Teochew Duck @ Restoran Hong Seng, Section 17, Petaling Jaya

Braised Duck

I've been feeling under the weather recently hence this was lunch yesterday - a nice comfy meal of porridge and braised items. This particular stall is located within the same coffeeshop which serves yummy siu yoke.


Plain bowl of porridge

You can either eat the braised items with a bowl of porridge or rice depending on your fancy. There's a selection of items all set up at the stall for you to choose from: braised duck, intestines, fried ikan bilis (the large type), braised peanuts, pickled cabbages and etc.


Ham Choy

Unlike other places which usually serve these items in small bowls, this place uses a tray with various compartments. Kinda reminds me of hospital or canteen food. It definitely makes it easier for them to transport the tray versus those small bowls. Since I was hungry with no brekkie in my tummy and I was literally feeding my cold, I ordered a pile of food - duck, intestines, tofu and pickled vegetable (ham choy) which cost me RM6.


Braised Tofu

Although the braised items are not as strong tasting as I like, this satisfied my tummy and my cold which was most important. I was spooning the braising liquid with my plain porridge to give it flavour.




Braised intestines

If you're feeling peckish - walk down to the other corner coffeeshop as they sell those coveted Tong Kee egg tarts with flaky pastry and those smooth eggy centers.

Restoran Hong Seng
Along Jalan 17/29
Section 17
Petaling Jaya

(Non Halal. Opposite CIMB Bank and is at the corner.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Braised Duck + Malaysian Food

Japanese Food @ Kampachi, The Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Chirashi Don (RM45++)

Kampachi located at Equatorial Hotel has made a name for itself with it's consistently good quality and fresh seafood. Also popular is their infamous Sunday buffets which see people booking in advance and piling themselves with food. Last Saturday, we happened to be at Pavilion at just the right time i.e. minutes before 1pm. When we walked around the sixth floor to see what had opened, we stumbled upon Kampachi. Moments before the witching hour of 1pm, the staff were all in front of the restaurant taking a picture. Once they dispersed, we approached them and was told the restaurant would only be opened at 1pm per management's instructions as that was the "feng shui" hour. Since it was a few minutes more we hung around and became the first customers to walk in to the restaurant.


Salmon OyakoDon (RM28++)

I liked the spacey restaurant with high ceilings and modern touches. What's adorable is the row of bowls with shapes of animals in the front. You also get to watch how udon is made - a new item they have brought in for this Pavilion outlet which will also be subsequently available at the hotel's outlet. Since it was their first day, things was of course a little confusing. First we were told only certain items were available, after we placed orders for the bento, we were told by the waiter these were not available. Some customers weren't too happy though as we overheard one lady kicking up a fuss when she found out about the limited choices. We kinda expected her to walk out but she didn't.


Tori Karage (part of Salmon Oyaka Don set)

I spied familiar faces - the chef in charge of the sashimi. Many a time have I sat behind the sashimi counter watching him slice the fresh fish skilfully so it was good to see him. While we were waiting for the food, people kept trickling in - a testament to their good reputation. The menu is of course different from the hotel. Here there is an emphasis on sets - various types with noodles, rice sets, teppanyaki, grilled, sashimi and etc. Bentos are also available. Apologies to all of you as I don't have the receipt with me. My bad habit of emptying my pockets at my house has come back to haunt me since I can't seem to find it tonight. I remember the bentos were about RM50 to RM60 while our sets were about RM40 plus. Definitely on the higher side but the food quality is good.

I had the Chirashi Don - an eternal favourite of mine. The slices of sashimi were gorgeous - glistening and thickly sliced. What I also loved was their miso soup - really full of flavour and so delicious. Thumbs up to the miso soup! Splashie Boy had an interesting rice dish - topped with salmon flakes and ikura, the salty fish roe we love. He had a side dish of fried chicken wings or what is known as Tori Karage in Japanese. I had a bit and it was good stuff. Although food was fresh and fantastic, my only gripe was the rice served! It was definitely short grain with tiny individual grains BUT it wasn't sticky enough. I suspect they omitted the vinegar mixture of mirin and sugar as it didn't have any sweet flavour to it. Maybe it was just the first batch they messed up.

