Showing posts with label mee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mee. Show all posts

Thursday, November 24, 2022

MORE THAN DIM SUM AT SANTAI YAMCH'A

 

Patrons can santai or chill out at Santai Yamch’a Dim Sum Restaurant over a plethora of Halal Dim Sum, Mee Tarik and Rice whenever they step in.


Dim sum takes pride of place here with familiar options such as Prawn Siew Mai (3 pcs RM12.80), Har Gao (3 pcs RM12.80), and even Loh Mai Kai (RM10.80). Freshly steamed upon order, the delicate morsels taste agreeable and pass muster with minced chicken and prawns making up the key filling.


Handmade in Santai’s central kitchen and available from 12pm to 6pm daily, the Prawn Cheong Fun (2pcs RM16.80) is commendable. We find the flat rice noodles smooth enough, with springy pieces of prawns enfolded within.


The Shanghai Red Oil Dumplings (3 pcs RM12.80) dial up the interest factor further; each dumpling piques our palate with its tart vinegarish accent and leaves behind a slightly tongue-numbing mala effect.


More textural contrasts arrive in the form of deep-fried Prawn Beancurd Rolls (2 pcs RM9.80). Served with Japanese mayo on the side, these crispy offerings should appeal to those partial to fried dim sum options.


For the young and young-at-heart, the minion-lookalike Nerdy Red Bean Bao (2 pcs RM10.80) and “googly-eyed” Custard Lava Bao (2 pcs RM12.80) may prove too cute to resist. Pillowy-soft with generous red bean paste and custard filling, the steamed buns are delicious to boot.


A wide selection of kopitiam-style beverages is served here. The house Cham (RM7.80) – a kaw (strong) blend of local kopi and tea is best enjoyed ice-cold but if you prefer it hot or less kaw, let the serving team know.

Other recommendations include Sirap Bandung Cincau (RM8.80), 3 Layer Tea (RM7.80), and Asam Boi Lemonade (RM8.80).


Apparently, the Mee Tarik (hand-pulled noodles) is also a crowd-puller. Variations range from Dry Mee Tarik with Soup Chicken Dumplings (RM18.80) and Mala Mee Tarik with Beef Slices (RM25.80) to Dry Mala Mee Tarik with Salted Chicken Chop (RM17.80).

Overall, the noodles boast springy toothsome texture, with the beef slices version emerging as the most popular in our dining party. The ‘dry’ mala noodles accompanied by chicken chop also gets the thumbs up thanks to the flavourful chicken chop and noodle pairing.

Should you wish to supplement a side dish, try the pan-fried Gyoza (3 pcs RM10.80, 5 pcs RM15.80).

Rice fans won’t feel left out as Santai also serves Grilled Chicken Teriyaki with Crushed Egg Rice Bowl (RM21.80), Nasi Lemak Bunga Telang (RM25.80) with Fried Chicken Whole Leg and Sweet & Sour Sauce Hainan Chicken Chop with Fried Rice (RM24.80).

Deliciously tender and smothered with a tasty teriyaki sauce, the Grilled Chicken Teriyaki rice bowl makes a hearty, delicious combination with the fluffy scrambled egg, and pink pickled ginger strips.

Coloured with butterfly pea flower juice, the fluffy Nasi Lemak Bunga Telang with Fried Chicken Whole Leg (RM25.80) accompanied by all the condiments is a hefty serving guaranteed to leave you replete.


Another regular crowd-pleaser is Sweet & Sour Sauce Hainan Chicken Chop with Fried Rice (RM24.80). Although we find the sweet & sour sauce too generous for our liking, we reckon most diners will probably find this offering up to their expectations.


SantaiYamch’a Dim Sum Restaurant, Lot LG122, Food Street (Old Wing), One Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-6261 0888


Wednesday, September 09, 2015

A SEDAP STOPOVER AT SAMBAL & SAUCE







Malay food is fast making its presence felt in the city, especially in modern shopping malls like NuSentral in KL. Instead of being tucked away as part of the food courts, more independent Malay restaurants can now be found. Datin Norintan Safinas who is an avid shopper finds decent Malay food hard to come by in malls hence her decision to foray into opening one of her own at NuSentral.


Known as Sambal & Sauce, this all-day dining outlet is an ideal stopover for diners of all races and ages with different budgets. You can enjoy a simple breakfast of teh tarik and roti canai, relish a hearty nasi campur lunch or pop in for a substantial dinner in its high ceiling, air-conditioned premises with simple yet practical décor.


According to Datin Norintan, “The Sambal represents the local part of our menu while Sauce is the Western selection we cover. We want to cater to everyone so both local and Western food are available.”


For brekkie, try hot off the griddle Roti Sardin (RM5.25), a piece of roti canai stuffed with coarsely mashed sardines. It’s a filling serving that should keep you going until lunch.


About 10 dishes or more are cooked daily for Nasi Campur (expect to pay about RM3.5 to RM5 per item of your choice). From the items we sampled, the specialities which scored highly with us included Gulai Tempoyak Patin (top most pix), Ayam Masak Kicap and Asam Pedas Ikan Pari. Much to our surprise, the plain looking Sup Ayam tasted better than it looked.


Otherwise, we advise going for the scrumptious Mutton Briyani (RM15) - a great value meal with aromatic spiced rice, some curry gravy and a whole hardboiled egg thrown into the equation.


Those yearning for a late lunch or quick dinner will be spoiled for choice. The classic Black Pepper Chicken Chop (RM15.90) is a reliable mainstay as is Fish & Chips (RM16.90)


On the local front, decent recommendations include Sambal & Sauce Fried Rice (RM15.90), Mee Goreng Mamak (RM10.90) and Char Kwe Tiau (RM10.90).  Nothing high-brow here but each is passable enough to satisfy your hunger pangs.


