Happy Restaurant a.k.a Oscar’s

If you have been following this blog for long enough, you would know that we've been patronising this restaurant ever since the new cook (Oscar) took over in 2016. In fact we wrote about the new cook taking over from the Old Man about 8 years ago (click the link here to go to that post).

Happily, the restaurant has prospered, thanks to consistent good food, reasonable prices and a relaxed vibe with abundant parking at night. This may be one of the hidden gems of Kajang and possibly one of my favourite restaurants at the moment.

Highly recommended (and consistent in taste since the start of their operations) are the Fried Fish with Garlic Sauce; their signature Tofu with Minced Meat and Stir Fried Four Angle Beans with Lotus Root. These dishes are a Must Try and are Highly Recommended. Here are some of the dishes we would recommend:

Must Try : Fried Fish with Garlic Sauce

Must Try : Stir Fried Four Angle Beans with Lotus Root 

Recommended : Smoked Chicken

Must Try : Tofu with Minced Meat 

Recommended: Kangkung in Claypot

Indonesian Glass Noodle in Curry with Prawns

Deep Fried Kangkung topped with Squid Sauce

Pork Belly with Salted Fish 

Generally, all the food here is good. Be prepared to wait, especially at peak dinner hours and on holidays as Oscar does all the cooking himself, although he has an assistant to help with the prep.

Dress casually (shorts are recommended) as there is no air-cond and it can get stuffy when there is no wind and on hot days.

CLOSED : Lo Ma Zhi

Unfortunately, this restaurant has ceased operations on 18 August 2025. However I'm keeping this post here in memory of the good food and good times I had there.

Somebody commented that it's been 8 years since my last post on this blog. It's true, and much water has flown under the bridge in that time - career move, studies etc. Eight years ago, my workplace was at Jalan Ipoh in KL and one of my favourite restaurants, Lo Ma Zhi was located just down the road along the same road. The restaurant relocated in 2018 during the MRT construction works on Jalan Ipoh and I moved to an office in the heart of KL business district. After losing touch with restaurant for almost 8 years too, I had a pleasant and memorable reconnect during the Raya holiday. Taking advantage of the toll-free and almost traffic-free roads, I made my way to the somewhat obscure location in Tropicana Selatan. Located among the landscape and plant nurseries is the (not so) new location for Lo Ma Zhi Restaurant at Lot 10, Kawasan Landskap & Nurseri, Jalan Tropicana Selatan, Persiaran Tropicana, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Some of the dishes for lunch were:

Steamed Ikan Patin - wild patin fish steamed in a simple soy sauce with some cili padi.

Smoked Platter - smoked pork belly and duck breast with smoked lychee and braised peanuts - highly recommended.

Doggy Duck - a traditional Hakka braised duck dish cooked with ginger and spices - highly recommended. 

Drunken Emperor Eggs - egg in rice wine - highly recommended.

Kam heong la-la.

Pa Wong Chicken Chop - fried chicken chops.

Salted Spice Brinjal - highly recommended.

Nanyang Vegetables - a variation of Lo Hon Chai but with added red fermented beancurd.

All the food were either excellent or good. My only complaint was that the Nanyang Vegetables were a little soggy by the time it reached the table. 

This was a trip down memory lane for me. And now that I know where they are, this will not be the last visit too. Do give it a try if you're in the area. Reservations are required so do call 010-2421132 before you visit.

My top 10 breakfast and lunch places in Bandar Mahkota Cheras

I've been frequenting the Bandar Mahkota Cheras (BMC) and Sg Long (SL) areas on Saturdays for the last few years and have had the opportunity to try various breakfast and lunch spots. BMC and SL are predominantly Chinese areas so the food outlets are primarily Chinese with some Western, Indian, Mamak (a unique Malaysian cuisine actually) with only a spattering of Malay stalls (no proper Malay restaurant I believe). 

There are many coffee shops and cafes , but most produce (with a few exceptions) average or mediocre food for the masses. I personally prefer the shops which specialise in particular dishes as they tend to make them well.

Here's my list of favorites in BMC in no particular order. Follow the links for location and other details on Google Maps.

1. Family Pho (Vietnamese)

Run by a Vietnamese family, this place has been around for some time. Besides the ubiquitous Pho, their Bahn Mi sandwich is worth trying too. Full meals with dishes are available too and what I've tried so far has been good.  

