Persia Restaurant is located in The Ampang Walk along Jalan Ampang and serves a mix of Iranian and local foods. Together with lunch time specials that offer a variety of local foods, we decided to try out their range of kebabs and dips.

Persia Restaurant

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Pau Bantal aka Pillow Pau

A family friend who is also a food enthusiast recently brought us to this place in Ampang where they sold the famous ‘Pillow Pau’ or ‘Pau Bantal’.

We were instantly curious as to what in the world a ‘Pillow Pau’ was as we had never heard of it before. I expected a pau in a shape of pillow and the reality was not too far from expectations.

Getting there we were warmly greeted by the owner Mr Leong. After talking to him, we found out that he only just set up stall here 2 years ago. He learnt his pau making craft from a master sifu in Sitiawan. So it must be good.

Mr Leong, showing us the different Pillow Pau

He was very friendly, showing us all the different types of pillow pau and we were very impressed. Firstly cause it really was in a shape of a pillow (see for yourself) and also by the many different types of fillings he had for the pau.

Pillow Pau

Normal Pau ( ain't they pretty?)

He also sells the normal pau shaped pau apart from the pillow pau.

Different varieties of Pillow Pau

They have all sorts of different fillings that you can think of. To name a few, they have the usual Kaya, Planta, Kacang Merah and then the unusual ones such as green tea, coffee, pumpkin, petai!!!?? and nam yi (fatty pork?), pulut ayam and the lists goes on. Interesting isn’t it.

Petai Pau???! Huh?

And the prices are all very reasonable are fairly reasonable with the starting price of a normal pau at RM1.50  while the pillow pau starts at RM4.40 for one. You can also request for the un-steamed pau, which you can keep refrigerated at home. To eat, you steam it for 2 minutes over boiling water.

Pillow Pau (Pau Bantal)

40A Jln Bunga Tanjung 10,

Taman Seraya,

68000 Ampang

Non Halal

Open Daily; 7am – 8pm

This is one of my favourite spots for Hainanese Chicken Rice. Right in the heart of Ampang, Restoran Loke Yun delivers some of the tastiest and softest chicken that almost melts in your mouth. Parking around this area may be abit troublesome though.

The front portion of the restaurant is open air and the rear is the air-conditioned section. On certain occassions, the restaurant was fully packed and the food did take quite some time to arrive. This time, the meals were served quite fast.

To start things off, a bowl of soup is provided as is typically found accompanied with each meal of chicken rice.

The chicken is sprinkled with fried shallots and covered with light soya sauce and oil. You can also opt for the kampung (village) chicken which would cost approximately and additional 50% more to the normal chicken. A whole chicken costs RM40 whereas the kampung chicken goes for RM60. However, if you prefer to have a single serve, it is priced at RM5 per portion for a plate of breast meat.

To balance out the meat, we decided to also have a plate of beansprouts which were lightly blanched and seasoned with light soya sauce and oil. The bean sprouts were fresh and garnished with spring onions.

Of course, you would need a plate of rice to go along with the meal. On the table you would also find small pots of pounded ginger paste, chilli sauce with lime and garlic, as well as light and thick dark soya sauce.

The tofu, garnished with fried shallots was fresh and only costed RM3.

For those who are more adventurous, we also had a small portion of chicken parts mix; this being the chicken intestines. You can also request for the liver and gizzard.

To finish off this heavy meal, we ordered a bowl of Foo Chow Fish Balls. The centre of each fish ball is filled with ground meat which has been lightly flavoured.

Restoran Loke Yun

158, Jalan Besar, Ampang

Selangor Darul Ehsan

Non-Halal

Opening Hours: 1030am – 3pm, 530pm – 830pm

Tel: +60-3 4291 9884

Looking for good and simple Chinese food in the city? Looking for a dose of glistening plate Char Siew (Barbecued Pork)? Well, look no further than Soo Kee Restaurant.

There are a few must-try dishes here. At the front of the restaurant, you will be greeted by hanging barbecued meats such as Char Siew, Roast Duck and Chicken. The Char Siew is well caramelised and is definitely something I must have everytime I am there. You can go for the standard serving, or, if you are not feeling so sinful, you can also request to have a less fatty portion.

The Wan Yee Lam (belly part of a freshwater fish) is another favourite. This portion of the steamed fish is quite meaty accompanied with light soya sauce and ginger. The fish dishes are consistently cooked well and is a dish you can’t go wrong with.

The Sweet and Sour Pork is also another recommendation. The batter is crispy and cooked in a thick sticky sauce with fresh pineapples, tomatoes, onions and some capsicum.

Next on the menu, a claypot.

Claypot Tofu! We got a generous serving of tofu that was steaming hot with a variety of vegetables, pork and prawns. The soupy sauce goes well with a plate of steamed white rice.

Being the health conscious people that we are, the meal is incomplete without a plate of vegetables, in this case, Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli). The Kai Lan is stir-fried with pork, prawns, and some other pork spare parts.

Soo Kee Restaurant is in a rather concealed location as it faces part of a flyover along Jalan Ampang. For those who are familiar with the restaurants Ma Maison and La Risata, it is on the opposite side of these shop lots.

Soo Kee Restaurant

No. 373-1, 4th Mile, Jalan Ampang

Kuala Lumpur

Non-Halal

Closed on Mondays

Tel: +603 4257 0767

Ma Maison is an alluring little restaurant hidden in the quiet area of Ampang. It offers a reasonable selection of classic appetizers, mains and desserts. The restaurant has been around for several years and has even been visited by our very own Dr. Mahatir.

The interior is decorated with French posters and other decorative items which gives the surroundings a very warm and pleasant feel.

To start things off while we waited for the appetizers and mains, we were presented with a generous serving of garlic bread.

For starters, the Escargot a la Bourguignonne (Escargots Burgundy Style). Cooked in olive oil and a light sprinkle of garlic and herbs, this appetizer would be a recommendation change the perception of those that would normally cringe at the sight or thought of consuming this mollusk.

The other appetizer that we tried was the Quenelles De Poisson Sauce Nantua (Baked Fish Dumplings in Seafood Sauce).  The rich creamy sauce was filled with a variety of seafood and complemented the fish dumplings very well. This is one dish that I would recommend.

The Coquelet Au Vin Rouge “A La Bidou” (Spring Chicken cooked in Red Wine) was not particularly spectacular, however, it was quite a generous serving.

As for the Magret De Canard A L’Orange (Duck Breast in an Orange Sauce), the interesting use of orange sauce and zest made this dish different from the norm.

Next the grilled beef dish, Tournedos De Boeuf Sauce Bearnaise (Grilled Beef Tenderloin Bearnaise Sauce). On its own, the beef was rather plain.

Definitely in need of some sauce!

A dash of the Bearnaise Sauce (made with clarified butter and egg yolks flavoured with some herbs and simmered in vinegar to make a reduction) made the dish come to life as the flavour of the meat was well complemented with the sauce.

To end the night, we topped a very filling meal with the house speciality, Crepes Ma Maison (Apple Pancake with Vanilla ice cream and orange). The texture of the crepes and the orange sauce provided a perfect ending to the night.

Ma Maison

32 Persiaran Ampang

55000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +6 03 4256 5410

Cuisine: French

Halal

Cash Only Payments