nekochan
Anyone game for a chocolatey Xmas?

Christmas Day Chocolate Buffet At Cosmo Lounge
25 December,3pm - 6pm

The ever popular chocolate buffet is made available for all you chocolate lovers out there.


RM48 (adults), RM28 (children between ages 3 to 12 years)
Cosmo Lounge
Hilton Kuala Lumpur, 3 Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-2264 2264
Train : KL Sentral (Monorail/Putra/KTM)
nekochan
Not sure where to go for Xmas Eve?
Try

Deutsches Gasthaus Christmas Promotion
" Unforgetable 24 Varieties Buffet Dinner"

Date : 24th Dec 2005
Price Per Person : RM 70.00++ ( Children Below 12 RM 35++)

Venue :
1) Deutsches Gasthaus 2
No 24, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14,
Taman Tun DR Ismail

2) Deutsches Gasthaus
No 24,Medan Setia 2,
Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara

Time : 7.00pm Onwards
RSVP : Anne Liew - 019 218 9770

The Buffet Menu

Cold Starter
Assorted Cheese Corner
Assorted Ham & Bacon
Mix Green Salad With Dressings
Pickles Vegetables & Gerkins
Turkey Liver Pate
Mussel in White Wine Vinaigrette

Buffet Line Section
Roasted Pork Knuckle
Black Pepper Sliced Beef
Seafood Tempura
Turkey Stuffed with Mushroom & Chestnuts
Vegetables Tempura
Pork Shoulder with Grain Mustard Sauce
Duck Curry
Gratinated Potatoes

Grills Section
Mix House Sausages
Beer Marinated Pork Ribs
Chicken Skewer
Lamb Skewer
Grill Assorted Vegetables

Dessert Corner
Christmas Fruit Cake
Christmas Candies
Dark Chocolate Ganache Cake
Tiramisu
Mix Fruits Platter

For reservations, call Anne Liew - 019 218 9770 NOW!
nekochan
Recently, I had dinner with a very old friend, JL, whom I haven't seen for years. As usual, being a Friday night, neither being in the mood to choose where to eat, I just told him, "Surprise me!".
JL asked, with a twinkle in his eyes, "are you sure you want to be surprised?"
"Bring it on!"

And surprised I was!

We went to a Japanese restaurant where JL was obviously a regular. It was one of the Jap restaurants in Desa Sri Hartamas which I somehow never ate at before.

Anyway, we sat at the counter and didn't order, for the Chef played "congker' (i.e dealer) that night and just surprised us one dish after another.

The first dish was probably the biggest surprise because the Chef presented us with FUGU sashi. For the uninitiated, yes, it is the fish you can die from if not prepared properly. Read more about this deadly fish by clicking here

I think we were both VERY surprised and it became a case of "you go first", "no, you go!" Anyway, we both gingerly pick up the very thin translucent slices and dipped it in a vinegary sauce and popped it in. I must say, it is rather bland (sauce was nice) but the texture was different, with a almost crunchy quality about it. I was rather disappointed not to feel the numbness on the lips which is supposed to be a 'value add' from having fugu sashi. But I guess this really had ALL poison removed ... Chef said if there was still poison in it, we would be dead within 7 minutes. Anyway, we survived the 7 minutes and live to enjoy the rest of our meal!

After the fugu sashi, we were served seard ahi tuna topped with foie gras. This was also very yummy, the firmness for the tuna in contrast to the soft texture of the liver, though the taste of the foie gras was a little too subtle. Next was some salmon sushi roll with something inside which I can't remember. I like the contrast of texture of it. After all these and a bowl of soup each, we were both surprisingly quite stuffed.

Anyway, fugu sashi aside, the other dishes there, especially the innovative sushi rolls looked quite interesting with various fusions of local and Japanese ingredients and is definitely worth another visit soon.

Anyway, thank you, JL, for a real surprising dinner, what's next? :)

For Jap surprises and innovate Jap fusion food, do visit

Aoyama The Green Room Japanese Restaurant
10, Jalan 27/70A,
Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2300 0683
Fax: 03 2300 0515

Location: Same row as Penang Village. Car Park behind Devi's is just opposite.

Reservations recommended.
nekochan
Thanks for the contribution, George!
Nekochan
------------------------------

In an age of pre-mixes, instant foods, fast foods, junk foods and unjustifiably hyped-up five-star food, it is tragically poignant to hear from someone with such tremendous insight into the craft of making the best from the freshest of ingredients, that all one can do is weep over the loss of this craft. Many talk about 'making the best from the freshest ingredients'. Few actually know what it means. It is tragic because when the lady goes, the craft goes with her. The work is far too physically demanding for her children to want to continue. Poignant because at this late stage of her life, the enthusiasm for producing an excellent product remains unabated. Absolutely no compromise on the storing of, the selection and the preparation of the item. She has this breadth and depth of experience having been there from the catch to the eating of it.

What are we talking about? Fish balls. She eats only what she makes and avoids all the other varieties, whether from shops or sold "fresh" at wet markets or pasar malams. She avoids the commercial ones like the black death because they are all filled with "medicine water", to use her words. And let's have her tell her own story. Please forgive the stilted translation.

"Fish balls? Make yourself. Very good to eat. No medicine water. Make good ones must be from fresh fish. Fish take out of net, still jumping must put in ice straight away. No sun shine on fish, fish balls very soft, no bounce. Come back, cut quickly. If have to keep, each piece [fillet] put one layer fish, one layer ice. No put fish on fish. That one also make fish ball soft. When cut and knife cannot go through flesh in one cut, that one also fish ball soft. I don't use. "

Now that the lady does not go out with the boats, I asked where she bought her raw materials from. She shook her head with such sadness and continued......."One time I go Selayang Market. Before 5 o'clock [5 a.m.]. My heart pain when I see people put medicine water on loose fish. Big, big fish also got put medicine water. Only the big box pack with ice and fish they no put medicine water. That one twenty eight kilo. How to buy? Fish ball make with medicine water fish got smell."

And the lady (with no chemistry knowledge whatsoever) goes on to say that to store fish balls already made but uncooked, they have to be kept in very, very salted water so the flavout does not "run out". Quite a remarkable woman.

What about stock for the fish balls? Well.....that's another story for another day.

George the Kilt.
nekochan
We met earlier this year at the Curve and then met again earlier this month. Since then, we've been meeting weekly, like clockwork, without fail. I don't know what to do about it .. I know it's not good for me but I'm loving every moment of it, savouring each visit ...

Ever since Paddington's House of Pancakes opened in Hartamas Shopping Centre .. I've been there every weekend since the beginning of this month! I love the pancakes there and it's really a great place to have dessert on a Saturday night.

So far, I've had
Pancakes with bananas and maple syrup
Panakeok with lemon and honey
Panakeok with deep fried bananas, peaches, mandarins, raisins and nuts with double scoop of vanilla ice cream
Blintzes with caramelised bananas, raisins, nuts and ice cream

Today I tried my first savoury pancake - the one with two sausages, hash brown and salami. It actually wasn't too bad ...