2. Yeng Kee Noodle House 2 

This is a branch of a noodles house from Taman Yulek Cheras. Their various fish head noodles are good and regulars even store their bottles of rice wine at the shop, to be added to the noodles for extra aroma and taste. My favourite here however are the Tendon Pork Noodles soup. The pork slices have an extraordinary texture and the broth is light and refreshing. Highly recommended.

3. Restoran Wa Bao Zai Claypot Chicken Rice 

This is a recent discovery and the Claypot Chicken Rice ticked all the right boxes - slightly burnt crust, tender well cooked chicken, pork sausages and add-on salted fish. Their Chicken Soup in Coconut was good and is recommended as well. The owner's wife is Vietnamese and she sells fresh Vietnamese tea and cashew nuts at the counter. 

4. SK Pork Noodles

A branch of the famous Seri Kembangan Pork Noodles, this is another regular go-to places for pork noodles in BMC.

5. Rojak Stall at 63 Food Station

A hard working Chinese guy runs this stall single-handedly and manages to serve a very good version of the Mamak style rojak. 

6. Beef Noodles at 63 Food Station

The chef at this stall is pretty old but his expertise shows in the flavourful beef noodle broth which has been boiled for hours. All the meat and innards are tender, and the slices of melon melt in your mouth. Highly recommended. 

7. Hock Kee Ulu Yam Loh Mee 

Their signature Ulu Yam Loh Mee is good. But my favorite here is their Hokkien Mee. Cooked with hand made thick noodles with generous amounts of pork lard, this noodle might be even better than the other famous speciality Hokkien noodles place down the road. Give it a try and tell me what you think.

8. Nasi Kandar Pokok Cheri 

The most authentic Nasi Kandar or Mamak restaurant in BMC. It will not earn any points for the dark and dingy interior but the food, especially the curries, bring me back to Penang. Have your favourite dishes and don't forget to tell them to "banjir" the rice with "kuah campur".

9. Woo Pin Fish Head Noodles

Another branch of a famous fish head noodle shop from Taman Desa, this place lives up to the reputation of its original shop. Good fish head noodles which are well executed.

10. Ah Teo Pan Mee & Zhu Ro Fen

There are a few pan mee shops around BMC, some with queues for tables. But I personally like the pan mee here. Both the sop and dry versions are good. Also good are their Pork Noodles and Curry Mee. 

Do give them a try and let me know in the comments if you have any other favourites that are not on this list.

Sibu - A quick guide

Here's some highlights from a recent short trip to Sibu, Sarawak.

A must try is the 'Kompia', a localization of 'Kong Piah' or King of Biscuits? It's actually just a oven baked plain bun but is usually served stuffed with meat or other fillings. This was one stuffed with a sweet chicken filling from Sarawak's  ubiquitous Sugar Bun franchise restaurants. A nice snack indeed.

I managed to try some seafood and this was at a Chinese Muslim restaurant. A word of warning though - many of the seafood available in Sibu are actually obtained from elsewhere so it may not be as fresh as you would expect of a coastal town. And not exactly cheap either.

Traditional biscuits are available on the streets. The two types shown here had peanut paste and red bean paste. Both were good enough for me to pack back home as gifts! 

 

'Kampua' Noodles - perhaps a distant cousin of Kuching's Kolok Mee? Very simple homemade noodles, slightly springy and chewy. Served dry, tossed in pork lard and topped with char siew and chopped spring onions. Definitely a must try when visiting Sibu.

 

I did not have enough time to try some other signature noodle dishes like the river prawn noodles, which is enough reason to make a return visit in future. Maybe take a slow boat ride up to Mukah too.

The Gift Tilapia Restaurant @ Seremban

A word of thanks to Sivin Kit for bringing this restaurant to our attention. On a recent visit to Seremban, we made a short detour to try the food here.

 

A must try would be their signature farm fresh tilapia. We chose the plain steamed tilapia fish with chili padi (birds eye chilli). The fish was indeed fresh and firm. It had a clean taste and no 'muddy' smell. Highly recommended and good value at RM35 (before GST ya). Perhaps one of the best we have ever tried. 

 

We had to try their version of the Japanese unagi (eel). However their version was made with the humble ikan keli (catfish). The fish had the right amount of fat and was slightly sweet from the sauce. It was very good but could have been better with a little more caramalization and more teriyaki sauce. The bed of shredded cabbage and carrot is a bonus vegetable dish too. Quite good value ar RM15.

