Pepper Soup, USJ

If you're looking for good comfort food to eat in Subang Jaya or USJ area, if the timing is right, why not give this place a try...

This coffee shop is quite busy not only on weekdays but weekends too. There are quite a number of stalls in this coffee shop but this time, I would like to recommend the Pepper Soup stall. Calling all soup lovers out there! This is one stall you have to try.

This stall is located at the back of the coffee shop and they only have 2 selections, Pepper Soup or Lotus Soup. So if you like peppery soups, you would like this.

Even though this coffee shop opens at 8am and closes at 11pm, this stall is only open from 12pm to 3pm. It will close even earlier if they're sold out before 3pm.

Customers already start queuing in front of the stall even when they're busy with preparations before 12pm.

This stall is operated by an elderly couple but they are very fast. You have to be ready with your orders by the time you reach at the front of the line. There's really not much time to ask for more information. They get a bit irritated if you're indecisive when it's your turn to place your orders.

You just have to decide between the Pepper Soup (Pig Stomach Soup) or the Lotus Soup. The aunty or uncle will ask you 3 questions; if you want to tapau (pack to go) or having here, if you want with or without chicken feet for both soups and big rice, small rice or no rice. So be ready with your decision.

The aunty will then prepare the ingredients for the soup you ordered and the uncle will be the one busy preparing the soups in few pots at once. While waiting for them to prepare your order, you will have to scoop your own chilli, spring onion and soy sauce.

This is the Pepper Soup or most people would call it Pig Stomach Soup. The main ingredients in this peppery soup is the pork stomach and pork meat. My husband loves this.

I would usually order the Lotus Soup. The main ingredients in this soup is lotus root, pork meat and peanuts. This soup also has a peppery taste to it.

This is the best kind of food to eat during one of those cloudy or rainy days.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 3/5

Service : 3.5/5

Food Quality : 3.5/5

Price Range : $

Status : Non Halal

Other information:

Address : Restoran Tian Tian, No 12, Jalan USJ 20/8C, USJ 20, 47630 Subang Jaya, Selangor

Business Hours : 12.00pm - 3.00pm (Closed on Mondays)

Transaction : Cash

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)

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/

Restoran Xfrens, Kemuning Utama

Date visited : 24 February 2018

It's Chinese New Year again and it also means feasting time! For some, the feasting starts 15 days before Chinese New Year and continues till Chap Goh Mei, the 15th day Chinese New Year which is also the last day of the celebration.

This year, we decided to have our annual school friends CNY dinner get together at this place, Restoran Xfrens, Kemuning Utama. When I was searching for the location in Waze only did I realize that they also have branches in Subang Jaya and Puchong Jaya (I'll share the addresses at the end of this post).

I arrived at 7pm and the place was already packed. Thank God my friend was wise enough to call and made reservations for 2 tables the day before, otherwise, we would have been one of those standing around waiting for tables to be available. So, if you're planning to come on a weekend with a big group, it is advisable to make reservations prior to your visit.

At first we thought of ordering a CNY set that starts from RM688, but because the ala carte dishes on their menu seems more interesting, we decided to each choose a dish from their ala carte menu instead.

Since it was CNY, Yee Sang was definitely a must, so we ordered the Yee Sang with octopus.

The Yee Sang was very tasty. There was a good balance between the sweet and the sour. Since there was a lot of unfavourable noise about salmon, the octopus was a rather good replacement.

Let's start with the vegetable dishes first.

This is the Stir Fried Potato Leaf with belacan. It is not very spicy and not too overwhelmed with the taste of belacan.

This is the Stir Fried Lotus Root with Waterchesnut. The combination of vegetables in this dish was quite tasty. The thing I appreciated most was they actually removed the "string" from the snow peas which many restaurants failed to do.

This is one of my favourite dish in the beancurd category, Beancurd with Pumpkin Gravy. I like the way they prepared this dish because it has that creamy buttery taste with a hint of spiciness from the bird's eye chili (cili padi) and fragrant smell from the curry leaves.

Now let's proceed with the meat dishes...

This is the Claypot Kampung Chicken with Chinese Wine. Maybe because of a bad first experience, I usually try avoiding this dish... even if it was cooked by my mom. I didn't want to be picky about food in front of my friends, so I decided to give it a go. To my own surprise, it was good! 

