Shiraz and Uncle Cheng's

So we've got a couple of new places on this little food journey today, one Western and one Asian and both in our little pocket of Petaling Jaya. First off, the Western.

Shiraz BBQ & Cafe

My parents and I stumbled on to Shiraz BBQ & Cafe one night while going to one of our usual "makan" spots in SS3. It was just a couple of doors down from our intended destination and we decided to give it a go. We were the only customers and so it was with some trepidation that we sat down for our meal.

The waitress was friendly suggested the Pork Chop, Pork Belly and Mushroom Burger. My dad went for the Pork Chop and I choose the burger. My mum opted for a healthier Salmon Steak. A sucker for side dishes, I also ordered a mushroom soup and their fried calamari. After a short wait and a brief chit chat with the owner (we found out the place had only been open for 2 weeks!) the soup and calamari arrived.

Mushroom Soup @ Shiraz BBQ & Cafe

Fried Calamari @ Shiraz BBQ & Cafe

The soup was nothing special. It was homemade, but I've had better mushroom soups elsewhere. The Fried Calamari however was a revelation. I was expecting some calamari rings deep fried in batter but instead what we got was what you see above. A delicious concoction of calamari fried with a spicy, tangy sauce with green capsicum. The balance of spices was just right and we unanimously agreed that it was something we would definitely order again.

Next came our main courses. They all looked great on the plate but did it taste as good?

Salmon Steak @ Shiraz BBQ & Cafe

First up the Salmon Steak. Nicely grilled and served with a lemon sauce. I felt this was nothing special. The salmon was a bit under seasoned and the sauce was a little bit sweet for my taste, but then again I am not a fan of citrus based sauces. My mum shared my sentiments and didn't really enjoy the salmon all that much.

Pork Chop @ Shiraz BBQ & Cafe

The Pork Chop came served with a homemade apple sauce. The portion was large and it was delicious! The meat was nicely seasoned and it was grilled to perfection. Juicy and tender it had to be the highlight of the meal. My dad thoroughly enjoyed his meal and I was a little bit envious that I didn't pick his choice.

So this was my pick for the night. The Mushroom Burger. You can't see it from this picture but there is a bed of mushrooms underneath that lettuce. The cheese was served cold, so it would melt when the burger was put together. It was a juicy burger and very flavourful. However i would have liked the patty to have been a little denser as the meat was quite loosely packed together. Still it made for an enjoyable meal.

Pork Belly @ Shiraz BBQ & Cafe

Oh?! So what's this? Well I liked Shiraz so much that I paid another visit with a friend a few days after. My friend picked up the Pork Chop and so I decided to go with the Pork Belly. Boy oh boy! I was not disapointed. It was awesome! The sticky sauce complimented the succulent meat perfectly. Tender and juicy this is definitely going on my order again list. My only criticism is that the sauce may have been slightly too strong for my taste.

The prices are not exorbitant either. A main dish will set you back between RM15-RM25 and the portion sizes are value for money. This place may be new but it is already a hit in my books. I hope business picks up so that I can be enjoying its fare for a long time to come.

Next on our list, the Asian.

Uncle Cheng's Special Beef Noodle

My parents told me about Uncle Cheng's and as a sucker for beef noodles with the  added benefit of it being so close to my house, I decided to pay it a visit for lunch today. If you are from the Petaling Jaya area, you will know how much of a pain it actually is to get to this area. The roads leading in are always jammed up and there is only one way in and one way out. So the food better be good if I was going to come back.

The store had a few customers thought it was far from packed. I ordered the recommendation of the "everything in" noodles, which had beef cuts, tripe, tendon, beef balls and beef "char siew" and decided to go with "lai fun" for my noodles. I also had an order of the Tendon Balls.

Beef Noodle @ Uncle Cheng's

Tendon Balls @ Uncle Cheng's

My noodles was supposed to come with a bowl of soup, but because I order the Tendon Balls, it seemed like the just decided to omit that bowl and give me the soup together with the balls. I was told by the owner that I could ask for refills of the soup as well. It looked good and tasted pretty good as well. It wasn't fantastic and it wasn't the best beef  noodles out there, but probably one of the better ones in the Petaling Jaya area.

I didn't think the Beef "char siew" @ dry meat was all that great and would have gladly done without it in favour of more beef brisket. The soup was flavourful and not too oily or heavy, which easily lends itself to second helpings. At a whopping RM8-RM13 per bowl of noodles (mine was RM13), I think it is a little pricey for what it has to offer. I'll probably return once in awhile but for that price I can get better food elsewhere.