Food Munchin' in Malaysia

Munakata Round 2 this New Year!

2012-01-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

Well,we're back at Munakata for another round of 耽溺以上 !!! (Over Indulgence) Only this time, I am the honored guest of my food crime pal,Viv, along with her bf,Justus. Purportedly to have Viv's all time favorite chawan mushi, we made our way early to hit the quaint little restaurant at 6.30pm. Hey,don't be quick to put us down or sqaush our enthusiasm for good yet affordable Japanese cuisine. First in,first to receive expeditious service I say. Viv got wind of a food promotion Munakata was having starting this month up till Feb and that is 2 to dine will afford the 3rd diner a free meal. That's a gorgeous temptation especially to us folks who love some good Jap comfort food at the ready within our budget means. Although the menu looks limited in certain aspects,trust me...after going through the first row of orders, you'll start to slow down.

The avid diner will be wise enough to pace themselves and know exactly what they want to get the best deal for their buck. We've been here before so we know the score and what to aim for.

We did a quick scan through the available menu and quickly noted down on the prepared order form our top choices of the night. Let's start with the goods and no fuss about it.

To me, their servings of sumptuous and delectable slices of unagi is the best I've had by far by any restaurant offering up a promo. Plump,juicy and definitely savory down to the last bite. I couldn't get enough of them so greedy gut here had to have more helpings of it as the meal progresses.

A Russian dinner party

2012-01-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

NY 2011 Russian style

2012-01-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

This NY had an unexpected twist. We celebrated it Russian style,both me and mum,when we were invited by my Siberian friends to their place on New Year's eve. And boy,what a fine spread! Ksusha had really outdone herself. This isn't the first time I got to taste her cooking and hopefully not going to be the last. I am really grateful to have Mikhail and Ksoosh as my close friends and always every time we hang out together,it deals with good comfort food. I shall have to dig up my other files and find the many other goodies I've had the pleasure of sharing with them and slowly update them in here.
Anyhoo, here are a few of the pics I've managed to snap during the meal without feeling too rude at the table about it. I'll be sure to upload any vids I have in my blogs when I can.
On the dining table,there were many colorful and delicious appetizers to be had. Among them, in front of me,my favorite eggplant roll dish which I have been craving ever since I got a taste of it during the last Christmas party. WOOHOO! I get to sample more of it that night.
In the midst of the table,there was creamed beetroot slaw to be had,both me and mum fell in love with a bowl of traditional Russian potato dish ( I can't recall the name to save me) but it consisted of chicken,green peas,carrots,potato cubes,onions in a creamed mayo dressing. What I do know is that the dressing is a mixture of mayo and sour cream,generously coating the entire dish. I was inform by my hosts,that this dish was derived during the Soviet era whereby Mayonaise being a highly prized and decadent product, was incredibly hard to come by and when a family was lucky enough to have it,they'd save it up to be used for such an occasion for the New Year celebrations. The dish can be created in whatever ingredients that is available in your kitchen larder,mostly consisting of the ever important potato,peas and carrots...you can substitute the meat with pork,sausage or chicken. Whatever you fancy. And boy,was it ever so good! That dish became my mum's favorite that night.
Another dish which was hearty and just as good was the cubed chicken with sliced Japanese Kyuri dressed with sesame seeds and hints of sesame oil. Very refreshing with each bite.
My favorite roasted eggplant olive oil with black olives,creamed cheese,pine nuts and parsley rolls. Mmmmmmm,I can still taste it.
A wonderful delicious treat all the way from Moscow. Smoked baby mackerel on buttered baguettes with thinly slice lemon wedges. The lemon was not overpowering,in fact,very rustic and pleasing with each bite. I love it. Throughout the meal, there were toasts to be made by each member at the table no what they've been grateful for from throughout that year that's happened to them. And we all certainly had many many things to be thankful for. Those who can handle it,toasted with champagne. The rest of us took fruit juices. Sorry no vodka for the hosts for this NY. Champagne was the order of the night.
The main course for that night were traditional NY prok and beef dumplings drizzled with a tomato based creamed sauce ad lib. So heartwarming and tender with each morsel, this greedy gut can't help but have 2 helpings of it.
After the main meal, we all relaxed with another must-do NY activity which is rounding up the family in front of the tele and watch good ol' classic Russian films while killing time before the statr of the fireworks display to be held across the street at a nearby mall. I've certainly enjoyed myself thoroughly watching classic Soviet Russian comedies in that warm and cozy environment when the lights were dimmed or off to give that cinematic quality to the feel. I gotta get me a copy of those classic. Boy! were they ever so good and hilarious to boot. Of course,subtitles certainly helped a lot.
Unfortunately that night,we were a few minutes too late to catch the fireworks in all its splendour but it didn't daunt our enthusiastic spirits as we quickly headed back for more fun and activities. Lighting up little NY sparklers by the balcony,scaring away the cat, and rounding up the evening with slices of good Orea Cheese cake from La Manila bakery. Thank you so much everyone for making the start of this year a very happy and satisfying one. Hope the party will rock on.

Cheers folks!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-14T06:21:00.000-08:00

"So Sandra,when are you going to cook for us again?" Loud hint. Wink wink. Ok, I hear ya. :D
I met up with my pals from MNU off and on we do do occasionally meet up,but its usually having to do with our group's current activities and projects for the up and coming annual comic fiesta. This year was no different only it had coupled with both outrageous chaos dealing with over packing capacity of the crowd but fun and loud banter from group after group of totally awesome and talents folks all in the creative industry that is comic,publishing,animation,gaming,product design & cos-play. Anyhoo, realizing that it has indeed been a long while since we've had our traditional MNU food feast, since when,...I think when our good pal,Hoos,left to head back home to Indonesia. So I've decided to grab at the opportunity to feed my pals for the upcomingChristmas hols. What better way to rewards ourselves with a lot of good comfort food and friendly banter after a painstaking weekend during the Comic Fiesta.

So without further ado, here's a look at the spread both me and thanks a great big heap to mum's contribution, we've managed to conjure up a delicious memorable spread with grateful help from my guest pitching in to bring some extra plates/dishes for the occasion.
The reason that I'd like to make an extra effort to celebrate Christmas this year is to open up our home to welcome my orphaned friends over for a warm Christmas treat. Friends who are living and working outstation so have no home to go to for this season's hol. And man,it felt really good that everyone enjoyed themselves and were very happy and thankful at the same time,as how all Christmas celebrations should end.

My friends from Siberia,Mikhail & Ksusha wowed us all with her appetizers of eggplant rolls with black olives stuffed with cream cheese,pine nuts and finely chopped parsley (My all time favorite dish that night. I love eggplant).
And seafood burrito wraps. Man they were both so very tasty that everyone just lapped them up in an instance.
Kudos to my twin for the unexpected whole roast contribution that night. She had made it quite clear the week before that she didn't wasn't contributing anything but to my amazement,she whipped up these bird at the very last minute and gave me one bird for the party. Awesome! Too bad she had another party to go to with her own group of friends that night. It was at first meant to be a combined party but things got out of hand and she was in a huff to change plans and almost didn't have a Christmas Eve herself.
More wonderful treats came in the form of Bacon & Cheese quiches ...
...and indulgent succulent pork belly slices from Pig Out Deliveries. A new business set up I've found out from my friend,Alina in FB. And man! They don't short change on the quality and goodness in each of the dishes. I love them all and we're deifinitely going to try out the rest of their extensive menu next time 'round. Keep on oinking,Pig Out!
http://pigoutdeliveries.blogspot.com/
Sadly,there were no pics available of the dessert selection that night which consisted of fresh mango slices coupled with bowls of tiramisu ice cream. Another belly filling indulgence. But then again,it's Christmas!
Like my fellow blog in Khoolsville,I'd like the end this segment with a clip from a series of food spot created in Youtube by the ever talented chef de cuisine, RunnyRunny999. Like many others, I love Japanese cuisine and am always on the look out for cooking demos that I can easily work with and RunnyRunny has it spot on for homey down to earth techniques which I can definitely relate to andwork with. Thanks for sharing Runny2 and keep up the grand job!

http://www.youtube.com/user/runnyrunny999?feature=watch

2012-01-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Its no big secret that I'm a couch potato when it comes to serving au gratins on the screen. So perhaps its time to share some or a ton of the food porn flicks I've been satiating my appetite with. One of which I am particularly curious and interested to catch be zis. Oh and many many food pics and journals to upload. I had better hustle up on the artworks on my end first.
Cheers folks!

