Ole Ole Bali

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We were in a mood for some Balinese food to relive our experience at the majestic island last year, so it was perfect when we found the Ole-ole Bali Restaurant, Sunway Pyramid. Stepping into the outlet, Balinese music greeted us and the decor was also well-thought out to reflect the island's heavy Hindu influence. You can choose to sit either at the normal tables or sit cross-legged at the platform with low tables.

For starters, I went for the Fredo which is blended milk accompanied by a small shot of strong coffee. The coffee is very bitter on its own, but you must pour it into the blended milk and stir. Then the taste turned creamy and delicious.

My wife went for the honey-mint-honeydew combo, which was served in a big glass. The taste was okay but the mint flavour was a bit too strong.

Lamb would be a major feature in a Balinese menu, so we ordered the grilled lamb chop. The meat was tender and marinated perfectly. Although this is considered a western dish, the spice, sauce and garnish served together with the lamb was enough to bring some Balinese elements into it.

We also had the nasi campur, where perhaps the rice was a bit too little-portioned. However the accompanying lauk were plenty - beef/chicken rendang, satay lilit, grilled fish, prawns, calamari and vegetables.This dish is something you can get across Bali - from Kintamani to Ubud, so order this if you want a little of everything.

When paying the bill, do present your Jusco Card to get a 10% discount. And spend some time to admire the Balinese decor - for us, it was nostalgic to relive some parts of our trip to one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

As for the Ole-ole Bali Restaurant, I would like to recommend it for your special occasions. The price might be a bit expensive, so choose your dish wisely. Selamat Makan!

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Ice Room Bangi

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First things first, the Halal issue. Ice Room outlets, especially in Bangi, did not go for Halal certification early on. So it is to their credit that now they have done so. You can even request to see their certifications, which is kept in a big folder.

With that out of the way, we can indulge in their signature snow ices. Pictured above is the Durian variety, and below is the Blueberry. Both were pretty good and smooth.

We also ordered the Mushroom Soup, which was served in a teapot and accompanied with two small bowls. You pour the soup into the bowl and sip it. It was served with a difference, and we liked it.

For the main dish, we went for the fish fillet. The fish was quite small but the sauce was generous. 

Ice Room is a great place to hang out with your family - the children will like the snow ices, and there are a few snack dishes you can try out as well. Don't expect anything heavy though, and you will not be disappointed.

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Lexis Water Chalet, Port Dickson

Where: Lexis Port Dickson (formerly known as the Legend Water Chalets). If you want to have a quick weekend gateway in PD but prefer to be in a quieter part of the town, then head to Lexis at Tanjung Gemok in Lukut. The superbly named Lexis stands side-by-side to the Glory Beach Resort, but if you are going for tranquility, then Lexis is your choice.

What: Water chalets, of course! The Lexis do have standard rooms (Tower Seaview) for those who are afraid of water - but you're missing the point if you stay at the Tower. Go for the water chalets - available in Deluxe, Executive and Premium configurations. We chose the Deluxe, which was just as superb, comfortable and unforgettable. All chalet units comes with King bed and day bed - which settles any fight for sleeping space which you may have with your children. The room itself is rather cramped, but comfortable and modern enough with LCD TV and free Wifi.

And yes, the solid glass floor panel which gives you an underneath seawater viewing, also available in all chalet configurations. This is mesmerising, as you tend to check out the water and tide levels as the day progresses. It was low tide when we checked-in and the water level rose up until midnight. Sadly, there are no fishes around to look at.

The chalet also has an ensuite bath area coming into the room, which was a brilliant idea in design and concept. The bathtub was large enough for our kids to have a dip in without even leaving the room and splashing water into the room.

The sink also comes in the ensuite space, and keeps the room dry.

The best design of all is the standing shower closet, which comes with a sliding movable roof panel. You can slide it open or close by pulling a rope in the room. This gives you the opportunity to have a nice hot shower while enjoying the clear blue sky and breeze of the ocean. So, to enjoy having both the glass floor panel and the roof panel, always request for a single-storey chalet.

Reservations: By now, in the internet age, you should all book via the internet and browse for the cheapest online rates. Look for trustworthy websites, and you may come across a good bargain. Gone are the days of calling the hotel directly and getting charged at the full rack rate.

Check-in: As our room was reserved online and prepaid, the check-in was smooth. The front desk was neither friendly nor cold - they were passable. 

Buggy service: You will need to get on the buggy especially if your rooms are quite far off to the sea. The buggy are always available, just look for the concierge.

Food: As usual, we try not to order room service but always review the in-house menu for a general idea of the hotel. The menu was standard fare and expensive - no need to order unless you are really, really starving. As for the complimentary breakfast - it was the only letdown of Lexis. The breakfast was so limited and the choices a bit stingy. Beyond the usual cold cuts, cereal, porridge, pastries and egg, there was nothing really special about the breakfast buffet.

Activities: Lexis has a swimming pool, karaoke rooms, gymnasium, sauna, playground and games arcade to keep the whole family occupied. Besides that, you can rent bicycles and fishing rods too.

Verdict: Lexis is a self-contained resort where you can have a good and enjoyable time in. Plan well and get the best room - when you get there just unwind and let the calm breeze and gentle splash of the waves drown you out in a state of complete relaxation and satisfaction. Highly recommended.

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Islamic Trattoria - II

A good restaurant deserves a second visit. This time, we went to Trattoria for lunch, where the crowd was a bit thin - but the staff was excellent. The maitre d' was very attentive to our enquires about the menu, and was bold enough to guarantee a refund if our meal was not up to standard. This was a nice touch, coming from a Bumiputra restaurant.

