Malaysia Food

Location: N03 05.7986 E101 37.7826 Alt 125 ft Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Meal: Dinner

When asked where is the best Hokkien Mee in Klang Valley is, there would be a number of favourites. I believe is we list the top 5, this would be one of them. Possibly the most popular among some that I have been to, can be quite crowded at times and a long wait even though there is an army working in the outdoor kitchen. Still using the old way of cooking Hokkien Mee; using charcoal.

Most instinctively say cooking with charcoal is somewhat better than cooking with gas. Most would say that cooking with gas or charcoal would not matter since the essence of the charcoal would not get in to the noodles. I agree to some extend with the essense, the shop does not smell much of charcoal. However, the point is missed. The reason why charcoal is the preferred choice for Hokkien Mee is because of the temperature. The higher temperatures produced by charcoals is able to infuse the flavors better in to the dish. In culinary terms, at higher temperatures, the sauces caramelize better.

The way the mark the table to indicate that you have made an order is to place a sauce dip with chilli paste on your table. The chili paste in front of you while waiting for the food to arrive is enough to make you drool. One helping is not enough, you may want to ask for the whole container when you food arrives so that you can help yourself to more.

The Hokkien Mee came soon enough, steaming hot right out of the wok and bursting with caramelized sauces. Plenty of lard and fried pork fat that you can almost feel them in every mouthful. The cabbages were crunchy and juicy yet well cooked; which is quite an art.

The presentation of the dish is sloppy but the glossy look because of all the lard is enough to get you drooling. There are strands of meehoon which I find irritating. Maybe it is there to give it more texture. Personally, I can do without it. Noodles are very greasy; I like it but that is me. With the heavenly taste in the mouth, I get sloppy while eating and the world does not exist until I have finished the plate.

Rating:

Food 8/10
Service 6/10
Value 6/10

Remarks: The best? Well, that is for you to judge.

Location: N03 06.6630 E101 38.9396 Alt 200 ft Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Getting there: Section 11, Petaling Jaya, just off the road from Jalan Universiti.

Meal: Breakfast

The battle heats up in a little quiet place known as Section 11 (often mistaken as Section 12). Once a quiet place just off the Federal Highway and Jalan Universiti is now the battleground for 2 Sri Paandi.

The Star 14 August 2005
Curry War: Paandi vs Paandi
BY M. KRISHNAMOORTHY
PETALING JAYA: It is hot and spicy, with plenty of massala.
Dubbed the “Curry Feud of the Sri Paandis,” the rivalry between two restaurants with the same name has become a hot topic among the residents in Section 11 here.
The two South Indian food restaurants not only share the same name but their waiters also wear the same purple uniforms.
There is another similarity between their owners – both started their careers in a South Indian Chettinad shop in Brickfields, which also has the same name.
The first Sri Paandi restaurant run by K. Saraswathy started business in December 2000 in the quiet neighbourhood of the University Malaya Medical Centre.
The problem began when another Sri Paandi, owned by David Gnanamuthu, opened for business next door two months ago. And that was when all hell broke loose.
To complicate matters, David’s father Chinnakannu Gnanamuthu, 60, has a 10% share in Saraswathy’s restaurant.
As a loyal gesture, she gave the share to Chinnakannu, who was one of the original owners of the first Brickfields outlet.
Chinnakannu hoped that everything would end well with the parties reaching agreement soon.
“There is no use fighting over serving food to the public. They must serve the food with a good heart so that the public will be satisfied.
“I have told them to settle whatever misunderstanding between them,” he added.
But in the meantime, the Sri Paandi vs Sri Paandi battle is brewing, with many customers confused over the same names.
The competition has become so intense that their waiters canvass for customers, some resorting to pulling in people as they walk by.
The daily scene outside the shops – with waiters walking around like sandwich boys with posters claiming to be from the original Sri Paandi outlet – has all trappings of a South Indian melodramatic movie.
One thing’s for sure, both serve the same South Indian Chettinad spicy dishes prepared by cooks from India.
The owners admit the confusion, but said that they hope to reach an agreement soon.
“We are working it out and will resolve the problem and be united again,” said Saraswathy’s husband, A. Shinnaiah.
Saraswathy said: “(David) Gnanamuthu must understand that his father is also our partner. We have a long-standing relationship.
“The customers think that our shop has expanded as both restaurants’ waiters wear the same purple colour uniform,” Saraswathy said.
David said that he was all for a settlement and was willing to sell his restaurant to Saraswathy.
The Sri Paandi became famous for its South Indian food when it first started operations in Brickfields about 20 years ago.

