Don’t we all get this dilemma of what to eat whenever we are in a shopping mall ? There are too many choices and many times we are not familiar with new ones, or brave enough to try something new.
So, last weekend I was at 1 Utama, for a gastronomical FOOD HUNT in collaboration with The Butterfly Project bloggers, 50 of us! From 4th – 24th November 2013, the 1 Utama Wonder Food Event offers lots of rewards and fun for ONECARD users. Even if you are not subscribed to 1 Utama’s Loyalty Card, ONECARD, you also get to also satisfy your cravings for authentic local street food instead of travelling to Penang or Melaka! But having the ONECARD offers many privileges, I will explain more later but let’s have a look at the FOOOOODDD !!!
Did you know, 1 UTAMA, World 4th Largest Mall is listed as ‘World’s 12 Best Shopping Cities’ on CNN AGAIN!
Now that’s one achievement we need to shout about, I kid you not!
There were 15 participating restaurants and cafes for this campaign with The Butterfly Project Bloggers, meaning 15 restaurants to try from 11am to 4pm on 16th November 2013. Well we don’t need to try all, just a minimum 5. But all the kiasuism in us, made us wanted to try all.
I go to 1 Utama at least once a week because I work nearby and it’s the best place to go for dinner to skip the jam on NKVE. And well, there are actually alot of food that we sometimes, get lost on what to eat. Attached above is the food map of Food Street (stretching from PG Promenade to LG Highstreet) There are much more restaurants along that stretch but these were the 15 participating for this campaign.
LG Promenade: SS2 Goreng Pisang, Ninja Joe, Seaweed Club, I Love Yoo, Eat & Happy Yong Tau Foo, Oyster King, Bisou, Mr Cendol, Pao Xiang Bak Kut Teh, Ko Hyang Korean Country Delights.
LG Highstreet: Lameeya, BBQ Chicken, Food Box, Vivo American Pizza and Panini, and Lava.
Let’s start with those on LG Promenade Food Street (Old Wing)..
There are more snacks and light food in this area, and they are more in kiosk style. In here, you will get lots of variety of local food. I will go by number, based on the map above.
#1 Ninja Joe – Non Halal
If you’re looking for some non-halal pork burger varieties, Ninja Joe is one of the few choices of non-halal burger fast food joint.
With an improved menu that has tripled in size, Ninja Joe‘s battlegrounds don contemporary fittings from smooth floorings and bright lights to comfortable seats resembling diners. One of the pioneering burger joints, Ninja Joe boasts fresh, made to order, juicy pork patty servings packed between custom baked, ninja-sliced buns, served with amiable sidekicks of fries and drinks.
One of their offering for that day was the Hikkori BBQ Pork Burger. Barbequeued pork patty, with bacon, sandwiched in between ninja sliced burger buns. If you are feeling hungry that day, then you can check out the bento set that comes with rice and salad.
Signature Dish : Pork Burger
#2 Ko Hyang Country Delights
I didn’t get to eat this as I surpassed the 4pm time, so I only took a photo of the shop front.
“Ko Hyang’ means hometown in Korean. They serve daily traditional recipe of Korea’s style home-cooked meals from different hometown Korea. Ko Hyang now offers patrons in Malaysia the experience of savoring Korean home-cooked meals never before so authentic. As with the tradition, all meals are cooked without using MSG seasoning. The selection of rice, vegetables, meat and seafood dishes, as well as the traditional noodles, are truly an utmost healthy and nutritional meal for everyone.
Signature Dish : BiBimBap (Rice mixed with vegetables, chili paste and beef / chicken) & Kimchi JiGae (Thick and rich kim chi stew with rice) & Jap Chae (Stir fried glass noodle with vegetables and beef / chicken)
I’ve tried this in Mid Valley before and the Jap Chae is pertty good.
#3 I Love Yoo! 老油鬼鬼
I Love Yoo! aims to give diners at taste of traditional street food with a modern twist.
Soya milk, Yao Zha Kwai, Porridge are one of the best selling breakfast in the olden days in Shanghai. Yao Zha Kwai, is actually, fried dough sticks. “Yao Zha Kwai” is the lingo in Cantonese and “You Tiao” is in Mandarin.
