Hakka Mee @ Chicken Cuisine Restaurant, Glenmarie, Shah Alam

Apologies for abandoning the blog last week, but work got in the way. Didn't help that I was not staying home, since I had to house-sit, while my mum was away in Beijing. This meant, it was difficult to upload pictures. Anyway, things should be looking brighter this week, since I am back home.



Something quick and easy today - a new discovery at an old place. One of the saddest parts of work has been the lack of great food around the Shah Alam area. Takes me a while to discover new places to eat, since lunch is usually a splash and dash around the area. Hence, if anyone has suggestions on where to eat, pray tell and I hope to explore that, when I have the time.

Shah Alam can be the wilderness when it comes to food but take your time to explore it, and you'll find great food. This place, popular for its curry laksa also has this interesting variant of Hakka Mee. Instead of just a minced meat topping, they add deep fried wantans to the home made noodles. Especially good is the sweet radish soup (an unusual side accompaniement), it is served with. And, if you're feeling indulgent, like me, you can add ingredients like dumplings packed with minced pork, pork balls and this pork tendon balls with a hint of ginger for a total of RM5.50. Believe me, after weeks of canteen food, this is utter bliss!

Chicken Cuisine Restaurant
6, Jalan UI/36 (Jalan Pekedai)
Seksyen UI
Hicom-Glenmarie Industrial Park
Shah Alam

(Non halal)

*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 + Hakka Mee

Fried Noodles @ Man Sook aka Slow Uncle, Tengkat Tong Shin, Kuala Lumpur

Craving for noodles in the middle of the town is always a bad idea, especially when I'm not down town most of the time. I've been thinking of these fried noodles for quite some time, ever since we first ate here for a food crawl. Although the other noodles - Fried Hokkien noodles just struck me as average, I really loved the unusual Fried Meen Seen - tiny thin strands of vermicelli.



Took me a total of 3 times before I finally got to taste the dish - because everytime I went down town, it was either raining or not the right day. I finally struck lucky, one Thursday night. Pure luck, as the moment I sat down, I could feel a slight drizzle starting up. Usually Man Sook or Slow Uncle takes his time, but I guess with the threat of rain, he fried up the noodles in record time (less than half and hour) and I got to enjoy my crunchy noodles (abt RM6 for bliss). Tasted just as good as I remembered, and well worth the effort.

Man Sook's Stall
At the alleyway off Tengkat Tong Shin
Opposite Ngau Kee Beef Noodles

(Open at night. Closed on Tuesday or Wednesday and when the rain is very heavy.)

*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: Noodles + Tengkat Tung Shin

Uhu! Hu! Fluffy Cheesecakes @ The Loaf, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

Uhu hu cheesecake box

No pies for the momentous occasion of the new Cabinet line up, but I thought these fluffy cheesecakes will be a great substitute. Talking about the new Cabinet ministers, I had a shock just now, when I returned home. There were 4 police outriders, hanging around the apartment lobby. Later, when I saw the announcement on the Cabinet, I realised why, as one of the residents, got appointed as a minister. I guess one must get used to the prescence of outriders soon around this area.


Promoter in sakura pink kimono

Back to food - discovered these Uhu! Hu! Cheesecakes yesterday at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (yes, Paprika! I have not abandoned my favourite hangout place), during lunchtime. Promoters were distributing flyers, hence I was curious about it. I walked to the Loaf to check it out and wow! there was a queue of people. Read in the NST, that the name refers, to the sound Japanese women make, when they happy and satisfied.


Glitzy Strawberries Cheesecake

Turns out they have loads of promotions with Canon and one of it, involved a discount voucher given to those who worked in Pavilion. As Malaysians love a good deal, everyone was queuing up during lunchtime. Most of them were, promoters or people who worked in the building.


Harmonious Green Tea Cheesecake

Before the start of this promotion, I've tried their Fluffy Cheesecake - simply divine stuff as it is light and fluffy, plus most importantly full of flavour.


Fascinating Earl Grey Cheesecake

This promotion now introduces 18 varieties of the same type of fluffy cheesecake. Made with no artificial preservatives, you can keep them for about 3 days in the fridge.


Lustrous Coffee Cheesecake

To order, you have 2 choices: pick which type you want and pack them home or eat it at the premises for RM5 each OR there are pre-packed boxes of 6 different varieties, to choose from. You get a choice of 3 types to choose from - Real KL, Real Fruits or Real World.