Till next week then, my love ...

Paddington's House of Pancakes
The Curve @ Mutiara Damansara
Hartamas Shopping Centre @ Sri Hatamas
nekochan
It is not often when you go to a nice restaurant and come out unhappy over all the courses but I guess there's always a first. Recently we tried the newly opened Flinders Restaurant in Mont Kiara and came out an unhappy lot. Situated next to Energy Day Spa, the place has a nice breezy feeling to it, with very clean lines, whitewashed wooden floor, giving it all a very nautical feel, not unlike the places I have dined at before in Australia on a nice summer day.

The place was rather empty when we went, I guess not many people know about the place yet.

The menus are on nice blue cards and has a selection of light bites for anytime to Lunch and Dinner menus which have a mixture of salads, pastas and heavier mains and desserts. We decided to order Flinder's signature dishes, including the foie gras for appetizer, smoked duck and roast lamb.

We love foie gras so when the dish came (quite quickly I may add!) we were ready to go (not to mention I was really hungry as it was past my normal dinner time already). Presentation was ok, nothing inspiring, with poached pears at the bottom and the foie gras sitting on top, no greens or anything else to decorate the huge white plate. We dug in .. now, I love the way foie gras is balanced with normally a sweet type sauce to balance the delicate taste of the liver but even though I have a sweet tooth, the pears were way too sweet, overpowering the light taste of the foie gras, which also tasted not so fresh. The liver wasn't very large but there was also quite a lot of pear so it becams quite sickly sweet at the end of the appetizer.

Mains at Flinders is served with a heavy baked potato gratin, which was quite nice, except that it got a bit jelak towards the end with the heavy cream. It's a heavy accompaniment and reminded me of the heavy winter meals we used to have back in Melbourne. The sliced smoked duck sat on the lentil salad and again, the presentation wasn't anything to shout about as there were no greens or any other color to feast my eyes on. The duck was a bit tasteless, if anything, slightly salty and the abundance of lentil salad didn't help either as both did not have much taste to it.

G's roast lamb was at least better to look at and it looked promising. However, we learnt that looks can be deceiving. However, at least with the dried apricot sauce, there was some taste to add to the lamb, which was also served with sage polenta.

By the time we got to dinner and looked through the menu (signature deserts were lavender creme brulee and pumpkin tiramisu, other desserts incuded strawberry jelly with basil and some other desserts which tended to marry fruit with herbs), I settled on the Valhora chocolate parfait . We decided that we woiuldn't choose any of the Signature dishes anymore and what could be easier to prepare than chocolate!

How wrong we were. The parfait was basically assembled out of a base of chcolate coco-pops, with bananas in the middle and a scoop of chocolate ice cream on the top. Right! The ice cream was solid hard and when we tasted it, it had a powdery taste to it (we later learnt it was homemade), the banana were unriped and the wrong kind of bananas to use for these types of desserts and there nothing worse than having tasteless bananas. The coco pops were ..well ... coco pops!

The meal, including a glass of Kir (flavoured white wine) and Evian water cost over RM200 and that's after the 15% Opening discount (up to 31st October 2005)

The place has potential as a party venue, which was what I had in mind already, but the food was just disappointing. I hope that it's only because they are new but then again, in this industry, first impressions or in this case, first taste, counts. Looking through the menu again at the end, it looks like they're trying too hard to be fusion, which may or may not sit well with the diners. This place reminds of me of when Moomba (another Australian-inspired restaurant that opened up at Wisma UOA in the late 90s) first opened - people came but nothing kept them coming back. I hope Flinders does better ... Good Luck!

Flinders
Ground Level, Damai Sari
Mont Kiara Damai
3 Jalan Kiara 2, Mont Kiara
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 6203 1841
fax: 03 6203 1756
Website: www.flinders.com.my
nekochan
After the usual "what are we eating?" "anything" "where are we eating?" "anywhere" banter, IS and I found ourselves at De Champion Duck Restaurant at Damansara Utama.

There wasn't much duck left as it was quite late but we managed to have some anyway. The duck's not bad, moist and tender and not too "ducky". Was told by the owner that the 'char siew' was VERY GOOD but they had run out so too bad ...

Anyway, new management has taken over this place (about 6 months ago) so while the restaurant name remains the same, the Chef has changed. We were told that to come at lunch time (they are opened everyday) for fresher meats.

As we paid to leave (we were the last customers there), IS spotted some white liquid in a bottle that the owner and chef were drinking and asked what it was. Turns out it was fresh toddy, delivered about 5 hours before, all the way from Mantin. Owner asked if we would like to try it. Oh well! Never tasted it before so why not?

We tried it neat i.e. pure from the bottle and there was kind of a little sourish taste to it. Looked a bit like really thick barley water. Then Mr L poured in some Stout and asked us to try it again. That made it sweeter and the taste more complex with more body. It was quite interesting and quite yummy! We were also told that fresh toddy needed to be consumed within 2 days else it would smell and taste worse than "old socks water" .Anyway, we ended up having a few rounds with our new 'friends' before we called it a night.

As we left the restaurant *pow* the strength of the toddy hit us. The stuff is really lethal especially when we drank so little. Anyway, I'd love to try it again - the toddy, I mean. Oh .. and also the famous char siew ...

D'Champion Duck Restaurant
(same row as Maybank, and few doors away from Vicchuda?)
Damansara Utama
Petaling Jaya
Selangor
nekochan

There is no doubt that Yung Kee has to be THE place for roast goose in Hong Kong and it's no co-incidence that many years ago, when I last visited HK with Cynthia and Adrian, we were taken there by David C (resident Hongkonger) as introduced as the best place for the goose and this time round, G also took me there.

We arrived early for dinner which was lucky else we wouldn't have gotten seats without a reservation. Of course, when at Yung Kee's one has to order their famous roast goose which is what we did and then we were lost for what order next! The friendly waiter then suggested the set dinner which comprised the following:
Roast Goose with Preserved Trotter with Soy Sauce
Deep Fried Prawn with Mini Crab Roe
Abalone with Mushroom in Superior Soup
Steamed Garoupa with Chinese Ham
Wonton Noodles
Mango Pudding

Yeap! All for two people!







The goose was absolutely delicious - tender, not gamey with the perfect crispness to the skin.
The prawns were ok, I thought the little crab was really cute!
Abalone was VERY yummy!
The fish was so-so ..nothing much to shout about. Rest of the menu were just supporting acts to the main cast of GOOSE!

I think everyone who visits Hong Kong has to make a stop there.

The Award-Winning Set Meal will set you back around HK$700 (RM350)

Yung Kee
32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 25221624
http://www.yungkee.com.hk
nekochan

After a tour on the Duk Ling junk which took us round the Harbour, G took me to Isola's, touted as one of the most happening eating places in town. It's not hard to see why. Located at the new swanky IFC Mall, Isola has a lovely terrace which overlooks Kowloon and on a nice day, probably one of the main reasons to dine there. Unfortunately, on the Sunday we were there, apart from the fact that I was suffering from a severe case of runny nose (that always happens to me on the first day in a highly polluted country!), the pollution index was pretty high which meant that Kowloon was a hazy sight. Thus, we decided to dine in!