I didn’t try this outlet but it makes a great pit stop if you want something light and fast, and cheap! I Love Yoo! always have sets like Porridge + You Tiao, Soya Milk + You Tiao. Also try the butterfly buns and other fried red been balls.
Signature Dish : You Tiao and Scallop Porridge
#4 SS2 Goreng Pisang 炸蕉黄
Goreng Pisang, or fried banana fritters are a local street favourite for all. Seeing ripe bananas, sweet glutinous rice cake, sweet potato and yam, dipped in batter then deep fried, ticks all the ‘snack for tea time’ check list. Deep fried goodness..
Of course, I have to try the fried banana fritters and fried sweet glutinous rice cake with yam and sweet potato. They do have other things on the warm display such as curry puff, Kuih kodok, Prawn fritters, spring rolls and even herbal drinks, but these two portrays oeey gooey deep fried treats.
Signature Dish : Banana Fritter, fried sweet glutinous rice cake with yam and sweet potato, Prawn Fritters
#5 Oyster King
If you’re looking for something refreshing and not so oily, oysters may be another choice. Oysters are great aphrodisiac so be warning of the amount that you take. Ha ha ha
In Oyster King, you may find a premium selection of Garlic Oysters, O-chien (fried oyster), fried lala mee hoon, oyster noodles, and even lala fried rice
Fried Oyster, (better known as ‘O-Chien’ or ‘O-A-Cian’ in Hokkien), once made popular by hawkers and coffee shops, is recognized among locals and tourists alike as one of the best street food Malaysia has to offer. Regarded as a must-try when visiting Penang or Melaka, the same can now be said at 1Utama Shopping Mall!
Signature Dish : O-Chien, Fried Lala Mee Hoon, Garlic Oyster
#6 Eat & Happy Yong Tau Foo
Here there are plenty choices of homemade yong tau foo including various type of fried items, fish balls, white tau foo, chilies, brinjal and many more. Yong Tau Foo are vegetables stuffed with fish paste then served deep fried or in an anchovies soup, or just with a sweet or chilli sauce.
You can choose it at RM 1.50 per piece or get them with noodles to fill your stomach further. One of their set includes; 3 Yong Tau Foo + Any Type Noodles for RM7.90. This set allowed you to pick any 3 items of Homemade Yong Tau Foo with the list of noodles on the menu.
Eat & Happy
Signature Dish : Yong Tau Foo
#7 Mr. Cendol
What began as a roadside stall in Sitiawan, Perak has become a growing franchise. Now, you can enjoy a bowl of cendol in a comfortable and clean surrounding in the Food Street of 1Utama. This is the perfect spot to rest and recharge.
The secret is said to be the special coconut milk formula and fragrant palm sugar. Among the several varieties available are Cendol, Cendol Special and Cendol Pulut. If you’re very hungry, there are local stall favourites like Rojak, Asam Laksa and Nasi Lemak Special. The cendol seems to be a bit salty, so be sure to add the palm sugar from the bottle on the table, up to your own level of sweetness.
Signature Dish : Cendol Mangkuk & Cendol Special.
#8 Bisou Bake Shop
Now are you ready for some sweet delicacies? It’s a great choice to have a pit stop here during tea time or after dinner and grab some cupcakes back.
Sporting a selection of homestyle cupcakes, cakes and cookies, there is something to suit every palate. With 13 cupcake flavours everyday and an additional “Cupcake of the Month”, cupcake lovers are spoilt for choice. And for those who would perhaps prefer a bigger piece of cake, there is a fabulous selection that includes the very famous Banoffee Pie and a Real Black Forest Gateau.
Cupcake for the month is Chocolush, a chocolate cupcake with chocolate cream cheese frosting. With a wide selection of cupcakes, cakes, cookies and treats, your eyes and palate will be spoilt for choice indefinitely. Bisou Bake Shop also sell the ever ‘famous’ Rainbow Cake. It’s not in a cupcake form, but it’s a whole square slice.
Signature Dish : Cupcake of the month & Dream Come True Rainbow Square.
#9 Seaweed Club
If you think this is your typical sushi roll, then nope. It’s more like a popiah but uses seaweed sheet with popiah skin. There are a few different flavour such as Original, Spicy, Wasabi, Tuna and Vegetarian. This is a healthier option with alot of raw vegetables and seaweed is good for your health.
