Laksa Shack, One Utama, Petaling Jaya

determined as i was to get a taste of malay cuisine, we spent a good time looking for this place called the laksa shack in one utama mall.

basically, laksa is a spicy noodle soup – and thinking about it that way, what’s not to like? when we finally found the place, i asked for their bestseller which turned out to be the johor laksa

so the broth is fish-based but has coconut milk and lemon grass and galangal and curry powder which gives it a very strong curry inclination even if, apparently, curry laksa is something else altogether. inside the bowl were noodles, some beansprouts and an egg.

i actually enjoyed this ( and at 9.90RM) was good value for such a huge bowl, but realized it isn’t something i could have everyday. it was quite filling so good as a full meal in itself. if ever i find myself in malaysia again, i’ll likely give this another try – or even in one of the secret recipes restaurants here in manila… but more for the novelty of it. the flavors are very strong and can overwhelm. but yes, do try if you find yourself in that part of the world.

Ying Ker Lou – good chinese food in petaling jaya

our first meal was at a chinese restaurant at the curve – literally about 30 steps from the hotel. we were starving but prudently just had one meat and one vegetable dish (plus rice) deciding to order more should the need arise.

so we had, crispy pork belly (can’t get away from liempo), sauteed assorted mushrooms, and fried rice with dried mustard

now the mushrooms were very very good. 3 kinds – shiitake, enoki, and one more that i couldn’t identify. but they were cooked in a sauce that had bell peppers, asparagus, and a few other vegetables making for a great texture contrast. and excellent flavor. the rice too i enjoyed very much – being quite tasty and nice and dry, the way i feel fried rice should be.

it was the pork i was here and there about. we basically ordered it because it said “crispy pork belly with fermented bean curd” – the bean curd, we could not find. it was a little too fatty for my taste – not the nice sort of balance we get with inihaw na liempo, but a couple of pieces were really pure fat.

but all in all, yes, it was a very good meal – at i think around 70RM for two people. and if given a chance, i will certainly have those mushrooms again

royale bintang damansara, petaling jaya – just a bit out of the kl center

just came from a quick trip to kuala lumpur. given the purpose of the trip, we didn’t stay in the city center but in petaling jaya. after a bit of online research, we decided on this hotel – the royale bintang damansara.

location-wise, if you’re in petaling jaya, it’s perfect. the hotel is smack in the middle of a complex called the curve which has a nice mall, good restaurants, a big grocery and… ikea. everything is literally just across the street from each other. and going to the kl center isn’t so bad – about 30-40RM – considering the distance.

the hotel room itself was pretty good. fully fitted and quite comfortable. but i must give two thumbs up (and maybe even a couple of toes) to the hotel staff who were the absolute picture of efficiency. given we made reservations over two months ago, they didn’t lose track of it, had no problems keeping our luggage for the 8 hours between check out and the time we needed to be at the airport. they even gave us a box when we realized we needed one more container for our stuff.

the breakfast was average – omelet station, cereal station, fruits, cheese, and cold cuts together with a couple of local touches like noodles and congee. considering it comes with the room price (245RM/night) it certainly was good value. but oh, if you stay here, don’t try the beef bacon. doesn’t taste a thing like bacon, more like bland tapa.

but definitely recommended if you’re looking for a place in petaling jaya or near kl. more kl posts coming…