We chose the Sunday brunch menu which gave us a choice of soup or antipasti buffet, pasta and dessert buffet. Before anything I had to down some Chinese pills to stop my nose from running anymore, downed with imported Italian still mineral water, no less, of course!

The antipasti buffet was scrumptious with a lovely selection of ham, salami, roasted veges, etc. Real pity I couldn't taste that much with the blasted runny nose! For mains, we both chose the spaghetti with prawn and crab which was yummy but such a huge serving!


The dessert buffet was fabulous but I was SO full by then so I could only manage a little bit of some.

Brunch at Isola's doesn't come cheap. With our 2 bottles of imported Italian still mineral water, brunch set us back nearly HK$800 (around RM400).

Isola Bar + Grill
Level 3, IFC Mall, Central Hong Kong
Tel: +852 23838765
http://www.isolabarandgrill.com
nekochan
1. Equatorial KL (Nippah Coffeeshop)
RM79++ for adult, RM42++ for child;
100 fantastic specialties offered.
Traditional treats like Bubur Lambuk Daging, Sotong Gulai Minang, Gulai Ketam Bernanas, Kupang Masak Lemak Daun Kesum etc. Beverages include Sirap Bandung, Air Cincau, Lychee, Assam Boi and Peach Tea. Patrons who dine on at their Ramadhan buffet from 3 - 10 October 2005 will receive a 15% discount.

2.Saloma Bistro Theatre
109 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur; 03-21619122
RM65.00 nett per person (with cultural show), RM48.00 nett per person (without show).
Kampung style dishes will be served during the month of Ramadan at Saloma Theatre Restaurant e.g. salads and kerabu, soups, hot dishes, action stalls dishes, desserts. Six different menus which rotates daily.

3.Sun & Surf Café/Atrium Café (Sunway Lagoon Resort, Pyramid Tower)
Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel
Level 1, Persiaran Lagoon Bandar Sunway, Bandar Sunway; 03-7492 8000 ext 3169
Sun & Surf Cafe is priced at RM72++ per adult and RM36++ per child.
Ramadhan Pride at Atrium Cafe is priced at RM52++ per adult and RM26++ per child.

Evergreen favourites from the thirteen (13) states of Malaysia .

4.Terrace Cafe, Putrajaya Mariott
Putrajaya Marriott, IOI Resort, Putrajaya ; 03-8949 8888 ext 1888/1889
RM78++ per adult and RM47++ per child.
Hawker stalls, live carving stations and a la minute cooking stations.
Live ghazal music and suraus are available throughout the month for all muslim patrons convenience

5.The Terrace, The Regent (KL)
160 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur 03-21418000 ext 4245
RM70.00++ per person
75 varieties of dishes.

6.Paya Serai Restaurant, PJ Hilton
2 Jalan Barat, Petaling Jaya; 03-79559122 ext 4060
RM69++ per person for adults. RM49++ for children of 12 years and below.

There will be four Ramadhan menus on a rotational basis.

7.Melati Hall, Sheraton Subang Hotel & Towers.
Jalan SS 12/1, Subang Jaya, Subang Jaya; 03 - 5031 6060
RM60++ per adult ; RM30++ per child between 5 and 12 years old.
Live cooking demonstrations by celebrity chef, Jaafar Onn in traditional kampung setting, appetizers, "homemade" recipes and selections, Asian Favourites cooked "a la minute" & desserts and live entertainment.

8. Taman Sari Brasserie, Istana Hotel
73 Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur; 03-21419988 (ext 3667)
RM78.00++ per person, Children above 7 years will be charge at RM 48.00++ per child.
Asian, Mediterranean to Western choices at Berbuka Puasa buffet.
Live traditional music by the Kumpulan Sri Mewah II group, nightly.
Ramadhan quiz and win surprise gifts.

9.Melting Pot Cafe, Concorde KL
Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur; 03-2144 2200 ext 2337
RM58.00++ per person.
Home-cooked dishes from Negeri Sembilan.
Guest chef, Chef Razilah Bte Yusof or Kak Zilah teams up with Che Yah Bte Che Mamat and Zabedah Bte Ali.

10.Sunflowers Brasserie.
The Royale Bintang
17-21 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur; 03-21439898
RM48++ per person
RM24++ for children aged from 4-12 years old.
50 different dishes each day.
Special action stalls await you with an array of specialties like Laksa Sarawak, Roti Canai and Murtabak with Daging.

11. Abdul's & Charlie's
Mines Bearch Resort And Spa
The Mines Resort City Jalan Dulang, Seri Kembangan; 03-8943 6688 Ext 1117/1122
RM55++ for adults, RM28++ for children.
Traditional Malaysian favourites ulam-ulam and salad selections, soup, porridge of the day & hot selections.
Steamboat, satay, Thai barbeque, noodle and traditional rice counter.

12.Vogue Cafe
Renaissance Hotel,
Corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail & Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur ; 03-2162 2233
RM79.00 per person.
Buffet spread of authentic Malay delicacies and East-West as well as Pacific Rim cuisine.
The buffet spread consist of local specialties, and indulge in other Pacific Rim delicacies such as Sushi & Sashimi, Salmon in Puff Pastry, Oyster Rockefeller and Steamed Garoupa.

13. Stage Lounge RM79.00 per person.
RM49 per person
Typical Malay buka puasa "balik kampung" dishes.

14. Botanica Brasserie Restaurant
Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur; 03-27179933
RM79++ per person.
Buffet spread, with 10 new stalls featuring local favourites as well as other selections from the buffet line, like Sushi and Sashimi or Vietnamese Fish Claypot and Chinese Ginger Chicken with condiments.

15. Satay Club
JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur
183 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur;03-2716 8562
RM 48.00++ per person
108 of the best of traditional dishes from various states. The Poolside area on the 6th Floor of the JW Marriott and the Starhill Conference Centre on 4th floor of the JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur will be transformed into a Ramadhan bazaar, to replicate a "kampong" ambience.

Pak Ali, the hotel's icon for the month of Ramadhan who will be presenting dates and Malay kueh to guests just before “berbuka puasa”.

16.Swez Brasserie
Eastin Hotel, Jalan 16, Petaling Jaya; 03- 7665 1111 ext 137
RM80++ (adults). RM52++ (children aged 4 to 12 years)
Middle Eastern as well as authentic Malay and Middle Eastern dishes. Turkish specialties such as ˜baba ghanoush", Turkish lamb, ˜baklava", ˜taramasalata" and Turkish-style grilled chicken.
Live ghazal music, performed nightly during dinner hours.

