Singgah Selalu @ Johor Bahru

Whoops, didn't realise that this post was languishing in the unpublished pile!



Apologies for the lack of photos, we only had the camera phone to work with.

The restaurant is quite easy to find as they have a few branches. We went to the one at Danga Bay, which is opposite of Tune Hotel.

The restaurant is huge, could easily seat a 100 pax or more!

K: I think it can seat more than 100. Maybe 200++? It also has live music performance at night. Very convenient place to meet up & lepak. Nak tengok bola pun bolehhhh....

We had the controversial asian favorite; sharks fin soup, tomato chili crab and butter fried sotong (calamari).

The sharks fin soup, to be honest, was forgettable. The restaurant didn't even have black vinegar and instead gave us kicap - FAIL wey! It wasn't bad, mind you, but it wasn't great so why spend money and have a poor shark die in vain for mediocrity?

The tomato chili crab was rather pricey (RM40++) but the portion was fair enough. I don't have chili crab often enough to tell you if this is the best thing ever but it was good. The crab was meaty and fresh, I only wished the sauce was just a little more sour. 

The outstanding dish was the butter fried sotong because of the generous portion. Rm14 for a dish big enough for 3! And yes, it was yummy too.

K: Yeah, the butter fried sotong is the only dish that I would consider value for money. The rest were, hmmmm, average.

Good variety of food - Western, Malaysian, Chinese - so, if you come in a big group there're plenty of choices for everyone. Shisha pun ada!

Quality wise, not bad but just doesn't have that extra zing.

Verdict - It's not bad but it's not outstanding. Certainly won't have us rushing for another trip to JB.

Singgah Selalu

36, D,E,F, Jalan Skudai, 

80200 Johor Bahru.

T: 07-2377255

Price - $-$$$

Halal

Open 24 hours

Yut Loy @ Kuala Kangsar, Perak

(TJ is unable to review this place as thinking about it puts her cravings into a mad frenzy.)

K: As an old boy of MCKK, one of our hangouts during weekends was the Hainanese kopitiam Yut Loy. Our exclusive boys club was at the 1st floor of the restaurant, where only MCKK boys were allowed. The other lesser mortals would have to be satisfied with the ground floor.

The top item on the menu was definitely the pau. The pau was light and fluffy, with delightful fillings inside. There were kaya, red bean, beef and chicken fillings. There were other food of course, but the pau was the main draw. If you come during MCKK's Old Boys Weekend, you would have to order reaaaaal early (by phone if you can) because if you come and expect to get pau just like that, you are dreaming.

The paus are so good that they get the royal thumbs up from the Sultan of Perak!

However, there was one particular food that was actually really good and quite unique but I only discovered it after I left school.

Okay, I'm sure everyone had tried hainanese chicken chop and beef steak before, but the one thing that I am not sure many people have ever tried is egg steak. Yes, you read it right, egg steak!

The story goes that the MCKK boys were too broke to afford chicken chop or beef steak, so instead they ordered egg steak which is basically fried egg with gravy. It's the same gravy used for the beef steak and chicken chop, just poured on egg. The gravy is not your typical black pepper sauce but a brown sauce served with onions, peas and carrots.

Having said that, the beef steak and chicken chop is much better than the egg steak. But hey, if you want to try something unique, just give the egg steak a go!

Yut Loy
No 51, Jalan Kangsar
Kuala Kangsar
33000 Perak
T:  057766369

Price: $ - $$
Halal

(first pic courtesy of dammitlil)

Al Dente @ Precint 1, Putrajaya

Galleria has opened with very little fanfare. I honestly thought it was just another office block until one night, while driving by, saw that they had some sad buntings outside the building saying so-and-so shops/ restaurants were open.

Right at the front of the building is Al Dente, a restaurant affiliated to Pullman hotel that offers Italian and Malaysian cuisine. Warning - the prices reflect its affiliation to the hotel.

The menu looks pretty interesting; there's italian, there's Malaysian, and then there's the fusion for the adventurous. Spaghetti with peas and coconut cream? Pizza with sambal and quail eggs? Alas, we weren't feeling terribly adventurous that day, perhaps another time.

Fresh garlic bread, breadsticks and dips

The meal began with complimentary starters - yay! Who doesn't like free food, right? Crispy breadsticks and fresh herb and garlic bread with an array of dips. The fresh bread, actually more like plain pizza base, was a delight as it was fluffy and warm. Dips were olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sambal, curry mayonaise and coarsely crushed black olives in oil.

We tried the curry mayonaise with slight trepidation as it sounded kinda gross. But it was a surprising hit with us, mildly zesty but creamy with a slightly cheesy tang. The sambal was also another favorite, more savory than sweet and not too oily, which is how TJ prefers it.

Prawn Risotto

K had the Prawn Risotto (RM22) while TJ opted for the slightly less adventurous Spaghetti Bolognaise (RM22) instead. They didn't skimp on the prawns and the texture of the risotto was nice but a big letdown was the asparagus. K expected the asparagus to be crunchy. Alas, there were a few that were too chewy. It was impossible to eat them. Some might say, "Aiyaaah, a few asparagus only maaa. No big deal." No big deal if it's a roadside warung but for a hotel restaurant, unforgivable!

Spaghetti Bolognaise

TJ doesn't usually order Spaghetti Bolognaise in restaurants as she has impossibly high standards after a lifetime of being spoiled with her mom's cooking. Alas, mom's overseas and unable to make the spaghetti and TJ would rather not mati kempunan. Verdict - pretty good. The pasta, ironically, was not al dente but the tomato sauce was thick with browned ground beef. Still can't beat mom's cooking.

Ginger Creme Brulee

We were pretty excited for dessert as they have Ginger Creme Brulee (RM12), which was an intriguing combination for TJ the ginger lover. Sadly it didn't quite match our expectations. The custard was smooth and creamy but the ginger was too subtle, almost non-existent. But the biggest letdown was the lack of hard sugar top, which was either too thin or not under the flame long enough. What's a creme brulee without that hard layer to crack open? A disappointing end to an otherwise promising meal.

In short - Pricey but comes with excellent service in a tastefully simple modern environment, overall good food though a rather disappointing dessert.

Al Dente
Galleria Putrajaya (Next to KBS Building)
Ground Floor
Precint 4, Putrajaya
Opening hours 10am til 4PM (so come for lunch or tea)
Price - $$-$$$
Halal