Restaurant Jaring @ Sunway

I've been craving for Malay food for awhile now and I finally got to satisfy those cravings after my mate told me of this restaurant in Sunway.
I'm really bad with locations especially in Subang/Sunway area but finding Restaurant Jaring was a breeze as it is situated at the shoplots right opposite Sunway Pyramid next to Domino's Pizza. Getting there only took me 10 minutes from Midvalley using the New Pantai Expressway.

Restaurant Jaring is usually full from 12pm onwards till 2pm but getting a table is not difficult as they have 2 floors.

Mak Cik Boner

What you're seeing in this picture is called gearbox mainly because it looks like the gearbox in your car. Using the leg bone from a heifer, it's cooked for around 12 hours till the meat is soft and tender.

Various types of curried fish and meat

Sorry the pics came out blurry, had to rush as it was peak hour.

Jaring serves a very wide selection of food especially vegetables which ranges from Malay to Chinese style of cooking.

I had roast chicken, fried liver, fried squid, sambal terung ( brinjal ) and the awesome tasting sambal tempoyak pucuk paku (wild fernleaf cooked in fermented durian ). The chicken was alright tasting, they did not use free range chicken which I prefer. The fried liver and squid is delicious and juicy. The sambal tempoyak pucuk paku is definately not for the fainthearted. Spicy, pungent and asskicking. Imagine durian flesh being kept in a jar for weeks in salt, that is how tempoyak tastes. It was so strong the hairs in my nostril literally curled up.

Sup Gearbox $20.00

The gearbox here ranges from $15.00 to $25.00 depending on size. They all look huge to me with generous chunks of meat and ligaments stuck to the bone with green chillies instead of pepper, giving you a spicier and more appetizing taste.
I expected the meat to be dry and stringy but it wasn't, it was very tender and flavourful.
It comes with a straw for you to suck up the marrow... decadent indeed. Apart from gearbox, you can also choose from ox tongue, tripe, ligaments and sup lemak ( fat soup ).

Desert Counter

Grill fish counter

Jaring restaurant certainly serves a huge variety of food. I admit not all the food are cooked with authenticity ( eg. grilled ikan sembilang ( catfish ), ayam percik, rendang ) but patrons will still find something that suits their palate. I will certainly come back here again whenever I feel the need to have lots of different types of food at one seating.


Restaurant Jaring
48, Jalan PJS 8/2
Bandar Sunway Mentari
Petaling Jaya
( shoplots opposite Sunway Pyramid next to Dominoes Pizza )

Tel No : 03-56366366

Hours : 7am - 7.30pm Mondays till Saturdays but be warned that most food will be sold out after 2.30

Sarpino's Pizzeria @ Plaza Mon't Kiara

Sorry for the lack of updates folks. If you followed my previous posts, you would know that I haven't been feeling all that good. Was on a diet of healthy/boring food not worth blogging about. I've also been too busy with work to go out partying.
I'm happy to say I'm feeling 100% so the first thing I decided was to treat myself to a pizza meal.


When I was studying in Australia, pizza was my staple diet but when I came back to KL, Pizza Hut and Shakeys were the main pizza outlets available. You know the feeling of having ice-cream for the first time when you were a kid and being told right after that you will not get to have any more ? Well that's how I felt and I wanted to bawl ! Thank goodness a few months flew by and we got to see more outlets serving good pizza.

I decided on Sarpino's Pizzeria. It has been a year since I've eaten here and I'm eager to see if the food is still as good.

Sarpino's is a tiny one shoplot pizzeria with open seating arrangements. You can't miss it as you walk along Plaza Mon't Kiara, it's right next to Subway sandwiches.

Open kitchen




Primo Capicollo

Primo Capicollo is one of my favourite pizza at Sarpino's. It's topped with spicy Italian sausage, pepperoni, roast garlic and hot banana peppers ( pepperoncini ) topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Although not as spicy as before, it still had the zing from the garlic and the banana pepper added the perfect spicy finishing to it.

Zesty Italian

Those of you who like your pizza wet and cheesy will probably like this. It didn't do miracles for me and I thought the taste was a bit bland. The only saving grace to this dish is the amount of cheese they put on it. It's topped with pepperoni Italian sausage, chicken strips, sun-dried tomatoes and banana peppers.

Freshly squeezed mango juice

Umm.. it's really fresh :)

I gotta admit, Sarpino's isn't as good as it used to be but it still beats alot of other pizza outlets *cough* Pizza Hut *cough* Shakeys *haaaack* Luca's Pizza ( worst ever ).
They also have more than 15 types of pizza's including gourmet pizza and the option to create your own. For those not into pizza, fret not as Sarpino's also serve veggie fettucine, baked seafood portofino, lasagna, various types of spaghetti and your usual side dishes.
I just found out that Sarpino's new owners are of Middle-Eastern descent and they've introduced Donair ( Kebabs ) to their menu. I will definately be back to try that.

Sarpino's Pizzeria
E-01-16A, Blck E Plaza Mon't Kiara
2, Jalan Kiara, Mon't Kiara

Tel : 03-62012727 ( delivery )
Hours : 11am - 11pm daily

Elections @ Desa

The elections are coming ! And you can tell from all the mudslinging and immature remarks made at each other through the media. Sometimes I wonder if the candidates even passed high school with their remarks of 'You're stupid' and 'You're a liar'. Is that the level of intelligance and maturity you are looking for from someone who is to help solve the rakyat's problems ?

I went out yesterday morning and realized they've erected a new billboard infront of my apartment in Taman Desa. It shows DAP incumbent Teresa Kok leaving Mr. Seputeh to have an affair with a macho Mr. Kinrara..WDF !!?! 0_0
Not only is Barisan Nasional spending millions of tax payers money to print propoganda adverts in local papers, tv advertisements, buntings, banners and billboards but this is the only idea they can come up with ?

