Restoran Kapitan @ Lebuh Chulia

Located along the busy road of Chulia, Kapitan offers a range of authentic and classic Indian cuisine to choose from. Our most favourite meal from this restaurant would be their naan and tandoori, (if you search for best naan and tandoori in Google this restaurant would come up) but above them all is its very unique version of briyani, the Claypot briyani. However, it is found that the quality of their briyani is not consistent in comparison to our 1^st and 2^nd visit.



Menus offered by Kapitan. Parking may be hard to find during peak hours, fret not as there are many beggars to help you find a parking spot. Just remember to roll down your window to return the gratitude :P Operational hours: 24hours




The former Agong once came down to the shop.




Cheese naan and tandoori set. They ran out of chicken tandoori so they gave kebab tandoori instead. The naan is soft, creamy and very cheesy while the tenderness of the tandoori is almost to perfection. That being said, it has its competitor (in which to us has the tastiest naan and tandoori) in Kapitan @ Gurney Drive (one of Mr Foodpacker's past-time favourite).




Keema mutter. Aka minced mutton in creamy youghurt sauce. After Kapitan at Gurney stopped offering keema mutter, we sought for it from many other restaurants but still none satisfy our cravings and so does the one at Kapitan Chulia. The taste was close to expectation but sadly the mutton was not minced rather cut in chunks.




1st visit. Nasi briyani ayam set. (take away) Fell in love with this one. The chicken was soft and creamy. The rice was also spectacular in a way that it sticks to one another like a paste and is simple mouth watering to eat even on its own. A wholesome meal indeed.




 2nd visit. Nasi briyani ayam claypot. (dine in) The texture of the chicken was hard and the rice was too dry. Tasted like microwave-heated food. Not fresh at all. Plus the youghurt tasted like it's been kept for long.

 Dishing it out: What drew us the second time to this restaurant were the tastiness of the briyani and the tenderness of the chicken. Sadly, the quality was not the same anymore on the second visit. Restoran Kapitan certainly has its own savoury offers to satisfy our cravings for good briyani, but based on our two time experience, it may depends on luck that you get a fresh briyani from the kitchen.

Coming back for more value: YES maybe for briyani ayam claypot
Crowd: NO
Cleanliness: MODERATE
Service: BAD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N5.41623,E100.33859


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..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Ismal Char Koay Teow @ Lorong Alka Ria

After a long travel to Penang (Malaysia's food paradise) the journey would not be complete if one do not have a taste of their most famous local delicacy, Char koay  teow. Ismal Char Koay Teow is a dime in a dozen under the Halal category as it is quite tough to find for a tasty CKT that does not contain pork or lard.
 



Located in the main land of Penang in the humble town of Bukit Mertajam, this shop does have something worthy to offer distant travellers. Operational hours: 7pm onwards (make it 8pm.. 7pm is when they actually start to open the shop and set all the tables)

  



That's Ismal right there, with the choices of items available at his shop. CKT: Small RM3. Big RM4. Special RM5 (with egg, extra prawns and cockles).

 


CKT special. RM5. The Malay version of CKT is of the wet type (basah). What makes their kuey teow a hit is its tasty sauce. "Finger licking good" as they put it, and may I add "till the last drop" ;) Just don't expect big prawns on your plate like those you can find on the island. Despite that, the sauce and the softness of the noodle is enough to make it an irresistible dish!





The jar of cili padi for those with a spicy taste bud :)

 
Dishing it out: Until now, we still consider it to be the best CKT we've ever tasted for Malay style of cooking. Very soupyyy and soft!

Coming back for more value: NO at first, but YES after a while. can't stop thinking about the soup..
Crowd: YES
Cleanliness: CLEAN but wear long pants, a lot of mosquitoes are also as hungry as you
Service: GOOD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE


GPS Coordinates: N5.36485,E100.45956


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..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Nasi Lemak Ampangan @ Seremban

Despite the awesome taste of their nasi lemak and being one of Mr Foodpacker's favourites.. this shop seem to be CLOSED most of the time when we plan to visit. In our experience, out of 10 times we tried to eat there.. 6 times they were NOT operating. Mostly during the weekends, which is bad considering that is the time when people are normally free. So if you plan to give it a visit, please do so at your own risk. Good luck.

