Taste buds can be such a big contrast, when it comes to selection of preference for food.

While David Yong, a schoolmate of mine, picked the dish of steamed kampung chicken as his No 1 dish after a food review session at Restoran Seat In Kent in Desa Jaya, his last on the list was in fact my No 1 dish and the restaurant’s signature dish – the Nyonya steamed fish.

In fact, it was my wife who asked for the dish to be included, although she could not make it for the food tasting session herself. Like me, she loves the Nyonya-style of preparing the fish, with its perfect combination of slightly sweet and spicy tastes.

Admittedly, my friend then explained:“Well, I do not go for the Nyonya type of food.” That explains it! The steamed kampung chicken which was his No 1 dish was the last dish on my list.

Surprisingly, another schoolmate of mine, Richard Voon who simply falls in love with chicken rice anywhere and everywhere he goes, picked the steamed kampung chicken as his No 1, too.

“I have eaten steamed chicken and rice in many places, but there is something in this signature dish that makes it very unique,” he said.

The rest of us, of course, picked the Nyonya steamed fish as our No 1 favourite dish. I, for one, go for the great tastes as long as it gives me the “oooumph!”, it is good! But, I could also see my 9-year-old son still digging into the dish for the last bit of the fish when the meal was nearly over.

The Nyonya steamed fish uses only Red Tilapia, cooked with ginger, chilli padi sauce and lemon grass that gives it the sweet and sour taste that most Malaysians like.

In fact, Restoran Seat In Kent has been the family’s favourite for many years and each time we bring our guests to try out the food here, there are only the good comments and a great sense of satisfaction.

The prices are also reasonable, and for the five dishes that were served, the cost was an estimated RM186 (GST and other frills not added in yet). Besides the Nyonya steamed fish and the steamed kampung chicken, we had some of the other signature dishes – the Vietnamese Hotplate Pork Ribs, the Ying Yong Braised Pork Ribs, and the Red Homemade Mayonnaise Chicken4.

The Vietnamese Prawn dish is prepared as a curry dish, with chilli, ginger and carnation milk, instead of using coconut santan. It is also suitable for young children.

When I first wrote about this place some ten years ago, the restaurant was only a shack in Desa Jaya. When the shack was demolished to give way to a new commercial block, the restaurant had to move to Desa Aman Puri. This is the address (Jalan 1/1, Desa Aman Puri) that most bloggers still keep on their blogs and it is no longer valid.

The restaurant has since moved back to new commercial block in Desa Jaya, occupying a corner shop and there is plenty of parking lots in the area. This is one restaurant where Indian families also enjoy the Chinese-style cooking.

The wide repertoire of dishes here is simply fascinating. According to its proprietress, Chong Chu Moy, 38, from Melaka, they now have over hundred dishes and styles of cooking. With some creativity, a new dish can be put together for the table.

“This gives us a lot of flexibility to prepare the best of our dishes to suit our guests’ taste buds,” she said.

Her husband, Kent Gan Keng Chai, 48 is from Muar, Johor where they have a factory producing yam baskets.

In fact, Seat In Kent is also famous for its yam basket served with deep fried mantis prawns. The yam baskets are produced themselves, and guests can purchase these baskets to prepare their own dishes at home. They are also famous for their Marinated Steamed Pork Ribs, prepared using herbs and mushrooms to give it a natural sweet herbal taste.

I must say that the quality has been maintained for the past ten years that we have been eating there. A picture of their best seller Nyonya steamed fish which I took back then can be compared to the one taken just last week.

Address:  Lot 1-1, Shop Parcel Jalan 16 (Off Jalan Pasar), Desa Jaya Commercial Centre, 52100 Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong. Tel: 03-6280 6022. They are open six days a week for dinner (3pm – 12 midnight), and closed on Mondays.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Seat-In-Kent-Restaurant-767384916634216/
Waze location:  https://waze.com/ul/hw28629knj
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/sQn7bH5Qoiv

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in all sorts of gastronomical delights – Western, Middle Eastern and Asian.

Seremban has always been famous for its beef noodles, roast duck, BBQ crabs and the siew pau but the Lucky King Bun is starting to make its foray into the competitive food business as the next big thing.

Previously known as the curry chicken bun when the idea was first mooted in 1997, it has since been rebranded, and now, it comes with a wide repertoire of seafood and other dishes which can be enjoyed in a cosy restaurant ambience.

The Lucky King Bun was formerly done by one Madam Lew Yook Pit who has since passed on, and the business is now operated by her children.

When I first wrote about the curry chicken buns, I had the difficulty of putting a name to it. It was only known as Seremban’s Curry Chicken Bun, but after nearly ten years, I am delighted to see that a brand has evolved.

As a student of branding, I can see that their latest rebranding exercise will help to boost the business further, as it has a great potential for a bigger growth ahead

They even have a mascot on display in the restaurant for children to snap photographs with.

When we decided to check out their flagship Lucky King Bun restaurant at Bukit Kepayang in the new township of Seremban 2 last week, I delighted to learn that the restaurant would be turning two by November this year.

What amazes me is that despite catering to tourists from China and Singapore in bus loads, the restaurant has been able to keep the fine balance between good standards and both the restaurant ambience and their food prices.

The Dragon Tiger Seafood Pot is one of their signature dishes which comes with crabs, prawns, cuttlefish, clams and handmade meatballs, and a combination of milky and mild curry soup that even children can enjoy when served with the bee hoon and bean sprout from a hot boiling pot.

