Best of both worlds
When you can’t decide on local or Western cuisine, Harome in Paramount Garden, Petaling Jaya, has the best solution. The homey restaurant serves local Asian (Malay and Nyonya) and Western cuisines, and is pork-free. Knowing that I liked Southern fare, my friend got us a table and told me to come with a healthy appetite.

The first dish we had was the Soto Ayam (RM13.90) that came with nasi impit (compressed rice). You can also opt for vermicelli. The portion was sizeable with generous toppings of shredded chicken and two large pieces of bergedil (potato medallions). The key to a good Soto Ayam lies in the spiced and flavourful broth, and Harome did not disappoint. Light yet packed with flavour, this was a comforting dish which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Soto Ayam.

Lontong with kuah lodeh was a dish I often had when growing up in my hometown in Johor. Weekend mornings would usually see me and my family at our local favourite coffeeshop enjoying lontong, mee rebus and satay, so having a good lontong is like my childhood in a bowl. At Harome, it’s only available from Friday to Sunday, or by pre-order. Question is, did it hit the spot? It most definitely did – the kuah sayur lodeh (vegetable gravy) wasn’t too heavy with coconut milk so as to be cloying; it was light enough yet full-bodied. Plentiful vegetables to go around and altogether a hearty meal.

Mee Rebus comes in a full-sized portion (RM16.90) or a junior which has less noodles (RM10) for those with smaller appetites, which I thought was very clever! Blanched yellow noodles topped with a thick sauce made with sweet potato, it was mildly spicy and sweet. Quite tasty with generous toppings, though I found it a little sweet for my taste buds.

Mee rebus.

I was told the Harome must-try speciality was the Nasi Hujan Panas (RM18.90-RM22.90) which hails from Terengganu. The colourful rice, cooked with ghee and spices, was lightly flavoured and comes with a choice of Ayam Masak Merah, Ayam Rendang or Daging Rendang. We had the beef which was tender, mildly spicy and complemented the colourful rice well. Portions were reasonably generous so you won’t go home hungry.

We also tried the Gerang Asam Ikan Jenahak (RM29.90) and Asam Pedas Daging Tetel (19.90) as standalone dishes, both cooked Nyonya style, served with white rice. The meaty fresh fish fillet cooked in a light asam stew broth was not too sour or spicy, so you can slurp up every last bit. Reminiscent of Melaka-style asam fish, it’s not as sour as the Northern version. The Asam Pedas Daging Tetel was a bit of an acquired taste for me, as I was not familiar with beef in sour curry. My lunch mates, however, shared that the tender and flavourful meat was akin to a party in the mouth and ate up every last bit.

Gerang Asam Ikan Jenahak.

Harome is sister restaurant to Habanna, a Western restaurant just a block away, serving charbroiled grilled dishes and shares the same Western menu. We ordered the bestsellers 3 Amigo’s (RM33.90) and Mini Lamb Rack (RM95.90). The 3 Amigo’s featured three pieces of boneless chicken thigh, glazed and grilled with a housemade BBQ sauce with standard sides of green salad and potato salad. I personally loved the creamy potato salad, similar to that served in Japanese restaurants. The chicken had a slight smokiness, thanks to the interesting sauce that had a lighter, sweet, sour plum hint. Generally a pleasing dish, I can see why this is popular.

Though not a fan of lamb, I did try a bit of the Mini Lamb Rack which had the chops in a set of four. They seemed a little gamey to me, but my companions felt they were perfectly cooked and raved about the just-right texture and bite. The accompanying mint sauce was absolutely delicious! It had a sweeter, more tangy taste with small chunks of green apple, almost like a chutney, and I could have happily eaten this on its own as a snack!

All in all, Harome offers a pretty extensive menu and is well worth a visit. I would definitely return for the local offerings as the prices and portions were more than reasonable.

Harome

59, Jalan 20/7

Paramount Garden

Petaling Jaya, Selangor

010-775 9211

Opening hours: Daily: 11am-3pm, 6-10pm

Closed on Tuesdays
StarExtra
Cafe offers mix of Asian and Western dishes.