Who does not love to eat nasi lemak in Malaysia? It is one of those food which symbolises harmony among the different races in this country as it is eaten by everyone regardless of time and place. We eat it in the morning, afternoon, evening, and even at night. Considered one of the main causes which leads to obesity (and also a sleeping pill, u eat it, u feel like sleeping right after..) have led the government to banning/limiting the sale of of nasi lemak in schools. Nasi Lemak Ampangan gives us an exact idea of why they should be banned.. because they are so darn AWESOME!



Situated at a location that is hard to find, the only clue that marks where the shop is, is the billboard of a furniture shop. Find the billboard and you will find the shop. I've been living in Seremban since small and though i've passed this road countless times, I didn't know it existed till some friends of mine brought me there. Operational hours: 7pm-late midnight(2-3am)




Nasi Lemak Ayam. RM4. Picture above is with extra chicken, add RM3 for small or RM4 for big piece of chicken. The chicken is o-so-soft and crispy. Chicken skin lovers, you don't wanna miss this.. The sambal is sweet and not so spicy while the sayur kacang adds texture and fresh green flavour to the dish. A heavenly combination indeed.


Dishing it out: This shop IMO is the best nasi lemak shop i know so far. Some shops use 'pelaris' to make customers come back, but i assure you, you will come back for this one purely for its taste! Will always visit this shop everytime I get back to Seremban and tapau at least 3 additional chicken ontop of the nasi lemak ayam! (I know this isn't a healthy lifestyle choice but I can't help it) Only setback is, the shop is a little stingy with the quantity of sambal and sayur kacang. C'mon, I mean how expensive can sayur kacang be? Besides that, be sure to wear long pants to this shop or you will get bitten by mosquitoes. An important tip, they seem to be closed whenever they feel like it, so if you are coming from far be sure to ask relatives nearby if they are open as about 30% of the time, they are closed.

Coming back for more value: YES
Crowd: NO
Cleanliness: MODERATE
Service: BAD (not friendly nor productive.. I asked for additional sayur kacang and i repeated to the uncle THREE times to make it clear to him, still the order didn't arrive. Exception goes to the owner of the shop as he is quite friendly and productive in doing his work)
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N2.72668,E101.969261


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..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Capricciosa @ Sunway Pyramid

Caprcciosa is an Italian restaurant that originates from Japan. The founder Masaaki Honda, is a graduate from the National Culinary Academy of Italy. Easier said, they serve mainly Italian cuisine with Japanese touch. Being one of the latest happenings in Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley early this year (2011) many have yet to discover its delicious set of menu which consists of a variety of authentic pasta and pizzas.




The Italian feel is definitely there. Pictures of the franchise's history are posted all around the shop.

 


Sicilian Style Rice Croquette. Aka deep fried rice ball with mozzarella cheese filling served with home made meat sauce.

 


This is how it looks like when you cut it in half. The rice and cheese blend well together but the meat sauce was a tad too sour and successfully overwhelmed the whole dish.

  


*Name TBA* Around RM25. I have to admit. I have never tasted such a delicious pasta such as this! The light and springy texture of the homemade pasta was simply amazing. It just snaps in your mouth! The combination of the meat sauce and the many shapes of mushroom also helped to add even more texture and flavour to the dish.

 


Capricciosa pizza. RM16.90. I find the outer crust a little hard and I couldn't manage to eat them. Though the toppings were fine and the overall presentation was visually nice, the pizza just tasted normal.


