Kedai Makanan Yut Kee

If you're more of a kopitiam person, you would definitely have heard of this place. If you have not, please, climb out of that cave. YOU MUST try this place at least once.YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

Established in 1928 (86 years ago oh-my-Gawd), Yut Kee is known affectionately for its old setting -  graffiti across the wall, old windows which allow passers-by to peek inside the shop, tiled walls, ... 

Peeling off paint, iron bars, ...

Wooden ceilings with white fluorescent lamps, ...

Old fashioned tiled floors, dark wooden chairs, and of course the marble tables that you see when you were little (if you were born in the 80's or earlier of course).

If you plan to go during weekend or lunch hour, I strongly suggest that you do not wear thick clothes because it's going to be hot. Expect to stand awhile outside while waiting for available seats, there will be a crowd waiting out front. 

If you're expecting a quiet and private meal with your family then this is not the place for you (you have been warned). 

It is likely that you will have to share a table (or 'dap toi' in Cantonese) with one, or sometimes more, group of customers. The most we had was 2 young couples sharing a table with us ... it was awkward (think: quiet meal, everyone inexplicably focused on their plate of food with no eye contact whatsoever). I love sharing table with chatty elderly customers though, they will happily start a conversation with you and tell you about how they used to visit YK 'during those days' and how they will make an effort, even today, to travel all the way from their house (presumably from a land far far away) just to eat here. 

But of course, YK didn't gain its fame by its old-fashioned setting. Obviously people travel from afar for their food. I think my command of the English language is limited and as such, doesn't do justice for the food served here.

First off, I ordered their 'Kopi-Peng'. I'm no kopi-expert but when I brought my super-cerewet dad, he took a sip, and said 'good kopi'.

2ndly, must order their roast pork. Its not available every day so once you see it, lunge for it and order immediately before it is sold out. Pair it with YK's homemade apple sauce. I once brought a junior here who, after taking the 1st bite, kept describing it as 'amazing' throughout the meal and few days after that, he asked me 'Could you show me the directions to the glorious roast pork? I'd like to bring my parents there.' Yeah, he used the word 'glorious'.

Other than the usual half boiled egg and toast (which seem to be the staples for Hainanese), Yut Kee also serves other 'heavier' meals ranging from noodles, fried rice, porridge, to pork chop, chicken chop and their famous Roti Babi.

You must try their Pork Chop. Of all the chops, i.e. chicken chop, pork chop, beef or lamb chop, I think Pork Chop is the best. My mom liked it so much she 'took a peek' into the kitchen while 'on the way to the washroom' in hopes of reconstructing the same dish at home. She came back empty handed.  

I usually have my pork chop with a litttlleeeee bittt of ketchup for a bit of sour taste. Just imagining it makes me salivate :9 

Kedai Makanan Yut Kee

35, Jalan Dang Wangi 

50100 Kuala Lumpur 

Business Hours:  8 am to 5 pm (closed on Mondays)

Tous Les Jours

This is the latest craze in Bukit Bintang - Tous Les Jours, Authentic Bakery.With its gigantic size, TLJ is pretty hard to miss especially when you're in the heart of the Golden Triangle.

Pronounced 'too lay joo-r', Tous Les Jours means 'everyday' in French. It is located in WOLO, opposite Lot 10. I don't know what WOLO stands for but I always think 'We Only Live Once' when I see it, like YOLO (You Only Live Once) XD

You will not be disappointed when you step into TLJ. It looks like a revamped castle from a King Arthur or Harry Potter movie. Despite its French name and interior design, I was surprised to learn that TLJ actually originated from Korea. 

Bread bread bread everywhere!

Boasting to be an authentic bakery, you will be impressed by the wide array of (reasonably priced) bread and pastries offered in TLJ. 

Yotsuba, Danbo's friend, looking on from behind

If you don't feel like eating bread and pastries, TLJ also sells hot food which you can order from the counter.

This is their French toast.

Their Big Breakfast. Simple, but filling.

Their Grilled mushroom Tartine.

Basic coffee selection (such as latte, cappuccino, mocha etc) is available for the coffee addicts. 

This is their Onion Steak Sandwich.

After that, there are dozens of dessert for you to choose from.

Tiramisu. Not one of my favourite, as I always like my tiramisu to be moist with alcohol, but not bad :)

Customers can opt to sit at counters overlooking the Bukit Bintang traffic for a change.

Overall, this cozy place is perfect for catch up sessions with friends. However, you may have to wait awhile for tables during weekends as its normally very crowded. Its strategic location makes it an ideal place to have coffee since it's smack in the middle of the shopping district of Bukit Bintang.