Overall, I definitely would not mind returning for the food here. Would love to sample the a la carte dishes especially the salmon carpaccio and the udon which is made fresh on a daily basis. The makis look very interesting too.

Kampachi
Lot 6.09.00, 6th Floor
The Pavilion
Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 - 2148 9608

(Pork free.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Japanese Food + Pavilion + Jalan Bukit Bintang

Apom @ Ming Tien Food Court, Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya

Oh no, I just realised today's post is also about something sweet. Sorry but I didn't realise this when I uploaded the pictures late last night. Makes it three in a row if you count last week's blog posts.

I was recently introduced to this particular stall located within the busy food court. Must admit, Taman Megah is my least favourite place ever since I lost my personal items in a snatch theft there. Doesn't help when I hear horror stories from my mother about how the business owners claim, there must be at least two snatch theft incidents a day - morning and afternoon. Hence be super careful when walking around this area. We visited this place late at night hence I was looking over my shoulder at every instance.

Although the situation around the area is less than ideal, the food is very good here. The apom served here has two varieties - the crispy type and the softer version. Made with a batter which has coconut milk, the crispy version is cooked in tiny woks. Once ready, it is taken out from the hot woks and folded in the middle. Delicious when eaten hot as it has a crisp texture and coconut milk aroma.

The other softer version is made in bite size portions using a special pan. This version is more like a soft coconut milk pancake whereby one side is browned and the other still white. Usually fillings are added in - bananas, grated coconut and canned corn. Again the aroma of coconut milk is strong in these mini pancakes but the texture is soft with a crispy edge. Eat it piping hot to get the best out of it.

Usually these sweet items are sold in night markets or roadside stalls during the day time. One famous stall which sells the soft version is located on Jalan Hang Lekir on Petaling Street. That particular stall also sells the apam balik filled with crushed peanuts. Give this place a try especially when you start having midnight cravings as they're open during night time.

Apom Stall

Ming Tien Food Court

Taman Megah

Petaling Jaya

(Pork free. Open from 6pm to 12 midnight daily.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Apom + Malaysian Food

Other review:

• Precious Pea

Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) 125

Kitten update for the weekend. They're all adapting well to their caged environment. We had one "incident" though. I have been slowly taking them out of the cage and holding each one for some time to domesticate them. When it came to this ginger one (the one who bit me last time), it was all drama.



The adventurous kitten decided it will try and run off - first it ran to the car and hid there. Luckily I got it out, then it ran towards the drain. That is when I was expecting to say goodbye to it since it would have been impossible for me to retrieve it. Luckily I had the mother cat and we teamed up to look for the naughty feline.

She sought the kitten out by crying for it. It obviously had loads of respect for its own mother and ran towards her. She started gripping it by the neck to bring it out from the drain. Took her a few times to do it as this fella was struggling. I decided to help her by grabbing the kitten from her and wrapping it with a big towel so it would not struggle. Luckily that worked or else this kitten would have been lost in the wilderness.

The kitten is still slowly adapting to a domestic life - tried to teach it to play today with scrunched up papers. It seems to be working as they were happily tossing the balls around and sniffing it to see what was so special.

This weekend for WCB, it is Halloween so let us celebrate the mighty black cat at Catsynth. I have one black kitten - a fluffy and adorable one with a cute small patch of white at its chest. Very cute especially when double teaming with the other black and white kitten.