 

The nyonya style Kapitan chicken curry was decent only at RM13 for a small portion.

 

The paku (fern shoots) with sambal belacan (shrimp paste) was exceptional and highly recommended. For RM10, it's a steal.   

 

Overall, a great little restaurant. Lunch time is a good time to visit as it gets crowded come dinner time. We'll definitely be back to try more. Give it a try and tell us what you think.

Location:   No.11, Lorong Merbok 6/1, Taman Bunga Blossom, 70100 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

Contact :  010-251 5340

CLOSED- Kafe Vietnam @ Bandar Puteri Puchong

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone celebrating! It's a long weekend and with most Chinese restaurants closed, we decided to venture further for something different. That's how we ended up in a quiet part of Bandar Puteri Puchong is a nice little cafe  called Kafe Vietnam. Note the mannequin dressed in Ao Dai (traditional Viet costume) outside that seems to be calling you to enter.

 

The quintessential Vietnamese starter - Cuon Tom or fresh spring rolls - with fresh herbs and prawns - a great start to any meal. Dip it in the spicy peanut sauce for full effect.

Fresh spring rolls - RM7.90

Next, Goi Rau Cau Tom Thit - a pork, prawn and jelly salad. Sounds weird on paper but it came together very well on the dish. Best when scooped up and eaten with the provided prawn crackers. 

Salad of prawn, pork and jelly served with crackers _RM13.90

Another quintessential Vietnamese dish, Bahn Xeo - a crispy crepe with various fillings. This one came with slices of pork and prawns. Best eaten wrapped in the salad leaves and dipped in the accompanying chilli sauce. 

Bahn Xeo - RM15.90

For many, Pho is to Vietnamese food what laksa is to Malaysian food. There are many variations, and this this premium version of Pho Bo Dac Biet came with tender slices of beef, brisket, tendons and beef balls in a light but flavorful broth. Add whatever herbs and vegetables you wish and a squeeze of lime or some chilli padi or fish sauce. This would be a perfect brunch for me.

Pho Bo Dac Biet - RM16.90

A dish that is found everywhere in Vietnam is Com Tam (broken rice), almost like chicken rice in Malaysia. Usually served with pork chop or fried chicken, other side dishes are a sunny side up and runny egg, a slice of steamed minced pork and egg, pickled vegetables and slices of tomato and cucumber. The marinated pork chop here is flavorful and is a perfect foil for the broken rice. A simple dish that I could happily eat everyday.     

Com Tam - RM14.90

Another noodle dish, Bun Moc is a rice noodles soup with various pork ball, minced pork slices, pork cuts and sprinkling of fresh spring onions and herbs as well as fried shallots. Again, you can add fresh herbs, lime or chillies to your own taste but for me, the stock was flavorful enough as it was.  

Bun Moc - RM14.90

For the Lunar New Year or Tet Festival as it is known in Vietnam, a rice dumpling similar to the Chinese chang is served. They did not have the dumpling but we sampled Com Chien La Sen a fried rice in lotus leaf. The lotus leaf imparts a lovely fragrance to the rice, which is fried with slices of pork sausages.  

Com Chien La Sen (Fried Rice in Lotus Leaf) - RM19.90 for 2 pax

The iced coffee is thick, strong and sweet just like in Vietnam. Highly recommended as well. You can also pick up Vietnamese coffee, instant noodles, fish sauce, rice paper, pickles and a few other  supplies from the store. 

 

A lovely place for a weekend brunch, we understand that it is considerable crowded at dinner time.  

 

Overall, this was a great find. The food took me back to my trip to Ho Chi Minh City. We spotted groups of Vietnamese workers eating here too, so the food must be pretty authentic for them to be here too. Service was lovely too since it was pretty quiet when we visited.  Possibly the best Vietnamese restaurant in Klang Valley? Give it a try and tell us what you think.

 

Location : No 1, Jalan Puteri 4/1, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong

Contact : 03-80527472  

FB Link :  https://www.facebook.com/kafevietnam?ref=ts&fref=ts

Narak Tomyam aka Kak Su Nasi Kerabu dan Nasi Berlauk @ Batu 12 Jalan Cheras

I'm  always in search of good nasi kerabu and I chanced upon a spot in Batu 12 Cheras when I was there recently to fit new tyres for my car. Batu 12 Cheras is a rather quiet kampung area after the SILK highway bypassed this stretch of road and it is dominated by used car dealers. Narak Tomyam is situated between used car dealers and is rather difficult to spot initially. Look out for the Perodua dealership and service centre and this outlet is located somewhere on the opposite side of the road.