17.Balik Kampung Gastronomy
RM65++ (adults); RM37++ (children aged 4 to 12 years)
Malaysian fare with home-cooked dishes such as Prawn Sambal Petai, Sotong Masak Lemak Cili Api, Briyani Ayam, Lidah Sapi dengan Air Asam, Ikan Cencaru Sumbat, Nasi Ulam Bubur Lambuk, Kerabu Daging, Ulam-ulam, Pucuk Ubi & Ikan Masin.

18. Rahsia Bistro & Wine Bar
13 Jalan Damai, 55000 Kuala Lumpur ; 03 2142 5555
RM38 nett.
Different Menu Daily
Menu e.g. : Rojak Buah - Penang Style, Mini Rolls with Sweet Thai Dip, Sukun Goreng, Tauhu Sambal, Kari Ayam, Kurma Daging Lembu, Sayur Campur Oriental Style, Nasi Tomato, Nasi Putih, Sup Tulang, Sup Ekur, Ikan Keli Masak Belada, Kangkung Belacan, Ulam-ulaman, Kerabu Jantung Pisang, Kerabu Mangga, Nangka Masak Lemak, Kuih Muih, Bubur Kacang, Pengat Pisang, Sajian Buah buahan Tempatan.

19.Cafe Serena Brasserie
Nikko Hotel, Kuala Lumpur; (603) 2161 1111
RM80.00++ per person
Ramadhan spread consisting of more than 80 home made favourites, international as well as fusion dishes. E.g. Rendang Tok Perak, Kalio Daging, Ketam Masak Cili Api, Fried Udon Noodles with Sambal Belacan and more. In addition, there are 8 action stalls offering endless varieties of cuisines.

First 25 group reservations confirmed (min 30 persons) will receive a special fruit cake. -Each diner will receive a pack of dates in an exclusive pouch. -Live entertainment starts from 6.45pm to 9.30pm

20.Benkay Japanese Restaurant
Nikko Hotel, Kuala Lumpur; 03-2782 6268
RM88++ per set, RM68++ per set
Special bento box meal for buka puasa, inclusive of sweet dates. Diners can enjoy a Malay traditional music performance while feasting on food like grilled mutton and seafood.

21.Pool Deck of Lanai Gurney.
Lanai Gurney Corporate Suites; 03-4256 6119
M45 nett
35 dishes by Chef Din.
5 + 1(free) diner. So there's 6 of you, each will pay about RM37.50 only.

22.Semarak Cafe
Grand BlueWave Hotel, Section 14, Shah Alam ; 03-50313388 ext 2811, 2805, 2804
RM59++ for adult, RM39++ for senior citizens, RM29++ for children below 12 years old.
Minangkabau cuisine as well as several Chinese, Western and Japanese dishes.

23.Agehan
RM59++ (adults), RM49++(senior citizens 55 years and above), RM29++ (children between 7 and 12 years)
30 Japanese food varieties like sushi, sashimi, california roll, chawan mushi, saba teriyaki, tori katsu and much more.

24.Cafe on the Tenth
Crowne Princess Kuala Lumpur,
City Square Centre, Jln Tun Razak; 03-2162 5522 ext. 5503
RM68++ (adults), RM34++ (children)

25.Rasa Melaka: Choices range from Malaccan Peranakan cooking to Malay, Nyonya, Portugese and Chitty food.

26.Hard Rock Cafe
Concorde Hotel, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur ; 03-2715 5555
RM39, RM30, RM26
The menu selection consists of sizzling cod fish, roast shoulder of kebab, barbecue beef kebab, baked Portugese fish and local style barbecue chicken.


27. Lemon Garden Cafe
Shangri-La Hotel, 11 Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur; 03-2074 3902
RM88++ (adult), RM44++ (children 3 to 12 years)
Malay, Chinese, Indian and Western food in five rotational menus : acar rampai Nyona, sotong bakar berkunyit, ketam bakar bermadu, ayam tikka khadari, udang putih masak rendang, kambing briyani and many more.

28.The Planter's Inn
Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
RM85++ per person, (50% discount for children 12 years and below)
Buffet line of food like kerabu mangga, kerabu anika laut, ikan patin masak asam tempoyak, udang masak lemak dengan nenas, and ikan gelama masin. Local and international desserts like bubur pulut hitam, bubur pengat labu and tapai ubi are also available.

29.Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur, KL Plaza, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur; 03-2144 6602
RM42++ (adults), RM21++ (children below 12 years)
Ketam goreng masala, baked mussel, beef and chicken satay, rendang kerang, ikan masak tempoyak, koori chicken, lala masam manis, udang koori, mee jawa, nasi beriyani, pengat labu and many more.

30.Gen
Legend Hotel, Putra Place, 03-4042 9888 ext 1011
RM56++ per pax
Japanese Buffet Dinner

31.The Verandah
Federal Hotel Kuala Lumpur; (03) 2148-9166.
RM55++ (adult), RM27.50++ (children below 12)

32.Warisan Buffet Ramadhan
Taman Warisan Pertanian Putrajaya, 03 - 88880099
RM25 nett for Adults, RM15 netts for children.
25 menu choices.

33. Kiara Coffee House
Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort, Jalan Bukit Kiara, Off Jalan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur; 03-20941222/20931222 ext 218
RM35++ adults, RM26++ children
Malaysian and Middle Eastern buffet. Beef rendang, Mutton Kurma, salads, jeruk, etc.

34.Ario Dee Thai Restaurant
Palm Garden Hotel Putrajaya; 03-8943-2233.
RM38++ per pax.
Authentic Thai Buffet
Hot and spicy as well as live action stations: tom yam noodles and laksa Siam on the spot.
Main main buffet counter: mango sticky rice, pandan chicken, fragrant rice, asparagus with Thai sambal and others.
Dessert corner offers tako, water chestnut in coconut milk and mango pudding.

35. Wild Rice Restaurant
Boulevard Hotel, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur; 03-22958000
RM60 nett per person
Early Bird Promotion: For a group of 10, 2 persons eat for free (so each pay only RM48).
nekochan
Finally, it's coming to Malaysia! Let's hope it's REAL khinzir, not the cow kind!!!

From The Star, 21st Sept 2005
Taste of Tony Roma’s soon

By GEETHA KRISHNAN
Photo by LOW BOON TAT

TONY Roma’s is heading for our shores so Malaysians too will be able to savour their world-famous steaks and flame-grilled meats.

Back in 1972, an American guy called Tony Roma set up a cosy restaurant in Florida, offering delicious baby back ribs basted with his special sauce.

The fame of his grilled and barbecued meats spread throughout the United States.

Today, there are more than 260 Tony Roma’s restaurants in 27 countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Germany and China.

The Malaysian deal was sealed after Grandpolitan Sdn Bhd signed an international franchise agreement with operator and franchise holder Romacorp Inc to set up four Tony Roma’s restaurants in the country.

The agreement was signed in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Grandpolitan was represented by its managing principal George Ang while Romacorp Inc was represented by its franchise development vice-president Kenneth Myres.