Dishing it out: I wouldn't recommend you to eat their pizza if you come here, because i think eating their pasta would be a better choice for a main dish. Their pastas are of high quality and it is hard to find this sort of pasta sellection available in Malaysia. Dishes are moderately priced. As a side note, I have yet to try their Quattro Formagi (4 cheese) pizza, so I think I will give it another chance on my next visit.
Coming back for more value: YES for their pasta
Crowd: YES depending on shopping complex hours
Cleanliness: CLEAN
Service: GOOD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N3.07281,E101.607313


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..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Cowboy Place @ Port Dickson

Love the wild wild west? Fancy yourself some cowboys or cowgirls? This is the place to live you dreams! Well.. sort of. Waiters and waitress wearing cowboy hats. Fancy. But it'll be more interesting if they could play the attitude and behaviour that fits the costume. Don't take it too seriously though, its just a theme! =D Or else they will be spitting all over the place like they do in the west, and you don't want to see that sort of scene while you are eating. Anyway, the main attraction here is their nasi kukus with ayam panggang. Odd combination, was my first thought.



HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT! And yet they don't allow you to sit inside where it is cosy and comfortable. Inside seatings are only open during the weekends when it is crowded. Operational hours: 2pm-10pm from Tue-Fri. 12pm-10pm from Sat-Sun. Closed on Mon. 




Under the camp where some western decorations can be seen. I heard they even play cowboy movies sometimes. Cowboy music? nope. Melodramatic malay songs? yes. But I enjoyed them anyways, no damage there.




Ayam panggang. The main feast! We ordered 1 1/2 chicken. The cutting looks similar to Ayamas if you ask me. Taste wise, sweet on the skin, normal on the inside. Tender and well cooked.




Sweet spicy sauce and chicken soup. You will need these due to the chicken that tastes like chicken. lol. Diminishing marginal utility- the more you eat, the more tasteless it taste. The sweet spicy sauce had a thick substance but IMHO it was a little too spicy. (notice all the cili api seeds)




Now that is a whole lotta chicken. Though i do think they might have caused a little air pollution in the process.


Dishing it out: The wild wild west sure loves its sun. So if you can take the heat, i dare you to eat here! or if you can't, nope.. don't stay away! just come during the weekeneds! You will need A LOT of water to survive this visit. Trust me. And them putting so much ice in your water cups do not help this situation either.

Coming back for more value: NO
Crowd: YES
Cleanliness: You eat on mother earth and its natural dusts. Unless if seat inside.
Service: PERKY GOOD and the owner is incredibly friendly
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE


GPS Coordinates: N2.471457,E101.858218


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..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Mama World @ Seremban 2 (EXTENDED)

[We've received some complaints that, this shop does not consistently serve its array of food everyday. They might serve more dishes on certain days as compared to others. If you are coming from far, give this number a call to avoid any disappointment- 0136489158]

Being born and bred in Negeri Sembilan, I am bestowed with the ability to endure and withstand the spiciest meals presented infront of me. Masak lemak cili api aka masak gulai is one of Negeri Sembilan's signature dish. It has a milky and creamy substance but tastes spicy at the same time. Though throughout the years there aren't too many estabilished masak lemak cili api shops in Negeri Sembilan,(besides Nelayan) recently, there is an emergence of a new contender from Seremban 2 which looks to be quite promising. The shop is called Mama World.



Mama World. 11am-9pm for Negeri Sembilan cooking. 11am-12am for Western and Thai cuisine.

An array of dishes from goreng berlada to tempoyak gulai lemak. Click picture to enlarge.

The gulai selections. Click picture to enlarge.

Other condiments and vegetable selections. Click picture to enlarge.

FROM 1ST VISIT



Ikan keli salai masak lemak, rendang pucuk maman and tempoyak pucuk ubi(in green). Ikan keli was big but it was a little salty, rendang tastes good but sadly the maman factor was nowhere to be found and the tempoyak pucuk ubi was very good! Overall the gulai(yellow sauce in pic) tasted good as it wasn't too spicy.





