How close are they to the original Coliseum?

Some random uncle photobombing my artsy shot of the door. Sheesh, uncle!

Coliseum has been around since 1921. Does it still taste as old school as it promises to?

Granted, I've never been in the original Coliseum but according to my parents (and Chef who faintly remembers it) the place reeks of smoke from its sizzling specialty of steaks and other dishes alike. Apparently tablecloths are dirty and bread is served from a basket...covered with a dishcloth. Thankfully, the Coliseum in Jaya 33 sported none of that.

Brightly lit, clean tablecloths and a whole lot of people.

An area for sizzles and the dish out corner.

Newspaper clippings, nostalgic arts and old school pictures on the wall.

P/S: Check out that lady who doesn't look so satisfied with me taking photos. What?

I have to say, I had half expected a stench when I walked in mainly because my parents fed me with stories of how the original Coliseum was but I was glad to NOT get that smell up my nose the moment I stepped in. Quite a crowd had built up overtime mostly because we had gotten there at lunch time (My bad I didn't wake up in time and procrastinated while applying make up) but we were lucky enough to get a table for 3. Must be some birthday luck.

An extensive choice of fish, poultry and meat were available in the menu and they even popped in a splash of regular Asian dishes such as fried rice and fried noodles if western cooking didn't tickle anyone's fancy. But why would you walk into Coliseum if you weren't going to have western food in the first place? I would love to ask the people seated on the table next to mine. Seriously. Fried rice and noodles? What?

Soup of the Day. I faintly heard that it was either clam chowder or potato soup.

My pick came from their lunch set that costed RM 27.90 for a soup, main course and a swig of iced lemon tea. The soup was of a thick consistency with little room for dissing. I thought it was really good to have but held back on drinking it because I had some good expectations for my main course over how it sounded on the menu. The bread however was too dry and stiffed for my liking. Maybe it's an old school thing but I still much prefer the norms for dipping bread.

Fish Concalaise

My main was the fish concalaise that came with mashed potatoes, prawns and mushrooms in cream sauce. And boy was I...disappointed. Not only was the cream sauce bland, the fish had an overly fishy stench (Which in Chinese standards means it's not really fresh) and it was too dry to have. Perhaps they thought the sauce would make up for the dryness but it was too tasteless to be enjoyed. Even the mashed potatoes had more taste than the fishy fish. There were only 2 measly prawns in there, one eaten by me and another fed to mum. Spot it in the picture. I dare you.

Baked Crabmeat @ RM 20.90

Mum picked out the Baked Crabmeat, another apparent specialty of Coliseum's from aeons ago. When it came to our table, my first reaction was that it was tiny but inside, it was brimmed to the edges on crabmeat and spices. It was a great touch with the shell of a crab being used to hold it all in but seriously...could they not have found a bigger shell to give us more meat? For the price it held, I felt like it was overpriced but mum didn't seem to mind so I suppose I can't complain either.

Hainanese Chicken Chop @ RM 23.90

Many have compared between the "real" Hainanese sauce to the "real" Hainanese sauce. Have I confused you? I know, I confused me to. Fact is, there has been an undying fight between two types of Hainanese sauces- the tomato based sauce and the brown sauce. I personally much prefer the brown sauce as it was how my grandfather used to make it so I felt that any chicken chop (or pork if you happen to find them serving it) that came in tomato based sauce then tells me it's a Hainanese dish just gets rejected. This was no exception although dad didn't seem to have a lot to say about it. I suppose it's either that good or that bad because he didn't rave about it after.

Coffee in a pot @ RM 5.50

My parents; being true to their "getting old" nature shared a pot of coffee that allegedly is that of Hailam coffee. It had a little sour after taste to it and I just went completely blerghghghghghg on it because black coffee just isn't my thing, what more Hailam black coffee that promises a little more oomph. Dad did mention however that it wasn't that good and he could get better from his friend's cafe near Kuchai Lama. Or at least I think it's in Kuchai Lama. Don't blame me, I sleep half the time in the car.

My birthday lunch set mum back RM 90.70 in total with taxes and while I am grateful to no ends that a 21 year old like me is still being treated like a little princess, I felt like it wasn't all that worth it. The food had not met any of my expectations for anything, except maybe the soup did. The ambiance and old time charm however was done up really well and my old folks appeared to have been taken into some good times so I think that really made up for it. Nothing like seeing my precious old people smile. 

Coliseum Cafe

PG-02, 1, Ground Floor, Plaza 33,

1, Jalan Semangat, Section 13,

46100 Petaling Jaya

03 - 7932 3228

Open daily from 10 AM - 10 PM

Cake! But it's not just cake. It's ice cream! *Cue the Baskin Robbins song*

So yes. I am now 21, legal and fat. *Eats chocolate* It's good to be alive.