My Jaded Palate

Tenji Japanese Buffet Restaurant

2009-01-06T15:14:00.001-08:00

The place was relatively new and there were lots of hypes that were flying around that it was worth every sen spent. When we checked out the place, they were running great deals and we had our two-hour lunch for RM44 nett. The floor space is huge with over 200 tables and pretty well decorated but to us, it was secondary since we were looking out for good Japanese spread.

pathway leading in and out of the main buffet area

A good spread it was with sections serving tempuras, teppanyaki, soba, sushis, sashimis, salads, beverages, and of course, desserts.

Crab claw salad among few other salads served

pan-fried salmon, cod; japanese-italian inspired spaghettis

unagi, grilled beef, succulent stir-fried prawns

grilled mackerel

soba in hot soup

good selections of sushis

cold cut section serving fresh oysters, fresh sliced tuna, salmon, cod, cuttlefish, abalones, beef

The good thing about Tenji is that one never feel being shortchanged of the amount to eat and selections to choose from. Items were replenished quickly as they ran out, hence there was certainly no need to horde on the favourites.

fragrant coconuts which were great thirst-quenchers

Clearly the fragrant coconuts were favourites as they ran out as quickly as they were replenished. Fear not, one just has to re-visit the section to get another. Apart from that, there were varieties of fruit and flower tea as well as common favourites like coffee and cappuccino from the coffee machine placed next to the tea section.

delectable desserts from mochis, mousse, cakes and pastries that made lovers drooling all over

The dessert section serves the ice creams and the other selections is definitely haven for dessert lovers. From mochis to mousse, pastries to cakes, one certainly starts salivating by just looking at those colourful, delicious items. And the black sesame mochi is a must to try!

black sesame mochi (left) was really very good

chocolate fountain with quite a few items for dipping

Kids and adults seemed to have a spot for the chocolate fountain with fruits, bread sticks and other crispy pastries for dippings.

bread sticks for dipping into the chocolate fountain

Unlimited scoops of Haagen Dazs ice creams if you are a fan

If one can down five to ten scoops of Haagen Dazs after all the delicious items, or even if one is there just for the ice creams, it is still worth the money spent as there was no limit to the number of scoops one can take. So indulge away.

The only downside of eating at this place is the difficulties in getting your calls through to make reservations. Reservations are highly recommended as this place is quite filled up most of the time. We tried to make reservations for a second visit but were never able to get through. The line was either engaged, or kept on ringing without anyone picking it up. Try walking in, one might have better chance! Nevertheless, try it when one has the opportunity to.

Tenji Japanese Buffet Restaurant

Lot L-01-01, SohoKL

Solaris Mont ' Kiara

2 Jalan Solaris

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 1700-80-1818

Operation Hours:

Daily

Lunch 11.30 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.

Dinner 5.30 p.m. - 9.30 p.m.

Supper 10.00 p.m. - 2.30 a.m.

Qin Han Lou Pun Choy

2008-12-30T15:54:00.001-08:00

It was Kor Thung (Winter Solstice celebration), a day more significant than the Chinese Lunar celebration, and the day of the year for tong yuen (glutinous rice balls), which signifies completion of another year.

Grandma was in Bentong, with khaw foo and khum mou. Adrian and I made a trip there to celebrate the day with them. At dinner, we had the opportunity to try Qin Han Lou's seafood pun choy for dinner. First for me, it was quite a lavish looking dish. Quite a variety of seafood well arranged in the wooden tub, colourful and enticing :). On a personal note, it was not enticing enough to be worth the price paid (and there were three table that night), though I never got to know (will check with my khaw foo and update).

Among items in the tub were large prawns, scallops, clams, sea cucumber, abalone, shark's fin, and fish maw. Served with broccoli in clear gluey gravy, the portions were reasonabley adequate, though some had more and some less (understandable since it was seafood and some people do go nuts about seafood). The items appaered to have been steamed, braised or blanched before they were placed into the tub, hence the taste was light with a tinge of seafood sweetness.

Seafood pun choy

We had another dish of steamed fresh fish, lined with springy fishballs in light soy sauce. The fish was really fresh, hence the meat was crunchy and intact. Needless to say, the fish balls were made from fresh fish paste, rendering them crunchy and tasty. A another dish came along not long after the steamed fish was served, and it turned out to be lightly salted crispy fish scales (that of the steamed fish). Unordinarily, they turned out to be rather good :)

Steamed fish with springy fishballs, and crispy fried fish scales (that of the steamed fish)

This was definitely a Malaysian Chinese thing to have fruits served right after dinner. I would have had the fruits first if I had my say. The platter that came onto the table was quite pretty and colourful with oranges, watermelons, strawberries, and black grapes. Then they were all gone. :)

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge

2008-12-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge arrived from Australia almost six months back and finally Adrian and I had the opportunity the try out something from there when we were in 1Utama Shopping Centre one weekend. We were window shopping and decided to take a quick sugar break. Whilst the premium delicate but beautiful chocolates were bit too pricey for our liking, we gave one of the chocolate beverage a try, so we shared the Iceland Princess.

Priced at RM10.90, the fragrant Belgian chocolate drink turned out to be quite a treat. With sweetness that was just almost right, it was creamy, rich and smooth.

Premium chocolates priced at RM3.90 per piece

Yummy looking chocolate cheese cakes at RM8.90 per piece

The chocolate fondue was one of the items on the menu, which we'd try when we next visit the lounge

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge

Lot FK3, First FloorHighstreet

1 Utama Shopping Centre

Petaling Jaya

Tel : 603 - 7725 0623

* Theobroma has another outlet at the Pavillion KL

Kow Po Ice Cream

2008-12-16T15:33:00.001-08:00

We could not resist the temptation to try out the famous cendol at Kow Po that after our mini lunch feast on the Saturday we were in Bentong, we landed ourselves there shortly. What made it different was the homemade peanut ice cream and pineapple chunks that came with the simple dessert. The homemade ice cream was smooth and creamy whilst the pineapples chunks added tanginess to the usually refreshing plain cendol, which was priced at RM3.00 per bowl.

The cendol came with shaved ice, diluted coconut milk, brown sugar, attap seeds, red beans and chunks of pineapples

Shop owner preparing a bowl of cendol

A big tub of the homemade peanut ice cream among other flavours available to go with the cendol

No 2, Bentong Heights

28700 Bentong

Pahang

Tel: 09-2221258

09-2220391 (House)

Golden Court Restaurant

2008-12-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

It was a Saturday morning, and we were on our way to Bentong, this time for the wedding dinner hosted by my cousin-in-law to be, Mei Yee's parents for family, relatives and friends. The Mooi family was given a table for ten at the 30-over table dinner at the Qin Han Lou restaurant in the evening.

My Tai Yee and Tai Yee Cheong, together with two other cousins, Clavin and Kenix were invited too. Two cars travelled the Karak Highway. I always enjoy the scenic landscape along this highway, lovely and green.

We arrived close to lunch time, and Khaw Foo had booked a table at the Golden Court Restaurant, just few rows away from Qin Han Lou for lunch. A mini feast before the main feast. Boy, I remember telling myself I had to go on a week's diet after that.

The fried rice vermicelli was rather delicious with quite a generous splash of ingredients - shredded capsicums, sliced fish cakes, bean sprouts, minced pork, sliced onions, and chinese lettuce.

The tasty claypot yee mee was soft yet springy, with sliced pork, prawns, cuttle fish and romain lettuce (yau mak).

The thin, crispy pork slices were heavenly. Deep fried and coated with salty-sweet sauce, and served with fried anchovies and fresh cucumber cubes, the dish was mouth-watering, and certainly a must-try.

The stir-fried young watercress (sai yeong choy) was fresh and supple.

Homemade beancurds with angled loofah was light with the sweetness of the loofah. The fragrant beancurds were lightly fried on the outside with smooth inside.

Oriental Cravings

2008-11-09T15:37:00.000-08:00

Oriental Cravings, located in the Rainforest section, is a semi open-air, al fresco-styled dining restaurant that combines the old kopitiam charm with contemporary minimalist aesthetics. Service is informal and speedy. The ambience is simple, accentuated by retro decoratives like charming vintage lamps, old family photographs, floral Malaccan Nyonya tiles, and vintage collectibles reminiscent of the days of old Malaya.

This was probably my tenth visit to this eatery after many months of not visiting it, and finally remembered to photograph some of the items offered by this non-halal restaurant.

Charcoal-roasted Segamat coffee with milk and ice was nice but nothing exceptional. There used to be another drink item, 'cham' (coffee-milk tea mix), which I found was a lot nicer and satisfying.

Charcoal-roasted Segamat coffee was a better choice as it was slightly more fragrant but might not appeal to non-coffee lovers.

