One Photo Post

D'Italiane Kitchen

d'italiane setting

Jaya 33 houses some of the best above average dining places- Nagomi Shabu Shabu, D'Italiane, Vietnam Kitchen etc. Bruno's didn't impress us much with the change of its menu, Nagomi Shabu Shabu was a pretty good dine out and D'Italiane was recommended due to its range of pasta dishes.

I like the white minimalist deco of the restaurant.


Mushroom Cream Soup- RM8.90

One of my favourite soups would be mushroom and/or french onion soup. D'Italiane's version was served in a generous ingot shaped bowl. The mushrooms were blended to create a thick creamy soup- yums!


Scallops Angel Hair Pasta- RM25.90

There are plenty of pasta dishes to choose from. My pick was this Scallops Angel Hair Pasta with rocket salad. The serving was huge! The rocket salad has its own distinct taste of course (actually I would say it's more for the acquired taste- not really my kinda raw vege), scallops were big and fresh. Overall pasta was nice but beware of the buldging tummy after you're done!


Mussels Aglio Oglio Pasta- RM23.90

The Mussels Aglio Oglio spots the usage of herbs to enhance the taste. As with the scallops, the mussels are big and fresh too. Another huge serving though. Advisable to share, seriously.

Will be off to Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) till next week! That's 8D7N and 5 days off from work, woohoooo!


d'italiane kitchen
PG-01B, Ground Floor Jaya 33,
Seksyen 13, 46100 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7956 3684

[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.]

Going Hokkien... Restoran Hua Xing

Work and study is no difference- at school, we wait for the recess bell to ring as it means makan time! and at work we wait for the clock to strike 12pm as it also means makan time! Therefore, the only thing we look forward to- whether in school or at work- is makan time!

That being said, lunch is an essential meal for the day especially when you're already half dead from the first half of the day and there's another half more to go. Lunch is where you recharge!!



By 'recharging', I mean having some sinful black Hokkien mee laden with crispy crackling pork lard. Powerrrrrrrrr. Everytime at Hua Xing, this is a sure order.



My lunch makan kaki also ordered the Ulu Yam Lor Mee. Thick yellow noodles (the same type used for Hokkien Mee) is cooked in a thick starchy gravy. I'm not really a fan of Lor Mee, would prefer Wat Tan Hor more.



This was also another first- Salted Egg Yolk Pork Ribs. Usually for the pork selection, we will go for the Braised Pork with Alkaline kuih. Salted egg yolk pork ribs is certainly quite special as usually it is with squid or crabs. Very addictive salted egg yolk bits :p



Another must order is this Deep Fried Eggplant with Garlic bits. This is a favourite among us and can be a 'once-you-pop-you-can't-stop' dish. The sliced eggplants are deep fried to perfection- crispy but maintaining a soft texture in the inside and those garlic bits further enhance the bland taste of eggplants. Yums!



And a plate of Kangkung Belacan for the perfect ending to a recharging meal.


Restoran Hua Xing
Lot1-12, 1st Floor,
Plaza Seri Setia,
Jalan SS9/2, Seri Setia,
Sungei Way 47300,
Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7876 3288
Business hours: 11:30-3:oopm, 6:00-10:00pm

[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.]

Emperor Q by Ministry Of Food

Emperor Q

This is my second time eating at Emperor Q. The first was sometime last year but I never blogged about it... Since I'm not a regular at Pavillion, I gave Emperor Q a revisit. Emperor Q may come as an eatery outlet with identity crisis, since the outlook of the outlet hints Chinese but the menu is of fusion- food with Chinese, Japanese and Western elements. The menu is extensive, offering a variety of set meals, ala carte, sushi rolls, hot stone sets etc.


Wild Fern Belacan- RM13

Starting off with some greens, one of my favouritest- wild fern belacan or also known as paku pakis. Paku pakis here has a more slimey texture than the Sabah paku pakis (aka Sabah Shu Chai Choi). The bestest way to cook this is chilli belacan and nothing can beat that. NOTHING!


