Sharifah: Western dishes priced like kangkung

Abang and Wak. Seen here with ancient soft drinks. Nope, didn't try them.

This was a teh tarik session with Wak on a Monday night, which turned into a full-blown dinner session. Wak is this really cool pakcik we met in Mekah during Haji--- his room was just across mine and he and Mazlan were tight smoking buddies. He's also available and waiting for Miss Right and Undemanding. Good luck Wak. 

Sharifah on the other hand is this really really cool restaurant in Seksyen 7 Bandar Baru Bangi (same row of shops as Cadenza Music School). You wouldn't know it just by looking at it, because there's no fancy banners with bokeh food pictures flapping outside, but trust me it is cool. Be aware that there are two Sharifah Restaurants on that road (Jalan 7/7c). I have never been to the other Sharifah place but this is the one further up the road and has Japanese tables in it with airconditioning.

Here is the reason why it is superbly cool:

The chicken menu. Check out the prices..

The red meat menu. Check out the prices!!

Western dishes, i.e., chicken chops, cordon bleu, lamb chops, sizzling lamb, etc etc is so so cheap at Sharifah's compared to other fancy restaurants that can sometimes hit the RM50 mark (for a skinny piece of steak). Sharifah, it seems, does not do business to profit. In fact, Sharifah serves Western dishes at local prices, transforming them into Eastern dishes. Take sizzling-black-pepper-lamb-whatnot, the dish costs around RM15 per sizzling pan in Sharifah. At Chili's (or Islamic Kitchen Bangi, San Francisco Pizza, Secret Recipe and the list goes on), it would cost around RM60. And the irony of it is, the food tastes just as good, perhaps better (chicken chop tak hanyir langsung, serious). Granted, the condition of Sharifah restaurant is extremely sempoi and far from luxurious, but eating at Chili's (or Islamic Kitchen) is like paying extra for the plush chairs and surround sound music, whereas that don't really matter when all you really want to do is teh tarik with wifey and guy friend. Capische?

Sizzling black pepper chicken. A+

Chicken Cordon Bleu. A+

Garlic bread. 

Sup Ekor. Wak says it was KICKING.

Other amenities at Sharifah that I personally like are the Japanese-style tables (essentially short-legged tables with no chairs) and a dedicated space (more like a platform) for solat. This means, I can cram my whole family onto one table and we don't have to rush home for maghrib if we come in at 7 pm. There's also a sign near the door in big letters that says:

"Jika ada pekerja yang menggunakan handphone semasa bekerja, handphone anda akan di ambil oleh pihak pengurusan. Ketahuilah bahawa handphone itu punca segala masalah". (translation here).

I thought that was a pretty cool sign to put up. I am sure if the Dean stuck a sign like that on his door, I'd publish 50 odd journal papers by now and become the youngest Professor in the department. Thanks Sharifah, for being cheap and outspoken. I am now sending all customers your way..insya'Allah.

Sharifah
Seksyen 7, Bandar Baru Bangi

Cleanliness: B+
Food: Western --A, local--good variety, have not tried.
Price: A++ very cheap. Thanks abang.
Satisfaction Level: B+
Service: B+
Atmosphere: B