Wat's Ur Flavor?

Desserts in Hong Kong @ 發記甜品

2009-07-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong Dessert Delights is my all time favourite~ Rather than going for the normal dairy ice-cream, Ice-kacang (ABC) and Cendol with santan flavour, I always love desserts made with fresh fruits ingredients. In Hong Kong, you will find lots of local desserts which are made from fresh fruits which are available during the season. For example, when I was in Hong Kong, you will find Mango pudding, Mango cakes, and Cherry cakes. Even then, I felt much 'healthier' as the natural sweetness mostly came from the fruits itself.

Today, I would like to introduce you to Lucky Dessert House, which serves mouth-watering local Hong Kong desserts delight. It has a long list of menu consisting various types of hot and cold desserts.

Lucky Dessert House which we dined in Mongkok branch.

Long list of desserts they serve: Hot and Cold desserts, 'Tau fu fa' / Beancurd selection, Glutinous Rice Ball selection, Desserts with Sago selection, Pancake & Crepes selection, King of Fruits (Durian) selection. I was surprise to see quite a number of customers who ordered and have Durian desserts..didn't know local Hong Kong would love Durians.

Lucky Dessert Chef Recommended Selection

Mung Bean Soup Dessert with Black Pearls

I would say this mung bean dessert is definitely Must-Try. I don't see this type of small (as small as fish roe) black pearl with a texture that tasted like 'Konyaku Jelly'. It tasted very crunchy when you chew the black pearl.

See the amount of Mung Bean and Black Pearls in the bowl. It is a very reasonable priced dessert given the amount of the ingredients in it.

Chilled Mango Sago Cream with Pomelo and Black Jelly

My Favourite Dessert!! I almost had it every other day when I was in HK that week. The Mango Sago Cream - milk blended with mango bits, tasted delicious and yet not too sweet. There's also lots of pomelo in it and by just looking at the picture, you know how much mango in that bowl has..

Look at the cube size of Mangoes and Black Jelly.. My tummy was 90% filled when I ate most of it..I wonder where they get those mangoes as they are very sweet and juicy, just like those Indian Mangoes!

Banana Crepe with powdered sugar served with Strawberries

Another specialty of Lucky Dessert which was nicely presented. The banaa in it was served hot and the layer of Crepe is thin and very crispy. On topped of it was served with Powdered Icing Sugar.

Lucky dessert has received very good word of mouth in Hong Kong, especially one of its branch in Causeway Bay (as its a place where people hang out late night). It is always crowded with locals as well as tourist from other countries such as Japanese, Taiwanese and the Mainland. I think its desserts are one of the best quality served I've tasted so far in Dessert Houses.

Address: 25-27 Soy Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong. (4 minutes walk from MTR Mongkok Station Exit E2) 香港九龍旺角豉油街25-27號

Tel: 23328919

Opening Hours: 1300 – 0200 Daily

Hong Kong - My Search for Local Hong Kong Food

2009-07-19T23:09:00.001-07:00

I was assigned to Hong Kong last week for a job. Once again, I've got a chance to search for interesting and the local Cantonese food in Hong Kong. ^_^ Well, the good thing of having an overseas assignment is that you'll get a chance to shop during the Sales or Clearance season, as well as to shop for food :) On the other side, most of my nights during the assignment period will be late night working and is stressful..I guess that's fair enough. Luckily, in Hong Kong, the good food I found did a good job in cheering my up!

On the way from Hong Kong International Airport to the hotel I'm going to check-in.

One of the most widely seen restaurants in Hong Kong are the 'Char Chan Teng' 茶餐厅or the so-called 'Coffee Shop'. These restaurants are very small in size and lots of menu are hanged up on the wall. In thees Char Chan Teng, you'll find the local Hong Kong people would have for their breakfast and lunch. I'll bring you through the photos of they serve for breakkie.

Milk Tea for start of the day. 奶茶
Though this might not seem very much different from the tea you have every morning, but trust me, you wouldn't find this milk tea as tasty as you would in KL. Also, the mug (I guess it is a stainless steel mug, but a light one) keeps the drink in it warm for more than 25 minutes, which I don't see it in Malaysia.

French Toast topped with Maple & Condensed Milk 西多士
A favourite of mine too, two slice of bread with thin layer of peanut butter in between, topped with maple and condensed milk. I love this toast though I don't take it often as it's a high calorie one for the breakfast. :P But, it is difficult to find similar toast which is very much less oily in KL (referring to Mong Kok Char Chan Teng).

Egg Sandwich 蛋治

A just-right portion of fried egg (ingredients added with milk and salt) nicely placed in between of the sliced bread is also a healthy breakfast they served.

'Pineapple Bun' 菠萝油

My favourite bun! This is one of the signature food in Hong Kong. A crispy layer top which the milky crumbs are lightly brushed with butter and baked in oven. As you can see, there's a thin slice of bun which melts in between while the bread is served hot and fresh from oven.

Wanton Noodles 云吞面

(Dumplings with whole shrimp and pork meat)

Another famous noodles you would be able to find in Hong Kong. As I'm running out of time to finish my work, I suggested to my sister to have a quick dinner in a Wanton Noodle Restaurant nearby my hotel in Mongkok. I love this thin egg noodles served in this restaurant as the noodle's texture is 'crunchy' / Q Q and the size of the dumpling is almost as big as a ping pong ball. And it costs only HK$13!!

Mind you that the HK$13 comes with a side dish - Hong Kong Choy Sum served with Oyster Sauce.. What more can you ask for a simple yet delicious and reasonable priced meal!

I would like to bring you to the next blog on Hong Kong local favourite Desserts. So stay tuned to be drooled over the yummy desserts photo. :)

Nagoya Trip - Ending with Desserts @ Summer Fest

2009-07-13T09:01:00.001-07:00

On the last day of my visit to 4th largest city in Japan, Nagoya. It's definitely a day to search for souveniors for my friends, colleagues and family. One of the best choice would be Food - Rice Crackers or Biscuits, Cheese Cakes, Green Tea Cakes, etc..All which are nicely packed into boxes and wrapped with most presentable packaging. In Japan, everything sold in department stores and shopping malls are presentable as presents, even if it's not a pricey one such as apron, travelling hand cream or the edible range ones e.g. biscuits and chocolates.

Since it was my brother's birthday and he loves cheesecake. Me and my mom went to Takashimaya and Meitetsu's Food section in the department store for our search of the best possible cheesecakes. I was overwhelmed with the amount and crowd in the department store as all of the desserts and food in the fridge are so delicious looking!! And you would feel like there's no ending to the desserts....

Varieties of biscuits...range from rice crackers to macaroons shown as the below picture..

Look at all the wonderful colours of macaroons.. Looks like rainbow colours to me!

Another famous desserts for the Japanese families.. Swiss Rolls, they love Asian taste of Swiss rolls, such as Green Tea, Black Sesame, Orange flavours.

Look at the size and height of the sponge cake!! As tall as a miniature Takashimaya. :)

This is my favourite corner - Green Tea dessert corner: Green tea Tiramisu, green tea mousse, green tea cakes and Swiss roll, green tea pudding..it is never ending.

Japanese love deep fried food too, these range from deep fried potatoes, deep fried shrimps with crumbs, deep fried chicken.. The Hot Food corner.

These are more of a healthy Japanese food range. Vegetable Broth, Vegetable Pickles and Seaweed Selection.

Another favourite Japanese pancake of mine, this is a Japanese Anpan. Lots of Adzuki Bean (Red Bean) in the pancake for 90Yen! I love the Adzuki bean paste as you would be able to taste the bite size of it.. Yummy!

Mochi Cream - Mochi is made of rice flour wrapped with different flavours of cream such as Chocolate, Coffee, Vanilla, Orange, Green Tea, Yam...and the list goes on!

Both myself and mom were in dilemma, if we were to choose the above Japanese steamed cheesecake topped with Philly-cream cheesed..or another choice of cheesecake~

The cheese mousse cake we've chosen for our brother - Blackforest with layer of lemon cream cheese topped with fresh cherries and peaches..

