ronnycakes and Wils reviews: UFO, Bandar Manjalara

There are so many Taiwanese dessert places cropping up nowadays that you can’t really tell which one is good and which one is bad anymore. Snowflakes used to be the place that everyone headed to to satisfy their Taiwanese-style dessert cravings but I hear that nowadays due to overwhelming demand and business, they have begun to machine make their taro balls instead of hand making it like they used to. Thankfully, we still have UFO who serves us authentic hand-made Taiwanese desserts.

We haven’t had a chance to properly try out UFO yet, so the food review invite from ChopChop came at just the right time, and we were incredibly fortunate to sample almost everything they had on the menu.

 

UFO is a homegrown brand specializing in Taiwanese desserts that all of us know and love, but offers a little more than that in the form of savoury snacks for hungry patrons.

Various toppings for our iced-fancies.

The bosses, Aaron and Fadzrul at the counter.

Fadzrul in the foreground and Gan Leong (the third owner of UFO) in the background.

 
First up we were treated to UFO’s drinks. The Winter Melon Tea (RM3) tasted fragrant but was a tad sweet (we chose 100% sugar level), whilst the Aiyu Lemon Green Tea (RM4.50) was refreshingly tangy with soft aiyu jelly offering something to chew on with every sip.

 
Left: UFO’s Pearl Milk Tea (RM4.50); Right: Honey Peach Yoghurt (RM4).
What’s worth trying here is the Pearl Milk Tea, which also came highly recommended by UFO. The pearls truly make the drink stand out as they are not too hard nor too chewy at all, just the right amount of springy. Much better than the commercialized versions from Chatime and much cheaper too.

Here come the main attractions!

 
Soya Ice Series with Red Bean, Taro, and QQ Balls Toppings (RM6.00). Comparable and perhaps even better than the one they have at Snowflake. The QQ balls were really nice and chewy and had strong taste of taro and sweet potato.
On the right is UFO Lemon Aiyu with Aiyu Jelly and yoghurt popping balls (RM4.50). I absolutely loved the yoghurt popping balls! And it’s an incredibly refreshing concept because I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere else with this yet. The only thing that comes closest to is the coffee pearl thing that they have at Ochado, which is too sweet for me. UFO’s yoghurt popping balls pop in your mouth and release a burst of sweet and sour flavour in your mouth.

For those who prefer something hot to warm their tummies up, you can opt for Hot Grass Jelly with Mini QQ Balls.

 
On the right is Grass Jelly Series with Sweet Potato, pearl and QQ balls topping (RM6.00). Pretty much the same as what you can get from similar chains outside but the difference is in the QQ balls (handmade of course) and the ice which packs a punch in grass jelly flavour, unlike the increasingly watered down versions of some other places. The left is Grass Jelly Series with pearl, red bean, QQ balls and Ocha balls. I love how generous UFO is with the pearls.

Finally, my favourite of the day: Matcha Ice Series with Red Bean, Taro, Ocha Balls and Yoghurt Popping Balls (RM6.00). Unlike any ocha balls that I’ve tasted before, the ones at UFO actually taste like ocha and have none of that weird bitter after taste that I find are present at some other places. It’s a perfect complement with the refreshing Matcha Ice (another unique one!) and the tangy yoghurt popping balls. Hands down the best one.

Don’t worry if you’re craving more than something sweet! UFO also serves light snacks to satisfy the glutton in us all.

 

UFO offers five flavours of savoury non-greasy fries: Cheese, Chilli, BBQ, Wasabi and Seaweed. What’s nice about the fries are that they aren’t too oily at all and come in 5 different interesting flavours. We loved the cheese fries and the wasabi fries especially (the wasabi ones gave our tastebuds a kick!). Chicken fillet, calamari rings and cheese hot dogs are also available at UFO but we didn’t get the chance to sample them that day as the franchisor hadn’t delivered it to the outlet yet.

UFO is definitely a place to watch out for, with such good offerings for such reasonable prices, there is no reason why you shouldn’t head down there right now to curb your sweet tooth craving!

UFO is affiliated with ChopChop; which means that you can scan the code directly from the cashier and collect your loyalty stamps via smartphone instead of traditional loyalty cards. No more forgetting your loyalty card and losing out on rewards.

How it works:

1. Download the ChopChop app for your smartphone (a version is available for iOS, Android and Blackberry OS!)
2. Ask the cashier for your QR code and scan it using the QR code scanner in the app.
3. You will have received your chop! Collect enough chops to redeem your reward soon!

Blackberry download link: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/103285/?lang=en
Android download link: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.chopchop
iOS download link: http://itunes.apple.com/app/chopchop-loyalty/id472666873?mt=8

Right now, ChopChop is affiliated with more than 40 restaurants including 42East, Frontera, and Artisan Roast.

Click here to visit ChopChop’s site for more information!