Plugging In

2011-12-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

This is the art piece I did as part of my contribution to this year's MNU artbook anthology. Basically me tucking into my Bento Box with my kitty cat,Kameko, looking on in all hopefulness and giving me the eyes.

Word of the Day

2011-10-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

I started a trend with an art bud,drawing a rough concept/sketch out of a word or phrase of the day which we'd take it in turns to come up with. The word this time was 'Constantinople' which at the the I thought was too huge and glorious an undertaking to achieve in just one sketch so dilly dallied,not wanting to face the obstacle on my sketch journal. Eventually,I got to it and this was what I can up with,drawing from memory what's best I can come up with which links me to it,without having to go through arduous referencing,totally undermining the purpose of the everyday sketch exercise. So this is what I came up with. Thoughts of Emperor Constantine,the Byzantium era...Hagia Sofia in Istanbul....

So there you have it. My take on Constantinople. Hope it won't take too long to decipher.
Cheers folks!

Ristretto Cafe @ Mont Kiara,KL

2011-10-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

OK! I've been meaning to update this article on our taste visit to Ristretto in ages,well since we've been there last December. But have been really swamped with work though it's not a good enough reason to shirk on the job with my updates. What I really wanted to make a change was to submit artworks on the food I've cooked or tasted along my culinary journey but unfortunately the days don't stretch as far as I'd like to. Anyhoo, to both the owners of Ristretto who've been so kind enough to invite this 'noobie,sorry excuse of a food writer' to their cafe and in good faith,expected both me and Viv to do a write up of their new start up. That was end of last year,before their official soft launch in Febuary. Now it's Oct. Man, I have so much to make up for. So let's get right to it.

Me and Viv were invited to try out their drinks menu but was also offered a simple meal menu to see off any hunger for the patrons of this fine,quaint establishment. Above is my order of Hot Latte which came with a charming rose decor on the foam.
I can't quite remember what Viv ordered for her drink but I believe this was their Iced Honeydew.

We were definitely hungry for some chow and was swayed by the owner's recommendation of Provencale' Lambshank at RM 35 per serving. They had Chef Martin overseeing their kitchen at the time of our visit. I wonder how's everything coming along,whether or not the staff has grown or any distinct changes have been made. Anyways... The meal came out lovely piping hot which whetted our appetites even further.
A quote from one of the owners, Mr. Daniel Lee, who hosted us throughout most of the evening,as saying "Everything is fresh!" I found our order of Lamb shank had a very light flavor to it,not overwhelming or intense. Just very light and mild which was nice. The dish came with cotton soft mashed potatoes and we were informed that to cook the lamb shank,it would have to be boiled and roasted first for at least 6 hours for it to accentuate the smokiness in the flavor.

We were both very eager to try out their freshly baked cakes on display at the cake counter so ordered a slice each of their Vanilla Carrot Cake and Strawberry Sponge Cake at RM 8 each. We were told that everything but the chocolate cupcakes were home made.

Well,I found both of the cakes to be very decent and satisfied my sweet tooth for the night.
We were both treated to a little tour around the cafe whereby Julien Koh, the partner in this new set up,demonstrates and tells us about the process of how they come about making their coffee brew.
Here's Julien happily in his own element,brewing us a batch from their bean stock.

What remains from squeezing all of the moisture out of the beans is this hard coffee cake which though can't be eaten,we were told could be turned into a good source of compost for later use. Did I get that right? Someone plese correct me if I'm mistaken.
To know that the process has been followed through properly,the hard cake will have a crack like that when dropped.
And one way to know that the coffee brew has been made fresh, there should be the prerequisite golden foam on the top when served.

This charming cafe offers diners and patrons the option of dining indoors or el fresco in the open air seatings and tables set up in the front entrace of the cafe.

Displaying assorted goodies to tempt patrons with.
I love the simple rustic menu they have written on the blackboard above the kitchen mantle piece.

A small lounge as an option for caffeine addicts.
If anyone were curious as to how this little cafe venture came about,we were told by Mr. Lee that they were both keen to find a good spot for a coffee at an affordable rate ,where the price is right. A place that was comfortable with a leisure atmosphere about it. They had both decided that they wanted to start up something small at first, ergo smaller risks involved.
It was Julien who had come back from his travels 4 months later to help Daniel to set up their little cafe idea here and claims to be the only one place in Malaysia that boasts a naked-pointer filler extraction for coffee beans. Julien did note that while in Sydney, the Sydney 'ites had a sense of passion for their food,and the locals do know a thing or two about their coffee. Small cups of mocha with a glass of water... packets of fresh coffee beans dotting the background...it was all in embedded in that culture.

Daniel noted that they weren't both exactly coffee junkies themselves. They just loved the idea of available good brew and good food within one's reach. They stated they weren't interested in making a profit from the venture, just the thought of enabling to cater to the locals in the neighborhood,be it for couples or family groups, is rewarding enough for the both of them. And the idea of branching out big one day is not an idea they're keen in.
A little take on the coffee I was served. Really wanted to do a caricature of both the owners as a nice momento to this article but sadly,my sketches didn't turn out well on the journal.

Here's a glimpse of the lil menu we were presented that night. They were really being careful with their choices to include in and am very very glad they were wise not to swamp patrons with a huge menu for the introduction of their young cafe. No waste,no fuss or muss....just simple and straightforward good comfort cooking to go with the beverages.
I thoroughly love the idea of them labelling the coffee menu according to how potent each coffee can be : 'Baby', 'Noob' and 'Pro'.

See how much I've shirked off??? Daniel and Julien even got a full cafe site up already even before my own snail-paced review came out. "Dang you,food writer!"
http://www.ristretto.com.my/

For 2 both very passionate,globe-trotting young individuals willing to make a go at fulfilling their dreams,hope that Ristretto will continue to flourish as an ideal caffeine oasis for the fortunate neighbors and visitors for years to come.

Ristretto Cafe
Unit 3A @ 10 Mont Kiara
JAlan Kiara 1
Mont Kiara 50480 KL

YOu can contact either Daniel Lee or Julien Koh @ 6012-5281679...if they haven't changed their number by the time this review is up already. *doh!*

Breakfast and snacks

2010-08-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

Seremban Siew Pau/Roast Pork dumplings.

And another breakfast pleaser, sausage wrapped french toasts.

Babette's Feast

2009-12-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

One treasure I did manage to find during my day trip to Singapore was Babett's Feast. A film I've been dying and aching to find ever since I stumbled upon the film in YouTube. Here are a few snippets of it available from the site.

I urge everyone who hasn't seen it yet to at least try get a copy for their personal library. But be forewarned that watching this movie can make one hungry and tempted to eat even while viewing it. I know...I simply must eat my meals while watching this movie otherwise I wouldn't be able to lst through the acid built up.

C'mon,with a movie that has almost half of it filled with cooking and partaking of the finest recipes concocted by a culinary French genius,who wouldn't want to watch this??? Kudos to the Academy for rewarding this film justly with the covetted award.
Enjoy folks!