Luxurious Chocolate Cheesecake

The cheesecakes featured here are from the Real World series - Harmonious Green Tea, Lustrous Coffee, Caramelised Heartiness, Fascinating Earl Grey, Luxurious Chocolate and Glitzy Strawberries.


Caramelised Heartiness Cheesecake

If you buy the pre-packed boxes, it's RM25 for one, RM45 for 2 and RM60 for 3, which gives you more savings. The box is pretty nifty, with holders to keep the cheesecakes in place, and a cute little way of keeping the lid down, just like an envelope - with a paper button and string.


Berries Ensemble Cheesecake

The Real Fruits ensemble, has the plain Inspiring Fluffy, Blueberry Treasures, the above Berries Ensemble Cheesecake, Magnificent Mango, Kiwi Surprise and Tangy Lemon.


Durian Cheesecake

The Real KL version, has Banana Supreme, Icy Lychee, Durian Obssession, Refreshing Longan, Wholesome Nestum and Stylo Milo. I got a few boxes to share with Splashie Boy's office mates - they all had only good things to say, about the cheesecakes, especially for the Wholesome Nestum, the Durian Obssession and the Tangy Lemon. We tried the Real World version and the verdict is: very good. I loved the green tea (real matcha with the bitterness) and the divine chocolate topped one.

Do get yourself down to the Loaf to try them as the promotion, just started on the 15 March and will end on 31 March, 2008.

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

Tel No: 03 - 2145 3036

(Halal. Open daily from 10am onwards.)

*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: Cheesecake + The Loaf

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Roast beef sandwich with Guinness sauce

Here's wishing all of you lots of luck for the day. This year round, St Patrick celebrations were earlier i.e. on Saturday, at the Guinness party at Plaza Mont Kiara. We decided to join the people - not too many I noticed, probably because Sunburst Festival was on, just up the highway. It must have been good as the highway was jam packed with cars.


Smoked chicken wings

Very much a carnival like atmosphere, where you get to play games and see the show - African acrobats doing death defying skills, a fella who ate fire and played the violin, dancers with hats of cities that celebrate St Patrick's Day also, and the infamous Chef in Black, doing a demonstration - Guinness sorbet anyone? The kids were miffed as they couldn't try any.


Guinness marinated chicken wings


Tried the new Guinness draught - very much lighter I felt and less bitter tasting. You get one drink voucher when you register, so you definitely get to sample the drink.


Uncle Bill's Shepherd Pie

The restaurants around the area, had booths with their food. We ended getting most items from Delaneys and Clear Lounge. Thumbs up to Delaneys food - the smoked chicken wings were divine and so juicy. The shepherd pie was also good, although a bit oily. Clear Lounge's food wasn't too fantastic but I liked the roast beef sandwich, drizzled with Guinness sauce and topped with a tomato salsa.

It was great fun. Pixs of the party, I snapped with my Nokia N82, so do check out Soul of the Night for the pictures.

Tagged with: Guinness + St Patrick's Day

Back to Basics Cooking @ Yogitree, The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur

One of my favourite places to dine at the moment, at the Gardens, is this little place next to Isetan, serving good food and yummy desserts. I love the clean look of this place - especially the green sofas (currently my fav colour) and the repainting of kopitiam chairs and tables to a soothing green and pastel blue.


Mushroom and 3 Cheese Melt on Toasted Multigrain (RM18)

Food served here is fresh with an emphasis on natural and organic ingredients. I especially love their desserts as, they use real butter and unbleached organic flour. Makes a difference in taste.

Crispy Duck Salad with Pear and Toasted Black Sesame (RM20)

So far, we have dined here twice - lunch and dinner and have been blown away by the food. Lunch was just a simple sandwich and salad, that we shared together. We had it with, fresh juices mixed and concocted by the restaurant. Not cheap at RM12 per glass but pretty good. One word of warning, don't try their home made lemonade as it does not taste much of lemons. Not sure if my glass was too diluted since I had it for dinnertime.


Mediterranean Zarzuela (RM38)

The sandwich, we ordered was yummy but I felt a bit dry. I loved the bread - granary with bits and pieces to chew, giving you lots of fibre. Topped with mushrooms and cheese, it was good but just a bit on the dry side, since no butter was spread on the toasted bread. We also shared a salad - topped with crispy duck that reminded me of the Peking duck you get in London. Very nice especially with the julienned pear and crunchy toasted sesame seeds. They don't add too much salad dressing to the salad also, hence the leaves are not soggy, leaving it nice and crunchy.