Address:
No. 53, Jalan 3/62a,
Bandar Manjalara,
52200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : +60 3 62626478
Mon – Sun: 1:00 pm - 1:00 am

Map *here*

 

ronnycakes reviews: Fong Lye Taiwanese Restaurant, Sri Hartamas

Mention Taiwanese cuisine in KL and one of the first names that comes to mind is Fong Lye. This branch of Taiwanese cuisine has been around for decades, starting out in a small shop downtown. As for me, I’ve been dining at Fong Lye ever since they opened a branch near my area in Sri Hartamas and my mum just loves the food there. Good quality Chinese chow! :D

The interior is clean, comfortable and beautifully decorated with cute chopstick holders and little tea cups. Staff are also very polite and attentive when you walk in, they immediately chime in a loud “welcome!” in Mandarin.

Okay enough of interior pictures, more of the food!

On that particular visit, we had the Beancurd in Claypot with Abalone Clams (RM18 for regular size) which came with Japanese fried tofu, mushrooms, abalone clams, fish maw and the obligatory carrots and sweet peas. The gravy was tasty and thick and went perfectly with some rice.

My favourite abalone clams, yum-yum!

Their Fried Sliced Pork with Bittergourd (RM18 regular-sized) is also very famous and almost every table during lunch-time orders this dish. The pork is sliced thinly and is smooth whilst the bittergourd is nicely done, not too hard or too soft. The addition of black beans to the dish adds to the fragrance of it. Thumbs up!

Another sleeper hit was the Special Choy Sam with Minced Meat (RM14 for regular) which has a really whimsical name in meaning Red in the Snow. This dish comprises of chop-chop-chopped up Choy Sam with large green beans, minced meat, dry beancurd, chili and some other vegetable that I don’t know the name of. It may look very vegetarian and bland but in fact it tastes absolutely wonderful and is a great addition to the meal.

It goes great with rice!

At the end of the meal, we were served a complimentary platter of fruits and a small glass of lime juice to wash all the great food down. Their lime juice is in-house made and tastes wonderfully tangy.

All in all, Fong Lye is a great place for family dinners as they serve a wide variety of dishes that will definitely be a hit with everyone. Most of the things I’ve tried tastes good (with the exception of the cold wine chicken *shudder*) so if you’re looking for some to place to bring your parents or grandparents, this should definitely be on your list. :)

However, it gets pretty packed at lunchtimes and dinnertimes so call in advance to make a reservation!
And a final note, the Fong Lye in Mid Valley serves personal sets but this branch only serves dishes to go with rice (with the exception of some noodles or fried rice).

Address:
Plaza Prisma Ville 9
Jalan 19/70a
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Sri Hartamas

Map *here*

Clarissane reviews: Kiki Taiwanese cuisine @ Suria KLCC

It seems like I’ve got a thing for Chinese cuisine these days. I love how they have lots of variety to satisfy every palette :D

I discovered this Taiwanese joint while wandering around KLCC deciding on what to eat a few weeks ago. When I sat down, only did I realise that it is actually a branch of another famous Taiwanese joint, Fong Lye which is no stranger to most foodies out there. Unlike the long queue at most of the Fong Lye joints, I was so glad I didn’t have to wait for a table here. (I hate waiting for tables with a hungry stomach!)

Isn’t the menu so cute? :p

Started off with the Watermelon Milk, RM7.30 to quench our thirst on a hot day. I thought it was a bit too creamy and milky, but I think it differs individually. You’ll probably like it if you like milk.

Next up was the Fried Tempura, RM7.80. This was the highlight of our meal! This was soooo good I think I wouldn’t mind second helpings. It tastes a bit like our local keropok lekor but without that fishy after taste. The batter was just right, not overly fried or oily. A great alternative to the usual Taiwan Fried Chicken.

For mains, we ordered the Minced Beef Noodle Set, RM19.80. Similar to Fong Lye, food served mostly comes in set meals with all mains come accompanied by three side dishes and a soup.

The noodles had a nice and springy texture to it but I found that the minced beef lacked the oomph factor. It was overly sweet and it seemed like they added a bit too much sugar when making the sauce. It would taste better with a bit more salt and extra spiciness :p

I was craving something a bit healthier so I opted for the Steam Fish with Pineapple Set, RM19.80 which also comes with three side dishes and a soup.

I really enjoyed this dish. The fish was fresh and succulent and goes perfectly with the white rice that comes with the set as well :) Definitely something I would order again.

Sweet and sour tofu, one of the three side dishes that came with the set meal.

Absolutely tasty aubergine cooked to perfection. This was sooo good I really really wanted to ask for second helpings! I’m not sure if they serve this as a dish by itself, I’ll be so glad if they did ! :D

Piping hot Herbal Chicken Soup to end the meal. The soup had just the right amount of flavour, not oily and full of the good stuff just like how our mothers would make them and force us to drink it when we were younger so we could grow healthily :p

A good place for a satisfying, balanced meal or if you’re craving for something different than the ordinary :)

Address:
Lot 426,427, 4th Floor,
Suria KLCC,
50088 KL.