A Moment Too Late Story of Mek T @ Puchong Jaya

IMPORTANT : In case youre one who scrolls through the pictures without pausing to digest the (bountiful of) words in the post, please take note that Mek T has ceased operations from May 1st onwards. The pop-up notice on their website revealed that theyre taking a break now.

Laksa Terengganu Lots of fresh ulam, herbs and spices went into this killer of an east coast rendition of Malaysias favourite noodles; the Laksa. The thick, chunky gravy was laden with robust flavours of curry and spices, and bits of pureed fish for that distinct kick. Warning : not for the faint-hearted.

Wait. And why is Motormouth writing about an outlet that has closed for busines?! Senile? Amnesiac?! Or for the sake of annoying lost sheeps travelling all the way there to try the Terengganu delicacies?!!

None of the above. Yeah, so I can be cruel sometimes but I am not heartless. Hence the warning message above. Unless you missed that, of course.

This visit happened almost a month ago; but I was holding back on the review because we vowed to return to try the other sumptuous-looking stuff before I compile everything into a single post. The Nasi Dagang, Nasi Sedap Sokmo and Laksam did tickle our fancy. But read on to see what we ate that had managed to capture the very essence of east coast delicacies.

Yeah, aside from Lekor and Nasi Dagang, I am almost clueless. The same cannot be said for Kota Bharu though, with the repeated visits ! inviting more cravings! (Read all the posts HERE)

A fast food-like establishment, whereby you order at the counter but youll be served at your table. The Chinese family running the restaurant was a warming sight to behold.

This is not the first time that I have intended to write about a particular eatery that had impressed me beyond the common ones. Yet, by the time I managed to review the pictures, and painting strings of words in my head, the outlet has either moved, closed or sold off.

A lesson learned; never procrastinate what you can do today.

Nasi Ulam Served with a piece of fried chicken, and a small cup of gravy (gulai) that has that distinctive lemongrass-turmeric flavours; to be drizzled upon the heaps of blue-tinted rice (from natural colourant made from bunga telang), the toasted dessicated coconut (kerisik) and a dollop of spicy sambal.

Ironically, heres another Nasi Ulam experience. (The other one was of course; the previous post of Chef Debbie Teohs Nyonya creation) Significantly different than the other, the nasi ulam at Mek T is a single serving fit for a full meal; served with a piece of fried chicken, lots of herbs and vegetables, flakes of boiled fish, gravy, crackers and all.

And there was no complaint as almost everything was put together flawlessly (aside from the crackers that were a ! little s oftened); tossing the whole ensemble with the cup of gravy provided (but spare the spicy sambal if youre not good with your chillies!) revealing a mess of utterly delicious yet healthy portion.

The Laksa was not to my liking though; but still good in its own right. Strands of spaghetti-like rice noodles beneath the ladles of crazily-spicy pureed fish gravy with an additional kick from the serving of sambal.

Bubur Kacang Merah (red bean desserts) came with the set, and the Deep-fried Lekor (fish paste crackers) and Pulut Lepa (bottom left; steamed glutinous rice filled with mashed fish fillings and wrapped in banana leaves before grilled) were good sides to complement the meal with.

A sweet ending; Lompat Tikam is the designated signature of Terengganus desserts; consisting of steamed rice flour and coconut milk drenched with gula melaka syrup

While the other restaurants around the area (and there are a LOT!) are doing brisk business on a Saturday night, sadly Mek T was not drawing in the predominantly Chinese crowd.

Indeed; some may argue that the cuisine are not as authentic as one may have in the east coast, or besmirched by the fact that they opted a fast food-like ambience instead of a kopitiam or full-fledge restaurant, but bea! r in min d that a meal for one will barely come up to RM15/USD5 with most sets coming in at less than RM10/USD3.30 each. Very affordable, and dare I say a relatively good option had you decided to try what Terengganu has to offer without having to fly over to the state.

A pity that they are taking a break now. Lets hope that theyll be back in business soon.

Details that may be irrelevant now ..

Restoran Mek T (www) (Halal)
127, Jalan Kenari 23A,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
47100 Puchong,
Selangor
Tel: 603-8071 5707
Business Hours:
Tue Sun: 11.00am 9.00pm
Public Holiday: 9.30am 9.00pm
Closed on Monday

Wei Wei Eating Shop @ Section 17.

A new neighborhood cafe/restaurant that took the place of Anson Food Company.

Section is students territories--must be cheap and good to survive !

Friendly service and is air cond.

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Total bill:Rm73/
Location:Jalan 17/10,
Petaling Jaya.

Chez Olivier @ Prahran, Melbourne

A couple of weeks ago, the Wife craved for French, thankfully not for french men but french food. Using the excuse to celebrate the end of my probation period and the fact that we could start using the Entertainment Book, we headed down to Chez Olivier.


