Dining Out @ Overseas Restaurant, Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur

Dining out especially at Chinese restaurants are a great way to catch up with family and friends. Usually all it needs is a special occasion or a relative who visits from far away to start a string of lunches.

This past week has been dining at Overseas Restaurant and Sam You in Petaling Jaya as my cousin's kid was back from Kenya. Since it was a whole table of hungry relatives, I didn't take pictures of lunch in Sam You but believe me, the food was excellent there. My mother was so happy with their Pat Poh Duck, a dish you don't really get nowadays in restaurants but was a popular dish in weddings during her time. You need to order that dish in advise as they need to braise the duck and stuff it with all the yummy items like chesnuts, lotus seeds, mushrooms and etc. Other memorable dishes were their mayonnaise prawns which had a nice tangy taste or else it'll be too rich and an excellent glutinous rice. I'm not usually a carb person but I polished off my bowl of rice that day.

Back to Overseas Restaurant which was a breeze to get there during the festive holidays. The best part about dining here is the restaurant also does valet parking for RM4. Although Overseas Restaurant is an established name with branches all over Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh, we still prefer the food quality at this outlet.

After dining here for the umpteenth time, we usually order their signature dishes. Their barbequed meats are famous here which a man will chop them up as and when orders are placed. They have a selection of suckling pig, ducks, ducklings and their famous char siu. It's the sticky and black version coupled with melt in the mouth meat and fats. Even my cousins from Hong Kong can't get enough of this char siu and when they're visiting in Kuala Lumpur, they must eat this every other day.

The other signature dish is the claypot sliced pork belly with salted fish. Thinly sliced pork belly is tossed in a black soy sauce with hints of sugar, salted fish and dried chillies. Eat this with lots of white rice as the sauce is addictive.

I actually took these pictures quite some time ago but decided to dig them out after we ate here recently. Besides these dishes, we also had their Steamed Chicken with Soya Sauce, Butter Prawns and fried lotus roots with lily bulbs. Although these dishes can be commonly found in other chinese restaurants, their versions always taste nicer. This picture shows another popular dish which everyone orders - the fried bean curd and hairy gourd. The restaurant will make their own bean curd from freshly squeezed soya bean milk which is then deep fried and braised in sauce. I love this dish hence it's always my standard order but nowadays I find the hairy gourd they serve it with is always so old hence we ordered the fried lotus roots the other day.

Overseas Restaurant

84 - 88 , Jalan Imbi

Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 - 2148 7567

(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 + Chinese Food

Dining Out @ Dish, Dua Annexe, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur

elegant flower decor

I confess I'm a great fan of Delicious probably because, I know I can always get great salads there (my fav is the Vietnamese Chicken - one ginormous plate of crunchy greens I heart a lot), way beyond my dinnertime since they open till very late. Bangsar Village I's D'lish was also a favourite hangout (during their deli days) to grab a quick bite, whenever we did grocery shopping (my favourite was the old fashioned coconut tart). Then when delicious ingredients opened, that's where all my hard earned monies went to - stocking up on chocolates, luxe ingredients like truffle salsa, duck fat and etc. Hence, when I inadvertently discovered, Dish had opened its doors, I was a little excited and all ready to give it a try.

1. roasted bone marrow, piping hot from the oven, 2. you get Maldon flaky salt here, 3. the eco-friendly bread box

Touted as their "fine dining" establishment, Dish is set within the confines of delicious ingredients at Dua Residency. Not very fine dining ambience but more like a deli-like atmosphere I felt (reminds me a little of Neroteca). Here, you get full service here (very attentive staff unlike the other Delicious outlets, where you sometimes want to pull your hair out!), little touches like flowers in elegant glass vases, Maldon flaky salt on your table and complimentary chocolate truffles at the end of the meal.

sublime pan fried foie gras served with a sweet Muscat reduced sauce and grapes

In the menu, you'll find dishes that use items from the deli such as the pastas, the bone marrow which I've blogged before, meats and etc. The roasted bone marrow definitely caught Ciki and Lyrical Lemongrass' eyes (and tummy) since that's the ultimate foodie item and considered Anthony Bourdain's ultimate last meal. It's a huge platter of bones (about 3 large ones) served wth a caper parsley salsa and toasted baguette (RM28). One advice to all of you, share these among a few people as it's one helluva rich tasting item.