The Star 15 August 2005
Owners of Brickfields Sri Paandi restaurant cry foul
BY M.KRISHNAMOORTHY
PETALING JAYA: What’s in a name?
Plenty, as far as the owners of Sri Paandi restaurants are concerned.
The curry feud between the two Sri Paandi restaurants in Section 11 here has just become spicier – the owners who originated the restaurant name are claiming that one of them was using the “franchise name” without consent.
M.P. Ariyaputhiran, 73, and V. Ramupillai, 77, the duo who started the Sri Paandi restaurant in 1987, claimed that the name was being used although no shares were allocated to them by the owner as promised.
Referring to the older restaurant in Section 11, Ariyaputhiran said there would not be a dispute if its owners K. Saraswathy and husband A. Shinniah gave them a 50% share.
Saraswathy’s rival who runs the neighbouring Sri Paandi outlet which opened two months ago, David Gnanamuthu, who is also the managing director of the original Sri Paandi in Brickfields, said if they did not want to give the shares due, they should not use the original name.
“The partners are old and want me to run the restaurants, and as part of the group’s expansion I started the restaurant in PJ.
“However, we think we can unite and be one group if 50% of the shares are given to us by Saraswathy,” David added.
David said neither Saraswathy nor Shinniah, had worked with the Brickfields Sri Paandi.
David had with him the Brickfields Sri Paandi’s registration with the Companies Commission of Malaysia.
“I have never wanted to sell the restaurant. I was only asking for the agreed share due to the Brickfields company,” he added.
When contacted, Saraswathy, who started her restaurant five years ago, said that discussions were still in progress.
“Sri Paandi is a Hindu deity’s name and we are using it as a mark of respect.
“They should not ask for any royalty because there are many people using this name in other businesses too,” she said.
Yesterday, The Star reported that a “hot and spicy” feud was taking place between the two neighbouring restaurants who were using the same name with their workers even wearing the same uniforms.

The scene is the same. The Sri Paandi (PJ) was still a huge success as it was when it opened in Section 11. The restaurant was packed on most occasions. It created a huge confusion when another Sri Paandi opened just next door. The loyalty is very obvious; the Sri Paandi (PJ) on the right remains popular compared to its new neighbor. I thought of flipping a coin to decide which Sri Paandi to enter but decided to go to the initial Sri Paandi (PJ) in the area. It is brighter as it had windows on the side and more patrons. All the tables had beautiful marble tops.

Service was excellent, hardly have to wait. I recalled service being just as good before the other Sri Paandi decided to open next door. I ordered a Masala Tosai and an ice tea. Before I can lift my head and open my mouth to ask for the curry and chutney, they were placed before me. Service is as though they can read my mind. The moment you lift your head to ask for service, 3-4 pairs of eyes will be looking your way. I think service is a little excessive; sometimes I find 3 people attending the same table.

I pour a whole load of dahl on to the banana leaf and before they took the curry containers away, they pour another helping of dahl on to the tosai. Chutney was on the sweet side. The Masala was light and not too spicy. I think the restaurant had its principle right, good food and excellent service. Price is however, not right, a little on the low side for excellent service.

Rating:

Food 8/10
Service 9/10
Value 9/10

Remarks: By popularity vote, Sri Paandi (PJ) seems to be the winner. I have not tried the neighbour to actually compare. With majority of people on the Sri Paandi (PJ) side, I see little reasons to venture further.

