Niko Niko Onigiri, Puchong

Onigiri are also known as Japanese rice balls. It is made of white rice formed usually into a triangular shape wrapped in Japanese seaweed and it comes with various types of fillings and flavours. Onigiri are usually my preferred choice of food when I'm in need of something convenient yet delicious or when I'm looking for something simple and less fussy. It's a must for you to have onigiri when you're in Japan but this is the best I can find nearer to home.

Niko Niko Onigiri is best known for their variety of onigiri although there are other kinds of Japanese food available in their menu. It is a simple and casual cafe that serves Japanese Chinese food. They have a number of outlets around Klang Valley but the selection of onigiri may not be the same in each outlet. The one I visit frequently is the outlet in Puchong.

This is how the onigiri here looks like. Each onigiri is prepared fresh and wrapped individually. The seaweed sheet is wrapped within a plastic sheet so that it could retain its crispness for a longer period of time to ensure a better taste experience. However, there are proper steps to follow when you want to remove the plastic sheet and at the same time maintain its triangular shape.

Image taken from https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0001721/

Once you've removed the plastic sheet, it will look like this...

My personal favourite is the Tanuki Mixed Rice Onigiri. It is Japanese Fried Rice wrapped in seaweed and I opened it just to show you what it looks like...

They also have some local Malaysian flavours that I was keen to try.

This is the Sambal Onigiri. Don't worry, it is not very spicy. It may be a bit spicy for most children but it is not for an adult.

They have more than 20 flavours to choose from and I'm sure there's something for everyone. The price ranges from RM 3 to RM 4.80 per onigiri depending on the type of filling you choose

OUR RATING (Based on Puchong Outlet)

Ambience : 3.5/5

Service : 4/5

Food Quality : 3.5/5

Price Range : $

Status : Halal

Other information:

Address : No 39, Jalan Puteri 2/3, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor

Contact No. : 019-351 0541

Business Hours : 10.00am - 10.00pm (Monday - Friday) / 9am - 10.00pm (Saturday - Sunday)

Links : https://www.facebook.com/NikoNikoOnigiriPuchong/

Other outlets:

1. Jalan Radin Tengah, Sri Petaling
2. SS 15/4D, Subang Jaya
3. Jalan Batu Nilam 5, Bukit Tinggi, Klang
4. Kuchai Exchange
5. Glomac Cyberjaya
6. Jalan 4/1, Taman Bukit Serdang, Sri Kembangan
7. Permas Mall, Permas Jaya, Johor

(I'm not sure if there are more or the above outlets are still in operation)

Tai Soo No 1 Ipoh Famous Dessert, Ipoh

Date visited : 26 May 2018

When we talk about dessert in Ipoh, almost everyone that I know will mention Funny Mountain Tau Fu Fah. But to me, Funny Mountain is no longer funny as it is highly commercialized and it is too crowded with tourists. So I decided to look for another alternative for good Tau Fu Fah (Soybean Curd)... and I found it.

Tai Soo No 1 Ipoh Famous Dessert is a humble store located along the busy street of Jalan Raja Musa Aziz. And here they offer more than just Tau Fu Fah. They have Tau Fu Fah in different variations, cendol and ais kacang as well.

So if you are among a group of friends or family who would appreciate more variety, this would be a good choice.

Now let's talk about their Tau Fu Fah first.

This is their plain Tau Fu Fah with Gula Melaka (palm sugar). Tau Fu Fah with Pandan Syrup is nice but Gula Melaka gives the Tau Fu Fah an added caramel toffee like taste. The Tau Fu Fah here is very smooth and served in a reasonable portion.

This is Tau Fu Fah with Soya Bean and Pandan Syrup. It's a mixture of both hot Tau Fu Fah and cold Soya Bean drink. I will usually choose this on days I'm torned between a hot serving of tau fu fah or a cold and refreshing soya bean drink.