Munakata @ Life Center KL

2009-12-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, my chow hound pals Viv and Joyce ventured into KL to try out a Japanese joint called Munakata which,according to Viv, had a set menu of all you can eat for 60++ per head. She re-called reading up articles of their limited though stellar and fresh ingredients maintained by the chefs there and she was right! We were required to place our orders on a small list provided and pass it to the Kimono attired waitresses who will then fill our orders dish by dish. Each dish cooked to order which made the meal more enjoyable,be it piping hot, cold or crispy fried dishes. We were very fortunate to've chosen that night to dine there as it was their final day for the RM60++ offer before the restaurant begins charding an additional RM10 to all customers starting the very next day.
My dual order of Chawan Mushi. So flavorful and steaming hot,Viv actually beat us all with an overall 4 helpings of it if am not mistaken.

Our orders of Sashimi Salmon. Noting each sashimi slice had an extra welcoming thickness to their volume which made each bite worth every penny. Very fresh with additional thickness, this one won us over.

I especially love their salmon sushi. I could eat them all through the night had it not been for the other dishes we were sampling at the same time.

Edamame. Alway a welcome repost and diversion to the heavier dishes.

The seafood salad. Personally,I found none of the salad orders standing out. But that's ok, we weren't there for the greens anyway. It was always about the fresh seafood dishes.
Wakamame salad.
Fresh Garden salad.None all too appealing for me.
Eringi Butter Yaki/Pan-fry King Oyster Mushroom with Butter. We all loved this.

Enoki no Butter Yaki/Pan-fry fresh straw mushroom with butter. YUM!
Hourensou Butter/Grilled spinach with butter. I felt no green leafy veg should have to endure such a buttery ending.
Hotate Butter Yaki/Grilled scallops with Butter. Now this is something I really like. Very flavorful and pleasing with each mouthful. This one appeared more grilled and flat compared to our first order below. But I didn't mind, they were both equally yummy!

Saba Shioyaki/Grilled Mackeral with salt. Joyce was not a fan of mackeral at first,but after sampling, I think the dish has fully converted her successfully. I've always loved mackeral myself.
Sake Teriyaki/Grilled Salmon coated with sweet soy sauce. Both fishes were very good indeed. Am just sad our stomach didn't have a seperate compartment like bovines do in order to store away more lovely seafood.
Gohan & Miso soup. Standard and very pleasing. he miso soup had both flavor and ingredient 1 up above the rest I've eaten before.
Unagi Tamago?Grilled eel wrapped in omelette. This I love. Eel and egg goes very well together but then,we all know that.
Shira Ebi Karaage/Deep fried Japanese glass shrimp. This dish maintained its crispiness eventhough we took our sweet time samplnig it. Each bite exudes a strong pleasing flavor we all enjoyed and I regretted not order more.
Shishamo/Grilled pregnant smelt fish didn't win us over. We all definitely preferred the mackerel to it anyday which packed more oomph and flavor compared to these unfortunate bloated fish.
Mini Croquettes. I regrettably popped one in too soon and singed my mouth momentarily so be careful folks when diving into these petite morsels. Other than that unfortunate incident, I like it.
Kaki Furai/Deep fried oysters I love and ordered dual helpings. Sadly, the last piece was oozing with black ink which left a strong muddy after taste I wasn't used to so made me squirm while chewing my last bite.

Tori Tsukune Yaki / Skewered Chicken Meatball coated with savory sauce. Nothing special, nothing outstanding. Wish it was real gamey and meaty chicken meatballs, instead, this one tasted more floury than I'd fancy.
Tempura Moriawase/Assorted seafood and vegetable in batter. Was good and appreciated it had maintained its crispiness to the end.
Unagi.Big and fatty....YUM!

Gyu Saikoro Steak/Beef Steak Japanese style. Standard issue that went well with the cripy garlic garnish. Pity it couldn't be wagyu for the price we were paying for.
We ended the meal with an order of fruits,green tea ice cream topped with red bean paste and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for me.
Overall, the meal was worth the bill and I wouldn't say no to another visit. Only it has to be after a long fasting day if I really want to enjoy the full experience of it. I will be required to pay an additioanly RM 10++ now onwards after all.

Cheers folks!

Food Munching during the Asian Television Forum @ Singapore

2009-12-11T11:55:00.001-08:00

2nd December 2009

Well,I've had a fun filled day during my recent short trip to Singapore to attend the official launching of Saladin the tv series at the Asian Television Forum in Suntec. Check out the Malaysian and Saladin display booth there. Neat ain't it?
Who knew cocktail food such as these were so tantalizing that it managed to satisfy my cravings throughout the entire evening. Of course I was spoiled for choice.

These tangy prawn with mango canapes were very lovely indeed.
Of course,paired with friends like the Thai prawn on lemon grass baguette and the fois gras with pickled fruit barquettes, the night was made for one joyous tasting session.

No successful shot of the mozerella with cherry tomato and olive. :( I was too quick in the mouth to snap the pretty display.
The smoked salmon with cream cheese tower was something unforgettable and something I'd love to add to any future cocktail parties.
I'm one proud mama right now.

Of course, after the evening's networking and a quick dash to the video store, I was ravenous by the time I arrived back to the hotel. I consoled myself to just a slice of apple that night before hitting the hay,happy with the knowledge that a good breakfast will be awaiting me when I wake up. And the PanPac hotel's Global Kitchen didn't fail in delivering a very good hearty breakfast. Thankfully I was the last in line they were able to accommodate at the time as the queue kept on increasing and they staff were forced to divert the other guests to the hotel's other restaurant which were serving Indian cuisine. And I didn't want that. I wanted my omelette.
I admit, I went for seconds with some really good selection from the salad bar, egg station and western buffet smorgasbord.

Another quick snapshot of the plate. I definitely epitomized the typical Japanese tourist look with my bulky digicam on the side. And below, not forgetting my privileged roots, I couldn't resist a small samplnig of their chicken congee with steamed peanuts,chives,slices of tamago and sweetened pork. A dash of light soy sauce and VOILA! A perfect porridge bowl.
The spectecular and breathtaking decor at PanPac.

Even their Cookie house display was fun and inviting. Too bad I couldn't spare the time to brouse their sweet wares. I made my way around Suntec and the Marina instead.
Sadly, my tight schedule did not allow any sampling whatsoever here. Dash it!!! Marvelous Cream, I SHALL return!

Cheers folks!

La Bodega,Bangsar

2009-12-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

Me and Viv wanted to try out the eating scene at Bangsar so went strolling along the Bangsar Village area looking at which suitable eatery best tempted our palates. La Bodega was something different we haven't tried out yet and since we were both eager to try out Spanish cuisine, especially tapas, we went for it almost immediately.
We opted for their dinner Tapas promo which had a set menu to choose from at a set price of RM 80++ for 2 people.

We selected Ensalada da Gambas y Mejilones con Cebella, Pimenta Roja y Apio (Prawn and Mussel salad with onion,red pepper and celery). It was lovely and went really well coupled with the olive oil.

Pimientos dulces Rellenas con Queso de Cabra y Salsa Picante de la Berenjena (Sweet mini peppers stuffed with goats cheese & spicy eggplant salsa. Delish!
Crusty bread accompanied the entire meal which we were more than happy to lather them on.
Atun con Condimento Picante de Tomate y Uceitunas verde ( Seared tuna with spicy green olive & tomato relish) . Sizzling and very pleasing indeed though the black olives were a tad bit saltier than I am used to. Otherwise I love it.
And now the pièce de résistance, Fiduea de Calamar Vello y Alioli ( Angel hair pasta cooked in paella with stuffed squid safffron & aioli). I was very very good and I will definitely return again to try out their paella in its original recipe.
Finally,we rounded up the meal with some sherbet (Viv) and ice cream (me. I'm not really a sherbet kinda gal). Sadly, I failed to note what type of flavors we've selected. Oh well...overall it was a pleasant,satisfying tasty meal which I will gladly return for a second course.

Delicioso!

