Masakan Melayu Asli at The Place Restaurant Tropicana Avenue Petaling Jaya

You probably wondering how you could get Masakan Melayu Asli from a restaurant that is named as The Place Restaurant which is located at the newly completed Shopping Mall at Tropicana Avenue, Petaling Jaya. But that was exactly where we tasted some delicious and home cooked recipe at this newly opened restaurant.

The Place Restaurant Address 

P-G-06 Tropicana Avenue No 12

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

The Place Restaurant Facebook

From the frontage, many are wondering that this restaurant looks more like a furniture shop without any hint of a Malay restaurant, but once you have gotten comfortable with the setting, you will soon be surprised with the wonderful Malay dishes that are specially cooked from the recipe of the owner. Not only the taste of the dish is aromatic and flavourful, it is also very healthy as the owner mission is to cook healthy delicious Malay cuisine using Olive oil for some of their dishes and Grape seed oil in their Nasi Lemak.

We started our review with a starter of Prawn Fritter aka Cucur Udang (RM13.00). The first bite of this fritters has us amazed as the texture of the Cucur Udang skin was fluffy crisp much like the tempura crisp. It literally melts in the mouth. With the filling of cabbage, chili, prawns and vegetables; you really will want to go for a second or the third helping on this.

Moving on, we tasted the main specialty of The Place which is the Nasi Dagang Set (RM22.00) which is of the Terengganu origin as compared to most that are serving the Kelantanese version. Besides the specialty of the rice which is served plain white with condiments and cabbages, the next main key of the Nasi Dagang is this Ikan Tongkol.



As highlighted by the owner, this dish takes a lot of effort to cook; as the fish has to be prepared up to a day in advance thru some special treatment to ensure that the taste and texture of the fish are firm and taste perfect when cooked. 

Next; we tasted the Sup Tulang Set (RM20.00), This dish is served complete with white rice (basmati), sambal belacan, cucumber and raw long beans. Credit goes to the soup which has a strong spice aroma and fragrant of the cooked beef which was de-boned naturally from the many hours of cooking. The owner used the Beef Rib as it was meaty; and still retain a slight chewy texture which we like. Needless to say, we finish the soup right up to the last drop. Credits are also given to the in-house made Sambal Belacan which although is quite spicy is at the same time addictive that came along with the rice set.

The third mains that we had is the Assam Pedas Set (RM20.00). There are many variations of Assam Pedas from the different part of Malaysia. At The Place Restaurant; they served the Melaka style which uses Belacan and has a strong distinctive taste with a light sourish and spicy taste. The usage of Ikan Pari aka Sting Ray was perfect for this dish as it blended well with the natural flavor of the Assam Pedas. This rice set also comes with a half salted eggs which add an extra flavor to this dish

Our final rice set is the Ayam Goreng Sambal Java Set (RM20.00). Although the chicken looks dried from the outside; upon the first bite, we can taste the natural taste of the chicken with its marinade in its full flavour. This rice dish is served with a special home cooked Sambal Java which will make you asking for more. Served with a Fried Beancurd and the Sup Tulang soup, this meals makes a hearty meal all in one especially for fans of fried chicken. You can also order the Kampung Fried Chicken -  though its' meat is a little bit chewier.

Our final mains is the Srepov Aglio Olio (RM 20.00). You can never find this anywhere else as this special sauce was created by the owner Cambodian maid which marries the Cambodian style with Malay influence; as it has some chili spice in it. Cooked with a dollop of garlic, chili, shallot, and prawns, it is a worthy taste to tantalized your taste-bud.

For dessert, there are a few offering at The Place Restaurant, my personal favorite is the Bubur Durian With Nasi Pulut (RM20.00). The owner uses fresh durian which is then cooked with fresh coconut milk into a creamy texture; no sugar are added to this dessert, the sweetness level of the dessert are naturally from the durian itself. 

Our last dessert is the Banana Fritter aka Pisang Goreng with Cheese (RM15.00). This Banana which is coated with a nice crisp batter, are served with condensed milk and topped with sprinkles of cheese. 

At The Place Restaurant, the smoothies that are served here are 100% from the fruits, no sugar are added to any of the smoothies. We had the Beet Root Smoothies (RM12.00) to taste out the natural flavors of this concoction. The owner also mentioned that all its fruit goes thru a stage of cleaning where they will remove the waxy surface from the fruit before going into the smoothies blender.

Last but not least is the Tenom Coffee (RM8.00 single serving) to finish our meal at The Place. These coffee beans hail from Tenom, Sabah. Locally grown and roasted; you might want to give this a try out to compare it with the imported beans that you are so accustomed to.

So, now you know where you can get to taste out some of the authentic healthy Malay traditional dishes.

The Place Restaurant Address Location Map