Marian Burros Plum Crumble and Apple Torte

Continuing on the sweet trail. I finally had a bit of time hence I did a spot of baking. Wasn't planned at all but I could not resist after seeing some plums at Tesco Extra. Whenever I see plums, I straight away associate them with the plum torte recipe by Marian Burros, a writer of the New York Times food section. Ever since it was first published in 1981 the recipe has been requested and republished for the next 15 years. I recently discovered this recipe when the New York Times published their latest cookbook - The New York Times Dessert Cookbook. A compilation of their recipes from the paper, they have a variety from Florence Fabricant, Amy Hesser, Nigella Lawson (those ones not in any of her cookbooks), Pichet Ong and etc.

Two recipes she is famous for - the Plum Torte and the Plum Crumble. I've made the Plum Torte before which got rave reviews from my family but this time round, I decided I will make an Apple Torte instead. For the plums, I used them in the crumble. Kinda unlike the crumble we are used to, this version is harder and crunchy like a cobbler. For my version, I omitted the candied ginger since it wasn't something I liked.

I had quite a lot of problems with my Plum Crumble as when I added the full egg in the mixture for the topping, it became so soggy. Moreoever it was insufficient to cover the whole baking tray hence I had to make a double portion. For the second portion, I was more cautious with the egg.

Personally I thought the Plum Crumble was nothing fantastic even though the flavours were not so sweet which was good. What I really absolutely fell in love with was the Apple Torte. So incredibly delicious, we both ate 3 large slices of it warm from the oven with cold ice cream. Simply heavenly - soft cooked apples with light as a feather cake. My only regret is I didn't arrange my apples properly hence it was difficult to cut the cake. That is why you see such a bad looking slice. Believe me, it may look unattractive but it is so utterly delicious. A bonus is this is a very simple recipe.

If you do have time, try and make the torte and you will find yourself a convert. The plum version is also very good as it is not too sweet.

Apple Torte (adapted from Marian Burros Plum Torte)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
Apples (4 to 5) - use Granny Smith which has been cut into halves and skin has been peeled

Sugar and cinnamon for topping.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and butter in a bowl. Add flour, baking powder, salt and eggs, and beat well. Spoon the batter into a spring form of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the apple halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, or to taste. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired (but first, double-wrap the tortes in foil, place in a plastic bag, and seal). Or cool to lukewarm, and serve. To serve a torte that has been frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.

Marian Burros Plum Crumble

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1½ tablespoons plus 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ plus ½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger
12 purple Italian or prune plums, cut in half and pitted
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 well beaten egg
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream, optional.

Heat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in center. Thoroughly mix brown sugar, 1½ tablespoons flour, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ground ginger and candied ginger. Add to plums and mix well. Arrange, skin side up, in ungreased, deep 9-inch pie plate. Combine remaining sugar, baking powder, flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Stir in egg. Then, using hands, mix thoroughly to produce little particles. Sprinkle over plums. Drizzle butter evenly over crumb mixture and bake 30 to 35 minutes. Crumble is done when top is browned and plums yield easily when pricked with cake tester. Remove from oven and cool. Serve warm or refrigerate for up to two days or freeze well covered. If reheating, bring to room temperature then warm at 300 degrees. If desired, serve with ice cream.

Tagged with: Marian Burros + Plum Crumble + Apple Torte

Red Bean Tau Fu Fah @ Soya Shop, Ikano Power Centre, Petaling Jaya

There is something so wonderful and comforting about tau fu fah. Smooth and slippery, it slides down one's throat. This smooth as silk tau fu fah was introduced by WMW and ever since then, I have been hooked. Unlike other places, here they don't use any sek ko fan (plaster of paris) to turn the soy milk into curd but instead it is a citric acid which is much healthier. Although I'm not a fan of red beans usually but this topping of soft red kidney beans when paired with the tau fu fah is addictive. I can't really remember how much I paid for this but it should be definitely higher than the usual RM1 bowls at the soy bean stall. If I am not mistaken it should be about RM2.50 or RM3. A bit pricey but worth every sen I reckon for the pure satisfaction I get from eating this.

Aside from this, they also serve dumplings or tong yuen with various fillings and soy milk which is supposedly also very good. Must give that a try one day. Do read the other reviews which has focused on those items.