I hope the pictures shown from the above didn't tempt you too much to have some sweet desserts. hehe. I've learned a lot from this trip to Japan on the culture in Japan. They are very friendly people, soft spoken, environmentally friendly and more to that, they work very efficiently. As all of you would have know, alot of the latest technologies were introduced from Japan. I wished I could get a new camera the next time I go to Japan for another visit. But, probably not anytime soon. It costs me a BOMB to spend on food and transportation costs! Oh well, what more can I say as Japan is one of the highest standard cost of living country in the world. Overall, I think this trip is a very fruitful one in terms on FOOD and Sightseeing in Nagoya. ^_^

Nagoya Trip @ Summer Fest Japanese Fusioned Buffet

2009-07-02T23:08:00.001-07:00

This entry onwards would have more interesting stories and photos on Japanese food that I've tasted and tried in Nagoya. On our third day, we shopped around the Nagoya City where the main department stores are such as Takashimaya and Meitetsu. Japan's public transportation is one of the best just like countries in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is easily accessible to the cities you want to go, even with the local Japanese who aren't quite good in English, you'll be able to reach your destination. ^_^

View of Takashimaya Twin Towers

Our destination to Takashiyama - Nagoya station

Farmer's Restaurant Mokumoku
This is our choice of a healthy Japanese Fusioned Western Style Buffet on the 13th floor of Takashimaya. This floor level has every cuisine restaurants which you would be able to find to suit your mood and taste for the day. My brother introduced us to this restaurants as the main theme is Vegetables, perfect choice for my mom.

Chef's Recommended dishes with nice photos on the 'Today's Specialties'..Look at it was presented...

Fresh Vegetables for the day are for sale and placed nicely on the racks. You could see that there's quite alot of customer who bought something from the restaurant after their meal..

Choice of soups, pastas, stir fried soba noodles, vegetable pot..

Varieties of green salads and cherry tomatoes are VERY Sweet and Juicy!

Fresh Food with Carbo on the high side - Mashed Potatoes, Deep Fried Potatoes, Cucumbers and gravy to go with..

The Matcha Jelly and homemade wheat biscuits are tasted so healthy!!

Dessert Corner: Choose what you would like to have or one each of all for tasting, prepare your plate and be served by the waitress with a big smile :)

Table Settings

My First Round to go.. Soba and Pasta, Tempuras and Salads

Sweets from my favourite corner - Green Tea Cake, Green Tea Pudding, oat biscuits, butter pound cake and Walnut Cake. All tasted equally Delicious! These desserts are not too sweet and the Green Tea in the pudding tasted fragrant and yet not too bitter..

Nagoya Tri @ Summer Fest Shirakawa-go & Takayama

2009-07-02T22:55:00.001-07:00

On our second day trip in Nagoya, my brother offered to drive us to another town area. Here's our second day trip itinerary:

1. Nagoya, Yokosuka ---> Shirakawa-Go (Gifu)

2. Shirakawa-Go ----> Takayama

3. Takayama ---> Yokosuka

Shirakawa-go is one of the most beautiful and eye-catching place that I've been. The view is so serene which will leave you a peaceful mind to stay in. It is also a declared UNESCO World heritage site in 1995. They are famous for their traditional gasshozukuri farmhouses, some which are more than 250 years old. Also, there are still residents who are residing in the village and well equipped with schools, restaurants, fire brigade and hospital.

With some research done, Gassho-zukuri means "constructed like hands in prayer", as the farmhouses' steep roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer. The architectural style developed over many generations and is designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in the region during winter. The roofs, made without nails, provided a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms. I shall let the pictures do the talking. :)

The farmhouses with paddyfields.

So peaceful and calm by just looking at it isn't it?

This is probably the cleanest drain I've discovered and living fishes are in the drains.

This is how their ancestors build the farmhouses in the olden days.

My brother is overjoyed with the Matcha Ice cream on his hand. It is famous and we've tried Shoyu (Soy sauce) soft serve too, which taste delicious with its milky taste.

Us captured with moments of beauty in the village

Our 2nd destination is in Takayama's Old Town. This old town with shops and coffee houses are well-presevered which dated since Edo Period (1600-1868). This city was once thrived as a wealthy town of merchants. Some of the restaurants or businesses (one which I remember vividly is a home-made Miso shop) have been in business for centuries.

A cafe shop on the Takayama Old Town, Sannomachi Street.

Our Dinner! Ramen Ramen Ramen. One of the must-eat food in Japan. This is a family restaurant in the nearby neighbourhood of my brother's home. As the price here is 'reasonable' and is famous for its Ramen, so...let's drool over the pictures. Hehe..

Yup.. It's all in Japanese Language for restaurants in suburbs. I really do need my personal translator.

Karage - Japanese Style Fried Chicken.
I would say it is the so-called 'Uncle Bob' for Japanese style. Crispy fried chicken and without the juice dried up from deep frying the meat is one of the Japanese favourite dish. I do realise that they love to eat fried meat, such as the above ones. And I do agree with their deep fried dishes taste good as you know they did a good job in Tempuras too. :)

One of the chef recommended Ramen - Ramen with Japanese style Char-Siew and Miso Broth.

Another chef recommendation - Miso Ramen with Vegetables.
You would see the thick miso in it with some chili oil and lots of sliced onions. Very strong flavor of miso and with the combination of Ramen texture. I would give a two thumbs up!

Nagoya Trip @ Summer Fest

2009-07-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

Nowadays, I believe you would see lots of promotion on air fares, especially during the H1N1 flu days. And there was it, when my mom spotted the JAL promotion fare from KL - Nagoya for only RM1500. Believe me, it is a very cheap flight, as the normal would cost about RM3500+. So, I decided to join her to Nagoya, as a visit of my brother who is currently studying in Japan and also to take a short break away from the country and hectic work.

Our first day was a tiring one, but yet filled with excitement. We transit in Tokyo (Narita Airport) for 8 hours, and so, we decided to go through quite much of trouble in order to get out of the airport for a short visit to the nearby neighbourhood. After that, we took on the flight to Nagoya and headed to AEON (*Jaya Jusco's parent company) mall for our dinner.

The sky view at 5am on the plane.

Early breakfast at 5am.. too much to digest, but it is a very healthy one though. No oily / nasi lemak you can find here. ^_^

AEON Mall -- Tully's Coffee. Since it was early and the shops weren't open yet. We land our foot in this famous coffee chain shops for a cup of Soy Latte. A cup of coffee a day makes my day happy!

Mochi Selection in Narita Airport

In Japan, you will find lots of mochi, chocolates, chocolate biscuits selection which are tax free and deliciously looking...Good for friends and families as souveniors.

After our arrival in Nagoya, 4th largest city in Japan, my bro picked us up from the airport to a newly built large shopping mall in his neighbourhood, AEON mall. The above photo is a lane with all kinds of cuisines served restaurants.

We walked along the restaurants, with interesting food display and it took us quite awhile to browse and choose what we would like to have for the dinner.

Finally, UNAGI rice! A must-try dish in Japan. According to my brother, this restaurant is famous for its unagi. And since I'm an unagi fan, I insisted we try it out.

Since my mom's a vegan, she picked her choice ---Vegetable Tempura with Zaru Soba Set. Don't underestimate vegetable tempuras. They are just as crispy deep fried as the meat tempuras. Soba (Handmade bucklewheat noodles) are one of the japanese' main dish and they're very healthy too. I love the texture of the noodles..

Brother's choice of unagi set. It comes with side dishes - vegetable pickles and miso soup.

I chose the Unagi Rice Set specially for Ladies. It came with grilled unagi on topped of the rice, with some side dishes, vegetables, tofu and vegetable pickles.

Japan is famous for its rice. The rice is small in size and rather round in shape. It taste like sticky rice and very moist. As you might have already know that Japanese rice is very expensive in the market. Same goes to the rice in the Japan local market price, they are expensive too.

The above paper instruction shows the customer on how they're suppose to eat unagi rice. Firstly, add in the ready served spring onions and dried seaweed, place the sliced unagi on top of the rice and add in some soup, stir it slightly. Serve and Eat it.

