Meaty House @ USJ

* NON-HALAL POST


Param's so hottttt he melted the cake! :p

It was Param's birthday last Monday. This September month is full of birthdays, one day after another! It was a very last minute plan to surprise Param and no prize for guessing who was put in charged of finding a place to wine&dine ;)

After some considerations, I suggested Meaty House at USJ Taipan since it's nearby Subang.


Pork chop


Sausages and pork belly


German Ham steak


Lamb chop with mint sauce


German Pork Knuckle- RM29.80


Pork ribs

The German Pork Knuckle is inarguably the most famous item in the menu as many who have been there are all praises for its affordability and value-for-money. At only RM29.80 (that's not even RM30, physcological pricing), a big chunck of pork knuckle sits atop your dinner plate with some fries as side. It is all meaty, fatty and crispy... sinfully artery clogging.

While the sausages and pork ribs taste equally good, the presentation of meals speaks eitherwise. It feels like my mom's been in the kitchen doing all the cooking. It doesn't taste bad, only that it has a very homely feel to the meals, especially the fries which looked like they have come straight from the deep fryer we have at home.

It was a very quiet Monday night as we were the only customers throughout the night. The owner is very accomodating and eccentric at some points (he remembers dishes in the menu by the number not the name!). We ended the night with a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake and 2 bottles of wine (one red, one white) for our alcoholic friend who has just turned 23 :-p

Happy Birthday!


Meaty House
37, Jalan USJ 10/1D,
Taipan Triangle,
Subang UEP, Selangor.
Tel: 03-56335634

[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.]

Eating at EDEN

Eden Restaurants, as I remember, have been around for agesssss. But believe it or not, last Wednesday's dinner marked my first visit to this (pretty) well-known restaurant. Vic Kie is back from UK for good and was down in Subang for job interviews and so we decided to meet up along with Kai Yang and Ziling. We headed to the Subang Parade branch as Subang seems to be the mid/(meeting) point of everywhere!

I have read many reviews about Eden and I can tell you 9 out of 10 gave it a bad review. But I supposed since it's my first, I should give the benefit of the doubt.


Executive Set Meal Menu- RM34.90+ per person

After flipping through the menu, I decided to settle on the Executive Set Meal (RM34.90+) as other ala carte mains cost more or less the same. I chose the French Onion Soup as starter, BLT Steak on Olio Pasta as mains, Tiramisu as dessert and a cup of Tea to wash it all down.


French Onion Soup

Firstly, the French Onion Soup came as a huge disappointment. You don't even have to taste it, one look at the colour will tell you it is diluted and tasteless. Perhaps they should learn from Gaucho Grill, look at the texture and color differences! Tsk tsk tsk.


BLT Steak on Olio Pasta
a juicy piece of tenderloin steak sits atop a bed of olio pasta, sauteed and flavored to perfection


So juicy... I like ;)

The mains, BLT Steak on Olio Pasta came very appealing in terms of presentation. The BLT (Bacon Lettuce Tomato) was something extra and pretty special I would say although there's nothing to shout about, I mean how wrong can a bacon, lettuce and tomato combination get?? The tenderloin steak, which I requested to be done medium was the saving grace of the whole meal! It was so tender, so juicy, melts in your mouth and just so addictive. I would have been happier if they told me they ran out of pasta and BLT and instead gave me a bigger portion of the steak. Hehe.


Tiramisu

Things went downhill again after the steak. The tiramisu came in a cup not bigger than your chinese tea cup. Expecting for some tiramisu taste, all I got was a cup of creamy cheese with no more than 5% of tiramisu taste. The best tiramisu so far is still from Bermuda & Onion. And to make the whole dinner worst, even the tea is diluted!


Wild Mushroom Soup

Ziling had a wild mushroom soup and believe it or not, the soup was served cold! What was the kitchen thinking, I wonder...