Toast bread with butter and kaya was mediocre. The fragrant kaya (coconut-egg jam), however, was sufficiently sweet (though I would have preferred it to be smoother in texture), and that blended well with the saltish butter. Often referred as yin-yang by the Chinese, such simple snack, more often than not, gives very satisfying pleasure as one enjoys it with coffee, or tea :)

One of its signatures, the roast pork curry laksa that I had came with thick soup and few pieces of siew yuk (roast pork), and tasty red chillie-shrimp sambal paste. Priced at RM13.90 per bowl, though quite a generous portion, the laksa was only mediocre. The taste was not at all impressive, and definitely not a match to some of the laksa sold by hawkers in the northern states, namely Perak and Penang.

Stewed pork in black soy sauce with rice looked adn smelled really good when it was served up. The lean-fat pork chunks were soft and tender, and pork lovers would relish feasting on them with the tasty and fragrant gravy.

Another signature item, the rice wine chicken mee suah (wheat flour vermicelli) came steaming hot, and the chinese rice wine fragrance crept up our nostrils. The generous use of chinese rice wine in the soup rendered the soup rich with alcohol without an overpowering taste.

Generally, the pricing of the dishes are pricey for the standard and quality with exception to a few items such as the above. This eatery can be a once-a-while option on the list of places for eating out.

Oriental Cravings

359, Ground Floor (Rainforest section, New Wing)
1-Utama Shopping Centre
Lebuh Bandar Utama
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel: 603-7727 2581/7726 3801
Business Hrs: 10am-10pm Daily
(Non-halal)

Restoran Meng Kee Char Siew

2008-11-06T22:16:00.001-08:00

My second visit to this almost perpectually packed place saw the char siew (BBQ pork) sold off at 1pm, with a few pieces still hooked up, which were already booked by diners. Good thing the five of us ordered two portions of the meat that got us all salivating. Amazingly packed especially during lunch, Meng Kee Char Siew Restoran buzzed with white and blue collar workers, mainly from the Hicom Glenmarie area.

Yummy char siew with fragrant, sweetish, chargrilled and crispy outer layer, soft inside with fats that melted in the mouth. My friend, Jason and I dislike the taste and texture of fats to the extent of feeling nauseous and sick in the stomach, yet we both are able to vouch that these wonderful char siew came with fats that did not elicit those uncomfortable effects. :) Haha, I supposed we both could be 'char siew tasters' . Any char siew that pass our QC would be superb char siew!

These dark looking pork sausages were fragrant and really good, with slight sweetish taste. Skeptical at first because they looked like liver sausages, I took a small slice and placed it into my mouth with fingers crossed. Anticipated to spit it out as soon as I find the funky liver taste, it was surprising to actually find myself chewing it delightfully.

The roast chicken was also good with tender, smooth-textured flesh. Now this is what we call good chicken rice :)

Fresh and crunchy bean sprouts served with light soy sauce, oil and fragrant crispy fried onions was a common item on most of the tables at the restaurant.

Items on most tables

Packed during lunch

Char siew station

Restoran Meng Kee Char Siew King (明记叉烧王)

20, Jalan Pekedai U1/36 (Ground)

Hicom Glenmarie Industrial Park

Shah Alam

Tel No: 019 - 379 3629

Business Hrs: Mon-Sat

Closed on Sundays

(Non Halal)

MOF の Japanese Sweets

2008-11-02T02:04:00.000-08:00

Having last stepped into Pavillion KL few months back, I was in town recently and decided to pop over to check if there were any new outlets or boutiques that had opened since my last visit. Yes, there were, and two new additions happened to be in the Gourmet Emporium. One was a dessert station, MOF.

MOF の Japanese Desserts is a simple looking glass station (similar to の) surrounded by two wall panels. Its ceiling is adorned by Japanese art, and fully-blown up coloured photographs of the delicacies and desserts offered on its walls. The use of dark red colour and with wooden tables and chairs and comfy sofas give the place a relaxing and unpretentious setting.

MOF or Ministry of Food in full, offers an wide range of desserts, both hot and cold. Generally priced quite reasonably, Adrian and I decided to try these colourful, mouth-watering sweet treats. he ordered the Abekawa, a hot hot dessert of oven-baked mochi served with sweet red bean paste. A signature number priced at RM11, the mochi had fragrant,crusty outer layer with soft, chewy inside. Bland on its own, they went so well with the sweet red bean paste with added fragrance by the soy powder.

Abekawa

I had the Macha Imo, literally means green tea potato, which was soft, fine Hokkaido milk gelato served with green tea sauce, red bean paste and air-flown Japanese sweet potatoes. Also a signature dessert priced at RM11, this number came with instructions on how to enjoy. When we saw it, we thought perhaps we might have seemed 'ignorant' that they felt compelled to 'teach' us how to savour it. One is to scoop a bit of everything in the bowl - the cold gelato, the red bean paste and the warm sweet potatoes - and enjoy!

Macha Imo with instructions to enjoy

At the back of the menu, to our delight, we discovered that there was no added artificial flavourings or colourings, preservatives, chemicals or MSG (as Ramen and other Japanese food are served in other MOF outlets) in any of the items offered by MOF. :)

Dessert and ice cream (or gelato) lovers, make your way to MOF at Pavillion KL. You'd be enchanted by the treats just as we were! Sluurrpp!! :)

http://www.ministryoffood.com.sg/desserts.aspx

Gourmet Emporium

Level 1, Pavillion

168, Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Restoran Famous Seremban Favourites

2008-11-02T01:51:00.000-07:00

It was after my chiropractic session in Sunwaymas Commercial Centre in Dataran Prima, and we decided for lunch at this kopitiam (coffeeshop) further down the road from the clinic. The restaurant name was kind of lengthy, the place looked bare and cluttered at the same time.

Only one stall located at the main entrance. That was where one can order its famous char siew (BBQ pork). It was almost two in the afternoon, and char siew was running out. We managed to order some of that and siew yuk for two. Adrian had them with rice whilst I had Hakka Mee.

The char siew, available in quantity of small, medium, large and extra large for the price of RM5, RM10, RM15 and RM20 respectively, was good. Bit crispy on the outside, it was sweet and fragrant, with fats melted in our mouth. Too bad we could not order more. We would make it a point to go early the next round.

The siew yuk was not that good as they were bland and fragrantless. Then again, the restaurant is famous for the former and not the latter. I would say it's the best in PJ that I had, not considering the Meng Kee restaurant in Glenmarie Shah Alam.

Priced at RM3.50 for small and RM4.00 for large, the Hakka Mee was plain looking noodles topped with minced pork and some spring onions. This version was without the dark soy sauce, hence it was light but tasty.

Restoran Famous Seremban Favourites
80-1, Ground Floor
Jalan PJU 1/3B
Sunwaymas Commercial Centre (Aman Suria)
47301 Petaling Jaya
Business Hrs: 7.30am-4.30pm daily
Call 017-279 8582 (to check if still got stock)
Closed on Tuesdays

Coca Restaurant

2008-11-01T10:58:00.001-07:00

Coca Restaurant has always been famous for its steamboat. Tried that couple of time many years ago. The last was back in year 2003. Wow, now that I recalled, it has indeed been a long time, and honestly can not really recall how it tasted like. Apart from steamboat, Coca offers other Asian cuisine including Thai. being my favourite cuisine, Adrian and I decided to try out the dishes for dinner.

Yum Mut Muang according to the menu was supposedly sour mango with peanuts, dried shrimps and spicy lime sauce but it turned out to be shredded sweet sour mango with cashew nuts, sliced onions in rojak sauce. Priced at RM15.80, it was mediocre and very localised to Malaysian tastebuds, and was not at all like any authentic Thai mango salad.

Tod Munn Pla, the thai fish cakes were good. For six pieces at RM12.80, they came with chillie sauce with chopped onions and cucumber and pounded peanuts.

Kui Teow Pad Thai was fried pad thai noodles with eggs, beancurds, minced chicken and served with prawns, grounded chillie, white sugar and pounded peanuts. Priced at RM14.90, this fried noodles was supposed to taste sweetish, hence the given white sugar.

Tom Yum Kung Kam Kam was vermicelli in Coca special tom yum soup served with four pieces of fresh large prawns, mushrooms and tomato wedges. Gravy was a lot thicker than the clear tom yum soup. This RM16.80-bowl-of-noodles was one of Coca's signatures, which I found reasonably tasty with the right level of spiciness, but it was not impressive. The fresh prawns however did some compensation.

For RM12.90, the Roselle flower juice was quite an interesting refreshing drink. Came with three pieces of the flowers, which were crunchy, the drink was sweet, salty with tinge of sourness. It was not something Adrian would enjoy as he disliked sour drinks (even just a tinge of it), so he settled for some hot chinese tea.

Roselle flower

The spoon that came with the Roselle flower juice was actually a long stainless steel piece with one end a spoon and the other a fork.

The restaurant in the weekends was packed with families and large groups of friends. The sound proofing was not good, hence it got a little too noisy to our liking. That was partially because we a were seated about 15 feet from a group of 10-12 friends getting together and they were unaware the volume they were making. Much to our dismay, we had to put up with almost every word in their conversations.

