Just a Girl

Wantan Noodle @ Jalan Gelugor, Klang

2010-07-28T18:41:00.004+10:00

While KL city has got spectacular Twin Towers, Klang is also blessed with glorious food. Starting from bahkutteh which was already blogged to death to overrated telok gong seafood, every little hidden gem in klang has gradually attracted food bloggers.

I'm always given a crucial task during lunch hour, to think where to eat. Since our taiping girl traveled to Klang for us, I brought her to savour a plate of heavenly wantan noodles that is famous amongst locals.

Situated at the cross junction between Jalan Gelugor and Jalan Kepayang, this wantan noodles stall has been operating for almost 30 years and it's still going strong. When I was a kid, dad used to bring me here for lunch but that was my first and last visit. Why?! Because I do not have a tough stomach which can literally endure a minimum 3o minutes of torturous waiting. While observing the process of blanching and tossing not knowing when will yours be served, you could have already been starved to death. On my previous visit (2 years back), I waited approximately 45 minutes. Yes, nailed it!

On our recent visit, they took surprisingly 15 minutes to serve us. The noodles mixed with soy sauce gravy were consistently firm and springy. A large plate of wantan noodles was insufficient and I deliberately finished them in four mouthfuls. The sliced char siew was decent - nothing to shout about.

The main draw at this wantan noodles stall is essentially wantan. Served in piping hot soup, the see-through wantan skin is so thin and generous minced meat stuffing is flavourful. The juicy wantan was juicy that it explodes in your mouth as soon as you take a bite. This is simply divine!

This is not the best wantan noodles I've ever tasted but it still warrants multiple visits though. The lunch-time crowd is insane, number of tables and chairs are visibly limited and parking is problematic. I'd strongly recommend you to drop by for a light meal.

Prawn Mee @ Gohtong Jaya

2010-07-17T00:12:00.001+10:00

It's such a disgrace to boast to everyone on the food I must have whenever going to genting as I still couldn't remember the name of the restaurant, till now. Please forgive me. The shop is situated few shops away from Hotel Seri Malaysia, next to a sundry shop (hope I didn't lead you back to genting!) and it's always empty on my every visit although tucking in the row of commercialized restaurants. On my recent trip to genting, I made a pit stop at Gohtong Jaya to savour a divine bowl of prawn mee before heading back home.

Chunks of halved prawns bathed in thick and flavorful prawn soup were so huge and succulent. Priced at RM7 each bowl, the lady then told us she replaced prawns with sang har and charged us additional RM1. Need I say more?

It's inarguably a steal.

Pho Hoa Noodle House @ The Curve

2010-07-09T02:13:00.006+10:00

Loitering around the Curve on a manic Monday, Lern and I felt indolent that we can't decide what to have for dinner but a simple yet decent dinner. Pho Hoa Noodle Soup was the answer key to what we were seeking for. By the way, hola from Malaysia! It definitely feels great to be home but I do not hope this trip gives me shocking weight. Let's keep fingers crossed.

Pho Hoa Noodle House, a name that basically explains everything. Pho Hoa is the place that offers simple fare and hearty bowl of Vietnamese national soup or commonly known as Pho. Hoa, on the other hand refers to harmony in Vietnamese. It is also the largest Vietnamese restaurant chain in North America but not Vietnam, strange enough?

Pho Hoa promotes Vietnamese cuisine with the slogan ''Health Conscious Choice'' and since Lern is a health-conscious person who loves anything with green, we have absolutely made the right choice for dinner. When the noodle is served with fresh coriander leaves, bean sprouts, hot chili padi, lemon wedges and basil leaves, I bet he must be chuckling. Heh, did you?

I am person who strongly against anything with green as they taste real bad (especially coriander leaf!) Radically, mixing fresh coriander leaves, bean sprouts, bits of hot chili padi, lemon wedges and basil leaves can essentially make the broth robustly flavoured. I truly love the pho of his! Chunks of juicy tendon bathed in the hot steaming soup were soft and tender, just like how it should be.

I opted chicken meat instead since I wasn't in the mood for beef. Well you know, when you had too much beef overseas (not exactly!) you just don't wish to have it in malaysia. The broth was clear, rich and flavourful (I still prefer Lern's)

Overall, we both love this place, especially the broth! Simple fare yet delectable, simple setting with no frills and free from extravagance, pho hoa definitely deserves second visit.

Australian Heritage Hotel, The Rocks

2010-06-22T02:27:00.002+10:00

It was a quiet Sunday night where everyone cries for manic Monday at home. We, on the other hand were looking forward to Sunday and prepared our stomach for truly exotic meat served on pizza. The Australian Heritage Hotel is tucked in a secluded area in the Rocks, a great place filled with pubs and restaurants, but it wasn't hard to be located. Ask around and I reckon Sydney-siders are friendly to lead you here.

Classic Bruschetta - AUD9.50
Vine ripened tomato, red onion, basil, grated parmesan & rocket

We kick-started the dinner with a simple yet enticing appetizers, classic brushetta and potato wedges.

Potato Wedges - AUD8.50
With sour cream & sweet chilli

Crispy chicken wings - AUD12
With a sticky honey, soy & chilli sauce

A simple soy marinade with slight charcoal grilled on the edges. Juicy, succulent and it's finger lickin' good!

Chicken & Mushroom Pie - AUD16.50
Chicken & mushrooms in a white wine sauce, served with potato mash and salad

Juini had chicken & mushroom pie and she was willing to share mouth-watering dish with us. Blanketed by golden brown pastry, the filling was hearty and not too creamy.

