KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Very often we find ourselves driving around the vicinity of Dataran Sunway Kota Damansara, deciding on a new place to dine. Last Sunday, I spotted the bright neon light signboard of Steam King (what a catchy name!) as me and my friends drove along. So we turned back and parked our car before heading to the restaurant.

Apparently, Steam King is made famous by their steamed fishes. We ordered the steamed fish with soy sauce, scallion and ginger. Steamed just right, the fish was pearly right with a moderately firm texture. The chef had done a very good job but the fish itself had a somewhat muddy taste.

The curry version fares better. Perhaps we got a better fish or the strong curry works in hindering the unpleasant muddy taste?

The piece de resistance is the steamed frog legs with ginger. The delicate meat was sweet with a firm texture. With a little rice wine or ’shao xing’, ginger juice and shredded ginger, the sauce was lip smackingly good!

We were equally satisfied with the oh so sweet and fresh steamed lala with lots of garlic.

All in all, Steam King is a pretty decent place for a guilt free Chinese dinner. Maybe luck is not on our side with the fishes with muddy taste. We reflected this to the lady owner and she assured us that it will not happen again.

Steam King
7 Jalan PJU 5/10 Dataran Sunway
Kota Damansara,
47810 Selangor
012-9079177‎
03-6140-7460‎ – Fax

Welcome to Buonasera, your friendly neighbourbood restaurant. Please let us usher you.

Haha. We were seated at such an awkward place while waiting for a vacant table but we were OK with that. This shows how busy is the restaurant on a Saturday night (always a good sign). Nonetheless we waited seemingly patiently until we were finally called.

We started off with Minestrone soup (RM11.90), a thick Italian soup with whatever vegetables in season. I wasn’t too impressed because it has a lumpy texture rather than a smooth consistency. It’s just me because kampungboy begs to differ.

Prosciutto melon (RM28.90). You can’t go wrong with thin dry-cured ham and sweet, ripe melon wedges. A match made in heaven!

Pork snitzel parmigiana (RM27.90). Snitzel means a cutlet without bones; which make eating a bliss. Topped with Italian tomato sauce, it is a unique combination that makes you yearn for more.

Italian pork sausages (RM26.90). Again, you can’t go wrong with good quality gourmet sausages. It has a hearty flavour with a bacony flavour mixed with spices. Delicious!

However, Buoasera’s signature Free Range Rosemary Chicken (RM27.90) causes disappointment. The piece of chicken came out too dry and they’ve overdone the salt.

After a while, the chef came out from the kicthen and mingles with his guests. He used to work with Pizza Uno, and now he is running some pastas and desserts classes at the Cooking House.

We were filled to the brim but after much persuasion from Chef Enzo, we are having THREE desserts to end the meal. The first dessert was Mixed berry zabaglione (RM16.90), a mixed berry sorbet drizzled with some Italian egg custard made of egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine. This is a very attractive looking dessert and is absolutely delicious!

Dessert No. 2 – Sticky Date Pudding (RM14.90) is to die for! Served with a very rich and sinful butterscotch sauce, this is not a dessert for dieters.

Last but not least, the tiramisu (14.90) was decent but personally I like more assertive mascarpone and a bit more alcohol.

With only some minor quirks here and there, Buonasera is still a decent place to go for some authentic home cooked Italian food. The pork dishes fare better and the desserts are to die for!

Buonasera
42, Jalan SS 2/66
Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel No: 03-7877 8586
(non halal. same row as Nam Heong and Hoppy Duck)

Only a few steps away from the famous Hau Kee, A Wet Thai Cafe too, is bustling with activities comes dinner time. In spite of the surrounding businesses and limited parking, this place is a hidden gem with a wide varieties of authentic Thai cuisine at reasonable prices.

It is a blessing in disguise that Ai Wei discovered this place and hence suggested it for Wen Ching’s farewell dinner.

We started off the meal with an appetizer of Miang Kam (RM 12) to tingle the tastebuds. Fold the chaplu leaves into a cone, pile it on with grated coconut , unpeeled lime, shallots, roasted peanuts, dried shrimps, fresh ginger, etc with a generous drizzle of the dipping sauce and pop it into your mouth.

The entire bundle is eaten in one bite. The myriad ingredients will create a flavor explosion inside your mouth and it is sure to whet your appetite for more!

chomp chomp

Patrons in A Wet Thai Cafe are served with pandan flavored water. I’ve had lemongrass flavored water at some Thai restaurant; but pandan flavored water is a first. Pretty enticing!

