Shuraku @ Solaris

Got to know Shuraku, a fusion Japanese restaurant through a friend. The place is one of its kind. Cozy ambience & deco, friendly service, good food.

 

If it's your first visit, you can do like what we did, tell the boss, Edwin to design a course meal for you. You'll get to experience the anticipation of not knowing what you'll be eating...don't know what to expect...every dish is a surprise!

Please bare with me for not knowing the name of the dishes.

1st dish: Appetizer (salad with minced beef)

2nd dish: Grilled Squid served with fish egg mayonese sauce

3rd dish: Vege, mushroom, gyoza (dumplings) soup

4th dish: Unagi Tofu (best dish of the night!)

5th dish: Fried soft bones

6th dish: Grilled Scallop

7th dish: Negi Cha Siew (pork with fats)

8th dish: Green Tea ice-cream with red bean

Cold Sake!

All the above for less than RM200 (inclusive of tax) for 2 persons. It's up to you to judge if it's worth the money. As for me, money well spent for the total package. it's the experience that counts.

Note: Shuraku is a small restaurant which can fit only 35-45 customers. It's best to make a reservation @ 03-6203 0561 to avoid disappointment.

How to get there?
Shuraku is at Solaria Mont Kiara, above Maybank.
Food: Unique, original.
Ambience: Cozy yet authentic. You'll feel like dining in restaurants at Japan. 
Price: Same as proper Japanese restaurant. 
Recommended by: My friend.

Black Canyon @ Centerpoint, PJ

From the hometown I came from, Thai food is fairly cheap, just like our Malaysian food. But in KL, Thai food are usually market as air-conditioned restaurant high-class cuisine concept, with Black Canyon as an exception case.

Black Canyon is the largest operator of coffee houses in Thailand. They serve high quality coffee, Thai & Western food.

Iced Coffee, on the cover of beverage menu is their signature milk coffee. Not too strong of coffee aroma, with adequate of milk, serve with small rounded ice-cubes, in a fat round glass. I love it too. Best part is...you get stratifying coffee, in the standard volume, priced at RM3 lcheaper than Starbucks! :-)

 

They offer set lunches & dinner which I find very reasonable.

By paying RM39.90++ for the family set, you get 4 dishes + 1 tom yam soup + 4 big cubes of rice!

Spicy stir fried seafood & hot basil.	Thai Fish Cake serve with traditional Thai Sauce.
Fried spring rolls.	Stir-fried mixed vegetables

Tom yam soup

Note: Most of the main dishes are delicious as well but portion is a bit small for guys.

How to get there?
Black Canyon is in Centerpoint, Bandar Utama. Branches available at Summit USJ, Jusco Maluri, Jusco Ipoh Parade, and maybe more.
Food: Good food, great service.
Ambience: Comfy. Summit USJ outlet offers the best dining experience so far...both food quality & environment. 
Price: Reasonable.
Recommended by: Me :-)

Pasar Malam @ Taman Paramount, PJ

I often go to the night market at Taman Paramount for dinner on Sundays....here are my suggested itenary :-)

Walk into the pasar malam from Caltex Petrol Station.....

First, you need to get there before 6:30pm (be there at 6pm to be safe) to grab the popular "cai kuey".

It's a simple stall with only a big umbrella and foldable table right next to Caltex. Selling their exclusive family made dumplings. Note: All dumplings surely sold within 1hr. Be there early to aviod disappointment.

This is a must try!

Next, sit down at the Asam Laksa stall next to it and enjoy a bowl of Penang Laksa. I'll have to say this is not my favourite Asam Laksa nor it's the best Penang Laksa in PJ, but it can compensate desire of Laksa lovers when limited choices available. This laksa has a specialty...pieces of fish meats at the top.

Special Message: You can eat the cai kuey here at the Laksa stall, both the owners are friends :-)

 

Then, my dinner ends with a chilled red bean yao-yao bing (shake shake ice). Original flavor mix with smooth ice, the taste is so good that it gives you zero feeling of artificial. They have many flavors and red bean is my all-time favorite!