Salt Water Crocodile - AUD18.90
Fresh thai herbs, marinated in spicy coconut cream with asian greens

The skin from crocodiles are well-renowned as a highly durable leather of great individual beauty as a finished product. Apart from that, crocodile meat was claimed as low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in protein. It has also been exalted for its health benefits. According to *this* article, crocodile meat is used to cure asthma in Chinese medicine and is a great food for keeping the respiratory system healthy during the cold months. So guys, not just opt for its skin, go for its meat too!

It is a succulent white meat, similar to fish in appearance and chicken in texture. To get the best out of reptile meat, it has to be braised slowly until it becomes tender. The meat was cooked to fork tender but its exotic flavor was overpowered by spices. It was nevertheless delightful and tastes better than chicken. Glad that I got to consume it in Sydney.

Tandoori Chicken - AUD21.90
Lemon, mint yoghurt & mango chutney

Incredibly juicy succulent chicken on the inside and charcoal burnt crispy texture on the outside, lastly garnished with mint yoghurt and lemon.

Pepper Kangaro - AUD21.90
Marinated in native pepper with roasted capsicum & native berries

Despite being Australia’s national symbol, millions of kangaroos are slaughtered in the wild each year to control their numbers.Kangaroos are cute but the meat tempt me well. Kangaroo meat is consistently very lean and rich in nutrients due to living in their natural habitat and hopping around (which makes them muscular and lean). Therefore, the basic of cooking kangaroo meat resembles high quality steak where overcooking makes it tough and end up with shoe leather!

Though cooking kangaroo meat is not an easy feat, the marinated meat was robustly flavored, tender and palatable. It has also distinctive flavor that is slightly reminiscent of a beef.

Great night, great ambiance, great companions and great food. Another night that epitomizes we live to eat.

The Australian Hotel
100 Cumberland Street
The Rocks, Sydney 2000
Tel: +61 2 9247 2229
Fax: +61 2 9241 3262
Email: info@australianheritagehotel.com

Am having finals at the moment and then counting days to home, which is in two days time :)

See ya in Malaysia!

Mamak @ Chinatown, Sydney

2010-06-14T00:10:00.004+10:00

Mamak is named for the alfresco-style roadside eateries, cheap, bustling and spice up with the sounds of lively gossip, and groups of youths. However, this atmosphere is something you can't acquire when you're in overseas. Upon googling mamak sydney, you'd definitely observe rave reviews all over the internet. Right after Sammi Cheng's concert, Shan and I decided to pay a visit to mamak to try the top-notch mamak cuisine. I came here with high expectation but left with tonnes of disappointment.

The man is so amazed by how roti canai is flipped and stretched.

Teh tarik - AUD3.50
Classic Malaysian sweetened tea, ‘stretched’ for a frothy topping

Typically, Malaysians can't live without our national drink, teh tarik. It was smooth and flavourful with teeth-shreddingly-sweet.

Ayam goreng - AUD3.5o per piece
Malaysian-style fried chicken. Marinated with herbs and spices and full of flavour.

Chicken - AUD8 for 1/2 dozen
Grilled over flaming charcoal for that authentic Malaysian flavour.Served with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce.

Satay chicken, on the other hand was charcoal-grilled to perfection with meat remained moist and tender. Accompanied by sweet & spicy peanut sauce, the sauce resembles the one I had in Malacca. Despite each stick is priced at approximately RM4, I don't see a good value for money.

Nasi lemak - AUD7.50
Fragrant coconut rice accompanied by an ensemble of sambal, peanuts, crispy anchovies, cucumber and hard-boiled egg.

Nasi lemak is staple food of Malaysian and so it's not surprising that Malaysians always crave for it overseas. On top of that, winter is the best time to savour delectable nasi lemak.
I was overwhelmed by nasi lemak served by Mamak but I don't see the value for money as nasi lemak is easily accessible in Malaysia.

Cendol - AUD5
Starch noodles made from fresh pandan leaves, with gula-melaka syrup, coconut milk and shaved ice

I was a lil discontented at the green starch noodle. The absence of strong pandan flavour makes the green starch noodle tasteless and artificial. Again, I could have gotten a better one which fares a lot more cheaper.

The total bill came up to $31 (equivalent to RM93) for two person. Would you pay mamak fare in Sydney? They might not serve the most authentic mamak cuisine but it's the best you can get in Sydney in which you need to queue for at least an hour. I'm glad that it was my first and will be my last visit.Period

Lowenbrau Keller, The Rocks, Sydney

2010-05-23T03:00:00.016+10:00

Lowenbrau Keller, located in the heart of The Rocks, a place where Sydney begun, is renowned for its authentic Bavarian food. They offer over 30 flavours of Schnapps,an extensive list of wines, spirits and premixed drinks. Mitch and Joel did us a favor by waiting aimlessly for a table while the rest were waiting for our Princess Suanne. It was 45 minutes of torturous waiting but it was worth waiting.

Schlachtplatte - AUD69
Löwenbräu's Selection of Bavarian Specialities – Sausages, Chicken Schnitzel, Roast Pork Belly,Pork Loins, Pork Knuckle served with Mashed Potato and Sauerkraut

We ordered schlaaachhhtplaatte (no idea how to pronounce it) that is highly recommended after catching a glimpse at every table. The service is commendable and it took no later than 10 minutes for the food to arrive. The pork knuckle fatty meat was tender and juicy and its golden brown crackling was so crispy and flavorsome. Pork is probably the single most important food in Bavaria, closely followed by the potato. The mashed potatoes garnished with pepper was richly creamy and velvety. The sauerkraut, fermented cabbage shreds was also served to provide sour and chewy contrasts to all the grilled protein.However, I didn't quite like it. Chicken Schnitzel was a bit dry yet the texture remained tender. Sadly, the chicken is playing solitaire :( The platter also came with bratwurst (pork sausage) that was delectable and well-flavoured.