This healthy and delicious seaweed roll is wrapped with jicama (sengkuang), fresh cucumber, crunchy carrot, crispy crispy, chicken floss, special sauce, popiah skin and roasted seaweed. Now you can eat without feeling guilt because you are just filling in your daily vegetable intake
Now you get a free drink when you purchase 2 rolls at RM 6 each.
Signature Dish: Original Seaweed Roll
#10 Pao Xiang Bah Kut Teh 宝香绑线肉骨茶 (non-halal)
Now that we are done with some light food, here is a piece of Klang, in 1Utama; the ever famous Bah Kut Teh. This is seriously non-halal. Bah Kut Teh translates to Pork Bone Tea. It’s a traditional breakfast for Klangites where we savour a bowl of piping hot herbal soup cooked for several hours with pork bones and different cut of meats and innards till its soft and tender. You will need a cup or pot of tea to balance out the greasiness from the pork fat.
If you are unfamiliar with the types of cuts of meat, there is a chart on the menu that shows which part of the meat is from the pig. Enjoy it with a bowl of You Tiao (fried dough), let it soak up the goodness of the Bah Kut Teh Soup. Each portion is served in a bowl atop a candle to keep it warm throughout the meal
Bah Kut Teh is one of my favourite food and I only eat in Klang, this outlet however is a branch from the original Klang outlet. The taste may differ from the original store in Klang due to the amount of water and time it takes to cook. This however satisfy the cravings for patrons that want a taste of Bah Kut Teh in 1Utama
Signature Dish : String Tied Bah Kut Teh, or other cuts
From #1 to #10, These are some of the stalls or food available in LG Promenade Food Street.
Now lets head to the 1 Utama New Wing and check out the food at LG Highstreet!!
#11 Lammeeya (non-halal)
At Lammeeya, KL’s iconic noodle dish ‘lam mee’ is the specialty. Lovingly prepared by experienced professional chefs who stay loyal to the original recipe, the lam mee has a strong aroma and smooth and springy noodles. Lammeeya provides a good dining ambience for family with elders and even kids as their menu doesn’t only cover noodles dishes but with Chinese dishes too.
Nourishing watercress soup and silky Royal milk Tea.
In addition to this classic dish, Lammeeya provides a wide range of authentic Malaysian cuisine from various hometowns, such as Penang prawn mee and Ipoh kuey teow soup, as well as traditional Chinese favourites like BBQ rice, steamed tofu minced meat and black vinegar trotter. Rounding out the menu are a variety of buns and a large selection of fresh fruit juices in addition to the local teas and coffees.
They also offer set meals with their Noodles or Rice dishes. For Rm13.80, here is an Orginal Lam Mee with meatballs and fried foo cheok, comes with a glass of green tea too. This is perfect for those who work around the area and are looking for quick yet delicious set meal that is not too greasy.
Signature Dish : Original Lam Mee, Duck Egg Fried Kuay Teow, Chee Cheong Fun, Healthy juices
#12 BBQ Chicken
It’s not Barbeque, Its BBQ! Best of the Best Quality! Originated from Korea in Sept 1995, BBQ Chicken has grown to become the No.1 franchise brand in Korea. Within four years after its existence, it opened its 1000th outlet in Korea, followed by the world’s first and only Chicken University in 2000. BBQ Chicken is also the 1st F&B Franchise Brand to be selected as the Korea’s TOP 100 Brands.
It is definitely a better choice than another fried chicken fast food restaurant and I’ll tell you why..
100% Olive Oil
BBQ Chicken pride themselves on being the first brand in the world to use 100% Olive Oil from Europe for frying, creating a distinguished and healthy taste.
100% Fresh
The use of fresh instead of frozen chicken and fresh raw materials is the way to serve you the best and healthy chicken meal.
BBQ Special Marinating Process
BBQ Chickens are marinated in 30 types of natural spices for 12-15 hours to ensure that the chickens have absorbed the different spices.