Simple Asian concept with minimal decors, the restaurant uses wooden tables and chairs, and a carved wooden panel separating the dining area from the main entrance of glass panels. Only a few tables can be seen as one enters the front.

CoCa Restaurant

Lot G38&F40
1 Utama Shopping Centre (Old Wing)
Bandar Utama, PJ
Tel: 603-7727 3180
Fax: 603-7728 2151

Taiping Ho Chiak Restaurant

2008-10-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

Cham ping (iced tea-coffee)

We came across this place when we were actually looking out for Yu Ai restaurant in Cheow Yang area in SS2, PJ. My better half got 'diverted' when he saw this place and thought we should give this place a try. Well, perhaps it was because he married a Taiping girl, and Taiping is well known for good food. So I guess I can't really blame him for changing his mind ...haha :P

We ordered top hats, a.k.a pie tees which was priced at RM4.80 for six pieces. Whilst the filling was quite tasty, the pie tee cups weren't up to our expectations. Not crispy and were bit pale in fragrance for our liking.

Pie tee

Nyonya curry was mediocre for the price of RM5.90, but definitely not Taiping style nor as good as the ones in the Land of Peace, which soup is fragrant with curry leaves, smooth and rich with coconut milk.

The dry curry noodles was a disappointment as it turned out to be something skewed from, and below our expectations. At RM 6.90, the oily fried mee was served with chicken curry gravy and generous sprinkle of fried shallots. The curry was well flavoured and fragrant but the noodles should not had been pre-fried.

Roti babi, rather geniusly (or carelessly to perhaps some other race) named, was really good. Minced pork and crab meat sandwiched by two pieces of bread, dipped in egg and deep-fried. This dish is also found in some Hainanese restaurants, and would taste a little different as the filling would be at the creativity of chefs.

The restaurant adopted a traditional chinese theme with red ceiling, walls painted with windows and doors of olden chinese houses, as well as marble top tables and wooden chairs. The wall on the left inside the restaurant was mural with paintings of famous spots in Taiping, particularly the lake gardens. Outside, a wooden signage with chinese calligraphy hung atop the main entrance. On the left, there were glass shelves with kuih and other desserts such as curry puffs, kuih talam, yam cakes, ang ku and tong shui.

Taiping Ho Chiak

28, Jalan SS2/10

47300 Petaling Jaya

Tel/Fax: 603-7876 6648

(in Cheow Yang area, row behind the corner Cheow Yang restaurant)

Bombay Spice

2008-10-26T09:29:00.001-07:00

Been a long time since we had Indian food and we thought we would give this restaurant located in the Gourmet Emporium in Pavillion KL a try. Pricing of food was on the high side but since we have not tried anything on its menu, we would not dwell too much on that.

Chicken Vindaloo

Adrian ordered the chicken Vindaloo to go with the garlic naan and I ordered chapati with chicken Varuval, a chef's recommendation. We were both not disappointed at all when the items came and we dugged in. The chicken Vindaloo came with a bit more gravy than the chicken Varuval. Both spicy, the former had a tinge of sourness whilst the latter, a dry curry, had a stronger taste of spices. Both the curries were priced at RM18.90.

Chicken Varuval

Garlic Naan

The naan and chapati were the most expensive we ever had (haha..well, there's always a first time) as each cost RM8 and RM7 respectively. The Masala tea that I had was also one of the most expensive I had thus far. Priced at RM7 per cup and only a few mouthfuls, it was not sweet nor thick and had spices mixed in it, hence it was quite fragrant and thirst quenching.

Chapati

Masala Tea

The restaurant had rather vibrant colour scheme - red-pink, vermillion, orange, yellow and walls with hanging wooden cabinets and concrete pigeon holes which had glass bottles of a wide variety of spices and curry powders on display. It adopted the see-through kitchen with glass panel segregating it from the dining area.

See-through kitchen

Bombay Spice

Lot 1.09.00, Gourmet Emporium

Level 1, Pavillion

168, Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur

St. Michael's butter cookies

2008-10-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

My colleague Jason got a box of cookies from his friend who returned from a trip to France. "What biscuits are these?" I asked him. Err...hmm, let's just see. We scanned through the packaging and were unable to find a word of English (what do you expect, right?), except for some small print on ingredients used. "Ahh... these are butter cookies."

Came tea time and these plain-looking cookies were whipped out. Took a quick sniff of the piece in my hand, I thought it had a strong condensed milk smell. When it went into my mouth, the texture and taste were very similar to butter shortbread.

The cookies were products of the medieval city of Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France (St Michael's Mount in English), specifically of Annette Poulard, who later became to be known as Mère Poulard (hence the name and the face on the packaging). Annette and husband Victor Poulard ran an inn in Mont Saint Michel, which is known today as La Mère Poulard, with eight properties strewn across the tidal island.

http://www.lemontsaintmichel.com/

http://www.mere-poulard.com/?lang=en

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint_Michel

Hadrianus Abode II

2008-10-26T09:14:00.001-07:00

We invited Sin Cheh and Bee Lan, two of Adrian's old friends and ex-collegues in his days with HSBC, over for dinner as we had not seen them for almost two years. The last was Christmas at Bee Lan's new house in Subang, and they were had not visited us in this place of ours.

Simple dinner would do, Adrian said. Pasta would be a lot easier but I decided against it after all they were guests and I was not keen on the idea of not ensuring at least a decent meal. Rice with simple homecooked dishes and minced pork-seaweed-beancurd soup, which is not in this entry as my other half forgot to snap a shot.

Siew pak choy with oyster sauce and fried shallots in olive oil

Stir-fried shredded chinese cabbage and carrots with dried shrimps

Lontong chicken

We had a bottle of a Spanish merlot, though I thought that did not go that well with what I had prepared. The wine itself was reasonably fragrant, not overly sour as the wine was considerably young (2006). Both Adriana nd I enjoyed red wines and we are still learning a lot more about wines, varieties of wines and pairing them with food. Oh well, it takes time, and interest and of course $$.

Dessert was chocolate mint ice cream, that both the ladies declined, as we sat in our porch for more chatters. The three of them had a good time talking about their good old days and current job scopes and work challenges, whilst I was happily listening away to these technical people, and when the topic shifted to holidays and places of visits, I was able to chip in, especially when Bee Lan was on her trip to the Angkor temples in Siem Reap. That's more like it :) hehe.

Bao Bao Restaurant

2008-10-26T07:22:00.001-07:00

Situated at the other end from the Sedap mamak in Aman Suria (Dataran Prima) that faces the main road, Bao Bao Restaurant is a basic looking restaurant with hawker-style sitting; low wooden tables and stools and serving a single product - Pan Mee.

The restaurant was quite packed when Adrian and I walked in. It was already off lunch hours. Just before that I was wondering if it was opened as I missed taking a good look when we drove past. "Not open or not, more like if we could find a table," he said, obviously amazed at his wife's naiveness.

I ordered luk mei suet (a cold dessert with six different ingredients - dried longan, winter melon, barley, cincau, and two jelly-like ingredients which I had no idea what they were made from). Not overly sweet, it was very freshing and thirst quenching and priced at RM2.30.

Three choices of noodle preparation

There were four varieties of pan mee available - two with soup (traditional and special) and two dry (with garlic, and special) - with any of the three choices of noodle preparation (thin, flat or peel-slice). Adrian had the flat with special soup and I went for its specialty, special dry and peel-slice.

Special dry, peel-slice pan mee

The special soup pan mee came with soup that was light, both in taste and texture. Adrian added the Boa chillies and it tasted a whole lot better. The dry version was quite good, served with dark brown, sweetish sauce. Whilst the soup version came with vege mani and small chunks of crispy pork, the dry pan mee also came with both the former and sliced BBQ pork (char siew), which were just so so.

Special soup with flat noodles

The staffs were all well coordinated with one working on the noodle preparation, one cooking them, one serving the ready orders, one taking orders from customers, two working in the back cleaning up. Orders were served up reasonably quick despite running almost a full house.

Though price a little weighty on the wallet for pan mee as small portion was priced at RM4.80 and Iarge at RM5.50, I would defintely re-visit this place for a treat of dry pan mee :)

Preparing the noodles and cooking them

Staff refilling the different chillies in the stainless steel containers

Four different varieties of chillies - chopped red-green bird's eye chillies; chopped red-green bird's eye chillies with light soy sauce, grinded bird's eye chillies with sambal belacan (Bao Chillie) and dried chillie flakes.

Boa chillie for sale

Jalan PJU 1/43

(few shoplots away from Sedap in Aman Suria/Dataran Prima, facing the main road/NKVE)

47301 Petaling Jaya

Fisherman's Cove

2008-10-23T20:25:00.001-07:00

Located in the lower ground of Starhill Gallery, Fisherman's Cove is one of the many restaurants in the Feast Village. With design inspired by a chinese junk, dining in it however certainly was a little more luxurious.

