Hi Steemians! Blessed weekend!

I have been going through from one meetup food gathering to another, and while others already posted most of the #teammalaysia meetups with their food reviews, I have decided to make a side track rabbit trail to a place my choir master has suggested me and the rest of the choir to hang out after today's service.

I have mentioned in my title as an unexpected place simply because while parking was scarce and we decided to car pool, we actually missed the shop twice and had to round again just for parking spaces.

Another thing was I personally was expecting a really fancy restaurant as my choir master did mention that the food is quite pricey but good, and to my least expectations, the ground floor looks so much like an up-scaled coffee shop (with slightly fancier simplified IKEA tables (yes, literally all bought furniture and cutlery is from IKEA!) we almost missed the shop itself.

I mentioned that it is a coffee shop because it does not have air-conditioned ground floor.

But it has a second floor where we could head up to our reserved seats.

I have been studying IKEA's small spaced design and has been fascinated how they organised and plan limited spaces; and today I actually have the opportunity to sit in a bedroom sized open space with tables and chairs neatly arranged with extra folded chairs as spares.

To be honest, a 10 ft width but long room was actually quite small for both side to have tables and chairs; so I might really need to rethink my small space apartment later with all the specific measurement to make sure that the place will be kept super neat and set aside so that it is easy for me to move around.

While the choir members looked through the menu, I noticed the blue and gold up-cycled egg trays that were sprayed and hung as decorations; while there were other vintage paintings (which I did not managed to snap) on the wall, making this whole tiny space simple yet nice.

Well, it is definitely not a high class area, but second floor was nicely air conditioned and we had to self serve by getting our own cutlery that were well place at the open space racks.

Now let's talk about the food!

While me and the rest were trying to find out what to eat considering our wallet size, one of our choir member was very straight forward with her choice of food because she already had a pack of nasi lemak (coconut milk rice with spicy sauce, egg and some peanuts) earlier.

So she has decided get something that is simple and fastest; while the rest of us are still waiting for our food, she is already enjoying letting her camera phone eat first before she digs in.

What she was having was:

Fried French Quail with Roasted Grapes
price: MYR 9.50, 2.41 USD

This includes GST

We did not get to taste this but I think it's really good, because she's enjoying for full 2 hours.

What else did we have?

One of our very first starters that we shared was the Roasted Beetroot, Fresh Fruits and Feta Salad (MYR 13.50, USD 3.43) there's actually sour cream in it that blends well with the sweetness of nangka and I also think that the beetroot was sautéd with something sweet too that complements the rocket salad's slight bitterness. For those who love feta cheese and its rich aroma, then this is one salad you could try.

Next Would be My Meal...

New York Strips

300g steak cut strip with jambu salad

price: MYR39, USD9.90

GST included

I ordered medium done which I find I should have gone for medium rare; but I think they did quite a good job for an Australian beef and the steak portion is actually quite huge with about almost 1 inch thickness.

The salad is actually mixed from lettuce, thinly slicked onion and thinly sliced Java apples; which gives a fresh taste before the huge chunk of meat.

 

The good part of this steak is that it was already sliced in smaller chunks before it was served, so I didn't have much problem sharing my meal with other friends.

My choir master was smart. She decided to change her Quarter Roasted Chicken into Vegetarian style with King Mushroom (with pomme puree and roasted vegetables - which tastes awesome)

Price: MYR 25, USD 6.34

GST included (of course)

While others enjoyed their meals like Local seafood Bouillabaisse (MYR 25, USD 6.34) or El Grande (MYR 26, USD6.60 - which is Hive account@chloephuan93 's favourite) , we decided to re-order for the desserts as the waiter did not add in.

Here come the desserts!

Before the rest came to sweep off the respected cakes, I managed to take a snap shot of our orders together. So let's introduce them one by one.

Hummingbird

price: MYR 9, USD 2.28

According to my friend, the "name" was a little overrated but I think it has to go with the marzipan topping. Overall it was very simple with banana and pineapple as part of the ingredient and for its portion, I feel it is pretty all right. I think most people who does not like cheese and avoiding chocolate would appreciate this healthy like piece.

My take: It wasn't too bad to be honest; but it reminded me of home made cake.

Apam Balik Mousse

MYR 12, USD 3.05

For a Malaysian, if you have remembered Apam Balik, it is kind of a Asian folded crepes, packed with sugar, butter and peanuts. In Perak State, especially in a small town called Menglembu this hot dessert is called "dai gau min" 大块面 (in Cantonese) as in Thick Folded Crepe. This traditional dessert is very popular among tea time or even breakfast (especially for thin version) and some of them even added sweet corn or kaya coconut egg jam.

This Mousse was recreated inspired by the taste of the Apam Balik traditional taste, and with the nutty mix, it does taste a lot like creamy cheese-like feel added with great childhood memories for Malaysians.

Tofu Fa Cheesecake

MYR 12, USD 3.05

If you love the taste of cheese cake but want it a lighter feel instead of the usual thick cheesy mouthful, this cake is definitely for you to try out. It has a tangy gingery feel for the caramelized sauce, and fresh lemon-y cheese taste with light tofu texture.

Most who are too used to the traditional Tofu fa (soft tofu dessert with caramelized sauce), this could be a taste challenge with slight confused thought. If you ever order this, please enjoy it with an open mind with no expectations.

Belgium Chocolate Cake

MYR 12, USD 3.05

I didn't get to taste this one, but according to Hive account@chloephuan93 it was the best Belgium Chocolate cake ever. Belgium is always very popular with chocolates and if it is close to the actual country's chocolate making, then it should be nice to have.
Probably I might visit there again just for that, but it does look thick and moist.

Chocolate Tart

MYR 12, USD 3.05

What impressed me with this piece is its golden garnish at the top. I too did not get to taste this (with the ice-cream) as this was enjoyed by the boys of the choir in the next table.

No one complained about it so I would conclude that it was really good as well.

So where is this place, and what is it's opening hours?

Grub by Ahong & Friends

608, Jalan 17/10, Section 17, Petaling Jaya.
Opens Tuesday to Friday 12pm-3pm & 6pm-10.30pm, and on weekends 12pm-3pm & 5pm-10.30pm.

I noticed that 6 months ago they promoted Friday Ladies Lunch where ladies get to have 20% of their food; however whether they are still promoting this it is best to check out with the owner.
If you have noticed, it closes on Monday and opens only night time from Tuesday to Thursdays; while Friday to Sunday it has morning sessions and night sessions.

Despite of the location that looks simple with its pricey menu (trust me, the most expensive is over USD100) but people still go there and one of its chic is not the decoration but its food with the choice of wine.

Of course, I did not take any alcohol there as it was lunch plus I need to drive.

Would you try out these dishes, despite parking could be scarce?

And yes, you might need to wait a little for the food too.

Until then

Thank You for Your Time

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