The place can be summed up as your neighbourhood old school French bistro (that's if you can afford a place in the vicinity). You would think that the decor or lack of and the empty bottles of wine on display would look a little tacky but instead it adds on to the charm of the place. Of course, the heavy french accent waiters completes the experience.


People always think that french food will blow a hole in your wallet but Chez Olivier has a bargain $28 2 course or $35 3 course lunch menu.

Complimentary bread and unsalted butter (with salt on the side for those who can't live without salted butter).

Part of the lunch set was the onion soup. Taking the first sip, there was never a doubt that this was onion soup and I would have happily have it all. However the Wife's more refined palate from her Parisian experience said that this wasn't on par. Oh well.

The Salmon on a bed of Ratatouille (part of the lunch menu). I always thought I do a pretty decent pan fried salmon but this was way better. Excellent crispy skin and well basted with butter, it was a good match for a very well seasoned ratatouille (mixed vegetables in a tomato base).

Not part of the lunch menu but from the ala carte side, we ordered one of the more cliche of French dishes, the duck a l'orange. A generous half duck portion sitting on pumpkin puree and tied together with an orange sauce. I couldn't help but think cynical about the freshness of the duck. The skin and the meat looked a little dated and different from let's say a freshly roasted duck would be. Taste wise, it was alright. For $39, a little steep for my taste buds.

Part of the lunch menu, the creme caramel. I don't think I ever had the french version of this dish but it sure looks different from the Chinese version. With caramel served on the side, the "creme" was smooth and the strawberries providing a nice balance.

Overall, the atmosphere played its part but the food seemed a little average for what seems like a really good rating on Urbanspoon. The lunch menu is still value ! for mone y but I would think twice if I wanted to come here for dinner (with the duck at the back of my mind). The Entertainment Card gives you a 25% discount on your meal up to a maximum of $45.

Address and contact details:

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Loved the whole setup but the food we had that day wasn't wow.

Ocean Shabu Shabu@Mayang Oasis Commercial Centre.

Ocean Shabu Shabu is an authentic Hong Kong Style steamboat restaurant located in SS26/9 opposite the Taman Mayang Plaza in Petaling Jaya.

The place is sparkling new with a big upstairs dining area and is fully air conditioned.
The steps leading to the restaurant's entrance are way too high and was not disable friendly.

As we were early, the four of us were ushered to a table on the ground floor.

A quick glance of the menu-we went for the ala carte ones.

There are six types of broth to choose from, all at different prices.

We choose the big pork bones with corn broth (turned out to be tasty-full of wolf berries) and some side orders.


Service was quick and attentive (maybe we were early).


Parking is OK.


Pork bones, Wolf berries, dried red dates, thinly sliced radish and Corn Broth - sweet corn and big bones with specks of meat and ligaments to devour after the meal-Rm20/ Four seasons meatballs-fresh assorted balls to play with your taste buds-nicely sized- Rm20/ Leek Dumplings-hard like stones-can stone a crow with it-took a longer time to get it cooked but was tasty-Rm12/ Sliced Grouper-thickly sliced-not properly defrost-takes sometime to cook-Rm20/ Sliced pork loin-tender and meaty-less fats-Rm16/ Tiger Prawn-very fresh and sweet-Rm20/ Fried Bean curd sheets-crisp and cracky-Rm5/ Chinese Long cabbage-Rm5/ Wong tai mui-Rm5/ This is the only special sauce available besides soy sauce-too much of chillies oil which does not compliment the cooked food-too choking !


Total bill:Rm137/
Loca! tion:Lot 3, Ground Floor,
Jalan SS26/9, Mayang Oasis Commercial Centre,
Taman Mayang Jaya, Petaling Jaya,
Tel:019-228-8962.

Flora Terrace @ Hampshire Place

Taking up the first spot for eateries at the Hampshire Place Residences, Flora Terrace is a spacious, striking setting that will likely lure ladies who lunch.

Spaghetti aglio olio gets a Malaysian makeover here, sprinkled liberally with salty pieces of pickled tenggiri, shaved parmesan and bell peppers, tossed in olive oil, basil and chili flakes. About RM24.

Linguine pesto, with bunga kantan, daun kesum and baby kailan. The floral-herbal notes seem strangely understated, while the pasta swings perilously close to sogginess.

Grilled spring chicken with polenta, baby spinach, garlic, onions and honey mustard sauce. Finger-lickin' good in terms of taste and tenderness. About RM30.

Pan-seared Norwegian salmon with pomelo lemon butter sauce, lentil ragout, baby bok choy and tomato salsa. Well-executed, with enough creativity to help it stand out a little (though not a lot). About RM40.