The serving is designed for 2 person but it was shared by 4 of us. Two platters for 8 of us were pretty hefty and the thought of having pork again is enough to traumatize me now. So take note, always share the carnivorous pleasure!

Mango Weizen AUD11 for 0.5L, AUD7 for 0.3L
Wheat beer with mango juice

After tucking into mouthwatering Bavarian fare, you might want to wash it down with a glass of authentic German beer. Since my alcohol tolerance is below par, I opted 0.3L Mango Weizen that is popular among tourists. Freshly brewed with large proportion of wheat, it was light with low hop bitterness. The mango juice was added with a twist yet the outcome was refreshing and sweet. Such a waste to have ordered 0.3L.grrrrrr

Sitting on wooden benches at long tables, which give the place a casual and convivial atmosphere, savoring Bavarian's top-notch pork knuckle, swigging beer and singing to loud Bavarian music. Not forgetting the live performance by oom-pah-pah German band which enhances the atmosphere. Well, at least it epitomizes we live to eat. It was a nice gathering with malaysians and singaporeans and the night ended with good karaoke session.

Corner of Playfair & Argyle Streets The Rocks Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Tel: +61 (0)2 9247 7785

Open 7 days 9am til late
Live entertainment every night from 7pm
Late night menu available every Friday and Saturday 11pm til 2am

Restaurant San Pedro, Malacca

2010-05-22T16:29:00.003+10:00

Remember to open up your eyes and hunt for this obscure signboard!

I'm grounded with two assignments and one project at the moment and what's the saddest part? They are all due next week. Whatever it is, gastronomic tour still continues. I was given a task to hunt a new place for dinner. I made the choice of ditching over commercialized chicken rice ball and stumbled upon this eatery place when I randomly googled it. The review was rare but most essentially the food was rated good. Since Lern and I have not set foot in Portuguese settlement (plus out of bustle city), we decided to dine here. Portuguese Settlement appeared slightly dodgy and rustic, completely contradict my expectation on how it should be.

I was skeptical initially, constantly pestered Lern if we should enter. At last we entered. It was Saturday night and I was expecting neighborhood weekend dine out. Unfortunately, we were the only customer, and probably the last customer too.

Mix Vege - RM4.00

Portuguese Fried Sotong - RM15.00

Portuguese Fried sotong was nothing to shout about as it was a mere plain deep fried to perfection sotong except the chilli condiments did perk up my tastebuds.

Prawns with Portuguese Sauce - RM26

The cooking style of this dish looks pretty simple, soy sauce garnished with onions and gingers but the outcome turned out pretty delightful. The prawn was slightly huge, springy, juicy and has a nice balance of flavours from the mix of soy sauce.

I'm still unsure if they do serve authentic Portuguese cuisine considering the limited choices and most of the home dishes are synonymous to baba and nyonya cuisine. Hope someone could prove me wrong. Rest assured, the meal was satisfying and does deserve a visit.

Restaurant San Pedro
4, Aranjo Road, Portuguese Settlement, Ujong Pasir, 75050 Melaka

Nadeje @ Pahlawan Merdeka

2010-05-11T16:33:00.002+10:00

I've been googling the availability of mille crepe in Sydney but to no avail hence the only possible thing I can do is to feed myself with a picture of mille crepe.

Inevitably, mille crepe is exquisitely divine. Layers of delicate crepe and creme stacking atop one another and it didn't collapse with a plunge of fork.Needless to say, that's the nature of mille crepe. Priced at RM9 per piece, I would say the price is pretty decent considering that pastries in Starbucks or secret recipe has the same price range as well. Mille crepe is easily accessible in Food Foundry so why should you drive all the way to Malacca for this?

ps: why am I here??

Baba Low's 486

2010-05-01T16:32:00.003+10:00

Once done with quenching our thirst, we moved on to next destination for lunch.486 Baba Low's is family food business specialising in truly authentic Malacca Peranakan.

The stall is tucked in a quiet residential area so most of their customers were locals. The outlet was a shack, or warung as everyone in Malacca calls it, located behind Low Sr.’s house under the shade of several leafy trees.

Baba Low's has one and only one strict rule - offer only ordinary food with an extraordinary taste. The food served are simple and yet simplicity perks up your taste buds.

Poh Piah Kulit Telur - RM2.70

Tightly wrapped within egg and flour skin are substantial amount of stewed julienned turnip, ground peanuts, beansprouts and enhanced with a spread of chilli. The egg skin held the fillings and it didn’t fall apart when you pick it up by the slice, which was not an easy feat.

Pai Tee - RM3.50

Pai Tee is a Nyonya delicacy and I'm ashamed to say, I have not tried it before. I really like the delicately crispy and light flour cups filled with stewed julienned sengkuang, shredded egg and cucumber, and lastly sprinkled with fried shallots. AHHHH irresistible allure of the tasty pai tee!

Nyonya Laksa - RM4.00

Nyonya Laksa is undeniably the signature dish here. Velvety, tasty and spice-rich soup, which are enough to make you drool when thinking about it. In fact, I'm drooling right NOW! Each mouthful was an explosion of flavors! yumz yumz

Baba Low's
486 Jalan Tengkera 75200 Malacca

Good news is Baba Low's has expanded their business to Kuala Lumpur so you don't need to drive to Malacca for a delectable bowl of nyonya laksa.

486 Baba Low's
Lorong Kurau,
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Best Cendol @ Bukit Rambai

2010-04-30T23:33:00.003+10:00

Once we were done with porky satay, we adjourned to Bukit Rambai for dessert. The weather in Malacca was undoubtedly scorching hot and the best remedy to quench our thirst is cendol. Inevitably, I always and only visit Jonker88 for a bowl of yummy cendol on my every trip to Malacca. Since my emphasis is on good food out of malacca city, we skipped Jonker88 for once.

