Wok & Pan Restaurant
It was Yih Tian’s birthday and the girls (Yih Tian, Pei San, Suet Lei and Sha Ly) called for a lunch gathering to celebrate her birthday on a lovely Sunday afternoon.
They chose Wok & Pan Restaurant, which is just opposite Nadeje Patisserie at Plaza Mahkota. It’s at the corner lot and painted in bright orange.
The shop is rather small and obviously, they tried to pack in as many tables as possible. Hence, the restaurant is rather cramped and the not-really-working air conditioners aren’t really helping at all. Moreover, the tables are really small especially when the tables are all occupied, fulled with dishes and drinks. It isn’t a really comfortable place if you want to have a nice meal and chit chat after that.
The chef used to work in one of the hotels in Malacca before he resigned and started this restaurant. You basically can get everything from pastas to steaks or Nyonya foods to Chinese cuisines in their menu. However, taste wise isn’t really that great. The steaks’ price aren’t as expensive as Rock & Roll Blues Cafe, but its still on the high side, roughly RM20+.
Anyway, we placed our orders not long after being seated. The girls also took the time to pass Yih Tian her birthday present, a necklace from VOIR. It’s a black coloured dragonfly pendant.
Food was served rather quickly, I would say. We ordered lamb shanks, rib eye steak, pork chop, chicken chop and salmon fish chop, all in different gravies. Craps! I took everyone’s dishes except my rib eye steaks. I am getting really forgetful these days. Sighs.
That aside, we also ordered two bowls of mushroom soup and garlic bread. The mushroom soup tasted really nice and it’s really thick too. Most likely it’s home cooked too. However, the garlic bread sucked totally. There’s no garlic taste in it and the breads weren’t crunchy at all.
First up was the deep fried chicken chop with secret Hainanese sauce. A lot of flour has been used to coat the chicken before being deep fried. Hence, the chicken may looked big but actually it wasn’t. The sauce tasted something like sweet and sour sauce and certainly, there’s no secret in it. Suet Lei said a restaurant back in Tampin could cook better chicken chop than that.
The salmon was quite fresh and didn’t has the over powering fishy smell. It was grilled till it’s slightly burnt on the outside, sealing the freshness and juiciness of the white meat. The sauce was creamy and tasted fairly good. I can’t recall what sauce was it but not bad.
I certainly didn’t like the lamb shank at all. The sauce was awful and the meat wasn’t tender as it should be. I don’t recommend this dish at all. Enough said.
Then, it was the pork chop with sauce made from herbs and spices. The herbal sauce tasted not bad and I quite like it. However, the pork was over cooked and rather difficult to chew. More over, part of the meat were pork ribs and that certainly not helping.
For my rib eye steak, it wasn’t as good as the one I had at Rock & Roll Blues Cafe. The rib eye wasn’t really rib eyes although it looked like one. The meat was sort of chunky, rough and patty like whereas it should be firm. However, the red wine sauce was good though.
Another two things that I really don’t like were their coleslaws and fries that came along with our chops and steaks. The coleslaws tasted like craps and has big chunks of cabbage instead of finely chopped ones. On top of that, the amount of mayonnaise in it was really pathetic. As for the fries, it was those cheap tiny fries that you can buy at any regular supermarkets. These fries don’t taste good at all and I am expecting freshly cut and own made fries.
The bill came up to RM108. Not too bad for the food, but the food could have been very much better because the chef used to work in a hotel.
We then walked over to Nadeje Patisserie to have some cakes and drinks.
Related posts:
- SH Bah Kut Teh Restaurant, Taman Merdeka
- Quad-Happiness At Good World Restaurant
- Wa Zen Japanese Restaurant, Melaka Raya
September 26th, 2007 00:18
Friend planning road trip. Which hotel or resort or somewhere cheap do you recommend to stay at? Are there any camping sites that come with those places?
Tempted to try rock and roll blues cafe ler.
September 26th, 2007 00:23
I went like about a month ago and it doesn’t taste nice like it used to be one year ago. I though they changed the chef.
September 26th, 2007 01:03
Next time if you happen to go again, tell them to change the sidelines (fries) to fried onion with potato. That taste good, but it’s very oily though.
