danny writes...

Oui! Oui! Oui! Le Bouchon!

2011-11-18T04:47:00.000-08:00

Boss and colleague from Singapore was in town for meetings. I agreed to have dinner with them and their preference was western cuisine. So, I googled the internet for "good western restaurants in KL" and a few familiar names popped up. Frangipani, Le Bouchon... some not quite western ones like Top Hat, Bonton and one which I was not quite familiar with, Hakka Republic. I have been to Frangipani and since, I am totally in the dark about Hakka Republic, so I decided to opt for Le Bouchon.

I checked out their website and found out that the restaurant was voted by the Tatler magazine for 8 consecutive years from 2003 till 2010 to be the best restaurant in town.

It took about half an hour from the office because of usual peak hour traffic even though, Changkat Bukit Bintang is really not that far away from KLCC.

The restaurant was not busy at all at 7:30PM and I was doubting my pick now because the restaurant though very french looking, was also rather run down.

A sole waiter showed us to our table and brought us the menu. We were really hungry and unanimously, chose the gourmet dinner menu.

The Tatler best restaurant awards on the wall and they are running out of space.

Gratin d’asperges aux truffes du Périgord et au Champagne
Gratin of asparagus with Champagne sabayon and black truffles from Périgord (MY PICK)
Or
Salade Périgourdine
Medley of imported lettuces, goose liver terrine, confit gizzards, smoked duck, Cognac sultanas vinaigrette

******

Soupe de moules noires au safran et légumes aromatiques
Black mussels and saffron soup with aromatique vegetables
Or
Coquilles St Jacques grillées et fricassée de champignons sauvages, sauce au Porto (MY PICK)
Grilled sea scallops with wild mushroom fricassee and Port wine sauce

******

Carré d’agneau à la croute de fromage de chèvre, courgettes à la fleur de thym,
sauce au Cabernet sauvignon
Rack of lamb with goat’s cheese crust, roasted zucchinis with thyme flowers, Cabernet Sauvignon sauce
Or
Magret de canard rôti au miel de montagne, échalotes confites et fricassée de légumes aux tomates séchées au soleil (MY PICK)
Mountain honey roasted duck breast, confit shallots and fricassee of vegetables with sundried tomatoes
Or
Filet de loup de mer grillé au fenouil, tomates rôties et sauce au caviar
Grilled fillet of seabass with fennel, roasted tomatoes and caviar sauce

******

Assiette de fromages de France non pasteurisés, pain et crackers
Assorted non pasteurized French cheeses, bread and crackers
Or
Crème brulée aux framboises (MY PICK)
Crème brulée with raspberries
Or
Tiramisu à la mangue
Mango tiramisu

Add caption

The set dinner was RM148 per person. The portion was small especially the appetizer and the entree. The main though was a larger portion but it was barely enough.

Maybe that is what's to be expected for french fine cuisine. However, in terms of taste and ingredient, Le Bouchon is all deserving of its accolades.

The asparagus gratin with Champagne sabayon and black truffles from Périgord was wonderful. Perfectly cooked asparagus spears, seasoned with the sharp flavor of the truffle coin and champagne sabayon.The entree, perfectly grilled sea scallops accompanied by an incredibly delicious port wine sauce wild mushroom fricassee.

My Mountain honey roasted duck breast was done medium as requested. Still pink in the middle and the skin was golden brown. The confit of shallots was an excellent addition of saltiness to the meat while the fricassee of vegetables with sundried tomatoes help balance the acidity of the dish.

I regretted not ordering the tiramisu - the deconstructed version. I wanted to stay true to my choice and it was french cuisine! Isn't tiramisu, Italian? Anyway, I was thrilled to taste bits of burnt licorice candy covered by the strawberries and mint leaves. It was an interesting combination - creme brulee and licorice... ^^

This meal sealed my fate as a true believer in french cooking techniques. The freshness of the food, cooked to perfection, not a tinge under, not a tinge over! The selection of the right ingredient to provide the best combination of flavors contributing to the overall taste of the dish. I was peering over to my colleague's plate and noticed the leftover roasted shallot bulb, the stalk of rosemary, the garnish of strawberries et cetera. I felt sad that he was missing out on the overall flavor but at the same time, I am really glad as my plate was squeaky clean and I am beaming ear to ear contented.

Angus Japanese Steak House

2011-10-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

My colleague Eugene recommended that I try Angus, the Japanese Steak House when I was in Singapore for a meeting but I didn't get to it. I know there is a branch here, right here in KL at the Pavillion which opened a few months ago.

I had 2 hours to spare before catching "Real Steel" starring Hugh Jackman, so I decided to check it out. The menu was quite straight forward. It was either steak, seafood, salad or pasta. Steak came in a a few sizes starting with 150 grams up to 300 grams. They have a dinner set menu which comes with hors d'ouvres, salad, a main of either grilled King Prawns with Cod fish or Tenderloin Steak with Lamb Rack. We ordered both.

The restaurant was quite empty and so service was very brisk and attentive. First came the bread - a hot piece of crusty bread roll served with soft butter. Absolutely delicious! We were off to a good start.

Then came the carrot soup. It didn't look impressive - pinkish cream soup with no other garnishing. I was expecting a strong carrot taste in the soup but was pleasantly surprised that it didn't really taste like a carrot soup instead anyone taking a blind taste test may have mistaken it for pumpkin. Creamy and silky... Just enough to whet my appetite further.

Next course was Grilled Shrimp serve with a Tomato Salsa with Water Cress, Cucumber rosette with piped in Mash Potatoes. The presentation was quite impressive i.e. shrimp mounted on top of the cucumber strips and generous drizzle of tomato salsa which tasted like the sweet and sour sauce from a chilly crab dish. The combination was a thriller! The sweet and sour sauce, slightly spicy, the soft yet tender cucumber strips, the creamy mash potato, the nutty flavor from the water cress and the crunchy shrimp. I am quite impressed so far.

Next was the salad, a simple spread of cucumber, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and carrot strips topped with bonito flakes drizzled with a soy sauce based vinegar dressing. It was not disappointing but I had to stomp on the brakes as I was expecting more creativity in the salad but anyway, a salad is a salad...

Next was the main course and I prayed that it would not disappoint. The tenderloin was well cooked, soft and juicy. I wished I could afford the Wagyu set, which was double the price and it would be more fatty as the tenderloin is missing some good marbling in a good piece of meat. Nevertheless, still very good with the herb butter. The lamb rack was at most average for me.

The King prawns were grilled to perfection. Most of the time, I find grilled prawns undercooked and it is such an appalling taste. This time, it was great. Even the prawn heads were slightly salted and the roe was nicely cooked. The piece of cod was soft and delicious - skin side crispy and inside soft and flaky. A little squeeze of lemon gave it a little more spike.

The dessert was a piece of Berry Yoghurt Sponge Cake with a Mixed Fruit Salsa, Mint leaf and Milk and White Chocolate. A great combination of flavors for the palate to bring the meal to an end.

It is not a cheap meal but for the quality of food, I think it was worth every sen.

Into the Dream at Jebu-Do

2011-09-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

Presented with an opportunity to either embrace the cultural Korean Folk Village or feast on a sumptuous meal of seawater prawns - harvested only around this time of the year in autumn - which should I choose? My visit to the Korean Folk Village during my first trip to Seoul about 8 years ago is still fresh in my mind. Maybe, slightly confused with imageries from the 54 episodes of “Dae Jang-geum” which I diligently chased for a whole two weeks. Admittedly, I am quite a laggard when it comes to watching sitcoms and Korean dramas. I had rather wait for the entire season to be out on DVD and preferably, when one of my buddies can lend it to me. Jeremy who was tagging along on this trip has been to neither since it was his first trip to Seoul. So, I left the decision with Jeremy and for him the decision was not a difficult one too.

Jebu-do or Jebu Island is about an hour from Seoul but since it was Friday and the traffic in and out of Seoul was rather heavy, it may take two hours. Andrew is one of my best friends in Seoul and he was kind enough to take the day off to show Jeremy and I around. He knows me well and also felt that the prawn meal would be a much more appealing experience for us.

Jebu-do is a tiny island in Jebu-ri , Seosin-myeon, Hwaseonh-si, Gyeonggi province. From Seoul, we drove towards Incheon and headed south to Suwon. The traffic was very heavy going out of Seoul, which was contrary to what we had expected because people will be headed towards the city to spend the Friday evening. Anyway, Andrew and I had a lot to catch up, so we didn’t mind the congestion as we are rather busy chit chatting, while Jeremy was fast asleep at the passenger seat the moment we hit the highway. The only annoying distraction was Andrew’s GPS dislodging from its holder every now and then. Andrew was rather apologetic about his dated and old GPS and committed repeatedly that he would buy a new one.

After a few wrong turns, we found ourselves at the Jebu-do tollgate. Unfortunately, we missed the low tide and the road is now covered by the sea. Everyday for about 6 hours from around late morning the road will be submerged. It’s 3:00PM and it will be a few more hours before the tide would subside. We jokingly played Moses but we know these red sea is not going to part for at least another 3 or 4 hours. No miracle is going to happen now and we will just have to wait.

The Jebu-do seaway is a 2-lane road blocked by a drawn gate barricading the fenced area preventing any vehicles from approaching the tollgate during high tide. Along both sides of the road leading to the tollgate, seafood restaurants crescents the area. A spa, apparently not in operation anymore, nestled in between a seafood restaurant and a convenience store on one side and on the other, similar looking seafood restaurants with water tanks of shellfish and prawns decorated the landscape. Bright neon lighted signboards and blown up photos of delicious looking seafood dishes paints the canvas of Jebu-do.

Of course, we are not on the island yet but Andrew assured us that the seafood restaurants here on the mainland are actually just as good and in fact more popular with the tourists. So, he recommended that we have our lunch and wait for the tide to subside.

He ushered us to a restaurant in the middle and we shuffled past the water tanks of scallops, short neck clams, oysters, mussels and big aquarium of dancing prawns. I spotted a few octopus squashed and trapped in a green nylon net bundled in the corner of one of the water tank. Through a dark short passageway in between two restaurants cluttered with plastic containers, empty water tanks, some cooking utensil and much more, we were led to the tables facing the sea. Rectangular acrylic boards lined the vinyl coated green chain link fence vertically to block the strong wind, as it can get really cold during autumn and wintertime. That section is a wooden platform extension of the restaurant wide enough to fit two tables with enough room for the food to be served and accommodate around four tables lengthwise.

We left the ordering to Andrew and he ordered a set menu consisting of an assortment of clams, sea snails, oysters and mussels and about half a kilo of prawns. The traditional Korean charcoal stove was embedded onto the middle of the table and the Korean barbecue iron cast gridded plate was placed on top.

Half a dozen of oysters were wrapped in foil and placed on the barbecue plate. Then the rest of the shellfish was randomly arranged around it. A metal bowl was placed on the side next to the oysters. In the bowl was sliced snail meat with chilly paste and chopped juliennes of carrot, coriander and vegetable. As the clams started popping, the juice from the clams is poured into the bowl as demonstrated by our elderly Korean auntie waiting on us. Some of the clams opened up almost immediately upon hitting the barbecue plate while the rest took a bit longer to cook. I have never tasted mussels about the size of a thumb, so fresh and so delicious. Each clam, each snail and each oyster painstakingly picked returns a worthwhile gratifying taste of the ocean.

The prawns were cooked in a separate pot on a portable canister stove. The inside of the pot is coated with a thick layer of rough sea salt. Basically, the prawns were cooked by the heat and infused with the flavor of the sea salt. I try to sneak a peek through the transparent glass pot cover every now and then, as the prawns kick and lashed in the tight enclosure, changing color from dark olive green to reddish pink. It took about ten minutes to cook all the prawns thoroughly. Then the prawns were transferred onto the barbeque plate.

I had my prawns straight out from the pot. It was succulent and moist. Cooking it on the barbeque plate will just dry or burn the prawns. Though we were served 2 type of dips, the Korean chilly paste or wasabi in soy sauce, I felt neither was necessary because the seafood was so fresh. Adding any other seasoning would just ruin the natural taste.

Nearly burned my tongue, when I was too quick to gobble down a piece of cooked clam. The clam was filled with very hot salty seawater, which could have caused a first-degree burn inside my mouth. The prawns were so delicious that we ordered another kilo without any hesitation.

Around about twenty cars were in line at the tollgate and we thought we better get into the car too and join the queue. The draw gate is about to open to release the flood of vehicles into the island. The sea has parted and in front, lays a winding 2-lane road leading into the darkness. A pylon stands beside the road and in between the island, maybe supplying the sole source of electricity into the island.

There is no other source of light besides your car headlights as you trudge the 2.3km long winding road into the island. On both sides of the road was pitched black darkness and the road was wet and shiny. Some people crossed the seaway on foot. Many years ago, before the bridge was build, people wait for the low tide to wade across to the mainland. I was wondering whether any fish will be trapped on the road and perhaps, the people are not only crossing the road but also picking up lost seafood along the way.

Once you reach the island, the road splits into 2 and the road takes you around the 12km stretch of road and leads you back to split full circle. Along the way, you see more seafood restaurants. Smaller than the ones on the mainland but definitely, much more colorful. Restaurant staff stands by the roadside shouting and frantically beckoning to the guest. Some even kicks into a funny dance to attract attention. All too amusing…

Andrew suggested that we look for a place for coffee. As we turn around to the other side of the island, we passed a row of restaurants, by far the most colorful and brightly lit, we pulled to the side to park. We got off the car and enjoyed the gushing wind as it pounds the dark sandy beach. We could hear voices and laughter but could hardly make out anything in the low light.

We hopped back into the car after a few minutes as the cold is becoming unbearable and we drove down the road for another several hundred meters. We spotted an open café and we pulled into the driveway.

Mong Café was like a scene from a Korean movie. Love messages and notes strung across the slightly frosted window lit by warm Christmas lights. Each piece of paper was held in place by a small wooden peg. Some were pegged in a stack. Maybe, too many messages and they didn’t have enough space. The window looks out to the beach and outside tables and chairs were arranged in no particular order. The graffiti of what looks like a Bodhi tree with a cage hanging from a branch was painted on the glass in white and on the trunk of the tree, engraved the words “Coffee Mono”.

Above the window, the Korean character “Mong” marks the centre of the exterior facade and a small inscription of what seems like a red seal sits at the foot of the character. Next to it, the roman words “In to the Dream” spells out across the façade in a wavy line.

Inside the café, only two tables were occupied. The sole worker and barista took our orders and served us our hot coffee. More love notes and messages decorated the walls, filling up every inch and every corner. We sat outside to enjoy the cold foggy Korean autumn and the gushing wind from the sea. We were handed each a thick red tartan blanket, which we wrapped ourselves with in all silliness as we enjoy our cup of coffee. We were still very full, yet satisfied from the delicious meal of prawns and sea snails.

In to the Dream? Yes, I do think so.

Conquer the Matterhorn, we shall try?

2011-09-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

December 23, 2010

A couple of months ago, my university mate, Benjamin, messaged me on Facebook , “Hey Dan, we shall conquer the Matterhorn!” I was puzzled for a moment. Surely, it can’t be the famous mountain in the Swiss Alps. Neither Ben nor I were mountain climbers. I don’t know about him but I haven’t even attempted rock-climbing yet and so, I left it as that.

Now I find myself, in my car, driving towards Damansara Kim, 15 minutes away from where I live. Damansara Kim is familiar but the exact location of Euro Deli was unknown to me. Relying on my Iphone Map, I have faith that it will lead me there and searching for the address with my 3G connections makes life easy. So spontaneous, isn’t it? It is so liberating.

As I was googling “Euro, Deli, Damansara Kim” and clicking on the first hit, for the address, a pop-up reads “The Biggest, Baddest Burger in Malaysia, The Matterhorn Challenge is Here”. Now, it dawned on which Matterhorn Ben was referring to and that instantly brought a big smile to my face.

The Biggest, baddest burger in Malaysia.

To draw parallel with the Matterhorn, the burger must not only be big, bad and intimidating but it must surely pose an insurmountable challenge. Between the 1860s till 1995, at least 500 alpinists died on the iconic pyramid shaped mountain ridges. I wonder how many people failed on this challenge. Maybe, some may have died choking on the burger patty. Already in my mind, I am conjuring up and image of a gargantuan greasy, cheesy beef burger with gherkins and tomatoes spilling out between the patty and the bun, with ketchup and mustard trickling down on its sides. Retro images of Stella, Ben’s fiancée stuffing chunks of burger patties into Ben’s throat fills my brain. “Darling, you can do this! For me dear, for me…”. And I see Ben, with his black rimmed Clark Kent glasses, askew on his oily face and his mouth yanked wide opened but alas only to be compactly stuffed with meat and bits of vegetable and bacon sticky out. Eyes aghast in shrieking horror. *Grin. Gulp…

Carol and Heng were outside the Deli waving out to me. I found the restaurant but it was really by luck. Iphone Map did point me to the right locality but obviously, the map was not updated with the latest road gantries, now that most residential had engaged guards and enacted their own security post elevating their residential status to a gated community, it took several wrong turns before I found Euro Deli.