This is what I did according to the instruction, without the soup yet.... The fragrance of the unagi is fantastic and the taste is delicious..Sauce is a mixture of Mirin and Japanese Soy Sauce.. Yummy~~

Homemade Strawberry Cupcakes

2009-06-13T01:39:00.001-07:00

Strawberries are sweet and juicy and is a favourite fruit for home or commercial use as a theme for desserts. Shing wanted to make a cupcake for one of her best mate's birthday and so, what you see in photos are the final product. We also attach the recipe for sharing and hope you'll enjoy baking a lovely cupcake for your friends and loved ones to try :)

Strawberry and Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients(For 12 cupcakes):

For the Cupcake:

125g unsalted Butter, at room temperature
125g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
125g Self Raising Flour
2 Tablespoons Milk (Whole or semi skimmed, not skimmed)
3-4 teaspoons of Strawberry Jam

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

4 Egg Whites
250g Caster Sugar
250g unsalted Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
4 Tablespoons seedless Strawberry Jam

For Decoration: 6 fresh strawberries, each halved

Preparation Method:

For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan oven 170°C/375°F/Gas Mark5.
2. Line a Muffin Pan with 12 paper cases.
3. Start by making the cupcakes. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, flour and milk and beat until well combined and smooth.
5. Spoon the mixture evenly into the 12 paper cases.
6. Spoon a little jam onto each cake and, using a cocktail stick, swirl the jam into the batter.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1. Place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir constantly to prevent the egg from cooking.
2. After 5-10 minutes, when the sugar has dissolved, remove the bowl from the pan of simmering water and whisk until the meringue has puffed up and the mix is cool.
3. Add the butter and vanilla to the meringue and whisk until the butter has been completely incorporated into the meringue.
4. At first, the meringue will collapse and look curdled, but don't worry. Stop when the mixing is smooth, light and fluffy.
5. Beat the jam into the buttercream.
6. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag and swirl onto each cupcake.
7. Finish off with a half cut fresh strawberry.

And here's the final product!

Freshly baked out from the oven

The finished product!

Upclose and feeling really hungry looking at it hehe...

My verdict: The cupcake tastes really good as the texture and taste is perfect. I enjoyed the cupcake very much. If you do not like sweet creams then maybe try considering reducing the amount of caster sugar. Hope you guys will enjoy this recipe!

Subak @ Kampung Penchala

2009-06-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

My sister overcame an article in the newspapers on Subak, with a title 'Dine With Nature'. Therefore, we went online to checkout its website. Found the restaurant's setting rather interesting and we were also curious as it's situated in the middle of Kuala Lumpur City. I was thinking and wondering if there is really a Dine With Nature kind of restaurant nowadays in the city??

I was eager to try it out and search for this restaurant that serves fusioned Balinese food and Western dishes. Also, it was one of my good friend's birthday last week, so, I thought it would be a great place to bring her out for her birthday celebration brunch. Since I thought it might be kinda 'nature friendly' place which you can meet lots of mosquitoes, we decided to visit during noon. Well, nevermind the mosquitos, it would be good and fresh to have dine in a place as such once in awhile rather than having a lunch in a crowded mall. :)

The exquisite fine dining Subak Menu

100% Purely Squeezed Orange Juice RM10

'Blue Ocean' Soda Drink RM7

Appetizer Trio RM25

3 pieces of Fried Calamari Rings, Javanese Style Spring Rolls and Fish Goujorns. Yes, it's good for those who want to try bits and pieces. But believe me, it's rather too small as an appetizer..as it's Delicious.

Ibu Yati's Gado-Gado RM10

A Balinese Gado-gado, which is one of my favourite salad as I love peanut sauce. It's a traditional vegetable salad served with its homemade special 'bumbu' peanut sauce, with a touch of spicyness in it.

Balinese Fried Rice with Grilled Seafood Skewers RM25

Fragrant Balinese Style fried rice served with seafood skewers with sunny side. The fried rice wasn't a spicy one as I've expected, but, taste good enough as it has the 'Wok Hei' in it.

Spaghetti Carbonara with Pan-Fried Salmon and Green Lipped Mussel RM36

Rich cream and cheese flavor of carbonara topped with Pan-fried Salmon is a dish that you can't missed. I personally do love Salmon fish ALOT! So, i insisted Bran to order this. Though there is only two mussels in it, but it's enough for its portion as its a creamy pasta and we tried not overload ourselves.

Subak's Curry Mee with Fresh Water Prawns RM18

Another Asian delight dish served as its house specialties for those who prefers closer taste to local food but yet, fusion with Balinese style.

King Prawn Char Koay Teow with Chives and Bean Sprouts RM18

A rather different type of Char Koay Teow with soupy style in it. I guess the last char koay teow I had with quite abit of gravy in it was 'Key Char Koay Teow' in Seberang Prai.

Of course, not to forget to capture a few more shots with the birthday girl, yin.

Forgive me for having the photos with us in it, as we were overwhelmed with the outdoor settings...

For a new experience to dine in restaurant with good food and fresh air, I would recommend this restaurant. Oh yea, and also if you don't mind the friendly nature friends or animals (such as squirrels, butterflies, dragonflies and mosquitoes around) enjoy their day as well. Good food and Good place to hand out with your family or friends during the weekend. It would be a great dining experience for you.

Business Hours:

Mondays to Sundays including Public Holidays
11am till 12 midnight

Contact: 03-77299030/9031

Address: Lot 3213, Jalan Penchala Indah Bukit Lanjan 60000

Website: www.subak.com.my

Rakuzen @ Hartamas Shopping Complex

2009-06-02T08:18:00.001-07:00

Sri Hartamas is a town area where you can see Japanese and Koreans wandering around the township and shopping malls. From that, you can see quite a number of Japanese and Korean restaurants in Hartamas. Rakuzen is one of the japanese restaurants which I visited quite a few times in that area and I was craving for Jap food. And since I thought of having it somewhere near my home, so, Bran suggested to go for Rakuzen in Hartamas shopping complex.

It was written there 'Shuka no Umami' - the beverage and wine list

Wide varieties for the Lunch Set & Lunch Bento Special Sets

Japanese Table Settings

Photo taken on the ambience and seatings of our opposite tables which looked exactly where we're seating on.. Nice isn't it?

Salmon Maki coated with Fish Roe, served with Japanese Mayonaise. Myself and Bran love salmon, and I would say the fresh salmon slice was nicely wrapped with the seaweed and fish roe. (RM 16)

Chicken Katsujyu Zen Lunch Bento Set (RM22)

Bran's choice for his lunch set, side dishes include: fruits, chawanmushi and some pickles (cucumber, white radish and cabbage)

Mini Udon with Soft Shell Crab Zen Set (RM28)

This is a HUGE brunch set for me..It has a mini udon, a bowl of japanese rice, chawanmushi, crispy fried soft shell crab, special mirin mixed with vinegar sauce, some pickles and white radish and fruits.

This is my favourite dish - crispy fried soft shell crab. Look at the nicely presented soft shell crab. With a bite of it, the texture of the crispy crab tasted like potato chips.

As far as I know, there is alot of Japanese customers who visit this restaurant as the sashimi here are fresh and are well presented. Also, this restaurant is often crowded with customers during weekends and during 'peak hours'. So, to be on the safe side, it is wiser of you to make a table booking.

Tel: 03 - 6201 2060

Address: Rakuzen Hartamas, P-17, Plaza Ground Floor, Hartamas Shopping Centre (Near Toys' R US)

'Perfectly Heaven' Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Cream Cheese

2009-05-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Chocolate cupcakes or Chocolate Cakes aren't my favourite dessert flavour. But, it's Bran's favourite dessert. So, I did promise myself that down the road, I have to be a good baker in Chocolate desserts that can drool him and that he will say to me 'THIS IS DELICIOUS!'.. Well, this time is another attempt of me baking chocolate 'cake'. I found this recipe from a famous baker blogger through the net and I thought it was a good idea to have some Oreo flavours in it too.. It was Bran who suggested that I make some Oreo Cream Cheese for the frosting instead of a normal Buttercream. So, here is the result...

Fresh from the oven - Hershey's Perfectly Heaven Chocolate Cupcakes with my own addition of Oreo bites in it.. Yummy~~ Trust me, the smell of it is irresistable...

My first attempt to add in some frosting on top of the cupcakes since I've got myself Wilton's piping tips. It was rather disappointed as I guess it was the cream cheese abit too runny, should've added more powdered sugar to create more consistency and to stiffen up the frosting. Also, it was the oreo bits which are not being processed finely that caused the failure of the swirl. Will try it better the next time.

Here's the recipe for the above end result if you're interested in caking.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa (* I used the Natural Unsweetened Cocoa)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- 8-10 Oreo cookies, crushed or put through food processor (optional) - My addition

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans (For cupcakes or other pan sizes, see variations listed below.)

