Main Place Mall is steadily becoming a community hub for wholesome events in Subang Jaya, with family-friendly initiatives like the upcoming Ready, Set, Walk road safety-themed walkathon. If you're working up an appetite with all these fun activities, here's our latest exploration of worthwhile restaurants in this mall that'll whip up a feast of epic proportions.
Tonkatsu by Ma Maison (Level 2, 2F-19)
Tonkatsu by Ma Maison crafts a pork cutlet experience that feels authentically out of Japan by even importing one of its most integral ingredients: breadcrumbs made in Japan, coating each cutlet - when fried, this results in a breading with a substantial bite, bearing a distinctive crackle and pop.
The signature serving offers 160 grams worth of pork loin, the rosu katsu, the choice for a succulent meal - that tenderness is the effect of aging the pork loin in-house (RM27.90). Patrons who prefer a leaner but no less robust experience can pick the tokusen ippon hire katsu, a 180-gram pork fillet that completely fulfills with a fleshy chew (RM31.90).
If you favour some gravy to drench the tonkatsu with, check out the katsu curry - choose from pork loin or chicken and flavour it with as much house-made Japanese curry sauce as desired (RM29.90).
Every meal here comes as part of a set that includes cabbage, tonjiru (miso soup with pork) and your choice of steamed rice or jyukkokumai (multi-grain rice) - plus a lusciously layered jelly for dessert, with daily-changing flavours. Rice, soup and cabbage are refillable (terms and conditions apply).
Pao Xiang Bah Kut Teh (Level LG, LG-15)
The Klang lifestyle comes to Subang, courtesy of Pao Xiang Bah Kut Teh's outpost in Main Place Mall: Wake up, then savour a serving of bah kut teh to fuel you for the rest of the day. Pao Xiang Bah Kut Teh embodies its hometown roots with bah kut teh in all its incarnations.
The secret to Pao Xiang rests in its broth - thick and aromatic but clean-tasting, embracing and enhancing the flavour of the pork, seeping in without obscuring the meat's purity of flavour.
Pao Xiang provides plenty of possibilities for cuts of bah kut teh. From the legs alone, you can choose from sui kut (RM14.80; hock rear), tua gut (RM14.80; hock front), ka chark (RM14.80; trotter) or ka wan (RM14.80, knee). Many of these parts are cooked while tied up in string, helping to retain their shape while packing in the fat, so that the textures burst in your mouth on the first bite.
Every choice satisfies at Pao Xiang, from the crowd-pleasing pai kut that generations of bah kut teh enthusiasts adore (RM14.80; spare ribs) to the flagship chew pai bah, exemplary in its lusciousness (RM18.50; pork shoulder).
BarBQ Plaza (Level LG, LG-16)
With a green dinosaur figurine greeting customers at the storefront, BarBQ Plaza sets up expectations for a cheerful, youthful appeal, with an interior that's buoyed by bright colours and lively graphics for playful dining occasions that focus on meat, meat and more meat.
For a communal visit of up to four persons, the Family Mixed Set comes recommended for a remarkably reasonable RM63.90: BarBQ Plaza brings out 30 slices of Australian beef and sirloin and pork slices to be grilled, a great selection for smoky variety in your protein. The set also comprises numerous sides, including squid, fish noodles, prawns, fish fillets and crab sticks, all of which are pleasantly fresh as seafood should be. Add on some aromatic garlic rice for RM2.50 as your carbs; there are unlimited cabbage refills to ensure the fibre quotient is met.
In total, there are about 40 barbecue items available to order a la carte, but patrons can also pick a parade of snacks like the fried bacon roll - juicy enoki mushrooms and asparagus blanketed with savoury bacon, a multi-textured temptation (RM13).
There's range in the beverages too, from the Sprite-soaked Blue Island soda with lemon and jelly (RM8) to the icy Thai coconut smoothie (RM10) to stave off thirst and beat the heat.
Porridge Time (Level LG, LG-K-08A)
Porridge Time's repertoire of about 20 claypot porridge dishes hit the spot for something fast and filling, served at wallet-friendly rates for workday or weekend meals. We're instant fans of the flavourful base porridge, laced with a little cooking wine for an extra boost of flavour.
The latest entrant on the menu is the black claypot collection, swapping the traditional look for a sleeker, modern aesthetic. The crown jewel is the curry duck porridge, with spices that tingle the taste buds and set off extra sparks for both the congee and the meat (RM16.90). Also new is the vegetable pork porridge, a balance of contrasting components, with the ginger's delightful sharpness playing off the pork effectively (RM15.90); carnivorous customers can also opt for the innards porridge or assorted pork porridge, or simply add on several pork belly slices.
The older menu items come in classic claypots, like the silky-smooth fish porridge (RM13.90). The difference between the claypots, old and new, is purely aesthetic - the base porridge recipe and the princely portions remain the same. Note also that the proteins are typically prepared together with the porridge in the claypot (the presentation in these photos is for illustration purposes of the contents).
Non-porridge temptations are also available, such as the spicy seafood noodles with a lingering, sambal-like heat (RM21.90; served with prawns and squid galore) and the fried eggplant with minced pork, a nourishing platter of thoroughly tender ingredients (RM13.90). You can also order sides such as pickles, clocking in at RM2 each, or secure the entire set of six types for RM7.50: cabbage, leaves, salted fish, choy sum, anchovies, and choy bou.
There you have it: All the necessary sustenance for Ready, Set, Walk and beyond - register for the walkathon at
www.racexasia.com or visit Main Place Mall's information counter by October 13, 2019, to sign up, at RM48 for individuals or at RM148 for families (two adults and two kids between 5-12 years old).
Main Place Mall
Jalan USJ 21/10, USJ 21, 47630 Subang Jaya, Selangor
This post first appeared on
eatdrinkkl.com