Actually, it was Brandon, who messaged me this time. “Oi, free for dinner? Meeting Heng, Carol, Ben and Stella for dinner at Euro Deli”. And surprisingly, in a pleasant way, I was really free for dinner. So, I accepted. Anyway, it was Brandon’s birthday last week and I am sure it is a belated celebration as well.

We chatted for quite a bit outside the deli before we made our way inside to our table. Reservation was under Ben’s name. Brandon was next to appear and we waited for another half an hour before Stella and Ben turned up to fulfill the quorum. They came from town and traffic as usual was testing.

There are 3 Euro Deli restaurants. Besides this Damansara Kim branch, another one is at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng and the last one in Solaris Mont Kiara (inside Cold Storage, on the First Floor). Halved paned pine wood doors with glass, though alternately “stained” with Hoergaarden stickers still provided a reasonably clear view of the interior of the restaurant from outside. On the left, a stretch of open chillers offers the wide range of meat, sausages, pies and beverage and the service area cum cashier counter divides the restaurant in half. The other section is mainly tables and chairs filling the space with a corkboard that reads “Matterhorn Hall of Fame” pasted at the posterior of the hallway beckoning to any audacious burger munchers.

Wall of Fame or Wall of Shame?

Only 3 other tables were occupied. It is probably common for weekdays. Ben ordered the Matterhorn in advance. It takes about 45 minutes to cook. While waiting, we armed ourselves with “Buy 2, get the third one free” pints of Hoegaarden and files through the formality of updating on everyone’s where about. I was horrible at keeping in touch but I think the rest didn’t fare any better either.

In the midst of our happy talks, like a U.F.O., lands the Matterhorn in the middle of the table, stabbed by a dagger, measuring about 5 inches from the blade and maybe 4 inches on the handle, holding everything in place. Honestly, it didn’t look as intimidating as the giant blown up poster on the wall. You can see our eyes lighting up and I was sure, I could read Ben’s mind, confident that his conquest will not be a futile one. He threw a cynical glare at me, “Dan, bet you can eat half the burger, no sweat!”. I grinned and humbled myself as Brandon set alight a sole candle on the burger next to the knife, still holding everything in place.

The Matterhorn measures 9 inches by 6 inches, about 10 times the size of a regular burger. Between the 450g of burger bun, sits a 1.5kg pork meat patty layered with 200g of lettuce, 370g of sliced tomatoes, 200g of gherkins, 11 slices of cheese and topped with 4 slices of bacon. Not only are you rewarded with the exclusive honor of sharing the Matterhorn Wall of Fame but also the free meal worth RM88 and a RM100 voucher to spend on your next visit. All you have to do is finish the entire burger in 45 minutes.

The six of us decided that we would share the burger. So, that we can order other a la carte. Heng decided on the mixed sausages entrée and I ordered the roasted pork belly. Carole and I engaged on an academically engaging conversation on how to crackles the pork belly skin so that it turns out crispy and crunchy instead of a chewy and leathery. Only to be interrupted by everyone bursting into a monotonous birthday song in celebration of Brandon’s 36th birthday.

Look at that patty...

We divided the burger into eight equal portions. One portions each with the remaining two portions to be shared. Without the dagger, it was not possible to hold the burger in place. We didn’t really bother as each of us embarked on our individual strategy on how to scale the burger. I went for the vegetable and condiments first. Surely, the fiber will help ease a smoother passageway for the heavier patty and to have the bun last as that would take up unnecessary space. I spied from the corners of my eyes, all 6 of us, adopted rather different strategies. Carol was yapping away, expressing her displeasure that the pork patty was too dry. Not wise to be talking too much while you eat, you are going to swallow too much air. Ben was taking it easy. I think he was more interested in his pint of Hoegaarden. He is moving on to his second.

We persevered on. Chew, chew, bite, munch, pause, stare at each other, use fingers to shove patty and gherkins back in place. Continue. Chew, chew, bite…

"We are the Champions"...

While waiting for our meal, we inspected the corkboard Matterhorn Wall of Fame. Only Polaroid of 3 gallant knights was pasted on the victorious right side of the Wall as oppose to the collage of “Losers”. Easily, a hundred people or more was defeated by the Matterhorn. On the white frame of the Polaroid, each had their excuse or their statement. One stood out for me. He said, “I ate & ate & ate and it never ended”.

"I Ate & Ate & Ate... but it never ended."

I finished my portion of eight and I volunteered to take a second. It was not that difficult. After the second, I was distracted by the pork belly and mixed sausage entrée. I could probably have another portion, making it about a third. If I am really hungry, I could probably eat half. Frankly, a whole Matterhorn in 45 minutes is definitely beyond my humble capacities.

The intimidating looks aside; I thought the burger tasted delicious. The pork patty has this meatball like texture. Probably, the mincemeat is mixed with crushed crackers to bind it together. I love gherkins. I think they are appetizing but the 11 slices of cheese was a bit much for me.

Brandon tried to finish the last portion of the Matterhorn. I didn’t remember him finishing it. He was last seen twirling a piece of gherkin with his fork like a baton on his plate of mashed up meat patty.

Though we were defeated, we enjoyed the meal thoroughly. It was a wonderful reunion of friends. I guess, we might as well not bother taking up the actual challenge. Save us the embarrassment.

Pho Hoa, The Curve - 21 Sept 2009

2009-09-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

Today is a public holiday in view of the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and as expected the malls were bustling with people and car parks were full. Well, I was craving for a bowl of steaming noodle soup and Pho Hoa just came to mind naturally.

It is situated on the Ground floor between The Curve and Ikano Power Station. It is opposite the courtyard away from Sakae Sushi and Kim Gary.

I have had the vermicelli with spring rolls and grilled beef cutlets and the rice with grilled lemon grass chicken but today, I was craving for something soupy.

For those who are new to Pho Hoa, pho is vietnamese for rice noodle soup. Here, at Pho Hoa, you get to choose what you like in it. To be more specific, you can choose between being safe or being adventurous. Safe means having only beef brisket and beef balls. Adventurous means adding tendon, flank, tripe... basically innards which will make some squeal.

Well, I am the adventurous type and will always opt for the "all-in" version. I think most people choose otherwise for 2 reasons i.e. the thought of eating innards and secondly, the strong beefy tasting broth, which most people also attribute to the innards. I can't help you with the first reason but for the second one, I can assure you that, you need not worry.

Pho Hoa adds french onions and chopped coriander in their broth and such that it not only enhances the flavor but also rids of the beefy after taste. Furthermore, if you add on the other condiments i.e. sweet basil, bean sprouts, freshly squeezed lime juice and cut chilly, that would definitely do the trick.

Other than being able to choose your choice of meat or innards, you can of course choose which size you want. You can also custom make the pho exactly to your own specification e.g. if you didn't like coriander in it or you didn't like bean sprout etc, you can specify. This is all stated on the menu... not kidding.

As customer orientated as the menu, the staff were attentive and service was brisk. I was very impressed, when I requested for a glass of ice water, the waiter asked us whether we wanted another glass since there were two of us brunching (and my friend already had a glass of ice water). No big deal it may seem to most but for me these are the tiny service detail that makes me tick ; )

Pho Hoa Noodle Soup

G34, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

Petaling Jaya 40870

Tel No. : 03-7725 9880

Apartment, The Curve 13 Sep 2009

2009-09-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday brunch... wanted something healthy, so went for the passion fruit, garden greens with vinaigrette dressing. It was interesting that the chef mingled some spring onion with the usual salad greens. I didn't think that it enhanced the flavor in anyway but I really like the passion fruit addition. It is a bit overpowering but at the same time refreshing. Bringing along the bitterness that you normally derive from the red endive or lollo rosso. If you don't know what I am talking about, look this up:

http://www.foodsubs.com/Greensld.html

I ordered the pasta as my main.... It was sort of like a stir fry spaghetti with lean chicken slices and tomatoes. It was disappointing... too bland, too dry. I think it could use a bit of gravy or at least a bit more oil. Maybe if they substitute the olive oil with peanut oil, then perhaps it will be more fragrant. Maybe it is me, I like my char kuey teow too much.

The baked fish was recommended in the menu and it was such a delight. The fish was slightly coated with cheese and oven baked. So, the fish is still juicy and moist. The cheese adds to the flavor and besides the cheese, the chef also mashed and added some cherry tomatoes which further enhances the flavor. Very nice... rather simple dish but extremely delicious. I think this can be easily replicated at home for parties or gatherings.

Restoran Pun Chun, Bidor

2009-09-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

Great place to stop for breakfast when you travel up north to Ipoh, Penang or Cameron Highlands.... exit Bidor and after the toll, turn right at the junction. Heads towards town which is about 2KM away.

Town is two row of shops and you will find Pun Chun on your right. Parking is available behind the Caltex station.

Must try.... the herbal duck drumstick noodle, the dim sum especially the "wu kok" (yam puff) and the selection of dim sum... You can also buy chicken biscuit, "pong peah" and local produce there.

You will also find stalls selling petai, guava and other seasonal fruits outside the shop. ; P

Yik Kee, Fresh Water Prawn Noodle

2009-09-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Very nice fresh water prawn noodle from Yik Kee (Jalan Besar, Karak). RM30!!! The prawns are so fresh... Local from Triang, a small town near Temerloh.

Krabi and Phi Phi Delights (31 July - 2 Aug, 2009)

2009-08-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

Just want to share some food shots from my Krabi trip. Nothing extraordinary for those who have been to any Thailand cities or towns. I mean, You can find about the same in any part of Thailand but nevertheless, it is such a delight for me to savour this goodies in Krabi... from the sidewalk food stall to the tourist class restaurant to the al fresco thai dining eateries. Well, enjoy... these are what I discovered in my short holiday in Krabi and Phi Phi Island...

Krabi Day 1

Street food... as greasy as they come. This is the Thai version of roti canai (for my fellow Malaysians) or prata (for my Singaporean friends). Sorry, more like roti telur (bread with egg) with dollops of butter inside. Served with a drizzle of condensed milk and sprinkle of sugar... rolled into a cigar with a piece of yesterday's newspaper. Yes, isn't that interesting... peel the paper and munch like you are having a crepe or popiah.... Hmmm go figure.

Next stop, was to try the oyster omelet. Actually, mussels rather than oysters and the omelet is more like a crusty pancake instead of an omelet or even different from our local "ho jian" which is more starchy in texture. It is nice especially with the thai chilly sauce. The taste reminds me of our local "cucur udang".

Then I decided to be a bit more adventurous and ordered the barbeque chicken... grilled over an open charcoal fire. More like smoked... For those hygiene conscious folks, you will probably pass or reconsider but I must say, the chicken was really well marinated and the "smoke" does add to the flavor and I guess that's what gives it the ummphh...

Well, of course I must try the pad thai (Thai fried kuey teow).... street version. The ones I had in the restaurant normally is served with pounded peanuts but this version, had "tau kuah" or fried bean curd slices and of course, lots of bean sprout. The noodle was a bit sticky but the taste was great... squeeze the slice of lime and drizzle the juice all over... add your favorite condiments, pickled chilly, chilly flakes, little bit of sugar and fish sauce. Yummy...

Krabi Day 1 Dinner

Dinner at Wangsai Seafood Restaurant... highly recommended by the bartender at the hotel pool and it was only 5 minutes walk from the hotel. Very popular with the locals. Ordered a stir fry Thai vege, looks like a cross between spinach and morning glory. Simply delicious with prawns and egg. The beef green curry was very tasty. Generous slices of bamboo shoots, fresh thai coriander and cut red chilly to spice up the curry.

The fresh water prawn was a bit of a let down. Ordered one barbequed with salt and another buttered with garlic. The prawns were slightly over grilled and came out a bit tough. I was reminiscing the fresh water prawns I had in Bangkok, at Bahn Klang Nam, this wonderful traditional Thai restaurant by the Mekong river... Hmmmm....

Day 2 Phi Phi Island

I had a very touristy lunch... so was not really worth posting the photos here but discovered this very quaint looking pastry shop along the streets of Phi Phi Island. Thought this is worth sharing.

Day 2 Dinner

This is probably the highlight of my trip in terms of meals... Please check out this stall Potjawon's Restaurant, specializing in traditional Issan dishes i.e. dishes from the northeast region of Thailand bordering Laos. It is along Aonang Beach. From the hotel (Red Ginger) walk towards the night market or the main shopping stretch and you will find a few stalls on your left. About 10 minutes walk. You won't miss it... quite prominent because this is the only centralized food stalls I found.

Potjawon's steamed siakap is so good... the fish was really fresh. Steamed thai style with chinese coriander, lemon, garlic and chilly... it was best steamed fish I have had for a long time. Not too expensive... can't remember exactly but I think it was around 250 baht.

The "Suup Nua" or beef broth cooked with tomatoes, coriander, lime, lemon grass, onion and chilly was superb too. Very appetizing, very spicy.... and for only 100 baht.

The Scarlet (18-19 July, 2009; Singapore)

2009-08-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Located behind the famous Maxwell Food Centre. Somewhere amongst the beautifully conserved colonial shop lots. The Scarlet is situated at the corner, all the way up Erskine Road.

The entrance to the hotel lobby is situated on the second shop lot. The corner lot is where the hotel restaurant is. The decor at the lobby was mysteriously gothic? I don't know why I feel that way... maybe because it was very dimly lit. Heavily carpeted. Dark furnishing but nevertheless, the front desk personnel greeted with so much warmth. I bet they could melt and iceberg. I was most impressed with the service.

Another impressive discovery was how big Scarlet actually is. I thought it was a small boutique hotel and occupies probably 3 shop lots and possibly housing 20 rooms. But I was so wrong. As I was led to my room, I went through a good 50m walk through a maze of rooms and apparently Scarlet occupies the shops all the way down to 7-Eleven. That must be a good 10 lots at least. If I remember correctly, they have 60 rooms?

The room however was a bit of a let down. Really small. I mean it was so small that the sink has to be out side the bathroom. Maybe, because I had a normal deluxe room. For SGD150, it was alright. What more can you ask for but I am sure they have bigger ones.

I am not really complaining by the way. The room was comfortable. Bed was nice. Sadly, my window view was on of the roof top because I was on the second floor.

Anyway, two thumbs up for their service. I enjoyed my stay and would definitely return.

Red Scarlet

33 Erskine Road

Singapore 069333

Tel: +65-6511 3333

Fax: +65-6511 3303

http://www.thescarlethotel.com/

Red Ginger Chic Resort in Krabi

2009-08-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new series on boutique hotels around the region. These are some pictures taken at the Red Ginger Chic Resort in Krabi. I stayed in the "Clubhouse" room, which is really a loft. Spacious.

I really like the day bed in place of the conventional sofa settee. Really nice for afternoon naps or even card games with friends.

Nice view of the pool. Service is great. Not a big resort, so you can be assured of peace and tranquility.

5-10 minutes walk to the night market and also to the seafood restaurants.

For more details on pricing and booking, please look up the website.

http://www.redgingerkrabi.com/

Ikan Cencaru at Mum's Place... June 26, 2009

2009-07-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

I ought to really carry a sling bag with me every time I go out. So that I have no excuse for not bringing my camera and uploading blurry pictures here. Blurry photos does not do justice to the food... My fault... I'm bad... I'm bad... You know it! (bereavement of MJ's passing... still).

Anyway, Mum's Place is one of those eateries that is so reputable that people are willing to travel the distance to have dinner there. Though the menu has grown over the years but what most patrons return for are the local nyonya dishes which I refrain from calling simple because the preparation required to present an unpretentious looking dish does not necessary mean that it is any lesser. Well, Gordon Ramsay don't have to pound red shallots, chilly and belacan for his fillet mignon. Not to undermine western cooking but I believe all form of cuisine deserves it's place in this world. Maybe I am just being argumentative, I am sure may people would agree with me. Gosh, it is the weekend... why am I so sensitive?

Maybe all this is to put things into perspective. The blurry photos aside but I must admit that the dishes were really not well presented. No fancy carved carrot and turnip figurines or assortment of garden salad by the side. Nothing that will wow you at the first instant. But of course, the restaurant itself is nothing less than classy and yet exudes the warmth and homely environment. Every piece of furniture is wood. The restaurant is spacious. Good mix of tables, whether to seat a couple for a romantic dining getaway or a rowdy family gathering partitioned away by indonesian teak wood dividers . Staff were very attentive and the service is quick and brisk.

Of course, what we are really after is the delicious home cook flavors from the kitchen. I have had dinner here several times already and I try to sample new dishes each time I come but one thing for sure, without fail, the Stuffed Ikan Cencaru will always have my divine devotion and make it to the order.

I am going to be really objective here. How good can fry fish be? You might giggle, sniggle or laugh out loud as I say this... but it is truly damn good. Fish fried to perfection... crispy on the outside while maintaining the moist fish flesh infused with sambal which is totally cooked through unlike some sambal stuffed cencaru where the chilly is still raw. You will also find a delicious stock oozing out from the fish flavoured by the spicy sambal which is likely to be pounded chilly, shallot, belacan and various other spices. To really push the needle, Mum's has added petai to the fish but I am not sure whether it was part of the sambal or it was fried separately but the flavor is just amazing. The slight bitterness of petai with the savory flavorsome fish and spicy sambal. My mouth is watering as I am typing this... gosh.

