la bodega bangsar

last friday, we went to la bodega @ jalan telawi, bangsar for jade's 19th birthday dinner. for most of us, it was our first time there so we didnt know what to expect (food and pricing). i managed to do alil reading before heading out and found out that la bodega is famous for its selection of tapas and alcohol (wine) and it is part of the gastrodome group which also manages the atrium, telawi street bistro and such. needless to say, it was an atasan place.

true enough, selection process was long as there were so many items on the menu, and most of them are not in english! and they werent any pictures either, just brief descriptions of each item on the menu. after what seemed like forever, these are the drinks we had.

my iced chocolate- rm9

jill's pink guava juice- rm8

param's mojito- rm21

fernie's sex on the beach- rm21

rong jiang's margarita- rm24

jade & elaine's sole still water (1liter)- rm16

and what seemed like forever again, these were our selection of Entrées...

r.champinones- rm20
button mushroom tapas

r.caracoles- rm18
escargots tapas

olive oil vinegar for bread dipping

... and mains:

my steak pie- rm19
cubes of beef tenderloin wrapped in puff pastry

rong jiang's salmon fettucine- rm28

param's mushroom risotto- rm26

fernie's cold roast leg of lamb- rm17

jill's spaghetti marinara- rm24

elaine's spaghetti carbonara- 26

jade's beef tenderloin- rm65

complimentary tiramisu cake

food was great, ambience was great, price was standard bangsar-atasan place (but cheaper compared to chinoz klcc) but service on that night wasnt that great. in fact, it was reeeaaaaaally slowwwwww. it took us about 2 hours plus to 3 to finish the dinner.

total bill- rm393.30 (rm50 goes to taxes alone!!)

definitely a once-in-a-blue-moon indulgence...

and two for the album!
(L-R): rong jiang, elaine, jade, jill, me, fernie, param

la bodega
16-18, jalan telawi 2,
bangsar baru,
59100 kuala lumpur.
(parking can be a hassle on a weekend night)


[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

sushi zanmai #2 @ sunway pyramid

this is a revisit to sushi zanmai. you can read my review on the first visit here (contains more food as i went with 2 other friends).

i went to sushi zanmai again last friday after having some solo retail therapy (yes, i really like to go shopping alone OR with my sisters). anyway, sushi zanmai still tops my fav place to go for real good and affordable japanese cravings.

a glass of hot ryokucha- rm1 (refillable house green tea) to start the meal.

soft shell crab maki- rm6
ahhh... my fav soft shell crabs!! yumm yummz!

chicken katsu udon/soba/ramen- rm8.80 (small)
udon, soba or ramen noodle with chicken cutlet

i chose udon as it is my fav japanese noodle (among udon, soba and ramen). the servings were generous considering that it is only rm8.80 for small and rm15.80 for large. the fried chicken cutlets were very soft and fluffy but maintaining its crispy outlook. also again, for rm8.80, the chicken served was generous in portions. as for the udon, its nice as well as the broth is very flavourful.

total bill- rm18.17 inclusive taxes of 10% + 5%

ahhh... satisfying to the last bite! i love sushi zanmai :-)

sushi zanmai
lot ob2-f1, sunway pyramid (old wing),
no.3, jalan pjs 11/15,
46150 bandar sunway,
petaling jaya, selangor.
03-74923080

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

uncle cheng special beef noodle

meant to update this early in the morning but was out from morning till midnight. teehee :D
went to live & loud kl for the world music, culture and heritage concert and it was awesome! the performances i mean except the final parts where akedemi fantasia peeps (read: mawisux) came on the stage and we just left. sorry we were there for WORLD music, not akademi fantasia (esp. mawi grrr).

anyway!! located in the vicinity of seksyen 17 (again) is a coffeeshop by the name of khasiat cafeteria. and in this particular coffeeshop, there is a famous beef noodles stall and it is run by mr julian cheng- hence the name uncle cheng special beef noodles (uncle cheng refers to mr julian's father). blogged by many floggers, i decided to bring khian here for our breakfast meet up last wednesday.

beforehand, i read from kampungboycitygal that this is a must try item- beef tenderloin soup. now, julian cheng is not your typical noodle seller. this man speaks english and is a former chef in shangri-la hotel, production manager of gloria jean's cafe and chef (??) of swensen's before starting up his own business by selling beef noodles. it does seems a little weird but as they say, there's a tale to tell behind every action!

beef tenderloin soup- rm8
the best part of the cow is all here! damn its good (except the parsley, yuck!)

special beef noodles- rm8

the beef noodles are ONLY served with lai fun and no other noodles. according to julian, who sat down and explained each and every ingredient in the noodles to us... his beef noodles are very special and ONLY he has the recipe as it is a mixture of east and west style.

