Sek Yuen Restaurant Pudu KL food review

Mention Sek Yuen and it will make many recall fondly about wedding banquets held in the past since our parents' generation. It's that old schooled Chinese restaurant that never went out of style.

Sek Yuen Restaurant
315, Jalan Pudu
Opens Tuesday to Sunday 11.00am to 2.30pm, 5.30pm to 10pm
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/%E9%80%82%E8%8B%91%E9%85%92%E5%AE%B6-Restoran-Sek-Yuen-1948-Jalan-Pudu-155047324596390/

Having 2 air conditioned shoplot and one original shoplot with fan only, it's already full by 6pm! A rare scene for KL. Let's see how good the dishes are.

Peking duck

Nothing fancy but solid good roast duck. Cripsy skin, can't taste any fat underneath yet juicy and tender duck meat that easily came off the bone. All speaking of roasting a fresh duck under low heat for a long time.

Crab meat wrap

I love how I can eat crab without having to crack the shells open. Stir fry with scrambled egg, julienned carrot, shitake mushrooms, glass noodles, this yummy combination is then wrapped in iceberg lettuce for an extra crunch. Adding a few drops of black vinegar improves the flavors.

Tofu with mixed vegetables

What a comfort food. A standard combination of fried tofu stir fried with a combination of vegetables (carrot, baby corn, Chinese cabbage, spring onions and ) and chicken slices, as well as shrimps.

Steam fish

It's an art to know how steam fish until it's just cooked and still soft and juicy. This is a great example. The only thing we didn't like is the amount of fish bones there. Ha. And if only the minced ginger has a bit more punch.

Seafood cake

A great concoction of prawn, vegetables made into paste and deep fried into this golden balls of delight.

The other thing worth mentioning is that their steamed rice (nasi kukus) is so much more flavoursome and soft comparing with conventional rice cooker ones.

There you go, our simple dinner at Sek Yuen. Yummy and cheap, simple yet elegant. Our verdict is 8/10!

Delicious Happy Garden 美味园 Kuantan Chinese Cuisine food review

Do you know that Delicious Happy Garden is another great place to have Chinese cuisines in kuantan? Recently bought over by a new management team, it's now about 8 months old already! It's just behind SJK(C) Pooi Chai.

Delicious Happy Garden 美味园
1424, Jln Air Putih, Lorong Galing 128
https://www.facebook.com/%E7%BE%8E%E5%91%B3%E5%9B%AD%E6%B5%B7%E9%B2%9C%E9%A5%AD%E5%BA%97-1203316596481463/
Opens Wednesday to Monday 5pm-12am (rest on every alternate Tuesday)
Phone 0169229623

The head chef has previously worked at Mexica Garden (a well-known banquet style Chinese restaurant), as well as MS Garden hotel. We were already having high expectations at the sound of this. Let's see if they live up to the expectations!

Tilapia ginger hotpot姜爆红非洲煲

Fresh raw tilapia cooked in whole using the casserole in a pot of minced ginger and onion soup. The result is an extremely soft and tender flesh without the earthy taste. Simply heavenly. But it could be better if the soup is more flavoursome. It's a skill to maintain the suitable heat to keep the ingredients from becoming charred.

Mayonnaise prawns 风味虾

Fresh and juicy prawns deep fried coated with a layer of mayonnaise mixed with other condiments (secret recipe k), resulting in this slightly yellowish coating. Always one of my favorite.

Signature fried pork belly 招牌姜爆花肉

Pork belly thinly sliced and marinated in honey before being deep fried until the fat melted till golden brown then stirred fried with julienned onions. A great appetizer and snacks if one wishes to have a beer or two. Love how crunchy and sweet the pork is.

Fried pork chop 香炸花肉

Pork chop marinated in fermented bean curd paste then fried until the outside is crunchy and golden. The meat is half lean and half fatty, making the overall combination moist and soft. It's then sliced and plated in bite sized pieces. A hakka style pork chop that's also great as a side dish.

Homemade tofu皇妃豆腐

Tofu made on site to achieve this soft silky texture. Fried slightly on the outside. Sandwich with shitake mushroom and carrot slice and surrounded by blanched brocolli. Drizzled with thickened oyster sauce. Baby Bing's favorite and we only get to have a slice of tofu each.

Braised pork with peanuts花生闷扣肉

Again, three layered pork (fatty and lean layers intertwine with each other) braised in soy based sauce together with peanuts and steamed for at least 4 hours. The result is such a comfort food choice that simply melts in the mouth.

Mixed fried vegetables 芹香小炒

A combination of sliced celery, lotus root, french beans, red carrot and black fungus. Stir fried at high heat so that the vegetables are just cooked and remain crunchy and fresh.

