Black Clouds

Sometimes there are just times where you just want to be left alone. Even a slight irritation can make you blow up to 10 times the magnitude. My meter for toleration has decreased and just couldn't bother anymore. These are just one of those days.

Wild Mangosteen

Tasted wild mangosteen which is also known as Santol, the texture of a pear which is a little grainy but more juicy like yam beans in Krabi, Thailand recently.

Santol in its Raw Form

The version that I had was marinated with chili, salt and sugar which was sweet and very spicy at the same time. I read that the combination of marinate is actually called phrik kap klua and often sold together with mangoes by fruit street stalls in Thailand.

Pickled Wild Mangosteens

Plus it made its way into the 10 most exotic fruit in the world according to HotelClub. Most of the fruit that are in the list can be found in South East Asia.

Sanbanto @ SS2

Sanbanto sells fresh pork and part of the shop has been turned into a restaurant selling what else, their very own cooked pork. It is of high quality and they don't use any antibiotics or chemicals on their own piggies.

Ordered the Crispy Pork Belly Salad (RM13) which has a recommended symbol next to it. The portion was alright and generously topped with plenty of crispy deep fried pork belly which pretty flavourful by itself. Salad was nice and fresh. The salad sauce went well with the greens.

Crispy Pork Belly Salad

A Closer Look at the Porky Goodness

Sanbanto Pork Bolognese (RM17) served with home made pappardelle was just alright. The portion was pretty substantial but I definitely prefer the salad to this. The pappardelle pasta was al dente and served right.

Sanbanto Pork Bolognese

Address:
32, SS2/63

Petaling Jaya 47300

Selangor

Tel: +603 7876 1728

Fax: +603 7876 1725

Finding Out What You Really Want

Read an excerpt from here.
Recognize that to be happy, you must live the life that you truly want to live. It’s your life and you are the only one who can truly determine what is right for you. There is no tragedy in shooting for your dreams; the tragedy is in looking back on your life and saying “I wish I’d ?”. Georgia Anne Geyer said, “Follow what you love. Don’t deign to ask what “they” are looking for out there. Ask what you have inside. Follow not your interests, which change, but what you are and what you love…”

Noodle Village @ Bandar Puteri Puchong

Restaurants specialising in Pan Mee has been springing up all over the place. Sometimes these restaurants have their own unique styles like the Chili Pan Mee or secret condiments like the pieces of fried fish cake from Bao Bao Pan Mee. We stumbled upon Noodle Village in Puchong when we were hunting for food around Puchong area and saw this noodle place that have quite a few customers eating inside.

My friend wanted to order their signature Pan Mee with Soya Sauce but it was sold out! Imagine how good the business is. Instead, my friend ordered the Dry Pan Mee which was just ok taste wise and the portion was huge.

Dry Pan Mee

Ordered the Soya Bean Pan Mee which is also one of the noodles with a thumbs up symbol and it was really good. Was reluctant especially after having tried some savoury soya bean based curd in Taiwan and I couldn't take the taste. However, didn't regret my choice as it was good. The soup was soy based and there was only a slight taste of soya bean that complemented the noodles very well. Drank the soup til the last drop. Yum!

Soya Bean Pan Mee

Had the Dumpling in Broth which was just ok. Stuffed with pork and cooked in soup with some spinach.

Dumpling Soup with Spinach

Next time, will come to try their other signature noodles like the Pan Mee in Soya Sauce. However, there were mosquitoes and kept biting me when I was eating. Could be a better experience without the mosquito bites.

Address:
No.8G, Jalan Puteri 1/1,
Bandar Puteri,
47100, Puchong,
Selangor
Tel: +603-8061 8760

Restaurant Andes @ Aman Suria, Damansara

A place so near yet so far! This place Anders restaurant is situated about 5-10 minutes away from my house and I have been frequenting other restaurants nearby but never this one. Finally, one day I did!

Chequered Table Tops

It is located along the same row as Bao Bao Pan Mee restaurant. Just a few doors away and right next to Penang Street restaurant. The ambiance was a mixture of a small selection of tea sets, framed photos, chequered table clothes, red brick wall paper and some contemporary designs on the partition.

Ordered the Pork Bacon Burger (RM16.90) which is highly recommended by www.rebeccasaw.com. It would be good enough, just to order the normal pork burger minus the bacon. The meat patty was as big and round as my fist, oozing with cheese and juicy. The best pork burger I have ever eaten :)

Pork Bacon Burger

Look at how succulent and juicy the meat patty is? The little hole in the middle of the patty is melted cheese. It is definitely a very filling burger and you can share it between two people. Had trouble finishing this because it is so big. Plus, it could be better if they could go easy on the mayonnaise as the burger is well flavoured enough on its own.

Closer Look

My friend ordered the Pork Chop (RM16.90) which was encased in crispy bread crumbs. The pork chop was a little dry. The sauce that came with it was a little like diluted cream of mushroom soup.