Pumpkin soup with buttered croutons was quite reasonably good, not too thin or thick. With sweetness of pumpkin and the butter-bread fragrance from the croutons, it was a nice starter.

Chargrilled chicken chop with black pepper sauce served with steamed carrot wedges, angled loofah wedges (a.k.a chinese okra or silky gourd) and grilled potatoes wedges. Tender, succulent chicken thigh with tasty black pepper sauce that gave the chop a nice hot tinge.

Steamed spicy fish fillet (tilapia) served with the same vegetables as the chicken chop was fresh and soft and well flavoured.

Chocolate mousse was served with a piece of rather good moist chocolate cake, topped with some thick smooth cream that tasted somewhat milky and vanilla-ish, and some sourish green sauce, which was probably kiwi or apple.

Amber lighting for the dining area gave the place a warm and relaxing mood. The kitchen adopts an open concept with glass panels dividing it from the dining area. Aquariums with varieties of live fish and shell fish are lined up on the left side of the restaurant, acting as a dividing wall between the restaurant and the main walk way.

LG10 Feast Village

Starhill Gallery

181, Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603-2782 3848

Business Hrs: 12noon to 1am Daily

Luk Yu Tea House

2008-10-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

Luk Yu Tea House is quite an interesting looking restaurant among the many in the Feast Village in Starhill Gallery. As one steps onto the escalators from the ground floor down to the Feast Village, this restaurant is on the right below the escalators.

Restaurant entrance taken from the escalator leading up to the ground floor of Starhill Gallery

With grill looking wall panels of oriental chinese motifs, the place looking almost like a giant bird cage, which probably explains the empty bird cages hanging from the ceiling of the alfresco dining area as decors.

Gourmet dim sum of steamed crystal prawn dumpling, minced chicken and prawn dumpling, and minced chicken topped with strands of shark's fin dumpling was really good. Well flavoured and delicious, the prawns were fresh with crunchy, sweet flesh.

Deep-fried crispy beancurd skin roll with prawn and cheese was good. Warm crispy skin on the outside and large fresh prawns and chewy cheese filling. The crisp-fried chicken and yam spring roll was a little over-fried but nevertheless, tasty and not dry.

Century egg with chicken strips congee was quite smooth in texture (as many restaurants nowadays blend the porridge) and fragrant, though the century eggs were not all that smmoth and fine. Served hot, the congee was a warming meal for the stomach.

Fried noodles (yee mee) was mediocre but came with large prawns with crunchy flesh.

Salted fish and diced chicken fried rice was not fantabulously good; nothing to shout about and was bit dry.

Almond with cubed honeydew and sago was a lovely finish to the meal. Not overly sweet, with smooth milky texture and chewy sago.

Vinegar and chillie paste

Dining area inside the restaurant

Luk Yu Tea House

LG5 Feast Village

Starhill Gallery

181, Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603-2782 3850

Fax: 603-2782 3818

Manhattan Fish Market

2008-10-20T23:46:00.000-07:00

Six years had gone by since its inception in 2002, homegrown casual seafood dining chain, Manhattan Fish Market (MFM) has presence in most major malls in Klang Valley, major cities in Malaysia and even in the Middle East. Having heard and read about it,my hubby and I decided to give it a try one Sunday evening. Since we were not in any malls and not planned to step into any, we went to the outlet in Centrepoint in Bandar Utama.

It was simple dinner as we ordered our drinks and a main course each. There was no appetiser or side dish or dessert.

Grilled Pacific Cod with MFM sauce and rice

I ordered the grilled Pacific Cod with fries instead of butter rice (RM29.20) whilst Adrian ordered grilled King Salmon fillet with butter rice (RM26.90). For drink we ordered a bottle of mineral water and Tropical Breeze. We were the only table, contrary to us expecting the restaurant to be at least half filled as it was dinner time. Ten minutes after our orders, a couple stepped into the restaurant.

Our drinks came.Tropical Breeze turned out to be Sprite with orange concentrate, much to my displeasure but of course the fault was mine as I did not ask for further descriptions which in my opinion should have been printed in the menu. Our wait was more than 20 minutes before my cod was served. Yikes! it came with butter rice when it was supposed to be with fries. I decided to wait to see if Adrian's salmon would come with fries. True enough, five minutes later the plate of salmon landed in front of him, with fries! My first response was the restaurant was not running full house, and we were probably the first order for dinner since we were at at approximately seven in the evening. Simple orders yet came out wrong. Hmm.... anyway, we swapped our fish instead of making a fuss over the mixup.

I thought the cod was not really fully cooked and the sauce tasted funny. Adrian's salmon was mediocre but the butter rice was quite good. I guess that was the saving grace. Nevertheless we found the pricing over-rated and quality of food did not justify at all. We decided it would likely be our last visit to MFM, and we'd not recommend it to friends, at least not the Centrepoint outlet.

Grilled King Salmon Fillet with MFM sauce and fries

Kopitiam SFS 747

2008-10-20T22:33:00.001-07:00

Recommended by another patient at the chiropractic clinic that I am currently seeking treatment at, I decided to try it out. This was also after my hubby and a few friends tried it out after his round-the-clock support at client's data centre.

Kon loh (Dry) wan tan noodles served with BBQ pork (char siew) from a stall in an ordinary nextdoor chinese coffeeshop in Sunwaymas Commercial Centre in Aman Suria. It was a long wait of 45 minutes as practically all tables were waiting for their servings. "This must be good," I thought. I almost finished my glass of 100 plus drink during the wait. Then the lady, presumably the hawker's wife, asked if we'd like to have the char siew with fats or lean. I askedfor one with lean meat and another with fats. Finally, the helper carried two plates in a tray headed for our table.

I dugged into the noodles having tossed them abit to get them evenly flavoured with the dark soy sauce. Chewing the first piece of char siew, I was not impressed. Came recommended and even my hubby, a pork lover, thought it was good. By the second piece, I was disappointed. I turned to tell him that he has to try the char siew at Meng Kee in Tengkat Tong Shin, or its branch in Glenmarie Shah Alam. That char siew was REALLY good. I am one that hardly take fatty part of any meat. The Meng Kee char siew were roasted to perfection, tasty flavourful on the outside, the inside was tender and the fats melted in the mouth. The other place is at Choon Yin coffeeshop, front corner lot of the same block of Happy Mansion flats as My Elephant in Section 17, Petaling Jaya.

Restoran 747
31-1, Jalan PJU 1/3D
Sunwaymas Commercial Centre
47301 Petaling Jaya

Cuppy Cakes

2008-10-20T22:01:00.001-07:00

These colourful cute looking cuppy cakes were warmly given by Connie and Fai when we met up for dinner on Saturday night. They were earlier shopping in Subang Parade. Adrian was not a great fan of cup cakes and only took a bite off the one resembled a lion's head and manes. That cup cake was orange flavoured whilst the one in lavendar with green flower and tiny white ones of icing sugar was chocolate chips. They were yummy as I enjoy cup cakes. I supposed if one enjoys muffins, then one would also enjoy cup cakes. The icing was sweet but thankfully the cakes underneath the sugar layer were not and they provided a good balance. The lovely goodies were from A Taste Boutique.

A Taste Boutique (Sdn Bhd)

22, Jalan Putra Markota 7/4B

Section 7, Putra Heights

47650 Subang Jaya

Tel: 03-5192 0577

Fax: 03-5191 0577

http://www.atasteboutique.com/

atasteboutique.blogspot.com
mail@atasteboutique.com

My Elephant

2008-10-20T17:38:00.001-07:00

Tucked in the back corner on the ground floor of one of the Happy Mansion blocks of low-cost flats in Section 17 Petaling Jaya, My Elephant was the brainchild of a group of university graduates. The small restaurant adopts simple decor of glass panels that allow one to see through to the inside of restaurant. Its tables are of basic shape of square and rectangle and wooden mixed with aloy chairs. A set of comfy looking sofa at the right next to the entrance allow a laidback mood, perhaps for a drink and snacks but might not be too comfortable for proper dining.

Our second visit to this place, we had dinner with Fai and Connie as they had been asking about its whereabouts. This round, we ordered six dishes as opposed to four the first Adrian and I were there; two being salads.

Red rice served with dishes

Tod man plah, deep-fried Thai fish cakes served with sweet sour chilie dipping was priced at RM8 for five pieces. These were fresh and good, with just the right thickness and bursting with lemongrass fragrance.

For RM10, Yum Mamuang was green mango salad with shredded carrots, onions, pounded chilies in spicy dressing and served with lettuce, sliced cucumbers and and roasted peanuts. The salad was spicy and sour and would have been a turn-off for those who are unable to tolerate such level of spiciness. Too much pounded chillies camouflaged the mango fragrance in my opinion as one who loves mango salad. The ones at Baan26 and Ceylon Hill are much better and less spicy. Nevertheless, for the price, the portion was worthwhile.

