Singapore Hokkien Mee @ Thye Hong, Pavilion

A small update on an interesting Singaporean invader in Pavilion....

One day, me, Pat and Al were wandering around Pavilion shopping centre in KL when we decided to drop by the food court (called Food Republic) on the lower ground floor.

I was pretty impressed with the simple yet modern design of the food court area (which is surrounded by a perimeter of "nicer" restaurants) and the variety of food offered (everything from local to japanese to thai to western, etc):
The Food Court area...
I was feeling a bit confused on what to eat but then I saw the Thye Hong stall and made up my mind immediately:
Thye Hong...
Basically, Thye Hong (in Pavilion) is a branch of the famous Thye Hong Singapore Hokkien Mee from the Food Republic in Singapore. I had tried it once before when I was on holiday there and remember it being really nice so I figured that the Malaysian outlet should be nice too.

After lining up patiently I got my nicely presented dish of Singapore Hokkien Mee (RM 7++) (BTW, be warned! - my friend who works in KL says the line can get crazily long during weekday lunchtimes):
The Singapore Hokkien Mee...
It tasted ok - ok texture of the noodles, clear savoury sauce served with an ok tasting sambal on the side (the seafood could have been a bit fresher though).
:(
I guess I was expecting too much?
(Don't get me wrong - it's still worth a try.... It's just that it falls short of the original outlet in Singapore)

They also serve one or two other dishes at the stall, one being the Oyster Omelette (RM 7++):
The "Orr Chien" (Oyster Ommelette)...
Overall, this was also just ok - it was a tad too oily and not quite crispy enough for my taste, but there was a fairly generous amount of reasonably fresh small oysters encased in a thick layer of fragrant fried egg.
(Cannot compare with the top hawker stalls lah.... but it's really not bad for food court standards!)

So, it's: Ok tasting Singaporean Hokkien Mee (and average tasting "Orr Chien") in a clean and modern food court in Pavilion shopping centre BUT nothing much to complain except that I feel the original one in Singapore tastes better.....

Summary Information:
Hokkien Mee @ Food Republic Food Court, Pavilion, KL

Opening Hours: 11am till late.
Phone: -
Address: Lower Ground, Food Republic food court, Pavilion Shopping Centre, KL, Malaysia.

NO PORK SERVED

OTHER REVIEWS:
- Two Super Heroes
- Yowazzup? Food
- Jule's Eating Guide To Malaysia
- Kuan Chong's Photography, Travelling and Discovery
- Very SEDAP!!!

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Pavilion Shopping Center, Pavillion, Thye Hong, Singapore Hokkien Mee,Shopping Centre, Food Republic, KL, Kuala Lumpur

Hunting Season

J is glad to see her dear friend, Saturday.....

Haaaaaaaaah...........
*huge sigh of relief*
Thank GOD the weekend is finally here - It's just been such a long week!
(Long story.... but basically it involves having to attend a mandatory training session + normal work not stopping + a million urgent things thrown in my mailbox as usual)

I did actually mean to finish up on one restaurant review I've been slowly writing and post it up by this weekend (to make up my review drought) but *yawn* sorry, cannot! My batteries are almost completely drained....

Hopefully I won't feel too tired and grumpy during my house hunt this weekend. I guess it may be a bit overdue but I've finally decided that it's time I stop wasting money on shoes and bags and start investing in a place I can call my own.
(I've been sitting on my @ss and just thinking about it long enough)

It's just so hard to find the "right" place though - you know, that hallowed place that has the perfect mix of price+location+quality... in other words: a decent place that I can afford on my limited income.
:)

Wish me luck!


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Centro @ Sooka Sentral, KL

(I'm trying to make up for lost time!) A review on fairly new restaurant/ bar/ club lounge in Sooka Sentral - right next to the main Plaza Sentral....

The Dinner:

If I had to sum up the feel of Centro's interior into 2 words, it would be - 1) Funky, and 2) DARK:
The Interior of Centro....
*lol*
Well, it was nice lah - modern, sleek but just a bit too dimly lit for a restaurant.
(It was really hard at times to get the attention of the waiters, considering they don't have night vision goggles - we were waving our hands around frantically like "Hello?.. *wave* .. HELLOOOooooooo??")