Braised Hong Kong "EE FOO" Noodles with Seafood Combo- RM16.50

Her Braised HK Ee Foo Noodles with seafood combo didn't fare any better. Ee Foo noodles look and taste something like a mixed breed between longevity and wan tan noodles. The only 'seafood combo' is fish and prawns. The verdict? Your neighbourhood tai chow can do much much better at a much much lower price. Definitely a MISS.


Cantonese style Hong Kong "EE FOO" Noodles with beef tenderloin strips- RM13.50

Vic Kie had the Cantonese style HK Ee Foo Noddles with Beef Tenderloin Strips and it was so much better than the braised seafood version (cheaper too). There were quite a few beef strips and taste abit like char kuey teow (only it's with beef and not kuey teow). Not too bad but I don't quite like Ee Foo noodles :/

I forgotten to snap a picture of Kai Yang's Grilled Norwegian Salmon with Béarnaise Sauce (RM29.50).

Overall, there are more misses than hits. I would not suggest this place if you want to go for a tasty meal. The ambience however is pretty nice for a get-together meal as there's not much people, hence the space and silence to indulge in some gossip sessions.

Thanks Kai Yang for the dinner!


Eden Restaurant
Lot 31 & G29 Subang Parade,
No.5, Jalan SS 16/1,
47500 Subang Jaya.
Tel: 03-56377781
http://www.edenzil.com/fb_res_subang.php

[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.]

WIP Cafe @ Bangsar Shopping Center

Work. In. Progress.

WIP is a food joint that is gaining popularity among fellow Bangsar'ians and attracting non-Bangsar'ians to this part of the world where everything is imported, pricey and 'atasan class'. I was there a week ago with 3 other friends from college (Param, Joshan and Ashvin) to catch "Malaysia masa Kini" at Actors Studio, BSC. Will do a review on the play sometime later...

Normally before suggesting any place for meals, I will try to read up on the eatery first. I read that WIP is the brainchild of famous Soul'ed Out husband-wife team Fred and Michelle. Gosh, sometimes reading and seeing all these people opening one successful cafe/restaurant after another makes me feel like embarking on this gastronomic business too! Only that I have no capital/skills/network yet. So I shall go around eating and stealing people's ideas, HAHA.


Lychee martini- RM25

As always, it is great to start off the night/meal with a mild alcoholic drink. Friends who know us, no prize for guessing whose glass this belongs to... (Hint: Mr P)

;-)


Salmon steak and wild rocket salad- RM36
Norwegian salmon steak grilled to perfection and served with au gratin and fresh tomato salsa

Param also had the Salmon steak and wild rocket salad. Hey, speaking of which, I didn't have a taste of your dish Param! So if you have anything good/bad to say about the dish, do drop a comment and let us know aights! Presentation wise, I don't think there's any complains. Plus, what can ever go wrong with salmon? It's good regardless of pan fried, seared, smoked, sashimi'ed etc.


Chicken Makanwala- RM25
Boneless chicken tenderly cooked in a tangy butter sauce recipe. With vegetable masala, raitha, papadum and salad with mango dressing.

I had the Chicken Makanwala which comes highly recommended by many reviews I read. A fan of this Indian dish, butter chicken, the Makanwala didn't disappoint. In fact, I would have happily licked the golden bowl clean if not for the big portions. The chicken cubes are tender and perfect pair with the addictive butter gravy. The naans came perfectly done, crispy, fluffy and fresh. Definitely one of my favourite North Indian cuisine.


Northern Indian B.P. chicken- RM26
Northern Indian marinated boneless chicken cooked to perfection. Served with masala vegetables, dhal and chapatti.