1. comforting steamed mussels, 2. hearty lamb shank pasta

The Ravenous Rabbit & I enjoyed the sinful foie gras - hers was Dish's own made parfait served with raspberry jam (RM38), while I had the pan seared version with a sweetish but divine Muscat reduced sauce and grapes (RM58). Gorgeous stuff, as my foie gras was cooked to perfection and went so well with the slightly sweet sauce. They served it on top of a toasted brioche, that seemed to absorb all the juices of the foie gras. Yums! Apart from these items, I also like the steamed mussels with tomatoes, chillies, onions, thyme and a dash of white wine (RM28) - a very comforting bowl especially on a cold rainy night eaten with loads of toast and bread. Other starters you can pick from are fresh US oysters, lobster omelet, which I have heard is very good from Sean, slow confit of salmon, roasted tomato soup, melted raclette cheese (something I always eat at La Suisse, Plaza Damansara), beef carpaccio and smoked duck salad. A word on the wine here, it's pretty reasonable as we shared a very nice Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc for about RM140 (I think) for the meal.

1. argula salad, 2. duck fat roasted potatoes, 3. loads of meat with the prime rib, 4. foie gras parfait.

Moving on to the main meal, carnivores will love this place as they serve a variety of steaks such as striploin, ribeye, t-bone steaks with a minimum thickness of 2 inches from the US and Australia (including black angus, wagyu marble). We went for the huge US prime rib with the bone in - a huge chunk of meat at about 1.5kg (a whopping RM178 per kg) to be shared among a few of us. It came nicely chargrilled (with those pre-requisite grill lines I love) with a medium pinkish center. The meaty bits were very nice but unfortunately, it also came with a lot of fat, which we discarded. Here, you can ask for your steak to be served blue or blood rare, where they just sear it quickly with an inside that is still cold and reddish. They also serve a variety of sauces with the meats, beef jus reduction, chimichuri, truffle butter, green peppercorn, mustards and etc. We went for the truffle butter that was very good with the steak but we didn't quite like the chimichuri - a tangy mix of parsley and garlic. You can also order sides to share - argula salad with thinly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano (RM12), duck fat roasted potatoes with rosemary (RM12), portobello mushrooms with thyme (RM12).

flame on...how to cook sublime crepe suzettes

If meat is not your thing, go for the hearty pasta like the comforting bowl of lamb shank cooked for seven hours in a rich tomato stew (RM48) or the lighter tasting grilled tiger prawns with fresh herbs and chillies (RM58). While I loved the pasta, one didn't think much of the prawns though as they weren't as bouncy as we liked. They also serve fish, duck, lamb, chicken, more pastas including a potato gnocchi.

aah, classic desserts are still so good

Once the main meal was out of the way, it was time for desserts. First, it was the crepe suzette, the classic dessert, which they nicely let us snap pictures when they prepared it at their kitchen. I've always been fascinated (since young) with the flambe part, when the cognac goes in and it's lit up. Thumbs up to the crepes, really good especially with a dollop of Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream (RM18).

yummy desserts to end the meal, complimentary chocolate truffles and the gorgeous pavlova

We also loved the Black Forest Pavlova with fresh cherries and Baileys whipped cream (RM18). The texture of the pavlova was nice and crisp (not the chewy type like Delicious) and the fresh cherries weren't too sweet. One didn't really taste the Baileys though in the whipped cream and at one time, we thought it was kirsch! Nevertheless, it was very good and sublime. We ended with complimentary chocolate truffles, which the rabbit shadow got a taste of.

Overall, I definitely won't mind coming back to try the other items especially the pastas, the other steak cuts and the desserts (seems the Earl Grey Tea cream is also nice). However, be warned as it may burn a hole in your pocket since prices are definitely way beyond Delicious. The seating is also quite limited but one has no idea if it gets packed during the weekends since not many people know of its existence. More pictures can be found on Flickr.

Dish

Dua Annexe

Jalan Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur

(Pork free. One does not have the tel no here, so maybe you can call delicious upstairs at 03-2166 2066 instead. Open for lunch and dinner.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Tagged with: Dish + Dua Annexe

Molecular Cuisine by Jeff Ramsey @ Pacifica, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur

salad Jim Lambie...in the same style as the famous installation artist

It's a kind of magic...(aka Queen's iconic song) seems to describe the experience you get with a Jeff Ramsey dinner. The Japanese-American whiz kid from Mandarin Oriental Tokyo's Tapas Molecular Bar (he's only 33 years old and the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star this year) was in town last week, dazzling everyone with his molecular interpretations. I admit I was a little hesistant to join this year's dinner (I had experienced it already last year when he first visited KL) but numerous SMSes from my friend EHK and a very descriptive phone call from another fellow foodie, CS who attended one of the earlier sessions, tempted me so much, we both just gave in. Literally a case of "resistance is futile"...in the words of the Borg from Star Trek.

