Little Heritage House @ Section 17, PJ

Little Heritage House

A 'Little Heritage House' opened up in Section 17, PJ (sandwiched between The Gastro Project and Yokotaya Japanese Restaurant), and it is literally a heritage house. The facade and entrance of the restaurant may mislead you into imagining yourself entering a Baba & Nyonya museum in Malacca. In a little postcard / leaflet given out during the opening month, Little Heritage House is described as a...

'.... timeline concept dining experience dedicated to the revival of the Straits Chinese culture...... to exhibit the material culture contextually while allowing diner to 'relive' bygone times and 'my grandmother' memory......... this project will lead to young generations to understand the bygone culture and appreciate their 'heritage & heirlooms'.......'

Old is gold

Every piece is a beauty - the grandeur furniture, the olden kitchenware, the antique lamps and window panes and the stained cowboy doors. Once you step your foot in, it's literally a 'blast from the past' and immediately you're transported to the glory 'our grandmother' era.


Barley lemon and nutmeg cooler - RM4 & RM8


Penang rojak - RM10


Kiam chye soup - RM28


Assam prawns - RM33


Grilled sambal brinjal - RM22


Inche kabin - RM28

The menu was limited to only authentic Nyonya cuisine. For 3 pax, we ordered in small portions so that we could sample more dishes. In all honesty, I think the food was great, absolutely no complains for the main dishes - prawns were fresh and succulent, kiam chye soup was sour and homely as it should, the inche kabin (nyonya fried chicken with spices and coconut milk, deep fried twice) was hot and delicious, and oh brinjal and sambal how can anything possibly go wrong, goes well with rice too...

My only grouse was the drinks, which were priced too expensive in my (purse's) opinion.  


Complimentary homegrown pineapple from the 'backyard'

It must either be our lucky day or the owner was being generous to offer us this cute little pineapple said to be homegrown in their backyard. On normal days, you would need to pre-order in advance if you would like this as desserts. Oh, trust me you would want to pick up that phone and pre-order them cos it's really good - very sweet and refreshing.


Dine like an imperial Chinese royal upstairs

Granted that prices are steep, but if you are into antiques, you would really wanna start planning your weekday and weekend dinners and make sure you have one night scheduled here ;-)



Little Heritage House
No. 23, Ground & First Floor,
Jalan 17/56,
46400 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.
Tel: 03-79321810


* Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

Ichiro Sushi Bar (Revisit) @ 1 Utama

Yamagata - RM66
Chu-toro, Salmon, Hiramasa, Ika, Amaebi, Eel, Akagai, Salmon roe, Sea urchin

After our maiden visit to Ichiro, we decided to return again and we did it twice in the past 2 months or so. On our last visit, we were determined to sample all their nigiri sushies but apparently their menu is not fixed -- we realised this when flipping through the iPad menu, there were over 2 pages of nigiri sushies to choose from but has reduced to 1 page and additional of other sashimi sets and ala carte items. Feeling (a tad) disappointed, we went for the Yamagata set which gave us 10 pieces of sushi topped with the kitchen's freshest for the day.


Soft shell crab roll - RM18


Salmon maki - RM4

Boy, the disappointment just disappeared at the very moment the first piece of sushi went into the mouth. Every piece was hand crafted with the freshest of ingredients, even the cheapest and usually simplest item on the menu (salmon maki) was excellent. We also went for a soft shell crab roll, though nothing much to shout about.


Tamago nigiri - RM7 (2 pcs)

On our 3rd visit, we were looking for tummy fillers so we ordered a set of tamago nigiri (2 pcs), which we had wanted to try on our 1st visit but not available. Now, the colour of the tamago did put us off a little bit when we saw it but remember what did the wise man say? "Never judge a book by it's cover"... and never judge a tamago by its colour! Simple but delicious.


Chawan mushi - RM6


Grilled salmon roll - RM18

Having had the chawan mushi as part of the sashimi and Yamagata set on our 1st and 2nd visit, I just have to order the chawan mushi as part of ala carte as we didn't have order any sets in our 3rd visit. The chawan mushi is one of the best in town I would dare say. Silky smooth and piping hot, I could eat this every day! The grilled salmon roll was excellent too, lightly torched and flavourful, we would (seriously) recommend this.