The cendol stall highly recommended by Jade was Auntie Koh in Bukit Rambai. It wasn't easy to get into Bukit Rambai but we were fortunate to have Jade to lead us here the night before and on top of that, it was far away from Malacca city. The journey took about 30 minutes due to traffic congestion in the afternoon thus we were quite nervous that we might have missed it since the stall opens only on Saturday from 12-2pm. The traffic was then cleared after passing by 2 schools so we were lucky to grab a bowl! phewwww

Auntie Koh is a pure nyonya and also crazy lady as claimed by Jade. She's quite nice and talked to us about her cendol stall after knowing we weren't local. She owns the huge house and operates the business all by herself. The green starch noodle is apparently supplied by her nephew, whom supplied to several cendol sellers in Malacca (including Jonker88).

Great thing is that her stall isn't located within commercialized area and hence her customers were mainly locals. Mostly arrived with a minimum order of 10 packets, and some were nice enough to self-service, by collecting the cendol on their own.

Her top-notch palm sugar(gula melaka) was overwhelmingly divine and the fragrance is so intense. It was thick, viscid and dissolved very quickly into melted shaved ice. She poured a minimal amount of gula melaka onto smooth shaved ice but we didn't find it sufficient. The gula melaka was really sweet and yet the amount poured was actually adequate after mixing it with coconut milk. Glad that I didn't opt for extra :P . The green starch noodle was tangy with luscious pandan flavor too!

Lern and I both agreed this is the best cendol we've tried and indeed it is the best. If it wasn't because of our next destination, I would have ordered second bowl! Rest assured, I will visit her cendol stall again.

Sun May Hiong Satay House

2010-04-22T15:40:00.002+10:00

Just before heading back to down under, Lern and I went down to Malacca with an objective, to hunt local delicacies out of Malacca city . Courtesy to Lern's Malaccan friend Jade, we managed to locate those places efficiently. Together with the help of PAPAGO!, our trip went pretty smoothly! *except getting trapped in looooong jam!*

This is a sign of satay, duh!

We felt extremely excited to kickstart the trip by feeding our tummy with porky porky satay, not cereal nor milk that makes your breakfast a dull moment. Sun May Hiong Satay House was highly recommended by Jade although it was overrated at the same time.

The usual ketupat and sliced cucumber were the starter accompanied by their specialty satay sauce. The satay sauce is well-blended with minimal amount of pineapple that creates a very distinctive sweet and spicy taste. It wasn't the usual satay sauce but the combination was still up to par. The worst satay sauce I've ever tried was in Sydney. Honestly speaking, it tasted really really bad. The combination was sambal and peanut butter sauce so try it at your own risk!

This aromatic meat has a crisp, slightly burnt edge and fatty lard in between.Once dipped in the specialty sauce, I could instantly finished in two mouthfuls. The meat was succulent and flavourful and not forgetting it was addictive. Lern and I had the first 20 sticks and it went higher and higher after constantly being refilled by the staff. Priced at 60cent each, so give me a reason for stop eating it as you could hardly get cheap satay skewer in Sydney.

Sun May Hiong Satay House
50/50A, Jalan Kota Laksamana 1/1, Taman Kota Laksamana, 75200, Melaka

Plan B by Bécasse

2010-04-09T15:24:00.005+10:00

If you ran out of cash in dining Bécasse, the posh and award winning restaurant, fret not always look for Plan B! And yesh, Bécasse gives a plan B without needing to burn your wallet!

Strategically situated right behind Queen Victoria Building and at town hall, Plan B by Bécasse is perpetually packed with sydneysiders, working adults and coffee addicts although it is a hole in the wall café next to Bécasse. There are limited tables available and unfortunately they don't offer dine in during my visit. The most attractive part is burger is ordered from the mini-cafe and cooked in the main kitchen of Bécasse although it's another chain by Bécasse. It needs no thick wallet to grab wagyu from Bécasse, but just a torturous 10-15 minutes waiting. The downside is there are limited choices which is only up to four but surely wagyu beef burger is the limelight :) Besides, they are opened on Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm so do make sure you don't have wagyu beef craving on weekends!

The 600-day grain fed wagyu beef patty is thick, smokey, and juicy with no additional sauce needed. It was cooked to well done with a noticeable char on the outside but the meat still remained fork tender. The sesame seeds topped bun is flavoursome and nicely toasted with crispy on the outside. Accompanied by thin blanket of cheddar cheese, the sinful fats has been flushed away with caramelised onion, lettuce, and pickled beetroot. The burger was quite filling and I had it for lunch which is ridiculously torturing me.

Oh wait, have I mentioned the price?

$10!

Make sure you have Plan B in your mind when you crave for wagyu beef!

204 Clarence Street, Sydney.
Open Monday - Friday from 8am-4pm

Happy Birthday!

2010-03-25T20:49:00.002+11:00

Taken on 2008 :)

Today marks the second year for not being able to celebrate your most essential day of the year with you. Whatever it is, hope you have a blast tonight although there isn't any alco but I bet you will crave it! Hope you do like the present that I'd couriered to you :)

Happy Birthday, Sayang!

Schokolart @ Solaris KL

2010-03-24T03:24:00.000+11:00

Love is like dark chocolate. Although it always leaves you with a bitter taste in your mouth, you will still be tempted to take a bite the next time around.

Right after poshy dinner with Lern, we then adjourned to Schokolart for dessert dose. This post supposed to be up months ago but time doesn't allow. Hehe

Private corner separated by fringed curtains is specially designed for couple to enjoy lovey-dovey session.