It turned out to be one of our best dining experiences - a combo of molecular cuisine with intense flavours (and unexpected forms) coupled with great dining companions that included the fun group of Robert Danhi, a chef cum cookbook author who wrote South East Asian Flavours, a James Beard nominated cookbook. The whole setup for the dinner sessions (twice every night for about three hours) is small and intimate, with about seven people (we had ten that night on a special request) allowing you to interact with the chef while he works behind the bar prepping the dishes. While Ramsey was descriptive about what he was doing, I must admit I wasn't taking notes but just soaking in the whole atmosphere, hence some descriptions of the items can be a little sketchy.


1. coating corn pellets with caramel, 2. apple tuiles with manchego cheese - a tasty bite, 3. the best ever melt-in-the-mouth caramel corn, 4. drinking umami, the fifth taste from ice shooters

It was my first time visiting Pacifica after their designer makeover by uber famous Stephane Dupoux, the man behind swanky places like Buddha Bar in New Ork, Cocoon in London and Opium in New York. Dupoux also designed the Sultan Lounge, the club located just below Pacifica. The lounge was definitely an eye-popping sight with its surreal red glow and unusual shell shaped chairs, when we dropped by for our welcome drink (Laurent Perrier champagne). At one side of the wall, you had large comfy booths to sit and mingle. If Sultan Lounge is all swank and hip, Pacifica on the other hand, strikes me as more intimate and ideal for those romantic dinners. Long fringed curtains envelope the tables, that seem to cocoon you in and cutting you away from the other diners. Motif highback chairs add a touch of elegance while fishes play peek-a-boo with you from jewelled glass portholes on one side of the wall, from their watery home.

For dinner that night, we dined at the circular and more intimate bar counter - a vast improvement from Pacifica's old long bar counter as I could peer down from my very comfy high chair and easily see what was happening behind the scenes. Kicking off the meal was a hot shot of umami - the unique and fifth taste presented to us in shooter glasses made with ice. While the taste was a little ordinary (probably because our tastebuds are so "ajinomoto-ed" already from eating so much MSG, the artificial re-creation of umami), it was still very comforting. Next, we had the caramel corn - corn pellets coated with caramel. Simply ethereal and light as air to the taste, while retaining the flavours of caramel popcorn! How I wish I had a bag of this, while watching the next blockbuster movie. Even the bite-sized apple tuiles wrapped around manchego cheese was awesomely delish.


1. grouper fish with fennel & fresh lily bulbs, 2. xiaolongbao with a twist, 3. ramsey at work, 4. warm sizzling beef, so incredibly good someone started proposing marriage

Most of Ramsey's creations are based on his personal experiences, like the crab dish - one of the lightest ever soft shell crab tempura I have ever tasted, served with a coriander sauce, inspired from his childhood days in Maryland, USA where crab is super popular. I loved the watermelon item, which is based on a traditional Japanese beach party game called Suikawari where blindfolded participants whack a watermelon with a stick (like a pinata). Our version looks like an ice ball that Ramsey quickly flambes to allow it to melt a little. A thwack with our spoons reveals watermelon flavoured dust making it a cool refresher break from the other dishes.

In between bites of a light but very tasty fish powder crackers, Ramsey assembles the next items including this weird looking contraption with multiple syringes to make carrot caviar. Involving loads of chemicals like sodium alginate and calcium chloride, the syringe drops the liquid (carrot juice mixed with sodium alginate) into the calcium chloride to form droplets that resemble ikura (fish eggs). For those who wish to experiment at home, do check this site out that details out specific instructions on how to recreate this. Prior to our "caviar" being served, Ramsey served us this season's "red" dish. Every year Ramsey creates a dish based on a red coloured food item and this year it is a tomato captured within a bubble similar to the carrot caviar (but much bigger) served with a yuzu bubble, tomato water and nori flakes. I loved the tangy yuzu flavours mixed with the very mild tomato taste.


