LUB U LONG TIME!

VALENTINE SCHMALENTINE ...

All the kissing couples,

And teddy bears in mugs,

Annoying heart-shaped balloons,

And huge pink cards with HUGS

The dinner menu is exorbitant,

Better find something else to munch,

So me, myself and my blogger friends,

Will celebrate with some brunch.

The 14th of the second month,

Is just another day,

Better yet Thaipusam,

We best get things on the way!

Why bother with expensive roses,

They'll die within a day,

Bring out the Crystal and the Pavlova,

I'd rather eat & drink my cares away.

I'll guzzle champagne with my friends,

And shimmy with FBB,

I'd start at noon and finish at 10,

Oh this is what friends are for, you see.. ;)

So "down with Valentiney things",

"Down with sappy pink" I say,

Down with all the bears in mugs,

IT'S JUST ANOTHER DAY!

For the take on food, click here : JOE and JULES

For the take on "The reason for the celebration", click here :Lyrical Lemongrass

For the cool, hippie take on the party, click here : Life for beginners

LUB U LOTS MY FRIEND!

Note: Photographs courtesy of all cameras present at the party, on the 14th Feb 2009.
Delicious food and gorgeous heart-shaped Pavlova courtesy of Fatboybakes!

5ive Energy Noodles - Food of champions?

For the longest time that I can recall, I would only purchase instant noodles economy packs without the seasoning eg. VITS (!). Seldom would you find Maggi, Indomie, Nissin, Mamee, Mama, Cintan and all the popular or international instant noodle brands in my groceries unless it's for Ciki(who loves her Asam Laksa Maggi Mee) or guests. There are 2 main reasons for this; one is obviously to reduce intake of MSG and the other being that packaged instant noodles without seasoning is of much better quality and has a better bite. With these 'natural' noodles I could then add non-MSG seasoning to taste.

Several months back I had to pick up some instant noodles from the grocery store. While walking down the aisle, I was attracted to this nicely packaged dried instant noodles, 5ive Energy Somen. Its attractive packaging, the colors of the somen, the supposed health benefits of its ingredients (unbleached wheat flour, sea salt, binchotan(!) charcoal powder, carrot powder, green tea powder, beetroot powder and filtered water), and all the industry certifications (GMP - Good Manufacturing Practice, HACCP, Vegetarian and umm... halal) prompted me to buy it. OK... so I was attracted to 5ive as well.. the product marketing person a creative genius or a big fan of the defuncted boyband? The big boss clearly wants to break into the 18-35 age segment.



A quick search on web for somen gave me this answer "Somen are very thin, white Japanese noodles made of wheat flour. The noodles are usually served cold and are less than 1.3 mm in diameter. The distinction between sōmen and the next thicker wheat noodles hiyamugi and even thicker Japanese wheat noodles udon is that sōmen is stretched while hiyamugi and udon are cut." - If only I had read this information earlier as I ate all of it hot! The box instructions didn't advise me to it eat it cold either. O well.. perhaps the next box.

How did it taste? Well... when cooked right, the texture is good. It had bite. Flavours were mild. I liked the colours - it was different from the usual white or yellow coloured noodles. I had fun cooking and eating them - not all at once of course! The charcoal noodles were like squid ink noodles.



It would have been even more fun doing it the Japanese way.... click on the pic.
Price: ... unfortunately I threw away the receipt. Affordable anyway... found it at Giant Supermarket, not a speciality store, but I suppose you could find it at any health food store really.

~The Cook in the Family, Cumi.

Taste: Mild

Texture: Good
Price:affordable

Haikara-Style Cafe & Bakery

When we saw this sitting on the counter, we just had to take a closer look.


It's Japanese green tea bread! (RM8.80)

If you want to buy excellent, fluffy, hot out-of-the-oven green tea bread + sweet bean, Haikara-Style Bakery is just the place to get it!

Although on the expensive side for bread, it is truly worth every cent. The taste and texture is out of this world. A chewy, crusty baked outer with a soft, pillowy center.. it really is marvelous having this with coffee for breakfast. Biting into one of the beans will give you a nice, sweet kick! We bought one, to go. Don't forget to ask them to slice it up for you.


Chairman Mao having some sweet starters before lunch.