That's quite a feast for 2 adults and a toddler! We enlist the help of the co-owner and her daughter so these good food would not go to waste. Price wise also fairly affordable. Besides this, they also accept buffet orders for occasions such as birthday parties.

Our verdict is 8/10! Found another place to have family dinner. Would love to try their crabs in the near future.

Grand Imperial Sunway Pinnacle

Wanting to have some grand and delicious Chinese cuisine? Boasting a huge ball room and private suite, Grand Imperial is the place to be if you feel like splurging.

Grand Imperial Restaurant Sunway Pinnacle
101 Pinnacle Annex, Persiaran Sunway, Bandar Sunway
Official website https://grandimperial.com.my/pinnacle-sunway-grand-imperial-restaurant/
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GrandImperialGroup/

Updated visit in 2020 during RMCO.

We managed to savour our dinner in a private suite so we can dine in ease without worrying about running children. Note that sealable plastic bags were available to safekeep our face masks.

Look at my happy children running around and yelling "lanterns!"

Peking duck spring rolls, minced pork tofu, steam prawns, hotplate salted fish fried vege and I must say their fried rice was super impressive!

Dessert: Almond milk, sweet potato puff with sesame (must try!), mango strawberry dessert soup and osmanthus jelly. 

Below was our first visit in 2018. I think my photography skills have improved a lot in the past 2 years.

Appetizer is mini anchovies coated in tempura powder and fried. Gives a popping sensation when one bites into it. Taking it with the peanut makes me wanna eat it nonstop.

Peking duck

But the duck actually hailed from London with such cripsy skin that I couldn't find any fat underneath and tender meat that came off the bone easily. We have the luxury of the duck slices cut and readily wrapped in warm steamed popiah skin with refreshing cucumber and spring onion. Just need to pop it into the mouth to relive the goodness.

Duck noodles

The whole roast duck is then prepped in the kitchen to produce this noodle dish. I like how soft the meat is in contrast with the slightly chewy thin noodles fried at the right heat in caramel sauce.

Spinach and bean curd skin soup

Never thought of this interesting combination. The beancurd skin is soft enough but not falling apart. The spinach adds on to the sweetness of the soup together with the gochi berries. Great choice for cold weather and young children.


Fried oyster mushrooms

Coated and fried till golden and cripsy outside, it's also flavored with salted egg, the trend in Asian dishes recently. The salted egg made the tempura batter less dry and adds on to the texture. I can never resist fried oyster mushrooms, let alone one that's plated so nicely.

Baby French bean rolls

Another elegantly plated dish. The freshness and crunchiness of the lightly blanched bean, wrapped in cripsy and salty bacon. The exterior lightly dusted with some chicken floss. A very creative combination that looks so good in terms of colors, as well as winning in the taste.

Grilled pork chop

This may look like a simple pork chop but look deceives. Marinated and grilled to perfection, the meat is so juicy, soft and tender unlike any other pork chop that I have ever had. Maybe the secret is the Spanish origin of the pork?

Steamed tofu with pork belly

Another dish that children will love. The tofu is silky and soft that baby Bing finishes it all by himself. The braised pork belly is so soft that everything just melts in the mouth. Marinated so well that all the flavors are fully infused.

Fish cake

At a glance I thought it's cripsy like crackers. But it's actually fried on the outside but soft like fish ball on the inside. Nice springy texture. The dipping sauce tastes kind of like green curry but a stronger hint of mint. Yum!


Our verdict 9/10! Delicious food made with lots of care and effort but the price tag is equally high. Want to spend and eat like a King, try Grand Imperial out.

Affordable lunch sets at Samwon Kitchen Kuantan food review

Friday lunches are usually the best lunch that we can have during weekdays thanks to the longer lunch break. Have been wanting to try this place out. Finally gotten the chance to date Mr husband! This place was converted from a Japanese buffet restaurant.

SamWon Kitchen Korean Cuisine
Address A137, Jalan Haji Abdul Haziz, Kuantan
Phone +60 9-531 6996
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SamwonKitchen/

Love how spacious the dining area is. Bright and inviting too. Sam Won only serves their lunch sets during the busy lunch hours. It's a great selection of satisfying Korean food. We didn't have too much time otherwise would have tried the Korean BBQ.

Kim chi stew with rice

My all-time favorite. Fiery and appetizing kimchi stew with fresh squid rings, prawns, silky tofu, egg and a very generous portion of kimchi, capsicum, spring onions and brown onions. Finish every single drop of the soup even though it's spicy. Wallop the bowl of rice down in no time.

The Korean fried rice set is enough to fit two. The equally hot kimchi colours the dish dark red. A huge portion of brocolli, kimchi, onions, spring onions and chilli stir fried with slightly sticky rice. It's made perfect with a sunny side up egg which has a half cooked egg yolk. My favourite way to have eggs!