Daging salai masak lemak, hati lembu with sayur kacang, gulai siput and rendang pucuk ubi(in black). Daging salai is the standout dish of the shop, very soft and tender. Tasted very nice. Nelayan you have a new competitor in this one! Siput and hati was normal while the belacan(in red) was too overwhelming. A decent surprise here is the rendang pucuk ubi, this is the first time i tasted it and it was very nice. =D Something like serunding. Second standout dish.

FROM 2ND VISIT

Tempoyak gulai lemak, kentang tempe goreng berlada and ayam salai masak lemak, On this plate we took two types of gulai: one from masak lemak ayam and the other from masak lemak ikan. Both of us agreed that the gulai from masak lemak ikan tasted better as it had more taste to it.

Keli salai masak lemak and tempoyak gulai lemak. We absolutely loved the tempoyak! Mrs Foodpacker also spotted some daun kunyit in it, not to mention a durian seed too ;) This time, the keli was not salty but it was cooked rather too crispy without the slight tenderness that we would prefer to find.

Dishing it out 1st visit: As compared to Nelayan, this shop lacks the variety of gulai masak lemak offered by Nelayan such as daging rusa, and ikan sungai to name a few. But it also has some item that Nelayan does not offer, so it is worth to check them out. Most of the items were finished after 2pm as customers come for lunch after Friday prayers.(we went on a friday) We didn't get the chance to taste their ikan jenahak masak gulai as it was finished and they didn't seem to refill what was gone. For all the items above, we paid a relatively cheap amount- RM21 considering if we were to order the same items above with lesser amounts in Nelayan, it would have cost us easily around RM30-RM40.

Dishing it out 2nd visit: We paid them a visit on a Saturday at around 1pm. At that point of time, most of the food were either gone or they didn't prepare much dishes on that day. Our favourite dish, daging salai was nowhere to be spotted, not to mention our rendang pucuk ubi too! =( So we took the courtesy to ask the owner of the shop about the rendang pucuk ubi and he was more than happy to fill us in on our inquiry. It seems that it takes up to 8 hours to cook the rendang! Thus the reason why they are unable to serve them everyday. As demanded as it is, they even receive orders from Dubai for them. No fret though, as he also added that during the month of Ramadhan (fasting month), these pucuk ubi are cooked everyday and are sold at the Bazaar Ramadhan right opposite of their shop at Seremban 2! All items on our 2nd visit with a glass of juice and two iced water cost RM14.  

Coming back for more value: YES for daging salai masak lemak and rendang pucuk ubi
Crowd: YES
Cleanliness: CLEAN
Service: GOOD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N2.683298,E101.904609


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If you'd like to know the COMPLETE ADDRESS of the restaurant, please click on the "Location" tab below. (After Facebook comments and right before Blogger comments, its in between!)

..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Bumbu Desa @ KLCC

There are a few Bumba Desa in KL. The one we went was particularly the first one we noticed. Mrs FoodPacker wanted to eat there because she was intrigued by some of the spicy items on the menu (yup she loves spicy) and who am I to reject her on her birthday.. =) hehe It has a unique concept whereby you can first take a look at the food you want (real samples) over the counter and order from there to be cooked fresh for you OR you can do it the traditional way by taking a seat and let them bring the menu to you. I do not know whether to find this idea refreshing or plain confusing.



The grand ON-TRAY as they say it.




Nasi special. Taste as nice as it looks, as special as it sounds. Surprisingly fluffy.




An overview of what we ate. There's a bergedil hiding there somewhere..




Ayam masak cili api. For the spicy fans. Simply delightful.




Ikan talapia masak lemak cili api. Tender fish with sweet meat, that's what i'm talking about..




Pulut in pengat durian. Not normally durian fans but suddenly we had the urge to eat it and it was a risk well taken! :D



Dishing it out: A fan favourite for spicy food addicts. You will surely be full after this one!

