Petaling Jaya's Thai Corner

My family visits Petaling Jaya once in a blue moon. Two weeks ago, we found ourselves there yet again, after having paid a visit to Assunta Hospital. As we were on our way home, we happened to notice a bright sign that said Thai Corner while driving. We unanimously decided that this would be our restaurant of choice for dinner.

Thai Corner is a quaint Thai restaurant, situated along Jalan Yong Shook Lin, right opposite the MBPJ Office and the Petaling Jaya Civic Hall. The atmosphere was rather simple - not your Basil or Sri Ayutthaya, though the location was seemingly rather dingy during the night. We were served simple peanuts, while waiting for our food.

The first dish to arrive was our Seafood Tom Yam Soup worth RM16. This dish was sufficient enough to feed 4 people, though only my parents ate it due to its immense spiciness. The soup was flavourful and aromatic, though the squid and shrimp were incredibly tough and dry, respectively.

Next to arrive was the Fried Four Angle Bean with Shrimp Paste, worth RM10. This dish was value for money, and the beans were nice and crunchy, with the shrimp paste really bringing out the flavours.

The Steamed Fish with Assam Curry came next. Prices of this dish change, depending on how heavy your fish is. The fish that we had was rather soft and succulent, though the sauce was nothing to shout about, and it lacked the 'twang' that tamarinds have.

We ordered the Thai Green Curry with Chicken, worth RM13. This dish was a complete disappointment. Much of the chicken pieces contained plenty of fat, and the dish seemed rather artificial, to the extent that it may have been coloured by green food colouring. It lacked in any flavour whatsoever, and had a consistency to that of water. Two thumbs down.

The Thai Style Omelette was a disappointment too, as it was simply minced chicken with dark soy sauce, wrapped in a bland, flavourless egg. The portion was rather measly as well. Just as the Green Curry, I did not like this dish either.

On the whole, Thai Corner gives you what you pay for. The prices may be cheap but you forgo ambiance and the quality of food. Fair enough, some of the dishes were good, but if a Thai restaurant is not able to master a signature Thai dish like Green Curry, then you know the restaurant is not one to shout about.

Presentation: 3/10

Ambiance: 4/10

Service: 4/10

Overall Taste: 4/10

General Impression: 4/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

Unique Seafood, in PJ

Apologies for the poor quality of photographs, as these photos were taken using my BlackBerry phone.

My cousin and his wife treated my family to a wonderful dinner at a halal chinese restaurant named Unique Seafood, where we enjoyed one of my most favourite types of food, that is seafood. The restaurant featured a wall with fish tanks from floor to ceiling, where we saw waiters catching the food that we (and everyone else of course) were about to eat.

The restaurant is located in Section 13, along Jalan Kemajuan in Petaling Jaya. While waiting for our food to arrive, we were served Acar - which is a traditional pickled salad of cucumbers, carrots and onions. The acar, having a little sweetness to it was subtle in flavour. The dish also contained small bits and pieces of peanuts, which added further flavour and texture to it.

The first dish to arrive was the Panfried Tiger Prawns in a Spicy Sauce. The sweet and spicy sauce complemented the prawns very well - though the sauce was not spicy enough (in my opinion). It was also a pity that the large prawns were slightly overcooked and dry.

We were then served Seafood Fried Rice. This dish was an 'authentic' variation of fried rice, as it contained no excess oil, salt and was not lacking in filling. There was an abundance of filling such as prawn, green beans, anchovies and chicken - with each filling adding a variety of different flavours and textures to the dish.

After the fried rice, we were served Fish in an Asam Curry Sauce. The fish was incredibly soft and flaky inside, and the texture of this contrasted (and worked well) with the crispy skin of the fish. Despite the incredibly strong flavour that the curry had, the subtle sweetness of the fish could still be obtained. A great dish to have when with a lot of people, in my opinion.

Our next dish was Mango Chicken. The boneless chicken pieces were cooked really well, being crisp on the outside and tender inside - with the right proportion of fat and meat. The only downside to this dish was that it was there was too much of sauce - and that had overpowered the meat.

Then, we were served our vegetable course, which was Stir Fried Chinese Broccoli, also known as kai lan. The leafy vegetables were well cooked - being soft, but maintaining a certain degree of crispness at the same time. The kai lan (Chinese broccoli) was also flavoured with the right amount of oyster sauce.

The final dish to arrive was the Japanese Tofu with Minced Meat in a Clay Pot (picture unavailable). The small and tender meat pieces in soy sauce complemented the tofu very well - providing a nice balance of texture and flavours. The disappointing fact to this dish, was that there was not enough of tofu pieces to go around.

On the whole, my cousin (reluctant to tell me the exact amount) had said that the bill, inclusive of drinks, came up to about RM300. I had a really good dinner sampling a variety of dishes which were of a reasonably good quality. I also loved the fact that I could see my food being caught before my very eyes.

If you ever find yourself in Petaling Jaya, longing for seafood, you will probably not be disappointed when try Unique Seafood. The food that was served - was definitely fresh, well prepared and seemed to be of a reasonable price. Further more your dinner with good company, will surely enough, become a wonderful meal.

Presentation: 6/10

Ambiance: 5/10

Service: 6/10

Overall Taste: 7/10

General Impression: 7/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

Lunch @ the Brussels Beer Cafe

I was told by my cousin that the Brussels Beer Cafe in Jaya One had a really good set lunch which I should try, and so I did. The last time I was there for the set lunch - it had run out. This time around, there was barely anyone, so I took the opportunity to dine there. The set is priced at RM15 Nett and consists of a drink, a choice of two main courses and a free flow of salad at the buffet counter.


As a main course, I opted for the roast lamb on roasted potatoes topped with a homemade mint sauce. The bones in the lamb cuts made it hard to cut. Furthermore, the lamb was a bit tough, though the mint sauce complemented the meat really well. The potatoes were a bit soft and the dish was served really quickly, and was cold - which made me question the fact if it was just cooked.

The buffet counter had limited options, but on the whole, the items that were served were of high quality and tasted good.


The potato salad tasted great. The mayonnaise didn’t overpower the potato (which was cooked well through) but brought out its flavours, though the potato salad would have tasted better had it been flavoured with herbs like dill or chives. The coleslaw was good, with the right amount of veg and sauce, but the vegetable slices were a bit too big for my liking.



The salad leaves tasted crisp and looked fresh, however the dressing (Italian, Caesar and Thousand Island) seemed like it had come from a bottle. The fruits were fresh too, and did not taste old or soggy at all.

On the whole, I really think this set lunch is a bargain at RM15. I ate to my heart’s content and was satisfied at with the end result. Furthermore, the waitresses there were really friendly – always smiling and even asking me to hit the buffet counter again (even after having gone five times before).

If you’re at Jaya One during lunch hours, I suggest that you take Brussels Beer Cafe into consideration, because its definitely worth a try.


Presentation: 4/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Overall Taste: 6/10

Generall Impression: 7/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic