Betty's Midwest Kitchen

I recognise that I haven't updated this site for a long, long time. In your defense, yeah, one month is a bit too long. In my defense, I've suddenly found myself indispensable to Lord and land. So there.

Usually, when someone mentions the word/name "Betty", I think two things. Betty Cooper from the Archieverse and Betty Draper from Mad Men. In the spirit of Betty, I shall provide a twist on this review. Yes, that's a deliberate attempt to keep you reading for at least a little bit.

For the record, I'm clearly biased about my Betty's, as you will surely figure out.

So, firstly location. Betty's is located at Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Basically, head towards Tropicana from Bandar Utama, but before that short short tunnel just before Tropicana, hit a left and it's on the row of shop houses on your left. It's pretty simple to find. Rating: 6/10 Betty Coopers.

Next, service. Apparently, on weekends, you can't make reservations which is fair, but you can on weekdays. I have, in the spirit of human-hood, generously provided the phone number for the place:- (603) 7880-0196, should you want to go on weekdays. Anyway, we went there for He Xiang's belated birthday dinner. It was meant to be a surprise, but as per usual, our most reliable friend, Cheap Shit Chew wrecked the whole operation. Anyway, there were 10 of us, which meant a really long wait for a table given that the place is pretty popular. As I remember, we waited for about an hour, which you know, just isn't really that awesome. So, I'll have to give this 7/10 Betty Drapers.

Ambience. See, I love all things classic Americana. Malt shops, diners, Elvis, the 'idea' of baseball, Archie comics etc. So, it's nice that they try to decorate the place Americana style. But, if you really think about it, a 'real' Americana feeling wouldn't try too hard to be Americana. While I have to give them props for effort, I'm taking some Betty Coopers away for trying too hard. 4/10 Betty Coopers.



Eventality. This is a word I just made up to mean "Event Versatility". Basically, what this is is a measure of what sort of event would be appropriate to have at this place. So, I really like that it's a very family-and-friends sort of feel, but it's probably not somewhere you want to bring a date, unless of course, you're like my college roommate. Overall, 8/10 Betty Coopers.

Of course, I realise I've made you read something like 500 words without mentioning anything about food, which would be fine, except this is a food blog. Now, we'll go through this in ascending order.



Meatloaf. I didn't have this so I can't really say too much about it but word from my Asian correspondents (we're all Asian, so I guess the Asian there was redundant but still) was, "We should've got something else." Fair enough. Just like how Don Draper should've gotten someone else, I'll give this 7/10 Betty Drapers.



Country-Fried Chicken. Okay, this I had. And it was a particularly facepalm moment. See, I thought I was ordering Country-Fried Steak which I hadn't had in some time. But well, I guess I've wired my brain to see everything as steak. So when I realised that, "Oh, crap, I'm having Country-Fried Chicken instead of Country-Fried Steak", it was way too late. Anyway, the Fried Chicken itself wasn't too bad. It was just average. Granted, I'm clearly biased towards KFC so it was never going to be a winner here. The mashed potatoes were fricking awesome, texture and gravy just perfect but y'know, you don't go to a Laker game to see Derek Fisher do well. So, I'll give this 4/10 Betty Drapers, only b'cos the mashed potatoes redeemed it somewhat.



So, apparently this place is famous for its ribs. Natcherly, we had to try it out. We ordered 2 sets of ribs to share between us. And I'd say the ribs are fairly decent. But that's just it, it's only fairly decent to the point there's not much to say about it. It's like the Steve Finnan of ribs (In fairness, I love Steve Finnan, but let's just say I had to learn to love him). So, this gets 2/10 Betty Coopers.



Now, I'm not the best judge of this one since it's called "Dogfood" on the menu. It really is just cheese fries, but given its moniker on the menu, the final ranking can only be appropriately given by my buddy CCW. Nevertheless, I thought this was brilliant stuff. I miss good ol' cheese fries. Sure, it probably shortened my life by half a year, and increase the probability of me having heart problems in the future, but hey, it was worth it. As much as I would like to give this 10/10 Betty Coopers, Betty Cooper wouldn't shorten my life by half a year and increase the chances of me having heart problems. So, this gets a 8/10 Betty Coopers on the Betty Cooper scale.



This last one is pretty much the bomb. Pigs in a blanket. So unhealthy, but so damn good. It's basically a sausage (pig) wrapped in a slice of bacon (blanket). This in itself makes it worth going to Betty's. It really is an explosion of everything that's good in this world when it enters your mouth. You know that speech the Sam Gamgee made at the end of the Two Towers about how...ah, screw it. I'm typing it out. Chokes me up. Every single time.

"I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something."


Sam Gamgee.