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

VARIATIONS:

ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 C butter, room temperature
3-4 C powdered sugar (use more or less depending on how stiff you want the frosting to be)
1/2 t vanilla extract
3/4 C crushed Oreos (I crushed them in the food processor to be sure the pieces would be really tiny and wouldn't get stuck in my piping tips. If you are going to spread the frosting, it might be fun to use bigger chunks of Oreo.)

Grilled Fish (Ikan Bakar) in Semenyih

2009-05-19T07:07:00.001-07:00

I know I've been way too long to update my blog and upload the photos for the weekend outing. Oh well, it has been a few very long weeks for me as I've got loads of work piling up for me to complete and it seems that my work is just never ending.. I know I shouldn't be complaining..but, i guess its much more about the same for those who doesn't enjoy what they're doing?? :P

Let's not talk more about boring work related topic.. back to this food diary topic. Bran bring me along with his high school friends, in search of his uni life memories in Semenyih. Bran completed his degree in Nottingham uni which is situated in Semenyih. Though it's a quiet place and the winding road led us to a very tiny town named 'Broga'. Most of the delicacies we can find in Semenyih are hidden away from the big KL city, and a few good ones can be found in this tiny Hakka town.

The view taken at the restaurant or a family fishing business

It was written there as 'Pusat Memancing Ikan Broga', as they do provide such a few fishing pond opposite the restaurant.

The fishes we ordered are in 'Work-In-Progress'..smells good especially its fresh fishes being grilled.

Grilled fish ready to be served - House Specialty Grilled Fish tasted spicy, but the freshness of the fish meat~~ I just can't describe how tasty it is..

Grilled fish with Nyonya taste.. a mild taste or a non-spicy sauce dish.. you can still see it clearly the shape of the grilled fish..

Tom Yam Taste grilled fish - another spicy sauce on top of the fish. As you can see, all the fishes comes in a simple ingredients - lady fingers, red onions and simply the sauce. This is why you can taste the sweetness and freshness of the fish meat. (",)

I just love this village's view as it looks so peacefully entrapped in this small town..Highly recommended to those who want to have a relaxing weekend escaping from the busy city..

Another good spot to enjoy a famous Malaysian food - Kajang Satay~ Since we were on our way back from Semenyih, we 'dropped by' Kajang to fill our tummy as our early dinner. Restoran Malaysia is one of the old restaurant which you wouldn't be able to find easily nowadays.. I've even noticed the decor of the restaurant is in its 80s??

Nicely presented Ketupat (Malay Traditional Rice Cake which is made of Steamed Rice wrapped in a woven palm leaves pouch)

And of course, this is another important ingredient to serve with the Satays and Ketupats~ Peanut Sauce with some chili sauce mixed in it..Peanuts will bring out extra flavour of the satay.

What we ordered was the Chicken, Mutton and Duck Meat Satay.. I would say Kajang's Satay will always be the best as you'll get the portion of a satay worth your money. I guess it's not easy to get Duck Meat Satay in KL city. Do try if you want to go for some new flavour - duck meat or fish meat satay is served in this restaurant too..

Assam Boi - Sour Plum Drink which tasted too sour to me~ Probably it would be good for your tummy after eating some oily food :P

I took this picture as it's not really that common to see a sign written 'No alcohol and beer is served after 10.30pm'. It's kind enough that the owner did thought of road safety as a priority to his / her customers.

The total bill that came up for the fishes was RM61 for 3 fishes serving 5 person and with drinks ordered. As for the Satays, we had 45 Satays in total, 4 Ketupats, 5 drinks and some side dishes (cucumber and onions) with total damage of RM55. I guess this trip was a very enjoyable trip as it was a relaxing one and all of us get to take our mind off for a good rest. And I hope that you bloggers who read and saw the pictures get to indulge in the food and scenery too~

Penang Food Feast: Part 2

2009-05-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Our 2nd day trip in Penang starts from here. One of my best friend in Penang brought us to this coffee shop with varieties of good local penang food. It was one of the favourite shops among those local penang foodies too.

Duck Meat Noodle Soup, 'Koay-Chap' RM4.50
This is one of the least appreciated dish in Penang. According to Danny, this food stall is one of the only 2 stalls that offer this dish. Bran wanted to try this and so, Danny suggested him to try this dish in Cathay. A bowl of duck flavoured with herbal soup with some duck intestines and koay teow noodle is somewhat an interesting dish to me, as I never tried this before.

Fried Fish Bee Hoon Noodles RM4
I guess the name of this dish is different from the usual fish head noodles soup served in Klang Valley. The fried fish fillets are flavourful and lightly battered topped on top of bee hoon noodles.

Chinese Pancake RM4
The only chinese pancake stall in Penang, look at the pancake chef peeling bananas skin and sprinkled raisins into the pancake batter which is light pan fried. The queue was long enough that we waited for about 20 minutes for the pancake to be served.

See the outcome after 20mins of waiting period...isn't too sweet or salty, and it also has some blueberry flavour in it, added with some buttermilk. Yummy!!

2nd Stopover for Lunch @ Taman Emas

Our Lunch Stopover after Kek Lok Si visit for Assam Laksa in Taman Emas Kopitiam.

Almost every customer who sits in Taman Emas Kopitiam had a bowl of this Assam Laksa.
The laksa soup tasted sweeter than I thought it should be and probably lack of spicy and sour taste. Though it wasn't a very satisfied one, but we still enjoyed the food as we were all hungry.

Taiping Stop for Famous Cendol

On our way back to KL, we stopped by Taiping for our lunch and head up to a famous cendol in Taiping's town. Bran has always bragged to me about how delicious the Cendol was in Taiping compared to the ones I've tried in Penang or in Klang Valley area.

The famous cendol restaurant outlook..lots of people dropping by for some take away and dine-in Cendol.

Famous Cendol for RM2
This serve of cendol has lots of big sized red beans and cendol in it. You can taste the fresh santan milk and with some gula melaka sweetness in it.

I took a shot of the guys enjoying the cendol without hearing a noise or word from them...Hehehe...thanks to Edmund who brought us there. ^_^

Penang Food Feast on Labour Day's Weekend

2009-05-04T09:10:00.001-07:00

A long weekend! Labour Day that gave us an extra day off for the weekend! One of me and Bran's friend suggested to visit Penang for the weekend. And so, we've booked our last minute hotel and plans of where to EAT as much Penang food as we can. ^_^ Let the pictures to bring you through our journey..

Our first stop was Keng Nam Kopitiam in Ipoh. This kopitiam is one of my favourite spot for breakkie in Ipoh. We always go for the curry mee served as well as the nescafe shake. Chee cheong fun served in this kopitiam is also strongly recommended too!

Nescafe shake RM2.50 It's not a typical ipoh white coffee nor a normal nescafe ice served..the chilling nescafe shake has a nice aroma with a layer of foam (which you would see in teh tarik).

Chee Cheong Fun with curry sauce and crispy fried pig skin RM3
Chee cheong fun wrapped with sliced turnips, carrots and dried shrimps topped with sesame seeds, soy sauce and curry sauce..yummy..

Dried Curry Mee RM3
'Shar Hor Fun' noodles with sliced chicken, sliced char siu (roasted pork), some bean sprouts with a touch of curry sauce over the noodles is just hardly resistible!

Our First Touched Down Restaurant for Luncheon

Heng Huat Kopitiam: Char Koay Teow & Ice Kacang
There's two famous Penang food served in this 'coffee shop' - Char Koay Teow & Ice Kacang.
I couldn't agree more that the attraction of this aunty (wearing red hat and goggles) while frying the char koay teow plate by plate. If you do realise the man who is sitting behind and watching the red hat chef is a Hong Kong TVB actor. ^_^ Not sure if it was the food or the actor who attracted so much customers.

Penang Hokkien Mee (Prawn Mee)
A nearby stall sells penang hokkien mee or our so-called Prawn Mee. It tasted delicious, as the clear soup with prawn meat tasted spicy with lots of fried onions..*drooling*

Ice Kacang RM3
Meanwhile waiting for the Char Koay Teow, we tried this as each and every table in the coffee shop ordered this. I would say it is a DEFINITE MUST TRY!!! I love this ice kacang lots! Though it doesn't really have much of gula melaka in it, the specialty is in its ice-cream. I believe this vanilla ice-cream with peanut butter and sesame filling is definitely a homemade one. A must eat for those dessert lovers...