My fav food over there is their chef’s bbq pork chop, it’s normally soft and well marinated. Wonder what happen to the chef on day you went.
September 26th, 2007 01:53
The sauce for the salmon, usually is capers cream sauce. But it doesn’t look like any biji capers in it, and I think I saw rosemary (the tiny sticks of herbs) instead… ??? But as long as with cream sauce it should be alright…
The lamb shank looks bad from the pix itself… the sauce should be much darker. It’s a dish marinated in masala spices and cooked in milanese style. I think the process wasn’t long enough that’s why it was not tender. It first need to be oven-baked and later braised before it’s served.
Ahh… the mushroom soup… with the extra sight… yet to be elaborated… *allison tengah mengigau*
September 26th, 2007 03:47
crap! coz everytime i went there it was midnite, i tot it’s a shop that’s selling wok n pan.
September 26th, 2007 08:36
The salmon looks juicy… I love it.
Does it taste nice in overall?
September 26th, 2007 08:41
I visited the Wok and Pan once, simply because someone told me the chef used to work in a hotel. But, first visit given me a “no more next time” experience. Hm… the foods tasted average, and thus doesn’t justify the price tag
September 26th, 2007 09:57
Your food blog always makes me hungry. Good or Bad food. Maybe cos I read it in the morning. When my tummy is awake :)
September 26th, 2007 11:58
nice chicks
How come all look big shape and a bit auntie look ?!?!?
Which one is your girl? jason.
You so cute, no girlfriend mer ?
September 26th, 2007 13:36
foods look good, is that in malacca?
September 26th, 2007 21:13
Focusing on the empty plate *OR the D’ecolletage? hehe
September 28th, 2007 17:41
Thats a very “nice” picture of mushroom soup. *evil grins*
September 29th, 2007 01:43
Hwey : I have a few budget hotels in mind and its in the town center itself. Strategic location and quite clean too. Heard there’s free wifi inside. Camping site? I don’t think you want to camp here. Heh! Why do you want to try Rock & Roll Blues Cafe when you have TGIF / Chilis in KL? :|
Hao : They didn’t change the chef, the chef sucks, that’s all.
Yung : Although this is my third visit, I still don’t give very high rating for the food there although the third time, it was better than the previous two.
Allison : You have answered all the questions for me. Heh! Thank you. As for the picture, I got no comment. :D
Sean : LOL. People open for lunch and dinner only.
Seanlei : Overall, still ok, but I still think they suck as the chef used to work in a hotel and definitely, I am expecting more from a hotel’s chef.
Tien Soon : No more next time is a little harsh though. I can only say they are not in my top choices when it comes to good food. Ha!
Adeline : You should read my blog after lunch hour. Heh!
My Lecturer : Because it was an old friends gathering, hence, decent dress up will do. Nope, I don’t have any girl friend.
Mcass : Yes, it’s in Malacca.
Blueapple : -___-ll
Endroo G : No comment. :P
September 30th, 2007 04:34
Maybe I was hungry then… and I have a thing for, almost, anything edible from the West.
It’s the gravy lah.
September 30th, 2007 12:07
omg !! Layer CAKE aka AMOS Cake !! hahahaaaa.. i want to have a bite NOW !
September 30th, 2007 23:27
Hwey : :|
Yik Hoong : Haha! Amos cake. That’s new to me.
October 2nd, 2007 00:53
First of all, get your facts right before you do a review on food. The chef who own Wok & Pan retired from Renaissance Hotel before opening his own business after that. In your review, you wrote that he resigned. ” Retired ” and
” Resigned ” are both completely a different thing.
I am a frequent diner and thus I am familiar with most of the food at there. And, the tiny stick of herbs that somebody mentioned is actually thyme. It is a kind of herb that looks liked a fern leaf.
And, when was lamb shank ever marinated in masala spices??? * horrors * I can’t stop laughing.
Please do your homework before you write a review. The comments and review that you ppl made are inaccurate and far from the truth. In fact, it really made me laugh at your sheer ignorance about food.
. * ROMFLOL *
I am sure that the owner/chef who used to work in a five star hotel with many years of vast experience knows what he is doing. Ppl don’t stay in the food industry for that long if they are not good in what they do and have that ” extra” special quality.
