Hey! What's Cooking, Damansara Uptown (CLOSED)

This is another new eatery that I visited recently. It is also located along the same row of shops where Ming Chai Kee is but this one is a little further down the other end, closer to the Telekom side.

Hey! What's Cooking is at the shop lot where Frisson Cafe used to be. After Frisson Cafe shut down, the same spot was taken up by Foya. That eatery, sorry to say, was a total disaster, hence its early demise.

The food served at Hey! What's Cooking appears to lean towards Indonesian cuisine, Ayam Penyet being their highlight.

Besides what is showcased above they also serve noodles (though some are marked as unavailable and only the bakso was on the menu when I visited).

When I walked in the first time, the place was empty.

It is very neat and clean.

The decor is simple and tasteful.

I was given this menu.

I had my mind set on the Ayam Geprek (I have tried something similar elsewhere) but the very friendly and chirpy server was enthusiastically promoting their best seller, the Ayam Penyet.

Truth be told, I was not keen due to my less than stellar past Ayam Penyet experience but I gave in because I am a softie. For the rice, you can choose either nasi putih (plain white rice) or nasi lemak. Of course I chose nasi lemak. With an addition of RM1.00, I also get a drink of my choice, either green tea or black tea (this one is sweetened). I chose green tea.

I did not have to wait long to be served.

The Ayam Penyet comes with one whole (smallish) chicken leg (with the other options you get only a chicken thigh), fried very crispy.

You also get those fried crispy bits which some people seem to love. The chicken was served piping hot (ie fried to order) and was crispy on the outside and moist inside. 

The nasi lemak was very fragrant and adequately lemak for me. I thought it was a very decent nasi lemak, better than most that I have had elsewhere.

The sambal was pretty good, though I can't tell if this is specifically ayam penyet sambal. Here, you are allowed to request extra sambal at no additional cost. Nice! The sambal is spicy hot and I was tempted to get extra but I did not.

The other condiments are two slices of cucumber, one whole egg (instead of only half. yes!), ikan bilis and peanuts. 

Some days later I came back for the Ayam Geprek.

This time I opted for white rice. As you can see, the serving is pretty standard with rice, sambal, egg, ikan bilis, peanuts and cucumber slices. The only difference is the protein and the type of sambal.

I could not tell the difference in taste between this Ayam Geprek and Ayam Penyet. But I can tell that the sambal is different. I don't know how to describe it but suffice to say I liked it so much that I asked for extra.

The server gladly topped up my empty ramekin. This sambal is also very spicy hot, but tolerable, so if you cannot tahan pedas-pedas, you need to go slow.

I also saw Bakso on the menu but initially I was reluctant to try because of the beef/chicken balls. I have not had any good experience with commercially made meatballs so I thought I would pass.

But then...I have never tried Bakso, so I decided to just go for it.

This happened last weekend when I had to standby at the office for some urgent deadlines. 

In spite of my misgivings, I was delighted with the Bakso because it was very tasty, much like sup tulang. The beef balls were not too bad, though I am still not a fan.

It was served with a side of sambal kicap.

Like before, I had this very refreshing green tea (which by the way is Jasmine green tea).

I will definitely come back when I crave for some spiciness and to try the other chicken dishes like Ayam Rendang, Ayam Betutu etc.