 

If your stomach still have space for others after the appetizer, main course and desert, try the grilled Taiwan Sausage.

How to get there?
The pasar malam is around Post Office & Caltex Petrol Station at Taman Paramount. 
Food: Good.
Ambience: Pasar malam lor.
Price: Cheap.
Recommended by: Me :-)

Roti Canai @ Raju

It is common for you to see crowd at mamak. But how often do you see the people are there for the food?

It's 11:30am Sunday morning. I was there for brunch.

People come to Raju for the food....to eat.

I have to say. Their roti canai is the BEST I ever tried in Klang Valley! It's not too thin/thick, crunchy at the outer layer, tender inner layer. It will not stuff you, but makes you want to have more. I never had >1 piece of roti canai in my entire life everywhere I go....until Raju. That explains why the roti canai is RM1.20 per piece.

The curry is nothing to shout about but the dhal is a must try.

The no.2 most popular dish is the fried chicken. You will see each table surely will have at least one of these machine fried chicken marinated with spices. The lean chicken has dry, thin & crispy skin but meat inside still juicy. RM4.50 per piece.

Besides fried chicken, fried fish there taste just as good. Many types of freshly marinated fishes for you to choose. Ikan kembung is my all time favourite @ RM4.

Besides roti, they also serve banana leaves rice. If you love curry mutton, try Raju's...not bad at all. RM8 per plate.

Because of it's location, in the morning many people go to Raju for breakfast after exercising at Gasing Hill. That's how I got to know the mamak. The place is shaded and nice to have a chat with friends...even until afternoon. Planning your trip now?

How to get there?
Raju is along Jalan Gasing. From PJ after the Universiti Hospital junction, go straight to Jalan Gasing. After about 1km drive, watch out for house no.92/93 (very visible, can't remember it's 92 or 93), then the "Kurangkan Laju" yellow signboard, both on your left. Turn left to a shop lots on your right. You'll see a Chinese restaurant at the corner, Raju is just at the other corner.

Food: Very good mamak food.
Ambience: Outdoor, shaded.
Price: If go in a group, it's common for you to pay >RM10 per person (incl. drinks & tax).
Recommended by: Friend

Rojak @ SS15 Subang

 

Once in awhile on Sunday afternoon, I like to drive to Subang for the rojak & cendol.

	Rojak SS15 Subang Jaya. Used to be a mobile van stall opposite of Shell petrol station next to the mosque. Moved to the special stall built by MBSJ last Oct.
	This is the normal crowd at the stall. Everyone knows what to do when they get here. I've even seen people queuing under rain with umbrellas.
	There are no tables & chairs provided. It's either take away or find your own comfortable spot to eat :-)

 

One thing amaze me the most is the systematic operation. The stall runs by 3 persons. One cut the rojak ingredients, another one slices the cucumber & the other help up on other secondary tasks. You will see no interaction among all 3. They just don't talk! But when necessary, you will notice they are quite friendly.

	This is how it looks like when served. I always ask for more cucumber. They go very well with the sauce!
This is the "Kosong" one @ RM3.  I consider it cheap for the portion & varieties of ingredients.	The sauce is a little sweet & it's not thick. Won't leave a after feeling of "stuffed" even if you have the whole plate for yourself.

 

Right next to the rojak stall, you'll see another queue. The cendol stall, rojak's best friend...

Not too sweet, creamy coconut milk, soft red beans. Imagine a hot sunny Sunday afternoon and you're looking for snacks for tea break, rojak + cendol is THE choice.

 

How to get there? 
The stall is nearby KFC @ SS15 Subang. It's a row of stalls by the road side. You will see the white van parking there. 
Food: Good
Ambience: Roadside under tree 
Price: Cheap
Recommended by: Self-explore