Pork Chop

In my opinion, I would come again for the pork burger and probably share it with someone as I am a small eater. It is also quiet, a good place for chats over dinner time ;)

Address:
>K-G-11, Jalan PJU1/43,
Aman Suria Damansara,
47301 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor
Tel: +603-7804 3732

Restoran Hor Poh @ Taman Sri Sinar

Lui Cha again! Jumped at the chance when my colleague wanted to eat here. So off we went :)

This restaurant is located in Segambut at a housing area called Taman Sri Sinar. This restaurant serves home style hakka cuisine like yam abascus, yam with pork, noodles and rice dishes.

Condiments

Well we were there specifically for the lui cha. There is a choice of vegetarian or non-vegetarian lui cha. The only difference is that in the non-vegetarian one, it does not have leeks and a fried piece stuffed flat beancurd skin.

The portion was really huge and it can be shared between two people. Even some guys find it difficult to finish it, so go figure.

Everything Mixed Up

The soup didn't have a too minty taste and the mint taste was just slight which suits me just fine. On my second visit there, I have two bowlfuls of this soup :)

Mint Soup

The other lui cha that I really like is at Oasis Food Court in MidValley Megamall and the post is written here. The lui cha here is good but I prefer the one in MidValley Megamall as it is slightly saltier.

Address:

No.36, Jalan 6/38D,

Taman Sri Sinar,

Segambut 51200,

Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03 - 6277 8903

Homemade Spaghetti Bolognese

I used the roasted tomatoes that was mashed from the Roasted Tomato Soup recipe. Froze it in the freezer for future use.

One day I decided to make a very simple tomato based spaghetti using the frozen roasted tomato paste. Added some minced pork and stir fried it with the paste. Salt and pepper is not necessary as it is already seasoned while making the roasted tomato paste.

Top the cooked spaghetti noodles with the mixture and add some shredded cheese. Simple and easy to make.

La Bodega @ Bangsar

All day English style breakfast. A way to perk me up is to have excellent English breakfast on a lazy late Sunday morning. Nice hot toast, juice, good coffee, sausages, eggs and more!

The Pancakes with Maple Syrup was pretty good but could have been better if we had it while it was warm. Was a little to engrossed with the savoury stuff before we could get to it. I sure miss those buttermilk pancakes I had in IHOP last time.

Pancakes

Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon was just alright. It was pretty creamy altogether as the poached eggs were pretty runny, with generous amounts of Hollandaise sauce and plenty of Smoke Salmon. Probably I find it a little too rich with all the creaminess and raw fish.

Eggs Benedict topped with Smoked Salmon

For the English Breakfast I, you have two farm eggs (any style that you would like), two choices to choose from a list, an orange juice and coffee. Sorry, I forgot to take note of what's in the list but we chose the scrambled eggs, pork sausages and turkey ham.

English Breakfast

English Breakfast II has omelette, hash browns and sausages (well this was on another occassion, thus the duplicates :p).

English Breakfast

Definitely one of my favourite, sautéd button mushrooms. I have always experimented on button mushrooms to make them taste like the ones here. As always, it never even taste as good as the ones here. I wonder how they cook this. A definite must order when I am here.

Sautéd Button Mushrooms

Great tasting breakfast and have it al fresco style on a lazy weekend morning.

Address:

16, Jln Telawi 2,

Bangsar Baru

Tel: 603 2287 831

Chef Low Organic Kitchen @ Boulevard 10

Heard about this place from my colleague who is into the organic food and recommended this place to me. I never really had any good organic food before and this is the first time I enjoyed organic food so much. Even the ambiance is great.

Chew Low Organic Kitchen is located at the back row of white shops (on the left) heading to Damansara toll before the Bandar Utama flyover.

The Mushroom Soup is definitely one of the better mushroom soups that I have had. The soup had a slight chunky taste (suits my palate so well!) and earthly mushroom taste is there.

Yammy :)

Mushroom Soup

Hakka Beancurd (RM10.90) had some bean curd and deep fried bean curd sheets that has been rolled up. This dish is a little salty in my opinion.

Hakka Beancurd

French Bean with Pine Nuts (RM10.90) was lightly fried and topped with pine nuts. Pretty mild in taste but that is how I really liked it. With dishes, you can choose to have white rice or brown rice.

French Bean with Pine Nuts

Classic Carbonara (RM14.90) was nice and light served with button mushrooms.

Classic Carbonara

Basil Fried Vermicelli (RM 10.90) had a lot of shredded vegetables and was pretty wholesome but the basil leave are a little too overpowering. Those who do not like basil should stay away from this.

Basil Fried Vermicelli

The Fruit Tea (RM10.90) was really special as we thought that it was a cold drink. Instead, it is a little warm. The citrus fruits were boiled to produce this fruit tea. This is definitely something interesting.