1. this year's red dish in tomato water, 2. Pacifica's new look with fringes, 3. smoked chicken oyster with cape gooseberries, 4. smoke it baby

Next is the prettiest ever salad inspired by Jim Lambie's installation work. The bold graphic lines that decorate the bottom of the glass plate is a mixture of parmesan cheese and bamboo charcoal, which is essentially your salad dressing. Assembled to look like a piece of art is a juicy raspberry, thinly sliced poly radish, mantis prawns and a pink coloured cauliflower. Seems like a shame to even eat it, as it looks so pretty. After the light bites, Ramsey features the more substantial items like the grouper fish served with thinly sliced fennel cooked sous vide and served with fresh lily bulbs. Splashie Boy's favourite dish was the warm sizzling beef - tender beef that slightly sizzles on your tongue when you bite into it. Another experimentation begins with smoking our food by burning mulberry powder. While the smoky flavour didn't infuse the chicken dish served with young gooseberries (or what we know as cape gooseberries), I thoroughly enjoyed it as it used the "oyster" part - the highly sought after tender and juicy meat above the chicken thigh in the spoon shaped section of the backbone.

Ramsey also featured his famous electric eel dish, a creation that helped him win Eat-Japan's 2006 Sushi Year of Award. The colourful dish consists of grilled eel, roasted pineapple and avocado sauce with lime, which you eat together and the combination of the ingredients give you the slightly salty flavour of miso. Amazing stuff! I liked his interpretation of xiaolongbao made with lamb cutlet. Watch out when you cut into your tender lamb cutlet as it spurts out a sauce made by boiling lamb bones till it is concentrated with flavour. I also loved the baby peach - green in colour but oh so sweet! The meat dishes definitely dazzled and made the earth move for one of the dinner guests, as she started proposing marriage to Ramsey!! (He did jokingly say yes to her at the end of the meal.)


1. Flame on! - burn baby burn, 2. thwack!, 3. watermelon before, and 4. exposed

My favourite part of the evening was just before desserts, when Ramsey and his Japanese sidekick whipped up some green tea "dust" like some alchemist. Ramsey gives us strict instructions on how to proceed with the dish known as Uji Kintoki i.e, warm our mouth with the red bean paste and eat the green tea "dust", we discovered we could snort out smoke through the nostrils. Hilarious stuff! It felt like a Harry Potter potions class!


1. The elements of warmed red bean and freeze dried green tea, 2. puff goes the magic dragon, 3. cool cool green tea, 4. nose job

Last but not least were the desserts - another roller coaster ride of flavours. First we were served an innocent looking fruit platter consisting of passion fruit, grapefruits, orange, lemon and lime. On one side, we spied an innocent red berry. Ramsey has us tasting the sour citrus fruits first and then chewing on the red berry for about one minute. He asks us to chew it slowly without biting into the seed, to try and coat our tongue with the juices. Once that is done, he asks us to try our sour citrus fruits. Now, instead of a tangy and sour taste usually associated with grapefruit, everything was sweet tasting. Somehow weirdly enough, it didn't seem to change the taste of the calamansi lime as it remained sour. Someone even asked for Tabasco sauce and claimed it tastes similar but less sour. These berries known as the miracle fruit that Ramsey brought in are grown in Japan but imagine if we bring these in - perfect party food to spice up things and even perfect as a murder weapon (CSI NY featured how miracle fruit was used in a flavour-tripping party to mask the deadly taste of sodium hydroxide.)


1. Miracle fruit anyone?, 2. black truffles on a rice tray, 3. assorted desserts including the melt-in-the-mouth NY cheesecake, 4. fruits

Feeling a little confused on whether we were eating savoury items, Ramsey brings out these large black truffles on a tray filled with rice - his interpretation of black truffle risotto. Chew on these babies and you will a delicious chocolate liquid centre. Made from dark chocolate, cream and truffle oil to form a mousse, it is frozen in liquid nitrogen and dipped into hot caramel. To create the black truffle look, it is dusted with charcoal bread powder. A little deceptive, hard on the teeth but damn delish stuff. Other items on the dessert platter were an olive oil gummy and Splashie Boy's favourite - the light-as-air NY cheesecake. How I wish my cheesecakes would be this light. We end the meal, with personalised messages written by Ramsey on our menus to take back as momentos and a wonderful taste experience that will linger long after.

To catch Jeff Ramsey, visit him at Tapas Molecular Bar, Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, Japan. This marks his second visit to Pacifica, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur. Hopefully he returns next year, as experiencing the whole molecular gastronomy in such a fun and intimate way is definitely a magical experience. The flickr set has the full set of pictures.

