Celebrating One Million Hits with Vanilla Bean Cupcakes and Chocolate Cupcakes

If you haven't notice the side bar counter, I'm proud to announce that we have achieved one million hits to date! Phew! Thanks for all your support in clicking on the site, keep it up and hopefully you continue to enjoy the blog entries. To celebrate the momentous occasion, I thought cupcakes would be appropriate.

I have been hankering for a good buttery cupcake ever since I saw the pastel ones in Bisou. Knowing bought ones won't really contain butter but some artificial spread, I decided to make my own. Using the recipes I had learnt in Singapore, I made two types - Vanilla Bean Cupcakes and Chocolate Cupcakes. The Vanilla Bean one was my favourite - the crumb of the buttery cake was not too fine or too big. It was extremely buttery and fragrant with vanilla. Incidentally I noticed how the Queen's vanilla bean paste from Australia is not as good as the Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste I used this time round.

Instead of the usual butter and icing sugar type cream, I used the Swiss Meringue Buttercream method we were taught in class. This made a much creamier and smooth buttercream. I found it a bit too sweet hence I decided not to pipe swirls on the cupcakes but settled for stars instead. As you can see piping is not my forte at all, I just have to keep practising to get it perfect. To keep it simple, the ones which I piped swirls were just topped with Valrhona Crunchy Chocolate Pearls. My cake making wasn't too perfect either, I had overfilled my chocolate ones hence they spilled over the paper cups. I totally misjudged the recipe as it seems to expand more hence 1/2 filled batter was much better vs 2/3 filled batter. For the chocolate buttercream, I used melted Valrhona chocolate 55% cocoa mass which was not very bittersweet but gave a slight chocolate aroma. For the vanilla ones, I added vanilla bean paste to the buttercream hence the tiny black dots in the cream.

Tagged with: Vanilla Cupcakes + Chocolate Cupcakes

Breakfast @ Cuisine Studio, Tropicana Golf & Country Club, Petaling Jaya

During the weekends, Cuisine Studio serves breakfast from 8am onwards. Prices ain't too cheap for the simple menu of just eggs, sausages, omelettes and the luxury item - eggs with truffles but the food is definitely the best breakfast I have tasted so far. We ordered the fried eggs with sausages (RM26). What makes it unique is the chicken sausages served with the eggs, it feels extremely home made. Instead of finely processed meat, the sausage is filled with real chicken meat which you can taste. The only problem is they use salt on the surface of the sausage so it tends to be salty. Even their fried eggs taste better.



We also ordered a simple omelette (RM12) filled with mushrooms. Good stuff with a soft eggy center which I love the most. Remember the amazing bread I mentioned last time, well you get that for breakfast to eat with the breakfast. It's kinda free flowing and we ate lots of it with the salted butter they served.

Breakfast tends to be quite quiet or maybe we're just early risers. Although prices are higher than other places, we really enjoyed our breakfast here. If you're around this area, do pop by.

For details about Cuisine Studio and the lunch write-up, click here.

Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) 115 - If You Love Somebody Let Them Go

We're sad as we just heard about Taboo from Jellypizza who has passed away. Sniff!

Remember the stray mummy cat we were looking after? Well, despite us trying to cage her up to ensure she gave birth in a safe environment, nature took over instead. One day during the week, she decided to run away. She did come back for food since she knew what time everyone got fed but we decided to let her find her own nest since she was so adamant. It may not be a smart move but I kinda reckon this makes her comfy. She's had her litter of kittens - no idea about them since we can't see her hiding place but she comes back everyday for food. Hope they're okay out in the open as it's been raining everyday. Will keep you all updated on the kitten situation once we find anything.

Amar and Luna from Catsynth are hosting this weekend. Drop by and say hello to all the felines.

Cucur Jagung @ Gerai Ikan Bakar Pak Din, Tanglin Food Court, Kuala Lumpur

It's Friday - thank God! I managed to catch Ratatouille the movie and it was really good. Typical feel good movie with uplifting messages i.e. "Anyone Can Cook!" It's also great fun to watch since it's set in a famous Paree restaurant kitchen. Go watch it this weekend or when you're free as it'll give you a warm tingly sensation like all the other Pixar movies. I also liked the short film "Lifted" which they played before the movie which had me in stitches.