Tapai pulut with green tea ice cream and mango compote. If you like fermented food, you'll probably be pleased with the playfulness of this creative combo. About RM18.

Chinese pancakes layered with mascarpone cheese, with yam ice cream. Flora's main courses are solid, but the sweets are what might keep folks coming.

Alas, no alcohol is served here. That'll deter us from returning soon, but here's something to look forward to: Italian restaurant Tatto will relocate from Jalan Damai to Hampshire Place this year.

Flora Terrace,

Jalan Mayang Sari, Off Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Parallel to Jalan Yap Kwan Seng and Jalan Ampang.

Closed Sundays, open through late on other days.

Ultra Lemon Cake

Ultra-Lemon Cake, recipe available in Baking By Flavor by Lisa Yockelson. The cake's soft and fine, with a delightful and refreshing lemony tang. I've made adjustments such as reducing the sugar and the amount of topping and I think the only improvement needed is more lemon rind. This is an awesome cake for tea.


Ultra Lemon Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt (I omitted this)
1/2 double action baking powder (my addition)
1 3/4 sticks (200g) unsalted butter, softened
2 T shortening (I used Crisco)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar* (reduced from 2 cups)
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk (I used regular fresh milk + a squeeze of lemon)
1/8 t cream of tartar
3 T granulated sugar*

* the recipe calls for lemon-scented granulated sugar but I didn't bother with that

Lemon Rind Soak
1 1/2 T (increased from 1 1/3 T) freshly grated lemon rind
1 1/2 t pure lemon extract
1 T freshly squeezed & drained lemon juice
--combine and set aside for 15 minutes.

Lemon Soaking Glaze
1/2 cup freshly squeezed & strained lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar (reduced from 1/3 cup + 2 t)
1/4 t pure lemon extract
--combine everything in a glass pot and set over moderate heat to dissolve sugar completely, about 5 minutes. Use warm or hot over warm or cool cake.

Lemon Pouring Topping (this is half the recipe amount; double it as desired)
1 cup icing sugar
2 1/2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T unsalted butter, melted & cooled
--Mix everything in a bowl and whisk until well-combined and smooth without any lumps of icing sugar. The topping should be thick but pourable. Adjust the consistency by adding more icing sugar or lemon juice.

1. P! reheat o ven to 180 C. Grease a 10 inch/23 cm Bundt pan.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Cream butter and shorteningusing an electric mixerat medium speed, 3 minutes. Beat in the 1 1/2 cups sugar. adding in 3 additions. Beat in the egg yolks and then the lemon rind soak.
4. On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. The batter will be thick.
5. Beat the egg whites, add the cream of tartar, then the 3 T sugar, and beat until stiff peaks stage.
6. Lighten the butter mixture by mixing 1/4 of the beaten egg whites, then fold in all the remaining egg white, making sure the egg white is incorporated well.
7. Spoon the batter into the Bundt pan, shake to level it and place into the preheated oven. Bake 50 to 55 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
8. Let cake stand 10 to 15 min, then invert onto a cooling rack.
9. When cake is still warm, you can spoon the soaking glaze over it. After at least 15 minutes (so that the glaze has permeated the cake), pour the topping over the cake. Cool cake completely before serving. No need to chill.

Excellent Beef @ Orange Shabu, Kota Damansara

We stumbled upon Orange Shabu while looking for a new restaurant to try in Kota Damansara. The restaurant recently opened in February and focuses mainly on Japanese Style Beef Shabu.

Signature Dipping Sauce

This is their signature dipping sauce. It is made from Ponzu and Garlic. The sourness of the sauce went really well with the Beef.


Salad




Vegetables




Stuffed Pork Balls

The Pork Balls were one of my favorites. The stuffing was made of some marinated minced pork


Fried Tofu Cake and Fish Balls




Wonton




Hokkaido Scallops

The Scallops were frozen because it was imported from Hokkaido.


Sliced Australian Beef

Their Australian Beef was reasonably priced and very soft when eaten due to it being cut paper-thin.


Sliced Wagyu Beef

The Wagyu Beef they serve was thinly sliced and fat. The meat melts in your mouth and was a favorite of Mike's.


Sliced Chicken



Sliced Lamb

Their Lamb was quite good and thinly sliced. It had a good combination between fat and meat.


Sliced Pork

My favorite meat after their beef. The Pork was really tender and had a really nice natural flavor.


Palate Cleanser




Coffee Jello

The Coffee Jello was really good. It had a nice Coffee Flavor and the texture was between a Pudding and Jello.


Although the menu is limited I highly recommend Orange Shabu for their good quality Beef that is hard to find in most Shabu Places.


Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 3/5
Price: $$ (Approximatley USD $20 per person)


Contact Information:
Address: 3-1, Jln PJU 5/3, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara
Tel: N/A
Map:

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