Penang Specialties @ Cempaka Village, Aman Suria, Petaling Jaya

flavourful Hokkien prawn mee (RM4.50)

Thanks to a friend of mine, I discovered this newly opened place (about 2 months ago). This "economy" restaurant that serves all kinds of Penang specialties is owned by the people who used to run Molly's Place at Damansara Kim. They relocated along the busy Aman Suria road that leads to Sunway Mas with a new concept - less formal and offering cheaper meals.


assam laksa (RM4.50) was tasty but a little watered down

This place is a boon to the office workers here, who crowd the place during lunch time. You have a choice of one dish meals ranging from Hokkien or prawn mee, assam laksa, fried rice on the menu. Alternatively you can select at the counter, what to eat with your nasi lemak - chicken rendang, sotong and etc. A variety of Chinese home cooked dishes are also available, which you can pick and choose to eat with plain rice - economy rice style.

one of the few places in town to get the prawn paste chee cheong fun (RM2.60)

Desserts are in the form of different kinds of tong sui - bubur cha cha, fu chok yee mai (barley), mak chok (wheat), red bean, black glutinous rice and etc. There's also nonya kueh and snacks like cucur udang, lor bak koh, yau char kuai available at the counter.

yam cake (RM1) and nasi lemak with chicken rendang and petai prawns (RM7)

The food here is priced like a hawker stall but served in a much nicer and cleaner environment, making it a favourite "cheap and cheerful" place to dine. Tastewise, I would say for the price, it is very decent. I especially liked the flavourful prawn mee served with an aromatic prawn and pork ribs broth. The assam laksa was a little watered down (especially since I recently ate Rice Cafe's super thick version) but I felt it had the right balance of spicy, tangy and sweet here, hence you'll end up filling your tummy with the broth accompanying the noodles.

bubur cha cha (RM2.50)

Nasi lemak was also pretty good and I especially liked the chicken rendang, cooked with lemongrass. The sambal served on the side didn't have much kick to it though. The yam cake, sadly was a little dry but I did like the cucur udang and the very aromatic lor bak koh. The tong sui was average with the best tasting to be the mak chok (wheat for RM1.80) out of the 3 tong suis I have tried. Not a fan of red bean and black glutinous rice, hence I didn't give that a try. Last but not least, the prawn paste chee cheong fun was pretty decent but not up to the incredible standards in Penang, as the sauce lacked the overwhelming taste of prawn paste. If you're in the neighbourhood, drop by this place for a little Penang touch at a price that won't hurt your pocket. Service is also fast and friendly, hence you won't be short of time during a busy lunch time.

Cempaka Village
D-G-31, Jalan PJU 1/45

Aman Suria
Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-7880 8891

(Non Halal. On the main road that connects between Aman Suria and Sunway Mas, same row as Thyme Bakery and opposite Toyota's showroom and the New Man's offices. Open from 8am to 8pm. Closed on alternate Mondays. For more information on the menu and prices, see their facebook page.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Tagged with: Penang food + Aman Suria