Lai Lai Casual Dining @ Kuchai Lama

If you’re on the lookout on some authentic and delicious Taiwanese fare, then you might want to drop by Lai Lai Casual Dining, which is located at one of the famous food area over here at Kuchai Lama. This restaurant is owned by Mr. Loy, who has been enriching his journey for about 10 years in Singapore to enrich his epicurean horizon, before coming back to homeland, with special gastronomical values to be shared among with our fellow Malaysians :D

The Taiwanese restaurant has since been operating for about few months now, and has already garnered some approval from the locals here with the Taiwanese beef noodles and the braised pork rice being the hit. You would see the place is occupied by all folks, even on the weekdays . Guess they are really doing very well in gaining the confidence from the people around and I suppose, in no time, this place gonna be spread by word of mouth.

The restaurant is air-conditioned and airy, thus making it suitable for  casual dining, with bright and lively lights accompanying. The material of the table settings is of good wooden material with the main ingredients for their food is brought in originally from Taiwan itself. Even their menu layout is pretty cute and catchy with the cow  protruding  mischievously, in welcoming the guests.

Stewed Beef Noodles

It’s the unmistakably dish by Lai Lai Casual Dining Restaurant, Stewed Beef Noodles  The herbal soup is so enriched with the beef sweetness as it has been boiled for long hours with the beef bones, to impart the juiciness of the meat into the soup. The then dark brownish but clear soup is then served with thick springy noodles that resembles Udon, as well as the tender chunky beef to go along. The meat has been nicely done that the beefy smell has softened significantly in the mild sour spicy soup. The generous addition of scallions also helps in bringing up the overall flavor.

Braised Pork Rice

Wow! This is surely one of the best Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice that I have so far in KL. Not only the meat is so well marinated with the spices, the meat used over here is more to lean meat, compared to the original recipe which is more on the fatty indulgence side. Surely, those health freak like me would be pleased to add in another bowl :D The sauce that is used to braised the pork cubes is very savoury and appetizing, especially when taken with a bowl of white rice, with each grain is soft and of equal chewiness. The accompanied groundnuts are awesomely soft too as they too, have been boiled with the in house sauce that helps to infuse he flavor into them richly. Egg could be added at an additional cost at RM1 and it’s refreshing to be paired with some julienned pickled radish too. Fantastic! 

Herbal Dong Gui Duck

This is another good dish worth recommended. From the presentation, it’s quite similar to the typical chinese herbal soup, till you scoop down a little to reveal the treasure. The duck meat has been simmered till so soft  that it could flake off easily from the bone. I think the chef must have controlled the flame very well while cooking it in the claypot. The herbal taste of the soup is really rich and full of chinese ingredients like ‘Yuk Chuk’, the elongated whitish strips, which is my favourite, that I find joy in munching them nutritiously. 

Next is the inhouse fusion of Braised Pork Belly Ramen. Yummy!

You opt to enjoy the ramen plainly by itself or to go along with its homemade sambal, which is not spicy but enticing! 

Taste equally good is the Braised Pork Ribs Ramen. Meat are boiled till tender and flakes off easily from the bone without much effort.

Candid Egg

Just like those famous Ajitsuke Tamago, but in this case, the egg is being prepared the Taiwanese way. The egg is cooked under flame till half-boiled in a braised soup beforehand, then is transferred into a bowl of liquidized rick sugar concoction for about 10 minutes. Reason being to be watching on the time is to ensure that the egg yolk within is still gooey with the silky egg white too. Then they would be sliced and served to the guests after chilled. You would taste some sweetness in the egg with the outside skin tastes bit like herbal braised flavor. Slurps! I shall try making it myself one day :D  

To sum up the splendid epicurean night, let's enjoy the chilling Red Bean Freeze and the popular Bubble Red Milk Tea. The former has some chewy jellies added to it, while the latter comes with a decent fragrance of milk tea. Nom nom....