Char Koay Teow Rm6.50

You could see the size of the prawn, bigger than a Rm0.50 size. The fragrant smell of the koay teow makes us drool, as it has the 'Wok Hei' smell. However, when we tasted it, I wouldn't say it is the best Char Koay Teow in Penang. I've tasted a better and cheaper one a last year in the same coffee shop, not sure why, probably it was due to public holiday and inconsistence standard quality of food? And it was rather over-priced on that day too.. we were rather disappointed.

This is our first day trip to Penang, stopover in Ipoh - my hometown departing from KL early in the morning (6.30am) to avoid the heavy traffic on a public holiday... Let's move on to the next day of our makan trip!

My First Fondant Cake

2009-04-29T09:13:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, I learnt something which was very interesting - Decorating a cake with Fondant!!

Well, though I love and enjoy eating food, I do love to cook too! This reminds me of my uni days...I like to cook something different each weekend for a change and also I love to bake. And I do admit I have sweettooth, which might be one of the reason baking can satisfy my sweet tastebud.

It has always been too costly for me to attend hands on baking or decorating classes when I was in Melbourne. Since I'm back in Malaysia with less pricey class (comparing to Aussie $$), I came across a few bake and decorating accessories supply shop that offers baking classes.

My decorated fondant cake

The first step to a fondant cake, is to bake a heavier base cake. This is to ensure the cake won't collapsed as the weight of fondant is heavier compared to normal icing. Also, to measure the size of the cake and technique to cut is horizontally without getting a slooping side cake. Secondly, to colour the fondant, lots of kneading and colour matching is needed.

Gumpaste (this is create flowers and other decorative for your cake) is added with some Gumtex to create a firm texture for the flowers. It is amazing to know that fondant can be kept for like a year of so, if its wrapped up with a cling wrap, stored in an air-tight container in room temperature..Cool!!

The borders are beautiful isn't it? My royal icing decorating skills still needed much improvement.. Techniques learnt: Kneading, Quiling, pipping royal icing on the cake, as well as making flower petals.

I'll start baking more varieties of cakes and to learn more of fondant icing as well as buttercream/royal icing. I'm searching around for more baking classes which are hands on, as you'll know what mistakes that you've made and that you can improve and prompt you to ask more questions! Practice make perfect ya? I hope I can bake more of those for my friends a family, or as a part time small business :)

Bibiwok @ Bandar Puteri Puchong

2009-04-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

Another restaurant for some Nyonya delight..IT was a Thursday noon, I was busy the whole morning and not even knowing that the clock strucked at 1pm. Yup, my tummy is making noise and my colleague is hinting me that we should go for lunch. I've came up with an idea for our lunch, BibiWok. It was because we did drove pass a few times and it has an interesting concept of Thai and Nyonya Cuisine. So, we decided to head to the restaurant for something different...

Their menu has wide varieties of a lar carte main dishes, appertizers and desserts..instead, we've decided to go the individual choice of rice specialties..

Honey, Ginger with Lemongrass Drink RM5.50
Noticed the stirer? Its a lemongrass tied with Pandan leave..interesting yea? I ordered this hot drink and find it abit far to 'hot' as the ginger hot was strong..But it's good for our tummy i guess..

Recommended dish: Thai Style Fried Rice
My colleague ordered this and she commented that the tau fu pok is very crispy, as they've deep fried them. Fragant fried rice with pandan chicken..The portion was just nice to serve one and costs for only RM10.90

Nasi Lemak Special RM13.90
Its been quite awhile since I've last had nasi lemak, and so, I was tempted to order this special. I love the rice in particular, it smelled very fragrant with pandan and santan taste in it..The portion was huge with 2 pieces of chicken which I only managed to finished one. But, I would recommend that the sambal to add more spicy flavour in it..Overall, an average dish..

I saw it in their menu that Thai steamboat and Thai BBQ is served as well. I wonder how Thai BBQ would be, try out if you want to have a taste of Thai BBQ.

For Reservations:
Nyonya Thai Cuisines: 03-8060 7659 (Alice)
Thai BBQ & Steamboat: 03 - 80632497 (Annie)
Add: No. 16 & 16-1, Jalan Persiaran Puteri 1, Bandar Puteri Puchong, 47100 Puchong.
Business Hours: 11.30 am- 11.30pm

Brother's Birthday Celebration @ Shanghai Restaurant

2009-04-22T07:50:00.001-07:00

Another visit to our favourite restaurant, however this time around was to celebrate my brother's birthday who just turn to 19 years old this year. He requested to have a family dinner in Shanghai restaurant as he claimed that he misses the Shanghai Steam Pork Dumplings very much. So here we are again, ordered his favourite dishes and to leave some sweet memories for him before he returns to Perth for his new semester studies.

Spicy Hot and Sour Soup

We ordered something different this time instead of shark fin soup. Turns out the taste was slightly watery and lack of spice in it. However, there was a lot of fillings in the soup. (Would prefer parkroyal's Si Chuan Dou Hua hot and soup)

Shanghai Steamed Pork Dumplings

The irresistible dish, a highly recommended steamed pork dumplings. The soup in the dumpling taste sweet and flavourful, dumpling skin are thin and smooth...

Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings

The fillings of vegetarian dumplings include green veggies, vermicelli and mushrooms. The dumplings lie on top of white cabbage that adds more of sweetness from the veggies. Goes perfect with chinese vinegar and ginger.

Braised pork tied with paddy straw in Nanking Sauce 稻草燜肉

The pork tasted similiar to 'Tung Po' Pork, but this is not as oily and is very much presentable though the layer of 'fat' is thick.. I guess pork lovers will definitely fall in love with this dish

Vegetarian cuttlefish in sweet and sour sauce
The 'cuttlefish' is deep fried to crispy before serving with sweet and sour sauce..It does goes well when its served with rice

Claypot Chicken and Yam with Mushrooms

This is also a special dish recommended, thick sauce which blended with yam paste and yam pieces..yummy..I believe this claypot has been cooked for quite some time as the yam pieces are very soft...

Steamed Sun Hock Fish with Soy Sauce

My favourite dish..steamed fish can never go wrong especially its steamed fresh fish..

Happy Birthday Liang Jin~

My brother's favourite vegetarian cake, Lemon Cheesecake. We always ordered Restaurant Cafe De Sky's vegan cakes as they have wide varieties of cakes and yet are very presentable..

Cake Cutting after making wishes while throwing a happy smile..

Once again, Shanghai Restaurant has filled our tummy well and gave us a big satisfaction night. Another night to remember with good food, good laughter and sweet moments....

Add: J.W.Marriott1st Floor, 183 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: 603-2719 8288

Emperor Q @ Pavilion, KL

2009-04-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

It's been quite awhile since we've last went to Pavilion for a night out. So, we've decided to go down for a movie, hence, to have our dinner there. Initially, I thought of having our dinner at food republic where there's wide variety for us to choose from. But, we can't really make up our mind to pick our choice...so, Bran dragged me to a restaurant which we walk passed before.. Emperor Q. This restaurant is under the same management to its dessert house located (The Japanese Sweets, MOF) at Gourmet Emporium.

The decor and ambiance of the restaurant looks nice and decent, and so do we hope that the food turns out to be delicious....

The main menu and drinks & dessert menu..

Roasted Chicken Mee Sua (RM 17.50)
It was written in the menu that noodles served is MEE SUA, but turns out to be japanese ramen...not sure if the definition of mee sua in jap means ramen?!? The noodles soup served was herbal soup which it tasted just right, but would be better with mee sua. As for the roasted chicken, the meat tasted too hard and dry (which means its overcooked). Overall, it was just a below than average standard food served..

Emperor Q Ginseng Chicken Set (RM 23.90)
Bran chose a set dinner which includes Ginseng chicken in a pot, side dish with blanched Kai Lan, soup and rice. The taste of the Ginseng in chicken pot was too strong that it tasted rather bitter in the soup, I guess it was due to the amount of ginseng they've added into the soup...

Bran drank his cup of water with a disappointment face..Aw...poor him..
Since the dinner was 'no good' to us, we decided to go for some ice-cream at the opposite dessert house 'MOF Japanese Sweets'

Three scoops gelato with a choice of Black Sesame, Red Bean with Green Tea and Hazelnut. (RM16.50)
I couldn't disagree with this dessert that it taste Delicious!! Apparently, it was written that the ice-creams are no preservative added, no sugar, no artificial flavor and no artificial colour added. I guess what's on it was true as the sesame gelato has lots of black sesame and they weren't too sweet as well~ Thumbs Up!