Lucky King Bun Restaurant is located at:

No 28 and 29 Jalan MPK 6, Medan Perdagangan Kepayang, 70200 Seremban.

Tel: 011-3129 9393/ 03-6311755.

They are open six days a week from 11.30am – 10.00pm (closed on Tuesdays except when it falls on a public holiday).

The other Lucky Bun Restaurant is located at:

No 4366, Taman Aman, Jalan Besar, Lukut, Port Dickson. Tel: 06-6512392.

Check out their Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/luckykingbun/

Waze Location
https://www.waze.com/location?h=w22rrn4fv

Since I started doing food review for both the Star and New Straits Times in around 2008, and later spent a stint on fine dining restaurants for a magazine published out of Bali, Indonesia, this is one article that begs to be written.

Food is very subjective. It depends on both the cook of the day, his mood as well as the client’s expectations. The other perhaps, less important factor is also the prices and the level of service, and client’s perception of their value for money.

One of the first restaurants that I wrote on was Niji Teppan in Medan Putra, Bandar Menjalara.

 After nearly 9 years, I contacted the restaurant owner again, and he told me that he has since relocated to somewhere near Tesco in Bandar Menjalara. There is also a name change to Ni Ichi Sushi Japanese Restaurant (coming soon) and most of his clients are regular clients from his previous restaurant.

My Sense of Satisfaction

As a reviewer I have no vested interest in any of the restaurants, so when the owner invited my wife and I, along with our two young kids (whom I want to introduce to the world of writing and food / travel hoping that they can do it as a hobby in future), it was gratifying enough when he told my kids, “Thank your Daddy!”

It was enough to see the beaming broad smile on his face, but of course, it was all his hard work for the past 10 years that he is where he is today. Ni Ichi Sushi was packed to the brim, and now, Chin also operates a Chinese restaurant in same shop where he operated his Niji Teppan.

I hardly knew Dennis Chin when I wrote about his Niji Teppan, but I like the way he garnishes his food. As we sat down to talk about his business over the years, he told me that his prices have only risen by about 15 percent since 2008. A Japanese friend of mine confirmed that the prices are “very reasonable” and said she would come to check out the food here.

So, when I write about Ni Ichi Sushi in an upcoming article, some foodie groups who visit the restaurant will be able to appreciate the ‘value for money’ and they will return for those dishes that are good. Others may say it is not authentic Japanese food because Chin readily admits that his cuisines here have a Western fusion to it, and although he was all along a chef in Japanese restaurants, it was mainly in Taiwan.

Some may say that there are other places which may serve authentic Japanese cuisines and charge a lot for it. I do not deny this. Still others will say they simply love the Japanese food the way it is done here and do not mind travelling all the way from as far as Puchong during weekends.

Taste is Subjective

Even between my son and I we do have very different tastes. I like the strong tastes in my non-halal ‘bah kut teh’, but for a nine-year-old, something milder is better. Therefore, taste is also acquired and very subjective.

When I tried ginger pasta for the first time in a café in Kiara, I had that Wow! factor. After trying it many times, it was no longer special to me. Same goes with the Taiwanese noodle in another restaurant, so what was unique for the first time, no longer has the same ‘Wow’ factor for me.

Over the years, I have many such experiences. I once took a Polish gentleman to try out the Western food served by a café. Both he and I have been good friends and I knew he would be honest with his comments. I personally wanted to get his views too before I wrote about the café.

Passion, I guess! Talking about great restaurants, my guess is that it takes a lot of passion to make things work!

There was a Thai restaurant started by a successful Thai restaurant owner from Bangkok. She wanted to reproduce her business here in Kuala Lumpur. When I did the review, she asked me to invite a couple of other friends along to try a er cuisines.
Everyone had a wonderful time and of course my article which was written subsequently attracted even the then Thai ambassador. I took a few foodie friends to check it out and they were also very impressed.Sadly, a good friend of mine returned from Singapore for Chinese New Year and ordered two tables for

Sadly, a good friend of mine returned from Singapore for Chinese New Year and ordered two tables for a family reunion. To his horror, it turned out to be a disaster for him.

The waiters did not even reserve the tables! The list of food ordered was not prepared in advance. When it was finally served on the table, his guests had a lot of negative comments and, of course, I also received some nice brickbats from my friend.
When my wife and I quietly went to check it out, we noticed a marked difference. And, we learned that the restaurant owner had returned to Bangkok. About a year later, the restaurant was no longer there!

A friend had also recommended us a nice restaurant outside a very posh housing estate in Sungai Buloh. When we quietly went to check it out, I was put off by the waitress who had a scowl on her face that I decided I would not return to do a review of the restaurant or the food.

One principle that I always hold on to is that I do not run down on restaurants. Therefore, when I do a review, there are dishes that are not my kind of tastes, so the only hint that you would read is silence about the certain dishes or ingredients.  

For example, I may like certain items on a plate of nasi lemak, but hey, you don’t get to hear about the things that I don’t like, but it does not stop me from giving my honest critique to the chef herself. It is really up to the chefs to take my comments and improve.

All I hope is to see a healthy and bustling food and beverage sector where everyone, including foreign tourists, gets to enjoy. Malaysia, being the focal point for the East and West, should be an international food haven.

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in all sorts of gastronomical delights – Western, Middle Eastern and Asian.