Room Eighteen, more room for homemade fishballs!

On my recent business trip to KL, I had lunch with my colleagues who brought me to Tropicana City Mall, to one of their usual haunts; Room Eighteen.


I was new to this restaurant; but I do find that the exterior and style bear so much similarity to Canton-i!
Anyway, as I soon found out, they were actually another addition to the list of restaurants here belonging to the Tai Thong Group of Restaurants.
(Seriously, almost every food outlet/restaurant in TCM belongs to Tai Thong Group!)

It was not really crowded during that lunch hour but business was quite good, compared to the Delicious Nyonya restaurant next door (also part of Tai Thong Group) and we had a very pleasant and helpful staff attending to us; spelling out recommendations like she was reciting a poem from the menu.

Chinese Fried Rice

I think this costs about RM10.90+ and it was the first to arrive shortly after we placed our orders.
It was served hot and the steaming fragrant aroma which arose from this plate of simple Oriental Fried Rice just tempted our appetites and growling tummies.

Tasty, and it was well complemented with fresh and large shrimps which lended a sweet taste to the rice fried with eggs and barbequed pork.


I couldn't help myself from ordering the homemade fish ball noodles when I spotted it on the menu; as I always have a soft spot for homemade fish balls =)

It came in a really huge bowl but the serving was reasonable. When I first saw that it was just plain wantan noodles with soup and whitish fishballs, I didn't think much of it, although I was surprised by the size of the fishballs.
When I took a bite into the fishballs (which I thought would be hard), I was not disappointed as it was uniquely made and it was definitely those hard frozen fishballs we take out of the fridge to cook in the noodles.

The noodles were light to taste; not too soft nor hard, and just the way I like it.
The fishballs, I think it's just one of the nicest and well-proportioned homemade fishballs I have tasted =)
It is truly different, with a touch, yummy!~

Beef with Hor Fun was the set lunch for the day (Wednesday) and that was what my boss ordered (yup, I had lunch with my boss, and he was only one of my bosses who was rather kind and found it amusing that I love taking photos so much =p )

It looked rather oily to me, and my boss did not comment much, only a nod that it was pretty okay but not exceptionally good.


At the end of the meal, we had this special and in-house popular dessert which was recently created to suit the hot and humid weather out there.
Grass Jelly with sago in gula melaka (RM5.90)


This was definitely a good choice for dessert; and do make sure you leave some room for it as it was really refreshing and cooling after one sip!
Grass jelly was definitely a good choice for cooling down and sago, which was made to be slightly sticky just brought out the sweetness and taste of the gula melaka which was blended with a light helping of milk.


Best of all, it's not too sweet too!~

It was a very enjoyable lunch; and the ambience was just right for a business or quiet chat with friends. I felt comfortable laying back on the chairs in the well-ventilated and air-conditioned room, while it was blazing hot out there.

Will I come back, oh yes, for the homemade fish balls and the dessert!
I just wonder why they call themselves Room Eighteen; any clue?

Chicken Drumstick Mee Suah @ Kafe Mandarin

One of the delights of Penang is the abundance of coffee shops around the whole island that they seem to be popping out at you everywhere you go.

I was once told that Chinese-populated places are always, or almost always associated with food and food!
How true's that, but seems to be there's some truth since Penang and Ipoh are about the most famous places in Malaysia for their local food and delicacies.

People from the earlier generation; read, our parents and grandparents, uncles and aunties are all ardent fans of hawker stalls and dining in coffee shops where one meal costs less than RM5 or RM10; inclusive of drinks and they would hear nothing of paying more than that, let alone RM10 for a cup of coffee!

I guess that is one of the reasons that Penang seems to have no end of these hawker haunts; be it stalls or coffee shops.

Kafe Mandarin is a bustling coffee shop located in the midst of Island Glades; and is open for both morning and night business (unlike some coffee shops which are specific to either morning of night).


On one occasion when I just came back from KL and wanting something light and simple, I was here for lunch.
View of stalls available during lunch hour


Wantan Mee

It was nothing much to rave about; as it was just a simple plate of dry wantan mee, although it tends to be slightly bland in taste.


