Nasi Lemak Opah

hello, another entry for nasi lemak. yes, being Malaysian, you will never stop searching for the best nasi lemak. there's plenty of nasi lemak stalls and each has their own specialty. by the way, the name of the restaurant I am going to give a review is "Nasi Lemak Opah". We found this restaurant accidentally because a first plan is to go to Murni Discovery in Taipan, Subang Jaya but they were closing last Monday. This restaurant is on the opposite row of Murni and it is newly opened and interestingly full of people. So, we gave it a try here. I tell you what, it is a best decision we made that night!

There is no wonder why this place is pack of people. They are serving the best nasi lemak! fresh & yummy. This restaurant theme is more to kampungness. Well, you see, when you are at kampung, all nasi lemak are sold in a small packaging/wrap. same goes like this one. So, for advance advise, please buy at least two packets! one is never enough. this restaurant is more like self service. where the journey to the best nasi lemak begins here..


1) busy workers. you need to start here where you collect your nasi lemak on tray (for dine in) or put them in plastic bags (for take aways).

2) These are the nasi lemaks. They are gone too fast. Make sure you stand by with your plastic bags/trays. If you see there are many nasi lemak here, be fast also because one person can take them at least 5 packets!


3) Then, you choose your lauk. There's plenty of them. For dine in, you can put them on a plate. For take away, again, collect a plastic bag and put them in. It's all about self-service. One tip, this nasi lemak is good enough without those lauk anyway..

4) Make your order for drinks at the end of this lauk counter. They will send them to your table.

5) Straight away go to cashier and pay! don't forget to mention what drinks you ordered.

6) This is what we ordered. 2 for moi, 2 for bb. Bb's lauk is a bit blur when I snapped it, so, I didn't include them here. Mine was Ayam masak kunyit, Bb's were rendang daging & fried chicken.

now you see it..

...now you don't!

apart from nasi lemak, they also sells roti canai & assorted of noodles here. Their roti canai looks so good!!! Might try them some other time. I love Malay's roti canai rather than mamak's.

the ambience & decorations:

OMG. it's been ages since I last saw this kind of table cover! at kampung, they usually use this as carpet/floor liner (whatever its name). this pattern is so classic. yes..remind me of my great grandparent kampung house when I see this.

some of antique stuffs.

I think this place is a good place if you want to have a dinner or light snack. What I meant by light snack is that because the packaging of nasi lemak is small. So, I think it wouldn't be a problem for you to finish them. I know it's funny to think of having nasi lemak as "light snack"..haha. This is total good if you're looking for kampung-like nasi lemak. The taste is like pure and not too commercial. I'm not sure if this restaurant has other branches. But, I will definitely go here again next time!

Capricciosa

it's december again! the last month of the year before stepping in to the new year. yeah, another year goes, another one coming. anyhow, last month, as for my friends's birthday, Intan & Piah, we went to Capricciosa, an Italian restaurant at Subang Parade. I always wanted to go here ever since its opening. That's why when my friends planned to go out together, I suggested this one and luckily they're with me, yeah! Recently, this restaurant having a promotion where their fresh pastas are selling at the price of RM 7.90 instead of RM 29.00++. What a great bargain weren't they? But, a useful tips, don't fall too deep with this kind of promotion to any restaurant! Usually, it's either they want to make a clearance of their old ingredients or they will make your dinner not wholeheartedly. So..here goes the pictures:

the dining area

the menu

fresh pasta & pizza station

table setting

and....the moment of truth. these were what we ordered:

Capricciosa Pizza, a house specialties! this is so OMG. best pizza!!

this is one of the best pizza I've ever tasted! move away Pizza Huts & Dominos! this pizza is crunchy yet the dough is so soft. not too thick not too thin. just perfect! I would definitely order this pizza if I ever go here again. The pricing isn't so bad for this one. About RM19.90 per pizza for 8 slices. what do you think?

Seafood Fresh Pasta, this one is belong to Pia

Mine: Fresh Pasta with salmon in creamy tomato sauce

Although they are called as 'Fresh Pasta' but the texture is chewy and quite hard. maybe it slightly raw. It tasted good but too chewy. For braces teeth like me surely having a hard time eating this. I didn't finish it anyway and packed it home. Days later, I reheat this and add some hot water to soften it, and it's totally good!! Maybe if they're soften it a little more at the first place, I would finish them. well, again, this fresh pasta are on promotional items, that's why it become like that? maybe if they are at their exact price, the outcome would be better? hmmm..who knows?

intan's: Tomato Seafood Risotto.

