Mama Mia!

Sorry for the misleading title, but this is indeed the name of the outlet. I'm not as big a fan of ABBA as my mom but we have to admit, their songs were cool and evergreen.

It was indeed an honour for me, being invited to this restaurant by its owners to sample their food and the dining experience in this new "char-chan-thang" in PJ new town. Mama Mia is located along the same row of Poh Kong, facing the big roundabout. Since it was after working hours, my tummy was crying out for a refill, but it can wait, for upon arrival the interior deco took me by suprise. This place is just different from the others i've been to. Thankfully, the boss allowed me to snap pictures of the place and here's how my dining & gossiping experience went.

This is how the bar, where your drinks and concoctions are made. Unlike other outlets, this one actually has less IKEA items on count and you can certainly view how your drinks are made.

See that area which is covered by curtains in a glass partition? That's the V.I.P room.... what the...? Well, it's good to know that it's free of charge but the room is on a first-come-first-get basis. Hence, you might wanna consult your respective feng shui or fortune teller to get the ideal date, day and time to get this room.

Alrightee, time to move on to the menu. Typical of these outlets, noodles, rice, toasts and drinks are the standard order you'll find in these places but i was determined to try the uncoventional.

Sang Har Mien has always been one of my favourite dishes, but seldom have i come accross a "char-chan-thang" that does it. Here, the portion is adequate even for me and the noodles were done crispy just as how i like it. Too soft and it spoils the experience for me. Spring onion, chinese cabbage, carrot slices, ginger slices and medium sized prawns complete the dish.

Aside from the prawn noodles, i had the soft shell crab, my favourite. Unlike Sushi King where they stuff a bit more egg to make the crab look appetising, the softie crab here are deep fried with batter only, served with cucumber slices and thai chilli sauce.

My colleague had the Mama Mia Special Fried Rice, served with jelly fish, anchovy "sambal" and pickled vege. You'll find that the sides are kinda weird but it somehow made the fried rice special indeed, a taste you won't find anywhere else.

This was the highlight of the evening. Fried chicken cutlets premarinated with "Nam Yu"... I like it very much... Perhaps i might just drive there to take away a few servings of that for snacks at home. Definitely worth a try.... hope they will make the pork version in the near future...

An ex-colleague of mine, a hard core fan of Hello Kitty, Mashimaro and anything cute from Japan settled for a plate of Mama Mia special fried noodles (Mee Sua) stir fried with cabbage, bean sprouts, prawns. A rather common dish served in many outlets but Mama Mia's version better than the average, and you get a generous portion of vege and prawns.

The Chicken Chop was served with crinkle cut fries and salad, and was steaming hot when served. The gravy looked tomatooish but it wasn't really that bland, still enjoyable with the chic... but i've always preferred grilled chic chop rather than these fried ones.

This one's the preserved egg and chicken porridge, something i always avoid in "char-chan-thangs" because it's always FULL of suprises. Still, it wasn't that bad as initially feared and i actually end up finishing half a bowl of it. Some outlets, you get porridge that's either too watery or too starchy hard. The porridge was also pretty aromatic although no match for those porridge specialty shops in town.

Pretty nice place to dine in, great decos, reasonable prices and the boss is always humble and friendly. The total bill was RM 96.57, inclusive of a couple of drinks and "tong sui". To me, this place would be ideal on a Sunday when Friday and Saturday were spent gobbling up too much good food around ... My tummy rating - 6.78/10