All Korean dishes also come with a great selection of side dishes. Macaroni in mayonnaise, preserved brinjals, kombu, kimchi (just can't get enough of it!), dried fried seaweed and preserved cucumber. We didn't even ask for refill because we were so full after the two dishes.

Each set also comes with a complimentary glass of fruit juice. Freshly pressed, not cordial. We had apple and orange juice respectively.

Our verdict 8.5/10! Lunch set great for value and equally yummy. Shall be back for their BBQ in no time.

KarRatz Cafe Kuantan halal food review

Great for those who are really hungry and are looking for great Malay or Western food that's of decent portion and nice atmosphere. It's conveniently located just opposite to Mahkota Gold Club Center.

KarRatz Cafe
Address A15, Lorong Indera Mahkota 14/32
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KarRatz.ent/
Phone +60 12-900 3245
Opens Tuesday to Sunday 12pm to 12am

The menu here are all named using different cars. Fairly unique and interesting. The decoration is really striking and cool using a huge mural depicting cars. Various car parts are also used in the cafe as decorations. Funky and attractive.

Putra

A fantastic spread of Malay rice dish. Fried whole pomfret coated lightly with salted flour with soft flesh and cripsy skin. The ulam tastes like rocket salad with chunks of cucumber, slices of tomato. Dip the fish in either Birdseye chilli with soy sauce, sambal belacan or curry gravy. It's quite spicy and appetizing.

Fugu Z aka Cheeza

A great Western choice. It's a generous portion of crumbed chicken chop topped with delicious melted mozarella cheese that warrants a cheese pull video. The sauce is tomato based with capcisum and onions. Side dishes are fresh garden salad dressed with thousand island sauce, a greath scoop of mashed potato, as well as coleslaw.

Golf

A great choice for young children. Baby Bing enjoyed throughly the macaroni in eggy creamy sauce with slices of sausages, diced capsicum, thin mushroom slices and chicken breast pieces. Not too forget the two juicy beef balls! Easy to eat and Bing managed to finish three quarters of it in no time.

Celica

A highly recommended dessert by KarRatz. Homemade brownie that's very chocolatey but slightly on the dry side with a great selection of nuts. Crunchy and dense. And goes very well with the lightly textured cream and strawberry. Particularly love the vanilla ice cream which is mixed with peanut butter and chocolate. Yum yum!

The drink selection is also a combination of Malay and Western choices.

Soda herbs

An exciting combination of soda water, mint leaves, lemongrass stalk, lemon slices, plums and lychee. This creates a whole new flavour which is sweet, slightly sour and refreshing.

Iced coffee

A lovely glass of black coffee with the popular evaporated milk great for coffee lovers on a hot day.

Our verdict 8.5/10. Many exciting menu choices and stay tuned for the upcoming ramadhan buffet menu in mid May! Efficient service and great tastes! 

Teratai Chini Shell Ouch halal food review

This is such a hidden gem in kuantan town area. Cheap and fresh seafood that's yummy at the same time too. Owned by a young couple who vows to only deliver the freshest seafood to their customers and conveniently located just opposite to kuantan river.

Teratai Chini Shell Ouch
40, Jalan Teluk Sisek Kuantan
Opens Tuesday to Sunday 5pm to 1am
+60179000729
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/terataichini/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tcshellouch/

Believe it or not, the owners actually travel everyday to Rompin as well as Kamunting to source for the freshest ingredients. They refuse to serve frozen seafood and are willing to throw away seafood that's no longer fresh. Unfortunately that also means that we have to wait till July each year to savour fresh crabs because it's not the season at the moment.

Rehydrate ourselves with this huge watermelon juice for the couple. At just RM10, we were provided with freshly pressed watermelon juice which we only managed to finish half and have to pack the other half. Very generous portion.

There are 3 choices for the shellout sauce. Original spicy sauce, butter sauce or black pepper sauce with the former two more popular. From a two person set to a 4 person American lobster set, it's a luxurious spread.

We ordered set E Ratah. It came with a generous portion of green mussles, lala, cockles, prawns and squid. Yummylicious! We decided to go without the rice because we just want to fill our stomach with seafood.

The original sauce has quite a kick! Spicy, full of flavors and rich. So the watermelon juice really comes in handy. Very appetizing and make us want to gobble everything up. One is expected to eat using their bare hands and the table is already layered with a plastic sheet which you can also double up as your tapao sheet haha.

The butter sauce, on the other hand, is very different. Combined with curry leaves and some birds eye chilli, it has a much milder buttery and thick creamy texture. It's fairly filling though. The seafood is cooked to just the right time so it's still tender and juicy.

Their Mee Goreng basah is also tasty. The noodles are springy, sauce made from soy sauce, oyster sauce and chili flakes. Love how they also put in some fresh seafood on there.

Overall verdict is 8.5/10! The freshness and the taste and of course the price beats everything else.