Tagliatelle Carbonara with Smoked Salmon (RM24)

For dinner, we tried their home made pasta (made from Italian flour and organic eggs). Splashie Boy had the Tagliatelle Carbonara - with mushrooms and smoked salmon. Thumbs up to this! Here, they don't drown it with cream, like other carbonara versions as it is made with egg only. You can request for cream, if you want but believe me it tastes just as good without. I had a hard time, resisting eating his plate of pasta. Next time, I'll order this instead. I had the Mediterranean Zarzuela, a kind of seafood soup, since I wanted something light. The soup is quite thin, but full of flavour from the fresh seafood (mussels, lalas, salmon, sotong, white fish) and herbs (rosemary and thyme).


Flourless Chocolate Cake (RM10)

Desserts are a must here - loads of sweets to tempt you from the counter and their daily specials. We had the flourless chocolate cake - very moist and full of almonds, used as a substitute for flour. However, my favourite has to be their apple pie. Since they use real butter, the pastry is so soft and flaky. Soooooo good, especially when warmed up and eaten with vanilla ice cream. I reckon, I need to return to try their pies and quiche, since they probably use the same pastry.


Apple Pie (RM12)

Aside from the menu items, they also have daily specials. They have also introduced a set dinner menu with 3 courses, for RM49++ per pax. Do give this place a try. That night when I was dining there, I saw a girl snapping a pix of her food too. Wonder which blogger is that?

Yogitree
Lot F-237B,
1st Floor, (Isetan Side)
The Gardens
Mid Valley City
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03- 2282 6163

(Pork free. They also sell yoga clothes and equipment on the side.)

*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: Yogitree + The Gardens

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I Can't Believe The Election Results Pie - Inspired by The Waitress

On Saturday, I managed to catch this amazing movie called The Waitress. Perfect for foodies, it has Jenna, the waitress making these delicious pies, which she names based on her situations and moods. They have weird combinations, but tastes utterly great, based on all the ooh and aahs from her fans in the diner she works at. A Sundance Festival 2007 pick, this movie became a hit in the USA. It is also a bit poignant as the screenwriter and director, Adrienne Shelley was murdered just before the movie's release.


I can't believe the election results pie

I got into a pie mood, and decided to try a recipe I found that was inspired by the movie. It's actually known as, "I don't want Earl's baby pie", but since we had such an interesting weekend with the election results, I have renamed it, "I can't believe the election results pie".


Close up of pie

It is a huge pie full of goodness - brie, chicken ham, eggs, cream (I used light thickened cream to ease the fat content a bit) with herbs.


The inside of the scrumptious pie

The pie was downright delicious - Splashie Boy and I loved it, so much it was dinner on Sunday night and probably his Monday lunch treat. I did cheat a bit as I wanted to do this quickly, since I only started getting inspired on Sunday afternoon - I used readymade shortcrust pastry. Not a good choice as I found it a bit hard. Kinda prefer my buttery and lighter pastry.

Do give it a try, and maybe you can start inventing your own pies. I know I have loads to try as I picked up a copy of Page One's 500 Pies and Tarts from the Popular bookshop fair at Ikano, on Sunday afternoon.

I Can't Believe the Election Results Pie

(adapted from the Delicious magazine)

50g butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 large onions, sliced thinly

4 large eggs, beaten

400ml double or thickened cream (I used Bulla's light version)

1 large garlic clove, crushed

25.5cm shortcrust pastry case (I blind baked my ready made pastry)

175g smoked ham, chopped (you can adjust this to ham, chicken ham or turkey ham)

2 tablespoon each chives and parsley, chopped

100g Brie, chopped

Make the shortcrust pastry case first. I blind baked mine in the oven for 15 minutes, at 200c. Cool for a while before adding ingredients.

Heat a frying pan, add butter and olive oil. Fry sliced onions over a slow heat, about 30 minutes, till soft, brown and caramelised. Drain excess oil and remove from pan. Set aside to cool for a while. Mix eggs with cream, till well beaten. Stir in garlic and season to taste.

Preheat oven to 160C. Spoon cooked onions into cooked pastry shell and cover evenly. Top with chopped ham and herbs. Pour over egg mixture and add chopped Brie, all over the pie. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown and set. Remove from oven, cool slightly. Eat while warm.