For mains, we had the grilled mackerel (RM 30). All seafood were grilled and served upon order, thus imparting a hearty, smoky flavor with charred crispy edges. Slowly devour it to allow the natural sweetness of the fish to come through.

A visit to a Thai restaurant is never complete without tom yam. A Wet’s seafood tom yam (RM 20) is prepared with many types of Thai herbs with the special addition of coconut milk that makes it smoother. It has a subtle blend of hot, spicy and sour flavor but I still like the clear version better.

Their green curry (RM 16) fares pretty well too. The gravy is so flavorful and creamy and most importantly it is being served with PORK strips! Delicious!

Deep Fried KangKung (RM 8). A typical example of looks can be deceiving; it tasted really despite the fact that it looked bumpy and lumpy. These bite-sized veges had a good crunch but were fairly soft insides. Adding a dash of the dipping sauce with minced PORK enhances the flavor better.

The deep fried chili seafood (RM 20) was nothing more than a lackluster dish.

We ordered some carbs for the guys but it turned out to be everyone’s favorite. Mixed with some spicy minced PORK, the Thai fried rice (RM 7.3) was very aromatic and appetizing.

Of all things sweet – Christine & Desserts

After the meal we felt quite satisfied but eventually we gave in to gluttony and ordered some desserts (RM 5.9 each) to be shared among us. The Water Chestnut with Coconut Milk was really good but the rest were not remarkable at all.

The total bill came to RM 145.45 (5% service tax). With great non halal (plus point!) Thai food, attentive services and reasonable pricing, I’d say this place warrants a second visit. Thanks Ai Wei for your great recommendation!

A Wet Thai Cafe

Tel: 03-91319838
(make a reservation to avoid disappointment)

UPDATE: Meng Kee @ Tengkat Tung Shun has been reallocated to Jalan Alor (next to Hotel Nova).

For those staying around Subang and Shah Alam, you can always get your char siu fix at the branch in Glenmarie without beating the traffic into the city.

Having received much press coverage; Meng Kee is still a no frills and humble little eating establishment with minimal renovation. Good food matters right?

Meng Kee’s oily rice is flavorful but I find it rather wet and lumpy.

Unlike some char-siu-like impostor with artificial coloring, Meng Kee’s char siu is gleaming in a deep mahogany color. Apart from that, their char siu is the sweeter version with a thick caramelized crust. Take a bite of the succulent and tender meat and you are in heaven!

However, I still think that Meng Kee’s char siu could not rival Famous Seremban Favourite’s char siu. FSF’s version is less sweet, more tender and juicier. Hmmm let’s just say that Meng Kee’s char siu is rated as the second best in my list!

The steam chicken was decent, but nothing spectacular though.

Innards (liver) Sausages are my perennial favorite but it is such a rare sight at “siu mei” joints nowadays. My lunch buddies expressed their shock and disgust over the sausages but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Never feed an Ipoh girl with such skinny taugehs. Politely, I shoved it away and continue tucking into my char siu and liver sausages.

Generally, Meng Kee serves top notch char siu with pretty decent “side dishes”. A simple meal at Meng Kee is light on the pocket too; we paid about RM12 per person for a hearty meal over here. Do remember to avoid the lunch-time crowd if you intend to drop by.

Meng Kee Char Siu
20 (Ground), Jalan Pekedai U1/36
Hicom Glenmarie Industrial Park
Shah Alam.
Tel No: 019 – 379 3629
Opens for breakfast and lunch. Close on Mondays

Hello everyone! While you may be dreading the thought of getting back to the daily grind and wading through the 200 plus emails sent to you, here’s some sweet treat to cheer you up!

Not too long ago, I received some goodies from Cakes for Kicks. It comes with a very beautiful packaging and finished with lovely blue ribbons. Cakes for Kicks is a home based cake establishment run by a humble husband and wife (Su-Mene) team. Su-Mene was trained as a lawyer before starting her own home bakery and made it big.

We left the durian cheesecake (RM 75 for 1.4 kg) sitting in the fridge for a while and it turned out to be amazingly delicious and it had a creamy melt in your mouth feeling. I love biting on the bits of pungent smell and slightly sweet flesh of durian too. The slice of heaven may look plain but the bright burst of flavors might surprise you!

Moist, delicious and light, Su’s carrot cake with lemon cream cheese frosting and glazed walnuts (RM 85 for 1.5 kg) is a clear winner too. Only gripe was that the cream cheese frosting was too sweet for my liking.

Ah, such delicious cakes made with love!