Sunday, August 31, 2008

My bowl runneth over

It's Sunday! Where do we go for a good wallop session after church... hmmmm......

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When we 1st saw Queen's Park, once upon a time, many-many moons ago, we were pretty excited. Queen’s Park is located on the corner of where Jalan Shelley and Jalan Peel intersect (a really OLD part of KL town!) and has an unusual open-air concept that distinguishes itself from the traditional shopping malls or retail outlets in KL.

Unfortunately though, this place has never quite picked up. I remember a year or so ago, they even had open-air concerts for local talents of Malaysia to strut their stuff. Even as things were picking up, the crowd began to dwindle insidiously. I guess this sort of retail concept is no rival for bigger shopping malls such as MidValley Megamall with more ‘eye-candy’ to offer in a better more strategic location.

Anyway, we like Queen’s park, if nothing more than to just browse the MNG and Esprit Factory Outlets… however, dwindling or not, the more important fact is that, it is situated directly across from Carrefour and a corner coffee shop which we love to frequent!
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I have heard of wall-to-wall carpeting.. but this looks like wall-to-wall eating! Those little yellow signs and those hungry patrons packing this old coffee-shop tight, with hardly any breathing space, tell us that we have arrived:D
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So, what's good here?
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At RM4.00 only....
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THIS!
Gosh, the bowl of Har-Mee (Prawn Mee) is so huge, it's literally spilling out of the bowl. And the prawns they give you are big too (not just the tiny dried shrimp, but the fresh bigger ones). Also, not just one or two, but FOUR prawns!
And not just prawn, good old fashion sotong(squid) too;D
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See? I kid you not...

When my parent's visit, it's a real EAT-FEST! Like, we also put away,

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THIS (curry mee at RM4.50)
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...this which is a little sweet for me, but which the husband loves, (mee rojak RM4.00)
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and,
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THIS - the killer amazing Char-Kwey-Teow. (fried noodles). Extra SEE-HUM gives it one helluva kick - yummie! (ask the man not to cook the see-hum, but to put the raw see-hum on the piping hot noodle, and just fold it in!) That way the heat cooks the cockles .. but ever so slightly! Ooo yea.. the runnier the better! haha

Check out this makan place the next time you are in the area:D

Ding goes the cheese-o-meter!

If you are a fan of pizza, you should give Hayn's Pizza a try! It's been around a while, but this is still one of our favourite weekend pizza joints, so very close to home (i.e., no need to go into the heart of KL especially on Merdeka eve .. haha) It is fast,cheap and good! What's more, if you live in the Hartamas area, they do free delivery.
The reason we like this pizza is because it Hits the BELL at the top of the CHEESE-O-METER! Also, for the largest Pizza Funghi, 18inch, it is only RM24. What a steal..

They don't charge corkage, so we nipped down to Denise wines (5 shops away) and picked up a nice Riesling . Mmmmm, it went really well with the Pizza:D



Hmmmm... what was that we spied with our cheesy eye... LEARD a wine a day! How cute:D

Add:
Hayn's Pizzeria,
64, Jalan 27/70A,
Desa Sri Hartamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Delivery Toll Free No: 1-300-82-3000


Pizza:6/10
Service:7/10 (very zippy - we just walked over to get a wine, when we got back, the pizza was already on the table! average time: 15 mins)
Sodium levels:7/10 (mainly from cheese)
MSG levels: nil

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Ebi is special.

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I love sitting at the sushi counter.. because.. that's where all the "AKSHUN" is! (action)


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And if someone asks.. hot or cold? i usually say "Cold.. and your smoothest please!"

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We really got hammered this time.. Whilst the sashimi was indisputably fresh and in a class of its own, the price was just over the top - 3 pieces of toro at rm53 EACH! Luckily the yellow tail was just rm17 each. The scallops at RM20 each for a tinsy-winsy morsel. Too much really. And also, those highlighted in the photo, are only, well, those highlighted. So imagine the damage.

(Thank goodness dinner was not on me that night. haha!)