Soya Shop
Lower Ground Floor
Ikano Power Centre
Mutiara Damansara
Petaling Jaya

(Halal. The corner shop is located opposite Mama Sayang. Various branches all over Klang Valley. To get a list of their branches and more details, click on their website link.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Tau Fu Fah + Red Beans

Other reviews:

• Run, Bunny, Run!
• SlowCatchUpKuan
• Honey Star
  

Duck Feet Roll (Ngap Kiok Pau) @ Sze Ngan Chye, Petaling Street

An institution on Petaling Street - it is hard to miss this famous roast duck stall known fondly as Sze Ngan Chye. Literally meaning 4 eyed guy in Chinese, this was the nickname of the stall owner.



Most of the time you find his daughter running the show but we were lucky to see him one Saturday morning. He is still as deft chopping the roast ducks away even though he is sporting a hearing aid.



This stall is said to have started in the 1950s long before I was born and they use charcoal to bake their salted roast duck. Placed in a mobile stainless steel stall, the ducks are kept in shelves totally unlike other places which hang their ducks out with skewers.



We didn't try the salted roast duck but went for the unusual duck feet roll or ngap kiok pau (RM1.50 per piece). Although you get versions of this at those mobile lok lok stalls, none of those places make it with duck feet. This unique roll consists of duck liver wrapped around the duck feet with a piece of the duck's intestine. A lot of work goes into cleaning the intestine to make sure it does not smell. Once wrapped, it is marinated in this sweetish sauce and hung to dry. Simply yummy stuff.

Sze Ngan Chye Roast Duck
46, Petaling Street
Kuala Lumpur

(Non Halal. Open daily from 6am to 3pm)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Duck Feet Roll + Petaling Street

Other reviews:

• Kampungboycitygal

Congratulations to the Floggers - Teckiee, WMW and Jackson Kah

I just heard the good news! Teckiee, WMW and Jackson Kah who submitted videos for the Drive for Food contest has won the RM100 prize for Week 3. Yippee! as that means they'll be driving for food to Penang soon. Go check out their creative videos. Precious Pea was also involved in the making of the videos too.

Fish Paste and Minced Pork Noodles @ Petaling Jaya Old Town

Sssssssssh, it's a secret!

I was contemplating whether to post this today or not since I wanted to keep this place under wraps. Most of the time whenever I visit a place, I have no qualms posting it up and spreading the word around about the yummy food. However with this place, I think I'll tread a bit carefully purely because it seems to be so hidden. I reckon they have their reasons. Most of their customers know this place by word of mouth and I believe I have read previous blog entries about it.

To get here, walk towards the back of the house and you will be amazed to see tables and chairs set out. The kitchen looks like an ordinary kitchen and they even opened the back of their house for people to dine within. Famous for their fish paste (yee wat), it tastes exactly like my aunt's springy home made version. We had ordered the minced meat and yee wat noodles (RM5 per bowl) which came full of ingredients. Even the minced meat was different from the usual stalls as it had a bouncy texture and smooth from the addition of pork fats in the mince. I also liked how they used the tiny gem lettuces in their noodle soup. We had the kuey teow which was smooth and silky. Aside from these noodles, you can also order sui kaw filled to the brim with their fish paste. Although we didn't try these sui kaw but I understand they're average tasting. The fish paste can even be bought and cooked at home.

Fish Paste Noodles

Somewhere in Petaling Jaya Old Town

Near the wet market

Petaling Jaya

(Non Halal. Open from 8 am to 2pm. Closed on Thursday and Sunday. Get here early as the wait can be horrendous during peak times as they cook each bowl individually.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Fish Paste Noodles + Petaling Jaya

Beef Noodles @ Cheng Special Beef Noodles, Section 17, Petaling Jaya

Beef Soup Noodles

Ever since WMW of You Get What You Give introduced us to this beef noodles place, you can see references to it among the blogs (see below for reviews). We finally got a chance to sample this "infamous" beef noodles place on Saturday morning.