I

The frontage of Narak Tomyam

I had to try their signature nasi kerabu (rice with shredded herbs) and chose to have it with another East Coast favorite, ayam percik (barbecued chicken coated in a spicy sauce). The nasi kerabu had sufficient amounts of herbs but maybe too much bean sprouts (taugeh) for my liking. There was enough gravy, sambal and budu (fish sauce) as well. Only thing missing was some crispy keropok (fish crackers). I should have asked for some as they did have it in sealed plastic bags.

The best nasi kerabu in Kajang?

The ayam percik was tender and tasty. Thumbs up. 

Grilled fish, sambals (on the left side) and lots of dishes on display

There's a wide array of lauk (dishes) including ikan bakar (grilled fish), ulam (raw vegetables) and curries.

The ikan and ayam percik

Various ulam (raw vegetables)

This is a great breakfast and lunch place for some authentic Kelantanese fare. They open early but some dishes may only be available closer to lunch. Possibly the best nasi kerabu in Kajang. Do give it a try and leave a comment about what you think.

Location : Narak Tomyam, JC80 Lot 717, Batu 12 Jalan Cheras, 43200 Kajang
Contact : 016-2752070

 

Y Y Fish Ball Noodles @ Pearl Avenue, Sg Chua

Rainy days always give me cravings for something hot and soupy. With the current rainy spell, we decided to visit YY Fish Ball Noodles at Pearl Avenue for a bowl of hot noodles. 

 

It has the look of a kopitiam / cafe. Simple and  clean.

 

First up, the 'Special" Seafood Noodle Soup. It came with about 5 springy fish balls, fresh pomfret fish slices and several medium sized prawns. All the seafood were fresh and tasty. The soup was clear and slightly sweet from the fresh seafood. Some green vegetables gave a healthy balance and the topping of spring onions with fried shallots lent the noodles a lovely fragrance. Add some chilli padi if you need some heat. This really hit the spot for me, although it was a tad expensive at RM16.50 a bowl. 

 

Next up was the fried fish head noodles. The fish head was fresh and juicy. You can have the noodles with or without the evaporated milk. I had it with and it lent a nice creaminess to the soup. The preserved vegetables however made the soup a little salty. The mee hoon had a nice bite. A tad expensive also at RM10.50. 

 

We ordered a side dish of Braised Fried Pork Belly (RM11 for a small portion which was quite generous actually).  It was crispy on the outside and moist inside. The meat had absorbed the lovely marinade flavors during the braising and this was brought out by being fried. This is a recommended dish.

 

Lime and Sour Plum and Hot Barley drinks to wash it all down.

Overall, it was a little pricey but you do get freash and and tasty seafood in the noodles. Good for a rainy evening meal. Give it a try.

Location :  PA-S-37, Pearl Avenue, Jalan Pasir Emas, Kajang, Sg Chua, 43000

MyLim Restaurant and Kang Master Chef Restaurant @ Semenyih Sentral

If you've been to Ipoh before, you may have noticed a red and white building in the heart of town selling salt baked chicken. It's practically an institution in Ipoh and I make it a point to pack back a few chickens every time I visit Ipoh. The good news for Kajang and Semenyih folks is that you need not have to travel to Ipoh to taste this delicacy. We have our own version of

it in Semenyih called MyLim.

MyLim and Kang Master Chef - side by side

If you visit the shop, you'll find rows of ovens with chicken slowly baking in salt crystals.

 

The chicken are wrapped in paper which retains all the juicy goodness or 'chicken essence'.

 You can have the chicken chopped and served with rice at the restaurant. 

Or you can eat it at the next door restaurant called Kang Master Chef Restaurant. Supposedly famous for fish head noodles, we found the signature dish there to be quite uninspiring.

Ditto for the seafood curry noodles. Not worth talking about.

 

 

But do give MyLim a try. You can also get it shrink wrapped and ready for the freezer. It makes an excellent spare dish when you need it, just take out from freezer, steam, chop it up according to your personal liking and it's ready to serve.  It's RM22 for a whole chicken, either freshly baked or shrink wrapped. They also do delivery so give them a call to find out.

Location :  Jalan Semenyih Sentral 6, Semenyih Sentral, Selangor

Contact : 03- 87248820 (MyLim)