This risotto is belong to Intan. I'd like to see Italian restaurants to serve risotto as there aren't too many. it's always pasta & pizza everywhere. same goes to this restaurant. there are not much of risotto varieties in the menu. and this one tasted like normal rice covered with tomato sauce. I thought the texture should be much softer. softer&shorter than normal rice but not too mushy&soupy like porridge.

Drinks:

Cranberry Cocktail

tropical cocktail: not sure of its exact name

final products..

yeah..as you can see, we finish everything except for risotto. but, can't blame the taste alone, since the portion are big too.

lastly..................must be included too:

the happy dinner patrons

goodbyes for now!

overall comment. I think this restaurant isn't that bad. it depends on the food you ordered. I can't be biased saying this restaurant is good/bad since there are too many of different menus which I haven't tasted yet. I think, for those who wanted to taste the fresh pasta, this is definitely the place. Maybe for my next visit, I will request my fresh pasta to cook longer to soften them more.


oh by the way, a little story. this restaurant is reminding me of Japanese Drama 'Bambino'. Well, I think the drama is based on this restaurant. I said that because of the above picture. That picture also featured in Bambino drama if you noticed. Plus, the name of the restaurant, the logo, colour and all are almost the same. Only the spelling change a little bit here and there. This is an Italian restaurant opened by Japanese people (just like the one in the drama)!

for more review on this restaurant, you can go to Intan's blog here.

Nasi Lemak Tanglin

this morning, i had a check up with my dentist at Batu Caves. So, i followed my parent to their monthly visit to Pasar Borong Selayang earrrrly in the morning before they drop me off at Batu Caves. before tightening my braces, a must thing to do is to eat all you can since you can't enjoy it about 3 days afterwards (-_-). Abah drove us to Taman Bukit Perdana to have, well, the famous nasi lemak here, Nasi Lemak Tanglin. I bet most of us know about this place as this place has so many media coverage. It is located opposite to the health something2 building here. It opens during morning and evening until night and off during lunch hour on weekdays and only morning session available on the weekend. just enjoy the pictures below!

just look at the people queuing!!

just look at the nasi lemak containers here!!!!! so many right? how can they finish them all?

some of the lauk varieties sold here. I'm a little upset that they don't have ayam goreng rempah. well, that's Nasi Lemak Cikgu's (Kelana Jaya) specialties anyway.

the busy workers. they are fast!

it's time to take a look what we have. now is the moment of truth.

yours truly: nasi lemak with bergedil and ayam. couldn't finish them since the chicken is so big.

mother's: nasi lemak with squid and paru goreng.

father's: nasi lemak with squid and sambal limpa i think?

the crowd and ambience

Nasi lemak here is good (if they're not, there's no people willing to queue that long). the rice is in good texture and 'berderai'. but, for my own preference, i don't really fancy rice that 'berderai'. i like it if they are bit soft :P sambal is delicious but they put too little in my plate :( all together with 2 hot tea & iced milo are about RM 22. what do you think? it's about RM 6 per plate. is it expensive or ok with the price?

Ayam Paprik - quick version

hello all, been weeks since i last updating my blog. quite busy lately with overload works at the office and all tiresome when i reached home. too tired that i felt lifting fingers on my keyboard would make me tired some more. hehe. anyway, this is the simple & quick dish i made when i have limited stock in the fridge and a short time available. this dish should be rich with vegetables but like i mentioned, this is a quick version one but taste absolutely splendid!

chicken:
4 pieces of chicken - cut into smaller pieces
salt & turmeric powder
*mix chicken with salt & turmeric and fry. fry until about 3/4 cooked and not too brown. set aside.

paprik sauce:
5 shallots (i love shallots, that's why i use it quite a lot)
3 garlics
1 inch of ginger
*pounded them together
1 1/2 tbsp ground bird-eye chilli paste (*you can substitute it with red chilli paste if you not a fan of spicy)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1/2 cup of water
1 stalk lemongrass - pound with pestle on its head to release flavors
3-4 kaffir lime leaves
salt & sugar to taste

vegetables:
carrot - diced
cauliflower - florette
long beans - diced
tomatoes - wedges
*vegetables are optional. doesn't have to put everything

method:
1- heat oil and add in pounded items. stir until fragrant and color turns a bit brownish.
2- add in bird-eye chilli paste. stir until chili is cooked by seeing an oil forms on the surface.
3- pour in all other items including hard vegetables: carrot, cauliflower, long beans. stir for a while for the ingredients to be well mixed with each other.
4- add in fried chicken pieces.
5- turn the heat to low and let the gravy simmer until chicken is fully cooked and vegetables are tender.
6- when chicken are cooked, add in tomato wedges and sliced onion, stir for awhile and turn off heat.
7- serve with hot steamed rice.

