The Countess, Plaza Kelana Jaya

Venue: The Countess, Plaza Kelana Jaya
Overall comment: Food isn't too bad, especially for the price you pay. I actually thought the fish & chips was good!
Halal: Pork-Free (alcohol is served)

I've never been to Plaza Kelana Jaya for a meal. As nothing much could be googled up on restaurants in this place, I wasn't very hopeful with my visit here, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. This place was relatively quiet that particular night I was there. It made me wonder if restaurants here can actually survive for a couple of months with the lack of patrons! But I guess restaurants here cater mainly to lunch crowds. Variety at this plaza isn't extensive, but it's good enough for a quick meal.

The Countess is a restaurant & lounge, located at Plaza Kelana Jaya. I wasn't interested in the lounge/bar (although the prices are actually quite a deal, I read), but I stopped by this place out of the several choices available solely because of 1. the prices of food & 2. the sets available (I don't need to think too much....hahaha).

The restaurant faces the Kelana Jaya lake & I felt that it's one of the BEST places to meet up with friends for some good catch-up sessions since it's quiet at night during dinner! I loved the calm, relaxing, & peaceful atmosphere, where I can just chill & chat the night away :)

Dinner that night with my junior from high school was simple (yet VERY enjoyable). We ordered 2 different sets i.e. eat all you can pasta set for RM22.90 & the fish & chips set for RM18.90. It's quite a deal in my humble opinion. As long as the food is above average (even better if it's "wow") for the price paid & the service is good, I'll be satisfied.

Here's what you get in each set:

1. A drink (refillable, I think. At least that's what we had :P)

I'm not sure if it's ice lemon tea all the time, but you'll get a drink with your meal. What you see in the photo below doesn't look like ice lemon tea, right? When it arrived, I thought it was some sorta beer (cos of the "froth")! Hahaha...

2. A simple garden salad

There's seriously nothing much to shout about. It isn't the lovely Caesar Salad with Croutons! Not for the price you're paying...and the portion is really small. Something like an appetizer/starter before your main dish gets served. To the very least, the vegetables are fresh & not looking half-dead! I won't mind some extra greens with my meal...hahaha...

3. Soup of the day

"Kandas"/"Gagal"/Fail. Soup's not good. I couldn't finish it up. I've no idea what sort of soup that is for that day, but it certainly didn't taste good. It didn't taste like "cream of broccoli" although it looks a 'lil green (but I somehow think it is broccoli soup of sort!), nor was it "cream of mushroom" cos it's too green to be mushrooms (euuww, if it is)! Definitely not creamy...or was it NOT intended to be creamy? It was "half-hanging". I reckon you got the point. Haha. I sure hope that if I ever go there again (which I won't mind, for the other stuff), the soup won't be this bad.

4. Main dish - Fish & Chips (RM18.90/set)

According to my friend, fish & chips is one of the safest bet when you dine at a "new" restaurant. I've had not-so-good fish & chips before, so I can't fully agree with that statement. But anyhow, compared to other dishes, yes, you can't go too wrong with such a dish. Interestingly, this fish & chips was GOOD! I was SURPRISED. I don't think it's dory, yet it's not those "supermarket-pseudo-fish-fillet-in-a-box". The batter that day was actually very crispy & pleasing to the palate. The fish was fresh & it doesn't have the unpleasant "fishy" smell either. Nice :) Chips were nice as well! Crispy on the outside, melts-in-your-mouth on the inside :) Happy....you can order ala carte as well, but trust me, ordering the set is more worth it.

4. Seafood Marinara Pasta (RM22.90/set)

Not too bad, really. It's surely not the best, but thank God the seafood were fresh. Portion of the pasta dish was just nice & they weren't stingy on the seafood as well. With a tad more tomatoes & some herbs, it will be perfecto! (that's how I would prefer my pasta to be)

4. Told you it's "eat all you can"... 1 more pasta!! Carbonara/Cream Sauce

Yes, no joke! But they're smart. One can't eat so much pasta...you'll get sick of pasta to not eat it for months! Hahaha...the trick is that you HAVE TO finish the 1st pasta served before ordering the next serving of pasta. Bear in mind that the portion will be the usual portion, so you'll be eating TWO servings of pasta...which is equivalent to 3/4 packet of pasta, I guess? I know most places serve 200g/serving, so go figure. You're also NOT ALLOWED to waste your food, else charges will be imposed on the left-over extra pasta (as of other buffets, e.g. steamboat buffets in PJ/KL). But I really wanted to try some other variety, so I ordered another plate, but requested for less pasta. In the end, they gave me half the portion! Happpyyyyy....can try another one! Carbonara here ain't as nice as the Seafood Marinara. Not enough "umpphh". Something's missing...and yes, this isn't the real Carbonara...more like cream-sauce ;)

5. Fruits

Yes, it's still part of the set. The photo below represents 2 sets...hahaha...you'll just be served around 3 pieces of fruit of the day. It's some consolation. You'll get to end your meal in a "sweeter" note :)

Care to try?

If you're working around this area, you'll only need to pay RM14.90/set during lunch! Plus, you'll be getting the same portion & variety...not a bad deal, right?

Thanks for the great time, Wen! :)

How the restaurant looks like on the outside

If it's not raining, it's actually quite cooling to sit outside by the lake :)

The lounge (inside)

The outlet is sorta dark...haha...we sat inside initially 'cause of the air-con, but moved outside instead since it was too dark to see each other's face properly when we talk! *lol* If it's for drinks, I think sitting inside would be the choice.

Map to The Countess

View PerutBesi in a larger map

I'm considering to go there again to try out their other dishes...anyone interested to join me? ;)


The Countess Restaurant & Lounge
C-01-1, Plaza Kelana Jaya
SS7/13A
47301 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia.
Tel: (+603) 7875 6485
Facebook: Click Here


Ratings:
Presentation: * * *
Price: * * * 1/2
Environment: * * *
Taste: * * *
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:

Longs for a simple chill-out time with friends,