Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (Average)
Address: 94, Jalan Gaya 1, Taman Gaya, 81800 Ulu Tiram, Johor, Malaysia
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hhap2kLjj4ZqeuPs5
Google reports this place open at 11.00am but according to the Staffs, they actually open at 9.30am.
🐔 葡萄牙焗1/2只鸡 Portuguese Baked 1/2 Chicken with Bread = RM21.00
🍮 姜汁炖奶 Ginger Steam Milk (Hot) = RM6.30
🥧 葡萄牙蛋挞 Portuguese Egg Tart = RM4.10 each
SST Service Tax = RM1.78
Click here for the Full Menu and Receipt(Opens in a New Tab, Price is accurate as of Posting Date)
A Brief History
20 years ago, there used to be a Portuguese Roast Chicken Eatery in JB City Square Mall called "Robins" which me and my Friend regularly visited. 😋 Hahaha, we LOVE and Crave for it so much, it was always the 1st place we visited whenever we come to JB every weekend last time! Every JB Trip die die MUST start with this Robins! 😋
It has since changed its name to "Restoran Macau Express" and I'm so happy to be able to track it down right here in Taman Gaya. 🤔 Heck in fact this place was literally the reason why I even thought of exploring Taman Gaya in the first place. 😅 I thought it was quite Amusing to see that their Wall and Menu actually still indicated their Old Name "Robins". At least I can be doubly sure that I found the Right Place. 👍
The Interior of the Place
Its an Average Sized Eatery. Not Large, also not Small. Styled like one of those Modern Kopitiams in JB there are different dishes they offer. 📜 Its Airconditioned and has a Colourful somewhat Tropical sort of Theme going. 🌴 Doesn't look new, it looks like this Eatery here also has some Age to it already. 🤔 There were quite a few Customers on a Thursday Afternoon when I was there. Staffs were Friendly and Mostly Kept to themselves.
Very Impressive Customer Service in Action
So while I was there, I overheard and observed a Customer who told one of the Auntie Staff that his Dish is Too Salty. 🧂🤔 Without arguing or being defensive, the Auntie Staff simply acknowledged and took the Dish back to the Kitchen. 🤔 Personally, I won't do this even if I found a Dish not to my taste because if a Dish is presented this way, thats the way its supposed to taste by default. 😅 Also, what can an Eatery do if its too Salty right? Its not as if they can magically remove the Salt from it. 🪄😅 Actually I'm more worried about getting my Food being spit in. 💦😅 Hahaha!
Not sure what they did to the Dish, but what I was more impressed was the Auntie Staff not only did not act Defensive or Confrontational, 🤔 when she came back with the Dish, she even managed to maintain a Friendly Composure and even joked and chit chat with the Customer and resolved the issue Very Amicably. ♥️ In the end, both the Customer and her even laughed and joked about it like they were Old Friends. 😄 Not a Single Shred of Unhappiness at all between them. I don't know about you, but this is Top Tier Customer Service in my books. 👍 Very Impressive.
Anyway it took about 3 Mins for the Egg Tart to be served up. Took 5 Mins for the Portugeuse Chicken, and 6 Mins for the Ginger Steam Milk. Everything was served up within 6 Mins which was quite Impressive Timing. 👍
🐔 葡萄牙焗1/2只鸡 Portuguese Baked 1/2 Chicken with Bread = RM21.00
Presentation-wise I thought it looked Very Plain and Spartan. 🤔 Like a Very Basic Plating done by a Typical Kopitiam Western Food Stall. Its just Half a Spring Chicken, 🐔 a Bun 🍞 and about 3 Tablespoons of Coleslaw 🥗 with a Small Bowl of Brown Sauce. 🍯 (Instead of Bun, you have a choice of either Rice 🍚 or Spaghetti 🍝)
🍯 Brown Sauce
I fully expected this to taste like KFC Mash Potato or Jollibee type of Brown Sauce but it doesn't. 🤔 Its actually some type of Mixed Pureed Vegetables thats not Potato Based. 🥬 Not Salty at all with a Slight Black Pepper Kick. It works well enough providing a Saucier Taste to the Chicken Pieces if you were to dip them in it. I'm quite ambivalent to this Sauce myself. 🤔 Personally, I feel I would prefer a more Conventional KFC/Jollibee Style of Brown Sauce. Its neither Good nor Bad, just Different I guess? 🤔
🐔 The Spring Chicken