Sushi King promo feasting

2009-12-07T06:51:00.000-08:00

Last October, Sushi King had its usual nigiri sushi promotion at all of its local branches here in M'sia. I was fortunate to have a posse of Japanese aficionados who appreciate binging on the wee morsels as much as I do(regardless of it being chain outlet quality)and did invite me out on 2 gluttonous occasions on the same day of the promotion. I began the binging with dear Barb that day at one of the outlets in Cheras.

Dear Barb is enjoying herself indeed.
Some of the wee morsels I chose. They were good and fresh seeing as the popular promo made it a tad difficult for any remaining remnants from the hungry lunch crowd.
And when dusk settles, I made my way to another one of the outlets in MidValley where another 2 of my posse were waiting to begin the onslaught.
Our appetizers.
Viv and Joyce are pleased with their successful procurements.

Sadly the tempura batter failed to retain its crispiness by the time it rolled around the conveyor belt onto our trays.
And the sad truth we had to deal with this time 'round is the 1 hour dining limitation to stuff our faces before we had to vacate our table for another group of hungry mouths. But no biggie for me as I've had 2 rounds that day and an hour was more than enough to satisfy my appetite for quick standard sushi.

Tampopo - Favorite Food Scene

2009-08-06T05:34:00.000-07:00

Daorae, Sri Hartamas/Mont Kiara

2009-01-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

From Min Park.
From my sketch journal.
Min Park introduced me to a fantastic Korean BBQ joint which is situated right above a Korean grocer. Awesome! Fantastic ambiance with fantastic food and great company. Lovely! Sam Gub Sal/ Pork was ordered and the tiny platters of sides starts pouring onto our table.

See the lovely cuts sizzling on the iron grill pit. I appreciate that they regard garlic and onions as mandatory ingredients in this meal.
Kimchi cabbage is a must have.
Their soup tastes similar to Japanese miso only spicier.
Min working the chops for the BBQ.

I love this side dish of spicy spring onions. Though quite a huge meal, I still felt very healthy after partaking it cos apart from the pork,everything else was rather light.

Our kimchi pizza. Light,fluffy and I totally dig the flavors with the onions innit.

Tasteful decor. There's actually another floor above us which has private dining rooms for customers to enjoy without the hustle and bustle and loud chatter experienced on our level.

Dim Sum @ Taman Megah Dec 2008

2009-01-26T05:40:00.000-08:00

If you're hankering for Dim Sum, I don't have to look any further than my ol' neighborhood's Dim Sum shop which has been there since I can remember. Well prepared and with a wide variety to choose from. Congees, siew mais,har gows, loh mai kais, Hong Kong Chee Cheong Funs, Crispy wan tons, Fried carrot cakes ...the selection is endless! Pity I can only gorge so much in one sitting for breakfast.

Dessert at Svensens @ ss2

2009-01-26T05:35:00.001-08:00

Chan Ghee refused me the chance to treat him dinner at Sugimoto but gave in when dessert was suggested. We had their sizzling Apple Crumble with syrup,butter and ice cream. So very good!

Delicious at Bangsar Village

2009-01-26T05:03:00.001-08:00

I treated my partner in food crime,Viv, to a late tea cum dinner at Bangsar V's Delicious. All the food we've ordered there has lived up to that title, I am pleased to say. And thankfully after past experience, we have wisely opted to share our dishes together enabling us to order more for our enjoyment. We ordered their spaghetti cabonara.
Huge portions coupled with good flavors,good ingredients and tasteful preps makes it all worth the price one pays for it. I like the chef's idea of putting a single basil leaf on top to add contrast in color to the plate. And I appreciate the flavorful crunch it adds to the bite.

My order of Ceaser Salad. So so good! I will def order it again and again whenever I'm dining here. First I'm having my salad with the egg cooked as a separate entity and not mixed in with the salad dressing as I anticipated. But most prob another egg has been added to the dressing already. thin anchovies strewn along the top of the pile with huge chunks of bacon and sliced of toasted baguettes subsidising the usual croutons makes for a very very good Seaser indeed. I just love this dish.

My Vanilla Milkshake over Viv's Mint Iced Lemon Tea. I go for Creamy,baby!

And an order of their Antipasti Platter for pure decadence. Always a winner at the table. Duck/Chicken? liver pate with melted butter on top, with a side of grilled tomatoes in olive oil dressing (my fave), grilled mushrooms, grilled whole garlic clove(another fave of mine), puree egglant, grilled asparagus and grilled squid. So so very good with a basket of toast baguette slices. We had to order another basket to balance the mouthfuls of antipastis.

Delicious comes very highly recommended as it is affordable with very well prepared dishes to please anyone.

Latest Recipe

2008-11-03T01:08:00.000-08:00

Debs took mum out for her birthday here and kindly made room for me to join in which I was thankful for cos the food was good. But it would be a meal I would regret cos I had to endure weeks of bowel twisting and tummy aches after that. Too much of a good things should be monitored. What I enjoyed from most buffets is the salad bar spread. If its good,I'm happy. And if they have an ever better dessert spread,then WHOOPEE! This particular joint had a good sushi bar which I shamelessly left my mark on,visiting it after each empty plate.

Gorging on sashimi all sorts is a thing of joy!

Their tomato aioli.
Squid ink pasta in tomato sauce.

Stir fry chicken,prawns and squid in cream was sooo sinfully delicious to the last bite.
Le Meridien and the Hilton joint? at Midvalley boasts the best dessert table I've ever enjoyed. You can see I had a ball creating my own dessert art. Waffles oozing with butter and maple syrup with ice cream,fudge and choc stick with nut sprinkles is sooo decadent and heavenly.

Their other options,I wasn't so crazy about...just for my own creations of delight.

Cafe Pat Kin Pat Sun in Cheras

2008-11-02T04:25:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad Barb introduced me to this new place in Cheras that's different from our regular food dives. Def an improvement on the usual grub we get at Cyberjaya.
So far we've done 2 visits,but their huge array of food choices prompted me to make this an eating target till I've covered a fair amount of ground going through their menu.
What we had so far.....

Crispy Crabstick roll from their Dim Sum menu. Yeap, they have a Dim Sum menu along with their already full ala carte and set menu. Sooo many things to try, so little tummy space.

Steamed Bean Curd Rolls. Most of their dim sum items range about RM3.80 a dish so it allows us to try more just one or 2.
Their Har Gow was better on our second visit. More moist and juicy compared to the dry and hard centre from the first batch.
Crispy fried rice for RM8.50. So good,we'll def order this again and again and again.
Their Dory fish fillet with house special sauce which is basically garlic cream with herbs and I suspect,cheese. Sooooo sinful and tender,juicy and succulent,we now order it everytime we pay the cafe a visit. Oh,and RM12.90 per order.
I love mopping up the sauce with my hot bun.

CAFE PAT KIN PAT SUN (like a Hong Kong inspired theme cafe)
111G-115G Jalan 1/91
Taman Shamelin Perkasa
Cheras 56100 KL
tel : 603-92831929

Zakura

2008-08-09T00:48:00.000-07:00

Viv recently treated me to a Jap dinner last Saturday at a quaint looking little Jap restaurant called Zakura something...sorry. Viv,can you help me with this? Decent chow at decent pricing.
Thank you so much,Viv! I won't go greedy with the Tempura ice cream ever again.
Vivs tempura sashimi and unagi bento.

My tempura sashimi bento.

The tempura batter had yam and chocolate flavored ice cream inside. Never again...too heavy a bite to handle after the bento.

Viv's order of green tea ice cream wth red bean paste.

A typical Chinese dinner at PJ Old Town.

2008-05-18T10:57:00.001-07:00

Crispy bass in a bed of soy sauce.

Pork ribs. No dinner is complete without some prokers on the side.
Stir fried long beans.
I love this beancurd stew dish. Oh so good!
Black pepper beef strips.
The Pièce de résistance...Braised Duck! I'm in love!