Salmon Hot Stone- RM12.80 (add RM2 for egg)


Cod Fish Hot Stone- RM13.50

One of the signature dishes at Emperor Q is the hot stone series. Having had this during my virgin visit, I decided to give it a go again at their bestseller Salmon Hot Stone. My makan partner had the Cod Fish Hot Stone. Served piping hot with bits of raw fish, the hot stone bowl quickly heats up the rice and raw fish, thus cooking them. No worries if you're afraid of raw food as the bowl of food ends up being very well cooked due to the heat. Hot stones are known to be healthy and natural low fat as minimal oil is used. The rice taste somewhat like dark sauce fried rice, it's simple but delicious!

The only downside is the very expensive egg! An additional RM2 for one egg, over inflated!


Pearl Macha Latte- RM8


Coffee Almond Nut- RM13

Always have been a fan of green tea + bubble tea, so the Pearl Macha Latte makes a perfect combination for me :) The Coffee Almond Nut drink however can be a little heavy due to the blend of nuts, chocolate chips and ice blended coffee.


Emperor Q
Lot1.59-1.66, Level 1,
Pavillion KL.
(beside Mercato Marketplace)

[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.]

Xian Ding Wei Taiwanese Tea Room

Xian Ding Wei Taiwanese Tea Room

I am unshamefully a regular to Sunway Pyramid as it is the nearest mall to my terpencil home. Haven't been there uncountless times, I still have difficulties answering the most basic but hardest question of ALL time- "What to eat?"


Sourplum Jasmine- RM4.90, Papaya Milk Shake- RM6.90

Perhaps the next time you are undecided like me, you can try Xian Ding Wei, a Taiwanese cuisine restaurant located just opposite Starbucks.

What is synonymous to Taiwanese food? Bubble tea, Taiwanese sausage, XXL Chicken, Oyster Mee Sua? Xian Ding Wei is an avenue for you to explore more of the Taiwanese delights and cuisines without having to produce your passport. To start off with, treat yourself a good healthy papaya milk shake or refreshing sourplum jasmine. Thick and yumz, and good for the digestive system too!


Salty Crispy Chicken- RM10.90

Snack on salty crispy chicken while waiting for your mains. It's similar to your pasar malam Uncle Bob or the more famous Shihlin XXL chicken. Thumb sized chunks fried to crispy perfection, with the flavours of curry leaves and sprinkled with generous amount of white pepper and chilli powder. I'm sure alot of you out there will agree it goes well with beer :)


Oyster & Large Intestines Vermicelli- RM9.90

Another one of Taiwanese famous exports is the oyster mee sua, a thickened soup containing small oysters and Chinese vermicelli. XDW's version has large intestines, which makes it quite exotic.


Sweet Braised Squid Set- RM19.90

For those who prefer a wholesome meal, there are a variety of set meals to choose from. Much similar to the Japanese bento sets, the set meals come with rice, three side dishes and a soup. The rice is served with braised minced pork, just like what you will find on the streets of Taiwan. The sweet braised squid fared quite well, thank goodness because I'm a fan of all things sotong.



The ambience is nice, service is good and commendable food.



Xian Ding Wei Taiwanese Tea Room
OB3.LG1.7 & OB3.LG1.8
Oasis Boulevard (New Wing),
Lower Ground Floor, Sunway Pyramid.
Tel: 03-5631 3322

[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.]

Jin Shan Cheng Steamboat

Steamboat places are mushrooming around Sunway's Dataran Mentari area. Sometimes I just wonder whether the feng shui there is good for opening a steamboat business or people just like to jump on the bandwagon when they spot something is doing well in that area. This often makes the business becomes diluted and most often not, the food in 9 out of 10 shops there is below par.

Jin Shan Cheng is another steamboat outlet, except unlike the other steamboat shops in the neighbourhood that thrives on buffet concept, JSC is solely ala carte. The establishment is on the 1st floor which means you'll need to walk up a flight of stairs. My first impression?