Tempura Squid served with semi sweet Thai sauce was mediocre. The upside was that the squids were fresh, coated with thin batter and the portuion was reasonable for price of RM18.

This version of Laab Gai, northern Thai style of sauteed minced chicken with chillie-lime-mint dressing and freshly crushed peanuts was not too bad though the one at Sri Siam was better and refreshing. For RM14, it was a good portion for four.

Khai Jiao Ho Mok, priced at RM12, was special egg omelette with fish otak-otak and it was something different. Not too oily, it was quite tasty and juicy. The special thin sweet sour sauce (more sour than sweet) that came with the dish was really good and complemented the omelette very well.

Tom Som was clear galangal-lemongrass-lime soup with aromatic Thai herbs, which was recommended to be served with fish although chicken was also available. The large portion was priced at RM20 and small for RM15. We had the large serving, which was more than enough for four with reasonable appetite.

Paku with sambal, onions and dried shrimps was our choice for My Elephant's Jungle vegetable of the day. Fresh and crunchy, the RM 12 paku dish was quite delicious, with the right hint of taste and saltiness.

Small restaurant with simple modest dining tables and chairs

In one corner of the restaurant lies a raised concrete platform for those who fancy getting cosy sitting on the floor, with a glass panel wall that faces a small fish pond. At the bottom of the glass panel, on the inside of the restaurant, there is an open gap that offers a sneek peek at the koi that steal a gulp of air or two before happily gliding away. One could even dip own feet into the water.

My Elephant

Block C - G4 Happy mansion

Jalan 17/13

Section 17

46400 Petaling Jaya

Tel:

Patrick 012-328 5028

James 019-360 8911

Soong 019-379 5759

Kom 016-345 9298

www.myelephant.com.my

Reservation is highly encouraged to avoid disappointment.

Business hrs:

Tue-Sun (except Sat & Sun Lunch)

Lunch: 12noon-2.30pm

Dinner: 6pm-10pm

Oriental Pavillion

2008-10-19T20:02:00.001-07:00

Table snack of braised-fried peanuts, beancurds and french beans

Cousin Anthony and cousin-in-law, Mei Yee had exchanged vows at the Thean Hou Temple in KL earlier and both families and immediate relatives and close friends gathered for dim sum brunch at Oriental Pavillion in Jaya33, Section 13 Petaling Jaya. Formerly the Oriental restaurant in the Old Jaya on the opposite side of Jalan Semangat.

As the food quality by the Oriental Group was quite a reputation, I had expected the same of this outlet that had also been given a new look. Rather disappointed as most of the dim sum items were not up to par; they were way too mediocre, too fishy or too porky, or too fat for the freaking expensive prices.

Pan-fried Shanghai dumpling

The pan-fried Shanghai dumplings, priced at RM6 for three pieces, were mediocre as I had better ones in Ramen in Damansara Uptown, PJ as well as Tai Thong restaurants. The freshly shredded ginger with chinese black vinegar was so little that we were not sure who should have the dumpling with the condiment.

Baked BBQ pork tarts, deep-fried prawn dumpling, steamed BBQ pork buns

Tai Thong's BBQ pork tarts are a lot better than these that we had. For three small pieces at RM5, the pastry was bit too thick, and the filling was just so so; neither tasty nor bland. The deep-fried prawn dumplings served with mayonnaise were dry to me and the pastry was not crispy. That RM6 for three pieces was not worth paying for. The BBQ pork buns filling had too much fatty pieces, and we had dig them out so as not to get too stodgy, though the bun skin was soft and not overly thick. They were served in three for RM5.

Roasted pork (siew yuk), BBQ pork (char siew), steamed beancurd

The roasted pork, BBQ pork and steamed beancurd (tofu) came in a platter. The roasted pork were way too thick and the skin were hardly crispy with an overly strong porky taste. The tofu was nothing to shout about, plain, hardly any fragrance and were flavoured by the light soy sauce. The BBQ pork was the only item that was good. Sweet, crispy fragrant chargrilled outer layer and tender on the inside, the proportion of fats was just nice and that melted in the mouth.

Braised Phoenix Chicken, steamed cheong fun with prawns, steamed fish balls

For RM6, the braised chicken feet was mediocre and were bit too oily yet dry to my liking. The steamed cheong fun (steamed rice sheets) with prawns, priced at RM10 per portion, were way too below standard as the skin were bit coarse and rather thick and hard. For that price, I had expected soft, smooth skin with tasty filling and it was real shame that Oriental compromised on its long standing reputation. The version that came with BBQ pork filling also needed tastier and flavourful filling. Steamed fish balls were far too fishy for a restaurant of such standard, as though they were made from some cheap rotten fish and we paid RM5 for a plate of three pieces.

Fried noodles, stir-fried chinese lettuce and pan-fried radish cakes

Fried noodles could do bit more with flavour and taste as I found it rather bland. The stir-fried chinese lettuce was not too bad as the lettuce were fresh and crunchy with the right hint of taste. Pan-fried radish cakes were bland and fragrantless. The pan-fried radish cakes sold in the night market in SS2 on Mondays and Cheow Yang on Thursdays by the one-man-show chinese hawker are far better than these, and they definitely cost less than RM6 with bigger portion.

I guess it's time to bid goodbye to this outlet as we would unlikely to re-visit it.

Oriental Pavillion

Level 1, Jaya33

Jalan Semangat

46200 Petaling Jaya

Porto Romano

2008-10-15T08:45:00.001-07:00

Though rather hidden at the end of a row of shoplots facing the bungalows on Persiaran Zaaba in TTDI, Porto Romano catches one's attention, thanks to the huge sign above the restaurant.

Quiet, comfy with romantic hint, the restaurant could be a choice for couples and friends who want to spend some quality time over dinner. Adrian and I checked the place out after having passed the restaurants many times whilst we were in the area.

We ordered Insalata Italiana, an Italian salad of fresh Romain lettuce, tomatoes, onions, capsicums and preserved olives in Italian dressing. Refreshing and crunchy and was priced at RM13.

For RM36, the Roast Rack of Lamb was served with boiled asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower and grilled potatoes. A few choices of sauce available. This was medium rare and served with mint sauce. Lamb was pan-fried before roasting and was very tender, soft and succulent.

Petto di Pollo Ripieno was flattened chicken breast stuffed with cheese, vegetables and herbs and served with cream mushroom sauce and grilled potatoes priced at RM27. The creamy sauce was tasty. Add the parmesan cheese and chillie flakes or Porto Romano chillie sauce for more taste and stronger flavour.

Baklava is a sweet dessert of chopped walnuts and almonds from Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, wrapped in fine butter filo (pastry) and served with syrup and was priced at RM16.

Parmesan cheese and red chillie flakes for extra taste

Porto Romano chillie sauce made of red chillie, ginger, garlic, salt and vinegar. Sour and hot, this sauce goes with with almost anything.

Porto Romano
28, Persiaran Zaaba

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603-7710 0509

Business Hours: 11am - 11pm daily

Boathouse

2008-10-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

My boss, Danny called for a team review-update-meeting-cum dinner and we had it at Boathouse in TTDI one Friday evening. The cosy, in-the-neighbourhood restaurant is run by an old school friend, Yen Ni and her partner, Adeline; the former takes care of the kitchen operations and the latter the front of the restaurant. The first time I stepped into the restaurant was more than two years ago when I bumped into Yen Ni outside her restaurant. Adrian and I would pop over on and off for coffee, dessert or dinner.

It happened to be October fest and the place was filled up with regular patrons, friends and others. The meeting lasted two hours after which we ordered dinner, accompanied by Pullaner beer; light and dark.

We had a few appetisers and side dishes of fresh osyters, aubergine, salad, chicken and beef. The salty crispy chicken was really good, especially with beer whilst the beef srips with enoki mushrooms were succently, tender and well flavoured. The fresh oysters were fresh and juicy whilst the other side dish of chicken drumsticks and wings, which I forget the name, was tasty and tender.

Fried aubergine with onions, salty crispy chicken thigh, sweet sour chicken and beef with enoki mushrooms

Fresh oysters and salad

For mains, Jason had a medium-rare Yin Yang tenderloin, Danny and Michelle shared a medium-rare Australian Angus ribeye, Evelyn had a medium-done NY tenderloin, and I had the pan-fried salmon. The Yin Yang tenderloin was not too bad, tender and succulent, which pinched from Jason whilst Evelyn's tenderloin was thick and bit too raw to her liking. The ribeye that Danny had was bit too cooked for medium-rare.

Ying Yang tenderloin, pan-fried cod, Australian Angus ribeye and NY tenderloin

Apart from the rather extensive offerings on the menu, Yen Ni would prepare some specials, which would be listed on the chalk board in the restaurant, including desserts of the day. Done in style, the desserts could be a good treat after the main course.