We, Malaysians love to eat 24 hours a day hence it's no surprise that we get lots of choices for food. I still remember chatting with a friend from Mauritius once who remarked they could not believe how we could get food so easily and cheap at weird hours. Even tea time, that funny time during the afternoon when your stomach growls for sustenance is not spared. Deep fried snacks seem to be a popular choice despite the high fat content but everyone consoles each other, it tastes nicer fried and I'll diet tomorrow.

Tanglin Food Court is a popular destination for all especially our boys in blue since their headquarters is nearby. There's also a government clinic next door which sees an influx of visitors from everywhere. If you come in the morning, it's a long queue snaking in front of the first stall where everyone gets their morning nasi lemak fix. Then in the afternoon, it's fantastic ikan bakar at Pak Din's. For tea time, there's kaya toast from the other coffee stall or this treat - cucur jagung. Not as popular as cucur udang, cucur jagung is just made from mixing fresh corn kernels, chopped onions with a batter made from flour and water. Eaten fresh from the wok of boiling hot oil and dipped with chili sauce. it's divine especially when paired with creamy teh tarik. Just RM1 for 6 pieces, these fritters are available only from 2.30pm onwards till 4.30pm.

Gerai Ikan Bakar Pak Din (Asli)

Stall No. 5, Tanglin Food Court,

Jalan Cenderasari

Kuala Lumpur

(Halal. Closed on Sundays)

*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 + Cucur Jagung

Dining Out @ Cuisine Studio, Tropicana Golf & Country Club, Petaling Jaya

Assorted Bruschetta (RM29)

I must admit I've been holding on these photos for the longest time ever. Reason why I've been reluctant to post it up has been because I was planning to return to try more items which I missed during my two visits here. As usual when life catches up with you and more new places open, my good intentions always go awry. Hence I decided today would be a great day to post about this place since Ratatouille the movie opens in cinemas in Malaysia. The link to the movie is the French cooking bit as this is the place run by the same chefs who conduct classes at the French Culinary School in Menara IMC. If you're also a faithful follower of Flavours magazine, you'll also notice some items featured in the recipe sections since they're the same chefs. And if you're wondering, I don't think there is a rat in the kitchen named Remy who aspires to be a chef.

Duck Rilette

This place is quite well hidden from the public since it's located at the golf club. Most of the patrons who dine here either stay at the golf course area or come here to buy cooking/baking supplies. This place also conducts classes by the same chefs as the French Culinary School. For the cooking/baking enthusiasts, there's Monin syrup here(I love their Green Apple and Peach), Valrhona chocolate and cocoa powder, Microplane graters, french sea salts, sausages and etc. It's essentially the same items you can get from Gourmandines.


Chef's Salad (RM27)

The menu here is quite small and sometimes they have various specials. We like their Assorted Bruschetta - crispy bread slices topped with sun dried tomatoes, fresh tomato salsa, roast chicken, smoked duck breast and olives. My favourite bit was the smoked duck breast and the roast chicken ones. What's really good at this place are their breads especially the multigrain bread if you like those with more bite and less fluff. They're also available off the counter too. We didn't fare too well with the Duck Rilette as it was undersalted and quite bland. After we asked the wait staff about it, they took it back and didn't charge us for it. Seems the chef could have undersalted it when they made it.

Fish Brandade (RM38)

During lunch time, the Fish Brandade is a popular dish. It's essentially salted cod fish pieces mixed with creamy mash potatoes which you eat with bread. It can be quite salty if you're not used to the salted cod fish but I quite liked it as I'm a fan of anything with mash potatoes. I love their Chef's Salad which is very substantial and a meal by itself or should be at least shared among 3 people. There's olives, bits of smoked duck breast, sundried tomatoes on a bed of crispy salad leaves.


Wagyu Beef Cheeks (RM75)

The two items which I have been dying to revisit to try is their Lamb Shank and Tea Smoked Salmon. However since they had ran out of Tea Smoked Salmon that day and they had this as a special, we decided to try it. The beef cheeks here are different from Max! Kitchen and Wines. There's less sauce and flavours are not as strong as Max! The beef cheeks are super tender of course and feels very rustic served with steamed potatoes which is the traditional way. It's actually served with the pot so I had to dig it out to snap a picture. The portions are enough to be shared among two of us but then we're not big eaters. Remember the multi grain bread I raved about, well this is where we used it to mop up the juices which tasted so divine. They have since added this to the menu so you can try it all the time.