After all the banter on my sambal stuffed cencaru, I am not going to do must justice to the rest of the other dishes. Ha! Favoritism... so what? Shoot me? Ha ha... I think we all deserve to have our favorites and it is just a representation of our own preference, choice and perhaps a reflection of our individualism. Yes and mine is Mum's Place Stuffed Ikan Cencaru. ; P

You know what.... as I am not going to be objective from this point onwards since I am so in love with my sambal stuffed ikan cencaru, I mind as well just stop here. You can look up the rest of the photos. There are two only by the way - the first one was creamy soft shell crab and the second the otak-otak with thai sweet and spicy chilly sauce. There are both good in my view... of course not exceptional, as that proclamation has gone to nothing other than my beloved Stuffed Ikan Cencaru.

Enjoy... Anyway, Damansara Perdana is not too far away from town. Just take the Penchala Link, without traffic 20-30mins from town. While you are here, you can shop at the Curve or Ikano Power Station. What a wonderful weekend! Yahoo...

Mum's Place

31-1 to 39-1 Jalan PJU 8/5A

Damansara Perdana

47820 PJ

Tel :+603-7727 8443/ 7727 8449

Website: www.mumsplace.com.my

De Maw Chinese Restaurant (Next to PGRM, Cheras)

2009-06-21T03:10:00.000-07:00

De Maw is fairly new... I think probably less than 2 years old and the chef was from one of the notable 5-star hotel. Some say Mandarin, some say the former Ming Court on Jalan Ampang. Though fairly new but it has already created quite a reputation i.e. extremely huge serving, great taste and reasonable price.

It is not hard to find. From town head towards Cheras via the old Cheras Road. The easiest and least confusing way would be to take the Jalan Pudu. If you are in town, from Pudu Jail, head towards Cheras until you pass Jaya Jusco at Taman Maluri. Then keep left and when you see PGRM but do not turn into the road leading into Taman Shamelin. Instead just go straight into the secondary road. De Maw is the first shop lot on your left.

The restaurant is air-conditioned but it seats probably around 10 tables. So, reservation is a definite must.

The must-try in De Maw.... the shark's fin soup... No offense to our animal protection activist friends but if you do not mind, the soup is not to be missed. It offers generous amount of crab meat and bits of other seafood in it. The taste is just right and perfect with a dash of red rice wine vinegar.

We were not really sure what was good, so we ordered the braised beef , tripe and tendon, the creamy prawn, steamed kampung chicken, claypot tauhu and a stir fried vege. The braised beef, tripe and tendon and claypot tauhu was alright. Big portion but taste wise, average. The Kampung Chicken had very nice herbal soup stock (sorry no photo la). The chicken comes in small chunks and is wrapped in aluminium foil and baked. The mixture of chinese herbs and chinese rice wine produces this fantastically tasty broth. The chicken should have been in bigger chunks, otherwise it would have been the perfect dish. The creamy prawn was ok, well, I think the sauce was not quite there but it wasn't bad either. Don't get me wrong. Just that I have tasted better.

Though out of the 6 dishes we ordered, only 2 scored well with me, I would still highly recommend De Maw for a fantastic chinese dinner with friends or family. Especially if you do not want to pay too much or if you have some really hungry friends (remember, the big portions)... Average RM40 per head. Not bad, huh?

Restoran De Maw

Address: No.18, Jalan Pudu Ulu, off 3rd Mile Jalan Cheras,

56100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 9285 6833

Open : 12PM - 11PM

Lau Heong at Sentul

2009-06-05T07:36:00.001-07:00

Lau Heong, is a hidden gem. Tucked in the hustle and bustle of Sentul. Very popular with some 98.8FM dee- jays, of which I had the privilege of dining with. : )

Well, I shall not name who he is but he has been telling me about this place for the longest time but of course, due to his busy schedule, we never quite made it here until this fortunate day when heavens part and the sky rained gold and silver ingots... so drama, right? And this is only for a meal...

Anyway, Lau Heong is located in the middle of the shop lot, Jalan 3/48A, Sentul Perdana. A bit difficult to find but if you ask around, I think you will get there. It has alfresco dining and non-air conditioned area on the ground floor and air-conditioned upstairs.

As good as it sounds, the place was very busy and we were lucky to get ourselves a table upstairs. Since I was there with a celebrity dee-jay, I enjoyed the little bit of attention that deflected my way. Little bit la...

I left the ordering to you-know-who and I must say he didn't let me down.

The must-try, "Nai Yau" or Creamy Sotong was out of this world... I am normally not a big fan of squids because the big squids can be really tough and that's what you normally get. I prefer the small ones. In this dish, the squid was medium in size and was probably grilled and served with the creamy sauce. The sauce is so appetizing, thick, creamy with a hint of indian curry leaves flavor. In the course of writing this, I found out that the sauce is really made of butter and evaporated milk with garlic and curry leaves to spice it up. Not too difficult to make actually...

Next came the Spicy Stingray... I was expecting a BBQ stingray wrapped in banana leaves but instead it was poached or probably steamed and generaously laden with a spicy aromatic gravy. You know how you would pick your BBQ stingray and dip-in the cincalok chilly dip? This is like the stingray swimming in the cincalok chilly paste... no need to dip...

The lala or clam soup was pretty standard but very generous portion of clams and wolfberry... I thought it needed a bit more chinese rice wine.

Saving the best for last, you will be surprised but the Prawn paste fried chicken is really good... I have tasted many good prawn paste chicken and I must say this is amongst the best. Finger lickin' good...

Lau Heong is worth every penny and it is quite affordable. Another no frills, great food destination... Dinner for 3 with all the above and a stir fry vegetable thrown in, all for RM62. Come one, come all.... Enjoy.

Fusion Pan Mee at Noodle Shack

2009-05-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

Located on the basement of Ikano Power Station. A few stores away from the Taiwan Shihlin Street Food. New addition to the wide selection of local eateries. This one is not ordinary by the way... Different versions of 'Pan Mee" (handmade noodle) in mince meat with sambal and raw egg or with chicken rendang. All sorts on the menu, but these were the two i tried. Don't forget to dose it with the spicy, fiery sambal... A bit pricey but worth a try or two...

Overseas Restaurant, Jalan Imbi (May 1, 2009)

2009-05-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

Where do you go when you have a bus load of hungry guests coming to town?

What else? Bring them to Overseas Restaurant. Convenient location, delicious food and reasonable prices. I must caution you about reasonable price though, play save and go with the all-time favorites. Stay away from the fish because the price is seasonal and can be very expensive.

So, what to order? Advanced booking is required for the char siew and siew yoke (roast pork) and if you would like steamy serving of soup, best to also order in advance. Other favorites include the homemade beancurd with petola (seng kuah), the prawns in special sauce (ask for the normal prawns and not the big head prawns, if you are on a budget). The spinach or "yuen choi" in soup is also good.

The "captain" recommended the herbal duck which turned out to be our favorite that night. The meat is soft and infused with explosion of herbal flavours... simple and unpretentious dish. Simply delicious. The other recommendation was the dried shrimp and brinjal, which was nice as well... Not only was dried shrimp found as one of the ingredient, it was heavily laden with little chunks of lard as well. No wonder, so tasty.

7-course dinner with complimentary dessert (cold sea coconut and longan) thrown in for RM50-60 per person... Works out to be less than S$30 per person.

I left the restaurants with 3 tables of very happy and contented Singapore friends... : )

Best Hokkien Noodle in KL?

2009-03-28T23:08:00.001-07:00

I have often been asked, where is the best Hokkien Mee in KL? Or is the Hokkien Mee in most KL stalls are generally good or about the same standard?

Good question. I think it is hard to determine which is the best unless we hold an annual hokkien mee cooking competition (may not be a bad idea). I guess it is really up to individual preference. Some like it wetter and some like it dry. I think generally everyone would agree a good Hokkien Mee must have the "wok hei" and must contain pork lard, at least for the non-health conscious foodies. How ironic? Health conscious foodies?

Anyway, here's my favorite pick. Conveniently located at Jalan Imbi, Win Heng Seng Coffee Shop. Yes, the same shop for the pork ball noodle. The Hokkien Mee stall opens in the evening. Besides, Hokkien Mee, must also try the Lo Mee and Cantonese Char Yin-Yang. You may also want to ask for bee hoon and mee mix for the Hokkien Mee. The bee hoon tends to absorb more liquid, so the Hokkien Mee will be drier. Note, eat while it is hot or else the noodle may become too dry. Some patrons even replace the mee with kuey teow.

The other to try is the green chilly sambal. Spicier than the red sambal and extremely good with the Hokkien Mee.

Kau Kee Beef Noodle, Hong Kong (Mar 19, 2009)

2009-03-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

Not only is this place legendary but if you google for Kau Kee , you will find that it is the benchmark for the best beef noodle in Hong Kong. Of course, most would suggest other better alternatives. It is hard to tell, unless you taste Kau Kee's beef noodle yourself and I am glad I did.

Kau Kee is tucked away on 21 Gough Street, Sheung Wan, somewhere amidst mid-levels in Central. Along the street you will also find some unique and quaint ID and furniture shops. Don't mistake Kau Kee for Ngau Kee, which is also located on the same street. Kau Kee opens for lunch and then closes in the afternoon and reopens at 830PM.

We were there at 8:15pm and it was not opened for business yet. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the restaurant opened a few minutes earlier and we were the lucky early birds to have a table.

I was warned that the serving is very small and so, normally two bowls will be just right. So, I ordered a bowl of beef brisket in clear soup and a beef tendon in curry soup, both with "yi mein". By the way, "yi mein" is not the deep friend yellow noodle that we are familiar with in Malaysia. Instead, it is like a flat egg noodle but with softer texture.

The 90 years of history did not fail to impress. The beef brisket was cut to bite size. The meat was really soft and it melts in your mouth. The soup was delicious and it was surprising that it doesn't really have a very strong beefy flavor. True enough, the serving is extremely small. It is probably equivalent to a regular bowl of instant noodle. The curry beef tendon was great too. The curry is light, not oily, not spicy and the tendons were very soft.

Clearly, this is the best beef noodle I have had in Hong Kong. Only downside, is the shop is really small and normally you will have to share a table and be prepared to finish your food in 15 minutes to avoid darting eyes from the long queue. Try swallowing hot, steamy curry beef tendons without burning your tongue... boy, was I sweaty or was I really sweaty...

Hong Kong (Mar 20-22, 2009)

2009-03-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

You have not had "HK dim sum" if you have not been to the City Hall Maxim's Palace. Must go... By the way, this is also the first batch of photos taken with my new Canon PowerShot G10. I will let the photos do the talking. Only piece of advice is if you are going to City Hall Maxim's during the weekend... make sure you are there before 11 am. Understand that they do not take reservations. Good luck and enjoy.

Nagomi, Hartamas Shopping Center (Mar 9, 2009)

2009-03-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

We had a choice between the Chinese steamboat and the Japanese shabu shabu... which was not a difficult decision, since the Nagomi was a much funkier, bigger and contemporary looking restaurant. Large tables with individual hotpot and stove. One of my friend, Keith was recovering from a flu and it was not a good idea to cook in a communal hotpot... who knows, maybe the germs may survive the boiling soup and get to us...

For Shabu Shabu, you have a choice of wagyu beef, the premium stuff and the ribeye beef, the affordable stuff, chicken, duck, salmon and tuna... I wonder how does the salmon and tuna taste like in a Shabu Shabu??? You can order it as a set which comes with your choice of soup i.e. beef, chicken and vegetable; a bowl of rice and a huge serving of assorted vegetable, mushroom and udon. Besides the Shabu Shabu, the menu also offers sashimi, sushi and the other regular japanese dishes.

We ordered 2 Shabu Shabu dinner sets - the ribeye (yes, the affordable beef) and the duck; and an assorted nigiri sushi platter.

The soup was poured from a long neck kettle... reminds me of Si Chuan Dou Hua restaurant in Park Royal Hotel i.e. staff will perform acrobatic tea pouring stunts with this long necked kettles... (I am just exaggerating) but any how, it got me a bit excited.

I must say the portion was pretty generous, if you can accept that the beef will be sliced to the thinnest milimetre possible. The two sets were enough for 3 person. The soup was fabulous, we ordered a beef and a chicken. Additional soup and rice is chargeable for the third person since we only ordered 2 sets. 3 type of dipping sauce is served peanut sauce, chilly garlic and ponzu (citrus based soy sauce).

The ribeye beef was good but the duck meat was not very well sliced. It was too thin and when cooked, breaks into tiny bits. Along with the duck, were pate duck balls which were difficult to cook... tasted like soggy luncheon meat. I think it was made from mince duck meat which was mixed with an egg. On the hindsight, we should have ordered another plate of beef instead.

The soup as expected, got better after a few round of replenishing the vegetable and meat. After finishing the meat and with some remaining vegetable, we poured in the rice and let it boil for awhile more. Now towards the end the soup is extremely tasty and is so good with the rice.

Including drinks, it came up to about RM55/head. It would have been cheaper, if we didn't order the sushi platter which was RM55. The Ribeye Shabu Shabu set was RM39 and the duck RM31.

If you are interested to find out more about Shabu Shabu and want to check out Nagomi's latest promotion, look up their website http://www.nagomishabushabu.com

Nagomi Shabu Shabu Restaurant

Lot G11A&11B GF Hartamas Shopping Center

60, Jln Sri Hartamas/Sir Hartamas KL

Bora Asmara, Sg Penchala (7 Mar 2009)

2009-03-07T05:14:00.001-08:00

I have heard once upon a time, there is this wonderful restaurant hidden in the midst of the forbidden forest of the Kampung Sungai Penchala. According to the legend, Bora Asmara, was the gateway to the magical Balinese Kingdom of... blah blah blah... Sorry but I can't help it but that's how I felt... the sense and excitement of discovery. You really have to be there yourself to believe it. The moment I reached the entrance, I felt like I was transported back to Ubud in Bali and it was only a 10 minutes drive from Damansara Perdana.

I was impressed. As you walk through the balinese swing door entrance, you are greeted by this elevated lobby which unfolds to a courtyard. On your right were several little thatched roof huts for private dining that seats 6-8 and on the left of the courtyard, you can also enjoy your meal indoor. The elevated lobby itself houses several tables for those who doesn't mind the humidity and mossies. As for "moi", the indoor dining was "ze" preferred choice.

As I turned the menu open, reality hits me... huh? fish and chip? "Apa ni?" Yes, the first page of the menu was the western selection... so I flipped on... frantically... and there I found some familiar names... Well, Bora Asmara is not exactly an indonesian or balinese restaurant. It is a Malaysian restaurant la... So, you will find a mix of western and malaysian food.

Anyway, we went on to order the Balinese dancing fish, kailan with "ikan kering" (salted fish) and pandan leave chicken. Sounds boring, huh? As for drinks, we ordered the lemongrass chiller and Indonesian Bandrek. I chose the Bandrek because the descriptions says "a good night cap". It is actually a ginger and lemongrass drink with brown sugar. Not sure if it is really a good night cap but it does help get rid of wind in my stomach.

The balinese dancing fish was most impressive. The meat is sliced off the bone and deep fried. Normally, kerapu would be the fish of choice but I am quite sure, ours was "tilapia merah". The fish was served with a bowl of chilly and garlic sweet soy sauce but the fish was so fresh, it was good by itself. It is lightly battered. So crispy on the outside and the flesh piping hot inside.

The pandan chicken was marinated with tumeric and deep fried. Slightly different from the ones I have had in the past. A bit too oily, rather tasteless , saved by the sweet chilly sauce but didn't really create any impression for me. The kailan with salted fish was alright... maybe because of the kurau salted fish.

Anyway, the service was very good. The meal arrived in a mere 10-15 minutes. Staff were very attentive and were quick to clear the plates and wipe the table etc.

The Balinese dancing fish and pandan chicken was RM19.90 each an the vegetable was RM11.90. Total bill inclusive of drinks RM78.65.

I am still impressed with the place itself, the ambience and of course the balinese dancing fish was very good. Excellent place to bring family and friends. I think Bora Asmara is also available for corporate events.

Bora Asmara

Lot 2933, Kampung Sungai Penchala

Jalan Damansara 60000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-77260964

TGIF, Plaza Damas (Mar 1, 2009)

2009-03-07T02:14:00.000-08:00

Second advanced birthday dinner with Soon Yoon. Of all places, TGIF? Hmmm... ya, it was one of those days. Craving for something Americano... so, what the heck.

Well... service was still good. I remember it was such a novelty to have the restaurant staff sing you a happy birthday song. Of course, I would have killed Soon Yoon, if he requested for it.

Anyway, we were both craving for some red meat... so he ordered the lamb chops and I ordered the strip loin with mushroom sauce by the side and mashed potatoes.

I requested for my steak to be medium cooked. I think it is important that the restaurants get that right and TGIF didn't screw up here. Though it was served on a hot plate, the hot plate was actually cold... so, it was missing the sizzling, oil splattering effects. The steak was so heavily seasoned that it turned out to be quite salty. The pepper were quite coarse, so you have slightly charred residuals all over your piece of steak. The mushroom sauce was too oily and not sure, if was from a mix or was it made from real pureed mushrooms. Anyway, to sum it up my meal was too salty for my liking.