Beef Tenderloin served with soup

With our tummies rumbling as it was a late breakfast for us, we ordered a variety of soup and dry beef noodles. Depending on the supply, the owner will get some unusual meat cuts like the beef shank which we sampled that day.


Dry Beef Noodles

Splashie Boy had the Beef Soup Noodles which got his thumbs up. A mixed variety of beef cuts, cow's stomach, beef balls was served with lots of chopped coriander and ham choy (preserved vegetables). Every thing was very tender and the soup was full of beefy goodness which didn't have any MSG. I had the dry version which reminds me of the Singapore type which is served with a dark brown beefy flavoured sauce. I understand from Precious Pea that this is also similar to the one served in Seremban. The sauce is not as thick compared to the Singapore version and has a mild beefy taste. Topped with ham choy, peanuts and sprinkled with sesame seeds, you toss the noodles to coat it with the sauce. We all ordered lai fun noodles - the ones which is usually used for laksa. I would have preferred my noodles with a bit more bite to it as it was quite soft. The dry version also comes with marinated beef strips. Filled with spices, I found these strips a bit dry and preferred the tender beef cuts.


Beef Shank served with Soup

Besides the soup and dry noodle orders, we also were served beef tenderloin and the beef shank. The beef tenderloin was very good - tender pieces which didn't have the beefy smell. The shank was also good but slightly chewier as it had tendons within. Served in a claypot, you find yourself drinking all the soup up till the last drop.

Overall, I liked the food especially the beef soup noodles as the beef broth served with it got our thumbs up. Definitely would not mind returning here to try it with other types of noodles. A bit difficult to figure out the prices as we all shared the beef shank and beef tenderloin but it came up to about RM12 per person. Be warned though - I understand food may take a while to arrive at this place if you dine here at peak times. The stall owner takes quite some time to prepare the food so I suggest you try and avoid peak times like lunch.

Cheng Special Noodles
Khasiat Cafe
Corner Coffeeshop at Jalan 17/12
Section 17
Petaling Jaya

(Pork free. Tel No: 012- 3030626 - Julian Cheng. Open from 10.30 am to 2pm from Monday to Saturday. Same row as DK Cafe.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Beef Noodles + Section 17

Other reviews:

• Have Your Cake and Eat it Too
• Kampungkayell
• Essence of Life
  
  

Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) 124 - Houston, we have kittens!

It was drama at the house this week. It has been raining almost every day hence the stray calico cat decided to move her litter of kittens from her hidey hole.



Ever since she gave birth, we have not seen her litter at all. Since she had been so secretive about them, we decided the most we could do is just feed her so she will have enough milk for her babies.



It was total chaos when I found her litter of kittens running around the house. Since I had no idea how many, it became a game of hide and seek with all of them. I caught the two black and one ginger kittens first. Managed to cut them off from their hiding place and caught them with the help of a huge towel.



Then came the difficult part - this "ferocious" ginger one. I reckon the fella was just scared as it eluded me catching it for three times. Everytime I caught it, I couldn't hold long as it bit me on my fingers. I'm still suffering from a huge bite on my middle finger which I had to put antibiotic cream just in case it became septic. After one day, I finally caught the ginger one with the help of a large towel.



Thinking I caught all of them, imagine my surprise when I heard mew mew from the store room again after 2 days. After searching behind cupboards, we found another ginger kitten. Luckily for that kitten we heard it meowing away or else it would have starved to death in the storeroom which we rarely go into.

They're now living in a huge cage but instead of scampering around, they seem to love the cardboard box we put inside for them. The black kittens seem to be more calm and happy to eat the dry kitten kibbles we give them. The ginger ones are more wary especially the one who bit me. We lock them in with their mummy who seems to be doing a lousy job as a mother. Not much maternal instinct in her as she seems to ignore their requests for milk. Instead she zooms in on their food even though she has been fed full by us outside. Hopefully we get good homes for all of them, so if anyone wants a kitten, do contact us at boo_liciouskl@yahoo.com

For WCB updates, check out the Tuxedo Gang Hideout where Samantha is hosting this weekend. There's even a great spread put out for all of us. Yum! Yum! Thanks Samantha!

