Rom Orchid Garden is a lush restaurant tucked away
in a remote area…the small gate allowing entry to this eating
establishment cum private orchid garden looks like the creeper vine
gate heading into The Secret Garden come to live.
The small, swinging gate at the entrance of Rom Orchid Garden leads
to a meandering small staircase lined, nay, overfilled with flora of
all sorts. First perceptions lead one to believe that there isn’t
anything except a private orchid garden here…
…and that’s the image the proprietor likes to project. Word has it
that the proprietor turned down the publicity generating Jalan Jalan
Cari Makan TV series to maintain Rom Orchid Garden’s current status of
relative anonymity – a secret, if you will, to be shared through word
of mouth.
Rom Orchid Garden has several segmented eating areas and the
partitioning is perfect – there’s virtual privacy from the natural
flora and fauna being used to separate dining areas and the excessive
shrubbery leads to a serene atmosphere, a nice oxygen replenishment pit
stop from the city.
The interplay of shadow and light which occurs naturally from the
floral arrangements also allows for a tranquil eating experience without the tranquilizers. π
This is Rom Omelette which is “cooked with chicken” (RM 4.50). It’s
a very spicy and filling appetizer. I will come to realize that Rom
Orchid Garden serves very spicy food.
My dining companion went for the Nasi Lemak (RM 4.50). It’s well
cooked, spicy, and comes with a prime piece of meat (the upper bit of
the chicken drumstick).
The Sup Tulang (RM 4.50) which Rom Orchid Garden serves is also very
good. It seems to have a reputation of having good sup tulang, which
literally translates to bone soup.
I went for the Rom’s Prawn Mee (RM 5.00) which is described as
“yellow noodles served with special gravy, prawns, and vegetables”. The
gravy is very special indeed, as the color indicates…very high level of spiciness.
I could not stop my eyes from watering with every bite of noodle I
take or every sip of the wonderfully spicy gravy that I took…but take
it I did, and I finished everything in the bowl. I give this dish two
thumbs up for sheer audacity in the spice department!
Rom Orchid Garden is a nice, private halal restaurant which is perfect for lunch…that is, if you can find it. π