Chocolate Sacher (RM18)

Musn't forget desserts, the Chocolate Sacher which we shared among two of us was light and rich with it's layers of cake and mousse.

Peach French Macaroons (RM3 each)

Another favourite of mine - French Macaroons. These ones are peach flavoured which I artfully tried to arrange them in a stack. Sadly one fell during my picture taking sessions hence it's a bit broken. It's kinda strange how French Macaroons have yet to catch on in Malaysia. I guess not everyone likes their chewy texture.

They also serve breakfast during the weekends which we tried once and I'll blog about it another time. Prices here tend to be on a higher side but the food is good here. It's also a good alternative if you're a Petaling Jaya resident who does not want to fight through the traffic to Kuala Lumpur. Corkage is free so bring a bottle of wine if you wish for dinner. If you wish to come and eat here, note that there's a 10% discount if you're a Tropicana Golf Club member.

Cuisine Studio
The Palm New Wing
Tropicana Golf & Country Club
Petaling Jaya

Tel No: 03 - 7805 3088

(Pork free. Open from 11am to 10pm daily. During the weekends, they start from 8am onwards as breakfast is served. Click on the link above for more details about the place including pictures.)

*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: Bruschetta + Wagyu Beef Cheeks

Taiwanese House @ Signatures Food Court, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

I thought as a contrast from yesterday's beef noodles, I should feature this particular version. Last Friday when we at Suria KLCC, we discovered this place. Since it was really late when we decided to eat dinner (about 9.30 pm), we were just determined to grab a very quick bite. We walked into the food court on Level 2 and saw a new place hence we gave it a try. After placing our orders, it kinda struck us that this was related to the Ampang Taiwan House place.



The lady behind the counter confirmed this for us that they are indeed the one and only. Seems they had just opened the outlet last week. The food offered here is the same as in Ampang but currently it's at a different price (it's served with a free drink in Ampang) since the Suria KLCC is known for it's exhorbitant rental rates. She plans to adjust the prices for the two places soon so you may see a price difference in Ampang.

Splashie Boy ordered the Dry Beef Noodles while I had their Ja Chiang Noodles. I had placed my order before I knew they were the Taiwan House from Ampang or else I would have ordered their Beef Soup Noodles which is my favourite. Service was quite slow that night as they were already planning to wind down for the night. I guess we brought them good luck as after we ordered our food, more people kept crowding the place putting last minute orders. The dry beef noodles tasted the same as in Ampang with it's chunks of beef but I didn't think much of the Ja Chiang Noodles as the minced meat mixture was dry and lacked flavour. Aside from the noodles, they also serve their famous chicken wings and chicken chop. Prices for the noodles are around RM9 each.

Taiwan House
Signatures Food Court
Level 2, Suria KLCC
Kuala Lumpur

(Halal. If you come up the escalators from the first floor, this outlet is the 2nd stall on the left hand side and is next to the Wantan Mee stall.)

*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: Taiwanese Food + Beef Noodles

Beef Noodles @ Yang Kee, Overseas Union Garden, Kuala Lumpur

Here's another great place for good food - Overseas Union Garden which is just off Old Klang Road. There's always something for everyone and if you wander down their morning market, you can even pick various snacks home. After I read Precious Pea's blog entry on this place, I was drooling over these beef noodles. One day, since I was around this area, I popped by the restaurant. Parking is quite a pain around here though as most people jam up the area to visit the morning market and there are a number of offices here.



I ordered the beef noodles which was served with their thin noodles (RM4.30 for small, RM4.80 for big). The texture of the noodles is really nice - fine strands with a hint of a bite. Suspect these are made from just egg and has no alkaline water (kan sui) in them. Topped with minced beef and pork cooked in dark soy sauce, it was very slurpy. Even the soup filled with a mix of beef slice, beef balls and the cow's stomach was good stuff.