This is their Red Bean Cendol. The red bean and cendol is soft and sweet. However, when mixed together with the shaved ice drenched in Gula Melaka, it's not overly sweet.

And this is their Ais Kacang Special. Their Ais Kacang Special consists of shaved ice drenched in Gula Melaka, Rose syrup and evaporated milk, cincau (grass jelly), cendol, sago, red beans, sweet corn, roasted peanuts and then topped with a scoop of corn flavoured ice-cream. I actually preferred my Ais Kacang without ice-cream but I forgot to inform the staff on that and by default, it came with the ice-cream.

So if you want to try something new or enjoy your dessert away from the tourist crowd, why not come here for a change.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 3/5

Service : 4/5

Food Quality : 3.5/5

Price Range : $

Other information:

Address : No 24 Jalan Raja Musa Aziz, 30300 Ipoh, Perak

Contact No. : 012-527 8881

Business Hours : 11am - 6pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

Transaction : Cash

Links : https://www.facebook.com/ipohfamous/

Lian Thong Restaurant, Taiping

Date visited : 26 May 2018

When I browsed through blogs for food recommendation in Taiping, Lian Thong Restaurant was highly recommended for the best place to have breakfast. But since I've already made plans for breakfast, I saved stomach space to try this place out for lunch.

From the look of this place, it is easy to tell that this place has been around for quite a long time. Judging from the customers I see in this place, this place is popular not only with the local adults and elderly but also teenagers as well. 

The first thing I ordered was their Fried Taufu Pok.

The skin of the taufu pok is thin and deep fried till crunchy while the meat filling remains moist and juicy.  

Next I ordered their signature dish, the Bomb Mee.

It is similar to the normal Cantonese Fried Noodle or also known as Kong Foo Chau. The difference is in the noodles. The Yee Mee noodles in this Bomb Mee is fried till it is all puffed up and that creates the light and spongy texture on the inside. It is then topped with egg gravy, vegetables, chicken and prawns.

And last but not least is their own made Salted Lime Juice.

This drink is perfect for a hot weather or when you have a sore throat. It is slightly salted, slightly sweet plus a hint of sourness. And with all these combined, it makes it so refreshing and yummy.

The salted limes used for this drink is own made in this restaurant.

You will see jars and jars of limes in different stages of fermentation on their cashier counter and on top of a car bonnet outside the restaurant, under the sun.

They also have other worth trying dishes like Fried Mee Jawa and Kerabu Rice. I didn't have enough stomach space for them this time but I will definitely come back to this place again to try them out.

OUR RATING
Ambience : 3/5
Service : 4/5
Food Quality : 3.5/5
Price Range : $

Other information:
Address : No 5 Jalan Kota, Perak, 34000 Taiping
Contact No. : 05-807 2645
Business Hours : 8.30am - 2pm (Monday - Friday) / 8.30am - 12pm (Saturday) / Closed on Sundays)
Transaction : Cash
Links : https://www.facebook.com/LianThongRestaurant/

Mezcla, USJ Subang

Date visited : 15 April 2018

There may be times when you're not in the mood to have a heavy meal or complicated meals. Even a normal meal may be overwhelming and sandwiches may seem bland. Or maybe you're on a diet and looking for something different to eat. If this is the case, why not settle for something light and simple. Perhaps a burrito or a taco?

Tucked within the busy part of Taipan, USJ is a simple self-served restaurant that serves simple Mexican food.

They have a variety of burritos for you to choose from... chicken, beef, lamb, fish, shrimp or even vegetarian.

If you're not feeling much for a burrito, why not choose either a soft type wheat flour taco or a hard corn shell taco with a choice from 6 types of available fillings.

Or how about a quesadilla? If you still can't make up your mind, you can customize your own, be it a burrito or a bowl, from a variety of ingredients available.

There were 3 of us during this visit and we ordered a burrito, a taco, a bowl and some nachos.

