is certainly a tummy filler enough to feed 2 people.
Caesar salad – nothing out of the ordinary here. Just salad and caesar salad dressing.
Overall, service was super slow and we had to make our order at the cashier’s counter and follow through with additional requests for cutlery etc on our own.
So, unless you are on the lookout for overpriced, lackluster food, give this place a miss.
4 plates of dim sum for RM10 sounded like a deal too good to miss. This restaurant is nestled along the Aked Esplanad stretch in Bukit Jalil. While enjoying your meal, you could even have your car washed across the street at the local car wash joint.
The entrance of the restaurant. Look out for the Esplanad Seafood Restaurant instead of Esplanad Dim Sum.
Woo Kok – the yam pastry was light and the filling sweet and tasty.
Fried carrot cake – alas, this simple dish was lackluster, probably due to the fact it was served cold.
Har gao – absolutely delicious! The skin was light and the fresh prawn boosted its delicate flavour.
Fish ball in beancurd skin
Char siew chee cheong fan – the steamed wrap was too thick and there was hardly any filling (char siew) in this dish. The accompanying shrimp chili sauce tasted very bland.
Siew mai – a good combination of flour and meat but instead of caviar for garnishing, there was this red jelly like pieces on top!
Fried fish ball – tasty with a tinge of spice from the chili inside
Steamed fish ball – made just right – light and spongy.
Teochew siew mai – a variant of the original siew mai with chives for flavour
Loh mai kai – glutinous rice never felt so grainy. There was a piece of chinese sausage, chicken and mushroom for garnishing.
Steamed prawn dumpling – an all-time favourite.
Overall, the restaurant’s fare was good as there was very little MSG. Service was prompt and efficient. Additional dishes can be ordered for a mere RM3.50 per plate. A pot of Chinese tea plus a bucket of ice costs RM4.00 and is paid separately.