Anyway, I think it's fair to say that when Frodo asks him, "What are we holding on to, Sam?", one of the appropriate answers to this question is "Pigs in a blanket from Betty's Midwest Kitchen." So, while this is superbly unhealthy, but it's probably illegal to give this anything but 10/10 Betty Coopers.

Deserves a second picture tbf.



Look at the cute little piggies, about to be devoured by the big bad wolf.

So, aggregating it all up (leave the Math to me, unless, y'know, you do macroeconomic modeling for a living - yes, I'm smirking at you now), this gets a very nice 8.5/10 on my scale (we've left the Betty Draper and Betty Cooper scale behind now). It's let down by the Betty Drapers, but as usual Betty Cooper saves the day. Price wise, it's a Mid-Level Exception, about 20 bucks per person (we did split the check though). Also, I'd suggest that if you come here, you're better off ordering the sides and sharing them rather than ordering individual dishes. It's just more fun this way and the sides are better anyway as shown by Dogfood and Pigs in a Blanket.

Cowabunga, dudes

I'm taking a break from (a very limited) tradition here and not reviewing a makan spot, but instead, I'm gonna talk about one of my favourite things in life.

I've been reading a book called The Economic Naturalist and it's by this guy named Robert Frank. It's a great book meant for laypeople, so you can borrow it from me if you want. It basically provides economic reasoning for everyday quirks such as, "Why do cinemas in Asia assign seat numbers but cinemas in the US and UK use free seating?"

Anyway, I was at this chapter entitled, "The Quest for Love and Money" (I know, I know) where it was talking about the informal marriage partners market.

Here's something I thought rather relevant to this post(er):-

"In searching for a mate, you confront an essentially similar commitment problem (rent/lease). You want a mate but not just anyone. After dating for a while, you feel you know a fair amount about what kinds of people are out there - what sorts of dispositions they have, their ethical values, their cultural and recreational interests, their social and professional skills, and so on. Among those you meet, you are drawn to one (Emma) in particular. Your luck holds, and that person feels the same way about you (sigh). You both want to move forward and start investing in your relationship. You want to get married, buy a house, have children. Few of these steps make sense, however, unless you both expect your relationship to continue for an extended period.

But what if something goes wrong? No matter what your mate's vision of the ideal partner may be, you know there's someone out there who comes closer to that ideal than you. What if that person suddenly turns up? Or one of you falls ill?

...

A far more secure commitment results if the legal contract is reinforced by bonds of attraction. The plain fact is that many relationships are not threatened when a new potential partner who is kinder, wealthier, more charming and better-looking comes along. Someone who has become emotionally attached to his or her spouse does not want to pursue new opportuities, even ones that, in purely objective terms, might seem more promising.

That is not to say that emotional commitments are fail-safe. Who among us would not experience at least mild concern upon hearing that his wife was having dinner with George Clooney this evening, or that her husband was having a drink with Scarlett Johansson?"


Me: Do you have a driver's license cos you're driving me crazy. Grab a drink?
SJ: Only if we have dessert after.
Me: Score!

BUT wait...


GC: Hey Nick, how about dinner? Ditch that broad you're with.
Me: See ya Scarlett. It's George Clooney, you know how it is.

Now, here's where I connect the long preamble above with the food aspect. See, I think my wife should be more worried about ME having dinner with George Clooney than me having a drink with Scarlett Johansson. I mean, it's George fricking Clooney. He's one of the very few guys who could be pushing old ladies on wheelchairs onto the street and still look cool doing it.

Anyway, since George Clooney's such an awesome guy, I'm sure he'd adapt to my stature, which is, "Nick, how does pizza for dinner sound?"

Me: Yes, Mr. Clooney, sir. I love Pepperoni (point of this entire post so far).

One of the things I miss most about the US is Pepperoni (Pork) pizza. Of course, they don't have that in Malaysia. Instead, they have the ciplak version of Chicken/Beef Pepperoni which isn't nowhere as good. I know the great pizza eaters of our time, Michelangelo of the Ninja Turtles and Jughead Jones, prefer anchovies or double anchovies pizza. But for me, nothing beats a good slice of pepperoni pizza.

There's this place in Harvard Square called Pinocchio's or Noch's for short. And probably the best pizza I've had, hands down. When I do make my way back to Harvard Square, that's one of the places I definitely have to visit again.

So, having been away from the US for nearly a year now, I'd been craving some awesome pork pepperoni pizza for some time. Recently, I drove down to Singapore where I managed to visit Universal Studios. Kethlyn, Aaron and I decided to have lunch in New York (/smug).

And then I saw it. THEY SERVED PORK PEPPERONI PIZZA!!!! The slices would not come cheap. They were about S$6 per slice. But, thank goodness for S$10 Food Vouchers from Universal Studios. Instead of just one slice and a Gatorade (Americana, baby) for free (S$9), I paid only S$5 for 2 slices and a Gatorade. Awesome.