Laksa Johor & Mee Bandung @ Warung Aji-Don, Plaza Damas, Kuala Lumpur

Something simple to end the week with - Johor food. I'm not too sure if the stall is open yet with the Raya break as I had this sometime back. If you do want to visit, do it next week instead. This particular corner shop filled with various stalls is one of the places which serves Johor specialties. The last time I blogged about their Mee Rebus, Kachang Pol and Murtabak. Sadly no more Kachang Pol here but the Mee Rebus Baidali is still around. This stall was introduced by a friend of mine.



Although it may not be the best in town, the Mee Bandung hits the right spot for me. I kinda love the gravy which is thick and topped with an egg with a runny yolk, bean curd and prawns. Another favourite is their Laksa Johor served with spaghetti that I must have. However portions here tend to be small for the price you pay for (RM5) but I often visit this place just to satisfy my cravings for this type of food. I was told the stall also sells great creme caramel but everytime I visit it they don't seem to make this anymore.

Johor Laksa & Mee Bandung Muar Stall
Stall No. 6, Warung Aji-Don Alley,
E-0-16, Plaza Damas,
Sri Hartamas
Kuala Lumpur

(Halal. Open 12.00 am to 11.00 pm and closed on Sunday.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Johor Laksa + Mee Bandung

Tea Flavoured Food @ Purple Cane Tea Restaurant, The Gardens, Mid Valley City

String Bean fried with Preserved Radish (RM12)

I'm slowly exploring the dining places at the Gardens. Not an easy feat as every day, a new outlet opens. Last weekend, we ended up at the Gardens instead of our usual Bangsar to sample this restaurant. It is not new in town with branches at the Chinese Assembly Hall and Shaw Parade in Pudu but was packed with people who had limited choices at the half finished mall. I remember dining at the Chinese Assembly Hall branch once where friends introduced us to a few unique dishes. Since it was too long ago to remember what was good, we stuck to the wait staff's recommendations.


Tea Wine Chicken (RM18)

Purple Cane is said to use tea leaves and brewed tea in their cooking. Although one would associate the food to have hints or the fragrant aromas of brewed tea, there seems to be almost none here. I guess I would have preferred a stronger tea interpretation for their food like the Tea Smoked Salmon I made before.


Fried Kangkong (RM10)

The menu consists of one meal dishes and also cooked dishes you can order to share. We followed the wait staff's recommendations and tried the fried string beans. We all liked the crunchy beans fried with little oil. Fragrant bits of preserved radish (choy poh) were also added to give the beans more flavour. Although there is a mention of Tea in the Tea Wine Chicken, any taste of it would be drowned by the fragrant rice wine (fatt tiu). The dish which had chicken, sliced mushrooms, sliced ginger was served with a thickish sauce that went well with the rice.


Cuttlefish with Oats (RM18)

Although the food was generally good (once you deemed it just as a place to savour Chinese food versus tea flavoured food), service was slow. We noticed the wait staff recommended the same dishes for almost every table to cut down time as they will cook batches of the same food. After a few reminders, our food finally arrived. The fried kangkong was tasty and had very little oil. Unfortunately there's no way to verify if brewed tea was used to cook it but they topped it with a few pieces of fried tea leaves. Splashie Boy's must-have is deep fried sotong hence I ordered the cuttlefish with oats. Although the cuttlefish was slightly chewy, we all liked the oats which had curry leaves, coriander leaves and whole green chili padi. I believe this is the same oats you can get at most Chinese supply stores which is prepacked.