I also found the music was a bit too loud in there but you can request for them to turn down the volume a bit during dinner time...
(Actually, it's like they kinda forgot that they have to be a restaurant from 7 to 9+ pm before they turn on their club/ bar mode)

Moving on to the food, there is a fairly extensive range of Western and Eastern food - ranging from pastas, poultry, seafood and steak to fried rice, noodles and (strangely) some dim sum.

After some deliberation, we started the night with an array of soups and finger foods - the Lobster Bisque (RM 12.50++), Super Nachos (RM 22.50++), Deep Fried Baby Crabs (RM 12.50++), Deep Fried Calamari (RM 12.50++) and Chicken Wings (RM 13.50++):


Top to bottom, left to right: The Lobster Bisque, Super Nachos, Deep Fried Baby Crabs, Deep Fried Calamari and Chicken Wings ....
(Hmmmm, ok - I'll try to be brief considering there are so many dishes... or this review may never end! O_o....)
Nice!:
- Lobster Bisque : Thick (but not TOO thick), creamy soup with robust aroma of seafood/ lobster without being "fishy"
- Deep Fried Calamari : Fresh, "springy" calamari rings encased in a light crispy batter

OK lah:
- Deep Fried Baby Crabs : Good value serving but just a bit too salty and could have been crispier

Nothing Special:
- Super Nachos : Overpriced and average. Crispy nacho chips topped with cheese, sour cream and guacamole (Oooh, and the salsa was super garlic-y)
- Chicken Wings : Not very tender or tasty (Needs to be marinated a little better, methinks)

That night, we also tried the Dinner Set Meal (RM 33++) which comes with a soup or starter, main (that night it was either steak, lamb chops or pasta), dessert and coffee or tea:


Top to bottom, left to right: The mushroom soup, Prawn and Banana salad, Lamb Cutlets, Steak and the Dessert....
OK.
So, it's very decently priced for a set meal in a fairly nice restaurant setting... but the overall quality of the food was a little disappointing:
- Mushroom Soup : Not bad. Creamy and tasty.
- Prawn and Banana Salad : (For lack of a better word) Weird - I'm not sure that prawn & banana & lettuce & thousand island dressing go so well together.... It definately does not suit my tastebuds anyway.
- Steak : Ok serving size but texture was a bit stringy/ tough and not very tasty.
- Lamb Cutlets : Ditto.
- Cake a la mode : Not bad! Was surprised but the dry crumbly cake and the smooth creamy ice cream actually went quite well together.

We also tried a couple of other mains that night - the Fried Beef Hor Funn (RM 14.50++) and Grilled Seabass (RM 30.50++):
The Horr Fun and the Sea Bass....
Both dishes were ok.
- The fish was a bit limp and only moderately tasty but the accompanying creamy pasta was nice (although a bit too oily).
- The Horr Funn was smooth and tasty (but just cannot compare to the top hawker stalls!).

Lastly, dessert! - we had the Apple Crumble (RM 15.50++), Sticky Date Pudding (RM 15.50++) and Tiramisu (RM 15.50++)

Clockwise from top left: The Apple Crumble, Sticky Date Pudding and Tiramisu....
Nice!:
- Apple Crumble : Yummy - Moist, tender, tasty apple chunks topped with a crispy crumble pastry and vanilla ice cream on the side (Serving is so small though....)

Nothing Special:
- Sticky Date Pudding : Just way too sweet...
- Tiramisu : And this was way too creamy (almost non-existent texture)...

Overall, we had an OK night at Centro... (Most of) The food really wasn't anything to shout about but it was convenient to be able to have dinner there and continue on to drinks/ dancing/ etc without changing venues or having to drive deep into the jammed Saturday night traffic of central KL.


So it's: Sleek, funky modern setting with wide range of Western and Eastern food, friendly service BUT blur wait staff (either that or it's just too dark) and hits and misses on the menu.

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Centro @ Sooka Sentral, KL

Taste: 5
Ambience : 5^
Service : 5*
Price** : RM 50/++ per person
Parking: OK

^ Nice as a club but a bit too dark/ noisy as a restaurant
* Either it's just too dark in there or the waiters are just too blur
** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-2785 1811
Opening Hours: 12noon till late, closed on Sunday

NO PORK SERVED

OTHER REVIEWS:
- Pink Painter
- Journal Of Life

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, KL Sentral, Sooka Sentral, Club Lounge, Centro, Bar, KL, Kuala Lumpur

Teapot Cafe @ SS2, PJ

A cosy little restaurant in the SS2 area that's been around for AGES....

