Is a House cozier than a Corner?

Growing up in Johor Bahru for the most part of my younger life, travelling to Kuala Lumpur was a privilege. Those days when there was no North-South Expressway, the journey from JB to KL would easily take six hours because you simply couldn’t speed on the trunk road. Besides, to pass the slower vehicles required good road handling skills and judgment. 

Overtaking maneuvers were not for the faint-hearted especially when you found the driver zipping back into his lane just in the nick of time as the approaching vehicle from the opposite frantically beamed his headlights. And with roads that were not always straight, you could expect a young passenger to get sick in the car. It’s no wonder that only special events such as weddings or funerals had the power to summon us up.

During those outings in KL (we only referred to it as KL even though it could be Petaling Jaya, Klang or Shah Alam), my older cousins would sometimes take us to the now-demolished Jaya Supermarket in Section 17 PJ to hangout. If we wanted to have the best biryani we would head down to Shiraz on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Sadly, this restaurant is no longer around.

Just a couple of weeks before Ramadhan, me and my other half had something to take care of that brought us to Ampang Park. The Ampang Park that I remember used to be buzzing with people but not any longer. Visitors that made up the traffic comprised office workers from nearby buildings, casual passersby and people who were there on specific business. Like us.

Nonetheless, few of the retailers have been there for some time and seem to have weathered the fluctuating clientele quite well. Like Cozy Corner.

Cozy Corner was another eatery that we used to frequent back in the days when steaks could only be had at a hotel coffee house, Coliseum Cafe or The Ship in KL. And because the restaurant served up halal Chinese food on its menu, it was understandably a household name because you couldn’t find that branch of cuisine easily then. I remember the place very well because that’s where I had my first ever banana split. We didn’t take long to decide on where to have dinner.

Sorry, blame it on my unsteady hand (Apple iPhone 4s)

Orchid, quite old school (Apple iPhone 4s)

As though time had stood still, the place still sported the interior decoration reminiscent of a Tudor style. The crew was all smartly garbed in black lounge suit, if I could be honest actually looking quite a bit out of place. But that’s Cozy Corner for you. There is no pressure to change the way they look or keep up with times because it’s embedded in their DNA. Besides, the regulars like it just the way they are because the place does bring back memories of old when it was a favourite family diner. Even the furnitures, cutleries, chinaware and linens feel old. And to the newbies, well, soak up the atmosphere.

When we sat down, the distinctive but familiar aroma of the kuey tiow kungfu was lingering in the dining room and stayed there pretty much throughout our stopover. This is prove that the dish that has long been the staple item on the menu is popular with the guests.

Don't look that enticing... (Apple iPhone 4s)

I ordered the chicken curry kuey tiow which could also be specified with either chicken, beef or prawn. Fancying myself as the dish's connoisseur, I found the gravy too thick for my liking but it somehow complemented the noodle (traditionally, it’s either the yellow noodle or vermicelli) of my choice because the volume meant it drenched the kuey tiow well. There was a tiny film of oil on the surface but not so alarming. Chicken was not deboned but I enjoyed the bite into its real meat. I would have preferred to see a lot more of long beans but garnishing was very poor. Overall, it was a very rich bowl of dinner and I found it hard to finish it in good time.

My other half had the lobster and prawn bisque which I thought was just okay. Saltines were missing but in its place was a roll and local butter. The soup was runny not like how a bisque should be and off-colour with a strong fishy smell to boot so it didn’t appeal to me that much.

To wrap up the ordinary dinner, she asked for crème caramel. Note the stark absence of caramelized top but the mysterious presence of the huge lump of whipped cream and a cherry. Enough said...

It could pass as mango-flavoured ice cream (Apple iPhone 4s)

Not giving up on the restaurant yet, we ordered some fried kuey tiow and curry noodle to go, this time with chicken and beef. Can I just say that there were leftovers? 

Be careful with what you are ordering. Save to stick to the tried and tested items like any of the Oriental food items or the steak and lamb chop. Ask the waiter what’s their favourite. That ought to shed some light. Be mindful of their prices too because they are 4-star hotel level.

Also, make sure that you are stepping into the right restaurant. There's a Cozy House, employing the exact smiley boy icon on the same floor just down the hallway. Actually, I won't know if that's a better idea.