We learnt a new acronym that night. I learnt from my previous visit to Jarrods & Rawlins that BLT stands for Bacon Lettuce Tomato, wonder what BP stands for? No, it's not Black (eyed) Peas, nor is it Batu Pahat. Buy you 1 ayam percik if you can guess! :-p

Ashvin had the Northern Indian B.P. chicken. I suppose even from the picture you can tell the chicken had a burst of indian flavour with the herbs and spices and the 'BP' ;-)



Lamb kebab on hot plate- RM29
Marinated lamb meat cooked on a sizzling hot plate over slow fire, with fresh asparagus on the side

What's really funny about this place (and that of Soul'ed Out) is it has a totally western name, western style deco and setting, but serves really awesome Indian food! This Lamb kebab on hot plate was ordered by Joshan, and it certainly made quite an entrance to the table due to the sizzlingzzzz of the hot plate. A few generious slabs of grilled lamb were served on a banana leaf with another plate of naan to lick the lamb gravy clean. Yum yum.

Just like its brother/sister cafe, Soul'ed Out, WIP Cafe also functions as a bar with cocktails, mocktails, wine and other liqueur and an array of other Western and Asian cuisine (such as the Sang Har Mein). It has a very nice ambience with funny costumes worn by the waiters which includes bright yellow tee and brown overall and complete with a light headgear (yes, we asked if it functions and the waitress happily obliged to show us the light). Another worthy visit would be the washroom as you'll need to know the password to enter!

Maybe somewhere hidden in the loo is a treasure box...


WIP Cafe
Lot G 111, Ground floor,
Bangsar Shopping Center,
285, Jalan Maarof,
59000 KL.
Tel: 03-20942789

[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.]

Chicken & prawn kuey teow @ Ipoh

Chicken & prawn Ipoh kueh tiow

This is one of the very backdated post. This Ipoh makan trip was 3 months back! Hehe, didn't I told you guys before that laziness and procrastinating is my forte?


Busy whipping up yummylicious noodles!

Located at the corner of Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri @ Ipoh is a kopitiam which has been around for ages... Can be very busy and packed with people at all times! I suppose this is nothing uncommon when you're in a food haven like good ol' Ipoh town. Anyway, right at the corner of this busy kopitiam is a stall which sells chicken & prawn kuey teow. We have been patronizing this shop ever since my sister, Eiling learns her Gu-zheng. What has kuey teow and Gu-zheng have in common, I hear you ask?

Well, the 'chef' in white above was Eiling's Gu-zheng teacher! Haha, didn't know a hawker can be a master in such fine art as Gu-zheng, did you? We have been loyal and regular customers of his noodles too.


Soda gembira

Hehe nola, it's not called soda gembira... it's one of the 'specialty' drink at this kopitiam, some rose syrup with 7up topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I remember my sisters and I used to pester our mom for this drink when we were younger but after growing up, we'll stick to the good ol' refreshing sugarcane. But the color looks pretty, doesn't it?


Ze prawns, ze chicken, ze noodles and ze chives

I have tried many chicken & prawn noodles but nothing comes close to this one. It is inarguably the best and our favourite too. And I absolutely love the orangy prawn oil... the ones I have had all come in pale orangy color and the chives, you can barely count with your fingers. This one comes loaded with chives (I used to dislike this green but some things change when you grow up!). Soup's so good that we always gulp till the last drop!


Prices- Small at RM3.80, Big at RM4.50

Honestly speaking, there's no cheap food in Ipoh anymore. It used to be around RM2.80 per bowl before this little town caught up with the rising costs and inflation. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for something good.

And just something extra,


Porky noodles

My favorite pork noodles of all time. I wrote a review on this before, so click here. At the background is my favoritest drink of all time- gingko barley! Satisfaction to the core!



Chicken & prawn kuey teow
Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri,
30300 Ipoh.

(I can't recall the name of the kopitiam, but it is located opposite the famous salted chicken shop, Aun Kheng Lim and Kamdar textile shop)

[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.]

Jalan-jalan Cari Bazaar Ramadhan @ Kelana Jaya

The crowd weaving through to get their well-deserved meals

Perhaps the only way to drown all the past week sadness is by food. If laughter is the best medicine, in my point of view, food comes second close or maybe even second to none. And what better way to indulge than to have a walk at one of the many mushrooming ramadhan bazaars in town! Smell, sight and sound.

