Ah Roy Thai Cuisine @ Taman Segar

The Dynasty of Roy

  Night has arrived and it brought with it hunger to the poor souls. It was time. Dinner time. The bells of the door rang and triggered the predator instincts within the workers. They know, they always know. Instantly you are seated and the menus are dropped by the table, a peek at the menu and you'd feel astonished at the variety of dishes presented before you. The pressure is mounting as you want to try each and every one of them but your wallet along with your bowel rebel your almighty rule. Your friend who is a regular takes the lead for the team and orders. A sigh of relief from all of us as we completed one of the hardest task of eating out. The place felt alive as each table were enjoying themselves and having their own conversations, the decorations that tried to embody a Thai restaurant by placing wooden child size figurines by the doors watch over you with their squinted eyes. None of that matters, our palates will decide.

The Challenger

The gladiator stood out the gate and the crowd roared with excitement. Pandan Leaf Chicken is chicken seasoned and wrapped tightly in pandan leaves then left to steam for a period of time. The pandan leaf turned crispy and break off easily from the chicken. The fragrant aroma emerged from chicken and you could almost taste the dish from its smell. Sweet but savory and gives a very pleasant aftertaste that doesn't need water to wash down. The chicken cooked till tender but just enough moisture in it and with the thai cilli there's a sting to it. The defeated opponent at the mercy of the gladiator and the emperor with his fist clutched outwards gave the thumbs up as the crowd agreed, the opponent accepts his fate and soon his world became dark swiftly.

The Legion

The soldiers marched beside their Centurion as the drums of war sounded. The men stood in formation as the enemy draw closer. Stir Fried Kang Kong with Sambal Belacan is of course kang kong stir fried in sambal belacan (shrimp paste). Kang Kong when stir fried becomes crispy with every bite and together with the shrimp paste and sambal, it turns into this spicy, sweet and crunchy vegetable. You would think no one can screw up such a simple dish but it happens a lot, this one is done perfectly as the spicy sambal and salty shrimp paste don't overpower the other aspects of the dish. Instead it keeps the dish together as a unit. Fear slowly arose within the ranks and some were hesitant and shaken but the Optio chosen by the centurion to lead from the rear rallied the men to fight alongside their Centurion. Under the guidance of the Optio and Centurion they prevailed and a decisive victory was achieved.

The City

Green Curry Chicken is the Luigi to its Mario counterpart red curry in terms of taste, ingredients and colour. Green curry paste uses green chilies instead of red and the usage of herbs is crucial in it. The mild spicy taste of the curry helps tone down the other piquant dishes like how drinking milk helps with spicy food. The scent of the fragrant herbs infused within it and the light taste it has doesn't bog down your appetite. With only the use of herbs and spices this dish incorporated a variety of taste: bitter, savory and mild spiciness. The green curry if it was a city would be a megalopolis on its own, where culture, arts and philosophy flourished. All of its citizens giving a bit of themselves to the growth of the city.

The Hard Hitter

Steam Fish in Lime Juice is as the name says. You could taste the freshness of the fish and the fishy taste that is present in most steam fish dishes is absent. The lime juice counters the fishy taste just like how ginger does. The meat of the fish is cooked perfectly and not undercooked. One word to describe it, tangy. To tone down the acidity you can mix it with the rice or with the other dishes, example the green curry. To describe the fish in another way. The fighter enters the ring as he face the world champion, ring goes the bell and it begins. The world champion throws punches so fast and powerful the fighter even with arms held to his face couldn't block it. One two punches and the fighter goes down on the floor like a dead fly. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Overall Ah Roy lives up to its thai cuisine and its dishes hits the perfect balance between the four main tastes. It is not a surprise that this shop has stood for a long time and no worthy opponent has ever shook it of its feet. Price is decent and reasonable for a family.

Makan Meter
Steam Fish in Lime Juice: 7/10
Green Curry Chicken: 7/10
Kang Kong Stir Fried in Sambal belacan: 9/10
Pandan Leaf Chicken: A must order dish 10/10

Ah Roy Thai Cuisine

48, Jalan Manis 1,

Taman Segar, 56100 Kuala Lumpur,

Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Restoran Hiong Pan @ Jalan Pandan Indah 1/23e

The Man Behind the Scenes

  A visual presentation for the eyes as the gravy is poured unto the pancake shaped fried bihun noodles (rice noodles) and the fried kuey teow (fried flat noodles). The sharp cracking sound of the noodles breaking apart as you separate them echoed in your ears. So many ingredients come into play inside the gravy itself, you have prawns, squid, pork,chopped garlic, some mustard leaves and the most important one, egg. Egg is used as the mediator as it brings all the different texture and flavour into one table and unites them under one banner. Each time you mix the noodles around the steam arises from the depths of the dish like a phoenix, a blow isn't enough to comprehend the heat but what do you care and you put the hot food into your mouth. As humans we tend to have mistakes but sometimes there are mistakes with a good outcome and in this situation there wasn't. 

