Anson Coffee Shop

After a disastrous hometown experience in Section 17, I was rather skeptical when my sister told us of another Teluk Intan (Anson) eatery in Subang Jaya. Still like a true blue Teluk Ansonian, I was very eager to try. With the same kins, we made our way to Jalan SS 15/4B one Sunday morning and without any problem, located Anson Coffee Shop (安顺茶室).

To die-hards like us who grew up in this small Perak sleepy hollow, our hometown was, is and will always be Anson (or TA), not Intan. So coming into this place named Anson and being immediately greeted by a large picture of our iconic clock tower, made me feel very at home indeed.

The leaning tower was not the only familiar face. I bumped into an old classmate and another Ansonian friend. And the proprietors Elmo and his wife Jessy were no strangers to us. It was like a mini hometown reunion.

After the catching-up with the old friends, we settled down to eat. The menu was so nostalgic - chee cheong fun (猪肠粉), loh mai fan (糯米飯 - glutinous rice), rice noodles or lai fun (平叔瀨粉), curry mee ala Teluk Anson. It is difficult to explain why such simple things excite us - you need to be from TA to understand.

The TA chee cheong fun (猪肠粉) is one of a kind. It is chee cheong fun wrapped with an ingredient of fried mangkuang (jicama), dry shrimps and others. It is very popular in our hometown. I have seen small home "factories" churning out this chee cheong fun on conveyor belt steamers, working all night to meet early morning demands. The chee cheong fun in this shop was very authentic. It was eaten with pickled chili, like how we did in TA, and it tasted so very good. We had 4 servings of it.

The loh mai fun (糯米飯) is another Teluk Anson original. It is glutinous rice served with char siew (叉烧) and/or prawns with a dry curry sauce. The serving in Anson Coffee Shop was very authentic. The aromatic curry and char siew reminded me so much when I was small and used to eat this rice out of newspaper and banana leave packets that used to cost only 10 cents. Served with a bowl of curry and prawns, the loh mai fun here was absolutely delicious.

The bowl of curry noodles may looked a bit odd, but that was how we used to have it in TA. The curry was aromatic and had very little santan (coconut milk). It was served with siew yoke (烧肉, roast pork), see hum (鲜蚶, cockles) and some mint leaves.

The yam cake or woo tau ko (芋头糕) was not extraordinary. It is not a TA specialty. The serving was somewhat small.

The popiah looked rather dry and lonely. There was not enough to go around and I did not have a taste of it.

Finally, we shared a plate of mee jawa. The reason it looked rather messy was that someone had a go at it before I managed to get this picture. Anyway, this was not fantastic. The sauce was too curry-ful. it was also rather dry. In TA there used to be a mamak place called Mastan Ghani. I do not know if it still exists. This place used to serve an awesome mee jawa. The mee jawa here was nothing like Mastan Ghani's.

It's been nearly 10 years now since I made a return to my home town. I missed the chee cheong fun and lo mai fun. Fortunately now there is Anson Coffee Shop. It is like TA coming to me. To those who do not understand what the ga-ga is all about, you should go there and try - at least once. Teluk Anson is still after all, the small town with a big taste.

Living Food

Somehow, I like this little makan place. It is not a fantastic restaurant. It does not serve a great variety of food. It has no dining ambiance. It is not a very friendly place. I cannot pinpoint the reasons but I do keep returning there. Perhaps I like the taste of their noodles.

The makan shop is known as Living Food Restaurant and its signature is apparently its "MKP Lum Mee". I have no idea what this MKP lum mee (淋面) fuss is all about. I have tried it and do not think it was exceptional. I normally go there for its kon lo (干捞) noodles.

Living Food is sited in PJ Damansara Utama Uptown, along Jalan SS21/37. It is directly opposite an open car park in Uptown, so parking in this terribly congested part of PJ is not a big problem. The place is clean, air conditioned and is very simple in decor.

The kitchen is staffed by some Indonesian ladies who are very efficient. The food is delivered almost immediately after you have ordered them.

The boss, who is rather grumpy and unfriendly, normally just sits at the counter and collects money.

The restaurant's offering is limited - just noodles in clear soup, kon lo (干捞), lum mee style (淋面) and curry. They also offer a limited variety of yong tau fu (釀豆腐) stuffs.

On our last visit, we did not order their signature lum mee, so I cannot offer a visual of it. But the kon lo was very nice. It had ample taugeh, shrimps and chicken strips in a nice thick sauce. Looked appetizing and tasted good.

The curry noodle wasn't bad either. The curry was rich and not too much santan. It came with see hum (鲜蚶), pieces of chicken, long beans and tau fu pok.

We also had some fish balls and fish stuffed fu chuk (釀腐竹) and brinjal. They were ordinary.

The fried shui kow (水饺) were stuffed with fish paste instead of a mixture of meat. They were also rather ordinary.

