The original Yeoh's Bah Kut Teh started in 1990 as a family run store back in the canteen of Hokkien Association in Klang. Which is why sometimes it's called referred to as Hokkien Association Bah Kut Teh. Mr Yeoh clearly has a passion in his craft as he continues to serve out bowl after bowl of comforting, slurp-worthy "meat bone soup" while listening to customers' feedback and continue to improve. Today, Yeoh's Bah Kut Teh is so well-known that it even has a franchise in Hong Kong. I am not sure how many branches there are in Klang Valley but the one closest to me has to be at the Eat Village, Publika. I went there with my mum and brother one day, just to check out the standards. Of course, we ordered both the wet and dry BKT to try. This has pork soft ribs, intestine, pork belly, some foo chuk, and of course tofu puff. You might be able to spot some Chinese crullers at the bottom of the pic. That is of course essential to eat with BKT. The verdict? No wonder they are famous. The broth is so comforting, with enough flavours for me to get a second bowl of rice. Now that's good stuff! I of course went for mostly the belly and the intestine. Though at this branch, when you ask for extra soup, they only give you a tiny bowl. Nevermind, there's still some dry BKT to look forward to. Apologies for the lousy photos by the way, the lighting was a little too yellow for my phone to handle. This was not as good as soup version but I did like to pick out the sliced okra (to fulfill the vegetable quote). There were plenty of those dried squid which gave the dish plenty of flavours. Yum. I know where to go when my next BKT craving strikes.

I have mentioned before usually before I perform, I try not to overload myself with food. Which is why when I did a gig at Pietro, a lovely Italian restaurant located at the ECM Libra building, I ordered the most basic meal: Spaghetti Aglio Olio.Even though it's basically just garlic, olive oil, parsley (and a leave of basil on top), chili flakes, it was quite tasty. I also liked how the pasta was perfectly al dente, which is even more important in such simple dish. The only negative though, as you can probably see from the photo, was that there was simply too much oil in there (look at the pool at the bottom). Otherwise it's a pretty decent pasta dish.

Growing up in Sarawak, I've never had banana leaf rice before because my family tend to only stick to Chinese food or home cooked food. So it took me 28 years to discover this. Nirwana is fairly well-known banana leaf rice restaurant that is almost always busy. Not surprisingly since the food there is consistent and good. A basic set of banana leaf rice comes with rice (of course), 3 vegetarian side dishes, then you can choose to have some fried chili (not sure what it's called) and rasam (tamarind soup) and the type of gravy you want over your rice. Like this: I love to flood my rice with plenty of gravy and often will request for chicken and fish (their dahl is pretty good too). Being conscious of what I eat, generally I will stop them from giving me too much rice. My favourite side dish would have to be the deep fried bitter gourd. Not sure what they used to achieve the vibrant red colour (hopefully not food colouring) but they sure are addictive. I love the crunch and the mild spices. Delicious. The middle one was chopped up long beans and they were pretty good too, well seasoned and retaining their crunch. Lastly, on the left we have somewhat a salad with cucumber and carrot. I think the milky liquid might have been yoghurt, this tasted pretty mild, but refreshing. I love their rasam (not pictured) too.

With a meal like this, there is no need to order more side dishes but if you prefer to have your meal with meat or seafood, there are plenty to choose and most are quite good. Especially their chicken dishes. Just beware it can get quite expensive if you go crazy on the side dishes. Otherwise the basic set is only RM6.

Cafe Cafe is a very pretty place with lotsa chandelier and pretty crystal hanging off the walls, they also have a lot of trinkets dotted through the restaurants. But one problem though, it's notoriously difficult to photograph because of the super dim lighting. Nevertheless it has remained one of my favourite restaurants in KL because of the charm and consistently good food. So I generally treat myself a visit once a year. They offered pretty reasonable priced set menu for the quality of food they offered, which is another bonus.

Also, everytime I visit, there are 2 items that I always order. First is their pan seared foie gras Foie gras is incredibly easy to mess up (judging by the standards of most restaurants here) and badly cooked ones are barely edible. But at Cafe Cafe, it's always perfection. They changes the condiment occasionally the this was peachy. Well caramelised outside, meltingly tender inside with a rich buttery taste. Well, there's nothing further to add. Except to apologise for the bad photo (dim lighting!)This was my first time trying the clam cooked with white wine and it was lovely. The clams weren't overcooked. The sauce was beautifully oceany with a distinct wine aroma. I slurped this up with no hesitation. The braised beef cheek is another must order dish here. Here the tender pieces of beef sit atop a neatly plated mash, surrounded with assorted mushrooms. It's incredibly luscious. Beef: tender, aromatic from red wine with a hint of herbaceous note. The mash was perfectly creamy and smooth. I love the mini shimeji (I think) mushrooms as they have a little crunch in them. Just a super delicious dish. I'm generally not a big fan of chocolate lava cake but I have heard so much about their version. It was just textbook perfect. Rich dark chocolate with a molten centre. Heavenly.

The history of Chilli Pan Mee can be debatable but there is no doubt that Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee claims the title for best chili pan mee. It’s no wonder the shop is always full of customers despite the attitude from the owners (very famous for bad service). Ever since I had my first taste as a tourist several years ago, I’ve been in love.

Let's take a look at the famous chili pan mee. The toppings: Seasoned minced meat, perfectly poached egg, fried shallots, fried anchovies, finished with chopped spring onions atop plain springy noodles made in-house (albeit with a machine). The chili is served separately in a big container. I love my food super spicy (go hard or go home right?) and I always put 4 spoonfuls (yes, crazy). If you have been to Kin Kin you'd know their paste is superb. Well caramelised and definitely explosive, it adds so much flavours to the noodles. Of course, there are plenty of msg involved, that's why I generally limit my visit to few times a year. After adding the chili paste, you poke the egg yolk and mix everything together. Then slurp away! The umaminess of the anchovies, minced meat and the aromatic fried shallots will bring your tastebud to noodle heaven. Not pictured was the small bowl of soup with pucuk manis, ready to take the spiciness down if it's too much to handle. Around RM6-7 per portion, and sometimes I even go for the second bowl! Admitedly I don't do it that often but when the cravings strike, I can't help myself. Hehe.