The lamb chop was also heavily seasoned but it was bearable as it had some gravy and stir fried vegetable as garnishing. Again, the hot plate was not exactly hot. I wonder why, they bother serving it on a hot plate...

Overall, it was alright... I think quality of the food is slowly deteriorating but I think the atmosphere is still there. Great place to bring your kids and family.

Chiaroscuro, Jln Bedara (behind Istana Hotel) 28 Feb 2009

2009-03-01T01:01:00.000-08:00

My dearest friends, David and Cindy insist that they buy me my birthday dinner in advance, since I will be away for work in JB on the day itself. David suggested Chiaroscuro, an Italian restaurant, situated at the Bidara apartments behind Istana Hotel.

Chiaroscuro has been opened for a year now and like other restaurants, it is feeling the impact of the economic downturn. Business was especially bad for the month of January and February, partly due to the Chinese New Year. Chiaroscuro has both indoor and al-fresco dining and boasts of a full size wood fired oven, which is ideal for making good pizzas. Opened by Andrea Zanella, who is the owner and chef who hails from Vicenza, northeastern Italy.

The menu has a good selection of appetizers, pastas and mains which are permanent features on the menu plus a chef's recommendation which is seasonal depending on the produce that is available. Chiaroscuro also cures some of their own parma ham which is highly recommended but unfortunately, they ran out of it when we were there.

While waiting for us to deliberate over what to order, we were presented with a basket of freshly baked assorted breads and sun dried tomatoes in olive oil as the dip. It is common for Italian restaurants to serve balsamic vinegar with olive oil to go with the bread but this was quite a refreshing idea and the sun dried tomatoes dip was very good.

We ordered the Australian tenderloin carpaccio with mushroom salad and parmesan sun-seed "tuille" for the starter which was Cindy's pick and I ordered the slow-roast pork with mash potatoes, which was on the chef's specials and David ordered the Gorgonzola and Speck Ham pizza.

I like the caparccio and mushroom salad. The mushrooms were thinly sliced lightly drizzled with olive oil and the "tuille", which actually means a lightweight, crispy cookie which is normally flavoured with sesame seed or other of nuts. Instead of a cookie, the tuille in this recipe is parmesan cheese with sun flower seeds perched on top of the mushroom salad, just like how you would decorate the tuille in desserts. Quite clever... The mushroom salad is light and goes beautifully with the carpaccio and the parmesan cheese adds a sharp balance to it.

The pizza was made of tomato sauce, speck ham, gorgonzola and mozzarella cheese. Speck ham is a lightly smoked raw ham. Some can be seasoned up to 22 weeks. It has a very intense dry-cured flavour, slices like prosciutto and cooks like ham.1 We asked for the chilly flacks to go with the pizza and I believe the chilly flacks may be home made too because they were abnormally huge chunks of flacks and was quite spicy. Not sure, if we left the pizza too cold before we gobbled it down but I was not that impressed with it. Maybe it was a bit too dry or maybe I prefer my pizza with more cheese and tomato sauce on it.

As for the slow-roasted pork with mashed potatoes, the pork was very soft except for the skin which was suppose to be crispy but instead came out a bit too hard and tough for our liking. I think the skin has to be crispy and crunchy like our Chinese "siew yoke" and not too rubbery. Besides that, I was quite alright with it - flavor was nice, pork was not too lean, some fat here and there. The mash potatoes has grated orange peel in it, which was quite a nice twist as well. Not sure, if this is truly an Italian trade secret but I liked it.

Cindy gave the meal a 5 out of 10 and glared at David for picking this restaurant. I am going to be more generous because I really did enjoy the ambience and I thought, the service was very good. Staff were very attentive and were quite knowledgeable. I also like the location. Right in the middle of the city but kind of tucked away from all the bustle and bustle. Though we were too full to have dessert or coffee, we spend the next hour just catching up. It was great... I love it and would definitely come back.

Chiaroscuro

Ground Flr, 38 Bidara,

30 Jalan Bedara

50200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel. +603-21448006
www.chiaoscurokl.com

1 - www.ingredientsgourmet.com

Mmm Express, The Waterfront, Desa Park City (28 Feb 2009)

2009-03-01T00:43:00.001-08:00

After the disappointing visit to the Desa Park City show gallery, I decided to have brunch at the Mmm Express restaurant at the Waterfront mall. The show gallery was only showcasing the new projects i.e. the Southgate luxury condominium and the Desa Park City Club House. Staff were not really friendly nor helpful. There weren't any show houses to view. That's what happens when demand is too good for a new development. The properties were seriously overpriced. Even though, the developer, Sam Ling does an excellent job with the up-keeping and maintenance of the amenities... it is still too expensive to pay RM1.4m for a ~1400 sq. feet apartment in Malaysia, at least.

Mmm Express is under the Sri Melaka group of restaurants. The menu consist of local delights and a la carte nyonya dishes. We ordered the set lunch menu which comes with a main, drink and dessert. For the main, we ordered the nasi lemak kapitan chicken and nasi lemak kapitan sotong.

Service was quite alright as the restaurant was not that busy. The food however was not great. The kapitan sotong was boiled cuttlefish with curry gravy... like your sotong with kangkung but with curry gravy. The kapitan chicken was average. Taste was ok but portion was a small. The rice was quite "lemak" i.e. a lot of santan but a bit too soggy for me.

I have had better nasi lemak... so paying close to RM10 for a nasi lemak meal is not the best value for my money. The nasi lemak kapitan chicken set lunch was RM9.50 while the nasi lemak kapitan sotong set lunch was RM8.50.

Waroeng Penyet, The Curve

2009-02-27T23:22:00.000-08:00

I haven't had ayam penyet for awhile now. The last time was in Singapore, at Lucky Plaza. So, just out of curiosity and of course hunger, thought I will give this rather fancy looking ayam penyet franchise a try.

It is a self service restaurant. You are handed a paper menu - you tick what you want and then pay at the counter and they hand you a number standee and your order will be send to your table. Hmmm... so much for service... and have the rest of the staff standing around "looking extremely busy"...

We ordered the ikan penyet, ayam penyet and the tauhu, telor and tempe. Strangely, the penyets does not come with the nasi (rice) and had to order separately... Apa punya nasi penyet ni???

Nevertheless, the fish was quite tasty because of the sweet sauce. Not a lot of flesh and perhaps can be more crispy. The chicken was nice too, taste wise but again, not very generous portion... maybe it is "ayam kampung", hence so skinny.

In terms of the price... really not cheap. The fish penyet was RM9.90, the chicken RM7.90, the tauhu, tempe and telur RM5.90, the nasi RM1.90 (!!!) for a small miserable bowl of rice and es cendol was RM3.90. Total meal ~RM35 for two. That's what you have to pay for simple indonesian food in a fancy franchise outfit.

The only notable thing about this meal is the sambal... boy, the sambal is so "pedas" (spicy) that it burns...

Waroeng Penyet

Lot 132, 1st Floor

The Curve

No 6, Jalan PJU 7/3 Mutiara Damansara

47800 Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 017-2003 988

www.waroengpenyet.com

Maria's Cafe, Metropolitan Square (24 Feb, 2009)

2009-02-24T06:04:00.000-08:00

I was having lunch with my colleagues and one of them recommended Maria's Cafe, for it's home cooked western meals. Even though, I have been living in Metropolitan Square for slightly more than a month now, I haven't had the chance to go there for a meal. So, with that reminder, I dropped by for dinner just now.

Maria's Cafe is at the commercial block facing the main road. Take the lift near Citibank to the 3rd floor.

It was quite a cosy restaurant. Since it was a weekday, only around 4 tables were occupied. I think the restaurant can probably cater for about 15 tables.

So, it didn't take too long for our food to be served. We ordered the chunky beef pie and the spaghetti alia oglio. The beef pie was nice... I like the chunky beef filling and the creamy sauce. I was expecting a red wine base brown sauce because the creamy white sauce filling normally goes well with chicken. Nevertheless, the beef was soft and juicy while the pie pastry was just right, not too crusty.

The spaghetti was very spicy and a bit too salty. The portion was really small. Probably only half a portion. For RM15, that's a bit of a rip-off. The pie was RM9.

The desserts, the moist chocolate cake (RM8) and the banana walnut cake (RM9) were average. I think the chocolate cake could be a bit more moist. The chocolate sauce was quite watered down. The banana walnut cake was also quite dry.

The meal with drinks came up to ~RM56. Alamak... too much to pay for a rather mediocre meal and the worst thing was I left feeling hungry still...

Maria's Cafe

C313A, Centre Wing

Metropolitan Square

No. 2, Jln PJU 8/1

Bandar Damansara Perdana

47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: +603-77252313; Fax: +603-77252315

Heaven, The Curve

2009-02-15T01:43:00.000-08:00

Stumbled upon this place while I was shopping in the Curve. It is a HK style eatery with a life band. Parked at the corner adjacent to Sakai Sushi on the Ground floor, near the escalator from the Curve to Ikano Power Station.

Quite an extensive menu. All day a la carte meals or full course dinner. Reasonably priced.

What drew me to the restaurant was the band. Actually, a singing duo playing acoustic guitar. They were very good. Singing chinese and english repertoire. Both had excellent vocals. Perhaps, only area of improvement would be their english diction. Other than that, they were great.

We sampled their trademark a la carte meals. The kung pao squid rice and sea cucumber scallop abalone rice. The squid rice was RM8.90 and the latter RM16.90. The kung pao squid rice was a bit too starchy, while the sea cucumber scallop abalone rice was missing the main ingredients. The taste was good but I am sure I didn't find a single slice of sea cucumber and abalone. Maybe, what they meant was abalone flavored gravy. The scallop was dried scallop or conpoy instead of fresh ones. Nevertheless, it was tasty and because of the band, I would go back.

Chawan, Bangsar, Jln Telawi 3

2009-02-14T00:31:00.000-08:00

For those familiar with Bangsar, Jalan Telawi eateries, Chawan is situated at the corner lot, formerly Devi's... opposite Bangsar Village.

Quite a stylish up-market kopi tiam... minimalist decor, ample tables both indoor and out along the walkway. Spacious and airy.

Chawan which means cup in Malay, has a menu that comprises of everyday local delights from all around the country. The coffee selection is extremely interesting. You will find coffee from Kemaman, Batu Pahat, Ipoh, Sabah etc. Quite a change from your usual Arabica beans, or fancy branded coffee names from Colombia, Ethiopia to Brazil etc. What more, Chawan provides a description of each local coffee flavor. Available hot or cold. I chose the Kemaman coffee, which was buttery and smooth... almost with the intensity of buttermilk. So yummy... My friend sampled the Ipoh coffee, which tasted a bit watered down after the Kemaman, but still have this sharp local coffee taste.

Since, I haven't had my lunch, ordered the nasi lemak bungkus. The rice was very fragrant, warm, anchovies was crispy accompanied with a generous amount of peanuts and sambal. The sambal was the typical "cili giling" sweet type of sambal... so shiok.

Then, we sampled the pisang bakar with sambal and grated coconut. I thought the banana was suppose to be fritters, which is quite common in Batu Pahat... yes, goreng pisang served with rojak sauce or sambal. This is quite peculiar for me and the taste was quite weird... sambal with pisang "lembek" (soft) because it is cooked over charcoal fire. On the other hand, it went really well with the grated coconut. Still a very good attempt at a dual i.e. sweet and savory tea time snack.

The keropok lekor was very nice... fresh and chewy. Keropok lekor is made out of fish and before is fried looks like a long piece of sausage. It has to be kept refrigerated, otherwise it will go bad. It is cut into slices before frying. Once fried, it is crispy outside and chewy inside... and of course, taste like fish keropok but more satisfying and especially good with a good sweet chilly sauce.

Chawan is not your regular mamak or kopitiam when it comes to prices. Not surprising. The nasi lemak bungkus was RM3 but I think it is worth it, since you are really paying for premium quality.

As we were walking out from Chawan, can't help but to spy around... the curry laksa looks good too... Must come back. : )

Overseas Restaurant, Jalan Imbi (Feb 5, 2009)

2009-02-13T07:43:00.001-08:00

Overseas Restaurant is a great place for business or reunion dinners. It is extremely busy during the weekends though. So, advance reservation is necessary.

I was still entertaining my colleagues from Singapore and since we were leaving for dinner from the office, Overseas is a good choice because of the close proximity. Even though it was a weekday, the restaurant was extremely busy. I suppose most were still having their CNY dinners or gatherings.

We were seated on the second floor. Overseas occupies 3 floors in 2 or 3 units merged shop lot along Jalan Imbi. You can't miss it.

Since we were still in the CNY period, we decided to order the yee sang. We were recommended the snow pear yee sang which was Overseas' specialty and we ordered other trademark dishes like the char siew, kampung chicken soup, big head prawn in special sauce and a stir fry vegetable. I wanted to order the petola and beancurd but it was not on the menu due to the CNY... "Seng kua" i.e. petola, the second word "kua" means death in cantonese, so they were cognizant of that. So, instead we had the golden mushroom and house beancurd. Also found out from Wikipedia, petola is what your loofahs are made of.

The yee sang was very refreshing. You will find it strange in the beginning because the pears were sliced into long juliennes..... and when you perform the traditional yee sang toss, it gets in the way. So, it can be rather messy. Taste wise, very nice... the sweetness and the juice from the snow pear really does bring an interesting twist to the yee sang.

Though I didn't get my "seng kua taufoo" but the taufoo is still the same homemade taufoo. They just replace it with the mushrooms but I still prefer the "seng kua" because of the texture it brings to the dish.

The kampung chicken soup with "lobak" or chinese white turnips was average. I thought it was a bit bland. I think pork ribs will be better in the soup and if they add some dried cuttlefish, the flavor would be fantastic. The other thing is the "lobak" will absorb the flavor from the stock... since the kampung chicken is actually a rather lean poultry, the "lobak" was also quite tasteless.

The big head prawn is one of the Overseas dish that I seem to have a diminishing liking for. The first time I had it, I remember I even ate the shell. The sauce is quite special, similar to the Marmite sauce but probably not. The prawns were fried crispy so, ideally you can eat the shell but as a result, most often than not, you will also find the flesh a bit too tough. Well, I think it is time to move on to other better dishes.

Char siew... glorious char siew. Please be reminded that you have to also reserve the char siew in advance. Apparently, same goes for the "siew yoke" or roast pork. Be warned, Overseas' char siew is fat, not for the faint-hearted but personally, lean char siew is not char siew. So, if you want to eat char siew, go for the real thing.

Overall, though only the char siew and yee sang really scored with me this time but I would still rate Overseas highly, because I am sure they have other fantastic dishes to offer. It is still one of the better chinese restaurant in KL and that, I am 100% sure.

Ampang Yong Tow Foo - Feb 6, 2009

2009-02-13T06:23:00.000-08:00

I sometimes wonder whether Yong Tow Foo truly originates from Foong Foong in Ampang old town. Today, you find it everywhere... in food courts, kopi tiam... in KL, Ipoh, JB and even in Singapore and it is generically known as Ampang Yong Tow Foo. So, I feel extremely privileged to be a KL-lite and have Ampang Yong Tow Foo right at home.

It is also one of my favorite place to bring guests to. This time I have several colleagues in town. So, as usual, my chance to play food ambassador and continue to enforce KL's reputation as a destination for good food.

Foong Foong operates very efficiently. At the counter, a staff would record down your order and then broadcast it over the PA system. The kitchen is an open kitchen, situated beside the restaurant. There you will find the staff busy stuffing the vegetable and the beancurd, some preparing the dumplings and some frying the stuffed vegetable. Another staff would confirm the order at the kitchen and prepares the orders.

We had our order served in 5 minutes after we were seated. I ordered 20 pieces of yong tow foo, 10 pieces of fried dumpling and 10 pieces dumpling soup for the four of us. Since, the yong tow foo were made fresh, they look whole and appetizing unlike the shrivelled ones you get at the food court.

The yong tow foo is stuffed with fish paste while the dumplings, I believe may be mixed with some pork and chopped chives. The fried dumpling is my favorite... I think I can eat 10 in one go. : )

I like to think that this is quite a healthy meal. Have the yong tow foo by itself without rice. Reasonably priced too... If I recall correctly about RM0.80 per piece, which worked out to be around RM40 for the entire meal including drinks.

How to get there? From town, get on Jalan Tun Razak, head towards north... After passing Ampang Park, stay left and turn off into the Ampang expressway. Go till the end and once you exit the highway, turn left into the old Jalan Ampang. Go straight until you see the police station. Then just follow the road and make a right turn at the first traffic light and then another right at the next traffic light. You will Foong Foong on your left. Just note, that there is another yong tow foo restaurant next door. For the original yong tow foo, make sure it is Foong Foong ok...

Reminiscing Singapore...

2009-02-11T07:01:00.000-08:00

I was back in Singapore for my job handover and was in the East. Couldn't resist the temptation of my favorite Hakka Yong Tow Foo at Changi Road. Nothing beats, simple home cooked food... not too pretentious and yet, taste really good.