This is the Pork with Salted Fish in Claypot. It is also nice because the meat is not too fat and on overall, it's not too salty.

We also ordered another pork dish called the Pork Ribs in 3 Flavours. It is savoury, sweet, spicy and a fragrant taste of curry all at the same time.

And the last dish is my all time favourite, Salted Egg Mantis Prawns. It is crispy and well covered with salted egg. Yummy!

I highly recommend this place if you're looking for a decent place for a Chinese style dinner with your family or friends. Also, it won't burn a big hole in your pocket at the end of the meal.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 3.5/5 

Service : 3.5/5

Food Quality : 4/5

Price Range : $$

Status : Non-Halal

Other information:

Shah Alam Branch :

Address : No.10 & 12 Jalan Kemuning Prima E33/E Kemuning Utama, 40400 Shah Alam

Contact No. : 03-5131 9279

Business Hours : 11am - 3pm / 5.30pm - 10.30pm (Closed on Wednesdays) 

Transaction : Credit cash & Cash

Subang Jaya Branch :

Address : No 51, Jalan SS 18/1B, SS 18, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor

Contact No. : 03-5611 0488

Business Hours : 10.30am - 3pm / 5.30pm - 10.30pm (Only 10.30am - 3pm on Wednesdays) 

Transaction : Credit cash & Cash

Puchong Branch :

Address : No 7 & 9, Jalan Kenari 18B, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47100 Puchong, Selangor

Contact No. : 03-8080 7800

Business Hours : 11am - 3pm / 6pm - 10pm (Daily) 

Transaction : Credit cash & Cash

Tai Syou Japanese Restaurant, SS15 Subang

Date visited : 3 February 2017

If you are familiar with SS15, Subang Jaya, you'll know that there are a number of Japanese restaurants in this area, especially the row right opposite the Subang Medical Centre (formerly known as Sime Darby Medical Centre). We've recently given ourselves a mission... to try each and everyone of them.

We've tried a few already but we're currently stuck at this one place that we kept going back for more than 5 times already. It's called Tai Syou Japanese Restaurant.

What I like most about this place is the friendliness of the staff including the lady boss and of course the quality of the food. The space is not very big but it's very cosy. You can choose from floor, table and counter seating. Since it was not crowded today, we chose the floor seating.

If you're not sure what to order, you can get the assistance of the lady boss to make some recommendations. Once you've placed your order, they will serve you free appetizer of the day. And today we were given Potato Salad.

Tai Syou is different from most Japanese restaurant as they do not have many sushi choices but have quite a variety of kushiyaki (skewered grilled meat/vegetable) to choose from. You can choose if you want your selection to be grilled with salt or teriyaki sauce.

My Japanese affair would never be complete without having a serving of Salmon Sashimi and the sashimi here is very fresh.

There are 5 types of Temaki (Handrolls) to choose from and today's choice was the Soft Shell Crab Temaki. The thing I like about the Temaki here is that the soft shell crab here is not fried using recycled oil and it's not soggy when served. It's very important to me that the it's wrapped tight with the seaweed still crispy.

The tempura here is not bad either.

If you wish for something stronger in flavour, you can try their Una Don (Roasted Eel on Rice).

Some of you might have a hard time choosing what to eat from a menu. To simplify things, you can also choose from their set lunch/dinner menu. This set here is called the Sashimi with Ten Don Set and it only cost RM39.

If you still have room for dessert, why not have some ice-cream... this is delicious!

If you're looking for something not too elaborate but yet delicious and affordable, you should check this place out.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 4.5/5
Service : 5/5
Food Quality : 4/5
Value for Money : 4/5

Status : Non Halal
Will we go back for more : Yes.

Other information:

Address : No 57-G Jalan SS15/5A, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor

Contact No. : 03-5612 3318

Business Hours : 11.45am - 3pm / 5.30pm - 11pm (Weekdays, Saturdays & Public Holidays) / 5pm - 11pm (Sundays)

Transaction : Cash & Credit Card

Links : https://www.facebook.com/Tai-Syou-Japanese-Restaurant-251629481867662/