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Tagged with: Molecular Cuisine + Jeff Ramsey

Frangipani Restaurant @ Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

Choosing just one place I love to eat is tough. I'm quite a whore when it comes to eating. Give me fine dining with foie gras, oysters and truffles coupled with great service and I'm one happy gal. Throw me in the back streets of Pudu to find a slurp worthy bowl of Hakka mee and I'm just as ecstatic about it. There's also the various cuisines since I'm often game to try anything under the sun (except exotic meats) - Hunan, Malay, Indian, Italian and etc. Hence it was very tough when Time Out KL asked me to nominate a favourite choice for their Bloggers Choice Awards. Pinpointing one is like throwing a needle in the haystack with me. So tough that I straight away gravitated to my auto-mode go-to comfort choices such as Cilantro and Sage. Then, I stopped myself and had a look at the nominees and discovered they are already there under their fine dining category.


 


Fine dining in Kuala Lumpur remains a misnomer I reckon. I've often had endless arguments about its definition - is it just the food, service or must it be like how the Michelin guide terms it - be worthy of royalty. It was strange Frangipani was not in the list since they scored high on the food and service was exceptional making them completely worthy of a nomination. It happens I guess...good places slip through the cracks of Internet voting and etc. I'll probably receive brickbats for this choice but since Sage & Cilantro have made it to the nomination list, I reckon Frangipani can also join them side by side.


 


Dining here is much more than just a meal I reckon. It starts most importantly from their menu that contains these lyrical short essays by Chris Bauer, the man behind the culinary creations. Each write up details where he got his muse for creativity or the rationale of some ingredient pairing that gives the much needed connection between the kitchen and the diner, that elusive link that attaches each dish with a memory and face. Unfortunately for me, those open concept kitchens they try to throw in our face to give that connection just does not cut it for me.


 




This is also a place to be seen...especially since most diners come here just before they adjourn upstairs to the oh-so-happening bar. I do love the whole elegant set up after you push through the metal doors especially the atrium in the middle with the jet black pool that seems to add a sense of airy space. While the side of the restaurant offers lovely nooks for private dining, I love dining a deux around the pool since it adds a certain romance and intimacy to the whole meal.


 


The menu features classic dishes they have perfected for years, something the typical fickle KL diner will find offensive but I love. Rumour has it that the Frangipani creators are crafting up new eateries at the exclusive dwellings of Troika on the higher floors. Seize the moment to relish a meal here before things change....it seems in October or was it November.


 


What struck me is this is French food with a contemporary air. There's also a deep appreciation of local ingredients here in the apple rendang and the usage of items such as the buah keluak or Indonesian black nut, betel leaf and etc.


   


On to the food and what stood out for me in the meals I've eaten here before. Favourites include those soft potato blinis topped with decadent caviar and sour cream. The surprise is not the caviar but the innocent looking cauliflower truffle foam on the side with a fizzy texture that gives you a truffle "hit" to the senses...simply sublime. There's also the interesting pairing of foie gras with an apple rendang served on a ring of strudel - a crunch from the crisp pastry, a rich melt-in-the-mouth with the foie gras and the earthy tastes of the spiced apple cubes.





 I also enjoyed the small sweet Kumamoto oysters with beetroot and cucumber. Even someone's "black" rice risotto is perfectly al dente and packed with umami flavours from the seafood and bonito flakes topping it. I also obviously love their classic, the warm tea smoked salmon with confit potatoes topped with ikura or salmon roe. It is one of the dishes that once inspired me to smoke my own salmon at home and I love the whole intense aroma that perfumes the pinkish flesh.


 


 It is tough to choose mains here since everything is so good. The duck confit is excellent - crispy skin with a tender tear away meat. It is paired with mustard and mashed potatoes. I also love their version of grilled wagyu beef cheek with braised red cabbage and a Mexican mole sauce. Unlike other places, the beef cheek here comes with a seared crust that slowly yields to the knife to reveal its tenderness. The mouthfeel is perfect since the slight crust offers a beautiful contrast with all the softness. I love the smoky flavours of the chocolate mole sauce too and the tanginess from the braised red cabbage. I also love the buah keluak (Indonesian black nuts) as they're generous with the  chocolate-like tasting filling that pairs well with my tenderloin steak.


 


 Don't forget desserts here. Must-haves for me are the classic tarte tartin with its caramelised apples and the interesting iced green apple sorbet. I love the decadent chocolate ganache paired with crisp French meringue or if preferred, the creamy ice creams topped with Valrhona dark chocolate sauce. That night we dined here, it was caramelised banana and rum & raisin flavours.


 


 We end the meal with one of my favourite teas, Mariage-Fres delicate tisanes. Its a perfect end to a perfect meal. Service is generally exceptionally good here with wonderful recommendations from the wait staff but there are of course, slight bumps on the road. When it gets packed up with people like a Saturday night, the kitchen tends to heave a little so patience is needed. Best to just chat to your dining partner and you'll find it smoothen over after some time. 


