Update :
Avoided the crabs this time and I have to say that although still pricey,some dishes I complained about have undergone price adjustments.
Today,the substantial portions, justify the prices.
People in charge have scaled back on looking suspiciously at customers though can be still kinda busybody chatterboxes.There are many more young helpers now as well as indian/bangla staff in kitchen helping the mainly chinese chefs.
Food can be quite salty if you're not used to it,otherwise,a much better experience than the first visit.
And definitely authentic hilltop Hainanese cooking.
Good job.
---------------------------------------------------------
I always had a suspicious feeling that they would slaughter us here and this kept me away for a long,long time.Why?Because from the outside it looked like some typical chine dine in joint from the european continent,yet at the same time it was housed in a cheap restored hotel (i.e.similar to Salsa's on Penang road which is found inside a budget hotel)
Once I stepped in for the first time, however I was really,really surprised.It looked like a missionary school canteen,what with the chatter and din from various customers.Thank goodness for the good air conditioning,ventilation and very expensive insulation found on the outer wing's awning.
So,considering what it looked like on the inside,I presumed that I was wrong but when the menu came,I was kind of correct.Prices are between a 3 star coffeehouse and today's Tek Sen on Lebuh Chulia.Very expensive indeed for this kind of set up.I find it extremely hard to see how this place can justify their prices because compared to hilltop restaurants,they probably forgot that they are now on the lowlands,therefore transportation charges remain the same,ingredients are not hard to come by,various markets are just a short drive away,water and essentials are not hard pressed issues.
I must add though,that I did find the white marble Malaysian made coffee cups rather quirky and lovely at the same time.In no way though,can it replicate the colonial grandeur of the old days.
Part of it has to do with the waiters and overseers that comprise of an undernourished Serani looking old woman and younger girl(probably mom and daughter?),the rotound bespectacled and polo shirted overseer whose stomach appears in any doorway before his face,and a middle aged office clerk type cashier that keeps a hawk eye on you till you just have polished off your last plate before presenting you with the checque accompanied by a whole basket case of filmsy excuses for her intrusion.
To our utter surprise the spring roll was exceptional,coffee too and on first impression so too the lamb dish.But that's where the honeymoon ended.The food here though authentically hilltop colonial days style Hainanese kitchen,ranges from excellent to major flunk especially when it comes to the usage of cheeses.No,you absolutely do not use the same Italian spices to flavour every cheese dish.It will end up tasting like a strange pizza pudding.
We tried the western soup,it was as bad as James Foo's at Fettes Park.The crab baked in shell was terrible.Not once did it taste of crab.Instead,due to over reliance on mayonnaise,one could not tell it apart from a chunky tuna sandwich.
At first bite,the lamb tasted absolutely delicious,but once it cooled down,I could smell the freezer and later lamb fur.I reason that either the freezer needs a good clean out,or there are less customers that eat lamb,hence the lamb hibernated in there till we came along.Oh yuck.
Portions for the local dishes are very generous.but the western ones are too tiny in comparison.
The thing that I hate the most here is the fact that the staff constantly pops in to check on you and your table.At first,I thought they were there to watch out for plates to clear.But no.
They are lookouts just in case you decide to abscond from paying for your meal since there are 3 exits.
Now,I found that plain rude.Why don't they allay their worst fears and just close 2 exits?
Then again come to think of it,it made me wonder,just how many rat diners like these do we have in our midst?
I once saw two young and nicely dressed ladies pull a fast one on Xian tea outlet at Queensbay.We were sitting next to them,they dilly dallied till most of the staff moved inwards and then made a quick getaway.I sincerely hope they weren't bloggers cos they did take a few pictures.The shell shocked waitress who was responsible for their table probably had to cough up their bill cos when she summoned her superior,he glared at her and pulled her to the back.
Another time two elderly men in their 60s.went to the nasi melayu at Uda flats,one lined up,saw the chaos,took his utensils and ate without paying.Even though the owner knew he didn't and asked him 3 times,he claimed he had paid.The other was sitting with his elderly mom who ate a whole fat fish,meat,tons of veges(boy could that old frail looking woman guzzle food faster than a python) etc,claimed his bill flew away,claimed her huge plate cost $4 and his $5(for your info the nasi melayu here is as cut throat as the nasi padang in town so $4/$5 is a big fat lie,unless they only limited themselves to only one meat and one vege,each).
Then near Sg Kelian,a customer wearing a motorbike helmet and dark glassses,mingled around,actually scooped dishes onto a plate,handed it back to the owner,and when she turned her back on him to pack it for him,he stole my packed lunch from under her nose and scooted off on his bike.Thank goodness I hadn't paid for it yet.
Where do these diners come from?Sheesh.
Cannot afford to eat,don't aim for free eats lah.
So in short,were the people running Hainanese Delights,right in doing so?
Plain rude to distrust honest,full paying,no free lunch customers like me,that's what I can tell you.
Also if you look at certain blogs and find that those bloggers ate a huge amount of dishes,they probably had a free lunch.
See,one spring roll costs $6.Yes just one,not a whole plate but just ONE single spring roll.
The lamb dish is $35..Mixed veges $10.Omelette around $8.
Do the math and the amount would have been a princely sum for this unpalatial place.
Now you know.
