Chow Down: There is Free Lunch in this World!

Yes, you heard me right. Free meal does exist ^^. Fortune Land Vegetarian Restaurant in Sri Petaling offers gratis a la carte and drinks to diners. Meanwhile, a plate of vegetarian mixed rice of 3 dishes costs only RM2.

I reckon the restaurant owner is doing this in the name of charity and compassion.  

Mum had rice and I ordered kway teow in clear soup. It was a healthy lunch. The noodles were fresh and tasted homemade.

Here, for the first time, we tried pumpkin barley. Not bad!

Those who have a strong palate might find the food tasteless but then, those who look for variety and chef recommendation are unlikely to patron such humble restaurant.       

We had our Sunday lunch in peace with soft Buddhist mantras aired in the background.   

These mantras are recorded in CDs which diners could bring home to share with family and friends of the same religion. Besides, books on Buddhism are also available.

Be cautious of whom you share the religious contents with. In this country, one is not allowed to propagate religion other than Islam to a Islam devotee or else one will face legal actions (it’s complicated).    

Well, back to the vegetarian review, although the restaurant operator charges only RM2, diners may pay more on goodwill and insert the money into a donation box provided.

It’s good to go meat-free occasionally if we can’t do it regularly. After all, vegetables are good for our body, mind and soul (it is said that people who eat more vegetables and less meat are calmer and even-tempered).   

Location: Jalan Radin Anum 1, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur.
Nearby landmarks: Same row as Ho Ho Steamboat Restaurant, Fusion Haven, Nalanda Book Cafe, opposite VBuy.

Chow Down: Little Korea@Sunway Mentari

Malaysia is a haven of food and its people are constantly spoilt by the vast selections of all the yummy food around us, day and night. Always preferring low-key dinners on ordinary days, Luv and I seldom step into expensive eateries.

However, on one lovey-dovey Saturday after 3 rounds of pool game, it was time for dinner and we found Little Korea in Sunway Mentari. Craving for something different that evening, we gave it a try.

Korean meal is never complete without its iconic dish of Kimchi, the traditional dish made of fermented cabbage with seasonings. Ironically, both of us aren’t fans of that. Fortunately, it was served in a small plate as one of the many side dishes. Yeah, one good thing about Korean cuisine is that diners are presented with a variety of complimentary side dishes. They come in small plates and each could be refilled once!

Besides kimchi, our side dishes consisted of fish cake, brinjal, cockles, pancakes (nice!) and vegetables. For the main course, we had rice with soup, seafood noodles and stir-fried rice cake.

So much for two!

Two thumbs up from Luv.

Seafood noodles

Stir-fried rice cake

Towards the end of the meal, we were surfeited. No enough green tea could catalyse the digestion.

Slouched in our chair, we were further surprised by the waitress who came to our table and put down two bowls of dessert and a small plate of watermelon slice.

“This is like a fine dine. We’re continuously served with dishes that we don’t order,” uttered Luv.

At one point we hesitated on those gratis servings until the bill came to RM62. For so much food, it was truly reasonable.

The cozy ambience of Little Korea, Sunway Mentari.

Personal ratings:
Food – 7.5/10
Price – 7.5/10
Service – 8/10
Ambience – 6.5/10

Location: No. 28, Jalan PJS 8/18, Dataran Menteri Sunway, 46150 Petaling Jaya Selangor Tel : +603 – 5630 0848.

Chow Down: Siu Siu Restaurant, Robson Road

A humble-looking restaurant by the roadside serving tasty seafood to local folks.

Siu Siu restaurant has been around for quite some time. Its signature dish clay pot rice with crab has won many hearts of diners including my old friend Tamie, who recommended the eatery.   

Siu Siu signature dish: Claypot rice with crab

The clay pot rice alone deserves two thumbs up ^^ (I didn’t taste the crab). However, the pot serves at least 4 standard stomaches.   

Barbecued pork

I personally don’t like the barbecued pork because it was way too fatty for me. If you love the juiciness of fatty meat, this is certainly for you.  

The buttered milk prawns were saliva-seducing but one that I had missed out because Luv wasn’t around to unshell them for me *pity face*.        

Long beans with brinjals

 The vegetables were good especially the braised bean curd. 

Chow Down: Charcoal King@Kuchai Lama

Charcoal King in Kuchai Lama serves good claypot rice for a very reasonable price. For just RM24, we had a pot of hot claypot chicken rice – small but enough for two – vegetable, soup and drinks.

Claypot rice with chicken and chinese sausages

The shop may not serve the best claypot chicken rice in town but definitely one that is value for money.   

Stir-fried baby bak choy

 If we had to pinpoint a weakness, it would be the soup which was way too oily for us. Luv was kinda freaked out when the soup was put down in front of him.

After some relentless effort of removing blobs of yellow grease that covered the entire surface of the soup, the dish returned to its healthy look (picture below). Smile.        

Peanut lotus root soup

Quite oftenly, we’ll end our meal with Froyo ^^ but in the absence of our favourite dessert, we had mango Snow Ice as substitute.     

100yen snow ice

 Charcoal King

25 Jalan Kuchai Maju 1,  Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park, 58200 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 012-9208252

Let’s Tutti Frutti !

Flavor: Original, cookies and cream and lychee; toppings: strawberries, longan, peach with little of cookie crumbles

I came across with Tutti Frutti for the first time when I went shopping with Mom at Sunway Pyramid. Intrigued by its playful name and fresh outlook, we gave it a try. And its frozen yogurt turned out great!

So, I recommended to Luv the next time and he fell in love with it instantly (now he should thank me for that hehe). Since then, we’ve become Tutti Frutti loyal customers ^^. These days, we visit the outlet once a week or fortnight on average, more often than I’ve dinner at home.

What makes us love the Naza-owned asset so much?

Freedom of choice

variety of toppings for customer's preference

We get to choose our preferred cup size (S,M,L) though we always share the medium cup, favourite yogurt flavour (different outlets offer different flavours which are subject to regular change) and toppings that range from fresh fruits, raisins and cereals to candies and jellies.

Less filling less guilt

We could have it every week without worrying the figure on the scale. Unlike high calorie high sugar high fats ice-cream.  

Healthier

Definitely a healthier choice compared to ice-cream. Yogurt helps in digestion, colon-cleansing and reducing inflammation as it claims. (Of course pure yogurt is always the best when we talk about the real benefits of yogurt).

Environment

The cozy and chilling ambience goes perfectly with the frozen dessert.  

Ampwalk: One of its many outlets in Malaysia

Anyway, selection should be made wisely because apart from healthy varieties of fruits, there is also other sweet stuff available for toppings which is less beneficial.

The above post is solely the author’s personal point of view.