Do give this place a chance and vote for it during the Time Out KL Food awards for 2011. Incidentally, go check out the shortlist of nominations and place your mouse over them to "undilah" your choices or forever hold your peace.


* Updated on 24 Sept: Duh! I forgot to ask all of you to also vote for me in the Bloggers Choice section in the Time Out KL Food Awards. Just click on the link to the shortlist. Thank you all. 


Frangipani Bar & Restaurant
25 Changkat Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03-2144 3001


(Pork Free. Open from Tuesday to Sunday for dinner only. Choose first, second and third courses for RM160. Add RM30 for dessert. Tasting menu is RM220 and RM390 with wine. Full set of pictures are in the Flickr set. For more restaurant details, see their website link.)


* Part of the meal was an invited review but another part was all paid for by the reviewer.

Balinese Food @ The Waterlily Bistro, Mutiara Tropicana, Petaling Jaya

Balinese painting upstairs, refreshing mint lemongrass mojito

Checking out this place was more like a mission for my friend who has been searching for a suitable venue to throw a full moon party for her new baby. Loads of new places within the Aman Suria, Mutiara Tropicana area (as this row of shophouses is called) and even at Sunway Mas. I often get updates from my ex-colleague and a colleague of mine who live around here. So far, you have Betty's Kitchen (a place that serves Midwest non halal food that this lady learnt when she stayed with her daughter in places like Iowa and Minnesota), Rosemary Bites (seems to be more towards Italian), Char Siew Zhai (that flipping wantan noodles with char siu) and this place, Waterlily.

minced lamb with rice, chicken soto

Balinese food in the Klang Valley seems to be solely dominated by the people who first started out Bumbu Bali in Puchong. After the success of that place, they opened up a Waterlife Cafe also in Puchong. Subsequently other outlets in Sunway Pyramid and Solaris Mont Kiara was known as Ole Ole Bali while this is their latest addition. I suspect they decided not to use the same name for all their outlets since the perception of "being a chain of restaurants" will mean a drop in quality and etc. However, if you see their menus they're literally the same items - grilled seafood and meats served in various ways: over pasta, with mashed potato, with rice and sambals or in sandwiches. They're also the only place I know that serves sate lilit, minced seafood wrapped around lemongrass sticks.

grilled seafood with linguine pasta

Like their other outlets, the eateries are all decked out in Balinese items to give a kinda resort feel when you're dining out here. This particular restaurant tries to emulate that peaceful retreat feel but gets hampered as it faces the main road (they counteract it by pulling wooden chicks blinds to block out the sound). They also have the unfortunate luck to be next to a fella who fixes tyres, so occasionally you hear the whirl and wind of the machines used to remove the tyres from the car, breaking through the soothing rhythms of the Balinese music. Nevertheless it is still quite pleasant dining here. They usually open downstairs for daytime dining while upstairs seems more private (there's an air-conditioned are and a non air-conditioned area). You get to peek into upstairs when you walk up the staircase (no railings just the top part wrapped in rope, so beware those with small kids) lit up with floating candles as the toilets are upstairs.

Bits of Bali with the lemongrass ice tea

On to food, we have sampled their chicken soto (RM11) - chicken soup with bits of chicken and vegetables served with compressed rice cakes and weirdly enough, sliced garlic bread. Squeeze the lime given on the side to add a refreshing taste to the soup which tastes quite comforting. Their most popular order is the Nasi Campur - a mix of their specialties with sate lilit on the side. Having sampled that on numerous occasions in the other outlets, we went for the more unusual minced lamb. It is also served in a platter with yellow rice, the sambals and a keropok. The minced lamb was really good - tender with loads of chopped coriander all over it to give it flavour. Since I have not tried any of their western items, I decided to try their grilled seafood pasta (RM28). They're very generous with the amount of seafood - grilled squid, dory fish and prawns (that weren't very fresh!) that the plate seems to be overloaded with food. Underneath the bed of seafood, you find linguine tossed in a brownish sauce with chopped tomatoes and fried shallots. There's not much taste to the pasta sauce in terms of tomatoes but it's still a pleasant dish to chow down to with all the grilled seafood.