Another unique thing in the restaurant is that every table is lined with white paper and coloured crayons in glass container. Parents are able to enjoy their meals while their kids entertain themselves with drawing and colouring, and adults too can scribble, or draw their Piccasso materpieces, or at least attempt too :P

Boathouse

16, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603 7727 4426

Business Hours:

Mon to Fri – 11am to 3pm, 6pm to 12am

Sat – 12pm to 4pm, 6pm to 1 am, Closed on Sundays.

Bumbu Bali

2008-10-14T18:17:00.001-07:00

Overlooking the balcony on the first floor of Bumbu Bali, I took a picture of the amber sunset, while we waited for our dinner. This two-storey Balinese restaurant with open concept, which is located in Bandar Puteri Puchong came highly recommended by good friends. I had been bugging Adrian to try out the food.

Truly Balinese, the tables and chairs were teak, with its walls lined with paintings of the face of Buddha. Whilst the ground floor catered mainly for walk-in diners, the floor above it was reserved mainly for those with reservations.

Ground floor was packed with walk-in customers. Customers with reservations were placed mainly on the first floor.

We browsed through the menu fairly long and finally made our picks - Ayam Betutu and Nasi Campur, beer and barley lime for drinks.

Barley lime was a sweet but refreshing drink for RM4.50

Es Campur is Bumbu Bali's version of Balinese ice blended coconut served with banana slices, finely cut jackfruit and honey dew, sago and crystalised sweet coconut stripes. To stir before digging into it as the syrup is still at the bottom of the glass when dessert is served; it was priced at RM8.50.

Sambal matah is a blended fresh chilie sauce

Sambal Terasi is an interesting sauce as it is made of coarsely pounded bird's eye chillie, garlic, onion, lemongrass and parsley in oil

Nasi Campur Bumbu Bali is rice served with lemongrass marinated squids, prawns, fish, a choice of beef / chicken rendang, sauteed kang kung, crispy crackers with anchovies, fresh chunks of turnip, cucumber and pineapple, sambal terasi and sambal matah in a basket lined with banana leave. Though priced on th highside of RM29.50, the tasty combo was well worth the price.

Ayam Betutu, Balinese roasted chicken marinated with lemongrass served with special sweet and salty and mildly spicy paste and heavily garnished with chopped parsley and onions, and accompanied by yellow rice, crispy crackers with anchovies, sauteed kang kung, fresh chunks of turnip, cucumber and pineapple, sambal terasi and sambal matah. Priced at RM20.50, the serving portion was well worth the money as half a small chicken was served.

Decors that added colour and ambience to the place were also for sale

Bumbu Bali would certainly see us again, perhaps with some friends :). Just so you know, we gluttonly stuffed ourselves with the amount of food that could feed four, or more!

18 & 18-1, Jalan Persiaran Puteri 1

Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong

Tel: 603-8061 8699

Fax: 603-8062 6698

Business hrs: Daily from 11am onwards (incl Public Holidays)

Baan26

2008-10-14T17:30:00.001-07:00

Adrian and I were in the heart of the city one Sunday afternoon, and we decided to take a look at the dining spots along Changkat Bukit Bintang. Traffic of course was not too bad, and it was quiet along that road which is usually packed with tourists and party-goers on weekdays, especially in the night.

We spotted this ordinary and modest looking restaurant, Baan26 and took a look at the menu. Lover of mango kerabu, my eyes lit up and we walked in. We had the place to ourselves and with Thai love ballads in the background, we happily chatted away after ordering couple of snacks and drinks.

The place had interesting, antique-looking decors. Old fashioned electrical fan and radio, china pots and cups, and mini blood red glass chandelier. The concept and theme was a mix of Western, Chinese and Indochinese.

Mango kerabu with dried shrimps was really good, with just the right intensity of sourness and spiciness. Shredded mango served with peanuts, shredded carrot, sliced onions, freshly cut bird's eye chillies and dried shrimps, with sweet-sour lime dressing and garnished with shredded carrots and parsley.

Thai fish cakes with chillie dip was good. Bite-size fish cakes that were served hot, fresh and soft with cucumbers and dried chillies.

Umm hum...

Ice ginger tea with fresh ginger. Great thirst quencher, it was a refreshing and fragrant drink, which tasted just right.

A modest floor space on the front for about 8-9 tables

Some of the ornaments and decorative pieces at various parts of the small restaurant

CoChine

2008-10-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

The first restaurant on the Asian Heritage Row on Jalan Doraisamy, KL, CoChine serves Indochinese cuisine. While one side of the place is a bar called Savannah, Cochine takes on the other half, and the open dining at the front. Exuding a cosy, carefree ambience, it was a breezy night when Adrian and I had our dinner.

Appetising young papaya salad with cherry tomatoes, sliced unions, lightly pounded long beans, chilie and garlic in lime juice and served with roasted peanuts with a choice of different level of spiciness - light, hot and very hot for RM22, and was crunchy and mouthwatering!

Priced at RM55, the Mekong Platter is one of the items on the degustation menu and was well worth the amount. Comprising of Vietnamese fresh rice paper prawn rolls, fried prawn gruelle with sugarcane, fried strips of chicken with sesame, fried minced beef and shredded turnip rolls, and fried sliced fish come with thick sweet chillie and light, thin chillie with grinded peanuts dips, served in a basket. The platter was of a good serving portion for two.

Thin and light chilie sauce with grinded peanuts

Vietnamese beef noodles was quite good. Thin flat rice noodles with beef balls and sliced beef in soup served with fresh bean sprouts, basil and lettuce. Light with sweetness of the nicely cooked sliced beef and it cost RM14, which was a reasonable amount.

Good Evening Bangkok

2008-10-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

One of the restaurants that Adrian and I return to many times as we enjoy its consistently good food. Located in 1 Utama at the Rainforest wing on the ground floor, Good Evening Bangkok sits in a corner on the floor, facing the LDP, sporting a theme of black and red.

The restaurants sometimes run good promotions for HSBC cardmembers, offering reasonably good price for set lunch and dinner. The last visit was few months back, and we took advantage of the promotion. Our dinner bill for dinner was slightly over RM50 inclusive of drinks, which by the way were at non-promtional price.

Sweet mango kerabu with dried shrimps, sliced onions, shredded carrots and chopped chives in sweet and sour dressing with lingering spiciness.

Bread crumb coated fried prawns with sweet and sour dip with dried chillie seeds and grated coconut.

Baby kailan with salted fish, and a sprinkle of fried garlic.

Red Curry Chicken with sliced red chillies, long beans, aubergine, garnished with a dash of coconut milk cream and basil shoots.

Italiannis

2008-10-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

Though I have dined on numerous occassions with friends and hubby, this was the first time I photographed eating at Italiannis, an Italian restaurant on the first floor of the Rainforest wing of 1Utama; one of the few outlets in the Klang Valley. The theme of green, gold and black and concept, though different was similar to its sister, TGIF which sported red, white and black.

The quality at the 1Utama outlet have been consistently good, and I am reluctant to try the one at The Curve though I have been told of the better restaurant design, hence better ambience. I am fine to settle for moderate and simple design and look, as long as the food quality is not compromised and leave me disappointed. Moreso, quality and experinence that are not worth my money.

Stuffed Mushrooms were tasty succulent appetisers of mushrooms topped with minced meat and tomato salsa with cheesy gravy for RM24 (if I remember correctly, haha).

Sicilian Chicken Salad, a refreshing salad with lettuce, cubed mangoes, sweet grapes, pine nuts and croutons and bread sticks, is one of my favourites.

Grilled Chicken Milanese was chicken fillets with soury creamy cheese gravy and loads of cubed tomatoes, and to our surprise were rather good.

Margherita Pizza of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. Ordinary but not too filling so we have space for dessert.

Raisin Bread Pudding was a fresh, fragrant and soft dessert, which was simply yummy!

Sweet Basil Restaurant

2008-10-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

My expectation of a Thai restaurant was that appetiser such as mango kerabu was a must on its menu. It was on the menu of Sweet Basil Restaurant in SS2, on the same row as the former Informatics College, which had long turned into a place called The Cave. I would order this appetiser at each Thai restaurant that I try, and when I asked for it, it was not available. My heart sank with disappointment, and I could not hold my tongue to sarcastically comment to the waiter on the non-availability. In its place was the Thai fish cakes.

Thai fish cake with lemongrass and french beans would have been a lot better had they been thinner. The chopped french beans in the cakes had played down the fragrance of lemongrass and rendered them bit chinesey.

Chicken tom yum was reasonably good as it was not too spicy, which diners with lower tolerance would enjoy.

Asparagus with chillie and shrimp paste was not too bad and good thing the asparagus was not too soft.

Sliced beef and basil in oyster sauce was really good. Beef was tender and succulent and well flavoured by basil.

Red ruby waterchestnut was the saving grace to my dinner as the shaved ice was extremely fine that it melted in the mouth the moment was each spoonful entered.