I had planned for a small bowl of noodles as I wanted to try a small portion of the Braised Beef with White Radish (Lobak Ngau Lam - RM4.50 for a small portion), Precious Pea had blogged about. This was very good - filled with tender pieces of beef slices with a melt in the mouth texture and chunks of white radish (lobak) in them. Even the stew was good to the last drop. There's black peppercorns and a hint of spices in the stew and everything is tender even the radish.

If you follow the blog for a while, you would know I'm senstive towards MSG. Sadly my senses started to tingle and I got thirsty quickly after eating these noodles and the braised beef which indicates the presence of MSG. Sigh! So be warned - if you're sensitive towards MSG, avoid this but if you're not, they're really very good beef noodles and braised beef with white radish. They also have another branch in Jalan Peel which is opened at night and is near the coffeeshop opposite Queen's Park.

Restoran Yang Kee
No. 52, Jalan Hujan Rahmat 2
Overseas Union Garden
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 - 7784 3799

(Non Halal. Open from 8.30 am to 7 pm. Closed on Mondays.)

*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.

Other reviews:

• gobble gobble chomp chomp
• she, the epicurious girl
• Makanbuddha

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Beef Noodles

Knife Cut Noodles @ Restoran Kam Heong, Petaling Jaya

Lately, I noticed that some coffeeshops have acquired an international flavour to their offerings with food from China and even Vietnam. I discovered this particular place after my friend, S brought me here. The stall located at this busy coffeeshop is run by a lady from Harbin. She offers noodles like lai mian, the unusual knife cut noodles and dumplings. Depending on when you order your food, it can become quite slow as she's the only person manning the stall.

What I really liked was her knife cut noodles or what is known in China as Dao Shao Mian. Similar to our local Pan Mee or Mee Hoon Kuih, the dough is flattened into a longish shape and then sliced to pieces by knife. She makes two versions - a dry one and a wet one served with soup broth. Once the pieces of dough are cooked in boiling water, they get tossed in dark soy sauce for the dry version. It's served with shredded carrots, a minced meat mixture, shredded black wood ear's fungus and slices of fishcake. I prefer the dry version but my mother prefers the soupy version. What makes both versions so good is their chili sauce which has a slight tang to it from the addition of black vinegar.

I've also tried her Lai Mian before which I didn't think much of. She tends to overboil her noodles making it too soft. I prefer mine with a slight bite to it hence the knife cut noodles with it's slight chewy nature is well suited to my tastebuds. Her dumplings can either be served pan fried or boiled. I've not tried them before but my friend does not think much of it either. Prices are pretty reasonable here and you can get a plate of noodles from about RM3.50.

Harbin Noodles Stall

Restoran Kam Heong

No. 8, Jalan Tengah

Petaling Jaya New Town

Petaling Jaya

(Non Halal. Open from 7 am to 2pm. Closed on every second Tuesday of the month. Next to the UOB Bank Berhad.)

*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: Knife Cut Noodles + Lai Mian

Bagels @ Vienna Soft Fresh Bagels, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

We discovered something brand new at Suria KLCC yesterday - fresh soft baked bagels! Taking over the booth where Auntie Anne's Pretzels used to be on third floor of the mall is Vienna Soft Fresh Bagels. It's hard to miss this place since it's located very near the TGV cinema on the third floor.



You'll do a double take when you walk past this place as the bagels look uncannily like doughnuts. In fact the White Oreo one looks so much like the one found at Big Apple Donuts. The similarity is definitely not a coincidence as the company even has a pamphlet explaining the different characteristics. It's kinda like a doughnut with the hole in the middle but instead of being fried, it's baked. I like how Claudia Roden described the bagel - "a doughnut with rigor mortis". She's so right as the bagel has a chewy but dense texture versus the light as air doughnuts. It will definitely suit those who hate Big Apple Donuts that complain it's like "eating air" as it has more bite to it.

Order your bagels at the counter and select which variety you want from the glass trays (similar to the ones you find in Breadtalk and Big Apple Donuts). There's actually 25 varieties available under the label but yesterday, we only saw 9 varieties on display. From what I understand from the cashier, they rotate the varieties every day but some favourites do remain. There are savoury and sweet varieties to satisfy your tastebuds. We tried their Sparkling Cheddar Bagel which is covered with a slice of cheddar cheese. Not fantastic since the cheddar cheese is not that strong but I can imagine it will appeal to those who don't like strong tasting cheeses.