A large variety of drinks are also available here, including Monin syrup mixers. Tried their Mojito mixed with mint and lemongrass (RM11) that was refreshing but seemed to lack much taste of mojito syrup. The lemongrass tea we had the first time we ate here, seemed to be also missing much flavour as the chopped lemongrass in the sweetened tea wasn't adding any flavour to the drink. I guess the verdict is would I come back here again - personally I wouldn't mind since the food is pretty decent with a nice atmosphere. What I do notice is throughout the years from eating Bumbu Bali and Ole Ole Bali, the taste of the food seems to drop more and more. Initially Bumbu Bali was so tasty (but then I discovered it had MSG) hence I guess now they have omitted the MSG taste thus the food can be kinda bland tasting unless you add the sambals to give it more flavour. On throwing parties here, they do entertain this but sadly there's no special snacks or a catering menu. Instead, you have to order the a-la-carte dishes from the menu. The most they can entertain you with is a buffet spread based on their nasi campur dish (i.e. the yellow rice, grilled seafood, rendang, keropok and sambals). For a full set of pictures, see the Flickr set.

The Waterlily Bistro

No. 11-G, 11-1 & 11-2
Jalan Mutiara Tropicana 3
Mutiara Tropicana
Petaling Jaya

(Halal. Place is at the same row of shophouses where Jaya Grocer is located. To get here from PJ, if you are driving from Damansara towards the NKVE highway, just before the toll gate, take a left turn to Tropicana. Follow the road and you will see these row of shophouses on your left hand side.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Tagged with: Balinese Food+ Tropicana

Others who have also visited here:

• thenomadGourmand
• hAppY HapPy
• i'm saimatkong

Dining Out @ Reunion, Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur

Reunion appetizer

Busy! Busy! Busy! Sorry but the blog has been sadly ignored these few days...Nevertheless the eating still continues though. My uncle and his family are down from Hong Kong and China these few days for Ching Ming. We did the deed yesterday - easy and painless as there were no crowds of people jostling for space in the cemetery. Am amazed at how clean the Hokkien cemetery looks now. Almost could not recognise it.


Chicken herbal soup


We had this last night, since we didn't want to travel too far. My first time trying out the food from Reunion's menu. I love the mirrors, sheer curtains and wonderful lighting - halogen lights that dim and brighten by themself, in the middle of the table.


Dry vegetable soup (sai yong choy tong)

No prices for the food since I didn't get to see the bill. On the table, we had these cute appetizers -a mix of braised sliced lotus roots and peanuts, served in a small dim sum basket. Talking about dainty treats, Reunion has just started serving dim sum for lunch. A small selection, which I wouldn't mind returning to try out.


Homemade beancurd with chicken

We started out with soups, two varieties among all of us: chicken herbal soup and dry vegetable with pork (sai yong choy tong). Soup was good but I felt a bit oily. Needed just a touch of paper to soak up some oil. The belly pork within the soup was tender.


Salted egg yolk prawns

Reunion is said to be famous for its barbequed meats, hence we ordered a platter of suckling pig, char siu and sui yoke (roast pork). Suckling pig was okay, with crispy skin. The char siu was interesting - tender using 3 layer pork. Wouldn't say it was my favourite because I prefer mine with a sticky thick crust and super tender meat within. I liked the sui yoke, with its ultra crisp skin.


Suckling pig


Instead what became everyone's favourite was the salted egg yolk prawns. Peeled so you don't need to mess up your hands, the prawns are dipped in a thin batter and deep-fried. Coated with salted egg yolk, the prawns were crunchy and rich with the creamy sauce with hints of curry leaves and bird eye's chilli.


Char siu and roast pork


Thumbs up also to the home made bean curd. Smooth with just a bit of spinach, I liked the niblets of minced chicken served with it.


scallops with asparagus


Vegetables (that essential dish for healthy reasons) was a plate of stir-fried asparagus and carrots with scallops. It tasted healthy and I liked the asparagus as they didn't have any woody stems.


Soon hock fish


A must when dining with my uncle is the Soon Hock fish, as they don't get it in Hong Kong. This steamed version didn't come up to par versus an earlier one we had at Overseas Restaurant. Moreover the fish was a bit cold when served.


fried rice with bits of salted fish

Last but not least, it is fried rice with bits of salted fish and egg shreds. Nice but I ate only a bit as I was full.


Mango pomelo dessert


We ended the meal with dessert - the yummy refreshing mango pomelo dessert with chunks of mangoes. Also tried the peanut soup for dessert, which tasted horrible. Not thick like the usual dessert places, this version lacked any peanutty taste at all. We also had fortune cookies, with lots of fun opening it to find our fortunes. Overall, not a bad experience dining here with some hits and misses. Service is also pretty prompt as we sat in the private room.