The Temptation - RM12.00
Schokolart Signature Hot Choc made with 62% cacao dark chocolates

Cuddle & Coddle - RM16.90
House-made choc chip cookie blended with dark choc ice-cream

Schokolart Sate - RM20.90
Tender chicken thigh marinated with dark bittersweet chocolate, grilled to perfection served with house-made spicy peanut sauce & fried bun

I was grown up eating roadside satay stalls and having chocolate marinated chicken satay which I thought might be feasible too. I braved myself to grab a bite and it was good at initial. A very tender chicken satay coated with delicate chocolate and dipped with rich peanut butter sauce (not typical satay sauce you've seen on roadside). After having multiple bites, I conclude one shouldn't coincide meat and chocolate together and I'll never forget the unique taste. Since Schokolart is a place that hightlights chocolates, you probably should opt for chocolate rather than savory food.

Us :)

Since I'm a HSBC Credit card holder, I was supposedly given a choice of delicious cake. Instead of that, we begged for a different choice as we were the last customer. The staff was generous and humble, he gave me a choice to select three lovely chocolates. With this, I must admit, I would definitely revisit this place for more chocolates, not satay coated with chocolate!

@ Solaris KL

Santa Lucia on Ukulele

2010-03-16T23:07:00.001+11:00

At least, the thought of buying him an ukulele was never wasted :)

The Roar Year 2010

2010-03-08T18:36:00.005+11:00

@ OneUtama Shopping Mall

The Tiger does not take a back seat to the Dragon when it comes to being outrageous. It could be a spectacular year for this high flying duo. On the other hand Metal is unlucky for the Dragon and, therefore, you. There are thus likely to be a few times you will crash and burn. The key is not to get too caught up in the moment. Be thoughtful and avoid unnecessary risk. You can't beat the Tiger this year, but joining forces will pay off. If you can bring yourself to exhibit a little self control, the year 2010 could be a most rewarding one indeed. Regardless of the outcomes, you will no doubt have a most exciting time. So enjoy yourself and move out smartly during the nine favorable months, and tread lightly in the other three.

Believe it or not, I still have to continue living :)

Abalone transported all the way from oz

This year CNY was a tad different from every past year. Sister invited her friends over to feast the reunion lunch together and thus she prepared the food more than usual. It was also my first time in 21 years of living for not having a proper place to eat. All's well ends well, I was happy nevertheless!

11 course meal + Yee Sang

Lou lou lou lou lou~~~!

Obligatory Tea Ceremony

Being daddy's charming & beautiful youngest girl *coughcough* who was forced to study chinese and public primary school, I took this opportunity to brush up my mandarin. On the eve, I kidnapped my brother to teach me auspicious wishes although I may know a few. So the wishes were, "Gong xi fa cai, xin nian kwai le, nian nian you "yu"(fish), may you have prosperous year, be healthy & wealthy, high growth in business every year, may your wish come true,..etc!" And taddah, red envelope with muhnee on my hand!

Obligatory Family Portrait :)

Later, we adjourned to cousins' house for more angpao collecting! Fortunately, this year I was blessed with more incomes. On top of that, I received farewell angpao from grandma and my fellow aunties. Slrrrrppp~~

With cousins

To end this post, may this prosperous tiger year brings you blessings, wealth, health, career, love and happiness. Wishing you a great year ahead :) Gong xi fa cai!

ps: sorry for belated wishes. Well, better be late than never.

Neroteca @ Somerset, Lorong Ceylon

2010-03-07T00:55:00.008+11:00

Are you ready for 100% authentic italian restaurant?

"There is nowhere like Neroteca anywhere in the city", quoted by Neroteca

Right! Absolutely right! Neroteca is not somewhere you think, "another italian restaurant that serves decent pasta"

Even its interior decor is nowhere like Neroteca in the city! Every wall-to-wall shelf is stocked with bottles of imported fine wine as well as hanging ham, salamis and copper pans over the deli counter.

Long Black - RM8

Warm & Pillow Soft bread

Bucatini amatriciana with onion and bacon - RM24

Amatriciana, a classic Italian pasta with a hint of mild spicy. Springy bucatini and diced tender meat cooked with amatriciana, magnifico!

Pappardelle 'Neroteca'- RM24
Wild boar ragout pasta

Wilboar pasta is the main reason why I was there. I would say it was entirely opposite from B&O . Minced wild boar meat and ragout both complement very well. A dish that I'll give a try again, and yes I will. This is nowhere like Neroteca, isn't it?

All in all, I truly fell in love with Neroteca and I wish there was a revisit during my return on June. Though it was just two plates of pasta, I'm pretty ascertain to try out the rest. The restaurant is rather small and it was almost packed by dinner time. Do make a reservation or else you'll end up a plate of disappointment. I love Neroteca and so does Lern. Thus, his upcoming birthday dinner at Neroteca will be feasible. HORRR??

Angus House Japanese Charcoal Steak @ Pavilion KL

2010-03-04T17:10:00.005+11:00

When Chinese new year and valentine's day fall on the same day, it somehow resembles a question that would commonly be asked by girls, "me and your mom, who will you pick?" If I were asked this question, the answer definitely stands firmly on my feet. Like duh!

And since Lern and I will not be celebrating valentine's day this year, he made it two days earlier. It doesn't matter to celebrate before or after valentine's day; afterall everyday is valentine's day!

Angus House @ Pavilion KL

So it was angus, a name that sounds tremendously branded, lavish, posh and exquisite tickles me. I was curious, excited and immediately pestered Lern that it's a MUST to step into this restaurant. Although the interior and exterior give a hint of fine dining restaurant, what matters the most is the food must be awesomely good regardless of the price!