The Hot Hot drums and Korean Charbroilled Chicken was so good!! I mean we were already stuffed to the brim, but we couldn’t stop eating casuse it was so tasty, crunchy and flavourful! It’s definitely a great place to come with your friends, and have a good time over fried chicken
Signature Dish : Olive Oil Fried Chicken, Korean Charbroilled, Jerk BBQ Chicken and Hot Hot Drums
#12 Vivo American Pizza and Panini
Vivo American Pizza & Panini is a quick casual restaurant serving quality traditional and contemporary western cuisine. Vivo started with the secret recipe of the Horrigan family, who served the best American style pizza in a Chicago town by using the traditional method of baking.
From the vibrant menu and wholesome meals to the bright and comforting ambience, everything about Vivo just shouts ‘live life passionately!’ the moment you step into the premises. The star of Vivo is their American style pizza; baked from dough made fresh daily, quality toppings, savoury sauce and made available in various sizes with thick or thin crust choices. Unique to Vivo, they also serve sweet dessert pizzas. Also available are hearty main courses, wholesome Panini sandwiches, snacks and desserts so whether you’re at Vivo for a quick bite, full meal or gatherings, there’s something for every occasion. To keep things fresh, Vivo updates their menu twice a year.
Pizza is a great food for sharing, so if you’re looking for a premium selection of deliciously baked pizza, Vivo is not a bad choice. The Smoked Chicken BBQ Pizza and Volcanic Chocolate Cake is in their Top 10 Signature dishes. The Volcanic chocolate cake is a great dessert of choice and it is baked to order and the gooey chocolate sauce makes it drool-worthy, orgasmic when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you’re not into pizza, then check out their panini selection or even rice. I guess it’s a Malaysian thing that we all need our rice right ?
Fret not as there is also a Baked Chicken Chop with rice on the menu. After shopping, it’s good to find a place to rest and relax. They also serve Lavazza coffee.
Signature Dish : Smoked Chicken BBQ Pizza, Crispy Chicken Panini, Volcanic Chocolate Cake
#14 Molten Lava
Looking to satisfy your craving for macaron or deep fried churros, check out Molten Lava for their range of swiss rolls, macaron and fried to order churros. Originally specializing in churros and funnel cake, Molten Lava has expanded their menu to cater for more sweet tooth in 1Utama.
A churro sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, is a fried-dough pastry—predominantly choux—based snack. Churros are popular in Spain, France, the Philippines, Portugal, Latin America and the United States but now you can also get it in 1Utama LG Highstreet.
Fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar, this fried pastry makes the perfect before or movie snack (if you manage to sneak in hehehe) Best eaten while its hot
Signature Dish : Churros, Funnel Cake with Banana, Macaron
#15 Food Box (non-halal)
Food Box is a fuss free, quick and easy Chinese cafe that serves stir-fried dishes with rice, tong sui and traditional tea time treats such as Kuih Kosui. It’s similar to a kopitiam style minus the eggs and toast. Hakka cuisine is a main influence in the dishes here.
To end our MAJOR gastronomical adventure, we had a typical traditional Chinese snack, Rice Bowl Cake (碗仔糕) and Kuih Kosui (杯仔 糕). The Rice bowl cake (RM 3.80 for 2 pcs) was actually quite nice with the combination of dried shrimp chili and preserved radish (chai poh) Dark palm sugar gives the colour and flavour to this classic steamed dessert; Kuih Kosui. It’s sweet, soft and chewy topped with lightly salted fresh grated coconut.
Signature Dish : Rice Bowl Cake and Hakka Braised Pork Rice
WWWOOOOOWWWW
There, my gastronomical adventure in 1 Utama LG Food Street. I did enjoy alot as I managed to hop around places with Ashley and Rane, and also met Laura, Chocky and Alice, Emily, Yin Yin and also other bloggers.
I had alot of fun times trying out new food. As I always frequent 1Utama for dinner, I always stick to the usual. Now I know there are much more choices and some are actually very affordable for they size they serve. Gives me more choices, and I’m sure you have seen some new and never tried before places.
Thanks to 1Utama for this Wonder Food Adventure in collaboration with The Butterfly Project Malaysia.
If you are a ONECARD member, there are some rewards for you throughout this WONDER FOOD Campaign from 4th Nov to 24th Nov 2013.
Mark down you calendar for these awesome activities!
9 & 10 Nov : Wax Hand & Caricature
16 & 17 Nov : Nail Art & Air Brush Tattoo
23 & 24 Nov : Face Painting & Hair Spray
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