Nam Heong, Johor Bahru…one dish wonder

Nam Heong is a restaurant that specializes in one dish.

The chicken hor fun here is spectacular. Super smooth flat rice noodle, shredded poached chicken, boiled prawns, garnished with fried shalllots in a bowl of incredibly flavoursome soup. I found myself downing the bowl in record time; slurping up every strand of the noodle and drinking up every drop of soup. But don’t get your hopes up, though. The rest of the menu were underwhelming, occasionally disastrous dishes. The mediocre chicken rice tastes like something left over from the night before, which may just have had its moment 12 hours ago.

To reiterate my opening sentence, Nam Heong does one thing really, really well. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

So Asean Café & Restaurant, Bangkok…master of none

My reaction to the Jack of all trade menu is that there was no way this casual cafe could excel at preparing each different ethnic dish well. They were obviously casting a wide net, trying to appeal to the largest number of diners.

The familiar dishes – Puffy shrimp omelette, Grilled pork neck with spicy jaew dip, stir-fried squid with salted egg yolk sauce are all there but you also get slow-cooked chicken and pork adobo from the Philippines, Indonesian-style chicken satay or Singapore chicken rice.

This is just another one of those typical, charmless cafes in Bangkok. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Hainanese Delicacy in Far East Plaza, Singapore….worst of the worst

This place exudes a brand new level of absurdity. I have a string of invective to describe this place that can’t be printed in this blog. The food is actually not bad, but the unethical and fussy whims could hardly be more off-putting.

Yes, this is where you get ripped off. And in case you’re wondering, I’d ordered for a chicken drumstick to go along with my chicken rice, while lunching with my three colleagues. After they’d served everyone else, they told me that they can’t serve me the drumstick and offered other parts of the chicken. When I pointed out that there are drumsticks visibly available and that I was willing to pay extra, they told me that I need to order half the chicken to get the drumstick. To put things in perspective for them, I pointed out that the four of us dining together would have already ordered the equivalent of half a chicken. But alas, no amount of discussion would persuade them to serve my order. They had no answer to my question as to why they didn’t make their policy clear at point of taking our orders instead of when my colleagues had already started on their meal.

This place – where the customer is rarely right – should be declared a disaster area. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

New Restaurant Ipoh Chicken Rice, Petaling Jaya…smorgasbord of disappointing dishes

Since arriving in PJ from Ipoh in 1977, New Restaurant Ipoh Chicken Rice has expanded to four shop lots with tables on both levels. They are well known for their famous Ipoh nga choy kai (bean sprouts and chicken).

Although it tasted okay, it didn’t taste like how it should and what it used to taste. The texture of the chicken was below par, and the rice that makes this restaurant’s chicken rice its distinction……… wasn’t the flavourful and fragrantful rice I used to love. For all you true chicken rice lovers out there…you know you’re having incredible chicken rice, when your chicken falls off the bone. The chicken at this place was rubbery and too chewy. Excuse me, but you don’t steam chicken, throw it on some unknown mixed rice (with no chicken flavor), and call it  Chicken Rice. The bean sprouts and pork ball soup were a smorgasbord of disappointing dishes that should only please the hungriest of student gangs with nothing better to do than starve for days and then feast on local nosh.

The flavours in the food weren’t screaming delicioso… won’t be coming back. Lesson learned. This is the true truthas I am still saying it as it is…

Kedai Kopi Chung Wah, Melaka…chicken ball rice are good, but not worth the hassle

Got to say, not so impressed.

Melaka is well-known for its chicken rice ball, which is actually chicken rice pressed into a ball (when it is hot, to ensure it sticks together). The compact and flavourful rice balls were of a slight grainy texture, moist and slightly sticky but yet soft enough to swallow effortlessly; so much so you can eat it on its own.

For all that the rice balls are worth, I don’t get it.

The whole queueing thing here has gotten ridiculous! As early as 9.30am, the queue to even get into the shop is immense (that’s the time the photo below was taken). Moreover, the chicken was chopped in a haphazard manner….and it actually tastes the way it looks…not good. It was a monumental let-down.

I’m not sure I would queue again for that long while hungry. Good rice balls are available in many places. The rice balls here are good but certainly not worth any kind of hassle or special effort. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…