Can you tell I'm already looking forward to return again???

Earlier entry: http://yilinglim.blogspot.com/2013/01/ichiro-sushi-bar-1-utama.html



Ichiro Sushi Bar
Eat Paradise
2nd floor Isetan,
1 Utama Shopping Center (old wing),
Petaling Jaya.


* Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

CNY Dinners #3 @ Imperial Garden, PJ

Prosperity Salmon & Sea Bird's Nest Yee Sang

As with the eve till every single 15 days of the CNY, feasting is a must. Usually focus is given to the Reunion dinner on the eve of the 1st day of CNY and Chap Goh Mei -- the 15th and last day of CNY. I made a booking at Imperial Garden, one of the Chinese restaurants under the Tai Thong Group. It was our first try with Imperial Garden. Going for the easy way, we took a pick from the set menus available -- RM448.00++ for 6 pax.


Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat


Suckling Piglet


Steamed Mandarin Fish with Preserved Vegetables


Baked Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk


Sauteed Mushroom with Fish Maw & Dried Oysters


Fried Rice with Waxed Meat & Anchovies


Double-Boiled Sea Coconut with Ginseng & Snow Fungus


Chinese New Year Fancy Duets

Boy, lesson learnt. Never go for set menus during festive seasons. They're usually:
1. Generic
2. Cooked up with fancy names on the menu to entice
3. Quality is below par
4. Expensive

The dishes were less than impressive. Yee Sang was below par, sharks fin was mediocre at best, suckling pig was oily, fish was not too smooth, prawns were so-so, vegetarian dish was average, we were too stuffed by the time fried rice arrived so it was a takeaway, and the desserts were crap.

I should have just spend RM500.00++ elsewhere. A plate of nasi lemak would have satisfied us better. I guess we'll just stick to the more reliable and consistent Palace and Oriental Group.



Imperial Garden by Tai Thong
7th Floor, Intan Square
No.3, Lorong Utara C,
46200 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-79566868


* Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

Yokotaya @ Section 17, PJ

Maguro zuke don - RM31.80
Sashimi tuna on rice


This is fresh from lunch today. We went to check out the Japanese place that opened up along the row of shops where The Gastro Project is. Yokotaya occupies 2 shoplots, making it very spacious with few formats of seating, i.e. tatami-style, diner-style or simple table & chairs.


Nigiri and zaru soba set - RM44.80

The menu is pretty extensive with multiple choices of ala carte and sets available. We picked the maguro don (tuna sashimi on rice) and a set that has both cold soba and assorted sushi. Service was a bit slow event though there was just 2 tables. Food was ok, not superbly great. The maguro don was nicely done but does not justify the > RM30 pricetag. Actually neither does the sushi and soba set. Prices are definitely too steep for common Japanese fare, which the likes of Sushi Tei could compare... at probably 1/4 of price less.


Chawan mushi

Still, I suppose it's a nice new addition to the nearby neighborhood and places to splurge... if it's on anyone else's budget but your own ;-)



Yokotaya
17G, Jalan 17/56,
Section 17,
Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-79317003


Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

Menya Musashi @ 1 Utama

Not a fan of ramen, my favourite Japanese noodle would be the cold soba, but we gave this a shot anyway. Quite hard to be missed by all the actions in the kitchen, Menya Musashi made its mark with the first outlet in 1 Utama, hidden within the Eat Paradise section of Isetan.



Shiro (onion oil with 3 pieces of pork slices) - RM26


Kuro (with special fried shallot broth and 2 pieces of pork slices) - RM24

Ramen has never been cheap even at the mass ramen outlets like Ajisen Ramen. The other famous ramen eatery that we have is Marutama Ramen at Empire Shopping Centre. A bowl of the most basic (i.e. 2 slices of pork, half lava egg, clear broth) will sure to set you back at least RM20. We tried 2 variants, one with clear shallot oil broth and the other with special fried shallot (black broth looks a little scary though). Our overall verdict? It's ok, broth is flavourful but since neither of us are fans of this Japanese noodle, I think we'll give it a pass for a second visit.

Instead, we'll spend the same RM20 savouring 4 pieces of sushies at Ichiro!