Romacorp operates 29 restaurants and franchises 222 restaurants through its subsidiary companies.

Ang said the first Tony Roma’s would be located in a major shopping mall in the Klang Valley and will open in May.

Besides its award-winning baby back ribs, Tony Roma’s is known for barbecued chicken, flame-grilled steaks, onion loaf, potato skins, baked potato soup, salad and hamburgers.
nekochan




I've been hearing about this place for quite a while and finally got the chance to visit it beginning of June, when my company stayed overnight at Cherating for our Treasure Hunt. Having woken up rather late on Sunday morning (actually, it wasn't that late .. only around 9-ish), I was informed that there was no need to hurry to the breakfast buffet because there wasn't much food left and what was left was #$%^~!!

Seeing we were only about 20 minutes away from Kemanan, a group of us decided to visit this famous establishment.

The place was busy but we managed to find seats and feasted on nasi dagang, nasi lemak, local coffee, kaya on toast and half-boiled eggs. There was so much food on the table! The kaya on toast here is a little different because the bread is not in the normal form we are used to but rather, in a bun-like form. It was quite yummy though!

Hai Pheng Coffee
Location: Tall building off the main road entering Kemaman. You can't miss it. When you see the building, turn right into the street and find a parking space.
Tel: 05 859 7810
website: www.kopi.com.my (it may be down though)
nekochan
This blog got me salivating!! I LOVE Indian food, especially the DESSERTS!!!!
http://indiancurryrecipes.blogspot.com/

Now I feel like having Indian food but I'll be having a week of Cambodian food ahead of me so the Gulab Jamul will just have to wait!
nekochan





During my recent trip to Shanghai, I had the priviledge of visiting the top French restaurant in Shanghai - Jean Georges. Located on No 3 on the Bund (next door to M on the Bund) walking into the restaurant I felt like I was walking back in time into the opulent Shanghai of the 1930s.

We went for Sunday brunch which meant that the place was not so busy as normal evenings. We had a table by the window, overlooking the Bund with a perfect view of the ultra-modern Pudong area (our jolt back into reality!) with the Pearl Oriental Tower looking ready to take-off anytime and the Jingmao Tower, all 88 floors of it which also houses the Pudong Hyatt Hotel.

Between the four of us, we had, from the menu of Chef De Cuisine Eric Johnson:

Appetizers
King Fish Sashimi, Spieced Tapioca and Asian Pear
Foie Gras Brule, Dried Sour Cherries, Candied Pistachio
Sea Scallops with Caper-Raisin Emulsion, Caramalised Cauliflower
Kunamoto Oysters with Sparkling Champagne Jelly
Crispy Crad Cake, Cucumber and Lime
Orange Dusted Tiger Prawnsm Artichokes and Aragula
Broiche French Toast, Caramelised Apple

Mains
Garoupa Briased with Citrus and Tumeric, Asparagus and Scallps
Red Snapper Crsuted with Nut and Seeds, Sweet and Sour Jus
Veal Tenderloin with Smoked Chili Glaze, Potato Noodle Gratin
Grilled Sirloin of Beef, Soy, Garlic and Coriander

Dessert Chef Jason Casey surprised is with an offering of 4 item tasting which comprised of:
Warm Chocolate Cake
De-constructed Pina Colada
Banana Tart with Toffee / Caramel cream
and another dessert which was like a souffle but I can't remember what it was.

Us ladies washed all this down with a bottle of Bollinger Champagne and a half bottle of red wine.

3 hours later, we managed to extract ourselves from the lovely surroundings of Jean Georges and the lovely company of Chef Jason Casey and continued the rest of our culinary journey in Shanghai.

Of course, as expected and seeing this is the only Jean Georges restaurant outside New York, the prices are steep. For dinner, expect to fork out USD120-150 per pax or do the smart thing we did, go for the Sunday brunch where you can still sample the food without burning such a big hole in your pocket!

To read more about the man behind this great restaurant, please visit his site at http://www.jean-georges.com/ (PS. It also has the recipe for the Warm Chocolate Cake!)

Other useful information (from http://www.smartshanghai.com/en/scripts/loc.php?loc=444&name=Jean%20Georges%20Shanghai)

Address:
4/F, 17 Guang Dong Rd, inside "3 on the Bund

Phone:
6321 7733

Hours:
Lunch: Mon-Sun 11.30am-2.30pm
Dinner: Mon-Sun 5.30pm-11:00pm
Bar: Mon-Sun 11.30am-1.00am

Cards:
American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club, JCB

Prices:
Dinner for two with wine from RMB1700

Nearby metro stations:
15 minutes walking distance south/east of HeNan Zhong Road, Metro#2

Venue Website:
www.on-the-bund.com
nekochan



Review by SA

PADDINGTON HOUSE OF PANCAKES
142, 1st Floor, The Curve


For the pancake lover, this restaurant is about as
close to heaven as it gets. For starters, one needs to
allocate a fair amount of time to go through the menu,
as it is a fairly thick document requiring full focus
and concentration. You'll be overwhelmed by the choice
of savoury and sweet pancakes, each sounding more
mouth-watering than the last. The savoury pancakes are
named according to their countries of origin and the
sweet pancakes are just listed randomly and sinfully.

Service left rather a lot to be desired though, as
there seemed to be only 2 waiters, one of whom did not
seem to be in a very good mood. We had to wait quite a
while before someone appeared to take our order. I
ordered the Rome Pannekoek, TM ordered Grilled
Eggplant & Buckwheat Pancakes and CT ordered the
Honolulu Black Pepper Pannekoek. The Pannekoeks
consisted of a large thin pancake, liberally smothered
in mozarella cheese, olives, and sundried, plum and
cherry tomatoes, Generally, the Rome Pannekoek and
Honolulu Black Pepper Pannekoek were quite tasty and
very satisfying, albeit a little rich (there was LOTS
of mozarella!). The Grilled Eggplant & Buckwheat
Pancakes however turned out to be rather a
disappointment as the eggplant was so peppery that it
was really quite impossible to eat! The Buckwheat
Pancakes on their own were rather good though, but TM
gave up trying to eat it in a fit of sneezing and
turned her attention to the dessert menu within 10
minutes!

For dessert we shared a Treasure Box, comprising tiny
dollar size pancakes garnished with slices of
bananna, peaches, plum, strawberries and liberally
topped with nuts, raisins and almonds together with
vanilla ice cream. This was really quite delicious and
we concluded that really, the sweet pancakes were the
way to go from now on!
nekochan
Foie Gras
I'm not sure whether anyone else has notice this but many (too many!) restaurants are now serving foie gras. Once upon a time, only found in really high-class, French fine dining restaurants, it's now finding it's way into your neighbourhood cafe!

For me, it started off at Zipangu, the Jap restaurant at Shangri-La, KL. They are now pairing foie gras with Japanese cuisine. Had the panfried foie gras delicately placed on top of a piece of daikon. It was actually quite delicious, though difficult to eat the large piece of daikon. We also had something which resembled a fresh spring roll, like a popiah, but with the rice paper roll and not fried. That also had foie gras in it. Too bad the taste was overpowered by the veges.