Teapot soup to chase your blues away... Dobin Mushi! If you say the word many times without pausing, it will surely start to make u smile:D
In Japan, it is usually served as a medicinal soup made with matsutake mushrooms – dobin means teapot and mushi means steamed! How apt! The specially designed pot for DM looks just like a small teapot. However, on top of the lid of the pot, there is a small inverted saucer. When you “drink” the soup, you use the small saucer as a soup bowl. Included in the dobin mushi were white fish, prawn, ginko nuts, matsutake mushrooms and mizuna vegetable in a broth of bonto and Japanese citrus.
I love this dainty lil soup. One teapot for one person.. almost seems like too much of a good thing!

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Pleased to introduce...

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Borrowing the catch phrase/slogan form El-Cerdo ....

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This is the Ebi Special(tiger prawn) lathered with the "secret sauce", that is, super-special-one-of-a-kind-cannot-find-anywhere-else-says-head-chef,
(but we know it's Mayo ..haha)

Ebi is not on the menu. Ebi is special.

Not bad, but this dish alone sent our cholesterol levels to infinity and beyond. Yee-ha!



So.. you think you can eat... ?! Watch this...

Next on the menu are , huge-ass oysters from Canada (so say the Chef)

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Ta-dah!!! Hrmmm... maybe they don't look that big,





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That's my tatty N70... so, wotchu think now? lol... RM12 for one of these babies :D

Many rolls, weird squidgy sea-creatures and kampai's later... we were ready for dessert...




Now when the Chef sends over dessert, on-the-house, it's normally one of 2 things.
1. He is really generous and your best mate from another life
2. Your bill for 3 persons averages RM250 per head.
( You have a 50% chance of getting this one right:P)

Like i said before, and i'll say it again, "I am SO glad I am not picking up this tab"!


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Truth be told, this mochi with red bean and strawberry ice-cream was TO DIE FOR.

And pretty too!

I nearly couldn't bring myself to eat it. (Errr, not really)


All in all, a fantastic meal. Too rich for my blood though... in more ways than one:P

THE END

Add:
Genji Japanese Restaurant,
No 2 Jalan Barat,
46200 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor

Food:7.5/10
Service:8/10
MSG levels: moderate
Salt levels: high



Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The best of both worlds

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If i said that this is Bak Kut Teh... you probably wouldn't believe me,

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But seriously folks, this is where the good people of Klang...(as well as PJ/KL) come to sample the famous DRY Bakuteh.

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The name of this place is Lai Choon Bakuteh. It is situated in Meru, Klang, just behind Klang Parade.


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The owner Mr. Cheong, cooks a mean Bakuteh. He hardly has time to look up and smile for the picture.. but no worries... We knew he was concentrating on making our meal!

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His missus.. with the KILLER special secret sauce for the BKT. What a cool contraption - milk bottle with a hole in the cap to dispense the black sauce. Ingenious:D

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"For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble! "
-W. Shakespeare, Macbeth


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We could tell that we were in for a feast. I ordered the normal BKT, so that we could see what the soup tasted like as well. The best of both worlds, really.

Because we got there late, i.e. 2pm, all the Pun Fei Sau(half fat, half lean meat) Pai Kuat(Bone), Cheong(intestine), Tow(stomach) were gone!
Wot?! No intestine... no fatty meat... groan.. what bad luck.

Wait a minute, Mr Cheong yells.. he reaches into the depths of the caldron and yanks out one last, lonesome, hunk of meat hanging on soft bone. Thank God! There is hope yet for a good meal:D

What a Champion.


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Anyways, we sound found out that the Wet BKT, taste extremely meaty and sweet. Less herbal, so if you are the sort who likes your BKT herbally, then this would be just so-so for you. However, the soup was very sweet and pungent so I would rate it as above average. It gets a 6/10.

The Dry BKT was gorgeous. I have never tried this sort of concoction before and found it really addictive! The strange taste that hits you first when you bite into the black meat, is the Ham Yee(dry salted fish) and then followed by the burn, from the Chili Padi (Small green chili). Very unusual and very, very good. It gets a 7/10.