Sri Siam

2008-10-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

This basic humble looking homestyle restaurant has been around for many years in SS2 PJ (corner lot, on the same row as Eng Seng Heng (ESH) on the other end) , with regular patrons frequenting the place pretty often. Garnered numerous good comments from many diners, it was time to try it out.

Grinded red and green bird's eye chillies was good; spicy and appetising

Kerabu Mango was not too bad, it would have been better with bit more sourness added to it and the shredded mango crunchier.

Though ordinary, the stir-fried bean sprouts with salted fish was well done.

Sri Siam soup was clear, spicy and sour soup with mixed seafood of squids, prawns, and fish. Serving was perfect, no more, no less.

Larb gai was an unusual refreshing and interesting chicken dish served with mint leaves, sliced onions, cubed cucumber and lime juice dressing.

Red ruby waterchestnut dessert was good with lots of the red rubies and the right tinge of sweetness. A great end to dinner, anytime.

June Thai

2008-10-14T05:46:00.000-07:00

Adrian and I spotted this place under renovation when we visited Claypot Brothers in TTDI and we made it a point to try its menu out when it opened. Located just few doors away from Claypot Brothers, this white-lavendar themed Thai restaurant set a soft and feminine ambience with its simple, clean look. White walls with soft yellow lights. Simple furnishings and dining sets. The theme colours also ran through its menu and cutlery holders.

The walls however, we thought were not well lined with sound proofing, hence when the place was running full house, the volume of chit-chats could be a turn-off. Cushion seats would have probably been better noise absorbers.

June Thai Special was quite a concoction. A durian-flavoured mixture with evaporated milk, green & red jellies, few strips of jack fruit and pieces of longans. Quite a refreshing thirst quencher.

Top hats (Pai tee) were served with stewed shredded turnip, mushrooms with dried shrimps and shredded cucumber. The cup pastry was bit thick and soggy. It would have been a lot better had they been thin and crispy. Missing was the chillie sauce that should be topping the pai tee.

Pai tee fillings made of shredded turnip, carrot, mushrooms and dried shrimps

Mango salad with fried cat fish (fried fish floss). The sweet, sour and spicy dressing and fried cat fish were served separately, which were to be mixed with shredded mango, onions, carrots, dried shrimps and peanuts.

Thai fried fish cakes were served with chillie and pineapple dips. The cakes were quite thin, and a little dry and hard for my liking. The pineapple dip sauce added interesting taste and complemented the chillie dip quite well.

Seafood tom yum was quite good, with the right serving portion

Sweet and sour lychee chicken was deep-fried chicken strips served with canned lychees, which were tender and quite succulent. The downside was that the batter taste was not well camouflaged by the sticky sweet and sour sauce that coated the chicken strips.

La Casa

2008-10-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

La Casa, located at the Desa Parkcity Waterfront, next to Noodle House serves Italian cuisine. This time we gathered for Vichelle's birthday, belated that was. Though priced on the high side, the quality of food was worth paying for. The restaurant sported a two-open-end concept with glass doors. While the front entrance faced the car park and the supermarket, the other end faced the park and in the evening, could be breezy and cooling.

Chargrilled Honey Mustard Chicken. Succulent strips of chicken breast chargrilled served with hot honey mustard sauce, parsley, grilled sliced aubergine and grilled potatoes. For RM25, serving portion was just right to fill one's stomach and it was good and tasty.

Pan-fried Fish with Harissa Spices was succulent butterfish fillet served cous cous and mango salad. Diners can opt to replace cous cous with french fries. Good choice for those who would like to have fish without the strong lingering fishiness. Priced the same as the Chargrilled Honey Mustard Chicken.

Priced at RM28, Cheese Baked Chicken was strips of chicken breast baked with cheese sauce. As the cheese was not too strong, this is a good choice for not-cheese-inclined diners to try. Served with french fries, lettuce and carrots.

Bianco

2008-10-11T09:34:00.001-07:00

It was Joanne's belated birthday dinner and three of us, Vichelle, birthday girl and yours truly decided to settle for a place nearer to our homes as the next day was a working day. Joanne loved Italian cuisine, and we hopped over to Bianco in Damansara Perdana after work.

We had a pizza, pesto linguine and fettuccine cabonara. Small and simple, the restaurant was located on the ground floor of the Tropics, just before you head up to Armanee Terrace. The open air dining area was rather comfortable and exuded a relaxing ambience, which also made it a place for some catching up over coffee or tea :)

The bill came up to close to RM90, a little pricey for not-bad quality, but then again, it was for fellowship and celebration, so we let that pass.

(From top) Pesto Linguine, Margherita Pizza, Fettuccine Cabonara

Bongsen

2008-10-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

Located on the top floor of KLCC, diagonally opposite Madam Kwan, Bongsen is a Vietnamese fusion restaurant. Each return would be the Vietnamese fresh rice paper prawn spring rolls and spicy beef noodles. Thirst quencher would be soda with sour plum and lime.

The prawn spring rolls were fresh finely cut carrots, mung bean sprouts, cucumber and lettuce wrapped in translucent rice paper and served with lime vinaigrette dip. The cold appetiser cost RM12++.

The spicy beef noodles came with chunks, balls and slices of beef and served with fresh basil, bean sprouts, and a slice of lime and light soy sauce with bird's eye chillies for extra strength in flavouring. Two modest diners may share a bowl of noodles as the serving portion was generous (oh well, the noodles cost RM20++).

Paddington House of Pancakes

2008-10-11T09:15:00.001-07:00

This place is heaven for pancake lovers, be it crepe, pannekoeks, galettes, stacks, poffertjes, blitzes, blinis, or dollar size pancakes. With lots of varieties, sweet and savoury, Paddington House of Pancakes (or PHOP for short) is certainly a place to return to every now and then.

Located in a few malls, I had tried quite a variety, separately at 1Utama, Hartamas Shopping Centre and The Curve. Of these three, the one in 1Utama probably had the best ambience. Signaturely, the outlets sported glass walls and were basically modest in floor space. Plain but comfortable, one gets full view of the place and diners seated at the tables.

I am sharing some pictures taken at various outlets and occassions many months back as I was not into blogging then, hence I am unable to recall the names of these mouth-watering platters.

For the sweet-tooths

Full Monty

Treasure Box

Savoury ones

Cup of latte thereafter

Claypot Brothers

2008-10-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

We were passing Taman Tun Dr Ismail, more famously known as TTDI, we stopped by Claypot Brothers (two doors away from the Indian restaurant, Devi's Corner) to try out its claypot rice. We ordered a serving of the pig stomach pepper soup with salted vegetables and a pot of minced pork and salted fish rice for two. Reasonably priced, both were good and definitely good to have on a cold day. We'd be back at Claypot Brothers soon!

Pig Belly Pepper Soup with Salted Vegetables

Salted Fish and Minced Pork Patty Claypot Rice (1 pot has servings for 2-3 persons, depending on your capacity)

As pale as it looked, the claypot rice was actually very good, and tasty.

Lorong Seratus

2008-10-11T08:33:00.001-07:00

Lorong Seratus in SS2, same row as the Kew Brothers, came highly recommended by a colleague of my hubby's. We decided to check it out one Saturday morning for brunch. Whilst my hubby was more forgiving, I was sorely disappointed of two main things, i.e. food were ridiculously pricey for hawker items, and the portions were flabbergastedly small for the price we paid although I don't remember the exact prices now. The assam laksa and rojak buah were more than RM5 per bowl, that's for sure! The saving grace laid in the rojak buah as the prawn paste was as I have expected it to be - good, but not deserving enough for a second or third visit.

Penang cendol

Penang ABC (shaved ice with red beans, jellies, atap seeds, peanut gruelle and brown sugar)

Penang Rojak (Buah)

Penang Assam Laksa

Santini

2008-10-11T07:46:00.001-07:00

We met a old friend for dinner at this newly setup Santini in JayaOne, Section 13. It took aan entirely new look from the old Santini, which sported mainly green and gold/yellow. Now sporting the modern red and white concept, the new place looked chic. If you are one that goes for ambience and setting, you might want to check out this place.

However, our expectation of its food was not well met, and we could not help but feeling disappointed, not so much of the price that we had to pay, but the food quality that has deteriorated since I have dined at Santini KLCC couple of years back, hence the quality severely did not commensurate with the prices the dishes were set at.

See-through glass panel at the end of the long dining section, that overlook the JayaOne area.

Modern Red & White concept.

Section for private dining / functions sealed off by the full ceiling-to-floor red glass.

The smoking section is an open section with ceiling and wall of all white wood panels with comfy low sofas.

Facing the sofas was the bar with quite comfy high chairs.

The menu is nothing extravagant, practical, simple and easy to browse.

Toasted baguette with olive oil/black vinegar dip.