The above mentioned are just about all you can get in Living Food. And of course, the usual beverages. They are really quite unremarkable. But the place apparently does quite a good business with these "unremarkables". They normally have very good lunch crowds. Perhaps they got good feng shui (風水).

Living food is apparently a branch or franchisee of a lum mee chain that originated in Pudu, KL. I have not been able to get much info on this. Nothing much written about this in the Internet. I tried asking the boss of Living Food. But he was very unfriendly. He muttered a few words confirming the Pudu establishment and was unwilling to talk further.

Kemaman comes to PJ

You do not have to drive all the way to Terengganu to get some nice east coast makan. Tucked in a corner at the end of a row of shops on Jalan SS21/60 in Uptown, Damansara Utama PJ, is a small cafe known as Kopitiam Kemaman. The place serves a nasi dagang that we have gone back for, over and over again.

The place is just next to the Uptown police station, separated by a small lane. It is small and cozy. And like a lot of makan places nowadays, they have 2 sections - cool (air conditioned) and warm,  the later for their smoking customers.

As their name indicates, they serve east coast food. And they are pretty good at that. Their signature has to be their nasi dagang. I saw a lot of their customers going for that. For good reasons, because their nasi dagang is quite authentic and good. The rice is aromatic and of a nice texture. It comes with a generous portion of tuna fish, some nice curry and pieces of keropok. They got the combination just right. But the portion is rather small. If you are a good eater, one may not be enough.

Their nasi lemak looked rather.... sparse and basic. That was partly because at that serving, our daughter opted to have it without sambal. You have a choice of rendangs - chicken, mutton or beef. The rice is quite aromatic and lemak. Tastes good.

The keropok lekor is another reason to want to go back there. Freshly fried to crispy golden brown and served piping hot, it is so very good. They serve it with a chili sauce but I prefer to eat it without any garnish. And it is very addictive - you want to go on and on. Like the nasi dagang, one serving may not be enough.

Beside the Terengganu fares, the cafe also serves some not so east-coastal cooking. You could get a bowl of curry noodles, laksa and even prawn noodles. Their prawn noodle looks kinda messy. The soup taste OK but it is not the same. There is not enough fried shallots and flavouring to give it the oomph. I would rather stick with their east coast specialties.

Like all kopitiams, they also serve the usual toasts, half-boiled eggs and beverages.

All in all, this is not a bad place to have a simple meal. In spite of being in busy busy Uptown, this place is really quite laid-back. Perhaps it is the Terengganu vibe. It is definitely worth a visit.

Rocket United

I am not professing my political inclination here. We made a trip to Kafe Rocket United totally out of curiosity. We had heard so much about this apparent DAP establishment. We had passed by the place many times. We just wanted to see what the food was like.

 

Rocket United is located on Jalan SS 2/63, opposite the SS2 hawker centre and playground. It is on the same row of shops as the SS2 Maybank. There is a distinct DAP atmosphere in the cafe and the political undertone is unmistakable. As you walk in, you see a big DAP rocket rising from the floor up the wall. Beside it, is a rack selling English and Chinese versions of the DAP Rocket newspapers.

Further in, you are greeted by a huge picture of Lim Guan Eng and Anwar Ibrahim....

... and framed photos of various opposition personalities.

Even the menus are not spared. There are several political pictures in the menu including one of Lim Guan Eng being arrested over the Malacca CM fiasco.

I was told you can even register to vote here. They also sell various DAP merchandise.

Political affiliation aside, the food in this cafe was.... terrible. It was one of the worst places we have eaten in.

 

The nasi lemak arrived in a gigantic plate, with the normal serving of rice, generous portion of rendang chicken and an over dose of sambal. The rendang was not so very authentic. The taste was not complete. It lacks the flavour of daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaves).

The Korean spicy seafood nissin noodle was not at all appetizing. It was bland and was more like a bowl of poorly made instant noodles. It had an egg, some shrimps and pieces of fish cake. Our home cooked spicy maggi mee would had tasted better.

The Muar otak-otak was ok. Not too bad in taste. But the portion was very meager. They came wrapped in coconut leaves. The fish paste inside was thin as paper.

I had the curry laksa. That was the worst of our orders. It took a long time to arrive. I didn't know why it took so long. I would think that the curry laksa would be quick to dish out since the curry would had been pre-prepared. When it finally arrived, it was one big bowl of disappointment. Absolutely the worst curry laksa I have ever tasted. It was like noodles in a bowl of santan (coconut milk) with hardly any flavour. One sip of the curry and a spoonful of noodles, I was ready to put it down. I had to add in some of sambal from the nasi lemak to make it slightly more palatable. Eventually the bowl was largely left uneaten.

The place was not very patronized that day and I could see the reason why. After a meal like that, I don't think we would want a second visit.