Next, at Mizu, the Jap restaurant at Bangsar Village. They, too, served foie gras with daikon similar to the one at Zipangu.

Even Opus Bistro is riding on this trend and serving foie gras salad, which I didn't try (I think paying over RM40 is a bit much for salad!). There's another 2 restaurants which we went which is also serving foie gras but I can't remember their names off hand now.

Tea Cups
Another slighly annoying trend at Japanese restaurants, namely the 2 mentioned above as well as at Waka-ru, Jap restaurant near KLCC, is that for the Second Course of a set meal, they serve this Japanese Tea Cup Soup. It was really kawaii the first time, with the soup served in a small Japanese tea pot which you have to pour into a small tea cup and drink from it, but after the 5th or 6th round of pouring, you just wish that they would have given it in a bowl! Open the teapot and there a large prawn and some meat and mushrooms in it.

As I mentioned, it was cute the first time but it's really annoying me now ... perhaps it's a test in patience ..and more!

Know of any other restaurants serving foie gras and soup in tea pots? Let me know!
nekochan
A quaint little English pub has opened up this side of town, in the sleepy hollow if Sri Hartamas (the quiet side as opposed to Desa Sri Hartamas aka Bangsar 2). Located in the row facing the Petronas Gas Station, parking is not normally a problem.

We decided to pop in there for brunch last Sunday. Now, I have been there before, with SA, on the eve of Chinese New Year and it was all very quiet but on Sunday, Easter Sunday nonetheless, it was packed to the brim with the Pomps and Aussies.

On my first visit, I had their BLT sandwich was which quite yummy, as all simple comfort food is - 2 large slices of white bread with bacon, lettuce and tomatoes (duh!) inside and a generous serving of chips on the side. SA, had the baked ham and cheese sandwich and almost regretted it as it was very, very rich, with melted cheese oozing from the top.

On Easter Sunday, we had a serving of English Breakfast and Sunday lamb. The English Breakfast is served all day (which is great!) and comes with bacon, baked beans, baked tomato, too little mushroom, sausages and fried bread. The fried bread was really oily and that didn't go down too well with my tum tum. Next time I'll just ask for toast I think. The Sunday lamb was OK, wasn't fantastic or anything but the portion was certainly generous. Came with sauce (brown, not mint) and peas and baked potatoes.

The service here is normally quite good but food generally doesn't appear in a hurry. Afterall, it's a drinking place. On Easter Sunday it was quite bad as we had to wait 45 minute - 1 hour for the food to arrive and by the time I tucked into the lamb, it was around 2pm!

Anyway, I think I will still give Sunday breakfast a go, especially when I want to 'escape' Malaysia for a bit. Once you step inside, it's like you're transported to good ol' England (with the exception of nasi lemak on the menu!). they also have a piano and a little stage there. Perhaps the DitVits may like to consider have a little sing-song session there?

The BullDog
31 & 31-1 Jalan Sri Hartamas 7
Taman Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 6201 4484
Fax: 03 6201 4534
nekochan
I first heard about this from a friend of a friend, EY. This lady is very much connected into the expat-type scene in town (being an expat herself) and that group is always looking for unique and different places to feast. Not having any financial restraints also helps matters.

During one of EY's dinner at FIC's, the group was talking about this fantastic place up in some hillside but near enough to the city and how you can have a dinner party there as long as you have at least 10 guests and they will cook specially for you. That place was no other than Sarang Murai.

Lately, in the Star newspaper, there have been a a couple of articles on the place as well and I'm more determined than ever to organised a group to go there. A group that will enjoy good food and don't mind paying up to RM100 per head.

We will have to book at least 4 days in advance and the place accomodates 10 to 35 guests. They have Asian (Thai, Malaysian Portugese, Indonesia and Indian) and a Couscous menu priced at RM40 and RM50 per head respectively. There are also vegetarian meals and a high tea menu as well.

Accomodation is also available, which is great for a group outing ... what a better way to end a meal than to crawl back to a comfortable bed??

So, any takers?

Manager: Razif Rashid
SARANG MURAI
Lot 2258, Batu 18 1/2 Jalan Pangsun
43100 Hulu Langat
Selangor
Tel: 03 9021 5173
Fax: 03 9021 7414

(The place is roughly 25km from the 9th Mile Cheras police station)
nekochan
Review by SA

For vegetable lovers, this place is great - it serves delicious preparations of vegetables. My personal favourite is the Tarbush Salad at RM 7, made up of romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, lemon juice and olive oil. I would also recommend the Tabouleh, which is chopped parsley, tomato, crushed wheat, lemon juice and olive oil.

The meat dishes are pretty good too. My friends ordered lamb biryani (RM 14.00) and the Spring Chicken (RM 15.00) while I ordered the Mix Grill (RM 18.00). The meat was tender and succulent and well flavoured. Portions are pretty generous, so it's fairly good value for money.

There are a couple of interesting deserts - to date, I've only tried the creme caramel, and it's excellent. Creamy, smooth and rich.


TARBUSH
Lebanese Cuisine
Lot G05 Ground Floor
Ampang Point Shopping Centre
Jalan Mamanda 3
Ampang Point, 68000 Ampang
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel : 03-42534177
Fax:03-21417357
nekochan
Today the family and I went to Ipoh to do our Chinese New Year rounds and visited all our grandaunties there. My uncle from Penang also drove down to meet us there. Seeing that we hardly return to Penang these days, he took the liberty of bringing some of Penang to us. My favourites - assam laksa, chee cheong fun and 'kelinga' mee (indian mee).

Of course, our before we even got to it, we started the day off by having breakfast at Bidor, a small town about 45 minutes south of Ipoh which is famous for it's duck noodles. The shop is Pun Chun and it's on Jalan Besar (the main road). As I already had the noodles 3 weekends ago on the way to Pangkor Laut (post #36) I decided to go for the plain kwan lo char-siew wanton mee (dry noodles with wonton and roast pork). My parents and Uncle J, who hadn't been to the shop in over 20 years also ordered the same dish and they loved it - the noodles was homemade, handmade and kinda curly-wurly and the wanton fillings were generous in portion with minced pork and prawns. They also liked the woo kok (yam filled with minced pork) and siew pow (baked pork buns). For dessert, we could not resist when I spied kai tan kow (simple baked egg cakes) at the bottom of the display and it was absolutely delicious - light and moist.

I digress from the title. Will save the lunch review for another post.

Had the assam laksa, which is one of my favourite Penang hawker dishes of all time. Looked at mom and asked her, "Where do you think Uncle R got this from? It's definitely not from my favourite shop at Pulau Tikus."