Chairman Mao eating his apple pie (RM3.80)

Lunch was the Rokomoko -RM20.00 (burger minus the buns, on rice)

...and steak with rice (RM27.00)

Both we mild tasting and had a really healthy feel to it. It must have been low in salt and artificial additives because it didn't leave you feeling dizzy or thirsty at all.

Coffee here packs a punch. High quality coffee should not be bitter even when drunk black. I normally take mine without sugar anyway, but with a lot of milk.
The coffee here is excellent. I had a mild buzz for the next 2 hours ;)

You really feel like you are dining in an authentic, fashionable, 'high-collar' (which incidentally is the meaning of the word Haikara) Japanese environment when you look around and see the pretty, meticulously neat Japanese ladies who manage the place.

I think that guy is Korean... Sorry, checked with Cumi.. Japanese guy ;)

Other bloggers eat at Haikara:
Masak Masak
Sweets for my sweet tooth
She, the epicuriousgirl

Add: Haikara-Style Cafe & Bakery
E-Tiara Service Apartments
GF Jln SS16/1,
Subang Jayan

Tel :603 5630 0743

Bread:8/10

Food:7/10

Service:8/10

Ambiance:7/10

Restaurant Jin Xuan Hong Kong for Dimsum

My colleagues and me love this place for lunch.

It's Dimsum.

It's fast.
It's clean.

And above all..
You don't have to SWEAT like a bloody COW when you eat here.
Armani suits, Gucci underwear, LV camisoles... rejoice.

The portions of Dimsum are HUGE. Really above average in size.
The prices range from RM3.50 medium dimsum, RM4.00 big dimsum to RM5.00 special dimsum.

Look at the Pai Kuat (Ribs)... Massive right?

Love the way everything looks so clean and hygienic with their little plastic covers. This is my favourite (workday lunch-break) Dimsum place for now..

Who else ate here?
Kampungboycitygal
She, the epicuriousgirl
Food4Thot

Add:
Restaurant Jin Xuan Hong Kong,
No. 59, 61 & 63 Jalan SS22/19,
Damansara Jaya 47300 PJ,
Selangor

Tel: 603 - 7729 6866


Dimsum: 7/10
Comfort:8/10
Service:6/10

Kaiseki at Fukuya Jalan Delima

Apparently the Canadian Embassy closes at 4.00 pm sharp these days (even though the website says 4.30 pm). Anyway, it was obvious that a quick fuss free lunch was in order. Besides, taking half day leave meant only being able to get into the heart of town, at the earliest, 2.00 pm which didn't leave us much time really.

Since one of our all time favourite restaurants Fukuya was just around the corner, it didn't take long for Cumi to convince me to eat there.


Below is the Fuku-fuku Lunch - RM38.00 (you get a choice of two main dishes PLUS all the trimmings... a steal really!)

The Fuku-fuku lunch is great for Executives on the go. Fast, convenient, healthy (i.e. low in grease therefore no snoozing off at the P.C.) and above all tasty! Here you see the choice of 2 side dishes being the Salmon and the Cod which came with an appetizer, salad, steamed egg, custard, rice, miso soup, pickles and dessert. For me, it's always a tough one deciding between the Lunch Set and the Kaiseki.

The main difference I would say is that the Kaiseki is daintier in presentation and more refined in taste. Price wise, the Kaiseki would make a bigger dent in the wallet as well.





Below is the Sushi Kaiseki Set - RM70.00


Kaiseki originates from the Japanese 16th century tea ceremony and celebrates the seasons using only fresh, natural and local ingredients (in our case, imported la, from Japan:P). It is extremely posh. The Rolls-Royce of Japanese.

In other words, in authentic Japanese cuisine, the craft's highest art from is, Kaiseki. You will not find Kaiseki on a conveyor belt in OH! Sushi.. never.

Anyway, the first platter arrives. Kaiseki is a meal of courses, consisting of a number of small dishes: steamed dishes, simmered dishes, and grilled dishes. It often includes sliced raw fish (sashimi), sushi, grilled fish, soup, rice and so on.

