Restoran Kader (Banana Leaf)

Restoran Kader

24, Jalan Lebuh Ampang

50100 Kuala Lumpur

+60320728244

(Coordinates: 3° 8' 57.50", 101° 41' 51.00")

After the disappointment of this afternoon, we were mighty glad to be here for dinner. We were also here to fulfill a promise I made to a dear old friend.

our favourite banana leaf restaurant

been here since forever

I’ve actually been coming here since the 1990s, and nothing much has changed. The aroma emanating through the shop has not changed one bit, and is ever as appetizing now as it was back then.

lovely sweet cakes

hello Uncle J

hey, he was not in frame when I took aim!

Enough of the yapping already, we’ll let the photos paint the words for us.

waiting to be served

authentic banana leaf

a lot of shops have stopped using this

marvellous service

here we go!

the excitement builds

I've not had this much rice in a long while

she's be fighting to finish her portion of rice

this much rice? no sweat J

Brendan's chicken curry!

Cat and Brendan had the chicken masala

while I had the mutton (oh my cholesterol!)

can I eat now?

hey, Mom didn't wait!

coke and rasam, potent!

hits the spot J

After dinner, we headed a few doors down for our supply of incense sticks. We absolutely love these and light it up in our apartment every chance we get (yes, we’ve been told our apartment smells like a temple before) because the scent is oh so soothing.

going ga-ga over incense

very colourful, our kind of shop

all done

didn't notice this hotel at Lebuh Ampang before

Oh, and by the way we’ll be spending the whole day tomorrow on a bus. A Hop-On-Hop-Off bus to be exact, and we just can’t wait!

Restoran Min Seng (Caveat Emptor)

Restoran Min Seng

29-47 Jalan BP 6/2

Bandar Bukit Puchong

47100 Puchong

(Coordinates: 2° 59' 4.25", 101° 37' 20.00")

These are one of the rare times when we're not writing to recommend a restaurant. On the contrary, it’s again to issue a stern Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) statement.

We were in the vicinity today looking for another eating place which was supposed located at  Jalan BP 7/16 (I guess our GPS navigator failed us), and stumbled upon this restaurant. Since it was already past 1:30PM and it looked like any other run of the mill Chinese restaurant, we decided to have lunch here.

it should be called Restoran Medan or something

if you like salty/oily pan mee..

nothing but bland, bland, bland dishes!

the only thing tolerable here

Cat had the very salty dry chili pan mee; Brendan had the very oily spicy pan mee while I sampled the mixed rice which turned out to be very bland (bleargh!). Looking around we discovered it was manned and run 100% by Indonesians. I guess this explains the lack of taste in the ‘Chinese’ dishes prepared. We have nothing against the Indonesians but why is this restaurant called Min Seng then?

So unless you’re very hungry we’d suggest you give this so-called Chinese restaurant a pass!

Banana Leaf Weekend?

Over the weekend I got a message from a good old buddy (a childhood friend and fellow parishioner from Kuala Terengganu) asking me if we’ll be sampling banana leaf rice. He’s now residing in Brussels (and no, he’s not Jean Claude Van Damme) and comes back to Malaysia every so often, and he misses Malaysian food terribly.

Bless his soul! We’ve overlooked this particular cuisine so it looks like we’ll be leafing through some banana (pardon the bad pun) this weekend, and Brendan cannot be more thrilled.

Everyone who knows us intimately will know of our son’s obsession with chicken curry, specifically the south Indian variety. We swear at the rate he’s going we’ll have an Indian lady for a daughter-in-law, given his penchant for curry since his prepubescent days.

We did some research and came up with the following options:

Restoran Kader

24, Jalan Lebuh Ampang

50100 Kuala Lumpur

+60320728244

Mathai's Banana Leaf Rice

Mayflower Seafood Restaurant

144A Jalan Vivekananda, Brickfields

50470 Kuala Lumpur

+60322603698

Vishal Food & Catering

No. 22, Jalan Scott off Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields

50470 Kuala Lumpur

+60322740995

The first shop is near and dear to us, and is actually our default banana leaf restaurant (within walking distance from our apartment). The latter two shops are what we’ve gleaned off the internet. Yes, there are a slew of banana leaf establishments in Bangsar and Petaling Jaya but we’d rather not pay through our noses to experience banana leaf dining.

So Mr. Francis Felix Cherian, you wish is our command J

Imperial Garden Restaurant (a.k.a. My Dear Friend's Wedding)

Imperial Garden Restaurant

7th Floor, Intan Square

No. 3, Lorong Utara C

46200 Petaling Jaya

+60379566868

(Coordinates: 3° 6' 15.50", 101° 38' 23.00")

We’ve been issued with a summons, and our presence is required at 7:00PM at the above premises! Hahaha, my dear old friend Chang Siew Pheng (affectionately known to us as Chang Boy) is FINALLY getting hitched and we eagerly went to celebrate this joyous occasion with the bride and groom.

I read somewhere that one of the greatest titles we can have is 'old friend'. Today is the day to invest in those people we hope will call us 'old friend' in the years to come. So, heartiest congratulations to you my old friend!

Mr. Chang Siew Pheng!

at the reception area

at the reception area

So, this time we will pay equal emphasis to the restaurant and the occasion of Chang Boy’s wedding. First off, it’s pretty easy to get here as the restaurant is right beside PJ’s Armada Hotel. Ample parking space but the ramps are quite narrow and navigating around the tight bends can be a challenge. The restaurant is on the seventh floor, and decorated in the style and fashion of any typical Tai Thong restaurant. 

killing some time?

with an old buddy's wife

we were unfashionably early

cozy table at the back

un-chinese looking decor?

lanterns!

Chang Boy was dressed to the nines (as he should be) and the bride was equally charming.

so the handsome

dashing Chang Boy!

guests start milling in

7:00PM, malaysian time

This wedding also served as a mini-reunion for ex-Southern Bankers as I met and caught up with long lost acquaintances.

ex-Southern Bankers mini reunion

The bride and groom made their grand entrance close to 8PM.

grinning couple

he won the lottery?

bridal procession

elevated view

greying hair already?

dinner is served

the waiter with the goldfish eyes!

Dinner was then served!

special four combinations

customary shark's fin soup with scallops & crabs

suckling oink-oink and roasted duck

steamed mandarin fish

boiled prawns with chinese herbs

stewed fish maw with dried oysters

the star of the night, chef's special glutinous rice!

red bean puree with sago

sweet fancy duet?

After a change of wardrobe, the bride and groom partook in the customary cake cutting ceremony before making their mandatory rounds to every table for rousing renditions of y-a-m-s-e-n-g. Since we were seated right at the back by the time Chang Boy made his way to our table he was suitably sloshed!

a given at any wedding

this too

let the festivities begin!

hope Chang Boy brushed his teeth

what, me drunk?

Cat got in the act too!

A special wish for Chang Boy & GiGi.. here's wishing each new day finds your hearts closer, your lives fuller, your love deeper. Congratulations on your new life together. May your marriage be filled with all the right ingredients: a heap of love, a dash of humor, a touch of romance, and a spoonful of understanding? May your joy last forever!

managed to sneak a shot

here's wishing for a bun in the oven soon!