The Teapot Cafe has been opened in SS2 for the longest time (about 10 years already I think) but somehow I had never tried it out....
(According to a friend of mine who has been dining there for a while, the food quality used to be good and then dropped for a while but has now thankfully recovered)

The Lunch

Anyway, one Saturday we decided to pop into the Teapot Cafe for lunch. As you can see, it's a simple, low key restaurant with its dark green facade and signboard:
The exterior of the Teapot Cafe.....
One thing I find really cute about this restaurant is that (following the name) there are teapots incorporated into many parts of their decorations, even on their door and the tiles outside:
The interesting teapot themed embellishments.....
Inside, it's small but cosy, in a sort of homey English cottage style and again with many teapots in all shapes and sizes displayed for all to see:
The Interior of the Teapot Cafe.....
It was surprisingly packed for a lazy Saturday lunch time and we were lucky to find a table. Scanning the menu, I found that there was a decent array of Western dishes (sandwiches, pies, roast chicken, salads, fish, etc) and also a couple of local dishes (nasi lemak, mee, roti jala, etc).

We sampled 4 dishes that day. First up, the Mee Hailam (RM 7.50++) and Roast Chicken Salad (RM 12.50++):
The Mee Hailam and Roast Chicken Salad.....
Overall, I found these just OK.
Not anything bad about them - the Mee was nice comfort food, al dente noodles in a savoury sauce and the chicken salad with its crisp fresh greens and simple salad dressing - but just not fantastic.
(Can't complain too much though - it tasted nice enough considering the decent pricing/ serving size)

Next up, the Steak and Mushroom Pie (RM 17.50++) and Fillet of Sole (RM 16.50++):
The Pie and the Fish.....
I preferred these 2 dishes much more...
- The pie was light, flaky and crispy on the outside and chunky, soupy and savoury on the inside with a decent amount of moderately tender beef pieces.
- The fish was YUM. Serving size was a bit small but I loved the moderately tender slices of fish, wrapped around the creamy spinach filling and topped with a tart sauce.

We were there for a light lunch that day (in between our "zhi mui" duties in the morning and getting ready for the wedding dinner that night) so we didn't try out any of the desserts.... However, I noticed a couple of nice looking pastries and cakes in the display so I'll probably pop by some time to try it out.

So, it's: Cosy restaurant and good selection of Western dishes (and some Asian food) for reasonable prices BUT nothing much to complain about - service could have been a bit friendlier but it was generally ok...

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Teapot Cafe @ SS2, PJ
(in the row of shops behind the SS2 police station)

Taste: 6
Ambience : 6
Service : 6
Price** : RM33/++
Parking: Difficult on weekdays, particularly on Monday night (pasar malam)

Website: (with map!) www.teapotcafe.com

** Approximation - Per person, 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-7875 3024
Opening Hours: Mon 12noon - 6pm, Tues to Sat 12noon - 6pm, Sun closed

NO PORK SERVED

OTHER REVIEWS:
- Babe In The City
- Masak-Masak
- KY Speaks
- My So Called Life
- I Just Wana Eat

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, PJ, Petaling Jaya, Teapot Cafe, SS2, Asian Food, English

Office Zombie

Good golly gee. (Almost) One week already!

I thought I'd be able to update as per my usual schedule but I can't believe how busy I've been since I got back from holiday.
*phew*
Well anyway, just so you know: I am still very much alive and kicking. Just not updating my blog very much at all - SORRY!
:)


Hugs,
J

PS/ To be fair: It's not like my boss has been cruel and has locked me to my cubicle with endless mountains of stuff to do thrown into my in-tray periodically - Well, not more than the usual anyway. Haha - but I guess I've had a lot on my mind lately (on life, career and love). Nothing exciting so I shan't bore you with the details lah. :) I do hope you're all doing wonderfully well though. *HUUUGS*

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Mini Food Update Again

[ BEGIN EDIT ]
(June 2009)

Spring Hatsuhana is currently closed, due to the 2nd phase of the major BSC renovation. It should be reopening in a couple of months, when the construction is completed - will keep you posted.