Next billboard shows DAP Teresa Kok riding on a DAP rocket leaving a confused looking Mr. Kinrara back to Mr. Seputeh.
I wasn't gonna involve politics on my blog but I had to after seeing such ridiculous childishness.
Don't even get me started on the TV adverts. Why hire actors to play real people when you can just interview 'real people' from the streets ? Couldn't they find anyone who has nice things to say about the current administration ?

People, let's try to make a change and vote wisely this year. I do not need to tell you who to vote for or who I am rooting for, I think that pretty much speaks for itself.

Soo Kee @ Sea Park

I've been getting stomach problems lately which can be attributed to my late nights, supper and spicy food. Well, I've decided to go on a diet of non-oily food and alcohol free week and what better way to start it with Soo Kee. Their specialty here is Ipoh Hor Fun.
I have been coming to this restaurant since I was 7 years old. I do not really know when this restaurant first open, but the business was run by the patriarch of the family for as long as I can remember. Now he is no longer with us and the restaurant is run by his wife, her two almost identical sisters and her son.

No frills interior

I am not a big fan of grandiose Chinese restaurants. To me, there are only 3 winning formulas to good chinese food :
1. Operating from dilapidated old shacks, stalls or shop houses (cockroaches optional)
2. The cook must be sweating balls while cooking ! (some say it enchances the taste)
3. Screaming contest between cook and staff (you know you're in for a treat if you also
get scolded)

A simple dish... beansprouts topped with spring onions, fried garlic and sprinkled with white pepper.

Kon Lou Hor Fun

I didn't want to risk having more stomach problems so I opted for the dry hor fun.
Hor fun is a typical Chinese rice noodle which originated from the town of Shahe in Guangzhou.
The hor fun here is served fresh with slices of prawns and their secret soy sauce.

The reason people come to Soo Kee

This is the piece d' resistance. The main reason people flock to Soo Kee.
Chicken as smooth as babies bottom lathered in home made oyster sauce.
You're probably going..'Uuuh, that's it ? What's the big deal ?'
The big deal is the simplicity of its presentation and the complexity of its taste. This is the epitome of good street food.
The chicken blends so well with the hor fun. Typically, I would order the wet hor fun and let the chicken soak in its soup but this is really good too.



I have been coming here for so many years and I do not plan on stopping. I really enjoy good food minus the formality of fine dining and I sure do hope restaurants like these last for a few more generations.



Soo Kee Restaurant
33, Jalan 21/17, Sea Park
Petaling Jaya
( it's located opposite Sea Park wet market along the same row as Ayam Mas )

Tel No : 03-78767736

operating hours : 8.30am -2.30pm

Dragon-i @ Cititel Midvalley

Today I brought my mum to lunch at Dragon-i in Cititel. If you're in Megamall, you can access Cititel through Coffee Bean on the ground floor.
Dragon-i specializes in flavours from the regions of China such as Canton, Szechuan and Shanghai.
Spicy food is on my list of favourite foods right next to sashimi so I will be indulging in Sichuan style cooking today.
Sichuan food can basically be described as being extremely hot, sour, sweet and salty. Common ingredients in Sichuan cooking includes chili, ginger, spicy herbs and the famous Fagara (Szechuan peppercorn). The peppercorn is indigenous to Szechuan Province and produces a fragrant and numbing effect to the mouth almost like getting a novocaine jab from your dentist. (Overdose on these peppers and you will be drooling like a buffoon )

The entrance to Dragon-i



Interior



Open concept kitchen

The idea of having these three buttons is ingenious. Patrons need not wave like a raving loon with this device. Press any button for whatever service you need and a waiter will pop up ala' Houdini. Very fun, but I have yet to try pressing all three buttons at once. Hmm.. maybe three waiters will appear at once ?

How does one tell the difference between vinegar and soy sauce in a Chinese restaurant ?
( besides looking at the label lah ! ) Well there's an old Chinese proverb, 'Kou Chou Ngai See Yau' which literally translates to 'Tall Vinegar Short Soy Sauce'. Now you can tell the difference :)

Appetizer

Hot sour soup La Mien $14

La Mien means hand pulled noodles. Patrons will get to see how this noodle is prepared at the open kitchen.

The whole process looks like the chef is trying to skip rope while whacking the person if front of him.
This hot sour soup La Mien is self explanatory.. It tastes just that. Very spicy, very sour and very appetizing. The thick broth is cooked with shredded mushrooms, bits of prawns, tree ear fungus, red onions chili oil and white pepper. Definately not for the faint of heart.

La Mien with brazillian beef brisket Rm15

This dish is nothing to shout about. The soup is quite bland with a layer of chili oil. Nowhere as spicy as the Hot Sour La Mien. The beef although very tender is tastless in the soup.

Sichuan cold spicy chicken $14

Last of all is the Sichuan cold spicy chicken. I did not particularly enjoy this dish as it was not spicy enough and didn't numb my mouth. The roasted peanut bits lends a bitter taste to the dish and the chicken was too dry. It seems like the chef made a toned down version of this supposedly spicy and numbing dish to suit the locals. Bah ! I am paying for authenticity so give me the real deal !



Although there are many other items on the menu I have yet to try, I will probably think twice before returning to this restaurant as these three very simple dishes was a big disappointment. I've eaten authentic Sichuan cuisine in Szechuan Province and this did not come close to the real thing. I also prefer Red Chili Restaurant in Pudu (review coming soon).




Dragon-i Restaurant
Main Lobby Cititel Hotel
Ground Floor Midvalley


Tel No : 03-2282 0155