Restoran Simon’s,
4 Jalan USJ 10/1B,
Taipan, Subang Jaya.
Tel: 03-5636 7466
Business hours: Mondays to Saturdays
(noon to 2.30pm, 5.00pm to 10.30pm),
Sundays (5.00pm to 10.30pm),
closed on alternate Tuesdays).
Pork-free.
WITH a background in finance, Andy Oon teamed up with his brother-in-law, who was in the catering business, to start a restaurant that has been operating in Taipan USJ 10, Subang Jaya, for the past 14 years.
“I cannot cook but my wife’s family can cook very well. They have had a catering business for some years and when an existing restaurant here was up for sale, my brother-in-law decided to take over.
“The finance sector was in such bad shape after the ‘97 economic crisis so I decided to join him and take charge at the front of the restaurant while he handled the kitchen,” said Oon.
Having been the “face of the restaurant” over the years, Oon finds it amusing that most of Restoran Simon’s regular customers have come to assumed that he was Simon.
“No one seems to know who Andy is even though they talk to me all the time,” said Oon with a laugh.
With many food establishments that have come and gone in the busy commercial area, Restoran Simon kept their regular customers coming back for more than a decade with their selection of nyonya and Thai dishes.
Crunchy creation: The Thai Beancurd dish has crispy fried beancurd pieces topped with a spicy salad.
“Our concept is that of a family restaurant that serves home-cooked food. A lot of our customers come here for family gatherings or to entertain friends,” he said.
Among some of their more popular dishes are the Assam Steamed Fish and Claypot Curry Fish Head, which adds a touch of spice to a meal.
The Assam Steamed Fish is cooked with vegetables such as tomatoes, long beans and lady’s fingers in a sourish tangy gravy that nicely complements a plate of steamed rice.
“Steamed and fried fish dishes are quite common but these dishes are more spicy.
Running the show: Oon, one of the co-founders of Restoran Simon’s in SubangJaya.
“Some of our regular customers who like it will always come back for the same dish. Families with children usually go for the Chinese style dishes which are not spicy,” he said.
The Steamed Eggs with Century and Salted Eggs proved to be one of those comfort foods that reminded you of a hearty home-cooked meal by mum.
The soft silky eggs were filled with small bits of chewy century eggs and savoury salted eggs that whetted the appetite.
Oon also recommended the Claypot Chicken with Salted Fish, which had chicken pieces cooked in a gravy that had the aromatic flavour from the salted fish.
The menu also included a selection of double-boiled soups, noodles and fried rice dishes.
“We also have a lunch menu with individual portions served with rice for a quick lunch,” said Oon.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
