Sometimes, you just get bored of eating in KL… of the “same ol’ same ol'” feeling and you’d wish to take a short drive out of town for a change, enjoy the difference in scenery and food. Well, for me – today was that day. However, considering the time strain I was facing, I could not afford to spend hours like I would in Sekinchan – driving around, eating seafood, visiting several fishing villages and sit by the beach. Nope, today I only had about 3,4 hours to spare and for that amount of hours, a visit to Mansion 1969 would be it.

Unlike Banting (about 11 kilometers away from Jenjarom), which has an array of things you could do and keep you occupied from morning till evening, Jenjarom is basically just a ‘kampung’. Besides the Zen temple – Fo Guang Shan Dong, there is pretty much nothing else to do that is ‘touristy’. However, if you are like me today, with not much hours to spare and literally dying for a change in scenery while indulging in delicious food, Jenjarom has an offering – the Mansion 1969.

The drive from KL to Jenjarom took us about 1 – 1.5 hours. The drive itself offered me a view other than the highways because halfway through the drive, we were diverted to using the ‘old road’, the ones we usually refer to when the 3 lane road becomes one, the kind that would mean that if a lorry was driving ahead of you in a really low speed, you would have follow at the back of that truck until you deem it possible to overtake? Yup, that ‘old road’ with plenty of greenery. It was a route suggested by Waze, which was awesome. Yay!

 

You would know when you reach Mansion 1969. The first thing you would see is an ol’ school bus, then a mini cafe of sorts and finally, the Mansion. All of them share/occupy one large area.

 

The mansion, from the outside, resembles a ‘back in the day’ house. The old school kind that is made of wood, with Chinese influence. Considering its’ rather large size compared to the rest of the houses within the area – it made sense why it is aptly named Mansion. The inside of this mansion will somewhat catch you by surprise, it certainly did me. I expected an extension of the exterior, old school and oriental but nope, that was not the case. Instead, it had a pretty modern interior while also managing to retain its ol school charm.

 

 

The eatery is pretty big, well spaced out. It literally felt like I was in a ‘kampung’ styled house.  Old school feel, nostalgic. The way everything was arranged was awesome, very well done. It certainly gave me what I needed – a change of scenery. They had a backyard that is filled with greens, so if you are sitting facing the green, it’s beautiful. 

 

 

Tote Potato (S15), 9 ringgit + Cream Butter Chicken Rice, 16 ringgit + Balinese Fried Rice, 14 ringgit

I am usually not a fan of thick, chunky pieces of potatoes. I dislike the starchy feel  the often accompany it and in most cases, I fancy thinly sliced chips or the slightly thicker fries – that is it. So, naturally I was a lil reluctant to order this dish but the rest of the gang was adamant that I give it a go as this dish was rated quite highly ….. and I am glad I did because it was delicious. I was not starchy. Crunchy on the outside, softer on the inside, There was a mix of flavors from sugar and spice – da bomb! There was crystalized fried onions scattered everywhere, it made the dish all the more delicious. It seemed like some of the sweetness got absorbed into the crastalized onions and when you add that with the crunchy soft potato pieces that is coated with spices – delicious!  I would totally order this again. It certainly lived up to its hype.

 

This was one of Mansion 1969’s popular dishes – the Cream Butter Chicken Rice. If you loveeee ‘butter chicken’ like I do – you would certainly love this dish. Man, the butter chicken sure did live up to its’ name, it was creamy, thick and decadent. The gravy was awesome, I was literally licking the plate clean by the end of it, no joke. The chicken pieces itself were lightly fried, slightly crunchy on the outside – mix it with the butter sauce and add in a spoonful of rice – delicious! Another dish worth reordering.

 

This dish was simple yet tasty. It had a ‘homecooked’ feel to it, the kind you would associate simple flavors, simple presentation, all around simplistic but equally as delicious as it s fancy counterparts. Loved it.

 

Would I head here again?

I look forward to it. Perhaps a trip there again, next month 🙂

 

Note: 

• The drive from KL to Jenjarom is only 1 hour and there is nothing much to do here. No fishing village, no paddy factories, no seaside – literally nothing much to do besides visiting the famous Zen Temple. So, if you are heading there just for Mansion 1969, just imagine that you guys are taking a short drive out of town to eat good food and then  drive back into KL. I basically took about 4+ hours to head to Jenjarom and drive back to KL. Yup, all in just 4 hours.

 

• If you guys intend to make this a real day trip, rather than just an hour or 2 in Jenjarom and then back to KL, you guys can always drive up to Banting town first, in the morning and have a good breakfast at the famous Banting Market, then take a tour around the cultural village, perhaps visit the Museum and then drive for just 11 km to Jenjarom and have lunch before driving back to KL, as Mansion 1969 only opens from 12 pm onwards.

 

• On your way back, if you guys are in a rush – be sure to double check the routes on Waze and choose the same route used when you drove to Jenjarom. I did not choose the same route and opted to just use the route Waze chose and for some reason, it got me onto the  SKVE Highway instead. This highway brought me all the way to  Port Klang, I literally drove past West Port, and then onto a road that was pretty much dominated by big, daunting trucks/lorries. I would not recommend that route in the evening or night, especially if you are a female or a lone driver. It also added on an additional 30 minutes into the whole journey back.

 

 

 

Address: Lot 389, Jalan Klang Banting, Batu 13, Kampung Sg. Rambai, Jenjarom, Selangor

Opening hours: Mondays, Wednesdays to Sundays, 12 pm – 9 pm. Tuesdays Closed

 

 

Signing out now, Ciao.

FoodBunny