Kokopelli, Jalan Bukit, Petaling Jaya

UPDATED : KOKOPELLI IS NOW LOCATED IN SECTION 14. CLICK HERE TO READ THE LATEST REVIEW.

(Halal)

I had been wanting to drop by Kokopelli since reading it first from Xiu Long Bao, then Tankiasu and subsequently Lyrical Lemongrass. Not only was I to discover a new restaurant when I first stepped into the premises but I was also greeted with a pleasant surprise (read on to find out).

Kokopelli exudes a certain charm.

The interior-little touches here and there do make a lot of difference

Since I've been to this place on 3 different occasions with 3 different groups, there are quite a number of food pics....So please be a little patient while the photos load. During my first trip here with Precious Pea and her friend for dinner, we ordered the Char Kway Teow (CKT)which is fried flat noodles, and asked for extra chilli. When the plate of CKT arrived, we were shocked when we saw the very reddish plate. Apparently, the original order comes spicy enough. So, we told ourselves that we would come back and NOT ask for extra chilli so that we can access it fairly.

Though I'm not a fan of Seafood, I tried the pasta from this Seafoood Aglio Olio (RM18.90/USD5.50) dish and found it tasty, with the pasta cooked al-dente and enough spices to make the three of us dig in with gusto!

The NZ Lamb - served with Corn, grilled vegetables and baked potato (RM20.90/USD6). We tried the Mushroom Sauce and asked for it to be done "medium". We found it a bit overcooked but the tasty mushroom sauce helped to make it more palatable, making the meat less dry.

It was during my first visit that I found out the place is run by the chef/owner who is Ariff and Soraya who is Ariff's wife. Both were not around that night (hence, we told ourselves that we have to come back to eat Ariff's personal treatment of dishing up a plate of his reputable CKT!) and so, I did not get to meet them. However, staring at Soraya's card, I suddenly realised that she was my ex school mate from the same year. I decided to contact her and we then decided to meet up together with another friend, YSF (whom I keep in contact with) who was her classroom partner! We had a Sunday lunch in store....

But before we could meet up, I went to Kokopelli again (this time, for lunch) as Glorious Jade had wanted to try this place out for quite awhile and Korean Princess was simply dragged along with us. Though Ariff wasn't around, I went ahead and ordered the CKT again.

This time, not asking for any extra chili! Hahaha....I found the CKT (RM8.90/USD2.50) missing in something as it was not fragrant enough though it was certainly spicy. I figured it's because it might have been cooked not using high flames, hence, no wok hei. There's a generous amount of chives, beansprouts, cockles and fish cake. I really need to catch Ariff when he's around to try the "real thing".

Korean Princess' French Onion Soup, took about 20 minutes to arrive as it had to be baked. Now, this is what I call soup...Absolutely heavenly with just the right consistency and lots of onions abound! The two slices of baguette with the layer of baked cheese was lovely. I tried a slice and as I bit into it....the bread released a fantastic combined flavour of soup and cheese.

The cauliflower and broccoli gratin (RM7.90/USD2.30) was Glorious Jade's order. It was baked and filled with lovely cheesy cream which she enjoyed. However, there seems to be more cauliflower than broccoli as I supposed it's because broccoli is more expensive.

My Cantonese Yee Mee (RM8.90/USD2.50) was good too...served with a generous amount of the usual ingredients amd lots of gravy with egg swirls. I drank the gravy like soup till the bowl was almost...(almost!) empty. Ate the noodle with chili padi (bird's eye chili pepper), really satisfying!

Then the awaited Sunday came where YSF and I met up with Soraya at Kokopelli again. We arrived earlier than she did and I proceeded to order the Beef Kebab as this is only available on weekends.

Served with my choice of sweetish black pepper sauce, some salad and briyani rice, the beef kebabs (RM25.90/USD7.50) comes in 5 square cubes. Skewered together with intervals of onions, capsicum, aubergine and mushroom, I had fun eating. The briyani rice seems to be of basmati rice grains and was not starchy and lumpy, cooked to almost perfection according to the way I like it.

The beef was cooked just right, with a pink but bloodless center. Tender and still moist, it was truly a treat.

YSF's Beef Stroganoff Pie (RM11/USD3.20). According to YSF, it was delicious and better than Dome's in terms of taste and price! She's already planning to take her parents her for a meal as she mentioned that they would love eating this pie.

Soraya ordered herself the Big American Breakfast. Consisting of omelette, toast, baked beans, chic ham and two chicken bratwurst, it was really a BIG plate! hahaha....Soraya gave me a bite of the chicken bratwurst. Mmmm....the casing was soft and the meat was flavourful.

We then had our coffee and I did like the Butterscotch Latte that I had. Soraya then suggested that we try a slice of the Royal Pistachio cake(RM6.90/USD2). The cake was nice and moist, very fresh. The cream was light though abudantly evident! Ha ha ha....

We sat from 12.30 till 4 pm, chatting about the old times and breaking out into songs of the 80s. Soraya's a real fan of Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran) and it was him who inspired her to take up photography when she saw him holding a Nikon camera in the videoclip of "A View To A Kill". Hahaha.....Who would have thought that would lead to who she is today. By the way, there will be an art photography exhibition held at Kokopelli, check it out...Chan and Ariff, if you're reading this, it was also a pleasure to have met you both :o) See you all soon...Looks like I have found myself three photography mentors??? I hope...I enjoyed the meet up and look forward to our next outing. Friends are important in my life and a lost friend found, is even more precious!

KOKOPELLI Travellers Bistro

Location: 6, Jalan Bukit, Section 11/2,
Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7956 7505 (Reservation advisable as tables are limited)

(If University Hospital - now known at UMMC is on your left, turn right at the traffic lights just before reaching UMMC. Drive straight down till you reach a school on your left, Kokopelli will be on the opposite right side of the road. Alternatively, you can turn left at the traffic lights after passing Jaya Supermarket at Section 14 on the main road. As Crystal Crown hotel appears on your right side, take the left turn. Drive straight through and you will reach Kokopelli on your left).

Business hours:

Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday – noon to 3pm, 6pm to midnight.

Friday – 6pm to midnight.

Sunday – 10am to 3pm.

Also read she, the epicurious girl's review

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~ Lois Wyse