Location: N03 08.2118 E101 37.4013 Alt 185 ft Damansara, Selangor
N03 08.5172 E101 37.7345 Alt 187 ft Damansara/TTDI, Kuala Lumpur

Getting there: Near Uptown, in Damansara Utama or Taman Tun. The original outlet in Damansara Utama is on a motorbike sidecar. The daughter’s outlet in Taman Tun Dr Ismail is on a lorry back.

Meal: Lunch

I ordered a special rojak, which is the addition of sotong, tofu and special sauces on top of his regular rojak. If you ask me what the ultimate rojak is, this is it. It is a healthful combination of fruits overpowered buy a sinful concoction of thick har koh.

The base is lined with fried yeow char kwau (Chinese dog bone) and water spinach which is then topped with the rojak mixture and then topped with flour cake and peanuts. Sometimes, when the container is bursting when he tries to close it, the flour cake is outside the container. The arrangement is well thought out because the flour cake on the top remained crispy when I brought it home and the yeow char kwai base was still crispy.

Digging in to the rojak, it was quite difficult to figure out what I ate. The har koh sauce was so think, one can barely identify what it is until it reaches the palates to figure out what is it. Even then, it is quite a task to identify. His choices of ingredients are random, so you may not know what you will get if someone else gets it for you.

One skewer is not though enough for the whole pack, which explain why he gives a generous 2-4 sticks a packet. There are some ingredients that are hard or impossible to poke, often blunting the skewer.

Everybody will have their own way to eat this rojak. I usually remove the flour cake and dig in to the rojak, working from right to left, finishing off by consuming the remaining sauce with the flour cake.

Sometimes, I wonder if I am having fruits with har koh or har koh with
fruits.

Had a tofu bakar, which is available from his daughter’s outlet in TTDI. Very good, better than the average tofu baker but I think the goodness of the mouth watering rojak overshadows and distracts the tofu bakar. After all, we have only one stomach.

Rating:

Food 10/10
Service 8/10
Value 8/10

Remarks: The original outlet in Dmanasara Utama is sometimes there
between noon and 4pm. Opening time and days are irregular, so be
prepared to be disappointed. Alternatively, hunt nearby for the TTDI
outlet.

If you are allergic to any of these, please take note. Contains turnip,
mango, cucumber, kangkung (water spinach), jambu air, papaya, lime,
tofu, pineapple, sotong, sotong chips, dried sotong, ikan billis,
peanut, flour cake, yeow cha kwai, red chili paste and har koh (prawn
paste). Will contain seasonal ingredients.

Location: N03 08.1275 E101 37.4130 alt 175 ft Damansara, Selangor

Getting there: Near Uptown, in Damansara Utama.

Meal: Lunch

The shop has an unusual name which is pretty unforgettable. Sounds like some organic health food store until you have a look at the menu. The lam mee is served in thick yellow noodles, possibly their signature. The lam mee gravy was nice and thick.

Rating:

Food 7/10
Service 7/10
Value 7/10

Remarks: Foo Chuk and Sui Kao is often pushed by the store which I often pass. Difficult to find a seat on a weekday at lunch time.

Location: N03 06.4705 E101 39.1963 alt 207 ft Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Getting there: Adjoining the Jalan Gasing Esso station. It is located exactly at a junction where cars make a full 180° to find a parking lot. If anyone makes a fast turn and looses control, all patrons are bowling pins.

Meal: Dinner

The rice alone was not so nice, dry and rather bland for nasi lemak. The sambal alone was not so nice because it is watery. However, for this case, two wrongs do make a right as the combination the wet sambal gets absorbed by the dry rice resulting in a heavenly combination. The fried egg was badly done, some were over cooked and few were nicely done with a soft center. I managed to find one such egg under a pile of overcooked egg. The beef rendang had large bits of serai which I was okay with. On it’s own, it was nice however, it was a little dry for the already dry rice.

Rating:

Food 9/10
Service 6/10
Value 8/10

Remarks: The author avoids chicken where possible, try the fried chicken if you do like chicken. It is a tad salty on it’s own but blends well with the rice.