0_O errrrrm is this a steamboat place? *walks into the shop* ok certainly looks very dodgy here. There were hardly any filled tables and I had the feeling of walking into a dodgy Chinese restaurant with China import waitresses, red lanterns, unclothed tables, wornout cushion chairs. Hmmmm.



We were given a menu ala HK tick yourself style. Sauces and tidbits were then served to us but we declined the tidbits. The sauces available are chilli oil and flakes (ala chilli pan mee), peanut sauce, sesame paste and fermented fu yu.



We ordered the Winter Melon Ham soup base which came slightly cloudy with wolfberries, winter melon and few slices of chinese ham to give it a sweet taste. We also opted for a spicy base in the middle. The pot was really quite huge!

Being the ever enthusiastic foodies we are, here are what we ordered:
- fish noodles (RM8), beef slice (RM18), pork slice (RM8), crispy pork intestines (RM6), golden mushroom (RM6), smooth bean curd (RM2), fu zhou fish balls (RM8), pork balls (RM8), fish balls (RM8), meat roll (RM8).



The hits were definitely the beef and pork slices, very razor thin but when dipped in the boiling soup it cooks and unfolds perfectly. The balls were so-so. The miss would be the crispy pork intestines that were unfresh, we left them untouched completely and also notably a miss would be sighting of a baby cockroach on our table.

If any chance I would ever be back is to take away the awesome beef and pork slices (note- take away not dine in!).

Eiling's review on JSC here.


Jin Shan Cheng
42A-2 Jln PJS 8/2,
Dataran Mentari,
Bandar Sunway, 46150 PJ.
Tel: 03-5631 8220

[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.]

Bavarian Bierhaus

Such tragic ending for the pig :(

Am I the last food blogger to ever blog about this? But like they say, "Better be LATE than NEVER!"

Ok, so I have in mind all you readers out there already know the existence of this German restaurant in The Curve that is famous for their BIG beer kegs (Paulaner I think?) and BIG pork knuckles and BIG sausages. They say everything is BIGGER in Texas but I think German deserves a mention too.

As for Malaysia, well we have the BIGGEST mooncake, BIGGEST ketupat, BIGGEST lemang and whatnot as well!


House Specialty Pork Knuckle- RM58

To be honest, the pork knuckle is really HUGE! Those pigs must be damn well fed! Upon dissecting it, well I guess what makes this body part HUGE is cos of the fats... A caution should be placed on all pork knuckle dish (western or chinese)- Beware of Fats. Eat At Your Own Risk!

It was deep fried to perfection, crispy, crunchy, meaty and fatty as well. It goes well with the brown sauce and mustard too. The potatoes were good too, I love potatoes done in this way.


Mixed Sausage Platter- RM70

I am a great BIG fan of meaty sausages and this comes as another must order as seen in everyone else's blogs. There are at least 10 variants of bratwurst on the platter- lamb, beef and chicken served with a side of sauerkraut (finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented) and potato salad with bacon bits.

Another caution on this dish- Can be Very Very Very Filling.

A glimpse at the next table, one whole family of 5 persons were having the same dishes as us, while there were only 2 of us! Hahahaha, certainly overdosed with meat. But no wastage though, as I took away the sausages and had it for breakfast for 3 days.


Bavarian Bierhaus
Lot G66,
Ground Floor,
The Curve, PJ.
Tel: 03-7728 8269

[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.]

Sage @ Gardens Residences

Dear Readers,

These are pictures from Sage @ Gardens Residences, taken (& eaten) sometime back. Mention Sage and the instant reaction is that it is synonymous to the fine dining scene, but of course there are many fine dines out there but Sage is just about as good as it gets (or at least towards the 'once in a blue moon' affordability, price-wise).

Due to the complicated foreign language names of the dishes, I shall localize them so that laymen like you and me can understand.

