Nagoya Trip @ Summer Fest

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

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

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

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

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

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~