I ordered the Spiced Grilled Chicken Burrito. As you can see, it's packed with tomato rice, pinto beans, corn, hot sauce, cheese, guacamole, lettuce and of course the grilled chicken. Don't underestimate this one burrito, it is quite filling.

This is a single Corn Shell Steak n Chili Taco. If you just want something extremely light or an option for some snacks, tacos would be just right for you.

If you would like something even more filling, you can choose to order the Pollo Bowl. This is Mexican Rice served with succulent Grilled Chicken Breast drizzled with their own made Hot Sauce accompanied by refried beans and pickled mango.

While I was lining up at the order counter, I managed to take a photo of their Original House Nachos ready for collection. It looks really yummy and wait till you see the Nachos we ordered.

We ordered the Beef House Nachos. The corn tortilla is covered with salsa, sour cream,cheese, jalapeno and ground beef. It's perfect for at least 3 to share.

This place may be simple but I like how it is friendly even to vegans. No wonder I see so many families enjoying food here.

OUR RATING
Ambience : 3/5
Service : 3/5
Food Quality : 3.5/5
Price Range : $
Status : Halal

Other information:
Address :18-1, Jalan USJ 9/5G, Subang Business Centre, 47620 Subang Jaya, Selangor
Contact No. :03-5879 9976
Business Hours : 12pm - 3pm / 6pm - 10.15pm - Thursday - Tuesday (Closed on Wednesdays)
Transaction : Cash
Links : https://www.facebook.com/mezclaburritos/

Food By Fat Cat, Sunway

Date visited : 25 December 2017

It's been awhile since I've made any new recommendations. Once again I came across this place by chance when I was on a Christmas grocery shopping trip with my family.

This place is newly opened and is attached to the Jaya Grocer grocery store in Sunway Geo.

It's called Food By Fat Cat... I wonder what's the story behind this name...

It has a very cozy atmosphere and the staff are very cheerful and friendly too.

They also have some mouthwatering homemade cakes, brownie and scones.

Upon placing my orders, the lady at the counter recommended me to try their soup of the day, potato soup. I'm glad I did because it was delicious! I usually won't order creamy soups like this except for mushroom soup. It was not too thick and the taste was just right. The garlic toast that came with it was delicious too. It was soft, fluffy and tasty. It complemented the soup so well.

My sister ordered this and I can't recall the name of it but it consisted of waffles, scrambled eggs and deep fried oyster mushrooms. 

My husband ordered The Fattie Breakie. It is a combination of scrambled eggs with crispy turkey ham and edamame beans, sautéed mushrooms, baked beans and a freshly toasted bread. It may look simple but it is delicious.

My father and I could not help it but to try their Nasi Lemak Meow Meow. Their nasi lemak consists of brown rice topped with Crispy Chicken Kaarage, Sambal, thinly sliced and rolled Japanese cucumber, hard boiled eggs, anchovies and peanuts.

My father and I enjoyed our nasi lemak so much and I will definitely revisit this place to try out more dishes.

Later I got to know that this place is a collaboration between Jaya Grocer and the culinary team behind one of the place I recommended in my earlier posts, The Good Batch.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 4/5 

Service : 4.5/5

Food Quality : 4/5

Price Range : $$

Status : Halal

Other information:

Address : D-01-01-001A, Block D, Sunway Geo Avenue, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Subang Jaya, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor

Contact No. : 03-5650 5181

Business Hours : 10am - 10.00pm (Daily)

Transaction : Cash only

Links : 

fatcat.my

https://www.facebook.com/fatcatmy/

Kopitiam Kita, Kota Bharu

Date Visited : 29 September 2017

This is my favourite breakfast place in Kota Bharu. Whenever I'm in Kota Bharu, I MUST have my breakfast here. This place is called Kopitiam Kita.

This place is constantly packed with locals and I've never once seen this place even half empty.

The reason why I love this place so much is that you can choose from a wide selection of local Kelantan food such as Nasi Tumpang, Nasi Dagang, Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Lemak and many more.