Mom:Well, I think he would have got it there ... no, wait, they don't start business till later and seeing he would have bought this at like 9am-ish, it's probably some other shop.
Me: I knew it!
Mom: What's wrong with it?
Me: The soup is like a bit raw - not enough of something ... (I proceed to add some ha kow (shrimp paste) to it). That's better but I can still taste the rawness of the chillies .. like a young Chardonnay ...needs more time to mature ..
Mom: You are comparing assam laksa to wine?
Me: Yup! The laksa at the corner Pulau Tikus shop .. the body of the soup is to strong, too much of all the ingredients and boiled for too long. The one near Grandaunty #7's place is too light, not enough body and tastes almost watered down. The one from the Black's wife is perfect - just the right amount of herbs and fish, etc boiled with the right amount of water and not boiled too long so there's no overboiled mush taste and texture yet boiled long enough so that the raw taste of the ingredients like chillies, onions, bunga kantan are all blended really nicely ... like the Blue Pyrenees Estate 1997 Red!!
Mom: You're so weird!

Well, I don't know how else to compare the different tastes and textures of the assam laksa soup. Some are really thick, almost like a stew and if it's overboiled there's that burnt after taste. Some are really light and watery. Then the taste varies - to sour, not sour enough, too sweet, not sweet enough, too much prawn paste, too little bunga kantan, etc .. the list goes on and on ...!!

So, tell me what you think? What other analogies could I use to compare and contrast assam laksa soups? and while on the same strain .. curry laksa soups too!!

Write!
nekochan
In my teens, whenever my friend Andrew was down visiting from Penang, without fail we would always go to Swensen's for their Earthquake creation. Then Swensen's disappeared for a while and revived not so long ago.

Anyway, decided to pop into Swensen's in SS2 on Tuesday night to discover that Tuesday nights = 50% off on Earthquake creations!!! Yeah!!

"Are you sure we can finish a whole earthquake?", CKL asked.
"Aiyah, only 8 scoops .. two of us .. can lah..", I replied.

Anyway, we bulldozed through the Earthquake which is still served in the large bowl but this time round with a little jar of dry ice in the middle which makes it look like a volcano had erupted. We had mocha almond fudge, peanut butter cup, cookies n cream, lime sherbet, mango, chocolate bits and 2 more flavours I can't remember with various toppings.

Great way to spend a Tuesday evening and it only cost us RM18.25 for all.

Swensen's Ice Cream Parlour
SS2, Petaling Jaya
Selangor
nekochan
We finally made it to Pangkor Laut Resort, the only resort on an old leper colony island off the larger island of Pangkor. 3 Days and 2 nights in paradise.....the island was gorgeous, and we had the Beach Villa which was great!!!

Guide to eating at Pangkor Laut Resort
Breakfast
For RM60 you can have a buffet breakfast at Palm Grove Restaurant. It's quite nice sitting and overlooking the pool and sea and with pea fowls walking around the place (you can't feed them though!). The selection wasn't bad and you could request for eggs done any way you like. They even had putu piring*. The biggest disappointment was that they didn't have nasi lemak. I mean, tout yourself as a Malaysian kampung (village) and not serve nasi lemak anywhere on the resort??? Anyway, they did have bircher muesli to pacify this cat, so all's forgiven ...

*Putu piring is a small, white, Malay cake made of flour and stuffed with gula melaka (brown sugar). It is eaten with grated coconut.

Lunch
We had a choice of Chapman's Bar at Emerald Bay or the Royal Bay Beach Club.
Chapman's Bar
Located on the other side of the island, it's the only eating place on Emerald Bay. They serve a variety of tapas and burgers and pasta. We tried most of their tapas, the cold tomato soup, pasta and the beef burger. It was all ok though I was informed that the beef burger wasn't very good.

Royal Bay Beach Club
Located by the infinity pool, the food here is a variety of sandwiches, salads and pastas. On the day we were there, they were serving Mee Banding (RM33) which I tried. It was really spicy but quite tasty. The salads were very basic and nothing fancy, just tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce based with grilled prawns or chicken on top. I was informed that the Club sandwich wasn't too bad and neither was the pasta.

Dinner
We had a choice of Uncle Lim's Seafood Restaurant or Samudra Malay Restaurant.
Decided not to eat at Samudra because have been told before hand that the food there isn't so great and they were having an Indian buffet on one of the nights we were there. Anyway, we were here to have SEAFOOD!!

Uncle Lim's is the Chinese seafood restaurant which has NO menu! Everything is based on recommendations, which may not be great because you won't know what things costs till after the meal .... :)
Anyway, we had
- roast duck - very yummy and we assume it came from some famous roast duck seller from Lumut!
- steamed sea bass (approx RM120) - very fresh
- asparagus with scallops (RM70) - it was cooked just with garlic and a bit bland
- deep-fried soft shell crab with chilli/ginger sauce - unfortunately, the crab was not crunchy enough and the chilli wasn't even slightly hot
- large grilled tiger prawns (RM85) - these were really large and we had one for each of us
- fried banana and ice cream for dessert - VERY yummy (unfortunately, they only had 2 types of dessert - the banana or mixed fruit)

For the first night, the bill came to RM550 for the 3 of us and for the 2nd night (we had similar to the above except that the prawns were smaller and we also had tofu) the bill was RM680 for the 4 of us.

Drinks - everywhere on the island, the fruit juices / mixed fruit drinks were all RM15 per glass and the alcoholic drinks are between RM40-RM50.

The best way to eat your way through the resort is to go on the meal plan which is RM200 per pax per day for all meals (exclusive of alcohol) or to take the 3D/2N package which is RM799 per pax inclusive of all meals.

There are a few other restaurants like Fisherman's Cove which we didn't try and also the Dinner on the Rocks where you get to sit on a platform built over a huge rock at Emerald Bay and watch the sun set as your have dinner. They only serve sets here (RM190 per pax) and a bar, Sri Lagenda Bar.

I really wished they served better desserts than just ice cream with fried banana or ice cream with mix fruits or plain ice cream. Then again, a lot of the food seem to come already prepared from the mainland. (We saw the dim sums arriving when we left). And I really think they need to serve NASI LEMAK!!!!

Pangkor Laut Resort
Lumut
Perak

Website: www.pangkorlautresort.com

nekochan
It's been there for ages and a real favourite with the Indians in PJ and for the lack of a better place to go, my sing-song friends ++ and I went to South Pacific in PJ State for yee sang dinner on the 2nd day of CNY.

The sing-sing friends are definitely one of the more difficult groups to cater for (in terms of dietary requirements) and we just finally decided on a set that catered to some - "No prawns please, Sharks Fin soup please, etc".

The yee sang wasn't too bad but we swapped the raw wan yee (freshwater fish) for jellyfish because it's not good to eat the raw stuff. Why? Don't know except that we were told "stay away from that stuff, it's bad for you". Unlike some of the other yee sang I have had, this one was ok, and wasn't as heavily colored as the rest.