Another thing that tickes my funny bone is that how some of you ppl don’t even know what you are eating and to even say the ingredients or spices in it. It’s liked a person who knows a little about something but thinks that knows a ” whole ” lot of thing. In the end, they will only be a subject of humiliation and embarssment in their own stupidity.
Lastly, please do a background check before you write a review. The comments are illogical, absurb and way out of hand. You don’t even know the people behind the food well enough, yet even got the most basic of information wrong . * rolls eyes *
October 2nd, 2007 10:01
Customer : What’s the difference if I am to write retired/resigned in the post? It doesn’t change the fact that he’s not working in Renaissance Hotel anymore. What’s the big fuzz about two words like “retired” and “resigned”?
The way you write your comments reminds me of “Pork Chop” that appeared in my blog sometime ago, equally hostile and disrespectful.
People don’t stay in the food industry for that long if they are not good in what they do and have that extra special quality. True enough. But I have seen people who stayed in the food industry because of what they were good in the past and is relying on fame to survive and hence, reluctant to improve themselves.
Did I say this is a review? I just stating what’s my thought about the food and I certainly believe that one doesn’t need to be a food connoisseurs to qualify to write a food review. I am entitled to my opinions and certainly others too.
I admit that I have little knowledge on food and my laziness in learning more about them doesn’t help, but I am pretty sure that my tongue doesn’t lie to me. I know what I have tasted and I trust myself.
It doesn’t matter whether we know how much about food because at the end of the day, its word of mouth that will determine the outcome. On top of that, taste is very subjective.
Perhaps I shall improve myself and visit the restaurant again, and give the restaurant a harsher / stricter review.
November 28th, 2007 02:09
WassuP??
I noticed you finally made your visit to Wok&Pan!
And unfortunately, I (like ‘Customer’) was rather disappointed with the outcome of your lunch. You see, I too, am a regular at Wok & Pan’s.
And you were (sorry for saying this) bashing the restaurant! Ouch~
I totally agree that the lamb shank and beef sucked. And that serving fries and coleslaw was kinda…well, that sucked as well. But you’re paying relatively cheap for the amount you get, so I guess the side dishes are quite acceptable if you choose to close one eye.
Perhaps I can try to convince you to give Wok & Pan another shot. This time, go during dinner. The fries are only served for lunch. For dinner, you get grilled potatoes. And while you’re there, order..
1. Grilled fish with lemon butter sauce
2. Pork chop burger
3. Fish burger
I’ve yet to try the other dishes. I’ve tried the hong kong beef noodles and it wasn’t too bad.
The grilled fish, is superbly fresh. DOn’t order the DORY, that sucks.
The pork chop burger, OMG, that is the bigest damn pork burger I’ve ever had.
I must say that, last I went, the pork patty was 2cm thick. And filled with succulent meat! My friends and almost always never order anything other than that.
And dude, the cendol that I have been rooting for is just one block behind Wok & Pan!! Its the same row as U.S. Pizzas. You’ll see an ice shaving machine in the front of the store. Won’t miss it.
Go try la~~ 1.50 for a new taste, its not much =)
I sure do hope I’ll see a review of those burgers and grilled fish (and maybe cendol too!) coming up soon.
Cheers.
November 28th, 2007 02:17
Jin : Actually, that was my third visit. I didn’t jot down my previous two visits as we ordered some normal stuffs that weren’t worth blogging about.
Well, forgive me for bashing and being harsh with my words about the restaurants. Usually, I don’t go that far in criticizing an eatery but I couldn’t help it as previously and for many times, there were a few unidentified trolls / anonymous that kept on promoting Wok & Pan Restaurant even though the entry wasn’t related to food or wasn’t anything close to Wok & Pan Restaurant.
These unidentified trolls / anonymous even threw profanities at me just because I didn’t write a write up about Wok & Pan Restaurant. I can show you the comments if you want to. Hence, when I finally have a good reason to dine in Wok & Pan Restaurant, subconsciously, I became very strict and picky about the food.
Heh! I am not a fan of having fish as my main course as I am a meat eater. I will try the pork chop burger that you mentioned in my next visit.Hopefully, it lives up to your recommendation. As for the chendol, I know where is it but didn’t try it yet. Maybe next time or next next time. Haha! Cheers.