More makan-makan place

There are LOTS more places to eat in KL/PJ. After all we are an eating cultured people. Just google eating in Malaysia and look at all the search results popping out. We just love our food and can you blame us? The problem with Malaysians is that we don't know how to package our good stuff. Singapore does a fantastic job about it. Just look at all the food they package. The only food that came out of Singapore is "White Pepper Crab" but they do such a good job that I have friends from around Asia thinking "Bak Kut Teh" and "Hainanese Chicken Rice" is from Singapore. So we gotta take back our rights and I talked about it in the last article. Today I want to talk about some of the Western restaurants that are pretty good and worth the ambience.

1) Checkers
This place is run by a father-son tag team and they have a pretty good sense of humour. The place is in Damansara Heights at Jalan Setiabestari 2. They have a pretty decent menu but their signature dishes are all pork dishes. Their ribs is absolutely perfection and sometimes they get a special "part" of the pig which they grill and serve with some sauce. Hey man! I just eat it!! The place has only 4-5 tables so best to go during weekday or call before hand. Unfortunately I don't have the number. I will try to get it on my next visit.

2) 6 to 10 grill
Truly a long lasting "turun temurun" type of business. It started as a small stall in an open space car park to a restaurant at the ground floor of Happy Mansion at Sec 17. Happy Mansion is that pre-war lookalike flats in Sec 17 next to a school. It is run by a family of 3 (the restaurant not the flats!) with the mother managing the nasi lemak part of the menu and the father and son cooking the western menu. Their fare is above average I think but its definitely value for money. Unfortunately this family don't smile very much especially the mother who looks like she has some smiling muscle deficiency where she can't smile even if she could buy a cow for a cent. Anyway, good family fare with wide variety on the menu.

3) San Francisco Steak House
This is a personal favourite because the first time we were there, my wife wanted a to try the lobster and the steak but it was too much to try both. So the captain created a new item just for us (or at least he made it look like it was just for us). He cooked half a lobster and a smaller portion of the steak for us. There was a "Surf N Turf" on the menu but it was frozen lobster, this was LIVE. So from then on, we really felt very welcome and special here. Their steak is really superb, one of the best I have tasted and do try the escargot. Service is not as good as before but still worth going.

4) 7ate9
This is a bistro type restaurant located at the ground floor of Ascot. Not really great food but very good lamb cutlet. Also the setting is very comfortable where you can just chill and hang out with friends. It is a bit pricey so, if you are not much of a drinking person, this is not for you.

5) La Bodega
First you gotta appreciate tapas which is kinda like spanish appetizers. The food comes in bite sizes so you can try multiple variety on the menu. Must try the lamb cutlet, prawns variety and chicken cooked in olive oil.

6) Riblees
A small quaint restaurant at Sri Hartamas. It is located on the first floor of the shop lot that is the same row as the bomba. Ribs are great and there are some good varieties. You can ask the waiter for the special and the difference in variety. Go in a group so that you can try them all.

7) Souled Out
A combination of pub and restaurant and they have a good variety of Asian and Western. It used to be worth the money but the taste has deteriorted somehow. I won't particularly encourage it but if you have been everywhere else, try this for a change.

8) Finnegans
This Irish pub has evolved to include some pretty interesting British food. Again the rib and knuckle. Don't try the sausages no matter how tempted you may be. Sometimes my brother's band Soul Income, plays there so you will be treated to some decent music for dinner.

9) Backofen
It is a small cafe like place at Sri Hartamas, opposite Finnegan's Hartamas. The meatloaf and Rosemary chicken are worth trying and so are some of their desserts. This is a good place to chill out if you are waiting for time to pass for an hour or so, like before I go pick my son from badminton training.

10) Hot Chocolate
It's at the corner from Checkers. The combo has different varieties of chicken, beef and lamb on a bed of spaghetti. They have good chocolate drinks (DUH!!) with an interesting marinara soup served in sourdough bread. Trouble is that the bread absorbs a lot of the soup, so drink up fast or you can ask for more soup.

There you go. Now you know some of the places that I hang out with my family during the weekends. I am sorry I don't have pics and I will try to rectify that. We are now going to try places we have never been and we are open to suggestions from readers. Gosh...I need another antacid...DOUBLE BURP!!!