Reunion
Lot 2F-17 & 18
Level 2
Bangsar Village II
2, Jalan Telawi Satu
Bangsar Baru
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 - 2287 3770

(Non Halal. Open for lunch and dinner. Dim sum available for lunch)

*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 + Chinese Food

Other reviews:

• So Much Food So Little Stomach
• Jules Eating Guide to Malaysia
• Have your cake and eat it too
  

Chinese New Year Feasting @ King Crab, Petaling Jaya

It's been a great weekend: met a few food bloggers or what is known explicitly as Floggers. No pictures from me as there'll be lots from the others with the hawker food crawl we did (pretty mild as it was only 3 outlets) and a dinner organised by Audreycooks in honour of Rasa Malaysia who visited from the USA. It was good to catch up with people who love food and amusing to see the cameras out in force to record every momentous bite. Definitely need to get another gathering of Floggers together as it was full of fun and good food.

Since I don't have any tempting chicken wings and balitong pictures, you just have to settle for last week's traditional Lou Sang instead. It's a yearly affair we have with my friends. The original plan was to head towards Cheras (totally uncharted territory for all of us) and indulge in highly recommended chinese food somewhere near Cheras Leisure Mall. Unfortunately we had to ditch that plan since that place was fully booked. Hence we decided to head here instead as tables were readily available.

This time round, I managed to snap pictures of the kitchen in action. The last time I was there, I had no idea I could observe the ongoings of the kitchen from the side of the restaurant until my friend informed me of it after the dinner. There's a line of cooks each manning a wok and constantly churning out dishes. After each dish is cooked, the wok is cleaned with a wooden brush and water. Since they're using cast iron woks, it's always important to avoid removing the layer of oil with detergent or soap. Sorry for the not too fantastic picture as I had to snap it through the glass window which wasn't too clean.

First dish was the Yee Sang (RM38++) which was served with raw salmon sashimi slices tossed with lime juice. When the waitress added the five spice powder and pepper which came in red and green packets, she uttered New Year greetings. Since the belief is tossing yee sang or what we call lou sang can grant your wishes, we were boisterously yelling out what we wanted - good health especially for my friend's mother who's going for her bone marrow transplant next week, prosperity and lots of luck. Even my friend's young son, Nicholas joined in the fun although most of what he tossed around almost ended up on the table. The Yee Sang here is pretty good with slices of preserved lemon peel and lots of pomelo sacs in their mix.

Marmite Pork Ribs (RM18++) came next and it was so sinful and good especially with that sweet and slightly saltish taste which reminds me of my childhood meals. I especially like the teeny crunchy black bits that were sticking to the ribs, absolutely delish.

We wanted to order the barbeque fish as my friend had it before which was very good. However they don't serve it during the festive season so we settled for the perennial favourite, steamed fish. When the dish arrived, we were all puzzled with what fish it was since it didn't look like anything we usually ate. Turns out it was a Silver Pomfret (RM45++) and it was extremely good. This was voted the best dish of the night as the flesh of this fish was fine and sweet tasting.

Another favourite was the fried baby french beans with garlic (RM15++). I love these french beans as they're nice and crunchy but not chewy like the normal french beans.

The last time we ate here, we tried their Salted Egg Yolk Crabs (RM38++ per kg) and felt the crab pieces needed to be cut smaller to allow the salted egg yolk to permeate the meat. The restaurant seems to have taken that feedback to heart as the crabs now are so much better - it's in smaller pieces and well coated with lots of salted egg yolks. This elevates it to the best Salted Egg Yolk Crabs we have eaten so far.

We also tried their Claypot Butter Crabs (RM38++ per kg) which came highly recommended by food bloggers, Precious Pea and Life of the Food Lover. Although the crab meat for this dish was good, we felt the sauce was not as tasty compared to Pantai Seafood's butter crabs. The sauce was also quite spicy with the addition of green chillies. We finished up with a bowl of Honey Lemon Sea Coconut (RM18++) and platter of fruits(RM18++) which was refreshing.

I must admit the food here is really good, my two visits here have been really satisfactory. Now I know why Precious Pea keeps returning here. If you're dining here during the festive season, they do two sittings - 6 pm and 8 pm but do book ahead as it's usually full of people.

King Crab
No. 103-105, Jalan SS25/2
Taman Mewah Jaya

Petaling Jaya

Tel No: 03 - 7808 2388

(Non Halal. The restaurant is right outside the Taman Bahagia LRT Station.)

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 + Yee Sang + Crabs