Cosy Quan

A good friend of ours, Ann had wanted to meet WSS and I for lunch and we were going to pick her up from her house in Kampong Pandan. To us, PJ folks, that part of the world is unfamiliar territory, so we had already 'decided' that we will eat at Pavilion in Bukit Bintang where the 'happening' places were, smack in the middle of the shopping belt.

But Ann knew where she was going to take us. Just five minutes' drive away from her house was Quan Ice Cream & Coffee House, hidden among rows of shophouses in the neighbourhood. From the outside, it didn't look much like an eating place. And when we saw the name of the shop, we thought Ann must be joking. Ice cream and coffee for lunch?

Once we pushed open the door and walked in, it was a different scene altogether. It was a warm looking little place and reminded me of another similar setting in Yuyi Kitchen (near Leboh Pasar Besar) back in the 80s.

The first thing that hit us was the smell. Can't run away from that, I suppose, once food is served in a confined air conditioned area. It was only 12.00 pm but the place was already crowded. There were about 12 to 15 tables, packed quite closely together but we managed to get a seat. If you are the indecisive kind, you may be bewildered by the number of items on the menu. It was a complete smorgasbord of items, both Asian and Western dishes. Even the drink and dessert menu filled a few pages!  If we order one dish a day, it will probably take us a few months to try everything on their menu.

As usual, we gravitated to our individual favourites; Asian for me and Western for Ann and WSS.

Quan Sizzling Chicken Chop for WSS

Hokkien Prawn Yee Mee for me

Chicken Maryland for Ann

Prawn Fritters to share!

Jasmine Tea, Ice Lemon Tea & Honeydew Juice

Overall, the food was nice. Judging from the lunch crowd, most of whom were office workers, I believe this place is popular due to its' food variety and its' cosy ambience.

One thing, though - they can certainly improve on the way they serve the sizzling dish. When it was brought to WSS, it was already sizzling away. When the dish was placed in front of him and sauce was poured over the meat, the oil sizzled all over WSS's side of the table. Some even got onto his shirt. The sizzle fizzled out after a while but the smell of the chicken chop lingered on our clothes.

The bill came up to about sixty odd ringgit.

If it wasn't for Ann, we would never have known of this place. And knowing her, who was completely bowled over by the varied choices, I don't think this will be the last time we will be eating at Quan either.

If you are in that part of town and would like to give this place a try, here's the address. I understand they open everyday from 12 noon to midnight.

No. 10, Jalan 4/76 C, Desa Pandan, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.