For lunch, Trattoria serves a few specials where you can get good bargains. For example, my mother had the pan-seared seabass which comes with rice, but she chose not to have the rice. The staff obliged, and even offered to take RM1 off the total price! This is a small gesture, but really means a lot to customers. They replaced the rice with a small bowl of soup. The seabass was also splendidly prepared.

Meanwhile, I had the pasta - this one the Oglio sauce and like any true Italian-themed restaurant, you can choose the pasta. If you are unsure, just ask the waiter for his suggestion. The sauce was creamy and tasty, but I think the portion was a bit too small.

As for my wife, she had the salmon in palpilotte, which means "in parchment paper". It is a method of cooking  in which the fish is put in folded parchment paper and then baked. See how the stock and juice just flows out of the fish. This was simply delicious.

And as for my kids, the Trattoria treated them to FREE ice-cream - totally unheard of in Bandar Baru Bangi.

This was the maitre d' (Opie) who was so helpful, kind and generous to us. Since this was our third time at the Trattoria, we complimented the restaurant's tasty menu and their approach towards making mid-level fine dining come through at last in Bandar Baru Bangi. Forget any other so-called Western-serving restaurants in BBBangi, head straight to Trattoria and you will not be disappointed. And what's more, they are launching their full menu at the end of October.

Stay tuned for that review!

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Hot Bangi Char Koay Teow

Where: Seksyen 9, Bandar Baru Bangi (besides Bangi Kopitiam).

What: A simple-looking restaurant which has only two items on the menu - their signature Char Kuey Teow and Nasi Lemak, plus drinks. 

My wife ordered the Char Kuey Teow "Besar" which was just about the right portion.The mid-sized prawns were not so fresh but edible. The Kuey Teow itself was juicy and tasty. You can ask for extra chilli if you prefer it to be hotter. We never tried the "Gred A" variant, which is priced at RM15, but we presume the prawns would be bigger.

We also ordered the Nasi Lemak Ayam, which the sambal was not-too-spicy but compliments the taste of the nasi lemak well. The Ayam Goreng was also tender and tasty. This all-time favourite is suitable for both dinner or supper.

Verdict: A quick and simple eatery which serves two of Malaysia's all-time favourite dishes - hot, tasty and affordable. Highly recommended.

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Islamic Trattoria

Where: Wadihana Islamic Trattoria, Jalan Medan Pusat 2D, 3B Curve, Bandar Baru Bangi.

What: An Islamic eatery which serves Italian-styled food and Western menu. This is Wadihana Islamic Kitchen's second restaurant in Bandar Baru Bangi.

Ambience: Brightly lit with minimal decor, but we like the many booths which will be perfect if you come in small or medium-sized group. There is a large clay and brick oven at the entrance of the eatery, which is used to bake their pizzas.

Menu: Basically, Italian-styled food are their signature dishes, so you can expect pizzas, pasta, risotto and panini. Also available are other Western food, such as the steak. It is also very refreshing to observe a mid-end Malay-owned restaurant divides their menu into starters, entrees and desserts. 

First on the table was the Pomodoro spaghetti, which we found a little bit average. The sauce was not generous and for its price, we'd expect a bigger portion too.

We also had the Australian Rib-eye steak, medium well, which comes with melted cheese as a side. The portion was just right. The beef was tender, juicy and cooked to perfection. The taste of the meat melts in the mouth, and it very,very seldom that a restaurant succeeds in getting the beef cooked just about right.

We also ordered the homemade burger, which was served with coleslaw and cheesy fries on the sides. The burger was one of the tallest I've seen, and certainly the best that I've tasted too. The homemade patties was soft and juicy and you'd get two of them in this burger - with a lot of salad, tomatoes and fried egg in between the buns.

Service: As the eatery was quite deserted when we ate there, naturally the staff were friendly and ready to assist you anytime. 

Price: The price would not classify this a low-end, but not so expensive as to warrant it a high-end eatery either. But some dishes, like the steak and burger, were definitely worth their prices for their excellent taste and generous portion.

Verdict: Perhaps next time we should have the pizza and the panini. We would recommed this eatery to anyone looking for a decent place to dine, and if you are looking for the best Western-styled food in Bandar Baru Bangi, this is the best by a mile. We'd give it a score of 9 out of 10.

Reported by : Jamal

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Sate UK

Assalamualaikum

=)

Sate UK

bukan United Kingdom

bukan juga Ulu Klang

UK bermakna

Urat Keting

Tapi takde pulak sate urat ketingnya pun

Sup urat keting ada la

Kalau orang sekitar Bangi,

mesti tau mana nak dapat sate ni

yaaa... nama kedai dia Kedai Sup Urat Keting

terletak di seksyen 7

mula-mula dia bukak dulu, specialty dia sup lah

lama-lama ada pulak sate

Sedap wooo sate dia

lagi nikmat daripada sate hj samurai samuri

ataupun sate yus

juicy.. tak kering

kalau sate daging pun lembut

isi memang besar la kalau nak compare dengan 2 sate yang lain tu

harga secucuk 70 sen

tapi sebab besar, kira berbaloi la

Cumanya.. kuah kacang dia jer kureng sikit

kureng dari segi rasa dan kuantiti

(dia tak nak membazir kot.. hehe)

So siapa nak try sate kajang

boleh try sate UK ni

recommended

tak rugi 

=)

p/s: ini adalah iklan  tidak berbayar ;)

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