Appetizers


Complimentary- Fried Sushi Ball


Foie Gras with Vege Tempura


Duck Confit with capers, olives and rocket salad


Assorted Mushrooms

****

Main Course


Foie Gras and Angel Hair Pasta


Risotto with Scallops and Prawn


Lamb Rack


Angus Beef

****

Desserts


Strawberries with Vanilla Ice Cream


Almond Blancmanger


Ice Cream Blackberries and Pastry


Almond Cream with Apples and Vanilla Ice Cream

The dinner set menu was at RM140++ per pax, with a choice of an appetizer, mains and dessert each. While it's definitely not an everyday dinner affair, the food, ambience and setting does the pricetag justice. This is the place one must go if looking for a fine dine (wine not included) without burning a big hole in the pocket.

Set Lunch goes for RM100++, while Chef's Menu at RM160++.


Sage
The Gardens Residences
6th Floor,
The Gardens, Mid Valley City,
Lingkaran Syed Putra.
Tel: 03-2268 1328
www.gardenshtlres.com/dining.htm

[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.]

Colourful Bowls of Desserts @ Little Penang Cafe

Red Ruby with Strips of Jackfruit- RM5.90

Desserts are a vital part of a meal, I am sure many out there will agree with me (especially the girls *wink*). A good dessert can end the meal on a high note, whereas a bad one will leave you hanging there, angry and disappointed... and leave you feeling empty even after you have had a full meal.

So here's 2 of my favourite oriental/asian desserts (wanted to say Malaysian but I think red ruby is made famous from Thai, also known as tub tim krob?). The red ruby is made to look like mock promegranate but actually it's made of water chestnut. Top it with ice shavings and coconut milk and strips of jackfruits, this dessert is just yummilicious!


Cendol- RM5.90

Looks like the cendol is not from Malaysia either, haha. Read from Wiki that it originated from Jakarta, Indonesia. I guess cendol is such a common type of dessert that it needs no introduction anymore?

Aaaaahhhhh, would love a bowl of this dessert now.


Little Penang Cafe
G43, Ground Floor,
The Curve.

[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.]

The Final Episode of Malacca

Jonker Walk

Malacca is dubbed the historic state of Malaysia. Well besides being a land rich in historical buildings and nolstagic feel, Malacca is also known as the Land of Good Food (LGF- Other LGFs include Ipoh, Penang and some of the outskirt areas).


Takoyaki stall- I love this snack!

Jonker Walk or Jalan Hang Jebat is inarguably the most famous (and probably overrated) but it is the one place everyone will go to appreciate the historical buildings, antique scouting, food searching and souvenir buying. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, Jonker Walk will transform into a night market, except you won't see any vegetables or poultry being sold. There are traders lining along the pedestrian street selling knick knacks, souvenirs, street snacks, crafts, jewellery etc.


Curry Laksa

Whenever we are in Malacca, Jonker 88 will be a sure drop-by for their curry laksa and durian cendol. I am not a fan of this artery clogging but colour inducing bowl of noodles but my makan partner in crime gives his thumbs up all the time for this! Mmmm mmmmmm.

I am an assam laksa person :)


Durian Cendol

I headed for the durian cendol instead. Durian + cendol, can the equation get better than that? Although this has been weeks ago, can't explain the sudden cravings for cendol these few days though, still hasn't got my fix of it yet. Any good cendols around PJ- preferably near Section 19?


Putu Piring

I'm ashamed to say I have never seen, ate or even know what putu piring was until I was shown the 'light'. Putu pirings are steamed rice flour filled with gula melaka and topped with grated coconut. Hot, fluffy and packed with sweet offerings, these traditional sweet cakes sells at 80¢ per piece and even Jason (aka Ah Xian) from Astro approves of it (click here)!



Jonker 88
88, Jalan Hang Jebat,
75200 Melaka.

Putu Piring
252, Jalan Tengkera,
75200 Melaka.
Tel: 06-282 1505
Business hours: 6.30-10.30pm, closed on Sundays

[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.]