Menya Musashi
Eat Paradise
2nd floor Isetan,
1 Utama Shopping Center (old wing),
Petaling Jaya.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MenyaMusashiMalaysia


Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

Ichiro Sushi Bar @ 1 Utama

Heaven in a Japanese bowl : Salmon sashimi with ebiko on rice - RM30

How I took so long to discover Ichiro is beyond me. Eating at an authentic sushi bar in Japan has always and still is in my bucket list. Not the kaiten style (conveyor belt), but those little sushi bars that seats less than 10 pax at the chef's counter and all you eat is just sushi and sashimi (watch Jiro's Dreams of Sushi).

Ichiro is in some ways resembles the little sushi bars that I had imagined. This little sushi corner seats no more than 20 pax, with maybe about 6 seats at the chef's counter. The menu is displayed via an iPad and ordering is also through the tablet.



Assorted sashimi for 2 - RM60


Heaven on a plate of ice

For our maiden visit, we tried the salmon sashimi with ebiko on rice and an assorted sashimi for 2. One can really see and taste the chef's knife skills especially the thinly sliced transluscent salmon sashimies. The cuts are nicely done for the sashimi platter as well. There is only one word to describe... FRESH. So fresh, you can almost taste it dancing in your mouth! I skimmed through all the tips posted on foursquare about Ichiro, the same adjective is used too. I read blogs for Ichiro's review, and again the same is mentioned over and over again.

Prices may be steep (after all, you'll expect the same for quality Japanese food), but it's really worth the splurge and we are considering to return for just the sushies... (roughly calculated, per piece is at an average RM5-6, it'll approximately cost RM120+ to try all the sushies available).



Ichiro Sushi Bar
Eat Paradise
2nd floor Isetan,
1 Utama Shopping Center (old wing),
Petaling Jaya.



* Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

The Gastro Project @ Section 17, PJ

The Gastro Project bar

Joining the buzzing foodscene in PJ's Section 17 is The Gastro Project. It is located at the visible corner lot of the new block of shops next to Decanter / Bistro à Table / Verona Trattoria. PJ folks are really lucky that more quality eateries are sprucing up, so there is no need to drive all the way to KL for that good bite of food and good sip of drinks.


Project 'Ade' (mango, lychee, tea) & Passionade - RM8


Prawn bisque - RM15


Roasted tomatoes stuffed with mince lamb - RM15

Just opened for about a fortnight, the menu looks promising- offering simple and nothing too complicated selections of entrees, mains and desserts. Choices are not aplenty, but sometimes the lack of it can make food ordering a lot more easy and faster. Our choices of prawn bisque and roasted tomatoes were excellent. One of the better versions of prawn bisque that is creamy in texture but has deep flavour of roasted prawn shells (wish the bowl was deeper!) The roasted tomatoes was good too but felt that the price could be too steep for just 3 cherry tomatoes.


Greek Pizza (feta, olives, roasted artichokes, sun dried tomatoes) - RM25


Crabmeat aglio-olio with chilli flakes - RM20


Meat tortellini in cream sauce - RM20


Fried steak and onion pie - RM20

No flaws in the mains, we love the pizza though unfortunately the kitchen ran out of artichokes and we were not informed. We feedbacked accordingly (afterall, artichokes is the main ingredient of the pizza... and they're expensive too), and got this off the bill. The pastas were executed well - crabmeat aglio olio was well loaded although the meat tortellini was just ordinary. The fried steak and onion pie caught our eye, pastry was nice though the filling were a little heavy on black pepper.


Chocolate rum ball - RM15

Stuffed but 3 little chocolate rum balls will do no harm. The rum balls were too mild (not for Alcoholics!) and again, felt this was also a little pricey.

Happy hour starts from 5-8pm and overall food and drink prices are reasonable. Unlike a project which has a time period of start to end, we hope The Gastro Project doesn't and looking forward to return!