*Smile for the ice-cream*

Gu Yue Tien 古月天 @ Chulan Square, KL

2009-03-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

Gu Yue Tien is not just like any other Chinese Cuisine Restaurant such as Overseas or Oriental Group Restaurants. Dishes served are fusion with flavours of Chinese and some western combination which I think it is interesting to try out. I've visited this restaurant quite a few times and believe me, you'll always find something new and special on their menu.. This time around, we went for the Gu Yue Tien Special Set Menu for 4 person at the cost of RM198++ with the following dishes served..

Seafood Platter
A combination of Fresh Oyster, Tiger Prawns & Cold Crab Platter

Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Roe
Lot's of crab meat and shark fin in the soup, for those who love crab roe, i'm sure you'll fall in love with this soup as it has a flavourful taste of crab roe..

PanFried Scallop Roll Wrapped with Bacon & Mint Sauce
The panfried bacon is very crispy wrapping up with a big scallop in the middle. The scallop is topped with juicy sauce and alfafa..definitely a special dish on their menu

Duck Leg Confit with Pumpkin Mousseline & Red Wine Sauce
Like I said before, this special dish is fusioned with French flavor. The duck leg meat is tender and marinated with special sauce. I love the pumpking mousseline as it doesn't taste much like a normal mash potato and it's much healthier!

"Loh Mee" Noodles Soup with Seafood
Another chef specialties, adding some vinegar to the noodles soup, it brings out a heavier taste of the loh mee. Lots of fillings in this noodles..yummy yummy..Mind you that the serving might look small, but it will be very filling after having a bowl of that noodle.

The dessert of the day which is included in the set menu was honeydew milk sago..However, that was not the best ones I've tried on their menu. For those dessert lovers, Sweetened Almond Cream with Snow Frog Jelly and Chilled Bitter Gourd Pudding is a must try dessert..

Overall, the food quality has maintained for the past 2 years since it has started. It also serves Dim Sum during brunch hours and also, they're having discounts for the dim sum. (call up to find out when does the discounts end) Also , the dining area is nicely decorated and comfortable as it is situated in level 1 and you won't be disturbed by guests who walks in and out of the restaurant.

Address: Lot B5-A, Chulan Square, Jalan Raja Chulan.
Tel: 03-2148 0808

Homemade Tiramisu (Fast and Easy Step By Step Recipe)

2009-03-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

I've planned to make some Tiramisu over this weekend since there's still lots of Kahlua in my kitchen..and since my hip hop class was cancelled that leave me more time to catch up with something which I love to do.. Baking and Cooking.

Follow-up is a simple step by step recipe of Tiramisu in a cup. It is also a Tiramisu which is Eggless Recipe. You could place it in a glass baking dish, however, I prefer to make it into smaller sizes of Tupperware so I can share it among my family and Friends.

Ingredients:

1 package (at least) 25 pieces a pack of savioardi (ie ladyfinger cookies), split & divided, 2 tbsp of espresso coffee/strong black coffee, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, 1 cup of boiling water, 2 cup/450 gram of mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup of icing sugar, 2 tbsp kahlua coffee (put 3 tbsp if you prefer heavier taste), 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 2 tsp vanilla essense, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Step 1:
Dissolve instant coffee and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in boiling/hot water.

Cool the mixture then add in liquor.

Step 2:
Beat cream cheese in a large mixing bowl with electric mixture or hand held mixer on medium speed until smooth.

Step 3:
Add in icing sugar and vanilla essence to beat until smooth

Step 4:
In another mixing bowl, whisk the whipped cream until it reaches stiff peaks.

Step 5:
Gently fold in whipped cream to cheese mixture.

Step 6:
Dip each of the ladyfingers in coffee liquor mixture (Do Not Soak, just dip 1 or 2 seconds)
and arrange a layer at the bottom of glass baking dish/tupperware.
Step 7:

Pour 1st layer of the cream cheese mixture over ladyfingers and spread it evenly. Dip the remaining ladyfingers with coffee liquor and top it over the cream cheese. Spoon remaining cream cheese mixture over ladyfingers.

Step 8:
Dust with cocoa powder and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

I hope those of you who love Tiramisu would like this recipe, if you do try them yourself at home. They are just an 8 simple steps that you could just follow through and the outcome of it is fantastic! Enjoy!

Umaiya @ Damansara Utama

2009-03-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

For those who stay or work in Damansara Utama might aware of this japanese restaurant which located in the centre of busy area where it is surrounded by banks and shop lots. In the restaurant, you can find cushion seats are on the floor with low-height tables where you would normally see them in Japanese and Korean restaurant. With the ambience and the design of this restaurant, you might feel as if you're stepping into a traditional Japanese restaurant.

I am fond of japanese food as mostly, their food are rather not too oily and is mostly served with miso soup. Though me and bran passed by this restaurant almost every other week, but we never step our foot into this restaurant. So, we decided to pay a visit to this restaurant without having to travel all the way to downtown KL and to avoid the 'Friday traffic jam pack'.

California Roll for RM1 per set ordered

Promotion, though the sushi roll doesn't taste extraordinary delicious i would say..Since it's cheap, we don't mind to have something extra!

Sizzling Seafood Set (RM32)

A recommended dish by the waitress. What's special in this set is the sizzling mix of seafood with fish, ebi prawns, squids and calamari. The sauce has a heavy taste of japanese egg mayonaise sauce with spicy sauce (hint of wasabi in the mixture)..It is a very flavourful dish and it goes best with the japanese rice too..The set also comes with a side salad, miso soup, dried prawns in sweet soy sauce and fruits..

Tempura Udon Set (RM26)

I've ordered this as I wanted to have a soup noodle dish..The Udon has lots of vegetables in it with a mix of different mushrooms. The tempura deeply fried has the skin coated with a crispy batter on it..goes perfect when it was dipped in the tempura light soy sauce.

Kani Unatama Maki (RM14)

Sushi roll wrapped with grilled eel (unagi), soft shell crab and egg roll, topped with mayonaise and wasabi sauce..I would recommend this sushi roll as the soft shell crabs are served hot and the taste of unagi and the crab goes well in combination..

To visit the restaurant again? Maybe yes, if I happened to drop by Damansara Utama. This is because I would prefer to continue my search for a better Japanese restaurant..I would comment that the dishes offered in this restaurant have limited dishes on their menu. If the restaurant could offer more varieties, that would probably attract more customers to drop in. For the price? With the ambience and service provided in this restaurant, it is an average for the price paid.

Address: 49G, Jalan ss21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400. PJ.

Tel: 03-77264410

Website: www.umai-ya.com

Shanghai Restaurant @ J.W Marriott Hotel, An Imperial Dining Experience

2009-03-10T01:26:00.000-07:00

Since it's a public holiday and a long weekend, our family, once again decided to have a family luncheon in one of our favourite restaurant. The day started off with a rainy and cloudy day, which is cosy enough to keep you in the bed. However, all of us (me and my siblings) weren't able to resist the temptation of having Dim Sum for our brunch.

As usual, we can't wait to order the hot food from the varieties of Dim Sum in the menu. After browsing through the menu, the captain introduced us some of the new Dim Sum varieties which are not on the list. Their Dim Sum menu normally starts off with Cold Dishes, Hot Appertizers, Dumplings and Hot Soups, varieties of Main Dishes, Steamed Dim Sums, Hot Porridge and 'Chee Cheong Fun', Deep Fried Snacks & Chinese Pancakes and of course, the Desserts. Also, all Dim Sum are prepared upon ordering. I shall let the pictures to do the talking...

Entree with Crispy Fried Chicken Wings marinated in Soy Sauce with Dipping Sauce

This is a new dish which the captain recommended to us...I find the taste is rather normal, however, kids might love this dish

Flat Glass Noodles with Peanut and Sesame Sauce 凉粉皮

This is one of our favourite Cold Dish. It has a strong fragrant of sesame oil and with the touch of chili oil, its a perfect combination.

Fried Yam Cake with dried shrimps 炒萝卜糕

This is also another highly recommended dish. Yam cakes are pan fried prior to stir fried with the dried shrimps. Lots of bean sprouts and it is even delicious to have it with sambal belacan!

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings 香虾饺
Freshly steamed dumplings, thin layer of the dumpling flour skin with huge amount of filling which you won't be able to resist.