Wild mushroom soup with fresh cream @RM14.90. This was not too exceptionally good. Can pass but not for that price.

Meatballs with spicy tomato and grilled ciabatta from the Cold & Hot Appetisers selections @ RM10.90. Rather mediocre for a appetiser at such pricing.

Crespelle (Pancake with chicken and mushrooms) @ RM24.90. This was nothing like the picture shown in the menu and I almost could not recognise it when it served. Not exactly tasty and good, especially for the price paid.

Thin crusted Margherita Pizza (Tomatoes and mozzarella served with oregano and basil) @ RM11.90 was an ordinary pizza.

Oven-baked lamb served with capponata and balsamic lamb juice @ RM55.90 was not as good as some of the other rack of lamb we had before. Perhaps the chef should try out the 6 to10 Grill in Section 17, PJ to know that even that, which was priced at 16++ could outbeat this anytime.

Roasted cod fish served with portobello mushrooms, asparagus (originally with gratin potatoes) and garlic @ RM48.90 was probably the only thing that was up to our expectation.

Sutra

2008-10-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

I was heading to the Fitness First outlet in The Curve after work to check out the facility as I contemplated re-joining the gym. My first visit to the outlet was couple of years ago when it first opened and I can't really recall . Adrian was on leave and was at having a ball watching movies at Cineleisure. We decided to do dinner at Sutra since I enjoyed Thai cuisine very much and we had not tried the food there.

Right at the entrance to Sutra were three wood panel carvings and they were beautiful.

Two wall panels were filled with little compartments where each laid a statue of Buddha in meditating position.

The interior of Sutra exuded a warm and relaxing ambience that would get diners to feel at ease and enjoy their food.

Mango salad was good, with spiciness and sourness that were just nice to the tastebuds.

Seafood tom yum was well flavoured, with good level spiciness and sourness. It would have been a lot better had the sliced fish were more fresh.

Pineapple fried rice was served in a half sliced whole pineapple skin with quite large prawns, loads of raisins and cashew nuts and topped with deep-fried sausages and freshly cut cucumbers. Tasty and well-flavoured.

Beef noodles was quite good, served with loads of vegetables.

Peranakan Place

2008-10-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

Adrian and I were window-shopping in 1Utama when we were approaching the Peranakan Place, a Peranakan restaurant located between the old and new wings. We decided to stop over for a quick lunch and some good cendol.

Tom Yum Noodles (vermicelli) was not up to my expectation, much to my disappointment. The soup was not as spicy and sour as I had hoped it'd be. Sigh.

The Peranakan Platter was a combo of rice, ulam (fresh long beans and chinese cabbage) and chicken rendang was quite good and it came with a dip of prawn paste, grinded red chillie and finely pounded dried shrimp for the fresh ulam.

The Sago with Gula Melaka was really good, and that kind of compensated for the disappointing Tom Yum noodles that I ordered.

Cendol was also very good, and one that Peranakan Place is famous for :)

Daisaku Robata

2008-10-11T04:26:00.000-07:00

Located in Menara Keck Seng on Jalan Bukit Bintang, Daisaku Robata is a Japanese restaurant that serves some very good japanese dishes. I had the opportunity to try some for dinner with my hubby, Adrian and cousin, Maggie.

Pickled cucumber and carrots with sesame were great appetisers.

Unagi, grilled eel was juicy and well marinated. One can finish a few bowls of rice with that alone.

Teriyaki Cod was superbly good. Served with fresh slided cucumber, tomatoes, shredded cabbage and cold mashed potatoes.

Deep-fried white yam to be eaten with a sprinkle of salt. Really good.

Shoba noodles ala italian style served with shredded ginger, fincely cut squids, and shredded seaweeds.

Cold tofu salad was really refreshing and a real treat for diners that are watching their weights. Fantastic dressing that goes so well with the beancurds and fresh vegetables and fried onions.

Sauce which we were told goes with all sorts of tempura dishes.

Gu Yue Tien

2008-10-11T03:47:00.000-07:00

It was my Tai Yee's 60th birthday and my cousin, Maggie wanted to treat her mum to a good dinner and we thought of Gu Yue Tien, a chinese fine-dining restaurant located in Chulan Square in Jalan Bukit Bintang. Its menu ranges from the ordinary fried kway teow to exquisite dishes. We booked a menu for RM1,388 with slight changes - longevity noodles instead of rice, longevity buns instead of pancakes that comes with the ginger tea with glutinous rice balls, and the choices of appetisers for the three combination cold appetiser. At Gu Yue Tien, reservation is encouraged. Pre-dining menu can also be customised to fit the budget one has but be prepared to fork out minimum RM 1k for family dinner of 10 per table as the menu that we made changes to was initailly RM988.

Three Combination Cold Appetiser

Gu Yue Tien Soft Boiled Egg with Foie Gras is one of its signature dishes.

Oven-Baked Lobster Tart Topped with Salmon Caviar and Crab Meat Mayonnaise was simply heavenly.

Stewed Whole Abalone with Japanese Scallop and Broccoli.

Steamed Soon Hock with Minced Ginger and Yellow Bean Paste was good as the fish was fresh and meat was intact.

Cheong Sau Meen, longevity noodles was delicious as noodles were springy and tastily flavoured.

Sau Hou, longevity buns that symbolises long and fruitful life, with lot of descendents.

Niji Sushi

2008-10-11T03:22:00.000-07:00

Niji Sushi is a two-lot Japanese restaurant located in Medan Putra, Menjalara next to the famous high-end residential park, Desa Parkcity. Started off humbly as a small, one-lot restaurant, business had been growing steadily that the owner was able to expand, adding more tables for local patrons and frequent diners. Hot and cold sake are also served.

California Haso Maki is egg and crabstick wrapped in rice

Ebikko, rice wrapped in seaweed topped with fish roes

Sake sushi is fresh sliced salmon on rice, something that salmon lovers would lavish upon as the salmon were tasty and fresh.

Sake Temaki is handroll of fresh salmon and fish roes

Salmon Skin Inari is deep-fried salmon skin on top of rice wrapped in sweet beancurd skin

Spider Temaki is fried soft-shell crab handroll

Tamako is sliced poached eggs with rice

Qin Han Lou

2008-10-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

Qin Han Lou is a chinese retaurant located two rows behind the KFC outlet in the town of Bentong. Among its signature dishes are the fish paste noodles, fish balls and yong tau foo, vegetable stuffed with pork paste and deep-fried. A lavish lunch of which the cost was never known but minus the exotic dish, would be a reasonable amount given the quality and portion served.

Fresh fish balls that are amazingly crunching and tasty that are served with fried garlic, spring onions, light soy sauce and oil.

Noodles made from fish paste, served with tung fun (glass noodles), pak choy, prawns, in soup with superior chinese wine. This is a must-try as noodles of fish paste is not common in KL or other towns.

Yong Tau Foo is a dish of red chillies, sliced bittergourd, aubergines and beancurd skin stuffed with minced pork paste. Served with tasty bean paste gravy with spring onions, this is a delicious and filling dish. Rather different way of serving compared to the ones in KL.

Sliced roasted pork in black pepper and mustard sauce is a dish that pork lovers would lavish upon. The sauce is adds ummph to the dish as it is superbly done.

Fried vermicelli with eggs, sliced mushrooms, chinese sausage, bean sprouts, chives, shredded carrots, onions and garlic. Eaten wrapped in fresh chinese lettuce.

Stir-fried spinach with crispy anchovies was good as spinach was fresh and young.

Steamed pomfret with sliced mushrooms and ham served with fried garlic, shredded ginger in light soy sauce. Extremely fresh fish with meat that is sweet and intact with interesting preparation with mushrooms and ham slices.

Stewed deer tendon with water terrapin flaps with dried scallops was quite an exotic dish. It's a dish that needed to be pre-ordered as the stewing would take a long time before the terrapin flaps are tender and soft for enjoyment.

Soong Kee

2008-10-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

Restoran Soong Kee is a humble looking house-convert restaurant in Seri Kembangan that serves home-style chinese dishes.

Far Guat Lung, literally translated means Boneless Dragon is a signature dish. Made of fish paste that is stuffed into fish skin and deep-fried, one could not tell that the fish is boneless at first glance.

Homemade steamed beancurd served with minced pork and thick gravy

Fish head curry is delicious and the curry itself would be yummy even with plain bread

Sei Tai Tin Wong or the Four Heavenly King is a dish of stir-fried twisted cluster beans (aka stink beans), aubergines, long beans, and okras with prawns, onions, chillies in sambal paste

Steamed chicken is fresh and tasty with meat tender and sweet

Gu Lou Yok is stewed pork with gravy that goes extremely well with man tou (plain chinese buns)

Chefs in the open kitchen at the side of the house-restaurant

Front of the restaurant

Location: 97, Jalan Sekolah SK3/10
Seri Kembangan
43300 Selangor
Contact: 012-2341177/016-3537707
Business Hours: Daily