The Gastro Project
No. 25, Jalan 17/56,
Section 17, Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.
(new block of shops, same row as Decanter PJ)


* Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

Allo Paris @ Damansara Perdana

Ahi katsu with ginger and wasabi sauce (RM15.90)
Breaded yellowfin tuna loin served with ginger and wasabi sauce

There's always a new makan place in town opening every other day and joining the foodscene in Damansara Perdana is Allo Paris. I came to know about Allo Paris through the alternate days 4sq check-in by my friend and later found out that his friend owns this new eatery and he told me he has almost tasted everything on the menu!


Cream of mushroom (RM6.90)
A classic veloute of mushroom made from fresh button mushrooms served with a swirl of cream

Since the Ahi Katsu has been tried, tasted and blogged to death, we decided to taste it for ourselves. For such serving and cuts at such pricing I would forgive that it doesn't taste great but not half bad either- perhaps because I generally do not prefer breaded food. The mushroom soup was also forgiven for the lack of mushroom taste presence, I feel it's too light and doesn't leave me wanting more.


Mentaiko pasta (RM13.90)
Pasta, cooked with Japanese daishi stock base, tossed in mayo and codfish

The mentaiko pasta was anticipated having tasted Ploy's version which received thumbs up and made us on the lookout for other eateries' version of the same Japanese fusion pasta. Unfortunately Allo Paris's version did not impress as we suspect it's not mentaiko (spicy) but ebiko being used and the mayo was a tad too much making it instantly filling.


Salmon steak with yuzu beurre blanc (RM21.90)
A peppercorn crusted salmon steak served with potatoes roasted in duck fat and a fennel salad with yuzu beurre blanc



I wanted a non-meat dish and decided to go for this salmon dish (always a sucker for fancy names but never knew what they were). Yuzu is a citrus fruit that looks a little like mandarin orange and is widely used in Japanese cuisines. Beurre blance is also known in French as 'white butter' where a whole butter is blended off with a reduction of vinegar and/or white wine and grey shallots. The salmon dish offers us some consolation and is pretty well marinated.


Apple Julep (RM7.90)
Refreshing drink with a mixture of apple juice, syrup and topped with soda water

New eateries are no stranger to hits and misses and Allo Paris is of no exception. We applaud the affordability and value for money (nice ambiance and set up, with eye candies for the boys - a luxury and supercar showroom next to it), we will definitely be back to sample other dishes... and we wish the dessert menu could be extended too.

Merry Christmas ya'll.


Allo Paris
Ritze Perdana 2,
No.3, Jalan PJU 8/1,
Damansara Perdana,
47820 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.
Tel: 03-7732 9909
Business hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm


* Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

I'm Spicy (Thai) at Seksyen 17, PJ

Fried chicken wings (RM18)

People usually think of My Elephant or Khuntai when they want to go for thai food in PJ. Unknown to many that there is actually another option in PJ - I'm Spicy, which is located a little bit hidden from the main road but regular visitors to Kanna Curry House will be able to locate it as it's just the same row at the corner.


Fried chicken skin (RM12)


Tom Yam Gai (RM20)


Thai Omelette Prawn (RM15)


Thai Omelette Pork (RM15)


Deep fried tofu and minced meat (RM18)


Thai green chicken curry (RM20)


Pork Ribs (RM25)

My colleague suggested I'm Spicy to celebrate my birthday. I have always wanted to give I'm Spicy a try but has never gotten around to do so... the suggestion to have dinner here was indeep very apt! There were 9 of us and we ordered 8 dishes with the tom yam and pork ribs double portion. Food wise, it's comfort thai food - tom yam to whet the appetite, omelette just like mom's home cooked, fried chicken wings, pork ribs and chicken skin for those who don't mind some protein and extra calories, I love the silky smooth tofu and the green curry goes really well with rice.


I'm Spicy house drink (RM12/jug)

With all the spicyness from the tom yam, it's best to order a jug of their house drink which is essentially an ice blended lime lemon minty concoction that is both refreshing and soothing. Whilst the ambiance is cosy (at least I feel it's not as 'packed' as MyElephant) and the establishment is brightly lit, my only grudge is the pricing - I think it is a little too steep.

I wouldn't mind returning though as doing a walk-in at MyElephant is usually impossible without advanced reservation.

Thanks to my colleagues for the treat ;-)


I'm Spicy
No. 1, Ground Floor,
Jalan 17/45,
46400 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7954 2281 / 7954 2271


* Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]