Then we had the Italiano Bagel - sliced pepperonies sprinkled with romano cheese. This was nice as the romano cheese was strong and tasty. What made these savoury bagels taste great we noticed was the sprinkling of coarse sea salt on them.

This was the best savoury one we had - the Mexitaliano Bagel. Topped with sliced jalapeno peppers and shredded romano cheese, it was very good stuff. You had the slight spiciness from the jalapenos and the strong cheese taste which made it so tasty. We had all the savoury ones heated warm at the counter so they tasted really good. We noticed if you heat up the bagels, their texture is softer and not so chewy. Again the coarse salt sprinkled on top made the bagel taste great.

Then we had the sweet ones which seem to be popular as there were more of these versus the savoury ones. This is the one which looked like a twin of Big Apple Donuts - their White Oreo Bagel. It's covered with melted white chocolate and oreo crunch. We thought this wasn't too great as the taste was quite subtle.

Something unusual, the ChocoRomano which combines sweet and savoury tastes together. The bagel is dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with romano cheese shreds. Kinda weird combination but it works somehow.

Peanut lovers will enjoy this - the White Crunch Bagel. Coated with melted white chocolate, it's generously sprinkled with chopped crunchy peanuts. What we like about this place is they're pretty generous with the toppings hence each mouthful is full of the crunchy peanuts.

Here's our favourite sweet variety - DoubleNutz Bagel. Peanut butter is spread all over the bagel and it's then coated with ground peanuts. It tastes nicer when you eat it not heated up. When you heat it up, the topping tends to melt a bit and somehow the peanut butter flavour is not as strong.

This is supposedly their best seller - the Dark Flakes Bagel. It is topped with melted dark chocolate and a generous sprinkling of almond flakes. If you heat this up, the topping will melt a bit making it kinda messy to eat though so beware especially if you're wearing white.

Other varieties they have are more traditional like with salt or the ones with cream cheese. The cream cheese varieties are given a slight twist with the sprinkling of Japanese fish flakes (Katsuo) or chopped chives (Cheez & Chivez). There is also a Green Tea version, one sprinkled with seaweed (Nori-San) or sprinkled with coffee on peanut butter frosting (CoffeNut) and etc. They also sell flavoured teas served chilled or at room temperature - Citron, Wild Raspberry (which we tried and was very nice), Aloe, Green Tea, Earl Grey and English Breakfast. Items are strictly for take away only so find a place in Suria KLCC to scoff them down. The bagels get packed in nifty boxes with strings as handles if you order 3 pieces or 6 pieces.

Pricewise, they get cheaper if you buy more so share with your friends or colleagues. If you want them warm, chuck them into the microwave and heat on high for 10 seconds. Instructions are found at the side of the boxes. One bagel costs RM3, 3 bagels for RM7.50 and 6 bagels for RM14. The flavoured tea costs RM3.80. Note that the prices are inclusive of service tax already. Tastewise, we both liked them a lot but then we're biased as we both love bagels. They're more for the adventurous who prefer something different compared to the traditional cream cheese, salmon and poppy seeds varieties.

Vienna Soft Fresh Bagels

Lot K35, Third Floor

Suria KLCC

Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03- 9200 4933

(Halal. This is opposite the escalators at the Centre Court, Third Floor where American Chilis, Best and TGV Cinema is located.)

*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.

Other reviews:

• Eat First Think Later

Tagged with: Bagels + Suria KLCC

Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) 114

I'm so sad! Just found out from reading Sher's blog, What Did You Eat? that Sundance her sweet little ginger kitty is sick from FIP. I hope he pulls through the sickness as it's heart wrenching when your kitty is not well. Do drop by her blog and leave them lots of hugs and kisses. We are all praying that Sundance gets well soon even though the prognosis is not good.

I've been kinda worried about the pregnant stray cat, she's getting bigger and bigger which seems to signify her term is up. Since we have a lurking predator animal around the neighbourhood, I've decided to move her into a caged environment. She's not happy with it and she shows it with bitten boxes and paper strewn all over. In the mean while, this tough fella has been extremely sweet. He sticks with her all the time like a guardian angel. Although he may look like Scarface, it's so nice to see that he's actually a sweetheart.

