Subang Ria isn’t empty. Throughout lunch hour, don’t be stunned if you end up ready in line to be seated because the tables are nearly at all times totally occupied. This kopitiam positioned in Petaling Jaya is just well-known to residents of the world, in addition to those that work close by. You’ll see individuals from all walks of life right here— co-workers carrying the identical lanyards, households with younger kids, and uncles and aunties in search of a fast lunch.

When you’re dealing with the row of retailers, you’ll discover 2 hawker centre-esque spots on both finish. On the left you’ll discover a mamak store that additionally has a number of stalls promoting quite a lot of meals, and on the suitable is Subang Ria, which is a better match to the outline of a typical kopitiam.

The entire place is neat and clear, making it a cushty atmosphere to dine in. The left aspect is the place they put together your typical kopitiam treats like kaya toast and kopi ais, whereas hawker stalls are stationed on the opposite aspect. Though the place isn’t enormous, there’s nonetheless rather a lot to select from. From wantan mee and chapati to pan mee and chee cheong enjoyable, the meals served right here completely encapsulates the variety of Malaysian delicacies.  

What I attempted at Subang Ria

Among the many 3 of us, we ordered a complete of 4 dishes to share. This will likely appear to be rather a lot, however I wished to be sure that we bought to expertise the complete scale of what this humble kopitiam has to supply.

Beginning off robust, the primary dish we tried was the Dry Chilli Pan Mee (RM8). There have been some strands of skinny noodles among the many mound of flat noodles, all of which had been coated evenly with soy sauce.

The dish was topped with minced rooster, fried anchovies, mushrooms, and a few greens. It additionally got here with a small bowl of clear fish ball soup, and the crispy chilli oil got here on the aspect, so you may select how a lot you need to combine in.

After dumping in the entire plastic container of crispy chilli and giving the dish a great toss, the noodles took on a shiny sheen from the oil. The deep purple flecks of crispy chilli made the pan mee look much more appetising, and we had been excited to dig in.

The quantity of crispy chilli given was excellent. It was sufficient to coat each strand, with out being too oily. It wasn’t that spicy both, so even those that don’t often eat spicy meals can get pleasure from this one. This dry chilli pan mee was savoury and spicy, with mushy and chewy noodles. 

I imagine the minced rooster was seasoned as effectively, as bites containing the protein tasted a bit of bit saltier than bites with out. The mushrooms and anchovies each helped in diversifying the textures of the dish; the mushrooms gave you one thing chewy to chew into, whereas the anchovies supplied a satisfying crunch.

Certainly one of my colleagues, Alice, even talked about that this was rather a lot tastier than among the chilli pan mee that you simply’d discover at non-halal hawker centres, which stunned me. The three of us agreed that this was our favorite of the day.

Mee Mamu: Penang-style mee goreng made with prime secret 14-ingredient sauce

Subsequent, we ordered the small Char Kuey Teow (RM8). Sadly, that is the usual worth for char kuey teow in KL and PJ. Much more unlucky, the small portion of noodles appeared fairly unhappy towards the massive, brilliant orange plate. Doubling down on the ache of all of it, the dish solely got here with 2 prawns (which is considerably comprehensible, given the insane price of every part these days).

This char kuey teow was well-balanced, in my view. Equal components candy and salty, with a great quantity of taugeh and bits of egg. Total, it was fairly good with no apparent faults. My solely critique can be that it might use extra wok hei.

Though it was cooked like in an enormous wok like different CKTs, it lacked the oomph one would count on from a dish like this. Mainly, it’s definitely worth the attempt to will almost definitely fulfill your cravings, however gained’t be  something to shout about.

Equally, our plate of Yong Tau Foo (RM10.50) was fairly commonplace. We selected from all kinds of fish balls, tofu pores and skin, greens, and different unidentifiable fried objects. Every thing is re-fried on the spot, so every ingredient we selected was good and crunchy on the skin, and mushy on the within.

The dipping sauce was good too, with equal quantities of chilli and candy sauce. Even in the event you’re not inclined to have this as a solitary meal, yong tau foo is nice as a snack to share in between bites of your foremost dish.

The ultimate dish we tried was the Rooster Rice (RM9), which got here from a stall that additionally provided wantan mee. To say the least, this rooster rice was an journey. We had been pleasantly stunned by the rooster itself— tender and flavourful, not overly salty nor bland, it was all you might ever ask for. 

The rice however, was the alternative. It was on the drier and extra keras aspect, which I didn’t like. It additionally fully lacked any rooster flavour; it was form of like consuming plain white rice. The soup and sambal helped a bit, so we had been nonetheless in a position to end the entire plate. 

Remaining ideas

All in all, Subang Ria is definitely worth the go to. I totally loved many of the meals that we tried, and the costs had been cheap. The service was tremendous quick too, so it is a great spot to go to in the event you don’t have a lot time. I can positively see myself returning for the dry chilli pan mee, and I’m interested by their chapati as effectively. Regardless of how a lot we ordered, there’s nonetheless rather a lot left to find. One other plus level for his or her drinks too, as my teh ‘o’ ais limau wasn’t too candy.

We arrived round 12pm on a weekday, and it was comparatively simple to get a parking spot. You also needs to deliver some money, as that’s the one technique of fee accepted there. When you’re looking out for an excellent breakfast or brunch spot in your household outing this weekend, I extremely advocate this place for its selection, meals high quality, and repair.

Anticipated injury: RM8 – RM15 per pax

Akka Nasi Lemak: Greater than the meals, the proprietor is definitely worth the hype