Telur Ikan Goreng Cili Api

another favourite! telur ikan or fish roe? yummmmms. i love love love love when you eating fish dishes and you found telur ikan in it! it's like founding a gold in a sand you know. aha, i'm being exaggerate again :P usually my mother buy this fish roe at her monthly trip to Wet Market. but, it depends, sometimes, they got they stock, sometimes they don't. but, the slight disappointment is that, the seller usually don't wash this fish roe and it would covered by the fish's blood. so, it would turn out reddish and affect the taste a bit :(

here goes the recipe:
fish roe - wash carefully as it very tender
salt & turmeric powder
*mix fish roe with salt and turmeric powder and fry til crispy and cooked. don't fry too long as the flesh would harden.

Sambal Cili Padi:
ingredients:
onion - sliced thinly
2 tbsp Bird-eye chilli paste
1 tbsp lime juice
2 stalk lemongrass - sliced very thinly
salt to taste

method:
1- heat oil in a pan. add in onion and stir until fragrant.
2- add in cili padi paste and stir continuously. be careful as the smell would get you sneezing.
3- add in sliced lemongrass and stir again until it soften. the reason i put lemongrass is to cover the fishy smell of fish roe.
4- pour in lime juice and season with salt. stir again until sambal is cooked.
5- add in fried fish roe and mix well. turn off heat and serve.

Ikan Bawal Goreng Cili

smell something fishy?


fresh small pomfret!!! if my mother or grandmama buy this type fish they would fry it as crispy as it can get. then mix it with stir-fry fresh chillies sambal.

recipes:
ingredients (for fish):
a kilo of fresh small pomfret
turmeric powder
salt
*mix fish with turmeric powder and salt. fry until crispy. set aside

ingredients (for sambal):
fresh red chillies - wash and blend to form paste
1 tbsp of bird-eye chilli paste (for extra hotness!)
2 tbsp lime juice
onion - slice thinly
salt to season
oil to fry

method:
1- heat oil. add in sliced onion and fry until fragrant.
2- add in chillies paste and continuously stir to avoid from burning.
3- pour in lime juice and season with salt.
4- keep on stirring until sambal is cooked. to know this, you can see oil is starting to form on the surface.
5- pour in fried fish and stir to let well mixed. serve.

this dish is very good to have a combination with any Masak Lemak Putih like the one here. yumms.

my mother usually get her fresh seafood stock from my hometown at Abah's side. my abah's hometown is at Banting, which near to the beach. so.....easy access to fresh seafood all the time! that's why my father always bring big box when we went hometown. its function is to fill with ice to keep the seafood fresh. too bad i'm not a big fan of seafood, i mean for the shell type like cockles, muscle and such. on the pricing, it depends somehow. because most of the seller here have many restaurants booked on their catch, so sometimes they charged it quite pricey.

some of the seafood varieties

the fish boats

my mother choosing and negotiating price

one tip where i get when accompany my mother buying seafood. when you buy them, pack it individually or porpotionly so you only need to get them out from refrigerator once and straight to your pan. because if you pack too many per pack, you have to soak it until it defroze, take some of them and keep the remaining in freezer back. this would make the natural 'sweetness' and 'freshness' gone. so, keep that in mind ok? ^^

Masak Lemak Putih Labu

this is another my favourite dishes. well, every recipe here is my favourite :P another simple dish yet sooooo appetizing. perfect for those who has limited time to cook. but, it takes quite some time to cut the pumpkin.

ingredients:
1 pumpkin - peel the skin and remove the seed. cut into cubes
coconut milk - the amount is depend for your liking.
turmeric leaves (daun kunyit)
half of handful dried shrimp (udang kering)
3 shallots - sliced thinly
1 fresh red chilli - sliced thinly
salt to taste

methods:
1 - heat coconut milk together with cubed pumpkin.
2 - add in all remaining ingredients, turmeric leaves, dried shrimp, sliced shallot and sliced red chilli.
3 - keep on stirring until boiling. you have to continuously stirring to avoid the coconut milk from curdle and burnt.
4 - poke pumpkin with knife/fork to test whether it has cooked/tender or not. to check, poke pumpkin with fork/knife, if they has cooked/tender enough, it would fall back. if not, it would stuck at your fork/knife.
5 - season with salt.

this is another authentic kampung dishes. it's perfect to be paired with fried salted fish and sambal belacan for lunch. oh my!