[ END EDIT ]

Sorry everyone.
Still no new reviews! - Just a small update on 2 restaurants I have reviewed before (one is a good update and another is a bad one).

First, the bad news:
1) Spring Hatsuhana @ Bangsar Shopping Centre
Is it too much to ask for decent service???
*growl*
(Sorry lah... enough is enough)

First of all, let me be clear: I am definately not saying that anyone should boycott this restaurant. What I will say with convinction though is that the service in Spring Hatsuhana has been dying a slow painful death over the years and I've personally had enough.

Ok, I will not go into the gory details but no one should have to wait THAT long for food and get stupid excuses like:
1) "Oh, *nervous laugh* sorry but we are short staffed... " when asked why many other tables that came later than us got their food first, and
2) "Haha.. oh, sorry ah. We just don't do that..." when asked how come they didn't even have the decency to volunteer something small like a 10% discount or even a free drink as a small compensation for the unacceptably long wait.

Service rating in the Restaurant Review Summary has been downgraded accordingly.
(Food still tastes decent for the price though)


Next, the relatively happy news:
2) Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks
Yay!
They have expanded very quickly - now there are Shihlin outlets at most major shopping centres in the KL/ PJ area (eg. Pavilion, Gardens, Sunway Pyramid) and even Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall - Melaka.
(And after eating the Oyster Mee Sua/ XXL Chicken so many times, I'm still not sick of it! Still love it, in fact... although I wish they would have more choices for drinks - somehow I feel the soya bean clashes with the yummy food)

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know.
:)


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Hello?

(Please ignore following post if you're here to read about food. Sorry. I'm caught in a funk right now that I can't seem to snap out of)

Dear Prince Charming,

I'm sorry to sound impatient but, where the heck are you?
With all this waiting, I'm almost convinced that you don't actually exist.

I mean, if I knew for sure that you don't really exist then it's fine - I can adjust my expectations and just move on in life.... But I see so many others have their princes save them from their towers and live happily ever after (as far as I can tell) so I figured that you are probably just running a little late.

Anyway, thought I'd just drop you a short note. Hope you get this and appreciate if you hurry up.
Thanks!


Warm regards,
J

PS/
No lah.
I'm not depressed over love (or the lack of it).
(Not really anyway)
Sure I'd love if I could find a great guy right now and share my heart with him but if it's not meant to be, then what can a girl do? I'm definately not going to throw myself on any passing fellow, that's for sure. Anyways, I hope you're all having a good start to your week!
:)

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

GAH

If I get any busier I just may forget my own name.
*sigh*


Huh? Who am I? What am I doing here??,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Pasta Zanmai @ One Utama

One of the new Japanese restaurants in One Utama Shopping Centre's old wing....

The Dinner:

Looking at Pasta Zanmai from the outside, you may almost mistake it for just a specialty (Japanese) grocery store:
The Exterior of Pasta Zanmai...
However, if you just venture in, you'll find a modern, simple but comfortable little restaurant awaiting in the back:
The Interior of Pasta Zanmai...
We started the night with a serving of the Creamy Corn Croquette (RM 12++):
The Croquettes...
I was a bit hesitant to try this at first (as I don't really like the taste of sweet corn) but I found the crispy texture and creamy filling quite nice....
(And thankfully, there wasn't any overpowering taste of corn)
(If I only have one complaint is that it seems a bit too expensive to charge 12 bucks for this)

As for the mains, I tried the Black Sesame Beef Pasta (RM25++) that night:
The Black Sesame Beef Pasta...
Overall, I found the pasta interesting - good texture of the spaghetti, tender beef slices and light cream sauce enhanced by sprinklings of freshly grounded black sesame.

Next up, the Creamy Chicken Pasta (RM 18++) with added egg (RM 3++):
The Creamy Chicken Pasta...
As with the Beef Pasta, I found this dish ok overall (good pasta texture, tender chicken, light sauce)... but in this case there wasn't something extra (eg. the ground sesame in the beef spaghetti) so it tasted just a litte bit too "light"/ bland for my tastebuds.....