Complimentary warm and crunchy bread & butter

Hors d’œuvre or appertizer

The soup was creamy and rich. Unfortunately, I was confused with its taste, either carrot or mushroom soup without mushroom!

Foie Gras Speaciale - RM45

I had my first foie gras at Angus House and to be honest, I didn't quite like it. On the contrary, Lern loved it because it's foie gras thus it needs no further explanation.

Green salad with Japanese dressing

Tenderloin steak dinner course 250g - RM115

Lern opted medium-rare with a warm, succulent, and it was really good. Firm on the outside, juicy pink on the inside and I'd almost forgotten it was a medium-rare!

Tenderloin Steak 150g - RM70

I had it prepared well-done that was almost, indeed very much wasted for a tenderloin steak. It was charred on the outside, thoroughly brown and chewy on the inside. Cooking a good steak to this level of doneness is an ultimate challenge. It has to be done slowly on low heat, or else you'll end up with shoe leather. The special Japanese sauce was minimal but too much of sauce might overpower the original taste of beef. Though not a waygu or kobe, the tenderloin captured me well. The first bite has convinced me that I shouldn't penalize steak as it was luxurious. Yumz yumz! If only you remember this, I don't eat steak.

Dessert

Yours truly :)

Overall, the dinner ended very well and I wasn't feeling full nor hungry;it was on par which I always like it this way :) The extensive menu offers choices of dinner set that range from RM60++ (includes a 150g Hamburg steak) to RM300++ (for prime cuts) and covers hors d’oeuvres, soup, salad, rice or bread and dessert. Prices are slightly steep, but let's look at the prospective of good quality steak they serve. At some restaurants, you might end up paying high for a crappy steak! So, have a try when you're ready for high distinction steak!

Short Notice

2010-03-04T04:57:00.002+11:00

I have officially returned to Sydney and I might need couple of days to get things done. Those are getting really complicated and hoping for the best is what I could ask for.

Stay tuned peeps! I can't wait to post up the food trip that I had recently as well as "outdated" food posts! Besides, I'm hoping I could post as much as food in Sydney to feed your tummy well! With that, I'm hitting Max Brenner, Arthur's Pizza & Lindt tomorrow!

Time to sleep :)

Riblee's @ Desa Sri Hartamas

2010-02-06T16:55:00.002+11:00

If a restaurant could guarantee you an epicurean taste and scrumptious dinner, ask yourself, what if the service is bad? Being a customer ain't easy, especially waiting for something you want it so badly. Being a waiter isn't good either. Getting a harsh scolding by the customer definitely pushing yourself to a stage whereby you wish, and absolutely want to serve them a slap. I truly understand how does it feel cause I had once experienced it. Whatever it is, never forget two important rules.

Rule #1 : Customer is always RIGHT!
Rule #2: If the customer is ever wrong, reread rule 1!

Warning : Eat pork at your own risk!

Upon entering Riblee's, we were warmly greeted and led to a table for two. Despite being seated at a corner with less dim light, I requested a table for four with comfortable couch and bright dim light. No later than 5 minutes, the supervisor (I presume) actually preferred us to be seated at that particular corner. It questioned me immediately, "Are you literally asking us to get our ass off to that table AGAIN?" Indeed, they insisted and so we went back to initial table.

The real shandy

Honestly, this post wasn't meant to be a criticism on their services. If the foods are scrumptious to retain a picky customer like me, I mean, I would rather wait despite it's a long wait! I'm always skeptical about going to a new restaurant but by judging at the patrons on that day, I would say, the bad services kinda prove me wrong.

Smokey Rolls - RM18.80
Smoked streaky bacon wrapped around fresh tiger shrimps,cucumber,carrot sticks & celery

It took them 30 minutes to prepare, fried to crispy perfection and lastly served. I was really mad,uber MAD. Honestly, I had never eaten ferociously!

Classic American Babyback - RM39.90
The Classic American half slab of pure rib experience, served with fries & tidewater coleslaw

When we asked the supervisor for recommendation, he advised us on skipping roast wild boar ribs as it's quite stiff and tough hence we opted for classic american babyback. So we waited 30 minutes for starter and later we waited for another 30 minutes for main course. Look, do you get the whole picture? One particular disappointment is that riblee's babyback ribs has lost its originality as barbeque sauce had masked the classic flavour. It would be perfecto without needing any sauce.

Riblees Babyback Ribs - RM32.80
Charbroiled & Specially marinated babyback ribs,served with corn on the cob & pigtail fries

Riblee's babyback ribs was classified as signature dish and I do like it. The meat was coated with rich black pepper sauce on the outside, and soft and fork-tender on the inside. It was good and substantial but I still find Healy's Mac ribs is the best! The presentation was nicely done especially the pigtail fries, opps I meant curly fries!

Despite an hour waiting for the food, the supervisor compensated us a dessert. As such, vanilla ice cream with chunks of orea, drizzled with chocolate syrup was served no later than 10 minutes. And I reckon the supervisor has done a great a job in compensating us by serving ice-cream to cool down the fire burning in my body. I'm still mad nevertheless!

Believe it or not, the food managed to retain me and I'd say it's place I'd recommend, and hopefully with better service on your visit. Don't say I never warn you! The service proved to be polite, however, a tad inefficient. The waiter had to continually come back to our table to inform us that we have to wait several minutes as they were preparing the food. Few minutes later, they came back with same sentence too. Anyway, rest assured that you'll like the food!

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge @ Pavilion KL

2010-01-20T23:28:00.004+11:00

Life is like a bagel. It's delicious when it's fresh and warm, but often it's just hard. The hole is the middle is its great mystery, and yet it wouldn't be a bagel without it.

Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once.