Tous Les Jours (Bukit Bintang)

WOLO Hotel, 126A-C 

Jalan Bukit Bintang 

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Business Hours: 8 am to 11 pm daily

Restoran New SEA Seafood

Occasionally, we'd go on random food hunts to try out the not-so-cliche restaurants. That means turning into back lanes, going through kampungs, driving across town from Cheras to Damansara, at the recommendation of Mr. E, the most picky member of Traveling Danbo, of course.  

Mr. E explained that he chanced upon this restaurant one day when it was raining heavily and, since he couldn't get to his car, he walked into this shop to pass the time until the rain stops. 

The vege reached first. As we were ordering Curry Fish Head, we opted for a simple vegetable dish

The rain turned out to be a blessing in disguise and he dragged us back here to try their Curry Fish Head, even if it meant that we had to drive all the way from KL city center to Hartamas at 7.00 pm on a weekday (in lay person's terms: braving the after-office-1-hour-turtle-crawl jam, on an empty stomach, going bumper to bumper with other equally hungry after-work drivers who are generally nasty people). 

Homemade Taufu with pickled radish. Very nice.

This is the only (decent) picture I could take of the Curry Fish Head before it was polished off by the cannibals. It is nice, though Mr. E insists that it was tastier the last time he came, possibly because he specially requested for more vege to be added this time around, thus slightly diluting the curry. 



As I was too engrossed with eating, I didn't manage to get the name of this dish. It's venison meat. 


Restoran New SEA Seafood
 4, Jalan 25/70A Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours: 7.30 am - 4.00 pm, 6.00 pm - 10.30 pm (Mon - Sun)

Shell Out

I have never heard about this place before until I stumbled onto it one Sunday evening. We were at that time on our way to Photo Crafts "The Cafe" which is located in the same block as Shell Out. 

 

The doodles on the glass windows and the photos caught our attention first. 

Then THIS -->  '2 crabs for RM36.00 only' <-- signboard made us stop at our tracks. 

While browsing through the menu outside, we were warmly greeted by the friendly boss. We decided to give it a try in the end.  

 

While waiting for our food, we were given paint markers to occupy ourselves.

We were allowed to doodle on the table.

 

On the wall.

 

On the lamps.

And on the windows.

No cutlery is provided required in this shop. Well, nobody eats crabs with fork and knife anyways. No plates also, everything is eaten on the table covered by a large piece of wax paper. 

First time in my life, I tried the Fried Shishamo Fish. This fish is commonly seen on conveyor belts in Japanese restaurants, which I tend to ignore because it didn't look appetizing at all. 

But we ordered it and, squirt a bit of lime juice for added flavor, it turned out unexpectedly crunchy and tasty.

The (RM36.00) crabs with corn as sides. We KNOW they're fresh. The incredibly friendly boss helpfully showed us the live crabs just so that we can decide the amount to order. After that, we opted for the Shell Bang flavor (a mixture of Cajun Sensation, Lemon Pepper and Butter Garlic), mildly spicy as we do not want the spice to overpower the crabs' original taste

The verdict: finger licking good, and the best part is we left without burning a hole in our pockets. I'll definitely come back to try the other food on the menu. 

Now if you'd excuse me, I'd like to get back to my doodling. 

Shell Out Seafood Restaurant

Jalan 16-1, Jalan PJU 5/15

Dataran Sunway Damansara

47810 Sungai Buloh

Business Hours: 

11.30 am - 10.00 pm (Mon - Thurs)

11.30 am - 11 pm (Fri - Sat)

5.00 pm - 10.00 pm (Sun)

Syarikat Kopi LOKL

If you're in the mood for a nice brunch on a Saturday or Sunday morning, why not head on down to LOKL, which is within walking distance from the Masjid Jamek LRT Station.

I would prefer to go during weekend though because it's quieter. For the same reason, parking would be less painful compared to weekdays. 

The simple black-and-white signage is easy to spot. 

Like most other cafés, the space in LOKL is not very big, which gives out a warm and cozy feeling.

 

Once inside, you will hardly remember that you are actually in the middle of the bustling city. 

Everything and anything can be used as props.

The Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Bagel. One of my favorite choices here.

Pancake with Coconut Whipped Cream and Gula Melaka.

I'm still here!!!

Noooooo ... Don't drink meeeeeeeee!!!

Look, there's a cute bear in my coffee.

If the weather is not too hot, you may enjoy your brunch outside the little open space. 

There are trees at the open space to (partially) block the scorching sun. 

Kedai Kopi LOKL
30, Jalan Tun HS Lee
50000 Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours: 8.00 am to 8.00 pm (closed on Mondays)