After some 'researching', I suggested to head on to the bazaar in Kelana Jaya as it is on the way from after work. So, here are some pictures for you guys living abroad who can't be here for the ramadhan bazaars!


Ayam golek, a local version of kenny roger's on rotisserie!


The murtabak man


Satay, satay, satay galore!


Ayam percik, a local favourite


Satar Awie, a Malay delicacy- fish wrapped in banana leaf on skewers


Goreng ini, goreng itu


Soup from the North- Sup Utara


Grilled fish or more fondly known as ikan bakar


Very carrerful drinks, becareful about the coloring though ;-)


Fried noodles on kawah wok


Uniformed fried chicken rice


Onde-onde, everyone's favourite kuih!

The bazaar starts to close at about 7pm to make way for the traders to berbuka puasa. The Kelana Jaya bazaar occupies one whole stretch of road and is pretty extensive in food choices although you will find a number of stalls duplicating the usual suspects such as roti john, murtabak, nasi campur, and kuih-muihs.

* Oh, an extra tip: Nearing the closing time, prices will be slashed. We were particularly lucky to get 3 ayam perciks for only RM5.


Selamat berbuka puasa!
from us who did not fast but still managed to buka puasa together anyway- kenneth, me, ashvin, param and joshan :)


Kelana Jaya Ramadhan Bazaar
@ Jalan SS6/1
(Coming from LDP towards Sunway, turn in the junction after Yamaha and Customs building. Go straight till past first traffic light. The immediate turning on the left after the traffic light will lead you to the bazaar)

The week, in tears

Today I attended Uncle Peter's funeral service. To be honest, I have only attended a funeral once. That was when my great grandmother passed away about 10 years ago and it was a joyous occassion as she passed away due to really old age, and according to the Chinese, passing away at 100 years old and above should be celebrated and everyone should wear red. My great grandmother was 103.

Uncle Peter was only 42. At 42, he was perhaps one of the most successful person I've ever known. A Marketing and PR Director for Volvo Malaysia & the Asian hub, a filial son, a responsible big brother to 2 younger brothers (Uncle Peter's father passed away when they were young too and he took on the fatherly role to both his brothers, emotionally and financially), a loving husband, a doting father, a helpful neighbour, a good boss and colleague, a great friend and mentor, supportive, generous, fun... he was just such a good man.

In fact, I am still finding it hard to stomach his passing away. It still feels surreal and unbelievable as I wake up every morning and thought of this. The thought that out there, 4 houses away, one family's happiness was taken away overnight. For the past few mornings, I opened my eyes and prayed it was just a nightmare, but reality struck in, it isn't.

At the funeral service this afternoon, the moment I sat down, heard the funeral hymns, sermons, family member's testimonials of Uncle Peter's life, the things he said and the things he did, I broke into tears uncontrollably. When I lined up to pay my final respects, everyone before me came out in tears. I went in with tears and came out with even more tears. That was not even the most heartwrenching moment. The following 'final' moments was putting the casket top, and rolling out the casket to the hearse. By then, I was crying so badly, it felt like saying goodbye to a loved one. Only that the goodbye is forever and not see you soon.

The passing of Uncle Peter has affected me in so many ways I could have never imagined. In fact, I am still tearing as I write this. This week's events make me realize that (as cliche as it may sound) life is indeed fragile, unfair and full of uncertainties. The greatest pain of all is not labor pain, but the pain of losing a loved one. The greatest fear of all is not death, but losing a loved one forever.

In Loving Memory of Uncle Peter Hastie (1966-2008).

*

While I cry openly for the passing of a great man, our beloved country is crying foul for the arrests of RPK, YB Theresa Kok and Sin Chew journalist Tan. The draconian ISA was used again. The government is definitely nailing its own coffin, and if it really is, then I don't think I am the only one who will be happy for the downfall of this corrupted government.

That will be one funeral I am happy to attend.