Life is like an onion. You peel off layer after layer and then you find there is nothing in it

Black&White Berry Cheese - RM8.90

Life is like riding an elevator. It has a lot of ups and downs and someone is always pushing your buttons. Sometimes you get the shaft, but what really bothers you are the jerks.

Life is not a final. It's daily pop quizzes.

Miss Coco - RM9.90

Life is like a poker game. You deal or are dealt to. It includes skill and luck. You bet, check, bluff, and raise. You learn from those you play with. Sometimes you win with a pair or lose with a full house. But whatever happens, it's best to keep on shuffling along.

Life is like eating grapefruit. First you have to break through the skin; then it takes a couple of bites to get used to the taste, and just as you begin to enjoy it, it squirts you in the eye.

Prince of Island - RM10.90
Belgian Ice chocolate with a shower of shaved chocolate

Forest Gump said, "My momma always said, Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

Life is simple, its just not easy.

La Lot Vietnamese Cuisine @ Pavilion KL

2010-01-17T23:17:00.002+11:00

The name “La Lot” is derived from the Vietnamese term for the aromatic daun kadok.Founded by Goh Chye Leng, his great passion and successful venture has driven him in opening few outlets such as Du Viet Restaurant & Café in Damansara Utama and KLCC, O’Viet Vietnamese Cuisine in Sunway Pyramid and La Lot in Pavilion KL.

This is my second visit to La Lot Vietnamese Cuisine with Lern around and my camera. Since I had not written this eatery outlet yet, I shall combine my first and second visit into a post. But do observe the different pictures quality as I used a ciplak camera phone and DSLR.

When Lern was away to NZ, I had to drag my two partners to join my usual weekends' food hunting habit. Errrr more on bringing a spastic out (spot the left!)

Honey Apple Cider - RM8.90

On the first visit, I had honey apple cider that has traditionally and widely known as a remedy for many ailments. Honestly, it does taste as good as how it looks but I still had problem in choking it down. At the first place, why should I order this? *Smack forehead*

Ginger Lemon Tea - RM8.90

On the second visit, Lern opted ginger lemon tea to soothe his throat. Not too sure how it tastes but I reckon it would be horrible since I hate ginger ALOT!

Three Colours Delite - RM9.90
Green grass jelly, cendol & red beans with low-fat cream topping

The staff firmly claimed that it's not Cendol Ais cause it is a house specialty drink with green grass jelly,cendol and red beans with gula melaka and cream topping. Uh huh... Is it synonymous to local version of Cendol Ais?????

Banh Cuon, Steamed Wrapped Rolls - RM15.90
Vietnamese-style “Chee Cheong Fun” wrapped with shrimps,chicken & mushrooms, served with bean sprout & fish sauce

Our dinner started off with steamed wrapped rolls that is the Vietnamese equivalent of chee cheong fun. The ingredients are well-mixed,tasty,yummy and so does the bean sprout.

House Specialty - Banh Hoi, Wrap & Roll Special Platter - RM42.90
Fried springrolls, sugarcane shrimps, grilled beef & chicken served with fresh veggies, rice vermicelli and rice papers

One must order is the Wrap & Roll Special Platter cause part of the fun of devouring this meal lies in making the roll yourself.

So here's the tip by Goh...First, dip a translucent sheet of rice paper into water to make it pliable. Next, pack as much fried spring rolls, sugar cane shrimps, grilled beef, chicken and veggies as you possibly can without tearing the delicate wrap before rolling everything into a tight bundle a la "popiah". Add a coating of homemade peanut sauce and you’re done!

Taa daaa!! I made according to him which yields a perfect vietnamese "popiah" and vege as dressing.

As of Lern, his intention was to stuff everything and trying to wrap those with delicate and thin wrap that causes him having hard time in eating it. Haaaa!

Traditional Mixed Beef Noodles (House special) - RM22.90
Imported tenderloin beef fillet, stewed beef brisket, balls &tripe in clear beef soup

What's vietnamese cuisine without pho? On the first visit with 2 eating companies , we opted pho with a thinking that the portion would be small (as compared to the portion served in Vietnam Kitchen) though the first two dishes are enough to fill our stomach up. Surprisingly, the portion was huge that each of us had suffering time in finishing the pho we ordered. Now I learn a lesson!

Special Seafood Noodles - RM24.90
Fresh prawns, fish fillet, fried shrimp balls, squid & cuttlefish in mildly spicy soup

Hue-style Beef Noodles (Central Vietnamese) - RM19.90
Imported tenderloin beef fillet & stewed beef brisket in mildly spicy soup, served with vermicelli

Since I learned a lesson from the previous mistake of impulsive orders, Lern and I shared a bowl of aromatic hue-style beef noodles in midly spicy soup to clear his stuffy nose. Never judge by its look although red represents HOT&SPICY that burns your lips. Warm and rich, the aromatic soup was indeed comfort food!

Rice vermicelli with Grilled Chicken/ Beef/ N.Z. Lamb - RM19.90

Categorized as Bún or dry-style noodle, it was really dry and blunt which I wouldn't recommend at all unless served with a small bowl of soup.

Truthfully, I love this eatery outlet that serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine after having multiples times of dinner at Vietnam Kitchen(which serves localised vietnamese cuisine). I will and definitely make a revisit but I shall give O'viet a go first since I'm not a regular shopper of Pavilion KL. With that, I'll forever ditch Vietnam Kitchen!

28 days to usher the Year of Tiger, are you ready? Oh wait, Valentine's Day of Chinese New Year?

Phuket FantaSea

2010-01-15T01:28:00.001+11:00

Phuket FantaSea, a nighttime fun-for-all entertainment complex that is definitely a "must see" for visitors to Phuket just like Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. I would say Phuket FantaSea has the same concept as Mines Wonderland Theme Park, theme park with carnival games, a shopping village, restaurant and the spectacular show. The only distinctive difference is Phuket FantaSea is giga times better than Mines Wonderland.