Pan Fried Rice Rolls in sweet soy sauce with fried minced shrimps 煎豬腸粉

It is a highly recommended dish! Very fragrant smell of lightly fried shrimps and the rice rolls are thinly pan-fried..

Steamed Shanghai Pork Dumplings 小籠包
One of their signature dish, thin layer of dumpling skin with tasty soup in the dumplings. I'm sure you won't get enough of it for only 1 dumpling..

Vegetarian Pan-Fried Dumplings with spinach dumpling skin 煎鍋貼

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetable with Oyster Sauce

Main Dish: Claypot Tofu with Braised Fish Fillet and Mixed Mushrooms

Main Dish: Braised chicken with Sliced Ginger in Black Sauce

Desserts: Steamed Custard with Salted Egg Yolk Buns

Dessert: Steamed Layer Cake with Custard and Sweet Corn Filling
A highly recommended steamed dessert which tasted heavenly..

Mango Pudding (self-added evaporated milk)

Glutinous Rice Ball with Black Sesame Filling in Ginger Soup
The glutinous rice balls skin are thin and soft, with their homemade black sesame filling..

We always enjoy our meals in Shanghai Restaurant. Shanghai restaurant's ambience is filled with Shanghaiese style, decorated with antique Chinese Folding Screens and dining tables. It is also a place where business people meet up for their luncheons and family to gather with. I would say, it is one of the best chinese restaurant in KL which serves authentic Shanghai food. A gentle reminder: this restaurant could get crowded if its on a public holiday or weekends, so, try to make a booking before visiting.

Add: J.W.Marriott1st Floor, 183 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: 603-2719 8288
Business Hours: Mon to Sat 12pm to 2.30pm; 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Sun & Public Holidays 10.30am to 2.30pm; 6.30pm to 10.30pm

Brunch @ Delicious, Bangsar Village Mall

2009-03-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

Cafe Delicious started off in Bangsar Village a few years back before the cafe spreads throughout Klang Valley. I saw a few times that the Delicious group even have their delivery trucks while I was driving on the road.

When I returned for good from Melbourne, I crave for yummy and healthy western breakfast at times. I've tried as much as cafes around in KL where they serve good western breakkie. One of the good ones served I would say is in Delicious. They've shifted the cafe from Bangsar Village I to II which is even more spacious and accommodating more customers. It's been quite awhile since I last visit Delicious, and since Bran wants to have some western style breakkie, I suggested Delicious.

A Long Black to start off the day (RM7.90)

My choice...a Flat White.. All coffees come with Almond Biscotti (RM7.90)

Wild Mushroom Soup served with Garlic Bread (RM13.90)
Since I don't feel very much hungry, I ordered this soup. Believe me, this appertizer is very filling as it has load of mushrooms in it. Thumbs Up!!

Chunky Mushroom on Toasted Ciabatta with 2 Poached Eggs (RM18.90)
For those who prefer a 'light' breakkie without Meat..this is a good option to choose. Sauteed chunky mushrooms served on toasted ciabatta..

Delicious is well known for their pastas, variety of salads and of course, their desserts. The chocolate cakes are a 'Must Try' for those chocolate lovers...They have recently add-in their menu with some snacks too.. Do try their Potato Wedges with sour cream. It is so far as good as the ones I've tried overseas. :D Not only western food are served in the cafe, some Asian selections are included as well.

It is an ideal place to meet up with your friends, colleagues and family. Definitely, I'll pay another visit to the restaurant again.

Add: GF-1, Ground Floor Bangsar Village. Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru.
Tel: 03-2287 1554/3

Weekend dinner @ GoGung, Gardens Mid-Valley City

2009-03-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

Weekends always pass by quickly without you even realise it...Before the 'Monday Blue' comes back again, we had a decent weekend dinner tonight. Bran suggested for a Steamboat dinner for the night, however, it was raining cats and dogs for the whole evening. So, we decided to head to Gardens for Korean Cuisine, a little excitement for spicy food again.

The entrance of Go-Gung is golden in colour which you would be able to caught an eye of the restaurant from far. As my sister bought her new camera the day before, I wanted to try out her new camera...Let's see how the pictures turn out with..

Entrance to Go-gung Restaurant

Traditional Cutleries for Korean Cuisine.. Flat chopsticks and long spoons..

For those who are interested with Korean BBQ.. this is the hot plate for roasting the meat..

6 different types of side dishes being served..

Since there's 4 of us, they serve us double plates for us.. and free refill if you would like to..

Korean Pancake with Vegetables (RM30 for normal price, but currently free for promotion)
I would have to say that i love this dish very much as the crust is very crispy and yet not oily..

Kim chi Jeon Gol - Kim chi Hot Pot with Chicken Slices and Glass Noodle (Small, RM75)

It is a spicy and sour soup with lots of vegetables and glass noodles in it..This portion stated as 'SMALL' but it turns out to be huge for the 4 of us. You could order this for 3 person with extra white rice.

Den Jang Jji Gae - Hot Pot with Vegetables in cubes with seafood (RM25)

If you can't take too much of spicy food..opt for a less spicy soup. This could be a light meal served with rice.

Our dinner's total bill came up to a total RM142 with 10% discount for first visit. The restaurant currently is running a promotion. Whereby, 1st visit, 10% off on the total bill, subsequent visit will be 20% off with vouchers (given on 1st visit). Although the varieties are not as much compared to Do Rae Restaurant in Hartamas, however, the dishes are worthwhile to try out with the promotion they're having at the moment. As far as I know, the promotion is only valid in March 2009. Overall, good ambience with good food.

Add: The Gardens, Mid-Valley City

Contact: 03-2287 2981

Si Chuan Cuisine @ Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant, Parkroyal KL

2009-02-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

As usual, another sunday night dinner with my family. This time, my parents told us that we'll be having dinner at Parkroyal Hotel with a long time family friend. It has been quite awhile since we've last sat together and dine in for a dinner.

This Si Chuan restaurant has been in Parkroyal Hotel for 2 years, serving authentic Si Chuan style food. As far as I know, the hotel management actually hired a 5 star chef from Si Chuan to share the cookings with the restaurant's chefs and kitchen staff. Every quarter of the year, new ideas for the dishes are promoted on their menu. Here, you will also notice the waitress dressed in Si Chuan clothings. Good atmosphere with fine food, though the price is on the high side. A place to recommend.

For those who are interested, the restaurant is currently on a promotion till Mid March (do reconfirm with the restaurant though). The promotion is serving free flow of food ordering which includes a total 60 variety of dishes ranging from Cold dishes/Appertizers, Shark's Fin and Soups, Meat & Poultry, Seafood & Beef, Vegetables to Desserts. For more information, please refer to below.

Entrance to Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant

Traditional Chinese Tea Set displayed at the front of the restaurant

Waitor showing off his skills with his 'teapot'

Eight Treasure Tea 八宝茶

Steamed Sliced Cod Fish with Soy Sauce and Bean Sprout

Very fresh cod fish was served...

Fresh Scallop with Minced Garlic and Red Chilli
The scallops are lightly fried till golden brown coated with sweet and spicy sauce. This was served in one of the dishes in the buffet menu.

Bean Curd in Spicy Sauce (Vegan)

For those who love real spicy hot food will definitely fall in love with it. I believe you'll sweat after taking spoons of it.. Also, it can be ordered from the buffet menu (Bean Curd in Spicy Minced Chicken Sauce)..

Deep Fried Golden Butter Chicken Strips

The chicken strips are very crispy as they tasted more like the mantis prawn than chicken..A must try dish!

Stir Fried French Beans with Preserved Olives (Vegan)

You may opt for Stir Fried French Beans with Minced Chicken for non-vege dish

Chilled Aloe Vera with Sea Coconut

This dessert will soothe your throat after all the spicy food..Recommended! Try out their Homemade Beancurd with Wolfberried too! Delicious! Both desserts are also in the Buffet Menu..

Overall, the food is highly recommended for those who search for fine Si Chuan dishes. The total bill came up to RM580 with AMEX card 20% off. UOB cardholders will be able to get 30% off for food and beverage ordered. It is also very worthwhile for the price you pay for the buffet at RM58++ per adult. The promotion is open for lunch 12-2pm and 6-9.15pm. Last order at 9.15pm.

Add: Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail.