We have an abundance of kitty pictures today. I also snapped a picture of this adorable kitten at the pet shop I frequent for my supplies in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. This cutie was sleeping on the higher shelf with it's paws sticking out. So adorable and if you want to take it home, you can as it is up for adoption.

*Updated: Saddest news ever, Sundance has gone to kitty heaven. I'm sure he's running around and chasing everything in sight there. My condolences to Sher and her family. Visit them at What Did You Eat? for the WCB round-up and the tributes to the sweet boy who has captured all our hearts.

Tagged with: Weekend Cat Blogging + WCB 114

Avocado Thickie with Gula Melaka Syrup

Since I started with something simple this week, I thought it would be appropriate to end the same way for this week. When it comes to food magazines, I absolutely love them and can't stop reading or buying them. Current craze is a newish magazine from Singapore called Appetite. There's not that many recipes but there's interesting photo shoots (I love their recent one with all sorts of ice-creams and people, very funny and whimsical) and well written articles (my favorite one is the about the wok).



They do these simple recipes which are easy to recreate which I did one day. All you need is a ripe avocado - pick one with a brownish skin versus a bright green skin. It should be soft at the top of the avocado. Just blend it with a little vanilla ice-cream and milk. You can also be more adventurous and add chocolate ice-cream. Then just boil gula melaka (palm sugar) with a bit of water to ensure the pot does not burn and it will become thick like syrup. Drizzle it on top of your avocado thickie which is kinda like an avocado milkshake and ta-da, you have a quick and yummy dessert for the night. We totally love it since it's not too sweet.

Have a great weekend and tune in tomorrow for kitty pictures.

*Updated: Just got the August issue of Appetite. They now sell it in Kuala Lumpur so get your copy at Times Bookshop for RM18. This recipe is not available in this issue.

Tagged with: Avocado + Gula Melaka

Dining @ Cocomo Cafe, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya

Mention Cocomo to KL-lites and they'll definitely remember this old place in Bangsar (those of a certain age) rather than the movie where Tom Cruise threw a few bottles in the air. When this cafe was in Bangsar, it was a great place to hang out as it was nice and quiet plus it served great food. Nothing seems to have changed ever since they shifted to Damansara Perdana as the food is just as good. The Spaghetti Calamari (RM16) is my favourite - I usually order this whenever I visit. Tender calamari rings coupled with a tomato sauce that's rich, slightly garlicky and topped with cherry tomatoes.




Splashie Boy's not very adventurous when it comes to food so it's just a plain Turkey Ham and Cheese Sandwich for him that's nicely toasted. I sneaked a bit from him to test the taste and it's good. I especially liked the fries - nice and crispy even though it's just the normal type you get from the freezer.



Besides western meals, they also have laksas here and their Singapore Laksa (RM9.80) is popular. Creamy and slightly tangy, this version comes with thick beehoon strands, juicy prawns, fishballs and sliced fish cake. Really good for those laksa lovers and I love drinking up all the sinful curry broth.

They also serve good cakes here which you can select from their dessert selection. My only complaint is you don't see much of their Cocomo Special (that cake which I love with it's light chocolate mousse texture) at the display section. Parking around this area is quite a nightmare though especially during weekdays. Everyone double parks here so sometimes people get stuck even though they have parked legally.

Cocomo Cafe
Unit LG-03A
Emerald Plaza North
Jalan PJU 8/3A
Damansara Perdana
Petaling Jaya

Tel No: 03- 7710 9942

(Halal. Open from 10 am to 8pm and closed on Sunday. The cafe is at the same row as Friendster 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: Singapore Laksa + Spaghetti Calamari

Chicken Rice & Penang Lor Bak @ Hoe Fong Chicken Rice, Seapark, Petaling Jaya

When it comes to places to eat, I tend to return back to familiar territory. Although I don't live in Petaling Jaya anymore, it's still my preferred choice for food. The area around the Seapark Market is a hub for good food. There's Soo Kee for Ipoh Hor Fun and the best poached chicken ever, fishball noodles at the Tang House of Fishball, yummy assam laksa and prawn mee in front of the market, pork noodles at the nearby Seaview restaurant, great food at O&S and the list goes on and on.

