Waroeng Iga

Being away from my maternal home sometimes makes me crave for food that is difficult to find.  While it is not easy to get the taste of home in KL, I found this small treasure tucked in a quiet part of the Strand Kota Damansara.

The look and feel of this restaurant pulled me to peek at the menu displayed near the entrance.  One glance and I found myself smiling. 

The feel of Old Indonesian Restaurant

I am a meat lover (my apology to my vegetarian friends).  I used to love eating ribs.  Before I converted to Islam I used to frequent ribs joints scattered in San Diego where I went to school.  I love the taste of smoky sticky tender BBQ ribs. Those days most ribs were pork ribs.  I never saw or tried beef ribs.

Now that I am a Muslim, I am not allowed to eat pork ribs anymore.  I missed eating them and tried finding halal ribs.  For years I didn't eat any ribs because there was no restaurant selling halal ribs.  Until Tony Roma's opened in KL serving halal beef ribs.  I was elated... Although it doesn't taste like the original Tony Roma's baby back ribs, the ribs are pretty decent. 

For the past 5 years I saw a new trend in Indonesia eating scene.  Halal Beef Ribs have been making waves in Indonesian restaurants.  They call it "IGA" meaning ribs in Bahasa Indonesia.  However, it is not the case in Malaysia.  We don't really have restaurant specializing in Iga or Ribs. 

So when I found this Waroeng Iga... I smiled broadly.

Based on the waiter recommendation, I tried Iga Bakar Cabe Ijo. 




Iga Bakar Cabe Ijo

 The Iga was grilled perfectly.. The meats were tender and juicy, falling off the bones. The rich, flavourful and spicy sauce brought tears to my eyes but I couldn't stop eating... It was really good..!!

As much as I am a meat lover, I need to have vegetables in every meal so I ordered Gado Gado.  

Gado Gado

The Gado Gado also passed my standard for its fresh steamed vegetables with loads of peanut sauce.  The veggies were still crunchy and the sauce was just right, not too sweet. 

Since I went there only with my husband, we couldn't order too many dishes.  We ordered only one more vegetable dish : Terung Balado, fried eggplants with chilli.

Terung Balado

The Terung Balado was not like what I expected.  I am used to eating Terung Balado Padang style which has salty fried pounded fresh red chilies.  Their version has dried shrimp and shrimp paste added to it making it sweeter than the normal balado.

While the Padang people will insist it is not how balado should be, I am actually quite happy with the improvisation.  The dish turned out to be nice.



Teh Botol Sosro

 No Indonesian meal is complete without Teh Botol Sosro, a sweet jasmine tea served over ice cubes.  I grew up drinking this drink and now my kids are growing to love this too.

TEBS - Tea Soda

The Manager gave us a bottle of TEBS to try.  It's a sweetened Tea with Soda.  It has a unique refreshing taste.

Everytime I go to restaurants I can't help myself but checking out the toilets. I can't stand restaurants with dirty filthy toilets because I have a 6-yr old daughter who needs to use toilets every few hours.

This restaurant passed with flying colours when it comes to cleanliness.

The toilet is DRY and cozy with ample supply of tissue papers..!!

Waroeng Iga is definitely a place that I will frequently visit.  Good food in a nice clean place that won't poke huge holes in my wallet.

Food : Delicious
Service : Good
Ambiance : Very cozy and tasteful
Price : Reasonable, ranging from RM5.90 to RM16.90
Toilet : Clean and Nice
Child Friendliness : OK

Address:
Lot No Q36&Q38
Ground Floor
The Strand Red Carpet Avenue
Jalan PJU 5/21
Kota Damansara
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Phone : 03.6142 3797
www.facebook.com/WaroengIga












 

FIERCE Curry House

My first encounter with Briyani Rice didn't happen until 10 years ago when I moved in to Malaysia.  First bite and I was hooked...!!

The complex blend of spices dancing in my tongue making Yong Chow Fried Rice taste bland compared to even the mildest vegetarian briyani.

My favourite had always been Bengals Restaurant, a small authentic North Indian restaurant nestled in a cozy old bungalow in Ampang.  It broke my heart when I found out that the restaurant was closed down a few years ago.  The restaurant served authentic Dum Briyani where the rice was mixed together with marinated meats and covered with dough before cooked. The whole process led to a very fragrant flavourful dish that I could eat forever.

When my husband told me to try this new briyani restaurant in Bangsar, I never expected that I would find the same dish that I was so crazy about.

The Aromatic Mutton Briyani

Beside briyani, this restaurant also serves Banana Leaf Rice...!! My other favourite..!

Vegetarian Banana Leaf Rice

The Vegetarian Banana Leaf Rice sounded so healthy but I just couldn't resist adding the Dry Crab Curry to my rice:

Spicy heavenly Dry Crab Curry



It was one of the best Dry Crab Curries I've ever had in my life... The gravy was just finger licking good.  I cleaned the whole plate in minutes...!

Fried Bittergourd

Crunchy Fried Bittergourd is the perfect companion to any Banana Leaf Rice.  I usually have more than one serving of the crisp morsels.  However I had to skip the Fried Bittergourd here.  Although the seasoning was nice, the crunchiness was gone.  It was too soft for my liking.

I washed down all the heavenly spicy dishes with a glass of sweet hot Masala Tea.

Hot Massala Tea

Overall it was a very satisfying lunch.  I would definitely come back...!!

The Briyani is really FIERCE...!!!

Food : Heavenly
Service : Good, very attentive

Price : Reasonable given the quality of the food.  The whole meal cost us RM42

Cleanliness : Average.

Toilet : Can be improved (like most Malaysian eateries do)
Ambiance : A simple place just to eat, not to linger around.

Children friendly : Only if your kids can eat spicy food. 

Address:

16 Jalan Kemuja

Bangsar Utama

Kuala Lumpur

Ph : 03.2202 3456

www.facebook.com/FierceCurryHouse