The Main Star itself has a Decent Roasted Aroma. 😋 Skin was Baked and Browned Nicely although it wasn't the Crispy type, more Softer in Texture. I could taste some Salt and Pepper Marination for the Meat 🧂 and I believe this is Marinated via Brining which ensures all parts of the Chicken is Fully Submerged and Marinated. The Breast Meat is Tender, not Dry. 😋
That said, the Chicken itself has a Noticeably Strong Chickeny Taste that I felt abit Overpowering. 鸡味有一点重 🐔🤔 Luckily the Meal ended for me before I thought it took over the Flavour too much. 😅
🍞🥗 Bun and Coleslaw
Decently sized, interestingly the Bun isn't the Soft Fluffy type but instead have a somewhat Biscuity Toasted Flaky Texture which is quite unusual for a Bun of this type. 🍞🤔 Nothing special about the Coleslaw, its just Basic Coleslaw with Mayo. 🥗 Its Main Purpose is to provide a Veggie Crunch to offset the Jelakness of too much Meat. 🍖😅 Amount of Coleslaw could be improved though, as the 3 Tablespoons of this felt Stingy. 🤔
🍮 姜汁炖奶 Ginger Steam Milk (Hot) = RM6.30
This was a Surprising Find. Unfortunately, I don't feel this is made correctly. 🤔 It's Thick and Custardy which is not what Ginger Steam Milk is supposed to taste like. 🫚🤔 To be fair, I only ate this close to the end of the meal so it may have congealed too much. But then again, as I myself have made this before, its also not supposed to congeal like this. 🍮🤔
Real Ginger Steam Milk will actually break down and be more Liquidy when you leave it for too long because the Ginger Enzymes that hold the Milk together will weaken over time, 🫚🤔 so most people will eat this quickly when its served. I suspect some extra type of Congealing Agent like Cornstarch is used. 🤔 To its credit, the Ginger Taste is prominent although of course not as strong as the one I had in Macau 義順牛奶公司. 🫚🤔
🥧 葡萄牙蛋挞 Portuguese Egg Tart = RM4.10 each
I've got nothing much to say about this. Standard Size, Standard Look, Standard Taste. 🥧🤔 Doesn't taste much different from any other Portuguese Egg Tarts out there. Personally, I feel the Quality of this Pastry Skin lose to 权记饼家 Qunkee Bakery in Johor Jaya that I reviewed previously. 🤔 Its quite obvious this is not made in-house and is probably delivered from some Supplier somewhere. 🤔 Skip this.
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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts
Ultimately, does this place still have the Magic that it held over me 20 years ago? Sadly No. 🤔
At RM21.00 (S$6.10), I feel this is only slightly cheaper then a Similar Half-Spring Chicken we have in Singapore. 🐔🤔 I don't feel its worth the quality to actually take the time and effort to go all the way to Taman Gaya to eat this. 🤔
RM6.30 (S$1.90) for the Ginger Steam Milk is also not worth the Money because I don't feel this is correctly made. 🍮🤔
Real Ginger Steam Milk is not supposed to Congeal and be so Thickened like this.
RM4.10 (S$1.20) is definitely not worth the money for this Supplier-Level type of Portuguese Egg Tart. 🥧🤔
Nothing Special about this Tart at all.
Unfortunately, this Portuguese Chicken did not work for me. 🐔🤔 It neither excited me in terms of Taste nor Culinary Technique. 🤔 In fact I thought it looked and tasted rather Basic for a Spring Chicken. Maybe 20 years ago, a Roasted Spring Chicken of this type was probably Fresh and New. 🍗 20 years later, I didn't think this was really that special anymore. 🤔 Does that mean that this Spring Chicken has degraded in Quality? 🐔🤔 Probably not. I think the Real Reason is I myself have changed and I am no longer the Young Man I was 20 years ago. 😅 Over the years, my own tastes have changed.
There were some items such as the Brown Sauce 🍯 and the Bun 🍞 which provided a New Angle and subverted my expectations of what I thought they should taste although I am indifferent to their implementation. 🤔 Like I mentioned, I neither love nor hate them. They're just Different.
What did impress me was the Excellent Customer Service that I witnessed here. 👍 The Situation could have easily been a Whole lot Uglier yet it was handled with such Grace. That said though, as much as I want to give this a Higher Score, I'm afraid I can only give it an Average at best. 🤔 But this is a High Average to be fair. 👍
At least now I can find a Closure to this Chapter of my Life. 😌
Thank you Robins for being a part of my 20s. Those were really some Happy and Carefree Days indeed. ♥️
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