Green Tea Rice (RM1 per bowl)

Last but not least, they serve you green tea rice which is slightly brown in colour as the rice is cooked in brewed tea. Bits of tea leaves are also found within the fluffy rice grains. Again tastewise, no taste of any tea involved except for the colour.

As they're tea specialists, we liked their Pu-Er tea which was not cloying but with a light fragrance. You can get a pot for RM6 which is topped up with hot water throughout your meal. They give you two pots - one to brew the tea and one to pour the brewed tea to keep it. This is to prevent the tea from getting too bitter if it is left to steep for too long. My mother who had joined us for lunch was impressed with the teapot as the wait staff confirmed it is made from high quality clay.

Another thing I do like about this place are their nifty wooden chairs. They may be tiny and space saving but the chairs are comfy even when we were sitting so long for the food. I definitely would not mind coming back on a non peak time to try the food.

Purple Cane Tea Restaurant
Lot LG 206
Lower Ground Floor
The Gardens
Mid Valley City
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 - 2283 6090

(Pork Free. Open from 10am to 10pm daily. Other outlets are at Chinese Assembly Hall and Shaw Parade, Pudu.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Purple Cane + The Gardens


Other reviews:

• Lust for Life
• Yongkailoon

Char Siu and Hakka Mee @ Restaurant Famous Seremban Favourites, Sunway Mas, Petaling Jaya

Blogs are such an amazing source of information. I first heard about this particular place from SC of Food4Thot's blog in February 2007. For the longest time this remained on my "to do" list which I finally got to. I was partly cursing myself after I ate here since I should have found it earlier. Oh well, better late than never I reckon.

Ever since I ate here, I've been persuading friends to go try this - usually those who even live nearby are surprised there's yummy char siu right next to their doorstep. Even my mother loves the char siu here - tender with a not too sticky coating on the outer layer. The best part is even the lean bits are tender so you don't need to be so sinful and order the fatty parts. My mother reckons this char siu is highly similar to the Overseas version with the tender pieces and sticky coating. For those who prefer it really sweet, they serve the char siu sauce on the side.

Aside from the char siu which emerges fresh from the oven around 10am to 10.30 am every day except Tuesday, this place also serves Seremban favourites like Hakka Mee and Cuttlefish Beehoon. I'm also impressed with the Hakka Mee which is now fast becoming a permanent fixture in coffeeshops in town probably since the noodles is made without any lye water (kan sui). It has a very homey feel to it as the minced meat is pale colour and a soupy broth is added to the noodles. As usual my benchmark for great food is my mother and she who hates Hakka Mee also said this passed with flying colours. Although they serve fishballs, loh shue fan and etc, I must admit I usually stick to the char siu and Hakka Mee which are my all time favourites.

The only downside about this place (can't be totally perfect right?) is service can be quite slow especially during peak times. However with my numerous visits here, I noticed a slow improvement. They have these orders written in paper - once you hail the owner down to place your order, he will then pass it to the kitchen at the back and the counter in front where they keep the char siu. After the orders are placed, food is actually served quite efficiently.

Overall I reckon this will be my mainstay for yummy char siu in Petaling Jaya while Meng Kee Char Siu also holds a soft spot for me especially if I am in town or in Shah Alam.

Famous Seremban Favourites Restaurant

No. 80-1 (Ground Floor)

Jalan PJU 1/3B

Sunway Mas Commercial Centre

47301 Petaling Jaya

Tel No: 017 - 279 8582

(Non Halal. Business starts at 7.30am with noodles and etc but the char siu is only ready around 10.30 am (it takes about 3 hours in the oven). The place closes by 5pm but the char siu can sell out by 2pm depending on the crowd. The easiest way to get here is vide Kayu Ara. Turn towards Tropicana golf course from the Kayu Ara highway. Instead of straight through the tunnel to Tropicana, make a left turn at the traffic lights. Pass by Megah Mas and Mutiara Oriental Condominium, take a left at Kayu Nasi Kandar, Aman Suria and drive pass the shophouses. You will emerge at Sunway Mas which is hidden behind. Take a right and then you will drive past a multi storey carpark and the famous Ipoh white coffee shop. (Note that Sunway Mas is a lot of one way streets) Take another right, drive straight and then take the next right. Drive down the row of shophouses and you will pass by Chan Kee on your right and the Hainanese place, My Kitchen on your left. Take the next right and you will find the shop next to Teo Chew Meng on your right. During peak times, you will find people double parking in front of the shop.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Char Siu + Hakka Mee

