River View Seafood Restaurant @ Pasir Penambang, Kuala Selangor

I remember the first time I visited Kuala Selangor back in 2000 to see the fireflys at Kg. Kuantan. After taking quick walk around Bukit Melawati as the sun was setting we set off I noticed some rustic looking buildings in the distance, some on stilts jutting out into the river. Due to the absence of a decent map and the desire to find the firefly’s at I didn’t explore further.

During another visit in 2001 I decided to drive around and explore and found myself in Pasir Penambang. One particular restaurant called River View Seafood Restaurant looked busy, had a sunset view and despite not being hungry we stopped to check it out. We enjoyed our snack and cold beer whilst watching the sun set and returned many times over the years when guests have visited.

Over years the place has become more touristy and is popular with most Malaysians due to its pork free status. The prices seemed to have increased but reasonable and the food/ambiance is still the same which is pleasing.  

We recently took some guests to Kuala Selangor and with the new KL-Kuala Selangor Expressway (LATAR Expressway) the journey is much quicker and easier. Naturally makan makan at Roverview was on the agenda.
 

  Easy to spot but parking can be an issue. 

 

The spacious and open interior. There is also a small upper floor available

Steamed fish

 Crab and cockles

 Pineapple rice and mixed veggies

Sweet Bread to soak up the crab’s chilli sauce

River view and sunset

Soon after sunset we departed for Kg. Kuantan and I couldn't help reflect on how hard it used to be to navigate the small and dark roads in the days before GPS was available for cars.

We enjoyed our meal at River View look forward to returning again soon for another sunset experience.

Food/Beverage: 9
Ambiance: 9
Value: 8
Service: 7

River View Seafood Restaurant
No. 1 Jalan Pasir Penambang
45000 Kuala Selangor
Tel: +60 3 3289 2238
http://www.rsrv.biz.ly

Malaysian Football Shirts

One of the things that surprised me when I first arrived in KL 12 years ago was the level of interest in English football. This is mainly due to the mass TV coverage as well as the local league having been decline for some time due to a match fix fixing controversy, poor football quality and a ban on foreign players. As a result the many people have adopted the English Premier League as their own. In contrast the national side is a promising young team and could bring some success in the future. 

Following Malaysia’s success in winning the 2010 AFF Football Championship I’ve noticed that there has been a general increase in the number of replica shirts worn by people.

Over the years I’ve had several guests ask me where to buy an official replica shirt and this is a very difficult question to answer.

KL and the Klang Valley are a shopper’s paradise with the giant malls often housing both independent sport shops as well as official outlets from the main players such as Nike. In these stores you can find usually find replica kits from most of the top clubs and countries in Europe as well as few popular countries such as Brazil however I’ve never seen any Malaysian national or domestic kits in all the 12 years I’ve lived here.

I remember in 2001 a colleague from the UK wanted to buy a Selangor shirt much to the amusement of our Malaysian colleagues who suggested that he may have more luck if he tried a pasar malam.

Judging by the some of the search results on google I’m not the only person who is perplexed by difficulties in buying a Malaysian football shirt.

If anybody knows where to get them then please let me know?

Suzi’s Corner @Ampang Point, KL

After another long break since my last visit I recently visited Suzi’s corner one Saturday evening. Nothing much has changed since my last visit, the steaks were as tasty as ever and the diverse crowed makes it a nice place to hang out for a while.



Served with fries, green beans and a steak sauce





Medium cooked which is just the way I like it







Yes I know its greedy but the cheese nann is good to help soak up the steak sauce





Something to help keep me cool



The only criticism I had was that the service by the staff who provide the drinks and other (non steak) food was slow and disorganised for some reason that night.

Food/Beverage: 9
Ambiance: 9
Value: 9
Service: 6

Previous review: http://www.maninseat12a.com/2011/03/steak-hut-suzis-corner-ampang-point-kl.html

Suzi’s Corner
213/26 Jalan Ampang batu 4 1/2,
Jalan ulu kelang
Ampang, Malaysia, 68000
17:00-05:00
Please note: The Steak Hut stall is only 18:00-23:00 and is closed on Tuesdays
Tel: 03-42566720

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/suzis-corner/187090090532?v=info

Tony Roma’s @ One Mont Kiara

On a Saturday 25th Feb we visited the Mont Kiara branch of Tony Roma’s for lunch and to shelter the rain.

I’m not a regular at Roma’s so I was looking forward to something different. Upon entering via the front entrance the staff seemed busy and disorganised and it was a while before we were attended to.

The choice of tables offered was limited not because it was busy but rather because so many tables were uncleaned and dirty.

Eventually a table was cleared and a menu given although after being left for a while it took several attempts to contact the staff to place the order for our food & drinks.

Now a point to make is that next to my wife's chair was a large splat of food on the floor from a previous diner and despite several requests to clear it no action was taken.

We ordered the chicken cesar flatbread pizza and a chicken swiss & beef bacon sandwich. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the food but what I will say is that the flatbread was delicious and the sandwich was hearty and filling. The beer was on a 1 for 1 promo which is always a nice bonus.