Fish Ball with glass noodles


I still prefer the version in Cecil road better =)

Come night time, and the place seems even more alive; or perhaps it was due to the bright lighting which makes the place so visible!
Variety of stalls available at night



A plate of Nasi Kandar like this could be a staple choice for dinner for most Malaysians; especially when you are in Penang, the haven for Nasi Kandar.



Now come another interesting hawker food; which was one of my Dad's favorite.
Duck Drumstick Mee Suah (Ark Tui Mee Suah pronounced in Hokkien) which costs at RM4.50 per bowl.
However, being health-conscious and perhaps also due to his sudden craving, he opted for a change; and chose Chicken Drumstick instead which only costs RM3.50

Duck is definitely more expensive than chicken, huh?

It was also not as oily as duck drumstick and was definitely a wiser option for them, says Dad




Wantan Mee in soup



Popiah


It was a slightly less tasty and lack of ingredients version; and the lady almost forgot to collect payment from us, but we went to her and paid our dues.
Honesty is the best policy, as she was surprised and beamed, thanking us continuously for remembering =)

Lor Bak




The lor bak was quite good, and also the fried prawn fritters; and the only drawback was the less-than-good sauce which did not complement the plate of fried stuffs that well.

Now I understand why there is such a crowd every night at this coffee shop; with so many varieties to choose from, one need not argue about what to have for dinner anymore, right?

Kajang Satay @ Restoran Malaysia

I have heard so much about the famous Kajang satay, and yet I have not been there *blushes*

Recently, my brother brought the family there for a simple dinner at a place which he discovered with his friends who were residents there.

Upon entering the town of Kajang, I was already welcomed by all the banners and signs describing Kajang Satay everywhere.
We passed by a few food courts in the area selling the infamous satay as well.

We arrived at this Chinese restaurant after turning left at the main traffic light upon reaching Kajang town (I am not sure how to direct you there though as it was raining then)


Restoran Malaysia, though the name sounds very patriotic was actually operated by a Chinese family.

Weird, that we chose a Chinese restaurant for a delicacy made famous by the local Malays?
Anyway, my brother has sampled a few places with his friends and it seems that this was one of their favorite haunts.
Perhaps I can only compare once I have been to the others =) (To be fair to the different satay vendors)

The men behind the production of the satay were hard at work; and I have not seen them stop placing the skewers on the pit or fanning since I was there.
In fact, their frequency turned higher as the darkness falls and late hours beckon.





Of course, you could tell why, with the huge crowd over here!


Another reason we were here, as told, was that this restaurant also serves some simple fried noodles and rice (Siu Chow) besides offering only satay to fill your tummies.

Sar Hor Fun (RM8)

Look at the amount of fish cakes they serve!




Hokkien Mee (In southern part, this is actually equivalent to Hokkien Char; only with a thicker and darker soy sauce)



We had a sudden craving for some Malay tomyam and vegetables (which the restaurant does not serve) when we spotted a Malay restaurant across the street.
**Pst, a secret, we managed to smuggle a bowl of seafood tomyam and Kailan ikan masin without the owner's knowledge** (Don't try this on your own, we had parental guidance, okay, LOL!)


Both dishes only cost RM8

Finally, the star arrives; with glamour and pride; the famous Kajang Satay!

Chicken satay






One of the main reasons my brother chose this place was also because they serve, FISH SATAY

No joke; it's also my first time hearing this, FISH SATAY!
I loved every bite of it!

I think they used dory fish fillets from the tender and smooth taste of the fish, but it was well-marinated and just so tasty and addictive that you keep wanting more!!

The satay sauce was on the average though

Lack of ingredients and proper blending to make it a delightful companion for the celebrity food here.


Overall, it was not too bad, but do beware and be prepared for some rather not-so-attentive-and-polite-service as I found some of them rather arrogant (perhaps due to the fame?)

Who knows, there may be even prawn, squid, and crab, or better, Lobster satay in the future, eh? =)