Jarrod & Rawlins @ 1 Utama

Jarrod & Rawlins- Purveyors of Fine Food & Wine

If I were to be given a choice in my afterlife, I would choose to be a Chinese again. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not a Chinese supremist, but I really enjoy the freedom to 'eat what you want'.

One of the bestest thing being a Chinese, IMHO, is the freedom to eat "anything and everything crawling under the sun". Well unless you have certain faith, for e.g. some Chinese don't eat beef, the world is your stage dinner plate! Very sinful, I know :/

Oh before I go on to my delicious meal, sorry this is strictly a NON-HALAL post.


House red wine (RM15 per glass)

Joining the ranks of Fogal Meat Market, Euro Deli, Mr Ho's Fine Foods and the likes in the meats and delicatessen field is Jarrod & Rawlins, founded by Jarrod Chek and Denis Rawlins. The former is a wine connoisseur while the latter was in the delicatessen industry for many years. The best jobs in the world- to eat, drink and be merry!

I was there with a bunch of meat-loving friends last Wednesday. It was relatively quiet, maybe because it was a weekday night and nobody splurges on a porky meal on a weekday night except us. Hehe.

Param started off with a glass of house red wine (RM15) while the rest of us had free refillable plain water. He let me have a sip and indeed it was smooth and not too strong, a good accompaniment to a meaty meal.


ham and mushrooms


Grilled ham- so big and meaty!

Jill and Andy had their "appetizers" to kickstart the dinner. They both had a slice of glazed ham each, one in its original form while the other was grilled. Jill also had a serving of mushrooms (sorry i don't know in what style).


2 types of porky sausages and huge serving of fries with dippings


3 types of sausages, fries and dippings

For your information, this is how it basically works at J&R. You can either choose your mains from the menu, which has items from soups, salads, sandwiches, pies, hot wraps etc. If you want something different and customized, then proceed to the delicatessen counter and pick what you want on your dinner plate. There is an array of sausages, hams, bacons, and cheese! Your picks will be weighed and you'll be charged according to the weight of your picks, choose a side dish (mashed potato or fries) + RM12 for cooking fees!

p/s- Definitely not a place you want to go when you're broke :p


Streaky bacon (rm3.04), beef banger (rm5.21), pig in blanket (rm3.06), back bacon (rm1.95), lamb cranberry (rm3.86), glazed ham (rm3.60) with mashed potato and onion gravy

The above is what I had, the total bill summed up to RM36. Pretty damaging to the pocket but the dinner plate was awesome! I even salivate looking at the porky juicy sausages now... What I can deduce is that, while sausages in general are my comfort food, between chicken, beef and pork sausages, the pork one still tastes the best! At J&R, there's even a lamb sausage (lamb and cranberry- RM7.20 per 100g) which tastes great too- don't worry, no pungent lamb'ish smell/taste.


Pork chop (rm21.84) topped with picon blue cheese (rm12.31)

What's more delightful than seeing a big slab of pork and another big slab of blue cheese infront of you, all ready to be eaten? At RM35 per kg for the pork chop, Param's cut weighs a whopping 600g. The Picon blue cheese is definitely not for everyone, as most people cannot stomach the smell, if not the taste! While I am a fan of cheese in general and blue cheese too, I don't think I'll be able to lick clean Param's plate... too sated.


Lamb chop, streaky bacon and 2 types of sausages

Jen and David had a meat platter with a slab of lamb chop (rm62 per kg), a few streaky bacons, and 2 types of porky sausages. Both attacked the plate like Tarzan & Jane escaped from the jungle.

Hehe, just kidding!


Jarrod & Rawlins
G360, Ground Floor,
One Utama 1,
Lebuh Bandar Utama,
47600 PJ.
Tel: 03-77260708
www.jarrod-rawlins.com

Jarrod & Rawlins
No.36, Ground Floor,
Jalan 27/70a,
Desa Sri Hartamas,
50480 KL.
Tel: 03-23000708
Business hours: 11.00am-12.30am daily

[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.]