We were quite greedy as I was up to my usual self. I ordered my yong tow foo, dry but without the chilli and sweet sauce on top, yee sang, "shun pun chi" or literally translated abacus seed and "la la" a.k.a clam soup.

Yong tow foo was consistently good. Honestly, nothing really special about it but again, good food doesn't need to be too fanciful. It is tasty, fresh and full of nutritious values. Good meal for those who are watching the waistline too ; P

The yee sang was as usual swimming in a pool of sesame oil and seabed of coriander and spring onion. I order it every time but must admit it doesn't really swim well with my palate. The abacus seed, a typical Hakka dish was fragrant. Powdered with generous amount of "hei bee" or dried shrimp, without which the taste would be quite bland.

Sorry to sound like a broken record but the simplicity of the "la la" soup charms me most this time. Fresh clams in a clear broth with a dash of chinese rice wine... super.

The simple pleasures of life... : ) burp

Bonny's Kitchen at Plaza Damas - what is "pun choi"?

2009-01-26T06:35:00.000-08:00

I am so excited. Just got back from family CNY dinner. My mum has been nagging us to bring her to a "pun choi" dinner for the longest time. So, finally my sister managed to find this place, Bonny's Kitchen at Plaza Damas, that specializes in Hong Kong cantonese cuisines.

Bonny who is the owner and chef, runs the restaurant with her husband. She is a true blue entrepreneur - opens for business on first day of CNY and walks the floor personally to solicit feedback from her customers. It was obvious that she imports her top notch ingredients from Hong Kong.

For those who do not know what "pun choi" is... It literally means "big bowl of food". Nowadays, pun choi is served in a claypot instead of a metal basin. It is really assorted food layered into a big claypot or a basin with some broth. Pui choi consist of seafood, meat piled in layers on the top and laced with vegetable at the bottom. Apparently in the olden days back in the New Territories in Hong Kong, out of convenience, pun choi is served during funerals, Ching Ming or any other special occasions like weddings, full moon party for new borns etc. Basically, any special occasions for relatives to get together and bond over a meal.

Well, Bonny does serve a pretty authentic pun choi. We ordered one for 5 person. You have battered prawns, scallop, drief oysters, chinese mushroom, sliced shitake mushrooms and fatt choi on the top. Next layer was the braised pork trotter, pork belly with yam, steamed chicken, sea cucumber, cuttlefish, fish maw, glutton and at the bottom crunchy lotus root with layers of chinese cabbage. Each ingredient probably had an auspicious meaning to beckon the new year. Even the price was so i.e. Rm338.

After the pun choi, we still had some room for dessert. So, we ordered the soya beancurd (made on the spot; Ready in 5 minutes), the sesame and peanut paste.

This is definitely, a meal I would recommend, not only for the new year but for any special occasion. Just remember to book in advance for the pun choi as it requires at least 2 days of preparation.

Bonny's Kitchen

Lot J-G-1, Mayfair Service Apartments

Plaza Damas, no. 60, Jln Sri Hartamas 1

Sir Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03-6210 4652

E-mail: info@bonnykitchen.com

Singapore Trip 18-24 Jan (Ristorante Da Valentino's)

2009-01-25T03:51:00.000-08:00

I was back in Singapore for a week to do my handover and I prepared a list of restaurants that I wanted go to... mainly, ones that I am missing their food or ones that I have not had the chance to patronize.

Valentino's is one that I never got to when I was living in Singapore. It was always fully booked during weekends. Located at Jalan Bingka off Rifles Range Road, at the end of Bukit Timah, it is one of those restaurants that had such a reputation that it draws fans from all around the island to its less than ideal location.

During my visit for lunch on Jan 20, I was convinced that Valentino's winning formula was not just its good food but more so its cosy family restaurant ambience, friendly and attentive service. It was great to see the owner/chef, Valentino Valtulina and his family hosting their guests with smiles and laughter, exuberating the warmest Italian hospitality, bringing guests flocking back for more.

My colleague who was one of these returning guests, waved the menu away and told me that it was easier to just go with the chef's recommendation. There were three of us, so we decided that we will order three different mains and 2 starters to share.

The starters were great - salad with pine nuts and shredded chicken and pan fried goat cheese. The salad was very hearty, good choice of ingredients especially the pine nuts and sweet olives, lightly drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The goat cheese was crispy on the outside and chewy inside. Slightly salty but nicely paired with some mixed salad and tomatoes on the side. The goat cheese came in a full round piece like a hamburger patty and the waiter cut the cheese into quadrants and served them with the salad.

I ordered the lamb shank for my main, while my other colleagues ordered the breaded veal and pasta with meatballs. Doesn't sound very sophisticated, right? After sampling all three mains, I must say the food certainly did not live up to the hype that surrounds the restaurant... no bells and whistles, no exotic ingredients, fancy presentations... But instead I think the food really represents the humble, unpretentious Italian cooking... fresh and top quality ingredients, wonderful flavor, simple homestyle presentation... and to me, that's what great food is about.

Certainly want to come back with some close friends for a cosy and simple meal. Yes, not exactly cheap but why not pay more for the warm hospitality... Since when was a meal, just a meal... ; )

Btw. the bonuses were... My favorite broadway star was having her lunch there as well. She was playing Cinderella in the self-titled musical... Lea Salonga with her beautiful daughter. Now, I can say I have had lunch with her... sitting on the next table ^^ After that, Mr Valtulino gave us a personal tour of their pastry shop next door including free sampling. ^^

Ristorante Da Valentino

11 Jalan Bingka

Mayfair park

Tel: +65-6462 0555

Pre-CNY Dinner at Loong Foong

2009-01-25T01:17:00.000-08:00

We had an early family reunion dinner this year because my brother who was back from New York, could not stay till Chinese New Year. For everyone's convenience, we chose a restaurant in P.J. (Petaling Jaya). Since, I will be coming from my apartment in Damansara Perdana and my 2 sisters will be going from work (their offices were in Bukit Damansara and P.J. respectively).

Loong Foong (Dragon Phoenix) is a your typical "jie char" coffee shop situated on a corner lot at residential cum light industrial area. It's specialty is the roast duck but for the CNY period, they offered a RM388 9-course dinner menu. Getting there may be a bit of a hassle because you will have to fight the traffic on the Federal Highway to get to Section 14 and then to Sea Park. Alternatively, take the Damansara-Puchong Highway and exit SS17. At the BAT roundabout, go towards Sea Park and Paramount Garden passing the Perodua showroom. Difficult to find for those who are not familiar with P.J. but believe me, it is worth the effort ; P

(See below for link to the map)

I was going to go through each dish but I had second thoughts... I will let the pictures tell you the story themselves... for RM388 (exclude drinks), no need to think twice... : )

However, I would briefly point out what I liked about the meal...

1. The shark's fin soup was a fantastic start to the meal - substantial (clearly visible from the photo), taste wise - unique because I think the broth was made up of higher concentration of seafood stock over chicken or pork, unlike the many other shark's fin soup I have tasted in hotel dinners and weddings

2. The duck is succulent and juicy but the skin was not as crispy as I expected. Maybe because we waited too long

3. The golden pumpkin seafood pot - unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to sample a real "Buddha Jump over the Wall" but I had liked to think that this dish provides some resemblance; Generous pieces of scallops, fish maw, chinese mushroom, abalone (well, not so generous with this one), prawns etc.

4. Make sure that you are really hungry - every dish is "X-Large".

P.s. to my Singaporean friends, aiyah "no need calculator la"... really value for money...

(Sorry, forgot to take the photo earlier; The pumpkin is filled with seafood like scallop, sea cucumber, fish maw, abalone etc.)

Loong Foong Seafood

No. 1, Jalan 20.13

Paramount Garden

46200 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel No. 03-7876 9045

GPS:3.106085, 101.625595

http://www.streetdirectory.com/malaysia/kl/travel_id_10517/travel_site-155423

(Courtesy to www.streetdirectory.com for the map and www.kyspeaks.com for the telephone no. and GPS coordinates)

The Imbi Road - Vol.1 - Win Heng Seng (Char Kuey Teow)

2009-01-14T05:33:00.001-08:00

This is my last review on Win Heng Seng... I wanted to check out the char kuey teow because I remember reading a review on the char kuey teow seller. He is known as the "Dancing Char Kuey Teow" man... because he shakes his butt and clang his wok as he "chars" his "kuey teow".He is quite an interesting character. Sadly, his char kuey teow was just mediocre. In terms of taste, it was a bit bland and the prawns were really small and not exactly fresh. The only thing that I liked about his kuey teow was the generous amount of egg. I like my kuey teow eggy.

Btw. there is also a pastry stall inside the coffee shop equipped with its own confection oven which occupies a tiny space at the corner of the coffee shop. You can get siew pau, egg tarts, char siew bun and other pastries. It is quite a sight watching the owner prepare his frozen pastry and baking them in the oven.

I am moving on to another coffee shop in Imbi Road... stay tuned.

Imbi Road Vol.1 (Win Heng Seng Restaurant - Nasi lemak - Jan 12, 2008)

2009-01-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

There are many, many good nasi lemak stalls in KL but this is one, outside Win Heng Seng Restaurant is one of my favorite. Love the chicken rendang (the meat is so soft) and the sambal cuttlefish (sweet and spicy). The sambal is average but it is quite spicy. My only complaint is the "nasi" (rice) is a bit too little. RM5 for this plate.

The photo is probably not doing it justice. Fyi. photo taken from my 2.0 megapixel iPhone. People are complaining to me that I should clean my lense more often or use a better camera. Point noted. It's coming.

Restoran King Crab, Kelana Jaya

2009-01-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

A few of my dearest friends brought me out for a "welcome back" dinner and we went to King Crab Restaurant in Kelana Jaya. King Crab is one those typical chinese seafood restaurants with fish tanks displaying their seafood and the setting is bright and noisy - the usual chinese restaurant.

We took a while to order the food... busy catching up and since I was seeking their opinion on what car I should buy, they were too generous with suggestions. After a good half an hour, we finally placed our order. Surprisingly, it didn't take them very long to whip out the dishes. Not like as if the restaurant was empty... It was fairly busy.

First dish up was the Specialty Golden Bean Curd with Mince Pork. You are probably wondering what is the green stuff on the bean curd... nope, it is not some homemade fermented bean curd or seaweed on top of the bean curd (though I have had seaweed bean curd before) but instead this is some vege... hence, so special... maybe I should have asked them what is the secret recipe... it was quite good, really.

Next was the vegetable with century egg and salted egg. The vege, I think is call "yuen choi" or "bayam" in malay... My mum does it with 3 type of eggs : ) This is a common dish. Nothing to shout about.

This next one is worth mentioning... one of my dear friend insist she must have squid... so we decided to give this try... surely, you have tried the salted egg yolk with crab, then the salted egg yolk with prawns and now, you can have salted egg yolk with squid fritters... [LOL] This is really nice though... try it.

For some reason, we had to have pork la... so, what other dish than the porkiest of pork, the "Tung Po Pork Belly"... since King Crab is more of a seafood restaurant, I guess this dish is not really in their league... the dish looked extremely inviting but when you poke your chopstick into it... the chopstick got stuck... the meat was a bit tough. I gave it the benefit of doubt and tried to convince my friends that the meat was actually quite moist inside... dry on the outside, moist on the inside... See? Well, I had a table of disagreement. So, King Crab, please take note, the Tung Po is really not so happening...

No, we are not salted egg yolk crazy to order the salted egg yolk prawns!!! We wanted a prawn dish but they ran out of the right type of prawns for some of the dishes. In the end, we ask them to just recommend something with a bit of gravy... and this is what we got. It had a fancy name with reference to some place in China but goodness me, the taste is just like salted egg yolk with a strong curry leave flavor. Maybe, the name should be referencing to another country, I think. Having said all that, I like this dish... it's tasty, the curry leave spices up the flavor and the prawns goes really well with some gravy.

Lastly, the Chilly Crab... Yeah, we are boring people... we just want our chilly crab. Unfortunately, the crabs were quite puny and I miss the big Sri Lankan crab which is abundant in Singapore. I wonder why... The sauce was very tangy and sour and I was complaining that it was too sour but my friend dismissed my remark and he clarified that this is "Sweet & Sour Chilly Crab" mah... so, what do you expect? Anyway [sulking]... not the best chilly crab I have had... this can be better.

Overall, this was a good meal. Not exceptional for me but fairly good service and no frills atmosphere. In terms of price, ~RM240... very reasonable.

No.103-107, Jalan SS25/2

Taman Mewah Jaya

47301 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: (603) 7803 6999

Fax: (603) 7805 3282

http://www.kingcrab.com.my

Pasar malam (Night market) at Taman Midah

2009-01-10T06:05:00.001-08:00

Today was such a hectic day for me. Moving my stuff from Singapore into my apartment in KL. Actually it is not really in KL, it is in Damansara Perdana. So, it is really considered as in the PJ area rather. The packers could not deliver and unpack everything within a day (I had 109 boxes). We started yesterday. Furthermore, there was some delays due to a mix-up because I have a separate delivery to my parent's place. Anyway, it was a busy day and I had a sneezing fit due to the dust.

I was starving by end of the day... so, it was great that today is Saturday and the night market is open tonight. You can find almost anything in the night market. Cheap, reasonable quality... Clothes, food stuff, household items, furniture, medicine, vcds, dvds, encyclopedia... For me, what I am interested in most is the food...

So, here's a look at what you can get from the night market....

1. Luk luk (literally translated "dip to cook" or in malay "celup-celup")

- It is a ritual for me, to at least have 1 stick of cockles and 1 stick of pork balls dunk into a generous combination of spicy chilly and peanut sate sauce; Not forgetting 1 stick of century egg with pickled ginger; Price range from RM1-RM2/stick

2. Carrot cake

- Add egg and add chilly... super nice.

3. Salt baked chicken

- Good by itself or served with rice;
4. Apam

- You can find a few type of apams here i.e. the apam balik which is crispy with peanut and corn filling (RM0.80/piece), the peanut apam which is soft and thick and the apam manis which is sweet and has a coconut milk flavor
5. Assam Laksa

- I must say, this is really my reason to be here... the laksa is to die for. Generous amount of ikan kembong, soft rice noodle, perfect assam broth with little chunks of onion and pineapple. So spicy and sour... yummy. RM4/bowl.

6. Sak Kei Ma

- Don't know why the packaging says "Hong Kong Eggs"... maybe it is really made out of Hong Kong eggs? Sak Kei Ma is really sweet... it's like eating a sweet chewy muesli bar; This Ipoh Sak Kei Ma is soft and not too sweet (RM3/packet)

7. Rojak

- Mixed fruits with shrimp paste, prawn crackers, "you tiaw" - flour fritters and lots of peanut; RM3 per small pack

Burp... so nice. I am a happy man tonight.

Imbi Road Vol.1 (Win Heng Seng Restaurant - Pork ball noodle - Jan 8, 2009)

2009-01-08T04:06:00.000-08:00

I still have some back-log blogging to do (from my Korea trip) but I just had this inspiration this morning and I couldn't resist but to write this new series on eateries in KL. Starting with none other than Imbi Road.

For those who frequents KL for business or pleasure and happen to stay within the golden triangle area i.e. Bkt Bintang, Jln Sultan Ismail and Jln Raja Chulan. Jln Imbi is a haven for good hawker food.

Imbi Road is the street leading to Times Square. if you are staying at the Marriot, Ritz Carlton, Park Royal or the Dorsett, Imbi is 5-10 minutes walk away.

In volume 1, I am going to introduce you to some of the more popular restaurant, coffee shops or eateries in the Imbi Road area, starting with Win Heng Seng Restaurant. You can't miss the restaurant as it is located right at the junction and it is a corner shop lot. Another landmark would be the Honda showroom right across the restaurant. You will also find a parking lot in front (which is known as Imbi Square). At night, it turns into an open air "makan" place. The restaurant had just completed some minor renovation (a new coat of paint, that's all) and just reopened today... lucky me.

So, let me introduce you to the pork ball noodle. Don't be surprised by the pork ball... it is not exactly round. Instead it is rather flat, about 1cm thick. It is very crunchy and compact. The other interesting condiment is the liver sausage. It is soft and has a unique and sharp flavor liken to fermented soy bean, truffles, or strong cheese. Normally, they will ask you whether you want the liver sausage. It's ok to say you don't want it because it is wasteful, if it is not eaten.

You have the noodle either with soup or dry. I prefer the dry one. it comes with generous serving of mince pork. The noodle goes really well with some green pickled chilly. A standard bowl costs Rm5.

Dim sum in Taman Connaught

2009-01-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

Just clearing some of my drafts... this is one on dim sum at Taman Connaught.

For KL-lites, Connaught was once upon a time pretty popular for its dim sum. There are several shops along the stretch. Connaught is residential area situated in Cheras. Can be reached either by the East-West Link from town or from the Cheras-Kajang Highway. Popular with local residence especially during weekends for inexpensive and good dim sum. The one we went to was "Pui Pui Heong", it is a corner lot coffee shop adjacent to the East-West Link Highway.

Good variety. Taste was reasonably good for its price. Service was brisk but can be a chaotic at times. I especially liked the carrot cake and chee cheong fun.

