food

Best hidden gems in Ampang

BY HUNGRYGOWHERE
October 08, 2015

Cutting bread at Evendough Bakery is an everyday affair. – HungryGoWhere pic, October 8, 2015.Ampang is a vibrant part of Kuala Lumpur, and also the home of incredibly delicious secrets that are waiting to be enjoyed. HungryGoWhere gets you started with these hidden gem food eateries!

Evendough Bakery

Evendough Bakery is Greenhouse by Muir’s house of pastries and baked goods. It is on the ground floor, and you will probably have no trouble finding it by following the mouth-watering scent of baked goods.

The bakery has a unique selection of baked goods up for grabs. And no, we do not use the term "unique" here lightly.

They have impressive combinations of ingredients and flavours and sizeable goods. We sampled a prime example here, their longan wine bread (RM7.42). The flavours of longan and red wine were complemented by the bread’s soft and moist texture (pic, right).

If you want to wash down the taste of bread, the bakery brews its own teas as well, in the Evendough Café. Combined with the bakery’s rustic and stripped-down interior design scheme with Japanese elements of design laced all over, it is easy to understand why Even Dough Bakery receives a continuous flow of customers each day.

Fish Head Mee Hon

A milky world of wonder awaits you, as fishy as it may all seem. – HungryGoWhere pic, October 8, 2015.This quaint little stall located in a food court opposite Pandan Indah’s Nuri Court apartments may require quite a bit of navigation and hunting to find, but tucking into the eatery’s speciality will assure you that it was worth all that effort.

Operating from noon till night, this stall receives a continuous flow of patrons, thanks to its famed fish head noodles. This dish comes in medium (RM6.50) and large (RM7.00) sizes, and is served with a small bowl of sliced chillies in soy sauce.

It should be noted that while there is a purported difference in serving quantities, both the medium and large portions are sizeable in general.

Serving size aside, the flavourful broth was light on our tongues, with a slightly tangy freshness from the pickled vegetables and fragrant crunchiness from the abundance of fried garlic that was swimming in it.

The highlight of the fish head noodles, though, was undoubtedly the deep-fried pieces of fish that were included. Fresh and crunchy, each bite of these fritters was rich in both texture and taste, crumbling away the moment they entered our mouths. This was well-matched by the subtle chewiness of the mee hoon (vermicelli) that was used.

By the end of our visit, we understood why this stall – despite its obscurity in appearance and location – is a favourite amongst locals in Ampang. As the owners shared with us after our meal, “We receive all sorts of customers, from all races and places. Everyone likes warm and fresh noodles and soup!”

Ruz Aladdin

Let’s just say Ruz Aladdin really knows how to get the most out of the chickens. – HungryGoWhere pic, October 8, 2015.While not exactly hidden in a crevice of Ampang, Ruz Aladdin is easy to miss as you zoom by it on the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) highway, which also means that you would easily be missing the opportunity to savour a delicious serving of Johor’s nasi briyani gam.

Ruz Aladdin is best known for its preparation of nasi briyani gam, a family recipe passed down to owner Mohd Hafiz Hassim by his grandmother. This popularity is not self-proclaimed either, as the restaurant has had a successful life in Ampang for almost 30 years.

If you would like to indulge in their culinary delights, you could go for a plate of briyani gam kambing (RM20.00). Packed with tender chunks of mutton, the flavour of lamb was accentuated by the spiced flavour and softness of the nasi briyani gam, as well as the juiciness of raisins.

If that doesn't tickle your fancy, the fried kampung chicken briyani gam (RM17) might just do the trick. Although the chicken component was tamer in flavour when compared to its mutton counterpart, it still beautifully matched the nasi briyani gam.

Each portion of the delectable nasi briyani gam was completed by acar, some dhal curry, and a hardboiled egg, so you will not have to worry about getting value for money.

Here are more hidden gems to hunt down in Ampang, and just in case you want to wander over to it’s neighbour, Cheras, here are some hidden gem Chinese restaurants too. Oh, and if you’re looking to bring a date, then we’ve got you covered too with 10 Romantic Ampang Restaurants & Cafés for Dates. – October 8, 2015.

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