Poppo's Kanteen @ Sri Petaling

I am very picky when it comes to our national dish "Nasi Lemak". Of course, there are different versions of nasi lemak out there. For me, the most important aspect of a good place of nasi lemak is the nasi (rice)! Unlike some fast food chain that introduces a nasi lemak burger which didn't work for me because there is no NASI in it fails its name. 

OK, so for me a good nasi lemak have a good balance of all the flavours, the rice must be rich (fragrant from the coconut milk and pandan leaves) and grainy, sambal is a must (not too sweet but must be spicy), groundnut and ikan bilis (anchovies) must be crunchy and fresh, fresh cucumber/vege and a nice fried egg. Any side dishes is a bonus. 

That brings me to this place, Poppo's Kanteen @ Sri Petaling. Their tagline "Nasi so Lemak" is very true! 

I remember the first time I came to this location. My friend told me the nasi lemak here is very good. Comparable to many other famous nasi lemak places. I was sceptical at first. I ordered the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng. Man, I was not disappointed. When the rice was served, the whiff of the coconut milk induced rice is rich and fragrant, tears almost rolled from my eyes. The rice was rich as they promised, the sambal was balanced, and it was served with crispy ikan bilis, fried hard-boiled egg, and a keropok. The ayam goreng have a tinge of rempah (spices) to it to give it a nice kick. I was in heaven! This is my fav nasi lemak joint now!

Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng

They do serve many other types of side dishes as well to go along with your nasi lemak. Ayam rendang, ayam kari, rendang kambing, sambal kerang (so good!) and ikan masak cili to name a few. 

We managed to try other dishes as well, we decided to go for gold in ordering the roti bom with peanut butter. It is so guilty. Only in Malaysia, we can indulge in this sinful goodness. 

Roti Bom Peanut Butter with Jumbo Drink

Nice crispy roti with a generous amount of peanut butter. It is so sinfully good! yumm... Of course, we have to share this as after having that plate of nasi lemak ayam. 

Have yet to try their other dishes, as there are many more dishes on their menu such as noodles, fried rice, western meals, sandwiches and desserts. BUT I am a sucker for a good nasi lemak so I never ended up with anything but nasi lemak. I will try to convince my family or friends to try their other dishes and share their view here next time! haha.

For drinks, wash it down with a variety of options. I usually go for the kedondong with sea-coconut Jumbo.  Yes, they have normal size and jumbo. Jumbo you get that iron mug that we use to have back in the days as seen in the roti bom picture 😄. 

It is not too pricey, for my nasi lemak it costs only RM8.90 and my jumbo drink RM6.90, roti bom RM4.50.

Ambience wise, they have airconditioned seating and outside seating. It is quite comfy. Parking may be a problem during peak hours. 

Service is quite good. 

They open daily from 8am - 12 midnight 😄😄😄 (anytime nasi lemak yay!)

End of the day, if you are looking for a good place for a nasi lemak, do try here!

Overall Verdict:

Food : 9/10

Service : 8/10 (its ok only)

Price : 8/10 (quite reasonable)

Ambiance : 7/10 (comfortable with aircond coffee shop)

Food Stop at Pasta Zanmai & Seed Cafe, Mid Valley

Basically out of idea and wondering around what to eat. Thanks to the couple we went with gave the idea to have dinner at Pasta Zanmai, Mid Valley. Luckily we reached there like 5 minutes earlier as the place was swarmed with people after we went in. Phew! That was close. After being seated and ordered our food, the review begins. Ok, not that formal though. There was chatting and gossiping in between.

The menu is not so impressive. Lack of variey to choose from. To be in the safe side, I choose a dish that I'm familiar with. Unagi with Egg on top. Bull-eye! The Unagi is tender but lack of seasoning for the maximum taste. The egg, abit cold though. I wonder it is prepared beforehand. It will taste better if it's prepared and cook while it's fresh. This one, I'm just gonna give 3/5.

These closer view of the food indeed create the slurry sensation in my mouth. If you are looking for a traditional Japanese food, well I don't think Pasta Zanmai could give you that. The food concept is the combination of the modern and traditional elements in the preparation of the food.

Verdict:

Food  3/5

Service 3/5

Price 3/5

Better bulk up the service quality or else this might be a short term glory days for you, Pasta Zanmai.

Seed Cafe, Mid Valley

I would say this is a perfect place for catching up with friends. In the middle of busy Mid Valley whereas most places almost FULL HOUSE, my friends and I went to this as it's not crowded at all. In this place, we could laugh and talk with ease. No irritating anxious people waiting for you to get off the table asap. You can basically take your time and catch up with your friends peacefully. No irritation waiters that get up your nerve because there are too many people to serve. All waiters waiting at designated areas of the cafe, so you don't have to worry you need to waive for your life to get the bill/order.

Food wise. The choices are pretty much and standard. Not a place for you to have a full set of meal. It's a place for a bits and bites while chatting with good friends. Yet still, the food was served fresh and up to standard. Pretty quick service too. Overall, I'm pretty much enjoyed my time here. After dinner it's a nice place to have coffee too.