Old Town Kopitiam chain

2008-05-18T10:56:00.001-07:00

Some small in portions, but quite tasty enough nontheless. Though it can burn the wallet for these standard dishes. I'll usually order their ipoh hor fun with a side of omega eggs or their nasi lemak with crispy chicken or their curry chicken with rice for a quite satisfying to my tum meal. I won't be ordering their eggs on toast anytime soon though their kaya with butter and toast is really awesome with a cuppa ice milo. Yum! I dig having a side of curry puffs too to lap up the curry chicken gravy.

Lunch at Padi

2008-04-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

My order of Thai Style Crispy Chicken Rice with and egg on top. If I'm not mistaken, it costs about RM6.90 or was it RM7.90 each ? Ah well....anyways, it all looks appetizing and pretty, but the overall taste came out really bland than what it actually looks like. Most of the stuff I've eaten there so far is kinda on the bland side,save for their dried fish fried rice. Their fries are pretty decent and good but I wouldn't order the onion rings again, good as it was due to the really small portions served. I've as yet to test more of their menu options so we'll see how that fares.
Cheers folks and happy chowing!

Breakfast and Dessert

2008-04-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Wish I had more spare time to do food painting in my room. But here's a snippet from one of my sketch journals. Above is a breakfast plate consisting of philly cheese wrapped in lox with caviar, slices red peppers, philly cheese topped with more caviar and a variety of fruits on the side.Oh the fond memories of such an exquisite and very sinful breakfast.
Below are some of the extremely good selections from Bakerzin....ooooo, I'm still drooling over their green tea slice which I highly recommend to you all. Well worth every penny to every bite.

Venny's Restaurant

2008-04-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

Went there last Saturday morning for breakfast prior to our expected attendance to the PEKOMIK comic convention at PWTC. This was one of the many side cafes/coffeeshops located just outside of Low Yat Plaza, a dying tech supply building in the heart of KL.The stall owners here are still a lively bunch though. One cannot emphasize enough the amount of boundless energy that exudes from these money making enthusiasts as they bawl out for customers to come patronize their stalls while ignoring their competitors next door. Customers literally park right up to the curb lawlessly irregardless of road regulations while making their way to tank up their morning bellies. Check out the wide range of freshly cooked chow all ready for lunch time even though the clock still chimes 10.30 am. But that didn't seem to matter much as customers don't discriminate much between lunch and breakfast meals as they proceed to devour down the long array of lunch dishes along with their breakfast selection and so on.
I chose to sample their Pan Mee with a side of Iced Milo. Everything about their cooking seems to run on the light side. Both Prawn Mee and Pan Mee broth were neither bursting with thickness in the soup consistency or exuberating with flavor. Personally, I think if you'd just add a nice chunky pork bone into the boiling pot,the soup would've come out 10 times better,if cooked overnight that is.

Still it was a very decent and satisfying meal for the morning's adventure and served as an adequate source of energy filling station before we continued on with our journey.

Lunch time at Mumbo Jumbo

2008-01-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

One of the few places to grab a decent salad in Cyberville. Another good place would be at the Pizzaria Italiano,both located at the Street Mall. We had this chow at Mumbo Jumbo. Quite new with decent chow with decent prices. I recommend grabbing the chicken masala sandwich. A good place to grab a healthy lunch. They also have a breakfast set included in their menu with a nice dessert list from waffles to ice cream. Nice! Go for their set menu for lunch at an affordable rate from RM 10 onwards.

GuangZhou Roast Duck in Uptown

2008-01-15T19:57:00.001-08:00

I highly recommend going to Damansara Uptown to this quaint little hawker cafe for several samples of their GuangZhou Roast Duck. Absolute heaven with the plum sauce. Drippingly juicy and succulent in every bite. Dangit,I'm making myself hungry now! Cheers!

Dinner at alNafourah at KL Hilton/Le Meridien

2008-01-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

Middle Eastern food has never tasted so good! Diners are treated to a gastronomic journey at alNafourah where the food is as authentic (methinks) as they get over here in KL in an extremely elegant setting with a choice of dining in their multiple private rooms or in the open dining hall. The entire setting and decor definitely does take ones breath away.
For starters,we begin with flat bread with various dips and falafel accompanied with sweetened rose water and mineral bottle from Italy at, I'm guessing, a hundred bucks a pop? It was all so good I stuffed myself before the main courses had arrived.

Lamb and chicken kebabs with dip.
Fish,chicken and lamb targine. There was also another steamed fish dish, but I failed to sample or take a pic of it, possibly because it was so good my colleagues lapped it all up before I had the chance.

Lamb rice baked in a pie. Wonderful!
The piece de resistance, garlic cream. Oh so heavenly! We had to order a few more helpings of it. I'm so glad Orpha requests for this. Really sets the tone for every dish I ate this with and brings the aroma and flavor to new heights. So light,frothy and aromatic, I ate it like it was ice cream. Just melts in your mouth. I gotta learn how to make this!
And between sampling all the delish delicacies, you can expect a belly dancer to pop in out of no where to entertain you with her moves and curves.
My almond and honey ice cream for dessert...oh sooo GOOD!
And the every anticipated Baklava to wrapped up the meal. Everything was so good and satisfying and despite our tummies filled to the brim and begging for respite, it was sad the meal had to eventually come to an end. Definitely a place not for the faint wallet.

Lunch at the Pavillion

2008-01-07T18:13:00.001-08:00

Had lunch at this quaint dining establishment located on the ground floor atrium of the Pavillion. We arrived in the nick of time for their buffet lunch menu before they took it off in preps for tea-time and dinner. Think their lunch menu is available from 12pm to 3pm. Just the answer to a healthy ( and suppose to be light but...) meal. Love their selection of cold salmon and salad greens at the bar. My only gripe is that there's still no sign of any sliced radishes I crave that seems to be missing at every salad bar I've been to save for one particular restaurant called 'Sireh' I think, located on the ground floor of PJ Hilton. You can see what I live on. The pic with the huge slices of cheese is my friend,Ezat's plate. They even have hot soup, quiche and beef stew among the few hot food available at the bar. And dessert includes a couple of cake and cookie choices. Tea and coffee is included in the set menu. If memory serves me well,think the lunch buffet will set you back about RM 25++ per person. Quite worth the dollar considering shameful me cleared up the salmon plate prior to the last call. Lovely! My idea of a good lunch.

Sudu at Hilton KL, KL Sentral

2008-01-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

Definitely the place to take your loved ones. Wonderful ambiance, great food and great service. I was impressed with the wide variety of selection available at the buffet spread. Ok,here's how it works. The restaurant at Le Meridien/Hilton provides diners with the option of selecting a set course from about 6-8 choices on the menu. With that, the diners get to partake from the appetizer and dessert buffet spread and will expect a piping hot main course on it's way once the diners have had their fill of the appetizers which can range from sushi sashimi, to a variety of antipastos, hors d'oeurves, soup, seafood, salad bar, spare ribs, Indian cuisine, caviar and the list goes on. Here are 2 pics which we've selected from our table. The steak is juicy and succulent while my cod was wonderfully seared to a light and soft fragrant flesh with crispy outer skin,topped with eggplant chip and asparagus and cream sauce. Loveeellyyy! You have a choice of grilled prawns, chicken and even duck is on the menu if you prefer. The restaurant totes a very tempting chocolate fountain and beautiful spread of cakes and ice cream,cookies etc. Definitely well worth every penny and is quite affordable at the price range of RM 125++ per set on the menu. You can expect high quality service and excellent cooking from the cooking range.
Highly recommended.

Sushi weekend

2007-11-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

Mum assigned me the task to cook the prawns this weekend so I tried something I haven't attempted before...cooking it Beer battered tempura style,a recipe provided by an inside source. Think one of the best parts of cooking is buying the ingredients. Especially when it come from one of the wholesale bakery suppliers located in Taman Megah. Prices are hideously reasonable and comes in huge bulks. I love these guys! Check out some of my purchases.
The huge bag of breadcrumbs, the pumpkin seed,the bay leaves, the pine nuts, rosemary and parsley. Lovveellyyy!