Korean BBQ Galbi (Dec 26, 2008)

2009-01-04T06:09:00.000-08:00

Even though the fusion xmas dinner was great but I had to have my share of galbi. I need my meat.

So, after quite a hectic day running errands in preparation for our trip to Mount Soerak tomorrow, we stopped by a BBQ restaurant in Seongnam for dinner.

I love having my bbq meat with lettuce and kimchi. Don't know why but I think it is a complete meal by itself. Meat, greens, kimchi flavor, add some roasted garlic if you like, or even some mushrooms. Heavenly.

I was also introduced to a "crab kimchi". its marinated crab in Korean bean paste. The crabs are raw but I think after marinating for a period of time, it really doesn't matter anymore. It was nice. : I

Xmas in Seoul (Dec 25, 2008)

2009-01-04T05:08:00.000-08:00

Xmas dinner in Seoul - what should we have? Korean food of course.

This trip besides myself, we had a guest from Brisbane, who has some minor dietary constraints. So, we went to a restaurant that offered a wider selection of greens and healthy fusion cooking style.

Haruso, is located next to the Coffee Bean at Jongno. It offers both traditional seating and table and chairs which was a big plus for me. Sitting cross-legged for extended dinners was a big challenge.

This meal was quite unique for me. I felt like I am going through a different level of Korean culinary during this trip. In my previous trip in September, I had the typical Korean fare i.e. Korean bbq, cold buckwheat noodle, bibimbap etc. This time around, we had moved on to more advanced cooking.

The starters were a selection of salads, daikon (radish) with tomato in a sesame soy dressing and lettuce with squid in thousand island dressing. We had the usual kimchi accompaniment, vinegared cucumber cold soup and a peculiar tasting sesame mushroom soup.

Then we had a round of raw oysters dressed with a dab of concentrated miso chilly paste. Followed by stewed pork ribs with mushrooms and garlic and stir-fry squid with pepper.

To polish off the meal, we had a miso clam soup and rice crust in plain water (this is a traditional korean way of eating crust of the rice, so not to waste).

It was an interesting meal. Quite unexpected. Fusion of western and korean syle. Unique.

My Welcome Home Dinner (Dec 31, 2008)

2009-01-03T08:10:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats mum's cooking... simple, yet satisfying. Steam sea bass, boiled pork rib soup with "kot" (in cantonese: some kind of root used for soup), stir-fry asparagus with prawns and steamed wax chicken (huh? this last one was not a norm; Where did she get this from?)

Ajisen Sushi, Plaza Singapura (Dec 21, 2008)

2009-01-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

I thought this was quite cute. Something like shabu shabu in a paper pot. The taste was so so... a bit too sweet for my liking but it was cute. Come to expect less from franchised japanese restaurants...

Warong M Nasir, Killiney Road (Dec 21, 2008)

2009-01-03T07:29:00.000-08:00

I have this crazy remedy for sore throat... if you have one, just go for some spicy food... "poison for poison"... ha ha I am not saying that it really works, but you can try it.

Warong M Nasir is my go-to place for the best beef rendang in Singapore. They serve nasi padang from about 11am. My usual picks would be the beef rendang, sambal goreng (with tempe of course), telur goreng and if I have company, the gulai ayam and with the right company, the paru (lungs). So sinful...

It can be a bit oily. So, it's fantastic to down it all with a piping hot glass of teh tarik.

YATA!!!

P.S. Still don't know if it is truly own by the musician/composer/singer M Nasir...

Warong M Nasir

69 Killiney Road

Tel: 67346228

Nanbantei, Far East Plaza (Dec 20, 2008)

2009-01-03T06:42:00.001-08:00

I was staying at the Hyatt after moving out from my apartment. Not in a cheery mood. Feeling extremely sad having to move out of my apartment of 4-years. I am going to miss The Light.

So, I was in for a lonesome dinner. Saturday night, it would be difficult to get a seat at Nanbantei but I was lucky. The waitress gave me a counter seat right at the corner - fit for my depressing self.

Nanbantei is a japanese grill or yakitori restaurant but they also serve sushi, sashimi etc. Quite an extensive menu but the restaurant is quite small. Top floor on Far East Plaza.

I ordered "set A" - a-12 stick yakitori meal... comes with rice, miso soup and vege sticks with miso dip and a potato salad as starter. Always fascinated with the salt throwing technique. The yakitori is cooked over an open charcoal fire grill and to season it, the yakitori experts throws salt onto the skewers from a distance... ha ha, if I am the chef, I will most certainly have the entire floor covered with salt by end of the day.

I always liked the salad sticks and miso starter. Makes me feel healthy. The yakitori comprises of 1 stick of asparagus, 1 stick of asparagus and chicken, 1 stick of chinese mushrooms, I stick of ebi, I stick of beef tenderloin, 2 sticks of ginko nut, I stick of chicken roll, 1 stick of lady fingers, 1 stick of chicken liver, 1 stick of pork.... ha ha bet you, I count my yakitori sticks....

Anyway, it was a great meal. Fitting for the mood of the day, my seasonality of loneliness... Good quality yakitori. If you have company, go for the grill mackerel... lots to try but it just wasn't the day for me...

Nanbantei Restaurant

14 Scotts Road, #05-132, Far East Plaza, Singapore 228213

Phone: 6733 5666; Fax: 6734 2502

Kome, Keppel Club (Dec 12, 2008)

2009-01-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

Kome is by far the best japanese restaurant I have been to in Singapore for this year. One of my dearest colleague recommended this place and brought me here for my farewell (yes, leaving Singapore and returning to Kuala Lumpur for good. Got transferred back. Ok enough about me already!). So, since I was a friend of this certain Mrs Lim, we got extra-VIP service. It was fantastic. We were there for lunch on a weekday. So, it was not particularly crowded but of course, Mrs Lim made the necessary arrangements to ensure that we get counter seats ; P

Kome is situated in Keppel Club on Bukit Chermin Road (off Telok Blangah Road). Kind of off the beaten track but no worries, in Singapore, if there are good restaurants it won't be hard to sniff them out. If you didn't know, Kome is somehow related to Tetsuya at Bideford Road. Kome is run by Lawrence Chia and his brother runs Tetsuya. I was sternly warned not to mention Tetsuya when I was there, not sure why.

Actually, as I was writing this, I googled Kome, just to see what has been written about this fantastic gem of a restaurant (you know all writers do that sometime, give me a break) and guess what, I didn't find any write up on it. Hello what's wrong with Google this days??? Unless, if this is truly an undiscovered gem... so go there quick!!! These Keppel Clubbers have been hiding it for too long...

Now let's talk about the food. As usual, the whole counter seat thing got me too excited for good. So, I scoffed down my starter and forgot about taking a photo. Hee hee... what to do? Anyway, the starter was a plain simple cup of Ikura (salmon roe). It was rather scary staring down into a cup of Scott's Emulsion Cod Liver capsule as I am not really a big fan of Ikura but this is good stuff... too good to refuse. To my pleasant surprise, no fishy taste... don't know what is the secret recipe but it had a tinge of passion fruit flavor. I made a conscious effort to bite into every single roe but still not fishy taste!!! I am impressed.

Then came the sashimi platter - a combination of swordfish, butterfish, tuna, ebi and scallop. Ha ha... I lied. Of course, I could tell an ebi from a scallop. I am not 100% sure on the fish sashimi though... but one of it must be swordfish and one could be tuna. Anyway, when it comes to sashimi, I am a simple men - the sashimi must be fresh, the cut must be just right (how you hate it sometimes when the sashimi comes in strips) and you shouldn't have too much of it (too many of those sashimi mongers at buffet lines with plates and plates of salmon only already). I like the combination presented. Each fish had its own unique texture and taste. Just enough to make you crave for more...

Then came the soup which was made from green peas - I exclaimed "edamame" like an excited japanese school boy, which is japanese baby soybean but Lawrence politely corrected me with another japanese name which I could not remember. In the middle of the soup lays a fried golden pumpkin ball. I swear there was something else in it... maybe some shallot. It was a mildly savory soup and the pumpkin gave it the sweetness. Beautiful dish... nice to see and nice to eat.

Next came a simple salt baked horse mackerel cheek (kanpachi kama yaki)... ha ha again, I am guessing. I know my prospect of becoming a professional food critic is not looking good. I should have asked, I know but unfortunately, my stomach rules over the mind when it is time to eat. Again ,well done... grilled long enough so that it is totally crispy outside while the flesh is cooked just right and the flavor just lightly salted.

Then came the nigiri sushi dish accompanied by picked ginger, japanese cucumber and 2 pieces of dried persimmon. The sushi was great... good choice of fish (again, I do not know the names), the rice was slightly warmed as it was prepared on the spot and the persimmon was a signature touch. Never tasted better dried persimmon.

Somewhere in between the meal, we had a serving of california roll... quite sure about that and to finish off the meal, we were served a yuzu (japanese orange) sorbet. Simple but the unique yuzu taste made it special.

Excellent japanese food. Be prepared to part with S$70-S$100 per person, if you really want the good stuff. Just let Lawrence know your budget and please call in advance if you would like a counter seat. Enjoy.

At the Keppel Club

No. 10 Bukit Chermin Road

Singapore 109918

Tel: 6273 0118

Email: komedining@yahoo.com.sg

Yum Cha, Chinatown

2008-12-28T22:39:00.001-08:00

Yum Cha is located right in the centre of the Singapore Chinatown. Look out for the teapot signboard or just ask around.

Try to be there early i.e. around 11am or call up to reserve a table if you are going for brunch during the weekends. I normally, just turn up and the wait is around 10-15 mins max.

Good selection of dim sum. You get all the traditional dim sum offering plus new ones which the chef creates. Good quality - generous size and good ingredients. in other restaurants, sometimes you find that the dim sum are smaller. Reasonably priced. For 2 person, less than $50.

The other thing I really like about having dim sum in Yum Cha is the atmosphere. Not because its location in Chinatown but more so because of the restaurant ambience. The table setting, the push carts, etc. it is somehow less formal compared to a chinese restaurant in a hotel.

Melben Seafood, AMK Ave 1

2008-12-28T22:15:00.000-08:00

This is definitely one dining venue that I had wanted in my blog for awhile now. I have been here numerous times but those were my pre-blogging days. So, since my sisters were visiting and they wanted a seafood dinner where else could I bring them. : )

Melben, is definitely making money... On Fridays and weekend, it is so full that you have to queue. In the past, the use to provide chairs. Now, you just form a line. They had recently renovated. Must have negotiated out a few other tenants and had the whole space for themselves. Must say that it looks nicer now. Kitchen is enclosed and they now have a proper drinks section and cashiering area. The rojak and chicken wings shop is still there. Good idea, since you normally have to wait at least half an hour for your meal. I also like the way Melben manages customers expectations i.e. you will be given an indication of how long you have to wait to be served your meal when they take your order at the queue. Normally they will buffer the time a bit and they had delivered so far, for me at least.

This time I ordered the mango prawns, sambal spinach, chilly crab and crab bee hoon. The mango prawn was good - prawns were of good size, light on the batter and mango sauce was made from mango puree and not some cordial. The sambal spinach was alright, not much to comment about that. The crab bee hoon was great. Make sure you ask for the bigger crab. They will normally let you know if they run out of bigger ones. The soup is fantastic. They add some brandy in the milky soup which is fantastic with the crab flavour.

The chilly crab was a bit disappointing for me. I remember when I was here a few months ago, I thought it was pretty good and so I ordered it again just to confirm. The sauce somehow was not quite there. It was a bit too starchy. Melben, really needs to get this right. The key is to ensure the consistency of the sauce - not too eggy, not too starchy...

Despite that, Melben is still one of my favorite seafood go-to places.

Your Wol, Novena

2008-12-28T21:52:00.000-08:00

Your Wol is a tiny korean restaurant next to United Square. It is a few shop lots away from Udders the ice cream parlour.

This is an interesting meal to try. It is call "Pu de jegae" or Army soup, literally translated. The history goes back to the Korean War, when people were scavenging through waste thrown out by the US army and found bits of meat patties and sausages which were used to make this soup. Some rice cakes, fish cakes, vegetable and kimchi is added.

It is good by itself for dinner. You can add ramen or rice, if it is not enough.

Jade Palace, Forum, Orchard Road

2008-12-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

A fellow foodie colleague of mine recommended this place when I mentioned porridge steamboat I had in KL. Porridge steamboat was one of those food fad that went away quickly. Apparently, quite a few restaurants popped up a few years ago offering porridge steamboat as their main menu but demand didn't quite sustain its existence. So slowly you find many switching back to the conventional steamboat, if they didn't end up closing.

Anyway, so it was quite a surprise for the staff tending to us when we ordered the porridge steamboat. Jade Palace is your usual chinese restaurant whose menu has the usual a la carte chinese dishes. The steamboat was the "other" offer, maybe more popular during the weekends when people have more time and you have a few soup base stock that you can choose from. The steamboat porridge was not exactly on the menu but of course, if you ask they can make it available for you... but of course there is a price to pay...

The steamboat menu is a la carte. I would normally prefer a set menu. I don't mind what they have in the set because I eat almost anything. An a la carte menu makes it difficult because to price each item meaningfully, a minimum quantity is required to justify the price e.g. 6 large premium fish balls priced at $8 per plate which equates to $1.33 per ball. So, you will have to pay a higher price. Now, you are limited with stomach capacity and your desire to have variety would have to compromise. We ordered about 6 items. With the porridge, we think that would be enough.

We waited for about half an hour for the porridge stock to arrive. I was forgiving this time, who would expect a few weirdoes to order the porridge steamboat today anyway... Nevertheless, I was quite happy with the porridge texture and once I start dunking my fishballs and meatballs into the porridge, all was forgotten...

Until, we ran out and I had to ask for a refill. Now what I did not expect was that they had to cook a new batch of porridge for us. You mean, they didn't make any extra the first time and they thought I would be contented with just one round of porridge?

Well that was another wait for us... this time almost 45 minutes. What was disappointing was none of the staff was particularly interested to help solve the problem quickly. Well, to be fair one of the waitress really tried but I would expect the supervisors be on top of things.

It was not a happy dining experience for me. The other non steamboat or to be more specific non-steamboat porridge tables were definitely much happier campers.

Hwang To Gol, Amara Hotel, Tanjong Pagar

2008-12-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

This is probably the best Korean restaurant to go to, if you have some Korean guests to entertain and you want a reasonably priced Korean restaurant with good food and ambience. Remember Koreans would always appreciate a good korean meal anytime even though they are in a foreign country. So, you won't go wrong by bringing them to one when they visit Singapore.

I have been here a couple of times and each time I had the pork belly bbq and a spicy soup. I would recommend for those who like fish innards to try the spicy fish soup instead. Fish innards here means stomach and roe. It is an acquired taste I suppose but let me assure you that I was not a big fan of fishy stuff at first but this soup converted me. The innard once cooked is tender but yet retains its taste. Don't worry if you end up cooking it for too long because the texture remains quite consistent. The longer you cook, the better the soup will taste.

The other point worth mentioning is that the service is good. Staff are very attentive. I think some of them are Chinese nationalities who can speak dual language i.e. mandarin and korean (maybe some english). The restaurant has some private dining rooms as well. So, make sure you call in advance to book if that's what you need.

Imperial Herbal Soup Restaurant (Vivocity)

2008-11-16T02:07:00.000-08:00

Ever since, Imperial Herbal Soup restaurant shifted to Vivocity from its previous location at the 3rd floor of the Metropole Hotel on Seah Street, my dining experience has been deteriorating. Maybe it is the larger restaurant. So, it feels more commercialized compared to the previous quaint little restaurant.

I think it still offers best herbal soup in town. I guess the menu has been evolving but the trademark dishes were maintained. Somehow, I feel something is missing but can't quite put a finger to it.

Anyway, the egg white with conpoy is still good. I had the wild brazilian mushroom soup which was quite alright. It was a bit sweet because of the dried longan. The herbal chicken was great. It had generous stuffing of herbs. The chicken could be bigger because there wasn't really enough meat to go by. The herb infused gravy was great with rice.

What was a disappointing for me was the stir fry eel. I think the eel was stir fried separately and it was too dry. The "kow kei choi" with wolf berries was rather bland. Lastly, the dessert was also a let down - egg white with red bean paste. My Hong Kong friend who dined with us complained that it was not done right. We should be able to taste the egg white. In this case, it was like red bean paste glutinous balls coated with icing sugar.

Thein Kee Steamboat and Chicken Rice

2008-11-16T01:15:00.000-08:00

One of my all time favorite place for lunch... traditional hainanese cooking at its best. Where else can you have your chicken rice and steamboat at the same time. Add on to your order the other delights like the pork chop, satay, prawn fritters and others.

Thean Kee is located at the basement of the Golden Mile Tower. Normally I will park in Golden Mile Complex at the far end of the car park closest to Golden Mile Tower because both the buildings are connected. So, there is a shortcut from the car park to Thein Kee.

What brings me back each time is not only the fragrant chicken rice with the perfect chilli sauce but the delight of having steamboat with it. Basic chicken broth with a modest selection of ingredient. If you have no dietary constraints, make sure you ask for the beef. The tender beef cooked in the steamboat is great with the chilli sauce. The other must try is the pork chop. Hainanese style of course, topped with tomato sauce with green beans and onion. I also like the prawn fritters which is a big hit with the kids.