This particular place has been here for a long time and it's always the old lady hunched over the two cast iron woks deep frying the chicken. Whenever you walk past this place, she's always there in front cooking away. Every thing revolves around her - the frying and chopping of the chicken. The other people only get to serve the rice and the accompanying soup.

Here the chicken is crispy with no additional flour coating. It can be a bit dry so it's advisable to eat it with the buttery fluffy rice or the sweet soup made from boiling the chicken bones. Another new addition to their menu is the Penang Lorbak. Deep fried till the bean curd sheets curl to a tantalising crispy sight, it tasted really good too with that soft filling. Akthough the food here is really good, for those who wear heels beware as the floor is extremely slippery and oily from the deep frying.

Hoe Fong Chicken Rice

Along Jalan 21/17

Seapark

Petaling Jaya

(Non Halal. Closed on Thursdays. The shop is further down from Soo Kee and is next to an optician)

*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 + Chicken Rice + Lorbak

Chee Cheong Fun @ Section 17, Petaling Jaya

Waking up early has it's advantages especially when it means you get to tuck in to a plate of silky smooth chee cheong fun. It's imperative one arrives here early as the chee cheong fun tends to dissapear fast. In fact, it took me a total of three failed attempts before I managed to successfully score a plate. The steamed rice flour strands are really good stuff especially when paired with the creamy and not too spicy curry sauce.

If you want a more substantial meal, choose from a small selection of yong tau foo like beancurd, fishballs and fishcake to accompany your chee cheong fun. The sweet sauce version is also good especially when sprinkled with lots of crunchy sesame seeds. Like the Jalan Hang Lekir stall, they also do a version with spring onions and dried prawns embedded into the chee cheong fun sheets. However, I kinda prefer the plain ones just paired with the creamy curry sauce.

Tuck Kee Chee Cheong Fun Stall

Restaurant Lucky

Jalan 17/29

Section 17

Petaling Jaya

(Pork Free. Open from 6.45 am to 9.30 am or earlier depending on fast they sell out. Closed on alternate Tuesdays.)

*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 + Chee Cheong Fun + Section 17

Noodles @ Restoran Toong Kwoon Chye, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

Here's something simple to start the week with - delicious tasting noodles. This old fashioned place has been around for the longest time ever. In fact, if you read the write ups, the third generation is now running the restaurant.

Since I wanted something different, I went for the Braised Mushroom and Chicken Feet Noodles. Really excellent stuff which was so satisfying. The mushrooms were tender but full of flavour from the braising liquid. I loved the chicken feet which were huge and puffed from the liquid they had absorbed. They were also tender and delicious right down to the last bone. The noodles served were also good, not the chewy type but I felt it had less alkaline water in it to make it crunchy. Besides this type of noodles, the restaurant also serves char siu wantan mee, char yoke (the Hakka braised pork dish with black wood ear fungus) and etc.

It's relatively easy to get parking right in front of the restaurant if you turn at Royale Bintang Hotel on Jalan Bukit Bintang. It's also near the notorious Sun Complex where it is rumoured to house a few brothels. In fact, if you wander down the back streets around this area at midnight, you'll see ladies of the night hanging around to beckon clients from the back entrances of the budget hotels.

Kedai Makanan Toong Kwoon Chye
9, Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur

(Non Halal. Open from 7 am to 7 pm. Closed on alternate Wednesdays.)

*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 + Braised Mushroom Chicken Feet Noodles + Bukit Bintang

Other Reviews:

• Babe in the City - KL
• Rasa Rasa Malaysia

Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) 113 Round Up

As and when I get the permalinks, I'll put them up for all of you to see. You can leave your links at the comment boxes - left for Bloggers and right for non Bloggers.

Here's the WCB round-up:



Bonnie loves Cats from Miss Ellie's Page has some heartwarming news - Smokey the adorable gray and white cat has found a good home. I'm so glad this sweetie has found a loving home.



Mini from House of The (Mostly) Black Cats takes a break from dreaming about food to show us she's actually a Wild Thing. Watch out Denise Richards and Neve Campbell, looks like Mini has a thing to show you about being a Wild Thing.



Dragonheart from Dragonheart's Domain has found a beautiful girlfriend called Stella. Here he is thinking about her while planning his first date with her.



Bonnie Underfoot and Victor Tabbycat tries to get along this weekend while their family is away in Detroit. It's also their Mum and Dad's wedding anniversary this weekend so Happy Anniversary!