Ok,I wanted to try out the sushi kit for so long and finally bought myself one from the Jusco supermarket. Here's the ingredients for the beer batter prawns. Excluding the parsley. Just focus on the tempura flour n beer. All good.
TaaDah! The results. Crunchy,tangy and wonderfully paired with the Japanese mayo.
And the ultimate sushi feast....check out the slices of salmon belly. Gorgeous! Always love the taste testing period....mum and Debs too.
Me giving good thick slices to the already bloated sushi rolls. Hey! It's my first attempt. Delish though nothing to brag about in terms of presentation and execution.
I bought some caviar cream paste to squirt on top of the sushi roll. Mum relishes on them.
Didn't take us long before we started devouring all of my hard work.
Here's a shot before the carnage. I made a simple butterhead,pumpkin seed and yellow tomato salad with dressing and lox on the side...accompanied with fresh sliced radishes and avocado. A nice healthy dinner if not for the prawns. A wonderfully satisfying and delicious meal.

Sushi King promo

2007-09-18T00:54:00.001-07:00

My partner in food crime,Viv,treated me to a sushi feast last Thursday at Sushi King when they were having one of their regular sushi promotions which happens for about once every 3-4 months. Extremely good deal. RM2 per sushi plate,but not for the other dishes.
Check out the variety of sushi dishes available during the promo. There were more which we chose from the conveyor belt,but was too busy eating them than shooting them. My favourite was the unagi sushi plate.

This one was set at the regular price of RM4 per plate. Egg stuffed salad thingy. Delish!
Tempura sushi. Wish it was a bit more crisp tho and warm...oh well...it's sushi. For RM2,can't complain. Can't complain at all.
My dear,salmon...where have you been all my life?

This lovely chap dishing out all the goods to us hungry customers. We got the seats strategically positioned right at the counter in front of the chef so we get first dibs at the chow. Very well,worth the wait for our seats.

Think we've more or less justified our visit there. It was a very long wait for our table,one of the waitresses handling the crowd was frothing at the mouth cos she didn't break her fast yet,yet some customers were just had too many sticks up their asses to be patient and polite for their seats. But it was well worth it. Well,I've had my rations of salmon sushi for the week. Can't hardly wait for the next Jap binge. Thought I've eaten enough sushi to last the month,but apparently,I found myself hankering for more Jap a couple of days after. Go figure!

Thank you so much,Viv! Next round is on me!

Johnny's Steamboat

2007-04-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

Go into a shopping mall here and hopefully you're bound to find Johnny's Steamboat. A healthy alternative eatery thats affordable and and satifying. There are choices of set meals depending on the how many heads per party. And there's also the option of ordering a la carte dishes such as assorted noodles,rice and veggies. It's very ideal when it come to introducing a group of your friends to have a very enjoying meal while cooking for yourself. For 4 people,you could opt for the set steamboat meal which comes up to RM56++. Giving us the little extra allowance to opt for some dessert later. And they don't stinge on the dessert menu. I had the vanilla ice cream which washed down nicely with the hot soupy meal earlier.

Mel and Hanie helping to put the food into the hot pot. Everyone having fun digging in and cooking their own food.

Aimo making a face.

The entire meal was both fun and divine and quite guiltless. Giving you the greenlight to binge once in a while. You have the option for choosing either the Hot Tom Yam soup or the regular Chicken Stock for your Steamboat soup. Delicious to the last bite. I recommend it.

Dave's Tiger Prawns

2007-04-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

My brother and sis-in-law,Carol, was so kind enough to cook dinner for us all last Saturday. And the menu spanned from totally greasy yet simply divine Baked Sea Tiger Prawns (courtesy of Carol's parent's from Sandakan) in Cheese and Olive Oil, very salty green veg in Oyster sauce dressing and roasted garlic, battered squid,egg omelette patties and black pepper beef in onions.
Thankfulyl I could use the pick-me-up meal since it has been a very lnog couple of days of non-stop duties,responsibilities and husehold management.

March 12 - 16(Bangkok/Jakarta)

2007-03-18T01:26:00.000-07:00

this past week, i have a chance to go to 2 countries for the first time, it is a working trip whereby we went to Bangkok Mon-Tues and Jakarta Thurs-Saturday

We stayed in a 3 star hotel in Bangkok called Taipan, cost ~RM240 per nite, while staying in Le Meridien Jakarta for RM388 per nite. Taipan was OK, while Meridien is really nice.

Duck Ramen that i had in Kim Ramen(Thai airport) cost 275 THB ~~RM27.5... really nice, like the noodle, very filling also.

pork ramen, same price

Food i had in Indonesia, it is food in a factory's canteen, price unknown

Le Meridien Jakarta breakfast buffet, mixed fruit with mango yogurt. You could try the buffet for 98,000Rupiah (~RM38)

Weird looking dessert on MAS plane back to Kuala Lumpur, but it actually taste pretty food. It is a pudding with piece of banana on top and thin layer of gelatin on top...2 kinds of sauce, caramel and coconut on each side

Petronas Gallery,KLCC on fine Saturday Evening

2007-03-12T01:17:00.000-07:00

I've had the pleasure of attending an exclusive one night special event of the unveiling of En. Latiff Mohidin's paintings at the Petronas Gallery,KLCC, last Saturday. Well known Austrian accompanist and Maestro, Mr. Ratko Delorco enthralled the audience with classical renditions of Mozart and Brahms with a few of his own original improvised pieces which I love very much. But also,one of the highlights of the evening was the opportunity to be able to go behind the scene to ParkRoyal's Excecutive Chef's food prep room to see Mr. Jakob Angerer hard at work preparing all the tentalising and mouthwatering canapes for the guests that evening.

Truly an unforgetable night.

Super Sandwiches

2007-03-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Something I've discovered recently at KLCC. I love the Super Sandwich bar at the KLCC Foodcourt located just below Kinokuniya. I had their tuna sandwich, but it was sooo good, I will certainly try out more of their choices from turkey ham, to salmon and chicken mayo. The best part of course is sampling them with a beautiful scenic view of the town's skyline and heading up to the bookstore afters.
Just found out that they do serve a buffet spread as well. But only on Sundays and only after 5pm. But it's definitely worth it with the variety of sandwich selections and salads and juices,all you can eat for RM16 ++. Definitely a healthy choice for anyone.

Burgers at MMU

2007-03-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

We've been eating a lot 'round MMU (Multimedia University) at Cyberjaya lately. With fixed student pricing and reasonably edible food there, who can say no? Especially when you're on a food budget. Check out the size of the meat concoctions in those burgers above. Top - the fish burger and the chicken burger. And it's for only RM3.50! You really get your money's worth.

Ok,I didn't eat those heart stoppers above. Though I wasn't exactly health conscious as well that day. I has briyani rice which was,to me,below regular standards and pricey even if I just took a bit of veg to go with the briyani. To ease my conscience,I had soup and a bit of slaw the next day at the other cafeterias located sporadically around the campus. This, I like. And the economy rice stall next to it looked pretty good as well. Gonna give it a try the next time. My soup was about RM 2.50 while the slaw was an additional dollar,if I'm not mistaken. The juice was RM1.50,I believe.

Penang Fare

2007-03-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

Just came back from a trip to Penang last week. And the first thing on the agenda was good ol' Char Koay Teow, so we headed to Batu Lanchang.

Authentic curry noodles with Pasembor and Char Koay Teow.
Check out my brother-in-law,Lyndon, tucking in. Walking around Charasta Bazaar. Dinner at night at Lorong Selamat. Love the Fried O'Chean there.My plate of PihPah duck which I shared with my cousin,Jennifer. We also shared a small tuna pizza there. It was good tho' it took about an hour to arrive. The lady forgot our order the first time and took her awhile to get our order done the second time. Good thing we weren't in a hurry and she apologised deeply for her tardiness. Grilled Stingray with sambal and onion chilly dip.