The menu is quite exhaustive as it is also a "zhi ja" and I am still exploring the menu, hoping to try a new dish each time. It is kind of difficult because I still want to have the chicken rice, the steamboat and pork chop etc. What to do...

Well, also remember to have a cup of coffee... nothing beats a good cup of hainanese coffee to polish off the meal.

Guam 19-24 Oct, 2008... food, food, food...

2008-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

I will write more when I have the time but for now, here are some food shots from the trip...

Day 1 (19 Oct) Singapore to Tokyo - Japan Airlines breakfast... fruits, porridge, stew bamboo shoot, poached salmon...

Day 2 (20 Oct) Breakfast no. 2 at the Narita Airport Sakura lounge....

Ume (plum) seaweed rice, cappucino, sugar bun...

Day 2 - Lunch onboard Japan Airlines to Guam...

Day 3 (21 Oct) - Lunch at Ruby's Tuesday - Crab cakes, steak and cheeseburger...

Dinner at Roy's (Hilton Hotel - Caesar salad, grill butter fish, chocolate souffle...

Day 4 (23 oct 2008) - Lunch at Capriossa.... seafood pasta, penne, lasagna...

Dinner at President (Sheraton Hotel) - teppanyaki

Scallop, sween corn soup, boiled squash, wagyu beef and salad...

Novena Peranakan Cuisine, next to Revenue House (8 Oct, 08)

2008-10-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

Not difficult to find... if you are coming from the CTE and as you pass United Square, keep left after the traffic lights. The turn into the car park is immediately after the Revenue house.

The soup was average. I like the taste of bamboo shoots in the pork balls but the soup itself was just normal. The ngor hiang roll is of a generous size. very nice with the sweet sauce and sambal. This is a must order.

Then came the ayam buah keluak, sambal squid and sambal brinjal. These three dishes were really good but the sambal squid stood out for me. Sweet, spicy and goes really well with the rice.

This meal tasted like a homecooked peranakan meal. I don't think I have had a truly homecooked peranakan meal to compare with, even though my mum can dish out some really feisty sambal dishes to rival these. Somehow, it just feels or taste like it. Maybe the no frills, no fuss ambience?

Anyway, this is a great place for a simple peranakan food dinner. If you are a fan of curry fish head, then you should come to Nyonya Peranakan Cuisine. Apparently, it is very popular here.

Curry Laksa at Golden Shoe Kopitiam (Oct 9, 08)

2008-10-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

It was after gym but i couldn't resist. There was a long queue. As I waited patiently in line, my guilt build and build. Never mind, I seldom have laksa. The last time I had it was probably 2 months ago.

So good... the curry is a bit sweet, creamy and the chilly oil is just right. Not too overwhelming. Generous slices of steamed chicken. Soft and spongy tau pok oozing with the tasty curry and always a few pieces of the boiled potato. I like mine with mee and mee hoon. For $5.50 (big bowl) though a bit pricey, it is definitely worth the sin...

Korean BBQ at Chul's

2008-10-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

Simply delicious. The pork was marinated for at least 12 hours. 2 days before would be even better. Ask the pork seller to cut the pork belly strips in to 8in x 4in slabs with the thickness of about half an inch (at least depending on your preference. The meat was marinated with salt and korean pepper (which you should be able to buy from Korean grocery shops).

To go into the grill with the pork, we had slices of shitake mushrooms, sweet potato and onion. You can also have slices of garlic as well. Eat the meat with rice or lettuce with "Saemjang sauce"(Korean chilli sauce) and sesame oil (mixed with korean pepper and oil) as the dip for the meat. Of course, you should not forget the kimchi. Try grilling the kimchi, it totally changes the flavour. Interesting addition to your lettuce wrap...

We had a few bottles of soju. According to Chul, a bottle of soju cost about S$1.50 in Korea, in Singapore it is about S$15 per bottle and in restaurants S$25. The grill and stove cost about S$80 in Singapore while it is around a quarter of the price in Korea!!! So, if you are going to Korea or have friends coming from Korea, you might want to ask them to buy that for you...

Brazil Churascco, Sixth Avenue

2008-10-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

Some days, the carnivore in you awakens and you just crave for meat, meat and more meat. The bloodier the better and where best to go to satisfy your appetite but Brazil.

Especially packed on Fridays and weekends. Reservation definitely required. I called on Saturday during lunch time to make a reservation for dinner and I can only get a slot after 8:45pm.

For those who are new to a churascco... Normally, you will be served salad or you can help your self to the salad bar. Brazil's spread is by far the best buffet spread you can get. You will find not only a good selection of greens, they also serve fried noodle, banana fritters, battered mushrooms, grilled egg plant, pasta, mutton briyani and more. Just be careful you don't go too crazy and filled yourself up too early.

After the starter, the waiters will send out the skewers of meat to your table and carve onto your plate as many slices as you can eat. Well, it is not all beef... they have grilled chicken, spicy pork sausage, chicken heart, snow fish, roast lamb, garlic chicken and pork ribs. As for the beef, they have roast beef, tenderloin, strip loin, ribs etc.

There are 3 different condiments that accompanies your meat i.e. onion and pepper salsa, brown sauce and onion and cucumber dip. Not forgetting the delicious cheese bread. It's like a mini yorkshire pudding.

By the time, you are through one round of the selection, you should be pretty full. Then comes my favorite, the roasted pineapple. I am not sure whether they dip the pineapple into syrup or liquor before it is roasted but it is is caramelized slightly on the outside and it is sweet and moist when you sink your teeth into it.

I believe Brazil, have expanded their dessert menu but I was too full to try. Do check it out if you have some room for dessert. Also try the brazilian cider, guaranno, a drink made with the guarana plant extract. Guarana is a climbing plant which bear berries that provides the extract. Apparently, in Brazil the guarana soft drinks are a popular substitute for caffeine. Very refreshing.

Ice cream at Cream Bistro, Pacific Plaza (2 Oct 08)

2008-10-03T20:26:00.001-07:00

Cream Bistro has always been my favorite place for a good salad. The must try - teriyaki chicken salad, beef salad and if for vegetarians, try the tofu salad. Of course, the menu is not limited to that. In fact, Cream has quite a diverse selection ranging from bim bim bap to pasta. A good salad after a workout is not only good for your calories but also makes you feel really good mentally. Try it.

I have been here countless times as I use to frequent True Yoga upstairs. Anyway, this time, I had dessert (so much about being health conscious). Ice-cream with mango and banana split (not for myself la!!). Simple but yet effective. The mango was really sweet but not too ripe. Vanilla ice-cream is vanilla ice cream. Then, there is this frozen strawberry as garnishing. It is stuffed with some sort of cream (sort of similar to what you find in boston creme doughnuts) and it is sealed at the end with sugar (or could be marzipan). Since, it is frozen it is a bit crunchy oozing the sweet and sourness of the fruit. Heavenly.

Cream maintains its 4 cilipadi as the place to be for a quick and no frills meal.

Udders at Goldhill Centre, Thomson Road (3 Oct 08)

2008-10-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

A few shop lots away from Your Woul, you will find Udders, a local ice cream parlor. I only know of the Island Creamery at Serene Centre but Udders, is a new find for me. Opens from 12pm - 11pm Mon-Thurs, Sun and 12pm - 12am on Fri, Sat and eve of public holidays.

This place was buzzing with people - families, teenagers, kids and more kids. At 10pm, mind you. Interestingly, Udders offer 3 types of ice creams i.e. classic, premium and connoisseur. Classic consist of the more regular flavors, premium consist mainly of the range of alcoholic ice cream (gauge by the bitterness) and connoisseur, as expected the really distinct flavors e.g. mao san wang durian, baileys and bourbon... Just to give you an idea, the alcoholic ice cream had names like lychee martini, tira-misu... the local flavors like champion chempedak, gila melaka and attap chi, s-cream and cookie etc. The regular flavors were green tea, vanilla, mocha moc, pistachio etc and sorbet, they have mango, pear, lemon, soursop... hei, I can't remember all the flavours and probably got a few wrong.

Anyway, I had 2 scoops - Crazy chempedak and Gila melaka with attap chi (S$4.90). Excellent! Apparently, they also have waffles. Definitely, must come back.

p.s. I went back a second time and had the vanilla (with marzipan and almond)... my favorite so far.

Your Woul at Goldhill Centre, Thomson Road (3 Oct 08)

2008-10-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have been korean food crazy this few days... maybe, I am missing Seoul. I was around the Thomson area. To be specific, Goldhill Centre beside United Square.

Your Woul is another one of your typical Korean restaurants in Singapore. Run by korean owners. Small, clean and probably seats about 6-8 tables. It has private dining rooms as well. The restaurant was empty when I got there. Perhaps it was past dinner time. Gosh, 9pm...

Ordered the "kimchi jjige". Suppose to be a fairly light meal. The kimchi spicy soup was cooked at your table. They have the portable canister gas stove and the soup and ingredients is brought to a boil. Besides, the kimchi and soup, other ingredients includes mushroom, white beancurd, rice cake and slices of pork. The soup was a bit mild in the beginning but as you boil longer, the soup gets spicier and spicier. Before long, I was drenched with sweat. Took one and a half bowl of rice to tame the spiciness.

Can't really tell how good the food is by just the "kimchi jjige". Definitely want to come back again. For now, I would say 3 cilipadi. Service was attentive and the staff were very friendly.

Kha at Hort Park (2 Oct 2008)

2008-10-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hort Park (along Alexandra Road) was less than a year old. Hence, Kha would probably be the same or even newer. Kha is a Thai fusion restaurant, inside the Hort Park. Not sure how many restaurants they have in there but it is not difficult to find it once you are in Hort park.

I was there for a meeting and my business partners bought lunch. We had the set menu. Started with some appetizers, soup, followed by rice served with several dishes and then dessert.

The appetizers were barbequed chicken on bamboo with ngam jai dressing and thai salad and thai crab and prawn cake with thai salad and sweet chilli sauce... in simpler english, chicken satay and thai crab cakes. The chicken satay was tasty... marinated with lemongrass as how the Thais would do it but the Thai salad was not much of a salad. I was expecting some green thai mango but I can't make out what it was as it was covered with this pink colored sauce (tasted like thousand island dressing). The prawn and crab cake was good. Again, I can't appreciate the salad. I think the fancy name doesn't bring any merit.

Next came the spicy pomelo salad with prawns, chicken, mashed coconut, ground peanut, chilli jam and sweet sauce. In short, pomelo salad... and yes, the red flesh pomelo. My favorite. Maybe because I am use to the spicier version, so this was a bit bland for me.

Then came the soup - chicken tumeric lemongrass galangal in coconut milk. Ha ha.. what happened to "tom kah kai"... forgive me but i find it strange that you have to spell out all the ingredients in naming your dish. So far all the dishes had extremely long and ingredien-filled names. It didn't taste exactly like the traditional thai "tom kah kai" but neither was it really special. Can't put my taste bud to it... I will sit on the fence on this one.

After that we were served rice with 3 dishes namely steamed seabass with lime and chilli, grilled chicken massaman curry with mashed pumpkin and peanuts and lastly, the vegetable of the day - stir fry kangkung with belacan. The seabass (I found out as i was goggling - siakap = seabass) was a bit fishy... not enough lime and chilly. No comments on the kangkung... kangkung is kangkung. Definitely, the best dish by far, the massaman chicken curry was great. I had always appreciated frying or grilling the meat first before cooking it again in sauce or curry. Like how you would do with "ayam masak merah". A very popular cooking technique in malay cooking especially. The curry was delicious, maybe because of the mashed pumpkin. Who would have thought? A very clever combination.

To complete the meal, dessert was grilled mango cheek with passion fruit sorbet. I don't think the mango was grilled but the mango was definitely sour and the passion fruit sorbet was even more sour. I was squirming in the chair as I spooned the sorbet and mango into my mouth. When I looked up, I realised that the mango was cleaned to the skin and not a trace of sorbet was left on everyone's plate. Only mine was scattered with passion fruit seeds as I refuse to swallow. The dessert turns out to be the saving grace for this meal.

Overall, it was alright... don't know the price point as our host paid for it. The service was really teething. The waitress served coffee without the spoon, removes your dish without asking etc. Attention required in the service department for sure. Ambience - great. Nice setting. Excellent for sunday brunch, if they have one, I would definitely go back. Kha, at Hort Park earns 2 cilipadi.

Togi, Mosque Street, Chinatown (1 Oct 08)

2008-10-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

Recommended by a friend... we went on a search for this Korean restaurant in Chinatown. I know of a few Korean restaurant along or near Duxton Road and Maxwell market but certainly, one in the middle of Chinatown was news to me.

After going in circles around Temple Street and Smith Street, I decided to call my friend. Apparently it is situated on the next street i.e. Mosque Street. We were there early so the restaurant was empty. One of those typical restaurants in Chinatown. Not very big. Fits about 10 tables inside and they had a few tables outside as well.

We ordered the "Samgyeopsal" - bbq pork loin, "Kimchi jjige" - kimchi spicy soup and "Ojjingeo Bokkeum" - stir fried spicy squid with cold buckwheat noodle.

I found the kimchi spicy soup a tat sour but according to my Korean friend, this was quite good by Korean standards. The bbq pork was "ok" but what was interesting was, besides the usual big slice of onion and garlic, the bbq came with big slices of potato and mushroom... yummy!!!

The spicy squid was rather bland but it was a nice combination with the noodle. I have had the octopus bokkeum before and if you can find it on the menu, please go for the octopus... you won't regret it.

The other interesting find was the "purple rice"... basically, I think it was brown rice cooked with horse beans and some other ingredients. A much healthier choice to the regular white rice.

The meal was not cheap considering that this was a pretty plain and small eatery. One thing for sure was it is very popular with the locals and also foreigners. Service can be improved.

When we left at around 7pm, there was a long queue outside and all tables were occupied. Maybe because it was a public holiday. Anyway, Togi earns 3 cilipadi from me.

Stew Brew, Upper Thomson (29 Sep 08)

2008-09-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

I chanced upon this restaurant as I was visiting the Apple centre on AMK St 64. I am not sure if I can call it a german restaurant but it certainly does have the european feel to it. So, what more but to try the pork knuckle. The staff also recommended the grilled chicken and sausage gumbo.

The gumbo came with freshly baked bread. This great. How I wish all restaurants freshly bake their bread. Bread out of the oven is a great accompaniment to any dishes.

The gumbo, I thought was rather bland. I normally do not add salt to my food but this time I couldn't resist. I guess maybe, it is to cater to more health conscious customers. So, I won't fault the chef for it. The gumbo I know is made with vegetable and sausage... well that's the american version that I have tasted at least. Adding the grilled chicken makes it quite a complete meal by itself.

The pork knuckle was a good size. We ordered half a knuckle which is enough for two. The chef sliced the knuckle into slices making it easy to eat. It was very crispy and the meat was well cooked. Layered with some fat here and there but our knuckle leaned more towards the skinny side which was good. Sometimes even though I appreciate pork with some fat, too much can be overwhelming. Only thing that I thought could be improved was the seasoning. I found the knuckle too salty. It would be perfect if it was toned down slightly. However, I also understand that pork knuckle is meant to be salty as you will normally have it with beer.

The other pleasant surprise was they have the Bundaberg ginger beer here. I was not in a drinking mood, so no real beer with dinner this time. So, the ginger beer was a nice replacement.

So, 3 cilipadi... definitely, a place for beer and beer grub. I will check it out again if I come by this neighborhood.

Shaslik, Far East Shopping Complex (Orchard) 27 Sep 08

2008-09-30T19:07:00.001-07:00

Shaslik is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Singapore. Call it old, call it ancient, call it what ever you one. To me it is authentic (at least in my opinion), the food is excellent and it is definitely a place to bring guests who are new in town. Especially, if there are kids... they love it when the staff flambés the dessert. Tried and tested.

Only problem is I always end up ordering the same food. My borsch soup as starter, followed by my main, the Shaslik beef fillet and then to top it off, the Baked Alaska for dessert. This time, I decided to be adventurous and ordered something different. Something recommended by the waitress - Steak a la Russe.

For dessert, we ordered the cherry bliny and orange crepe.

Verdict: I think it paid off to be adventurous this time. The Steak a la Russe was good. The steak itself was done well. It was served on a hotplate and it came with french fries, which was a bonus for me. Even better, the steak came with mushroom sauce... french fries and brown sauce is such a heavenly combination.

The cherry bliny was quite simple but I must say effective. Delicious. The crepe was a bit of a let down. It was too alcoholic and the crepe of course was soggy. You can imagine, piece of thin break soaked in alcohol. Yes, like that.

Anyway, it didn't change my impression of the restaurant. To me, Shaslik is still one of the gem of Singapore culinary delights. I am giving it 4 cilipadi.

p.s. Did I mention that we ordered the borsch as well? Ha ha... pig.

Tatsuya. Park Hotel, Orchard (28 Sep 08)

2008-09-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

This is not my first time to Tatsuya. I must say it hasn't change at all... the environment is still the same. The staff will greet you as you enter the restaurant... then every other staff will echo the greeting. I like it. It just makes you feel important, as a customer.