Next, the dishes started literally flying in almost all at once;
- sharks fin soup with crabmeat - well, of course it wasn't real sharks fin but I really wonder why people like it so much, it's just like egg drop soup with cornflour to thicken it. Of course, I've never been a big fan of starchy soups....
- cauliflower with mushrooms,
- broccoli and mushroom (both which tasted the same thanks to the same sauce it was all swimming in!),
- 2 types of tofu (otak-otak tofu and house special tofu (fish paste/tofu mix) - this was what we substituted for the prawns (in hindsight, we should have just had the prawns .. I mean, when one person doesn't want the prawns, doesn't mean that everyone else has to forgo it right?),
- fried rice
- herbal chicken - bit salty
- steam cod fish - more like boiled cod fish head and then smothered with that damm sauce which was similar to the ones that came with the broccoli and cauliflower.
- dessert was fresh mango (which was probably the best dish which was probably the easiest to prepare) and watermelon

The set came to RM406 including tax for the 9 of us. I personally didn't think it was very worthwhile as the only "expensive" dish was the fish but hey, when you go out for CNY, it's more for the socialising more for the food I guess.

Overall, the food at South Pacific has really gone downhill, and this, coming from someone who's not so great with the Chinese cuisine. If I can tast the difference from a few years ago (the last time I was there) and now .. that's saying something! Then again, it could be the pre-cooked / conveyer belt food that they were cooking just because it was CNY ...

Go there again ....only if I'm really desperate but then, the next time, it will have to include proper seafood - prawns, squid, crabs ...

South Pacific Seafood Restaurant
PJ State (behind Lotus formerly known as State Cinema)
nekochan
This year, we decided to celebrate YL's birthday at Marche Movenpick at the new The Curve at Mutiara Damansara. I've never been a huge fan of Movenpick even though I've visited their restaurants in Hong Kong and Singapore. Not sure why. Anyway, after our visit there to the first Malaysian outlet, I'm not in a hurry to go back again.

Really, it is a glorified food court ... with people lining up to get in!!
I arrived late and basically ate off what the others had ordered ... which was a bit of everything; pizza, soup, salads, cod fish, stir fried mushrooms, pastas (carbonara and tomato-based), sausages and rosti. I didn't think any of it was super delicious or anything, but definitely edible.

Desserts didn't look anything special so we decided to adjourne to Paddington's Pancakes instead.

I think Marche is pulling in the crowd because while it's a glorified food court, it's appeal to the yuppie suburban crowd is that it makes them feel as if they made some contribution to the cooking process i.e. they get to choose the "raw" ingredients that went in. I mean, these are the people who do not regularly go food shopping in the markets but rather, to places like Giant and Tesco, etc. So, to be able to choose the raw ingredients and put it into a basket will give some sense of domesticity. It's like, what we are eating now ... I chose the ingredients you know ...

Anyway, we ended up paying about RM50 per pax for 6 adults and that's rather expensive seeing we didn't even go for tiger prawns or anything. Oh well ...

Marche Movenpick
The Curve
Mutiara Damansara
Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 03 77289200
nekochan
For a long time, I've been moaning about the lack of good dessert places in KL. Of course, I was, perhaps unfairly, comparing the Klang Valley to my favourite city, Bangkok where there are many delicious dessert places such as Mango Tango, a Matter of Taste, KuppA and Anna's Cafe, just to name a few.

Anyway, over the past week, I've been on a high-sugar diet which started with the Etoile Bisto Dessert Buffet over at Equatorial Hotel, then on to the newly opened Bakerzin in Bangsar Village and on to Chef Loong's in SS2.

Etoile Bistro Dessert Buffet
This special buffet ran for the whole month of December 2004 at the cost of RM35++ per head. I would have thought that it would not have been a good time to have it right after Hari Raya and just before Christmas where the festivities bring so much traditional sweets out that the last thing people want to do is actually go out and have more sugar.

Anyway, friends and I decided to make an evening out of it. On the dessert side, there was unlimited Haagen Daaz ice cream, a chocolate fountain (yes, like the one at Lemon Garden Cafe at The Shangri-La KL!) with frozen fruit and ice cream to dip, cookies, cakes, mousse, etc. On the savoury side there was pasta, chicken wings and an oxtail soup which made a more convincing crab bisque if I had to name it.

Unlike the last time I went which was a good 2 years ago, the place was relatively empty and the offerings menial. I remember the last time, there was much more varieties of ice cream, there was also Mrs Fields cookies and a wider selection of cakes and crepes they would cook on the spot. Must say I was slightly disappointed with it this time.

Perhaps they should consider moving the buffet to sometime in the middle of the year when it's quieter and the craving for sweets is higher?


Bakerzin @Bangsar Village
Unlike it's counterpart in Jakarta where one has to line up to for seats, Bakerzin @ Bangsar Village is not yet the place to be seen which meant that getting that seat wasn't a major problem. SA and I had the lunch special wherby for RM13 extra, you can add either the soup of the day or dessert and a coffee to your main course. Unfortunately, the main course had to be ordered from the Hearty Meals section of the menu which meant that the duck salad was out of the picture.

Anyway, SA had the soup which was crab bisque for the day and that came served in a fancy see-through glass (rather than a bowl). Unfortunately, they didn't have soup spoons so she had to scoop it with a normal spoon. SA also ordered the spaghetti arrabiata which didn't look or taste very inspiring and not really worth much of a mention. I had the toasted brioche with poached egg and spinach and mushrooms which was not bad but looked rather sparse on the large plate and considering it was over RM20, I thought it was rather pricey. It was tasty but not very filling as the portion was not very large, not large enough to be considered in the Hearty Meals section of the menu, anyway.

The desserts, of course, look absolutely enticing as you are greeted by them when you first walk into the shop. I didn't want anything chocolate so opted for a sponge with pistachio cream and strawberries which was quite yummy. We had coffee to round off the end of the meal.

Being new, I will forgive their service staff for being absolutely blur. They had this knack of looking at you in a way that you knew they didn't understand what you were asking for. Another point of contention is that they only serve Evian water which I'm sure, they would charge a bomb for.

Lunch set us back around RM70 which is quite a lot for a quick meal.

Chef Loong's in SS2
In contrast to Bakerzin, a meal for 5 people cost us RM75 at Chef Loong's.
Set up as a Chinese dessert place, the dessert here range from traditional chinese to Hong Kong desserts. There's also a savoury section with more finger /light food type dishes.
Between the 5 of us, we had porridge (oyster and rainbow which had yam and sweet potato in it), chicken pies (really tiny but quite tasty), yamcake, rice flour rolls, pan fried Shanghai buns, cheesy squid and prawn rolls, glutinous rice and for dessert, the following: peanut cream, black sesame cream, red bean banana katafil and avocado katafil (my favourite!), durian pancake and egg tarts (BB's favourite!!).

Looks like we're not so dessert-starved in KL afterall .....

Etoile Bistro
Equatorial Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
Kuala Lumpur

Bakerzin
(opposite Starbucks)
Bangsar Village
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

Chef Loong
86, Jalan SS2/60
47300 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 7877 4826