Coming back for more value: YES for the moments
Crowd: YES
Cleanliness: GOOD
Service: BAD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N3 09.438,E101 42.734


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..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Bombay palace @ Jalan Tun Razak

Bombay Palace was once crowned the best restaurant in Malaysia. Though its premises might look abandoned during the day, at night is when it is truly filled with life. Its building looks more like a historic building that has been well preserved. With limited seating and a waiting area with live band indicates one thing clearly- make a booking. That is exactly what Mrs FoodPacker did for my birthday ;)

Lime juice





Watermelon juice



Palek paneer. Aka grinded brocolli with cottage cheese. Weird but nice, just don't imagine baby food.




Keema mutter. Aka minced mutton. Too much peas..




Chicken tandoori with briyani rice. One of the softest and juiciest tandoori to be found in KL. A meal that won't ever be forgotten :)



Cheese naan. Awesome as it sounds. Truly deserverable of the title No1 Restaurant in Malaysia.




Tiger prawn tandoori. One of the main house dish and one of the most expensive item in the menu. Too bad the price does not resemble the taste.




Pistachio ice cream. Not your average ice cream, this one is a joy to eat. Very delicious and milky. The nutty taste is just right on the tongue. Must try.


Dishing it out: When you are in this place, it's hard to imagine you are actually in Malaysia with all the foreigners around.(including the waiters =P) Truly a mystical feeling just by being inside the shop with its own kind of ambience. Pay for its exclusivity, or just bail out through the tolilet window(it heads straight towards the exit so park your car outside haha) *jokes*

Coming back for more value: YES if you have the dough
Crowd: YES due to limited seatings
Cleanliness: CLEAN
Service: SCARY GOOD
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N3.153521,E101.721876


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..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!

Big Brother @ Kota Damansara

Credit to Ahmad Izual for introduction.

Big Brothers is situated in the busy after-work-hour city of Damansara. Specializing in Western cuisine this shop offers an array of menu to be chosen from. You will literally have a hard time picking what you want from the menu. From nachos to pizzas to steaks, they serve almost everything you can think of.

Is is never difficult getting a parking. Operational hours: 10am- 11pm.




Cheesy nachos. RM7.90. IMO, this is the selling point of this shop. Plain nachos and cheese, no meat. There is a special orange color cheese sauce in there that makes this meal absolutely cheesy! Not to mention the generous amount of mozzarella cheese on top and in between the nachos! Notice the parmesan sprinkle too? ;)
 



Honey BBQ spring chicken. RM25.90. Allow minimum cooking time of 30minutes. Allow eating time of also 30minutes =P For hungry people with big appetite. Sweet in flavour. Only con was, the fries below were soaked and mushy. 

 

Spaghetti carbonara. Around RM15. Another meal that was extremely cheesy! Very nice and creamy.




Au gratin chicken char-broiled. RM15.90. You can choose to have either mashed potatoes or french fries. Personally, we think the mashed potatoes here are the bomb. The coleslaw is nice too. Tender chicken with melted cheese and creamy mashed potatoes bathed with brown mushroom gravy.. can one ask for more?

 

Cheese baked rice. Third cheesy meal in a row and this one was a disaster. All it had was the cheese layer on top and the rest was history. The rice was too dry and tasteless that I couldn't finish the meal.



Dishing it out: If you want quantity over quality, go for this one. Despite the nachos being the star of the shop, the rest of their food are just edible. Price wise, it is quite reasonable though moderately priced. Good place to hang out with a bunch of friends though, as they serve a variety of cuisines that could satisfy many different tastebuds. =)

Coming back for more value: NO. YES for nachos
Crowd: You can't call it a crowd. But it is packed as the space is small
Cleanliness: CLEAN
Service: MODERATE
Category: HALAL/PORK-FREE

GPS Coordinates: N3 09.283,E101 35.541


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If you'd like to know the COMPLETE ADDRESS of the restaurant, please click on the "Location" tab below. (After Facebook comments and right before Blogger comments, its in between!)

..and that's our "DISH" of the day!!!!!