Candy for the eyes

  Chopped cili padi in soy sauce is given as a condiment to bring the scorching heat of a thousand suns into your mouth. The texture of the gravy in this cantonese style fried noodles isn't too thick that it clumped together nor was it too watery that it was tasteless but it was perfect enough that each sip didn't feel like corn flour. The taste of the gravy was exquisite and with each sip you let out a pleasant sigh, accompany that with the cili padi and you'd have a savory taste yet hot spicy kick that is going to leave you wet and panting. Umami is the word I would use to describe the taste of the dish, it is what the japanese call a pleasant savory taste. The portion size can easily feed two person for just RM8.

  Cantonese style fried noodles has a very strong texture game going. The fried kuey teow balances the crispy fried bihun with its soft texture that with every bite you take it is a different texture, soft and crunchy. The pork meat is cooked and tender, the mustard leaves are help with the heat when you add cili padi and doesn't have the bitter taste in contrast to what you'd find in other places. Prawn is fresh and juicy and the squid is chewy.

  One thing is for sure, the chef's skill is translated into the dish he makes. Equipment is only 10% when it comes to cooking Dai Chao, the rest comes from skill and ingredients. His moves fluid and filled with determination for the craft he makes, with one hand handling the wok, the other throwing the ingredients in like a spell caster. The flames become fiercer but he fears none of it and battles it out so that all the ingredients may blossom in taste. The thunderous roar of the wok echoed in the kitchen. This is what we love about Dai Chao because you cannot produce such an authentic taste out of artificial ingredients. When you look at the dish as a whole you'd see a theater as the ingredients form the stage for its act and with each elegant move they make you are captivated and in awe. All that is happening on the stage is the product of the man behind the curtains, the chef.

Makan Meter: 8/10 

https://foursquare.com/v/restaurant-hiong-pan/4c1ca8f9fcf8c9b68b62aa0b

Restoran Hiong Pan

Jalan Pandan Indah 1/23e
Pandan Indah
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Selangor

Restoran Pin Qian @ Jalan Pandan Indah 4/10

One Sip Is All It Takes

   A spoonful of soup you bring close enough that the aroma starts filling your nostrils. The aroma we easily associate with comfort food, food that doesn't need to be complicated to be enjoyed. You breath in the scent again and you feel at ease when you exhale almost like smoking a cigarette. The potential exploited and used to quench your unquenchable appetite for good food, another sip and you feel the need to let out words "This the shit right here". In wine tasting one of the key components is aftertaste, this bak kut teh has a bittersweet taste that forces you in a gentle way to have more. All those ingredients giving a part of themselves to make this wonderful mouth watering dish like a football team.

A feast for a king

  Bak kut teh served in this place comes in individual bowls and not in a claypot although you can order the clay pot also. Preferences after all. Pork intestines, pork stomach, pork ribs, tofu pok and fried dough. Tofu pok (also known as tofu puff or tau pok) is a type of tofu which has been deep fried in oil until they are light and airy in the core. What tofu pok does is it absorbs the soup into it making it juicy, soft and fluffy. The taste of the soup is important to bring taste in all those components to go right, soup fails and the others come crashing down like the weak foundation for a high rise. This soup exceeds expectations and provides the eater's mouth a spectacle. The pork organs and meat are exceptional and portion sizes are perfect for a family of four or three. Mixing the soup together with the onion rice and pork intestines and you'd taste the soup in its glory and the quality of the intestines: tender and juicy. The pork stomach chewy in a good way and goes well together with some cili padi.

  The fried dough compliments the pork and like a sponge absorbed the flavours of the soup then burst when you bite into it. The pork ribs not tough and fall off the bone easily that all ages can enjoy with ease yet it wasn't overcooked. The onion rice is the establishment's own take on white rice by adding some fried onions to it that adds the crunch factor. There are other parts of the pig that you can order and price is just nice for a family, besides that they also provide the claypot bak kut teh which I have yet to try.

  This particular bak kut teh reminds me of the comfort food we crave when we are at home snuggled into the blanket while a rainstorm is happenning, it is the food we love to have together with friends and family as we all fight for the pieces of meat. It has that nice warmth to it like a mother's hug, one sip and your stomach from being upset becomes a lovely pup.


Makan Meter: 8/10

Restoran Pin Qian
Jalan Pandan Indah 4/10
Kuala Lumpur, Selangor