RECOMMENDED: Old Man Restaurant (Bangi/Kajang 2)

Work brought SG foodie to Bangi/Kajang area. In KL and its surrounding areas, some places are known as Chinese areas, Malay areas, etc. And SG foodie found out why recently... The new Bangi town (Bandar Baru Bangi) is primarily Muslim and you will find great halal food choices here unlike in KL city. SG foodie's Muslim friends have brought her to a few nasi padang shops around the area such as a Kelantan food place called Berluak, Assam Pedas (a chain of nasi padang shop) and Sate U.K. that in SG foodie's opinion serves the best satay ever! Unfortunately those visits were rather rushed and SG foodie never got a chance to truly sit and try out everything.

Bangi is actually quite a big area and for a lost Singaporean like SG foodie who has terrible sense of direction, getting around this area without much help is almost impossible. Anyway both Bangi and Kajang have expanded. Kajang old town is primarily a Chinese area but it has expanded like Bangi as the new KL highway networks now make these two towns a mere 45 minutes drive (without traffic jams) into the city. As such, SG foodie was told Kajang 2 and Bangi new town are well now simply directly opposite each other, separated by a two-way street. Ok enough geography lesson which SG foodie used to dread in school!

So SG foodie was brought to this place just across the road from Bangi new town into Kajang 2 where Old Man chinese restaurant is in for lunch one day. SG foodie was assured that she will be getting good food at a reasonable price, what's more enticing than that?! Old Man is not a fancy-schmancy restaurant but a casual coffee-shop style restaurant that serves chinese and seafood dishes.

So the order for lunch was taken, normal Fried Rice (although the restaurant's special dish is a fried rice with Tobikko - Japanese fish roe), Lor-Mee, Sambal Petai with prawns and Taufu with XO Sauce. You know what, SG foodie was so happy with the food that she forgot to take photos of them! The food arrived piping hot and wonderfully cooked. SG foodie often wondered how it is that chinese restaurants can make simple fried rice taste so good that somehow can't be replicated at home and the fried rice at Old Man Restaurant was delicious! The Lor-Mee was full of flavour and eaten with loads of black vinegar (the way SG foodie likes it) is the best replacement for shark's fin soup (that SG foodie is refraining in support of animal rights). In fact SG foodie as she was eating was examining the noodles and realised the Lor-Mee was not made with the thick yellow noodles but with Japanese Udon that makes it extra special and tastier! What an innovative idea!

The sambal petai with prawns was generous with the prawns though SG foodie would have liked more sambal and petai instead since she is a spicy-food lover. Now SG foodie will definitely recommend the Taufu with XO sauce; the taufu/beancurd were fried lightly giving it a crispy-skin while preserving the soft, smooth taufu inside. The special sauce that comes with something crispy (either dried prawns or minced meat, SG foodie couldn't quite make it out) was simply heaven!

AND the best of it all, all these only cost less than RM19 per person!

SG foodie will definitely return to try the other unique items on the menu like the fried salted egg prawns/sotong and claypot frogs' legs.