All these food you see readily packed and grouped into different baskets are actually from different suppliers from various parts of Kelantan. This place serves as a platform to promote and sell their specialty dishes.

My selection for today are Nasi Berlauk Ikan Tumpat, Nasi Kapit Sambal and Nasi Tumpang Kubang Pasu.

Each packet is like a surprise present to me because I don't know how each packet would look and taste like. But until today, I've never been disappointed with my choices. 

The one at the top of the photo, served on a banana leaf is Nasi Kapit Sambal. The square shaped rice is like nasi impit and it's served with a dry type of sambal. The sambal is sweet, salty and spicy in taste and it's really delicious when eaten together with the rice.

The one at the bottom of the photo, served in brown paper packing is the Nasi Berlauk Ikan Tumpat. I don't think it's the name of the fish, I think this rice is from a town in Kelantan called Tumpat. Like I said... every packet I chose is a surprise to me because I just picked them up in random and based on gut feel.

Now this cone shaped rice is called Nasi Tumpang Kubang Pasu. Nasi Tumpang is rice with different layer of dishes wrapped in a cone shape with banana leaf. 

And now for the main highlight of this place... it's a toast bread dish called Roti Titab.

It's toasted bread served with their own homemade kaya and half boiled egg. Even if you don't prefer runny egg yolks, you should try this. The combination is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

This dish is so delicious and popular that they decided to trademark the name, Roti Titab.

And this is their bread served in many other ways...

If you ever have a chance to go to Kota Bharu, you have to make it a compulsory to come here at least once. The Roti Titab is a must and the rest is up to you to try.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 4/5 

Service : 4/5

Food Quality : 5/5

Price Range : $

Status : Halal

Other information:

Address : 4357-A Taman Desa Jaya Jalan Pengkalan Chepa, 15400 Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Contact No. : 019-981 0888 / 018-987 0888 / 012-987 0888 / 010-910 0001

Business Hours : 6.00am - 2.00pm (Saturday - Thursday) / 6.00am - 12.30pm (Friday)

Transaction : Cash only

Links : https://web.facebook.com/KopitiamKitaRotiTitab/

Mee Rebus Pak Chop, Kg Subang

Date visited : 19 August 2017

This is going to be a short but super delicious review because I'll be focusing only on one item... Mee Rebus!

I usually don't eat yellow mee because it has a certain smell and taste to it that I simply dislike. However, this place has made me put that dislike aside and turn it to almost an addiction. It only happens at this place and no other place... Mee Rebus Pak Chop.

I was introduced to this place a few years back by a foodie friend and since then, this has become my MUST go to place when I'm near Kg Subang or craving for Mee Rebus.

To me, this is the BEST Mee Rebus I've ever eaten. There are a few types of Mee Rebus in Malaysia and this is the Northern style Mee Rebus.

Just by looking at the photo makes me drool.😋

The gravy is thick and flavourful. The fried ingredients are my favourite because it becomes so tasty when eaten together with the gravy. One of the fried ingredient do taste a bit sourish... but that's normal, so don't worry.

They also have other food items available such as Ayam Penyet, Mee Goreng and Fried Kuey Teow. I've only sampled the Fried Kuey Teow once and it's quite tasty too.

Since this place is a simple food stall and not air-conditioned, it gets a bit hot in the afternoon. So if you're going to visit this place, do come prepared.

👍👍👍👍👍

OUR RATING

Ambience : 2.5/5 (It's simple and clean but could get a bit hot in the afternoon)

Service : 4.5/5

Food Quality : 4.5/5

Price Range : $

Status : Halal

Other information:

Address : Jalan Pasar, Kg Baru Subang, 40150 Shah Alam

Contact No. : 016-9168532

Business Hours : 10.00am - 6.00pm (Monday-Saturday) / Closed on Sundays

Transaction : Cash

Links : https://www.facebook.com/pakchopmerebus/