Despite the food being good it was rather a disappointing event because of the poor service and cleanliness whereby many tables were left uncleared for a long time ( 20> mins).

The staff said that they had been busy due to a voucher promo and the upper section of the restaurant was closed for some reason but their headless chicken impersonations made things worse.

There is also a complete back of background noise, perhaps the lack of music or TV noise is the issue but it created a strange ambiance.

Overall if it was pretty mixed bag with good food but poor service and cleanliness.

Food/Beverage 8
Ambiance 3
Value 7.5
Service 4

One Mont Kiara
Lot G-23A, Grd Flr, 1 Mon't Kiara,
No.1, Jalan Kiara, Mon't Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-6203 0580
Fax: 603-6203 0601
http://www.tonyromas.com.my

KLIA Express in need of refurbishment

Owing the awful taxi system at KLIA being unable to cope with peak times I often take the KLIA express when returning to KL on a Friday evening.

Whilst this train is hardly a high speed express its pretty useful to get to KL Sentral when the traffic is bad or there is no taxi however the downside is the relatively high fare of RM25 1 way.

The service has been running for around 10 years and the interior of the carriages is starting to show its age. More and more often I’m finding that the seat covers are worn or dirty and the air conditioning isn't working correctly which results a stuffy and musty smelling train.
 

In addition many of the internal and external windows have a coating making it either hard to see out or looking gloomy and dirty.



In addition I cannot fathom out why the luggage racks are placed half way down the carriage which makes taking suitcases etc into the train rather difficult. This really is a stupid design decision for an airport rail link train and having seen other Siemens trains in Europe I can only speculate that its must have been requested by the customer!

Malaysia has a bad record of train maintenance with KTM ending up cannibalising other trains for parts, many delays and too many derailments.

Lets hope the KLIA express isn’t heading that way as well!

Tamarind Springs – Ampang

In November my family visited Malaysia so it was an opportunity to try some places that I’d been meaning to visit for years but had never got round to going to.

One such place was Tamarind Springs located in Ampang which is just a short drive from KL (traffic permitting!!). The restaurant is a classy venue set in a natural forest reserve and contains a mixture of rustic Asians treasures and furnishings.

The menu offers fine contemporary Indochinese food which is a level or two above that found in other places within the Klang Valley.  On of the great plus points is the absolutely delightful location, being set on the edge of a natural jungle and at night its extremely atmospheric.

As well as great outdoor setting the interior is tastefully finished to provide a nice ambiance.


We enjoyed the food so much that we visited again the following week. Unfortunately I only have a few photo’s of the food however I can confirm that the dishes suggested by the waiter are thoroughly recommended.


Food/Beverage 9
Ambiance 9.5
Value 8
Service 8.5

Jalan 1,
Taman Tun Abdul Razak (TAR),
68000, Ampang,
Selangor
Malaysia
http://samadhiretreats.com
Tel.: +60 3 4256 9300

When a dog is like a dog but not actually a dog!

I recently saw this article on bbc.com regarding the emotional rollercoaster of living abroad which caught my eye when when it mentioned Malaysia.

Whilst I understand that people opinions are very subjective I do agree with several points raised about Malaysia especially about the dog!

At our condominium in KL the guards are less than competent and often get confused so I cant help thinking those described in the story are from the same company as the one we use.

Marks and Spencer – Stupid Policy

On the 27th December I called into the flagship Marks and Spencer store in Oxford Street (London). The store was busy but bearable and after a while I selected some jeans and trousers try on. I was somewhat annoyed when I approached the changing room and saw this:


Now I always find that I need to try things on because they never need to fit based on size alone. Despite the staff empathising that they knew it wasn't that busy and they understood the inconvenience I wouldn't be allowed to try the items on.

After remonstrating some more a sales assistant proceed to measure me and assured me that the items would fit.

Owing the local store in Banbury not selling the items I had little choice but to buy the items along with the next size up.

Upon reaching home I found that none of the items fitted and had to return them the next day. As you can imagine the returns queue was big and the staff at Banbury questioning the rational behind this policy.

In the week I spent in the UK all I kept hearing was how tough it was for retailers to kept custom etc. etc.

Well M&S have a truly stupid policy which inconveniences people in more ways than one and next time (if there is one) I will just try the stuff on in the middle of the shop

Priority Pass *Update*

Following my recent acquisition of a Priority Pass lounge card I have to say that I’m finding it very useful and value for money.

I recently made the following flights used the lounge at each each sector: Singapore-Kuala Lumpur-Dubai-London Heathrow. After calling home to collect my wife in KL I paid the joiners fee in each lounge and the free WiFi, food and comfy seats was appreciated. Perhaps now the complaints have finally be vindicated.

Upon arriving at Heathrow we had a few hours to kill before the National Express bus arrived so we used the Air Canada Arrivals Lounge. Whilst this doesn't come close to the Virgin Revivals lounge it does have clean bathrooms with hot showers and offers a great location to freshen up after a flight.