More Char Koay Teow. Below : Ochean/ Fried Oyster Omelette. Our Tuna Pizza

A must visit. The famous Cathay coffeeshop in Pulau Tikus. I grew up on the Char Koay Teow there. Tho' I didn't order it this time 'round.
I ordered the Koay Chiap this time and it was yummy!
My aunt's bowl of Wan Tan Mee.

After so much hawker fare, it was time for something healthy for a change. Steam Boat! A good way to break the ice if you eat in a group and its so much fun cooknig and adding your own ingredients in a hot bowl of chicken stock. Lovely!

Morning Donut

2007-03-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

Ok,this is old, but just goes to show you how kindness can go a very long...LONG way. I love my colleagues. They know how to win you with morning treats like this when you've just come into office and your stomach is hungry for nourishment and fuel before the start of the day.
A choc covered rainbow sprinkle donut. YUM!
You guys all RAWK!

Debra's Spaghetti

2007-03-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

Love it when we actually have time to cook at home. Much mroe healthier and satisfying that way. Deb's been cooking on and off. And this one is a winner. Shredded carrot with sardine and onion spaghetti. Yum!
Another lovely recipe my sister Diana concocted recently last Sunday is Eggplant with garlic and dry Thai chilly powder pasta. She puts in a mushroom cube and some coconut milk for flovor. So lovely it was that I polished off the entire bowl clean. Sacrificing my throat in the process.
Another sure winner during dinners is mashed spinach, stir fried garlic egglant with onions, homemade shepherd's pie, shredded turnip stew...anything spinachy or eggplanty will win me over. :)

Penang House, Cyberjaya

2007-03-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

Penang Assam Laksa

Chinese Fried Rice
Cantonese Style Noodles

Stir Fried Beef Koay Teow in thick gravy
Curry Mee with sambal My favourite Sizzling Yee Mee

Probably the best place in Cyberjaya to grab a bite during lunch. One that's within budget, that's suitable to bring your colleagues or visitors to (though it can get pretty noisy,being a chinese eatery after all), that's acceptably clean, and they don't shrink from the portion. You get your money's worth here. The portions are slightly larger than the usual same fares elsewhere.

Everything here costs within RM6 - RM8, depending on what you order. If it's ala carte, then be prepared to spend over RM10 ++.

Restaurant Penang House
Lot - Y4210 Street Mall
Persiaran Multimedia
63000 Cyberjaya Selangor
Tel : 03-83181598

Trip to Macau/Hong Kong (5 days)

2007-01-21T03:22:00.000-08:00

Last week, i just went to Macau enroute Hong Kong with my colleague. 2 of us, this trip feel more like a vacation than a working trip. We went to Hong Kong, took a 30mins trains to Central, then MTR to Causeway bay to walk around, back to Central, took MTR to Sheung Wan. Finally took a 1 hour ferry to Macau

First meal in Hong Kong Causeway bay... Cafe de Coral is actually a fastfood concept restaurant. The above set me back ~ HKD16 ~~RM8

McD in Macau. There have burgers made with rice. Sorry, i was too eager to eat and dont bother to take pic till i'm finished... haha.. this combo set me back MOP ~26 equivalent RM13

Milk from Hong Kong... nice chocolaty... HKD 4.6 ~RM2.3 kinda small though, think it is about 200ml

We ate rice from here in New Yaohan, Macau. i had soya chicken combo... The portion is really big... about 2 big rice there, a big bowl of soup and quite a bit of blanched vege for MOP 28 ~~RM 14.... I didn't had dinner tat day, only some milk for dinner... that's how big portion it is.

A special dessert. with pomelo, sago, mango and coconut milk... taste bitter,sour,sweet,creamy..... yummy MOP 8 ~~RM4

Cheezels are like double the price of here in Malaysia, and twisties are called Fonzies there.... and Milo are insanely expensive there...

Here is my updates. actually don't feel like updating, but "forced" by Sandra.... hahahaha

Vietnam factory's canteen Food

2006-12-25T20:53:00.000-08:00

Went to Vietnam 3 times in October and November... here are some food i had for 10,000 VND each plate(~~RM2.50, 1USD = 16,000VND) , they are food in a factory's canteeen, and they have free self-serve soup too

Finally! Some comfort cooking!

2006-11-12T01:44:00.000-08:00

Finnaallly,got to do some serious cooking yesterday. Went to the morning market to pick up groceries for dinner. *drum beat* Some comfort dinner tonite folks! Here's a pic of Neta cooking up a storm with the wok. Sliced up some tofu,chillie and spring onions...add chopped garlic to the hot oil,add in some chopped onions,the tofu,chopped chillie,put in a lil bit of water,add oyster sauce for flavor and you're good to go!Taadah! Here's what the tofu dish looks like.We had fun preparing the fish for steaming. First we marinate the fish with lime and some sea salt.Grease the dish with olive oil to prevent the fish from sticking to it...lovingly place some chopped chinese cabbages to act as a bed for the fish, put in sliced tomatoes,onions,chillie,ginger,tofu and spring onion before giving the fish a dash of soy sauce.And VOILA! And let me tell you, it was ddeelliicciouss! :) The fish tasted so lovely and fresh, pity I only have one stomach attached to my body.And for the third dish, a nice boiling pot of vegetable soup. It just basically consists of sliced chinese cabbages,onions and carrots all boiled in chicken stock. Yummy comfort food! ^^
All enjoying the good food with hot steaming white rice along with some of mum's purple cabbage coleslaw she dropped off earlier in the day. Loovveellyyy! :D

Dave's

2006-09-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is hands down,probably my most favourite place to eat right now. Italiannies came in close,but Dave's pulled it off with the most excellent precision in their execution of palate pleasers in each and everyone of their amazing concoctions that I've tasted so far. Above,the Smoked Salmon Roulade....lovely crunches and mixture of flavors in each and every bite. The same is spoken for each of the dishes we've sampled. Beautifully exquisite!
The stuffed mushrooms....ooooooo! Delicious tender morsels! I could eat them every night! Both Dave's and Italiannie's stuffed mushrooms are really really good and there's just no justice comparing which one is better than the other coz it just won't do. Each have their own way of executing this dish and each in their own way is very excellent indeed. Stuffed mushrooms. Can't go wrong ordering them anytime of the day.
The Beef lasagna was pretty good but the hero of the hour was my order of Funghi Fetuccini with herbs and virgin olive oil. Aaaahhhhh....life indeed, is GOOD!
Dave's............I'll be back!

Munchin' thru SketchCrawl #11

2006-09-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

Me and my partner in crime took part in the recent Worldwide SketchCrawl event organized by artist extraordinaire,Enrico Casarosa, on the 23rd Sept 2006. Yep,we basically ate thru the entire course of our journey in -between sketching and photographing. Our first pit stop at O'Brien's sandwich bar at The Weld in KL before commencing on our SC quest.

My Chicken mayo salad with crispy bacon bits. Not too bad,but is a tad bit on the dry side.
My partner's turkey ham and bacon triple decker sandwich.
The afternoon got hot and we made an impromptu pit stop at Finnegan's for some refreshments. My Ice Lemon Tea. Aaaahhhh...Life is good!
Fond memories...late lunch at Planet Hollywood.
Couldn't resist! The Norwegian bakery,Baker's Moment, was beckoning. We had to answer to it's call for a bit of sinful indulgence.

The day was passing by so fast and before we knew it,it was time for dindins before we called it day. We headed straight for The Ginger restaurant at Central market.

Sorry for the bad image quality here.folks! The lighting was pretty dim by then and I refused to use the flash in order to capture the natural lighting. We got the Thai sambal fried rice,...
Buttered coconut chicken.....

Thai Mango salad and finally the Black pepper beef. Had a really hard time uploading the beef pic...but anyways,we've really been lil piglets that day. *hic* Hope you've enjoyed the images,folks! Wotta lovely day it has been!

