Chicken Pongteh at Mama Fat's.

B-G-09, Glomac Galeria, Jalan 26/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, KL

Ivan, a friend, said it'd be a surprise. That I should just jump into his car without asking him where we'd be going for lunch. Maybe he'd knew that I might express my views strongly against eating in a fusion Portuguese Nonya restaurant and persuade him in return to just not go there.

But I did jump into his car and didn't press for an answer. Simply because I'm a sucker for something new and different, an adventure, whenever possible.

Starter: Pie Ti

So here goes... seated in a Portuguese Nonya restaurant. What do you order? Definitely something that's called "Pongteh," and "Pie Ti," (RM12.50) I said. Ivan ordered those two dishes and included an extensive list of "Mama's Kacang Botol" (RM10.90) with home-blended chili sauce, Fish Head Curry (RM19.90) and Assam Prawns (RM19.90), for the three of us.

When the Chicken Pongteh Kampung Belimbing (RM15.90) finally arrived, it looked like a regular Nonya chicken and potato stew. And knowing what a "Pongteh" dish is, you'd know the ingredients included fermented soy bean sauce and Gula Melaka (palm sugar) blended in with onions and garlic. 

The overall taste and flavour was homestyle with no Ajinomoto (MSG) included. But I couldn't fathom why it tasted a little 'fishy' with some funky sourish twist. 

This is just not right. I kept tasting it in small spoonfuls. It was definitely an acquired taste.

"That's how my mother makes it," said the owner of the restaurant. "And she's from Kampung Belimbing." 

"So there must be a lot of versions of 'Pongteh' then," I added. The owner agreed, and said that a "Pongteh" dish is most popular with pork. But this was a halal restaurant, so there won't be any pork served here, no siree.

Chicken Pongteh Kampung Belimbing

Well, don't you just hate it when you've spent a small fortune on your meal, and it ties you up in knots and keeps you hanging. And unfortunately, that's how I felt about the meal here. 

The taste and flavours were rich, no doubt, but it lacked... something. It could be the lack of 'heart', or 'passion', I just couldn't put my finger to it. Could it be a missing ingredient? Or could it just be lacking in 'soul'?

Assam Prawns

As a saving grace, we had the Sago Gula Melaka for dessert. The palm sugar was fragrantly coconut-ish and the santan (coconut milk) was deliciously creamy, as santan should be. The sago, however, was jelly-ish, but it was richly satisfying.

So would I return for more? The answer my friend, is a straight "No."