Honestly, the structure of Phuket FantaSea totally blew me away. The island is as large as Singapore and yet the whole place was marvelously done!

Carnival Village or the shopping paradise is rather huge but we did not have sufficient time to walk around except eyeing on products. But there were more to see beyond that... ie parades, craft demonstrations, street shows, live bands, elephant rides and much more!

The Golden Kinnaree Buffet Restaurant, is one of world's grandest and Asia's largest buffet restaurant which seats 4,000 people. The restaurant is located inside the mystical FantaSea complex with approximately 200 waiters and 6 bars that offers a range of delicious meals including Royal Thai dishes and international delicacies.

The marvelous cultural show, aptly titled Fantasy Of A Kingdom Show is the award-winning Las Vegas style production spectacle colorfully blending the beauty of Thai Culture with magical illusions, magic show, cultural dances, acrobatics (who performed from the ceilings above the audience), special effects (the bombs!), and grand finale featuring over 30 elephants (I kid you not, this theatre could fit in 30 elephants!). A totally thrilling and unforgettable theatrical experience I can guarantee! Obviously,what amused me was the animals from elephants to even chicken and birds (yes, they were all on stage running about!). I had already felt like I were in fantasy world!

Wait till you watch Fantasy of a Kingdom and you'll know what does this structure symbolize.

Overall, I quite like this place in many aspects, the professionalism, the atmosphere that brings you to fantasy world, great show, scrumptious food and not forgetting elephants although there were money grabbing opportunities. Like it or not, ticket sold at approximately THB1400 that includes buffet and show is definitely worthy.

Someone, please steal it back?

Gone and Past

2010-01-08T23:16:00.001+11:00

Last year was the Year

of Auspicious wedding year..
I could flash my IC and enter casino legally ..
I had the one and only "grand" birthday bash in my life..
I traveled to New Zealand, Melbourne, Phuket and back to hometown, Malaysia..
I achieved great results which I'd never expected..
I received camera speedlight for birthday from Mr Dee and I couldn't stop flashing it at everyone. Beware when I call you! Muahaha
Mr Dee decided to travel to Sydney after much of annoying pester from me :P
I checked into new room and got to know a great and awesome housemate from Hong Kong. Dear Alice, how're you doing?
I had most cuisines of the year and hence my blog is slowly transforming that was from personal lifestyles to food blog :P
I became humble, gave the iPod touch to brother and stick to all-in-one iPhone. ps: it was dad's decision to give him, or else I would have sold it. Grrrrrrr!
I had the first sip of Guinness stout and it was good. Second glass was better and the third glass has proven its addictive!

Skybar was sumptously done, lavish, and luxurious which has what it takes in guarantee you an intoxicating, glorious and splendid view that you'd never forget. Accompanied by cool drinks, stimulating songs played by gorgeous DJ, and not forgetting a stone's throw away is the glow from the illuminated towering twin wonders of Petronas that is meant to be limelight.

A swimming pool is featured in the middle of Sky Bar. Watch out for those on high heels, make sure you don't fall into the pool, it's shallow my dear.

Long Island Tea

Tiga Ma Lat Lou

2009 was indeed my greatest and most exciting year so far. The combo of work, travel, studies, and events that I had done followed by the effort I'd put has yield a great satisfaction.I'm very much happy, bliss and fortunate for the results I got and 6 months of holiday in Malaysia. The year has gone and it's now past. Not looking back, but moving forward. It may be too late to reveal my new year resolution but better be late than never.

And so what's my new year resolution?

to graduate with flying colors! Check!

to travel as much as I could before leaving Sydney. If possible, it would be New Zealand and Christmas Island! Check!

save, save, and save till I get a ticket back home on June, if I could! Check!

Finally the weekend has come and I shall compensate all the sleep that were lost since Christmas day. With that, I bid you good night.

Healy Mac's @ Changkat Bukit Bintang

2009-12-17T23:36:00.004+11:00

It was a holiday and Friday night when Lern had a craving after watching Man vs Wild, wild boar! The first choice was Bermuda & Onion but I did not want to have it for 3rd time aka so sick of it. Second choice was Werner's but unfortunately they don't serve pork.

At last, we landed at Healy's Mac, an Irish Bar and restaurant that serves beer, beef, lamb, seafood and most essentially, PORK!

A Pint of Guinness - RM20

His hobby of drinking guinness is back on track!

Seafood Carbonara Spaghetti - RM33.00

I was never a big fan of any food that relates to creamy.As for this, prawn, bacons, parmesan cheese, rich cream and white wine blended so well with the springy and firm spaghetti. Me love it!! Besides the serving portion was really generous as we were given 7 fresh prawns. Though we were here for pork ribs, carbonara spaghetti simple stole the limelight. Honestly, I was very very much attracted to seafood carbonara spaghetti than pork ribs.
ps: I had it all by myself!

Roasted Pork Spare Ribs - RM49

Pork Spare ribs are roasted in a rich dark bbq sauce until fork tender and the meat was remained moist and juicy. Scrumptious and no additional bbq sauce is needed! To be honest, I felt it's better than the pork ribs I've tried in B&O, Dave's, and Elcerdo.

Three consecutive weeks of insufficient sleep yields a pale face :(

It's a great place to hang out but not recommended for dating though as it's an al-fresco and bar concept with noisy music played. I did feel awkward seeing people on my left, right and front were sipping their beer while I was having candle lite dinner with Lern. As a whole, the food was beyond my expectation but the limited choices was the letdown. Anyhow, I would definitely make another trip here for other fancier dishes, ie PORK KNUCKLE!

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?