Avoided the crabs this time and I have to say that although still pricey,some dishes I complained about have undergone price adjustments.
Today,the substantial portions, justify the prices.
People in charge have scaled back on looking suspiciously at customers though can be still kinda busybody chatterboxes.There are many more young helpers now as well as indian/bangla staff in kitchen helping the mainly chinese chefs.
Food can be quite salty if you're not used to it,otherwise,a much better experience than the first visit.
And definitely authentic hilltop Hainanese cooking.
Good job.
---------------------------------------------------------
I always had a suspicious feeling that they would slaughter us here and this kept me away for a long,long time.Why?Because from the outside it looked like some typical chine dine in joint from the european continent,yet at the same time it was housed in a cheap restored hotel (i.e.similar to Salsa's on Penang road which is found inside a budget hotel)
Once I stepped in for the first time, however I was really,really surprised.It looked like a missionary school canteen,what with the chatter and din from various customers.Thank goodness for the good air conditioning,ventilation and very expensive insulation found on the outer wing's awning.
So,considering what it looked like on the inside,I presumed that I was wrong but when the menu came,I was kind of correct.Prices are between a 3 star coffeehouse and today's Tek Sen on Lebuh Chulia.Very expensive indeed for this kind of set up.I find it extremely hard to see how this place can justify their prices because compared to hilltop restaurants,they probably forgot that they are now on the lowlands,therefore transportation charges remain the same,ingredients are not hard to come by,various markets are just a short drive away,water and essentials are not hard pressed issues.
I must add though,that I did find the white marble Malaysian made coffee cups rather quirky and lovely at the same time.In no way though,can it replicate the colonial grandeur of the old days.
Part of it has to do with the waiters and overseers that comprise of an undernourished Serani looking old woman and younger girl(probably mom and daughter?),the rotound bespectacled and polo shirted overseer whose stomach appears in any doorway before his face,and a middle aged office clerk type cashier that keeps a hawk eye on you till you just have polished off your last plate before presenting you with the checque accompanied by a whole basket case of filmsy excuses for her intrusion.
To our utter surprise the spring roll was exceptional,coffee too and on first impression so too the lamb dish.But that's where the honeymoon ended.The food here though authentically hilltop colonial days style Hainanese kitchen,ranges from excellent to major flunk especially when it comes to the usage of cheeses.No,you absolutely do not use the same Italian spices to flavour every cheese dish.It will end up tasting like a strange pizza pudding.
We tried the western soup,it was as bad as James Foo's at Fettes Park.The crab baked in shell was terrible.Not once did it taste of crab.Instead,due to over reliance on mayonnaise,one could not tell it apart from a chunky tuna sandwich.
At first bite,the lamb tasted absolutely delicious,but once it cooled down,I could smell the freezer and later lamb fur.I reason that either the freezer needs a good clean out,or there are less customers that eat lamb,hence the lamb hibernated in there till we came along.Oh yuck.
Portions for the local dishes are very generous.but the western ones are too tiny in comparison.
The thing that I hate the most here is the fact that the staff constantly pops in to check on you and your table.At first,I thought they were there to watch out for plates to clear.But no.
They are lookouts just in case you decide to abscond from paying for your meal since there are 3 exits.
Now,I found that plain rude.Why don't they allay their worst fears and just close 2 exits?
Then again come to think of it,it made me wonder,just how many rat diners like these do we have in our midst?
I once saw two young and nicely dressed ladies pull a fast one on Xian tea outlet at Queensbay.We were sitting next to them,they dilly dallied till most of the staff moved inwards and then made a quick getaway.I sincerely hope they weren't bloggers cos they did take a few pictures.The shell shocked waitress who was responsible for their table probably had to cough up their bill cos when she summoned her superior,he glared at her and pulled her to the back.
Another time two elderly men in their 60s.went to the nasi melayu at Uda flats,one lined up,saw the chaos,took his utensils and ate without paying.Even though the owner knew he didn't and asked him 3 times,he claimed he had paid.The other was sitting with his elderly mom who ate a whole fat fish,meat,tons of veges(boy could that old frail looking woman guzzle food faster than a python) etc,claimed his bill flew away,claimed her huge plate cost $4 and his $5(for your info the nasi melayu here is as cut throat as the nasi padang in town so $4/$5 is a big fat lie,unless they only limited themselves to only one meat and one vege,each).
Then near Sg Kelian,a customer wearing a motorbike helmet and dark glassses,mingled around,actually scooped dishes onto a plate,handed it back to the owner,and when she turned her back on him to pack it for him,he stole my packed lunch from under her nose and scooted off on his bike.Thank goodness I hadn't paid for it yet.
Where do these diners come from?Sheesh.
Cannot afford to eat,don't aim for free eats lah.
So in short,were the people running Hainanese Delights,right in doing so?
Plain rude to distrust honest,full paying,no free lunch customers like me,that's what I can tell you.
Also if you look at certain blogs and find that those bloggers ate a huge amount of dishes,they probably had a free lunch.
See,one spring roll costs $6.Yes just one,not a whole plate but just ONE single spring roll.
The lamb dish is $35..Mixed veges $10.Omelette around $8.
Do the math and the amount would have been a princely sum for this unpalatial place.
Now you know.
