BY BRENDA CH’NG YOLANDA AMELIA
A MINOR PLACE CAFE & BISTRO,
Block G-0-11, Plaza Damas,
60 Jalan Hartamas 1,
Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-6211 7418
Business hours: 8.30am to 10.30pm, daily.
Non-halal.
IT is wise to look for value-for-money meals, especially in current economic times, and the place that comes to mind is A Minor Place in Plaza Damas.
For only RM11, diners can enjoy a variety of dishes on an all-you-can-eat buffet which features seafood dishes like crabs, prawns and fish as well as meats like chicken and pork.
“We have almost 30 different dishes to choose from and you can pick anything without worrying about hurting your pocket,” said restaurant owner Paul Chua.
Only a number of dishes are served at any one time to ensure its freshness and to prevent wastage.
Chua, who is in his 60s, added that his restaurant was popular with office workers in the area and for companies’ wanting to hold parties and functions because they would not feel the pinch when dining out.
His buffet line has up to 18 dishes with chafing dishes refilled as soon as a dish runs out.
“My cooks do not repeat the dishes served in one serving so everyday, we will have 30 different items cooked for our customers,” said the father of five.
For example, when a chicken dish runs out, the cook will prepare another batch but will feature a different preparation style.
Fried Chinese-style vegetarian omelette.
Chua, who has been running his eatery for four years, manages to finish off all the food on the buffet line as he does not like to see wastage.
“My staff also eat what is served here and if there are leftovers, we will distribute to the security guards in the area,” said the former mechanical engineer.
When we paid a visit to the restaurant, we were surprised at the good spread of dishes.
In fact, the black vinegar pork, bak kut teh, prawns and even fish head curry were reminiscent of dishes cooked at home.
Clams, one of the many seafood choices available on the buffet line.
The ingredients used such as the seafood were fresh and meat dishes were not overcooked and or too chewy.
“Most customers only choose maybe two or three dishes at an economy rice shop but here, they are not limited and can eat all they want,” he said.
The restaurant also serves fried rice, fried noodles or white rice to go with your choice of dishes.
For dinner, the kitchen prepares soup to go with meals.
The vegetarians are not forgotten here as Chua has veggies, tofu, egg dishes, fried rice and noodles.
A mixture of two different chicken. dishes.
“We also serve mock meat on the first and fifteenth day of the Chinese calendar each month as most Chinese are vegetarians on that day,” he said.
A Minor Place also has an a la carte menu which is rather extensive.
Most of his a la carte dishes like the sang har yee mee (fresh water prawn noodles), are almost half the price cheaper when compared to other eateries.
“We want people to enjoy their meal and not worry about it being expensive and with our wide selection, there is something for everyone,” he said.
A Minor Place is also a pet friendly restaurant and he has hosted a pet’s birthday party there before.
The exterior of A Minor Place.
We also noticed that Chua is particular about the cleanliness of the restaurant as hygiene is an important factor when food is being cooked and served.
Apart from the lunch and dinner buffet, from 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6.30pm to 10pm respectively, the eatery also has a dim sum buffet served throughout the day.
Those opting for dim sum, can savour about 50 choices for RM23 per person.
Some of the a la carte dishes on the menu at A Minor Place.
“Although it is free flow, we only prepare dim sum when we receive an order so we can serve them hot,” he said.
For diners dining alone or with a partner, they have little dim sum baskets with three fried items and 10 steamed items.
The restaurant also has a drive-through service, where motorists can drive up and pick up their orders.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