I left the cafe totally convinced that politics and food cannot mix. I really thought that the guys at Rocket United should have stuck with politics.

Annie 1

Annie 1 is one of those hybrid kopitiams that have evolved from the good old traditional coffee shops. It boasts of "Famous Menglembu Wanton Mee". I did not even know that Menglembu is famous for wanton noodle.

It is located in Jalan SS21/58 in Uptown, Damansara Utama, PJ. I have passed the shop numerous times and it did not strike me as a worthwhile place to eat until a family member recommended it. The shop facade and the name Annie seemed to me like one of those shops that serve pseudo western food which does not appeal to me one bit. But I was pleasantly proven wrongly. It is not pseudo western. On the contrary, they serve mainly local fare and they are quite good. Annie 1 is more a breakfast or lunch place. Although they are opened till 9.30pm, the menu offering does not look like one that I would want to go there for dinner.

If you are there, you might as well try the Menglembu wanton mee. It is quite good. The noodle has the springy texture which is pleasantly different from the soft flaccid noodles that we find in most wanton stalls. You can have it with a assortments of accompaniments - chicken (plain or curried), char siew, chicken feet, braised pork trotter, pork ribs and of course wanton.

Or if you prefer the ordinary mee and meehoon, you can have it kon loh (dry) with a chilli sambal sauce which when mixed with the noodles, is quite agreeable with my palate.

The "home-made" yam cake or woo tau ko (芋头糕) is very good. It is soft and has the right texture, with a good flavor of yam. It is served with a chilli and a sweet sauce and generous dose of fried shallots. Very authentic.

So is the chee cheong fun (猪肠粉) which is also served with similar sauces. But you don't really need the sauce. It taste equally splendid (if not better) with the soy sauce, oil, sesame seeds and fried shallots and the green pickled chillis. 

The Ipoh white coffee (available hot or cold) is so-so. OK enough for a satisfying breakfast or lunch.

Finally, the egg custard is very very good. It is very sweet - perhaps too sweet for some of us. But it is soft, smooth and very flavourful. You may ask why in the world sweet custard for breakfast. Never mind. Just try it. You won't regret.

 

Annie 1's menu is a lot more than the pictures I have. I found the braised pork trotter particularly delectable. Unfortunately my picture turned out horrible. They also serve nasi lemak and rice with the various different dishes. Annie 1 is definitely worth a visit.

PappaRich kopitiam

PappaRich is a chain of restaurants serving good Malaysian food. I believe it is a franchise chain. It is among the many restaurants chains the have sprung up capitalizing on the Malaysian kopitiam concept. Of the many kopitiam chains - Old Town, Old Taste, Uncle Lim, Station 1, Kluang Station  etc -  I like PappaRich best for its taste, menu variety and food authenticity. 

According to its websute, there are now 27 PappaRich outlets mainly in the Klang Valley. The place we most frequent is the one at USJ Taipan in Subang Jaya. This outlet is located in a corner shop on Jalan USJ10/1D. It offers a favorable dining ambiance with soft lights and oldie music which, to me is very conducive to a quiet meal.

Our latest experience at this outlet was a few days ago. We were there for breakfast. The place, as usual was quite crowded.

I had the curry mee. The bowl came with pieces of chicken, see hum, tau fu - the usual stuff you find in any bowl of curry mee, plus a some mint leaves. The curry was nice and thick - rather rich in santan. It was a bit sinful. But heck, it tasted good.

My wife had her usual plate of char koay teow. I don't often see her having char koay teow in other makan places. In PappaRich, this was probably her 3rd time. So I guess it must be good. It certainly looked very authentic - the usual prawn, see hum, taugeh, chives and egg. I had a taste of it and I could understand why it was her 3rd.

The nasi lemak was also very good. It came with a good portion of chicken in curry, egg, ikan bilis and kacang. The rice was fragrant. The curry was lemak. The sambal not so hot. Nothing to complain on.

The roti kulit bakar with kaya and margarine is one of my favorite. They use traditional coffee shop bread. The kaya and margarine were in generous portions. I like the texture of the toasted kulit.

We also had a Pappabun - a bun with with kaya and margarine. All that together with drinks - coffee, tea, barley - came up to be just over RM64. It is really not that expensive considering the ambiance they offer.

PappaRich's menu offers a wide variety of food that suits breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in-betweens. They have a variety of noodles. Besides the curry mee and char koay teow, they also have Ipoh hor fun, wet and dry noodles, laksa and prawn mee.They have various rice selections - nasi lemak, fried rice and chicken rice. Their bread selection is impressive - a complete combination of kopitiam varieties. They even offer dim sum, although the variety is very limited and are mainly vegetarian.

Their drink selection has almost every thing you want from a kopitiam. Their desserts look absolutely tempting in the menu. They have ABC, cendol, sago, tau fu fah, ice creams - all Malaysian. I have not tried any of them. Will have to one day.