i dont have any complains as looking at the pictures make me wanna drool for the beef noodles NOW. it was really good, something different from the usual beef noodles. im not a very big fan, neither do i eat it very often but i find uncle cheng beef noodles is really something i would crave for.

ive been craving for beef, beef and beef of late... i love beeeeeeeeeef :-)

julian cheng is blogger-friendly too

julian told us he'll be moving out from the coffeeshop soon and open his own shop selling beef noodles and alot more goodie good food. not too sure when and where though... call to ask k!

highly recommended place guys, in fact i hope to be getting my second fix soon (before he moves out)!!

uncle cheng special beef noodle
@ restoran khasiat cafeteria
jalan seksyen 17/12,
petaling jaya.
(shops at the residential area right beside happy mansion apts)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

golden mushroom asparagus bacon maki

cagayan's version

still on D-I-Y posts, today i will attempt to teach you guys how to make golden mushroom asparagus bacon maki like the one in cagayan's. it's very easy too- accomplished in 4 easy peasy steps!

Step 1: Prepare ingredients- asparagus, enoki mushroom, bacons, toothpicks, oil.

Step 2: Roll them into like this and fasten them with toothpicks or spring onion if you prefer ;-)

Step 3: Drizzle a little oil on pan and put in rolled maki-es. Cook until bacon and mushroom browns and asparagus softens.

Step 4: Dish up and serve!

*important #tips- after washing bacon, remember to use kitchen towel to dry them up or bacon will contain water and becomes juicy when served. this dish is not supposed to be too juicy ;-)

have fun cooking!

**********

the weekend is here!

yesterday night i went to skybar @traders hotel. it was awesome! will blog about it soon!

baked salmon with potatoes

this is a great no frills recipe that i want to share with you guys living abroad/by yourself. i didnt mention "cheap thrills" as salmon isnt exactly very cheap, but sometimes you get it cheap at hypermarkets :)

i got the recipe from here. it is an ala-jamie oliver recipe. trust me, it is so simple that even a cooking n00b like me can do this.

ingredients:

1. salmon fillets
   
2. butter
   
3. rosemary
4. mixed herbs
5. olive oil
   
6. a pinch of salt
7. grounded black pepper
8. lemon slices
9. tomatoes slices
10. potatoes (about 1 medium sized potato for one fillet)
    

Step 1: Prepare ingredients.

Step 2: Parboil potatoes with skin until it softens. After about 25mins or so, cool down potatoes with cold water and skin them. Slice them up in wedges form (or slices if you prefer).

Step 3: Line baking tray with aluminium foil and put salmon in. Throw in parboiled potatoes, tomatoes and a slice or two of lemon. Ground black pepper on top, sprinkle some rosemary, mixed herbs, salt and drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil. Top it all off with a small slab of butter.

Step 4: Wrap up the goodies filled parcel and pop it into the oven. Bake at 180 celcius for about 15 mins or until flesh is flaky that it detaches from bones.

Step 5: SERVE!

wholesome meal

do try it out! its as easy as you read it, really...

important #tips- make sure you parboil the potatoes until they are 80% soft. mine failed (still alil hard) cos i didnt boil them long enough. also, dont squeeze too much lemon on the salmon, or else lemon taste will be overpowering ;-)

healthy no frills meal, as good as it looks and sounds :)

chocolate fruits fondue

cant afford ridiculously priced fondue sessions ?? well, make it yourself then !!

all you need is any fruits of your choice... except maybe durian-lah !! but if you wanna try, go ahead !!

# tips- soak fruits that brown easily with lemon juice to prevent them from browning fast ;-)

kiutsy lil mandarin oranges

pears and red apples

kiwies

mango tango

going banana over bananas

carrerful fruit platter

next, using only the finest chocolate couverture (my sis works in a choc company, remember ??) ...

wait for choc to melt... and wait... and wait... and wait... (actually it melts pretty fast)

smooth fine chocolate dip
(p/s: the device is a real fondue device by mistral)

a *snap* before we attack !!

yumm... yummz ;-)

of all the fruits, bananas compliment the choc most !! so if you're planning to do this at home, buy more bananas yah !!

oh yeah, you cant just melt the chocolate by direct heat... it has to be double-boiled :)

**********

shameless advertorial: since we're on the subject of chocolates... i'll be working in bangsar village together with 2 other friends (param & jill) manning the fidani chocolatier booth from 7th- 28th dec. please come and find me k !! also if you need xmas pressies... we've got really great quality chocolates and packagings specially made for xmas !!

cheeeeeerios :)

p/s: ive been cooking alot of late ! im no longer the "perfect epitome of one who eats but doesnt cook" as written in my profile !! HAHA. recipes coming up soon !! stay tune ;-)