The size of a slice.


Status: Craving satisfied.

So, yeah, I'm pretty sure good ol' George would be down for some pizza. After dinner, I may or may not have already forgotten I had a hypothetical wife.

GC: Well, I gotta be heading back, Nick. Maybe you can catch up to Scarlett.
Nick: Thanks for the meal, Mr. Clooney, sir.
GC: Here's lookin' at you, kid.

Nick: SCARLETT!!!
SJ: What do you want? You had your chance, and you fluffed it.
Nick: Wait, er, do you have any almonds?
SJ: Er, no.
Nick: Well then, how about a date?
SJ: ...Just...go away. SECURITY!!!

I then remember that I have a hypothetical wife and go back to her only to see this:-

Claypot Chicken Rice in DJ (2)

I would've posted this up a lot sooner but my internet was down over the last few days. Somehow, I survived the immensely traumatising ordeal. Seriously, 5 days without the internet is no laughing matter.

Anyway, this is the second of the two Claypot Chicken Rice stores in DJ that I mentioned. This place used to share a coffee shop, also in DJ, with some other stalls but gradually became too popular (always a good sign) and thus moved out to become its own store.



And my friends, this one is really good. It's open for lunch and dinner with the exception of Wednesdays (no idea why). It's a little pricier than the previous place, but it's completely worth it. Well, with a couple of caveats.



Firstly, this place is packed. Really packed around dinner time, i.e. you have to stand and wait for a table. Therefore, it's not difficult to see that you have to wait a really long time for the food. This is what turns a lot of people off.

Let's suppose you decide to wait since, like I said, it's completely worth it. But then you think, "Hmmm, I've been waiting a long time. Maybe I should ask the lady." Well, that's a terrible idea. The boss, Irene, has a temper as long as the attention span of an ADD kid. 'The customer is always right' be damned. She will tell you off and tell you to be patient. She will yell at you and tell you to wait. She will not-so-politely tell you that if you're tired of waiting, you can leave.

How does one get around this, one might ask. Well, there are three things. Firstly, wait for it, but that's not really optimal. Secondly, you could come really early, but I understand that you have to make your contributions to society. Thirdly, give her a call, and order in advance. Call her (number in the picture) about half an hour to forty-five minutes before you intend to eat and it's all good. You will escape the wrath of Irene.

When my family goes, we usually order 2 large, 1 small (for the 4 of us) with Extra Chicken. A large one is like this:-



Whatever it is, they don't stinge on the chicken, unlike the other place. The chicken is always tender and is optimally complemented by the cap. Brilliant stuff.



Avoiding the caveats I mentioned earlier, this is a fantastic place for dinner. 9/10 on my scale. I promise you, you will feel fulfilled after this meal.

Claypot Chicken Rice in DJ (1)

As far as I know, there are 2 Claypot Chicken Rice shops in DJ which are pretty reputable. Of course, loving Claypot Chicken Rice as much as I do, I went to both of them.

The first of these two places is Busy Corner. It's pretty popular during lunch and dinner time. It's located along the same row of shops as Blitz and ProXTreme, at the shoplots right behind KDU, by the PETRONAS.



As you can see, the price is fairly inexpensive. RM12 for a Large bowl (fit for 2 people) is decent. Of course, I didn't try the Black Pepper Steak and the Prawns one, so I can't tell if the meal is worth the extra cost.



It really irks me when there's still some semblance of vegetables after I distinctly told them, "NO VEGETABLES." I find it a bit difficult to believe that they don't consider onions and chung as vegetables. Nevertheless, it still looked fairly enticing. But, of course, the hottest girl in the room has a wart on her butt, or so I've heard before.



They're not very generous with the chicken. The chicken-to-rice ratio is pretty low. Between my buddy, Heng Lean, and myself, there were maybe just 3 (rather small) pieces of chicken to be eaten with the rice. The rice in itself is just okay. The gravy isn't great.



Another view that seriously demonstrates the low chicken-to-rice ratio. On a positive note though, the service is pretty quick. We got our bowl within something like 5 minutes of ordering. But, be warned. We wanted to order 2 small or something like that only for the person to tell us that they didn't prepare smalls, just larges. I probably made up the words 'smalls' and 'larges' but whatever.

Don't get me wrong, it's an overall decent (read: average) place to get a quick meal. It's like a slightly-better-than-an-average-McDonald's-meal meal. Emphasis on slightly. For the sake of clarification, when I mean an average McDonald's meal, I mean something like the McChicken set or the Chicken McNuggets set. Something generic like that.

For a quick meal (i.e. While waiting for friends to play computer games), it's a fair pick. But, it's not somewhere you want to be going regularly or if you're looking for a tasty meal. As such, it gets a 6/10.