Fruit Tea

And it is served in tiny cups. Like playing tea time :p

The Cheese Baked Rice (RM10.90) was excellent. The cheese lends a nice salty taste and rice was fried til fragrant with delicious bits of mushrooms and bell peppers. This is even better than the meaty version in some restaurants.

Cheese Baked Rice

Tasty Morsels

The Curry Vermicelli portion was really huge and it is a signature dish. However, I don't personally like it that much as the soup was a little on the diluted side and not flavourful enough. You can even drink the soup without feeling the ickiness of drinking the curry soup as it is not oily.

Curry Vermicelli

The Mango Pudding (RM3.90) was really good. The mangoes were really sweet and the pudding was more like a nice plain pudding taste and complements the fresh mangoes and mango puree. Definitely a refreshing way to end the meal :)

Mango Pudding

My perception on organic food has changed. Healthy food can be yummy too ;)

Address:

C-G-43, Camilia,

10 Boulevard

Tel: +603 7725 7154

On The Table @ Solaris Dutamas

On The Table is situated at the quieter corner of newly developed area called Solaris Dutamas. The shop is located on the same row at Pink Sage. Just walk along the corridor of Pink Sage and you will reach On the Table.

Complimentary appetisers! Crackers topped with beef bacon, cheese and chives and penne pasta with bolognaise sauce.

Complimentary appetisers

Cappuccino of Wild Mushroom was definitely an interesting experience. First they served a few slices of mushrooms (if not mistaken, there were different types of mushrooms like oyster mushrooms, buttons, shiitake and beech mushrooms which has been sautéed with foam at the sides.

Next, the waitress came with a jar of brown thick liquid and poured it into the bowl.

And that is how it looks like after that :)

Cappuccino of Wild Mushrooms

Ordered Gamberi Aglio Olio Peperoncini which was basically aglio olio with with prawns. We chose tagliatelle pasta and overall was just ok in my opinion.

Gamberi Aglio Olio Peperoncini

Riz's Fried Chicken was really good as I always like fried chicken. The meat was pretty juicy with crispy batter and the mash potatoes on the side was good too. Without the fattening gravy, it is pretty good even by itself. The salad was a little different where it is lightly dressed with a sour tinge. However, I do find the leaves a little on the bitter side.

Riz's Fried Chicken

The Chocolate Fondant was really warm and gooey! Right after sinking the dessert spoon into the chocolate fondant, we couldn't help it but went "ohh" and "ahh" as we really felt good about the texture of the chocolate fondant. True enough, putting it into our mouth, the chocolate was rich and delicious. Eat it together with the cold vanilla ice cream, simply great :) Well, I read from another blog that the "vanilla ice cream" is actually semifreddo. Don't know what it is but it sure does taste good.

Chocolate Fondant

Was really great and appreciate the birthday celebration from my dear friends. Nothing beats spending time in a nice quiet place and just talk. Also good desserts as accompaniment.

Address:

A4-UG 1-08, Solaris Dutamas,

Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Tel: +603 6207 9966

The Wok Cafe@ The Strand, Kota Damansara

Have always liked those restaurants with a special theme like this place here at The Wok Cafe. It seems that this is a branch of a famous Hot Wok restaurant in Penang Island. And it is featured as Best Restaurant by Tatler Magazine in 1998 and 2004.

Plates, Saucers, Cups and Kebayas

The interior decoration is really unique and special as they have a lot of olden days antiques on display, wooden furniture, antique bangles, plates and even kebayas!

Antiques

In my opinion really unique as the doors even have wooden panels with words inscribed on them. Sorry don't know what it means because I am illiterate :p

Olden Day Door Panels

At one corner, there is a pair of familiar looking pair of boots. Bright yellow and made from PVC and a Gurmit Singh's signature on it! As Phua Chu Kang ;) They even had Rosie's and Henty Thia's signature too on the wall.

Yellow Boots

Cencaluk omelette was excellent. My first time eating cencaluk and it was really good. All I ever knew was that cencaluk is a type of fermented prawn paste and never knew it could taste this good. The omelette was nice and fluffy.

Cencaluk Omelette

Sambal sotong was just ok for me. Probably because I don't really like the sambal that comes with it. A little salty in my opinion but the squid was fresh.

Sambal Sotong

Assam curry fish was pretty fragrant and gravy was really nice and thick as they don't skimp on the ingredients. Pretty tasty and good :)

Asam Fish

Paku Sambal was just alright. The chili paste a little too much and salty as it is also fried with dried shrimps. Would go well with rice but not eaten by its own. I sure miss the Midin that I had in Sarawak last time as the shoots are more tender.

Paku Sambal

Tried the Sago Nangka which was really good! The nangka or jack fruit is really sweet and provides a refreshing taste to the coconut milk soup. On another occassion, we tried the Cendol but it wasn't really good. So for desserts, do go for the Sago Nangka ;)

This place is definitely in my books for some good Nyonya food :)

Address:

26, Jalan PJU 5/21

The Strand

Kota Damansara

Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03 -6142 7388