So, the cost for the claypot BKT, both dry and wet, are RM9 each. If you ask for the wet BKT in just a bowl (no claypot) then it is RM7. Not any cheaper than KL standards, right, though people keep saying it's cheaper to eat in Klang. But this is no wonder as raw materials are just sky-rocketing in prices and the owners are having a hard time keeping their prices reasonable. Apparently Pork has gone up in price, 4 times in the last 4 months. So, a raise from the RM8 per bowl, to RM9 is actually considered being KIND to its patrons!

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Because we over-eat (as usual), we decided to go check out the biscuit shop next door that is Sin Hup Heng food trading co.
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What are they making??

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Every body is hard at work... Why do they need so many staff?

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Oh... then it dawned on me..

The ladies are mass producing the Moon cake!

What a cool process... from kneading the dough to rolling them into balls, to the final product...
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VIOLA! Cute huh?

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Here is the starting material all spread out over the tables.
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After buying our mooncakes, we were still full.. so we decided to walk some more and to check out Klang Parade.

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Wow... this place is really cool. We just realised that we haven't been to Klang Parade... like, ever!

Looking at the neon, we knew that Klang people know how to shop and have a good time;D

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Even the sales girls in the boutiques looked like they were ready to hit the party, immediately after work... Short skirts and stilettos were the average uniform here.

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2 hours later, the food had settled and the man said.. let's go. I had shopped Klang Parade dry (? teehee) and eaten my fill. And so I was happy.

We left, but one day we will be back to explore the other hidden gems in Klang, for sure:D


Saturday, August 23, 2008

A Healthy heart and a Wet mouth!

WEDDING NO.1

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YAMMM- SENG!

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In other words... Kampai! Bottoms Up! Down the Hatch! Mud in your Eye! Cheers ! Let the cup be dry but health and prosperity ever to you and yours!

or my personal favourite... "A Healthy Heart and a Wet Mouth forever!"

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You know it's going to be a good night when family is near, the tipple is endless.. and good food is just around the corner.
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For just a second, I felt really rather sorry for this poor guy. Almost felt regret at having to eat him... mmm, a very short second.

What can i say. Amazing little pig. Melts like butter and yet explodes in your mouth into a Zonkillion little crunchy pieces!

I love pig.

Later the meat will be consumed as well. Have no fear.


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Abalone soup. Individually double-boiled bowls of goodness. Very, very good.

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Soft shell crab! Unusual at a chinese dinner, but really rather well done. Even better than some japanese restaurants, if I may say so myself.

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Didn't I say they would use ALL parts of that little piggy? Did you not HEAR me.. eek! :P



WEDDING NO.2

Extra Shupa Wedding Dinner at Extra Shupa Tanker !
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Our good friends Mel and Bez, had their wedding in Australia a few weeks ago. For those of us who couldn't make it during this busy period, this generous couple, threw yet another feast at the Extra Super Tanker Restaurant in Damansara Kim, just for us!
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Friends from far and near...
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Hubby who can only sniff crab.. but cannot eat it. Blame it on mast cell IgE's...

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We love this place for the crab,
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and the prawn,
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Anyway, we've heard of people being huge fans of seafood,
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but this kid really takes the cake.. ;D



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This is my favourite part of the fish... it's head, i.e. Skull, eyes and all... ;P



What can we say... when our friends/family get married.. we get eating, drinking, merry-making. Life is good!

Congratulations to the Happy Couples!


THE END


Add 1:
Oriental Pavilion,
1st Floor, Jaya 33
No. 33, Jalan Semangat Section 13,
46100 Petaling Jaya
Selangor.
Food:7/10
MSG levels: high
Salt levels: high
Service: Very good (fast/ attentive)



Add 2:
Extra Super Tanker,
48 SS 20/10
Damansara Kim
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor.
Food:6/10
MSG levels: moderate
Salt levels: moderate
Service: good