Hop on to Hoppy Duck!

2006-09-26T23:04:00.000-07:00

They sure do whip up a good duck! Lloovveellyy!
Stir fried mixed veg in sambal and a plate of fried Sui Kow. Mmm mmmm good! Simple, satisfying and fast....what more can a hungry patron ask for?
The Butter and Egg Squid was cooked just right but for me..I could always do with that extra crunchiness which one always gets if cooked a wee little bit longer in the fryer. But it's still very good. ^^

Ipoh Chicken Rice at Jalan Gasing

2006-09-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Been going here since I was a kid and still do! Always a safe and best bet to grab a really really good and really afforadable chicken rice meal at Sattelite's chicken rice restaurant in Jalan Gasing. Lovely flavorful rice with crunchy beans sprouts,steamed chicken, pork balls soup (pork minced up and rolled into ball shapes and not the literal translation) with a small bowl of hot curry. Aaaahhhh...delish!

Cyberjaya foodcourt

2006-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

I kid you not...this was lunch for one of my colleagues at the new Cyberjaya foodcourt around Century Square. Good thing I bought some choccie buns earlier in the morning to placate my hunger. She ordered the standard chicken rice which doesn't look like much at all. See the soup? It's plain water with just a hint of salt I tell you! Ugh!

Sunway Hotel Hawker, Penang

2006-09-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

location- near sunway hotel

ice kacang

apom, green apom(with coconut) and plain

assam laksa

wantan mee, so so only

fried kuey tiaw got coconut? weird

soggy popiah? :P

lorbak

Oyster Omelette - Gurney Drive

2006-09-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

;) Oyster Omelette and Chendol

Urggh

2006-09-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Urggh
whole post lost...

C-Jade Express

2006-09-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

Express!...I'm Impress! The service was great...speedy and accomodating. My first food conquest with fellow food junkie,Viv, at Mid-Valley. C-Jade was beckoning us for a go,so we complied. Grab yourselves some seats,go to the counter to order your food,pay for your food,go back to your seat and wait for your chow to be delivered to you. Help yourselves to the lovely condiments at the nearby stands.
My order of Wan Ton Dumplings...nothing to brag about,but it was warm and looks welcoming so I didn't whine so much when it chows down to the taste.
The Roast Duck rice was steller alongside the choices of condiments available,ad-lib. Haven't had a really good roast duck rice in a while, and this was really really good! I'd definitely make another trip there for some quick chow without needing much persuasion. Anything for another bite of their roast duck. Mmmm...YUM! The duck sauce and kailan that goes with it really brings this simple dish together to new heights! Lovely! It's a pity their lil titbit food stand out side the shop didn't have slices of raost duck to go...I'd definitely be a regular customer if that was the case.
A trip to Mid-Valley would not have been complete without a short detour to Beard Papa's. I am sooo in love with their Cream Puffs, you have no idea. Definitely the perfect ending to a perfect meal anytime. ^___^ Go PAPA!

Oh,and check out Viv's take on our food trips as well here for her side of the story...http://vivienyap.blogs.friendster.com/vivien_/

Oh Sushi!

2006-09-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Need to get my butt kicked for not updating this site on a regular basis. Sorry folks! Will try to be more dedicated to this site in future. Work and commitment to other stuff got in the way, but let's get this show on the road again. Viv and I made our way to Oh Sushi! to see what all the exclamation was about. We got the Salmon and White tuna (RM18)...

Very pleasant but nothing to really rave about,in my opinion,but still good. The only snag was I asked for a small dish of mayo to savour with these babies,but the waiter misunderstood and brought me a small empty dish instead. It took another trial order with the head waiter before my mayo finally arrived.

For my side, I got the Half Shoyu Ramen and Zemaki Combo (RM25) which had a generous portion of Ramen,enough for me to share with Viv seeing as her hot steaming pot was lacking and not enough to satisfy her hunger pangs. Not too bad, if you want a bit of Jap in a hurry. But I think I'll stick to my usual haunts for now.

Penang Revisit - Day 2

2006-06-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Started the day with a trip up to Penang Hill. There we shared a plate of Hailam Mee and ABC/Air Batu Campur. Sorry folks! I failed to take any breakfast pics of it. But anyways,the day was getting hot so we ventured down hill back to Batu Lanchang for some real food. Below ; Real Penang Assam Laksa, another plate of Char Koey Teow and the ever elusive Pasembor. The hawker did not open shop yesterday,but we quickly make up for loss eating today. ^^
Tea Time with the Chan family at you know where.....;) Coz their house was just behind Batu Lanchang,what the hey. We had the usual orders of popiah,pasembor again and Char Koey Teow,but this time with the addition of Hokkien Mee and Curry Mee below. ^^ Delicciioouusss! I can slowly feel my tummy getting icky at that point. But we must carry on. Had some Nyonya cakes with the meal too...MMmmmmm! Not long after,my uncle and cousin came over and took my mum and me out for a second tea/hor' deourves before dinner time,which was Nyonya food at a restaurant by the beach. Check out the lobak we had at the 3rd pic. Sorry,forgot to shoot it first before we tucked in. After that meal, my stomach gave up on me. Bleeehhhh! ^^
After dinner,my uncle took us for supper at Rangoon Rd where we had the most terrific dish of Oh Chean/Fried Oyster Omelette I have had in a long while. Lookit how beautiful it is! ^^ To follow is another terrific dish of Lobak, stir fried Lala and a huge bowl of real pork porridge with all the trimmings of stomach and intestines. XP

Penang Revisit - Day 1

2006-06-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Last April,I took my mum for a short trip back to our roots in good ol' Penang Island. You can guess what we did first when our car hit the soil....a quick hug and hello to our relatives before insisting of going out for lunch with them. The place to go? Wellll,Batu Lanchang Hawkersville of course!!!
Dunno if you can see it clearly or not,but check out the prices per dish for our all time favorite Penang dish,Char Koey Teow! WOO! We arrived just before the office lunch hour...the place will be crawling with ppl in a few more minutes.
Above is the Popiah dish. Delish and there's that tinge of wetness when it is soaking up the juices that makes it so Distinctly Penangish apart from elsewhere. Second,aaaahhhhh,the real deal! Penang Char Koey Teow fried with duck egg. Life is sweet! ^^ And I ended lunch with a nod to my sweettooth, Cendol. And how cool is that? After you've eaten,you can just pop round next door to buy your fresh produce,from fresh vegs,fruits to meat and seafood....and I mean really fresh!

The dry goods stalls that jammed up the small alleyways in the sheltered wet market in batu Lanchang. After lunch....tea time at Air Itam. We've (me,my mum and my aunt) decided to be sensible and share a plate of Mee Goreng/Fried egg noodles and Mee Rebus/Egg noodles stir fried in a tomatoey hot sauce.

Coz not long after ,it's dinner time and off we go with the whole clan to a chinese restaurant named 'the 4 Seasons' that specializes on 'O' Mee / Oyster Mee. You can see it in the foreground. It was so good we had to order a second plate. ^^ Besides that,we order the usual fried popiah dish,fried noodles, stir fried veg in sambal, chicken,tofu etc.

Day 2 coming up next,stay tuned!

My Kingdom for a Duck!

2006-06-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

Our fantastic order of Roast Duck done to a braised turn when the delicious sauce is added on top of it. Oooooooo....I could eat this forever. Done to a crispy exterior yet delectably meltingly smooth interior.
The tofu was definitely superior with its smooth n soft texture. Very appetizing and flavorful indeed.

The 'Fu Tiao Chung' or yam nest with stir fried veg as I'd like to call it is definitely a must for any proper chinese feast. Really really good.

Sorry,I'm all new to thew cooknig world and is as yet to qualify as a food expert like those of Bunrabs and Meathenge...but hope to get there,someday. ;)