Roti Kobra - oiginally from East Malaysia – is a reinterpretation of Roti Canai Banjir (a gravy drenched roti canai) with a fried sunny-side up egg, and deep-fried battered chicken.


Beverage to quench one’s thirst ranges from Ribena Lime Soda (RM8.90) to Double Shot Tea (RM3.80). Opened daily from 7am-12am, Sambal & Sauce is the go-to outpost for the office crowd, shoppers and commuters streaming through the busy transportation hub of Brickfields and KL Sentral.


SAMBAL & SAUCE, Unit 30 & 31, Lower Ground Floor, NU Sentral, No.201, Jalan Tun Sambathan, Kuala Lumpur. Call tel: 03-2276 1694 for reservations.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

SIMPLY D-ELIGHTFUL


 

Fresh. Fun. Fast. That's the best way to describe Simply D - a new spin-off concept by Malaysia’s home grown F&B brand Delicious after 10 successful years. Spearheaded by CEO Steve Allen, Simply D is a simpler but contemporary version of Delicious where fresh, fun and tasty pastas, sandwiches and cakes are served in double quick time at affordable prices.
The outlet at Nu Sentral is bright and breezy; awash in shades of welcoming orange and cool blue. Now who wouldn't warm up to a happy colour that induces the appetite? Blue which stands for health and tranquillity is also the link to Delicious. Both hues are juxtaposed against a wood and dark chocolate background to evoke a cosier café ambiance.
On the menu is a wide variety of pastas, salads, sandwiches, desserts, homemade ice-creams and organic Arabica coffees; distilled from what Delicious is famed for yet conceived to suit current market trends and modern customer needs. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, tea or dinner, you'd find something to please the tummy.
"We keep everything at an affordable price point so that more customers can patronise Simply D," says Steve Allen. "Diners decide how they want their dishes prepared and what ingredients should be added. It's interactive and fun that sees customers ending up with some deliciously interesting results."
Chilli Chicken Pastamee (RM13) using linguine, Salted Egg Pumpkin with fusili (RM12), Beef Short Ribs Herbal Soup with soba (RM12.50), Vietnamese Salmon Pho (RM15) with flat white noodles and the Simply d Laksa with spaghettini (RM12) - See more at: http://pureglutton.com/simply-d#sthash.v3k3aZQt.dpuf
Chilli Chicken Pastamee (RM13) using linguine, Salted Egg Pumpkin with fusili (RM12), Beef Short Ribs Herbal Soup with soba (RM12.50), Vietnamese Salmon Pho (RM15) with flat white noodles and the Simply d Laksa with spaghettini (RM12) - See more at: http://pureglutton.com/simply-d#sthash.v3k3aZQt.dpuf
For our visit, our group of four had a field day mixing and matching different noodles and pastas with the various toppings available. We ended up with Chilli Chicken Pastamee (we opted to have Linguine, each bowl at RM13), Salted Egg Pumpkin Fusili (RM12), Soba with Beef Short Ribs Herbal Soup (RM12.50), Vietnamese Salmon Pho (RM15) and the Simply D Spaghettini Laksa (RM12).


 Doesn't our choice of Chilli Chicken Linguine look simply sedap? It's like 'koh loh pan meen' - dry-tossed noodles with zingy hot sambal, minced chicken, crispy fried anchovies and a whole egg. Once everything is stirred together, you'd get an unctuous ensemble that's rich, hearty and punchy.


 My other fave is the fusili which came with sliced black mushroom, pumpkin dices and crumbled salted egg with a scattering of curry leaves. Again the combination is familiar yet pleasingly new thanks to the dish's unexpected twists.
Chinese meets Japanese and a bit of Western in our bowl of soba with beef-kut-teh. We were taken aback by how yummy the beef short ribs and soba tasted; both thoroughly suffused with the deep-seated nuances of the herbal broth.
Depending on personal preferences, both the salmon pho (top pix) and spaghettini laksa (bottom pix) are equally decent. Naturally, the first features a more delicately spiced broth that's appetizingly aromatic while the laksa has more robust and zestier accents. If you want to sample the different variants, go with some friends and you'd have a fine time tangling with them.
Having a Chinese herbal tea egg in a Caesar Salad may sound weird but much to our surprise the combo (RM11) worked like a charm. Too bad the Som Tam Salad was a limp affair - the texture and flavour profiles weren't robust or tantalising enough to pique interest but hopefully, these niggling hiccups would have been sorted out by now.
If you have a finicky teen in tow who likes everything slapped with pesto, the yummy Mushrooms, Tomatoes & Pesto Sandwich (RM12.50) would be right down her/his lane. Healthy and nutritious, the sandwich disappeared without much ado.


Otherwise they may like chomping on the scrumptious Chicken Avocado & Pine Nuts Tortilla Wrap (RM12). Filled with shredded lettuce, lean chicken breast and sliced avo, we felt healthier just sampling this.
Heartier appetites may prefer the delectable Beef Burger (RM13) - a nifty crowd-pleasing offering that has juicy beef patty layered with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and caramalised onions in brioche bread. Definitely way better than those fast-food versions by leaps and bounds.
We were tickled by the retro-inspired toast with pandan and coconut ice cream; the melding of hot and cold was so amazingly good that one can easily down two servings at one go. Other sweet treats to try include an airy-light coconut pandan cake, a meringue-embellished coconut tart and a wickedly tempting chocolate brownie.
You must wash the meal down with a cup of its organic coffee. I had the smooth mocha that still lingered in my mind until now.

Simply D – NU SENTRAL, Lot G9, No. 201, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Kuala Lumpur. Opening hours: Daily 8am – 10pm. Details: www.facebook.com/simplyd.my 
        

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