Lao Ban Mian • Eco Botanic — Restaurant in Iskandar Puteri

TLDR; not all the 5 star reviews of this place can be trusted

The food here is pretty good. Ban mian soup came with 2 fishballs, 2 meatballs, lots of veggies, minced meat and anchovies, and the noodles were springy and of the right texture and firmness. The supreme fishballs/meatballs were also good; the fishball was springy and the meat inside was tasty and juicy.

However, the dining experience was quite a turn off. Once we were served our food, the server started to tell us that they were running a promotion whereby if we gave a 5 star review on Google or Facebook, we could get a side dish for free. We didn’t really want the free side dish so we tried to turn down the offer but the server insisted that we did the review to get the free dish. My dining companion then left a 5 star review without any comments but was later requested by the staff to add on comments. We asked if we could do so later but the server was reluctant and indicated for us to do so there and then. All these were all before we even could dig into our food. We ordered the noodles soup and the noodles were getting soggy and soul was getting cold, but yet all the staff cared was about the 5 star review.

It’s understandable that restaurants want to increase their ratings on Google or other platforms but it should not be done at the expense of customers and affect the customers’ dining experience. Furthermore, we had not even tried out the food so it’s not fair to ask the customers to leave a review that does not truly reflect their experience. It could have been done in a different way instead, for example, asking the customer to leave the review towards the end of their meal so it doesn’t spoil the experience. This experience has left a sour taste...

Dropped by Lao Ban Mian at Eco Botanic for dinner before our usual Monday massage, and I can see why this place has been getting some love on Google. They had some promotions running, so we decided to try their classic ban mian soup along with a few sides — the prawn cakes and fried wanton.

The ban mian itself was hearty and comforting, with a flavorful broth and springy noodles that hit the spot after a long day. The prawn cakes had a nice bite, and the fried wantons were crispy and tasty, making them great add-ons to the meal. For what we paid, it was honestly great value for money, especially considering the portion sizes and taste.

Ambience-wise, it’s a no-frills setup, but clean and casual, which makes it easy for a quick but satisfying dinner. Service was decent too, with food arriving fairly quickly. Overall, it’s a place that I wouldn’t mind coming back to when craving a simple, comforting bowl of noodles without...

What is the worse service that you can get at this place, being treated with a “BOSS” attitude. I have waited for half an hour to get my food, I guess it’s acceptable for these bosses both in the kitchen and floor. When asked to check, 1st response is wait a while, and no response. Boss 1 - guy with specs (GWS), after 5 mins I asked for a 2nd response, and finally came back as kitchen is already making my order.

The best this is GWS can tell me that he already told the kitchen but from what I see, he didn’t even bother. When asked about why he didn’t react to the order, his response is EPIC, or I should say BOSS LEVEL. Totally loss of speech, this BOSS KOed me with his indifferent attitude.

I hope I will never meet him again in the same shop, I’m going to engage with “BOSS”...