14 December 2012 | last updated at 11:57PM
Cafe with a kick
By Tan Bee Hong |
phoenixbee@nst.com.my
Styled after Hong Kong’s new-age tea houses, Kungfu Paradise offers all-day long casual dining, writes Tan Bee Hong
BUMBURGERS? Rice Warrior? Master Pasta? Just some of the offerings at Kungfu Paradise, a chic cafe-style outlet with a manga character icon striking out in kungfu moves.
Designed after the Hong Kong char chan teng (tea house), Kungfu Paradise bills itself as a “cafe with a kick” and has both Asian and western cuisine as well as a fusion menu that attracts the young as well as families.
Customers pop in at all times of the day for light snacks such as Hong Kong-style toast. Popular choices are bun toast (salted butter and condensed milk) and French toast (with chicken floss and condensed milk).
The outlets are in a bright and cheerful orange hue, with intimate booth-seats as well as child-friendly plastic chairs and faux wood tables. Customers fill in a form with their orders and pass it to the waiter.
WESTERN WAYS
Kungfu Paradise goes west with its Kungfu Bumger (RM7.20). I’m really not into burgers, so I am surprised I actually enjoy this. For one thing, the ‘patty’ is a piece of deboned chicken thigh, not minced and processed burger meat of dubious origins. And it doesn’t come slathered with tomato sauce. Instead it has a teriyaki-based gravy that’s slightly pedas (a bit like kung po, I thought) and a dash of mayonnaise. For those who must have tomato sauce, sachets are provided.
But you won’t really need it as the bun, grilled chicken, lettuce and sauce come together really nicely for a tasty burger.
My palate is appeased but unfortunately, my curiosity about the name is not satisfied.
Other bumger choices are chicken cutlet, fish fillet, flame grilled cheese beef and shroomie (with mushrooms) cheese.
Kungfu Master salad (RM10.90) is a serving of lettuce, pineapple and purple cabbage topped with crispy deepfried chicken. A rather simple dish but it’s refreshing and I do love the Thai chilli dressing that gives it a perk.
Pasta is another signature item at Kungfu Paradise. The Popping Prawn pasta (RM18.90) is a cream-based dish, with poached prawns and a generous dollop of tobiko (flying fish roe) that really adds to the flavour. It tastes far better than its deceivingly simple appearance but I feel the chopped onions, still crunchy, doesn’t quite fit the equation. I would have preferred that the onions have a softer texture.
Other choices include mushroom, grilled sirloin, meatball and seafood chilli crab.
RICE & NOODLES
If rice is your thing, you’ll find a decent meal here, including various types of fried rice.
Seafood tom yam soup (RM14.90), for instance, comes with white rice though it’s also available with noodles.
I love the kung po chicken rice bowl with lava egg (RM12.90). The latter is hard-boiled egg cooked in soya sauce, with precision timing to maintain a creamy, runny yolk. The chicken is chopped into pieces for easy eating and a kung po sauce (soya sauce with dried chilli) gives it an appetising flavour.
Items listed under Flaming Hot Bake Rice are popular. There are choices of seafood, mushroom, fish fillet, sausage, chicken chop and hamburger steak but we decide on Duo Master (RM16.90), a yin-yang presentation of chicken and fish fillet on top of rice topped with mozarella cheese before it’s baked. The chicken side comes with a tomato sauce while the fish has a cream sauce.
Asian style noodles are choices of vermicelli, kway teow, Nissin noodles (soup) and Korean noodles tossed in soya-based sauces or soup.
Our dry noodle (RM11.90) comes with two shrimp-paste chicken wings, vegetables and a sunny-side egg (with a runny yolk, which is definitely a signature for Kungfu Paradise). The noodles come with a variety of toppings, from chicken chipolata and ham to beef and seafood.
I like the stir fry seafood hor fun. It’s flavoursome and has prawns (big ones too), squid and fish. Served with sliced chilli in soya sauce.
HOT & SWEET
Salted egg custard buns (RM8.90 for three pcs) is listed under Dim Sum Power, together with spring rolls, xiu mai and har gow. Makes a lovely dessert though, with its sweet-savoury filling.
Another popular hot dessert is chocolate lava cake (RM12.90) with its oozing molten centre and served with vanilla ice cream.
Kungfu Paradise
Where
Level 2, Paradigm Mall, Jalan SS 7/26A
Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: 03-7887 5055
Lower Ground Floor, Mid Valley Megamall, KL
Tel: 03-2202 3099
Website:
www.paradisefnb.com.my
Opening Hours
Daily, 10am to 10pm.
Getting There
Along Damansara Puchong Highway
What’s Cooking
Casual meals from pasta and noodles to baked rice, dim sum and dessert.
Must Try
Hong Kong-style baked rice.
You’ll Pay
About RM20 per person.
Atmosphere
Chic cafe.
Service
Cheerful.
Overall Verdict
Go give it a try