Other reviews:

• A Whiff of Lemongrass
• Tankiasu
• You Get What You Give Sometimes

Pastries @ The Loaf, Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Back to the grindstone again after the long holidays. Unfortunately the city was not as quiet with throngs of tourists from other states. The malls were super packed with people who were there to sight see since you didn't see many touting shopping bags. We joined the sea of people at Pavilion and walked around the six floors to build up an appetite. I've heard good things about The Loaf hence we bought a selection of pastries to try.

Who could resist their Cream Chocolate (RM6.80) - puff pastry case filled with melted chocolate. Thumbs up to this as you could taste the rich dark chocolate. A bit messy to eat though but don't worry as the chocolate sauce is something you don't mind licking your fingers for.

With an unusual name Moon (RM3.80), this rich brioche is topped with almond flakes and has orange peel chunks within. Kinda plain tasting especially if you ate the Chocolate Cream first but it is not so sinful.



These ones I didn't get to try since Splashie Boy brought it home for breakfast but they looked interesting - crusted with pumpkin nuts and flavoured with cinnamon.

There's quite a selection of rolls like this chocolate one sprinkled with crushed almond. Smells really good and Splashie Boy had this for breakfast and gave his thumbs up for this. Earlier when I had visited this place, I noticed the breads and pastries looked burnt. Not sure whether they are still getting things right but I realised the breads look better if you go for the morning batches. When it hits the next few batches in the afternoon, they look slightly burnt on top. I wonder if it is something to do with a hotter oven as time goes by? The selection of breads and pastries are quite large - croissants, almond paste croissants, pastries with fruits, foccacias with various toppings, cinnamon type rolls with various toppings, buns and etc. Also available are pre-packed sandwiches at the counter.

At the other side of the shop - they have a dual frontage, one which faces Jalan Bukit Bintang and another which opens to the mall, you'll find a small selection of tarts ranging from RM10 to RM12. There's chocolate tart (which look similar to the chocolate cream with the same ganache), strawberry tart, peach tart, cherry tarts and etc. I chose a Lemon Tart (RM10) which was very good. Filled with a slightly tangy lemon cream, it is not too sour as there's a liquid syrup centre. Thumbs up for the light pastry casing.

Prices here are way higher than other bakeries but believe me it is worth it for the taste of the ingredients. They also sell confitures, pre-packed cookies, chocolates and cakes that make great gifts. I also liked their nifty little boxes they packed the pastries for take away. Designed to be used as a tray to select your items, you can also convert it to a box with a handle. For more details, click this link for their informative website.

The Loaf
Lot 3.13.00 & 4.12.02
Level 3 and 4
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 – 2145 3036

(Halal. Currently opened from 10.00 am to 10.00 pm)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Pavilion + The Loaf

Malaysia International Gourmet Festival

I thought I'll give some of you a headstart to saving up your money as next month is the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival. Throughout the month of November, you get to dine at 30 restaurants which will feature special Festival menus. There are quite a few new places added to the list - Il Tempio from the same people who brought us Tamarind Springs, Kura and Zuan Yuan from One World Hotel, Enak from Starhill Gallery, Gobo Upstairs, China Treasures and etc. For further details on each restaurant's menu, click on the restaurants list here.

I'm especially interested in Westin Hotel's Celebrity Chefs - the Patricia Yeo one at QBA so hopefully we'll be dining at that particular one (fingers and toes crossed).