Tel: 603-2782 8303

Website: http://www.sichuandouhua.com/

Friday Night Dinner in Chili's Grill & Bar @ BSC

2009-02-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

Since it was the weekend, me and my sister decided to treat our brother a dinner at Chili’s Grill & Bar @ BSC. We knew that our brother has been craving for some western food or burgers, since it is very expensive to dine in at Western Restaurants in Japan. Although we have a choice of Chili’s or TGIF, but we decided to go for chili’s as they serve better burgers as compared to TGIF.

Again, a good location and newly renovated Chili’s in BSC. I know Chili’s isn’t something new to most of you (floggers). I guess the following pictures will tempt you guys to revisit their restaurants if you would like to go for some Big Mouth Burgers.

Started off with Bottomless Tostada Chips & Skillet Queso (RM14.95)

My brother and Jacky ordered the Big Mouth Burger - Mushroom Swiss filled with fresh sautéed mushrooms, aged Swiss cheese, mayo, shredded lettuce, pickles & tomatoes. It comes with a choice of Chips or Mash Potatoes topped with white cream sauce.. (RM22.95)

Grilled Dory fish topped with Sweet & Spicy Sauce with Steam Vegetables and Mashed Potatoes (RM28.95) My sister chose this main as it's one of our favourite seafood dish..

Bran picked his choice, Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chickcen Crispers (RM24.95)

This is a very appetizing dish as the sauce has a flavor mixed of Spicy and Smoky Honey-Chipotle Sauce, needless to describe the Extra Crispy Chicken Strips

Cajun Club Sandwich (RM22.95)

I was expecting the sandwich wouldn't be as huge portion as the others..but it turned out the opposite, there are 4 slices of Chicken Ham in between the Toasties with Melted Cheddar & Swiss Cheese..

Apart from the above main dishes, we ordered free flow of ice lemon teas, guava juice and bran's pineapple mixed with tomato juice.. since the main dish was huge, we could hardly finish the drinks..The total bill that came to us was RM187.30 for 5 of us. Once in a blue moon meal to dine in at Chili's Grill & Bar is more than enough for myself, you do pay the price for the serving size... Definitely to pay another visit, but not so soon i guess..

Add: G10, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar, KL

Tel: 03- 20922023

Operating Hours: 7 days a week, lunch till late night

Bumbu Bali @ Puchong

2009-02-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

It was a suprise visit on Wednesday that Bran decided to pick me up for lunch since he was in Bukit Jalil, not too far away from my office. So, I waited for him patiently while my stomach is 'playing drums'...

We drove pass puteri mart and saw Bumbu Bali not far away from it along the shophouses along the road. I was afraid that Bumbu Bali's meal for my lunch would be way too much and make me hard to concentrate on my work. But Bran promise me that he would finish up my portion if I can't do so on my portion of meal..

As I browse through the menu, I decided to order the Express Lunch as I was afraid that it'll take quite some time for them to serve us the food. In the end, I ordered 'Mie Goreng' express set lunch which it comes with a hot soup and a choice of Ice Lemon Tea / Barley Lime. Of course, I went for the later which would quench my thirst.

Hot Sour & Spicy Soup..with touch of tomyam taste

Mee Goreng with lots of shrimps and chicken slice...(Set Lunch at RM10.90)

The sambal chilli brings in the extra flavour and fragant to the noodles

Nasi Campur Bumbubali (RM28.50)
One of their signature dish - With a variety of meat, grilled fish, prawns, chicken rendang, grilled calamari, grilled sate and a side salad with sambal chilli and ginger onion oil...

The total amount of the bill came up was RM 48.30 for 2 person for the lunch. If you've tried Ole-Ole Bali before, both the restaurant serve delicious balinese food. It is worthwhile to try out their signature dish. Just a note to share with you...all their 'Nasi' dishes comes in big portion, for ladies who has small diet, it would be best to share the serving with your friend or partner.

Add: 18 & 18-1, Jalan Persiaran 1, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong.
Tel: 03-80618699

The Ming Room (Bangsar Shopping Centre)

2009-02-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

As my brother just came back from japan for his one month break, my parents decided that we dine in at the restaurant which is situated right opposite our home. The restaurant serve great Dim Sums and a lar carte dishes on and off their menu, which is why we choose to dine in often for non-vegetarian food.

Though it is after the Chinese New Year period, we still get a chance to 'Lou Sang' with my brother before the restaurant is close for 3 months due to renovation of the BSC. To start off with...

Vegetarian Yee Sang
Neither tasted too sweet nor oily...perfect..

Braised Shark Fin Soup

A bowl of shark fin soup can be shared among two person, I was half full right after sharing it with my cousin sister

Pork Ribs with a taste of black pepper and plum sauce

Though i don't favour much of pork, but this is one of the best one I've tasted so far...

Kung Po Diced Chicken in Sichuan Style

One of the all time favourite dish, lots of cashew nuts with a touch of spicy sauce..yummy

Claypot Rice with Arrow Head, Vegetarian 'Ham' and Mushroom

Another vegetarian dish, though it is meatless but the fragrant smell of claypot rice and the 'ham' still tempted all of us to finished it

This restaurant is worth to try out especially for their Dim Sums though it is slightly pricey as compared to other Chinese restaurants. Please note that the restaurant will be closed for renovation in order to fit in more tables, we were informed that it will reopen in June 2009. Let's hope that they'll bring us more variety on their menu.

Address: 3rd Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Bukit Bandaraya, KL 59100.

Contact No: 03 - 2284 8822

Operating Hours:
Mondays to Saturdays
11.30am - 3.00pm/ 6.00pm - 11.00pm
Sundays & Public Holidays
10.00am - 3.00pm/ 6.00pm - 11.00pm

CNY Dinner 2009 at New Formosa Restaurant, SS2 PJ

2009-02-09T03:56:00.000-08:00

This was our first Chinese New Year 'Lou Sang' Dinner with our fellow primary school friends at the SS2 New Formosa Restaurant. We picked this restaurant because we good reviews by floggers. It wasn't too hard to locate the restaurant if you are familiar with SS2 however, a few of our friends had trouble looking for it because the name of the restaurant on the signboard were too small to be noticed at first glance.

Nonetheless, everyone made it and we had a good time.

We started off with a 'Lou Sang' after waiting nearly 1.30 hours (for those who didn't make it on time). The plate was almost left clean after 10 minutes as all of us were hungry and though it was tasted slightly overly-sweet.

The Lot

Braised Chicken with Vegetables

Taiwanese Mee with Thick Savce, the sauce tasted sweet & salty and the portion of the noodle is HUGE for 9 of us.

Steamed Promphet Fish with Soy Sauce and Ginger

A combination of Butter Eel and Pork Spare Ribs in mild spicy sauce.

Bean curd top with sliced pork, black wood ears and salted fish. Some of us find it rather salty, but we still finished the dish.

Stir-fry Beans with Lily Bulb, Ginkgo and Pumpkin.

Deep fried sesame prawns Taiwanese style

Though the food that we've ordered tasted average, but it was a good gathering and get together with our primary school mates. Total damage of the 10 course meal we've ordered came up to RM486 (inclusive of tax). The price was rather pricey as it was during the Chinese New Year period and I guess we should've ordered their house specialties. To revisit the restaurant or not? Probably in future to order their food specialties..

Food ordered:

Chinese New Year Yu Shang
Steamed Promphet Fish with Soy Sauce and Ginger
Braised Chicken with Vegetables
Deep fried Sesame Prawns Taiwanese style
Butter Eel Formosan Style and Pork Ribs in mild Spicy Sauce
Bean curd top with sliced pork, black wood ears and salted fish
Stir-fry Beans with Lily Bulb, Ginkgo and Pumpkin.
Taiwanese Mee with Thick Sauce
Dessert: Red Dates with Longan and White Wood Ears soup

Specialties:

Formosa Nutritious Vegetarian Dish
Steamed Tiger Prawns with Herbs Taiwanese Hakka Style
Braised Duck with Seafood and Vegetables
Deep fried Sesame Chicken Taiwanese style
Butter Eel Formosan Style
Roasted Pi-pa Duck with Longan
Yam Ginkgo Pudding
Caramel Custard Pudding
Honey Herbal Pudding

Add:

46, Jalan SS2/24,
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor , MY

03- 7875 7478/ 1894

Business Hours:
Open Daily: 11.30Noon~2.30PM 6.00PM~10.30PM