Greater KL

Much like a fancier (better?) Nandos, Ben’s cluckin’ new chicken diner doles out grilled chicken with a selection of sides (you can also go with 1 side, or none at all). We went with the classic chicken, which is fairly delicious on its own but could do with a dash of that toum garlic sauce for boosted flavours.

Meat is cooked well, with those sexy grill marks on the outside and juicy insides to boot. Fries with chicken salt? So smart! But skip the yuzu sesame slaw that was... mediocre at best.

Josper-grilled chicken that’s nicely charred, on a Mediterranean-style bed of rice. One of Ben’s concepts done well, and priced decently too!

Wooop, value for money! Was introduced to Moim’s delicious stews, and my order turned out ultra flavourful and chock-full of seafood and tofu. Not at all the diluted, soupy stuff you get at most places with this price. Granted the side dishes are not very well-varied, but still refillable (a shocker since these commercialised mall Korean joints usually don’t).

A steal at RM12, this rice bowl is a stellar example of simple ingredients done well! Granted, it’s a cholesterol-heavy dish loaded with crispy pork lard so go easy on portioning and perhaps share this along with a plate of pasta or something.

Really liked that the minced pork was well-oiled, which created a gravy-like consistency to bind the different elements of the dish together.

Pleasantly surprised by how delicious this drink was. Tonic water + espresso + a secret sauce syrup (rosemary?) that results in a fragrant, refreshing sip that still packs a caffeine kick for hot days.

Goon Wah’s claypot fish head noodles rival some of the best out there and for the price, those fleshy fish pieces really give you bang for your buck. Didn’t particularly enjoy the thick mixian cos I prefer my fish head noodles with beehoon (to soak up all that soupy goodness) but on the bright side, that left me more of that delicious soup to slurp up.

Have heard a lot about Goon Wah since they first rose to fame back in Kuchai. This visit has proven all those great reviews to be true! The claypot lou shu fun is my pick; wok hei-laden, slippery rat tail noodles that get melded with a creamy raw egg yolk and minced meat sauce. Bonus: loads of crispy pork lard for extra flavour bombz.

Nice find at this unassuming hawker! The diced turmeric chicken is crisp and fragrant, finished with that savoury soy drizzle. The dish also comes with that killer bright-orange chilli sauce.

From the stall manned by a lone uncle in the back, this Mee Jawa exceeds expectations with clean, spicy flavours. Despite not being a fan of mee jawa, I found myself really enjoying this one for the creamy broth and crispy fritters. That dash of chilli sauce has kick too!

Light and fluffy bb dutch pancake topped with killer fried chicken and maple syrup. When I say light, I really mean light — the pancake is incredibly soft and eggy while also crisp in the right places, but a tad thin (probably a quarter or an inch?). On the bright side, you’ll feel less guilty wiping out that fried chicken AND a scoop of their delicious ice cream to finish.

Similar to its chicken friend with sambal petai chicken mince and blue cheese, except for sporting their classic beef patty instead of a fried chicken thigh. The Stinkbomb is tastier, almost as if the petai flavour is punchier here than in the Hook, Line & Stinker. But then again, it could just be that the beef adds its own savouriness to the combi.

Buggin’ happy time as usual at myBurgerLab. The seasonal stinky burg makes a comeback this month (5 Mar onwards)! Featuring blue cheese, sambal petai chicken mince and a pineapple ring on top of a thick and crunchy deep-fried chicken thigh, this one’s not for the faint-heart - to say the least.

The good thing is, while you get the umami of petai and blue cheese, the sweet and juicy pineapple goes a long way in cutting through all that pungency. There is also a beef patty version though I personally liked the chicken one better just cos it offers a bit of crunch.