More joyous occasions to celebrate! It's Bianca's birthday this weekend as she turns 15 years old. Happy Birthday! Do drop by Mosaic Cats to wish her and read her wonderful story by her fellow furry companion, Willie.

Samantha from Life From a Cat's Perspective gets a surprise birthday party. It's lots of fun with presents (check those amazing looking lizards), food and of course kitty friends from all over the blogosphere. Happy Birthday Samantha! Hope you get lots of catnip everyday.

Lamiacucina introduces us to the adorable Brienzli who hails from Brienz, Switzerland.

Sigyn from The Dolphin's Dock shows us her new toy for the week - her own foot!

Cheysuli, the Siamese sweetie from Chey's Place looks great in a red feather boa and rants about her fellow feline companion, Gemini who gave them a bit of a fright that day by dissapearing. Everything is okay now as Gemini has been found.

Join Luna at Catsynth.com for Bad Kittys Chaos Festival. You can also opt to post on Cats and Music. Whatcha waiting for, quick snap a picture of those felines.

Hop over to Magick Cat Cauldron for a magical story on whiskers and it's faerie powers.

I DARE YOU!! Karl from The Cat Realm is getting anxious about his dare for the weekend. Tune in tomorrow to see what's the amazing dare he has planned for us.

This is the sweetest thing ever - a love story between Ezzy and Cali Cat at Patty Bradley-Diehl. See how tender she is with her adopted mama that they share cuddles together.

How can one resist Bengals especially this threesome from the Pet's Garden Blog all in different poses to show themselves off. Just don't let Cruella Deville see you three or else she'll want a Bengal coat!

Let's play spot the kitty this weekend! Taboo from Jelly Pizza has gone in hiding from those irritating cat-papparazzi who likes to disturb her beauty sleep.

Sundance from What Did You Eat? is feeling a bit under the weather. Hopefully he is better soon or else a vet appointment is looming. He did get to go out a bit which was good for him. Upsie is annoyed her diet is not working out and it's the last look of the squirrels as they go back to the wild.



Sasha from Music and Cats says Hi! My kitty tree is nice and comfy. Come join me please....!?

Say hi to Mr. Kelly from the It's All Good family of kitties. He's chilling out in the garden among all the lovely flowers.

Check this out - Spider Cat returns as Colin from the Westering Hills in this video. Eat your heart out Tobey Maguire as Colin is my hero with his sweet expression and spidey skills.

My heart goes out to Petee from Zazen in the Moonlight as he misses his owner who's at the hospital since last week. How I wish I could hug and kiss him to make his loneliness go away. Drop by and give him lots of hugs and kisses for encouragement.

Sebastian is home!!!! What a relief for Ann from Chatkatze who has been worried about him. I'm so glad he's safe and sound now. Hugs and kisses to him.

This is so adorable - Maruschka from Rosa's Yummy Yums in her sleeping pose. Don't she look like she's in bliss while she chases rabbits in her dreams.

Isn't it amazing how kitties find the best places to sleep? Here's Angry Cat from Belly Timber who snuggled up some laundry for a warm nap. Unfortunately Ms. D's camera has gone for a holiday and she has hosting issues for her site but I'm sure everything will work out at the end.

Ah, such bliss for Harmon from Kate in the Kitchen. He found the catnip patch this weekend. I'm sure all of you can imagine how heavenly that felt.

Join Willow on the keyboard at Sammawow. She's playing her version of Sheena is a Punk Rocker by Ramones for Bad Kittys Chaos festival.

HRH Yao Lin from Yao-Lin's Yawnings has moved into her new palace. Do check out her dilemma with her neighbours.

Pia K from The world according to Pia gets the sweetest ever welcoming committee when she arrives home. Such a warm welcome indeed combined with lots of kitty licks to show her how they all missed her.

Join Kashim and Othello from Paulchen's Foodblog. They have a new toy which they can't stop playing with. (For some strange reason, I can't copy the pixs so no cute and adorable snaps of Othello)



Check these lovely pictures of a ginger farmer's cat who was relaxing. Kitchen Mage managed to capture this sweetie relaxing away from it's farm duties.

Tagged with: Weekend Cat Blogging + WCB 113