This time I ordered the Udon set. Needed something soupy. Dehydrated from too much drinking yesterday nite. So, I believe soup will make me feel better. If not for real, at least psychologically.

As I remembered it, Tatsuya, was a bit pricey. The salmon sashimi and uni sushi were S$25 and S$24 respectively. I guess we are paying for the quality. Nothing beats fresh sashimi.

Tatsuya is still one of my favourite Japanese restaurant. Small, cosy and quality. I give it 4 cilipadi.

Singapore Grand Prix 26-28 Sep 08 (Day 1 - Practice Round)

2008-09-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

I can't complaint despite the one hour walk to get to the Motorsport hospitality suite. Half an hour to get to Conrad Centennial and half an hour to get to the suite (including 10 minutes getting lost around the track due to the poor signage).

The suite was situated directly opposite the pit. Good view of the cars coming out of the pit lane and onto the track. We had to take a lift up to the suite which was on the third level. It was cosy. Big enough for about 8 tables. We had to swipe our tag to sign-in and then we were shown to our designated table and seat, which was marked by a card showing our name displayed on a miniature silver race car.

It was mainly western buffet but they also served laksa, which I gave a miss because it seemed rather oily. The buffet spread consisted of 3 choices of salad i.e. a duck salad, greek salad and another which I can't remember now. There was roast beef, pasta, grilled vegetable, roast potatoes etc. Good selection of bread and cheese. Any choice of drinks... alcoholic, non-alcoholic. Service was very attentive. The food was good but I must say the service and ambience was better. It was just great to be able to walk-in, dine and then walk-out the the balcony, look at the race and have a drink or two whenever you feel like it. Not to mention, also came with some really cool souvenirs i.e. pen, pendrive, ear plug with its silver bullet shaped holder. Later on, we adjourned upstairs to the roof top. Open air view. The free flow drink continues as they have 2 bars set up. What can I say... it was a great experience. Since it was only for the practice run, I was impressed not so much for the race but more so for the hospitality suite. ; P

Singapore Grand Prix 26-28 Sep 08

2008-09-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Yahoo... I am going to the Singapore Night Race. Actually, I am going for the Friday practice race only but I rather watch the real race on tele ; P

Anyway, here's pictures of my goodies wallet with tickets and entry pass.

Dinner at Jumbo (Dempsey Hills) 25 Sep 2008

2008-09-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Dinner at Jumbo (Dempsey Hills)

It was my colleagues' farewell dinner. Two of them. No, they are not leaving the company. Just moving to another department. Any cause for celebration, is a good cause. Well, nevertheless, change is always good they say. Or at least, it is the only constant.

As for the food... I went in rather skeptical. You know... this... this... reputable seafood restaurants. The ones that you bring every and any other guest in town to. The food is normally just "ok" and really not anything to shout about.

Since this was a farewell. we ordered a lot. Anyway, my boss is paying. Why not... we ordered the pumpkin conpoy with shrimp soup, grilled lamb with pepper sauce, shitake mushroom with egg beancurd, geoduck clam stir fry a ala kum-heong, chilly and pepper crab.

Well, let me tell you what I think. The pumpkin conpoy was great. Good start to the meal. It doesn't really taste like pumpkin, perhaps because of the infusion with the seafood flavor. The beancurd with shitake mushroom was "ok". It was interesting that the beancurd was topped with a layer of what I think is seaweed, to give it the green colour on the top. Taste wise - good. I wonder how it would be like, if they go further with the seaweed and perhaps some wasabi as well. Hmmm.... crazy.

Then came the geoduck. I was never a fan of geoduck. I find it too rubbery most of the time. I was pleasantly surprised with this dish. It was a stir fry with onions, pepper and dried scallop. I think the dried scallop did the trick. It really added some flavor to the geoduck. Without which it is just chewing on rubber, really. The lamb in pepper sauce was a bit disappointing. Actually, I am not sure how you can make it any better. Perhaps be more adventurous with the marinate. Pouring pepper sauce over grilled meat just does not make the cut for me.

Then came the chilly and pepper crab. Alas, I must say these were the two most disappointing dishes. I thought these would be what Jumbo is famous for. I think the crab may be poached first before cooking with the sauce to save cooking time (I am guessing... I may be wrong. Please do not sue me.) because you can see and taste that the crab meat is dry and does not exude the usual flavor.

Anyway, the service was also hap hazard. This meal didn't really change my impression of the restaurant. I still rate it around the 2 ciilipadi mark. I would go if I have to but with my own money, I know better places for crab for sure.

Lao Beijing 24 Sep 2009

2008-09-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

Had lunch at Lao Beijing (Novena Square)

Was a bit late for lunch and a bit too early for the hi-tea. So, settled for a la carte lunch.

Anyway, the beef noodle was nice. Not too spicy and yet, the broth was very tasty. I like the "la mein" noodle... nice texture and perfectly "al dente". The "seow long pau" was a bit disappointing though. The meat is somehow quite tasteless... I still prefer the "Ding Tai Fung" dumplings. I know some people may disagree with me on that.

Also ordered the Mao braised pork with "man tou",

trademark dish. Unfortunately, the dish was really disappointing. The pork was fried before braising... so the meat and the skin becomes a bit too tough for my liking.

The sauce was plum sauce which could mean that the pork was cooked separately and the sauce was just poured over. Hence, you can't really taste the flavor from the pork. If braised well, the pork should be really soft and full of flavor... the sauce should have the pork flavor together with whatever spices the use to marinate it. This version really didn't hit it with me.

Anyway, the brinjal and calamari however saved the day. I think this dish is probably quite common but Lao beijing did an exceptional job here. The calamari was fried a la tempura style topping the fried brinjal. While the brinjal was crispy on the outside, it was nice and soft on the inside. The dish is laced with a light broth which complemented the dish very well.

The dessert was average. I ordered the mango pomelo sago which was decent and the coconut mango roll. The latter was interesting but since I am not a big fan of grated coconut on my dessert (except for onde onde melaka), it was just ok for me.

This is my second visit to Lao Beijing, the first was to the Plaza Singapura branch for hi-tea. Too bad, we were a bit late. The hi-tea is quite reasonably priced. I think it was $10.50 for adult. Well. for this visit, I am giving it 2 cili padi...

Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah 20 Sep 08

2008-09-21T02:57:00.000-07:00

Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah 20 Sep 08 (KL PAC)

If you didn't know, Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah is in its second run after the overwhelming success last year. Hence, the "lagi lah"... aiyo! Anyway, this time the producers decided to bring it on a nationwide tour. First up KL, then Penang, Ipoh, Johor Bahru and kota Kinabalu.

The cast mainly consisting of new members with the exception of Ho Soon Yoon from the "Broken Bridges" fame and Glamourique Arshad. Last year, the likes of Joanne Kam, Malaysia's favourite diva, comedian Douglas Lim and soprano Doreen Tang were part of this musical spoofing ensemble but this time, it is such a delight to have Mia Palencia, our Malaysian jazz queen, Tria Aziz and Sham Sunder Binwani join the cast. The other newcomers Tabitha Kong, Zeqthy Nattrah, Janet Lee, Sarah Low and Keith Yew did well to bring the cohesiveness and energy that brought the house down laughing and cheering.

What is most impressive is that these performers are not only talented, they can sing and dance but most of them are also young... I believe these guys and gals will certainly shape the musical theatre scene in Malaysia in the coming years. I certainly look forward to seeing more from them in the future.

Now, it is obvious that I had a great time. I thought the show started a bit cranky but it soon warmed up through the mid-point of first half. Second half was ecstatic. I think the entire cast did extremely well and it is difficult to highlight which song was done better. Anyway, I have dug deep and here are some of my personal favorites (I wanted to name 5 but I just couldn't omit the last one).

(1) "Bomoh of the Bursa" sang to the tune of "Phantom of the Opera"... Soon Yoon and Tabitha certainly demonstrated that Malaysians can sing... strong and steady vocals; Climaxed with Tabitha singing the high E (I think so?) at the end... wow, Sarah B(rightman) please step down hor... Glamourique, miming the bomoh upstage provided the the comic relieve moments

(2) The finale - "Bodoh - Why you So Like That?" sung by Mia Palencia to the tune of "Do, Re, Me" from the Sound of Music. I love Mia's voice. It is certainly refreshing to hear her sing musical tunes, a departure from her usual soul and jazz pieces that she is more known for. The skit running up to the song with tourist stranded at the baggage collection point at our KLIA, was original and fun. The choreography was effective and it was the perfect ending to the show.

(3) The tap rountine from "Delisted" sung to Cole Porter's "Delovely"... excellent tap dancing from Ho Soon Yoon and Glamorique. Again, Soon Yoon was impressive. Demonstrating his versatility as a musical theatre performer, awing the audience with his tap, roundhouse kick and trademark jumping side split routine.

(4) Tria Aziz as Datin... she is so funny. What can I say? She is definitely one of the reasons to watch the show. Her Datin kind of borders on the "kampung" side but she is nonetheless captivating and is able to get the crowd going.

(5) Tabitha singing "Good Morning Towel" to the tune "Good Morning Starshine", as a frustrated housewife lamenting her love for the towel over her husband, due to more practical reasons rather. Tabitha is a star in the making. Definitely want to see more of her in the future.

(6) "I want to be in Malaysia" sung to the tune of "America" from West Side Story. The Filipino girls were great. I think it was Tabitha, Shahila and Zeqthy. The entire ensemble provided the energy required. The dancing was not bad except that the routine was repeated a few times. I am convinced that perhaps we can now put up a local production of West Side Story...

Anyway, I had said the good stuff... now, areas for improvement.

(1) Pre-show announcement - still don't understand why the pre-show announcement was done in 3 different accents... I can understand if it is 3 different languages or dialects but 3 different accents? Plus another reminder in the first song of the show! Malaysian theatre goers, I believe are generally courteous, 3+1 reminder seems a bit too many

(2) Music - hmmm midi.... argghhhh. I understand it may be a budget constraint but certainly hope that the production will move on to real music soon. Anyway, the minus one in the second half provided some relief

(3) The lyrics - some of the lyrics were repeated several times... I think we got the message the first time round and we were waiting for what is next... Dear Mr. Producer, if Broadway parodies is going to "lagi lah" one more time, I seriously suggest some revision to the lyrics

(4) Dance choreography - actually, this is more of a positive for me... Well done, Farah. I thought the choreography was great overall. Just that, there were too many ensemble "fall-in to the circle" routine which became mundane after awhile.

(5) This is a minor one... Stagehands - you have to be quicker off your blocks. Poor performers had to freeze for almost an entire minute to wait for the boards to align; Again, not a major item... surely the audience would understand but I think it will just add to the professionalism of the presentation

If you haven't caught Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah, please do so. You won't regret it. If you have already seen it last year, I suggest you see it again. I didn't catch the previous show but according to those who saw both, the singing is much better and there are more dance routine this time.

Seoul 12-16 Sep 2008 (Part 4)

2008-09-18T05:51:00.001-07:00

Day 4, Sep 16 - Lunch (Bulgogi)

My flight was at 4pm. Had to be at the Incheon airport by 2pm latest. My friend, Ryan was kind enough to take half day leave to pick me up and send me to the airport. My morning was spend blogging.

Anyway, we reached the airport before 2pm. Checked in my luggage and went for lunch at a korean restaurant on the 2nd floor of the departure hall. I ordered the bulgogi while Ryan ordered the dry buckwheat noodle. The bulgogi was rather average. Ryan's cold noodle was not bad. Apparently, the restaurant is reputable for good cold noodle.

The flight back felt shorter. Dunno why... I had a great trip. Hope to be back in Seoul soon.

Seoul 12-16 Sep 2008 (Part 3)

2008-09-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Day 3, Sep 15 - Lunch (Dumplings)

We had lunch at around 3:00pm. I think I did well. I admit that I was tipsy but not completely drunk last night or should I say earlier this morning. Anyway, I had a fantastic time. I remember we had breakfast... some pork stew with rice and the whole works. Extremely heavy for breakfast but I suppose you need to rejuvenate and replenish your energy after the marathon night out. I vaguely remember eating, hence probably why I didn't take any photos. What I remembered clearly was I had a major cramp on my legs while sitting cross-legged for breakfast. Most korean restaurants are like that i.e. tatami mats and low tables. Some newer ones will have the a recess for leg room but so far, half the restaurants we went to we had to sit on the tatami floor. It took me two rounds around the block to get rid of the cramps.

Lunch was at Insadong. It was extremely busy. Public holiday coupled with regular tourist crowd. It was very nice day. Good weather.

A bit crowded but the street food stalls were all opened. Wish I had more time to buy some of the street food but we needed something more substantial I suppose. I miss the cuttlefish...

So through the sea of people and off the main street and into some side alleys before we found the restaurants. This was the first meal that I have had at a rather touristy spot. So, I was a bit skeptical at first. Anyway, of course, it was silly to even think that... I had a bunch of Korean friends who really know how to make their Malaysian friend happy when it comes to food.

Dumplings. First impression was... "wah sumo dumplings?". They are about the size of a "char siew pau"... maybe a bit bigger. The filling is mince meat with chopped vege. I think it was pork.... yeah, it was pork. The dumpling is served either in clear soup or spicy soup on hot plate with meat, vegetable, mushroom and udon or vermicelli.

We also ordered the stew pork which we had earlier this morning. The flavor is quite similar to how my Mum makes stew pork. Two type - first type, braised in soy sauce with hard boiled egg (which is a bit sweet) and the second, braised with turnip and dry chilly. This dish tasted like the latter.

Even though, I did not really indulged in the pork stew this morning (because of the my leg cramps) but I think the stew pork we had for breakfast was tastier. Not so much the meat... both were equally tender; in fact, the stew pork at lunch was actually more refined (in terms of the cuts) but the sauce for the pork stew during breakfast was just tastier.

Anyway, we had the korean pancake as well. It was delicious. The ones we have back home (at the food court) are normally prepared in advance. So, they tend to be soggy. These ones were just perfect.

After lunch, we went for coffee at, where else... Coffee Bean. I am still puzzled that Starbucks is not more popular than Coffee Bean here. Tonight will be my last night in Seoul. My flight is at 4pm tomorrow. It is back to work for the rest after the Chuseok (Korean thanks-giving day) long weekend. Time to say goodbye to my newfound friends. Annyong-hi kashipshio... : (

[I will miss all of you...]

Day 3, Sep 15 - Dinner (Korean roll and noodles)

I stayed at my friend's place for the night. He was going to give me a lift to the airport the next day. So, tonight's dinner was quite a sombre event. No soju, no beer... just dinner at a small eatery. Most of the shops were still close because of Chuseok. So, not many choices. I thought the food was ok... of course pale in comparison to what we had for the past 2 days. Anyway, my friend was really apologetic. It's ok la...

Seoul 12-16 Sep 2008 (Part 2)

2008-09-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

Day 2 Sep 14 - Lunch (Beef hotplate, beef soup and mortar rice)

Of course, we didn't wake up till past noon after such a fulfilling night out. Anyway, by the time we were all ready it was lunch time. Time for something nutritious and soupy...

"Modeum suyuk chongol" - mixed meat hotplate; Besides slices of lean beef meat, it comes with some ribs, tendon, tongue boiled with mushrooms, green pepper, some vegetable that looks like spinach in some delicious beef broth. This was accompanied by beef soup with rice cooked in a mortar "tolsot seolleongtang". The rice is really cooked on the mortar... so, you have to scrap the rice from the mortar and add into the soup, which already comes with meat, vermicelli, peanuts... add a bit of salt and pepper and you are all set. The most interesting part was... after scraping off the rice, quickly pour some cold water into the mortar... what's left of the rice or crust will be "dessert"... unfortunately, I was a bit slow on the water pouring, so my rice was a bit burnt.

When I was leaving the restaurant, I managed a glimpse of the kitchen... wow... no wonder the soup was so tasty. They basically had a whole cow in the cauldron... just kidding. You can see the bones all stacked up on the big wok... hmmm maybe the amount of bones could make up a whole cow. Look at the picture taken from outside, not very clear but you can kind of make it out.

Day 2 Sep 14, Dinner - Cold Noodle

Yum yum... I love cold noodle. This place apparently is more famous for its hot noodle but I thought the cold noodle tasted great too. I don't remember cold noodle being powdered with so much sesame seed the last time I had it but it does add to the flavor though. My friend had the dry version which is basically buckwheat noodle with spicy sauce... I had a taste and kind of regretted not ordering the dry cold noodle. It was very tasty. Anyway, it may be too spicy for me. Even the locals were sweating... I would be drenched, I guess. ; )

After dinner, we went for drinks at a karaoke pub... first pub, I think we had about 15 bottles of beer. It's a norm to serve 5 bottles at a time. Quite similar to Taipei, some places serves half a dozen big ones each time. We waited till around 1 am before we went to a dance club. It was too crowded. We didn't stay very long because we were off to catch a show at Trance, a cross-dresser show which I found extremely high quality and entertaining despite not understanding korean. After the show, we stayed on for awhile more for some drinks before adjourning back to the karaoke for drinks. We drank and sang and we drank and sang... by the time we left the pub, it was 7:30am. Wow... time for breakfast!!!