Ree-viu

I realize that I rely on foodblogs for reviews; but I never return the favor. Here is my first attempt at RETURNING THE FAVOR aka reviews of some places I recently (i.e. within the last few months-- because any longer than that quality tends to deteriorate) tried, based on type of food. In attempt to give some structure, I shall comment briefly on Ambience & Service, Food, Value for Money, then give an overall Worth Your Time and Tastebuds rating out of five. Oh and a picture if I can find one. Let's start with some Middle Eastern food!


Middle Eastern

1. Restoran Saba', Cyberjaya
This place is basically a mamak that sells 'nasi arab'.

Ambiance & Service: Nil. The place is kept relatively clean, but you definitely don't come here for the dining experience. They seem to have a high turnover of waiters and waitresses that come from the nearby MMU or Lim Kok Wing-- all with the same "I'd rather be online than serve you" kind of look. Expect the usual untrained teenage service: uninterested and at times, insolent. Like mamaks though, there is a minimal wait time for the food to arrive.

Food: In the four times I've eaten at this place, the food has been pretty consistent: generally tasty and good portions. They probably stock up on packets of MSG for their food-- but who doesn't nowadays? The lamb kapsah is a family favorite, and if you want chicken, I recommend the Hanith. Their hummus is so-so. Actually come to think of it, people come here ONLY to eat the 'nasi arab'. Oh, and whenever I order mint tea, they always say they are out of mint. -_-'

Value for money:
Food + drinks for 6 people would come up to around rm150, so it's not too bad for the amount of food you get. Definitely the cheapest 'nasi arab' food I've been to.

Worth Your Time and Tastebuds?
3.5 out of 5.
Definitely worth having a meal here if you're not too far away from Cyberjaya and are not looking for a special evening. Look elsewhere if you want middle eastern magic.

2. Al-Diafah, Sri Petaling
Truly a diamond in the rough. (hahaha.)

Ambiance & Service: Very fancy. You sit down and they serve you a teeny cup of this intense ginger type drink (Ikram made a face, I finished his) and some cold fresh dates. Waiters are in white and black, and I THINK, in bowtie. The decor is very lavishly Middle Eastern, not necessarily tasteful, but definitely opulent. Largely empty. :P

Food: I've only been here once. I ordered the hummus with foul, which was very tasty. The bread was kinda dumb, it turned solid as a rock the minute it was cold. Ikram ordered mandi lamb, which was pretty good too (but he said Saba's is better). Portion was kinda small, but the rice was dripping with ghee so it was very heavy unlike the kind of rice you get from Saba'. I ordered turkish coffee which came all wrong. *sigh* I have no luck with drinks.

Value for money:
Pricier than most Middle Eastern places I've gone to. Ikram ordered another serving of mandi lamb to go, so in total what we had came up to rm99.

Worth your time and tastebuds?
3.5 out of 5.
I mean, it's a nicer Middle Eastern place than most-- but largely because of decor and how quiet it was given that there weren't many patrons (probably because it was in Sri Petaling of all places.) I wouldn't go here again though, nothing ridiculously amazing about the food or the experience. Although the Arab sundry store downstairs might be something I'd visit again.

3. Restoran Hadramawt, Ampang
Just the fact that it's in Ampang should turn you off.

Ambiance & Service: Decor and ambience is pretty typical of the other Middle Eastern places you find in Jalan Damai, or would have found, since Jalan Damai has supposedly been shut down and its restaurantiers have ran off into other crannies of KL. Service is so-so, it's a pretty busy place so you'll need to do a little striptease to catch a waiter's eye but once you do they'll make it worth your time.

Food: I thought the food was pretty decent, the nasi arab stuff was good. Fish was okay. Hummus was good. And they had mint for their tea, hurrah! Portions were also quite big.

Value for money: Someone belanja-ed us this one, so I have no idea, but I think the food was generally a bit pricier than Saba', but definitely cheaper than Al-Diafah. Six people eating plus some nasi arab ditapau probably came up to a little over rm200? Not bad lah.

Worth your time and tastebud?
3.75 out of 5.
I originally gave this place a 4 out of 5 because I thought the food and price were comparable to Saba' (but less evidence of MSG), and the ambiance and service were much better. Then I remembered that it's in Ampang so OFF .25 points. Because it's not REALLY worth that much trouble.