The basic kaiseki course served includes one kind of soup and three kinds of vegetable dishes. In addition it also typically comes with a cup of clear soup called hashiarai (which means washing chopsticks), a plate called hassun, which presents a few kinds of vegetables and seafood and pickles called konomono. Although each dish holds only a small serving, it's good to take your time to eat, being sure to ENJOY the presentation of the food and the atmosphere of your surroundings, your partner.. your neighbour's partner... :P

Hmmmm, maybe I picked the wrong day to linger over my Kaiseki afterall...

Luckily for us, the staff was also getting ready to call it an afternoon and our dishes arrived relatively fast!

One look at my gorgeous, gorgeous dessert and I was glad I still had time(and space) to finish it..
Actually my dessert kind of reminded me of a Geisha. Porcelain white face with red kissable rosebud lips (or strawberry red lips as the case may be...) Oh, all right.. enough day-dreaming... many more chores to finish before the clock strikes four.


Verdict: The Kaiseki - Overall the food was good but there was nothing outstanding about the simmer dishes. If I was looking out for flavours I had not encountered, vegetables I didn't recognize or freshness of ingredients that bowled me over, then I was a little disappointed. Having said that, this was still an incredibly satisfying experience.. just not.. the best! (Kyoto is the best for Kaiseki.. but that's like too far to go for lunch isn't it.)

Verdict: The Fuku-fuku Lunch - Very reasonable and highly recommended. Japanese in fine dining surroundings does not come any cheaper!


Finally, Fukuya Jalan Delima is actually starting to look a little run-down. We noticed that the paint on the walls were starting to flake and crumble. Exposed corridors were used as storage space for unused chairs and tables. Well, if you want to enjoy the Kaiseki experience in the newer branch, One Bangsar has a Fukuya (Erm, no.. actually scratch that.. just heard via comments from SEAN and JOE .. and now FBB , that Fukuya Bangsar has closed down. Times truly are bad).

Let's hope the surviving Fukuya survives a little longer so you can check out their Kaiseki, if you haven't already... ;)

Add:
Fukuya Japanese Restaurant,
9A Jalan Delima,
55100 KL.
Tel: 603 -2144 1022

Kaiseki:6/10
The Value for Money Fuku-Fuku Lunch:6.5/10
Service:7/10
Ambiance:6/10
MSG levels: low
Sodium levels: moderate

What others have to say about Fukuya Jalan Delima, KL:
Feedmelah.com
Life of a Lil Notti Monkey
So much food, so little stomach
Kampungboycitygal

Geben sie mir ein bier... LIKE NOW!

My favourite sound on a hot saturday afternoon is FIZZ.

Weihenstephan Heffe & Dunkel - RM26.00/glass

My favourite colours on a hot saturday afternoon are

YELLOW & BROWN.

My favourite verb on a hot saturday afternoon is GULP.

My favourite activity on a hot saturday afternoon is watching international time FLY BY.

.
.
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At STADT German Cuisine and Bistro we found the perfect place to satisfy all my favourite activities :)

Seafood Soup - RM7.90
The soup was excellent. A thick, robust savoury tomato base made fresh and infused with all the flavours of the ocean made a great appetite teaser. We were prepped for our mains.

The Pork Knuckle - RM38.90
Given the choice of Original vs. Honey glazed ,we went with the glaze version but were surprised to find the crust rather unsweetened. When asked, the waitress replied that the coating of sugar is added right at the end. Hmmmm.. we think someone might have forgotten the Honey (?)

First the skin. This was not bad at all. The skin had enough snap, crackle and pop, if you like, but the flavour could have been better.

Delving in, we found the flesh tough, dry and rather tasteless.

If not for the extra(and boy did we need plenty) brown sauce and honey sauce we ordered, the pork knuckle would have been too dry to swallow.

Having said that, the menu here at STADT is massive, and we only shared one Pork Knuckle because it was the Hefe and Dunkel that we came for really ;) We will definitely be back to try the other items.


So meanwhilst... "Geben sie mir ein bier... like now, please.." ;P

Read what others have to say about STADT:
Vkeong
Life's gr8 for a Malaysian


Add:
Stadt German Cuisine & Bistro,
No2, Jln Metro Perdana 8,
Taman Usahawan Kepong,
Kepong Utara,
52100 KL
Tel: 03-6250 1016
email: stadt@streamyx.com

Pork Knuckle:4/10
Service:7/10
Beer:7/10 (imported beer how to go wrong..?)
Ambiance:6/10