Charcoal Bread and Kaya @ Sbread, The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur

Kaya with Bamboo Charcoal Toast

Last weekend, it was retail therapy at the mall - kinda didn't help that the stores are all on sale. Anyway, I reckon I'm doing my part in boosting the economy. Who knows but I probably had a hand in the record breaking growth rate, they recently announced. I stumbled on this place, when we did a walkaround the lower ground level of The Gardens. Lots of new places now opened - Nyonya Colours, Yo! Sushi, Big Apple Donuts & Coffee, Shihlin Taiwan Snacks, I Love Yoo!, Jonker Street Desserts, Rak Thai and etc.


Peanut butter sesame toast

We were fascinated with the breads - a bamboo charcoal version that was grey black. I've eaten charcoal noodles before but first time, I came across, bread made from this type of charcoal. You often see this type of charcoal in organic shops (nope, it is not your ordinary charcoal or arang, you get from the sundry shop) and it's blardy expensive. The bamboo charcoal is popular in Japan, and is nicknamed the Black Diamond. Usually used as a detergent or to absorb nasty odours, research has shown it is also a good food additive - to help digestion and absorb unhealthy elements in your intestines. You can either get a loaf of bread (RM9) or just a slice, with various toppings.


Barley drink

This place is from Thailand. They use 3 types of bread - plain white, sesame studded and the grey bamboo charcoal version. Samples are laid out with various toppings for you to test out the breads. There is a special type of kaya - very runny and multi-coloured (green for normal kaya, yellow for vanilla flavoured and purple for taro flavoured). Really tasty, these go well with the kinda tasteless bamboo charcoal bread. You also have milo powder (with condensed milk of course), chicken floss and peanut butter.

We sampled one kaya bamboo charcoal toast (RM3.90) - not bad and I love the kaya. Very runny but delish. Didn't quite like the peanut butter with sesame toast (RM4.20) though - tasted very ordinary. Aside from toast bread, they have drinks - a pastel coloured barley drink (RM4.80) and Thai ice tea (RM6.80), with a strong aroma. Can't really describe the taste of it but it tasted quite artificial and can be quite overpowering after a while.

We both liked the kaya version with the charcoal bread. Not much aroma to the bread. Guess I'll know more about it, as I plan to eat it for breakfast, since I bought a loaf. Didn't think the peanut butter version was great and preferred the Toastbox version instead. Prices are a bit steep. Worth a try once but not sure this will be a thing to keep eating all the time. Maybe that is why, this place was super empty even it was a weekend.

Sbread

LG 232B,

Lower Ground Floor

The Gardens
Mid Valley City

Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 - 2283 2929

(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: Charcoal Bread + Kaya

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P/s I just noticed yesterday that Shanghai 10 at Bangsar is no more. Anyone knows what happened to them? Closed down permanently or just that outlet has relocated?

P P/s, for those who want to stock up their bookshelves, Times at Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC) is having a relocation sale (20% off) from Thursday onwards. Think it is for the whole weekend. Don't worry, they're just relocating to where Esquire Kitchen was i.e next to Alexis. I reckon, this must be part of BSC's renovation plans, as I also read that House is shifting within the shopping centre.

Wantan Noodles @ Restaurant Hock Lim, Petaling Jaya State

After hearing about this place, I finally got to try it one Saturday. Usually, when we're running errands around Petaling Jaya State, I'll grab a quick snack from the mini egg tart stall. This time round, the stall was not around. Not sure if he has closed down permanently or closed for the Chinese New Year period (some hawkers take off after the festive season as they don't rest during that time).



Anyway, I decided to try the wantan noodles. Heard a lot about it from friends. A small portion costs RM4, with a few pieces of char siu and two small wantans. The noodle texture is nice - chewy and bouncy. Although the char siu looked dry, it was actually not. The wantans, nothing much to shout about. Overall, a satisfying meal but I would not say an exceptionally brilliant plate of noodles. Eat only when you're around the area.

Wantan Noodles Stall
Restaurant Hock Lim
Jalan 52/18
Petaling Jaya New Town

(Non Halal. Shop with no signboard. The restaurant is the same row as KFC and Chutneys)

*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: Wantan Noodles + Malaysian food

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For more pictures on Wong Ah Wah chicken wings (how they get that smoky taste - loads of charcoal smoke, before it ends up on your table), Rasta's new location (yes, they shifted but the Mozza Killer Burger tastes just as brilliant!) and glimpses of M'sian life, click on the Nokia Soul of the Night site.