Lastly, the Rice with Meat Sauce (RM 18++):
The Rice dish...
Looking at this dish, it reminded me of Nasi Pattaya (because the rice was wrapped in a layer of egg) topped with Bolognaise Sauce... *lol* ... Still, overall it was a nice uncomplicated dish to have when you feel like having some carb laden comfort food.

Mmmmmm, it's strange: All 3 dishes were actually pretty unique and tasted quite nice but somehow they didn't knock my socks off. I mean, it was ok but not great....
(I suppose it was beause my expectations were super high because Lyn, Ken and Nick said they really like this restaurant/ dish...)

Still, I think this restaurant is definately worth a try if you're looking for something different from your normal pasta or Japanese place....
:)

So it's: Interesting Japanese food with a modern twist BUT nothing much to complain about except that people who like salty food like me might find some of the food here a little bit too "ching" (light).

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Pasta Zanmai @ Ground Floor, One Utama Shopping Centre (Old Wing, near Burger King)

Taste: 6
Ambience : 6
Service : 6
Price** : RM 42/++ per person
Parking: Difficult on weekends

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-7728 1210
Opening Hours: 10am till late

NO PORK SERVED

OTHER REVIEWS:
- Jason Mumbles
- Kampung Boy City Gal
- Masak-Masak
- KY Speaks
- Malaysia Food Blog, Malaysia Travel Blog
- Omoshiroi

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, One Utama Shopping Center, 1 Utama, Pasta Zanmai, Japanese Pasta,Shopping Centre, Bandar Utama, KL, Kuala Lumpur

A Little Confused

Wow.
If I wasn't sure of it before, I'm sure of it now: You really can have too much of a good thing.

In one hand: An offer letter....
In the other: A promotion letter....
(How come it all happens at once??)
(It almost smells like a conspiracy!)

And now, it's decision time! Is it better to take a risk and push forward to promising but challenging unchartered territory? Or better the devil you know?
Hmmmmmmm.............
Decisions, decisions.
=_=


Thinking hard and looking deep into her heart,
J


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Status Update

Name : J the Chocoholic
Location: Back in KL :)
Status : Tired and sweaty :(

Hola senors and senoritas!
I'm back from my trip to Spain and *phew* it was so tiring!
(Not that I didn't have fun... it's just that the long flights, transits and hectic tour schedule really took its toll)

Anyways, will update (properly) soon on the trip and some slightly delayed food reviews...
(I promise!*)
:)


Hugs,
J

* To be specific: As soon as humanly possible after unpacking my luggage, catching up at work and hibernating to recover from the jet lag.

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Notice Of Hiatus

Woo hoo.
After 2 months of anticipation and 2 very late nights** it's finally that time of year again: My annual long Chinese New Year break is just around the bend! So, I will not be updating from Thursday, 7th of Feb till Tuesday, 19th of Feb.
(Sorry dears... I promise I'll try my best to take lots of pretty photos and post it up when I get back!)

Meanwhile, to everyone in Malaysia (and to anyone else who celebrates Chinese New Year):
GONG XI FATT CHAI!

I hope you will all have a great CNY celebration surrounded by family, friends and lots of yummy festive food! Also, may you be blessed with happiness, good health and prosperity in the coming year.............
:)


Hugs,
J

** BAH! Why is it that no matter how I try to prepare, I find that I always have to "pay back" for my leave by working extra crazy long hours just before and definately right after my planned holidays? Grrr.... And why don't people understand that they SHOULD NOT/ MUST NOT/ CAN NOT just send out emails labelled "URGENT, URGENT. YOU MUST REPLY BY LATEST TOMORROW FOR XXX REASONS OR ELSE!" and expect someone to drop everything to comply with their request????
*grumble*
*siiiiigh*
And while we're on that: Why don't I learn quickly that (in most cases) I should just ignore those people without feeling guilty for their plight? Anyway, holiday now. Worry later.
:)

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

First KLPac Open Day!

A photo heavy post on a fun day out at the first KLPac Open Day.... =)

On the 27th of January 2008, the KLPac had its first Open Day!
:)

The schedule that day was pretty crazily packed with independant movies, exhibitions, interactive activities, dances, music acts and many others happening concurrently all over (and even outside) the big 3 storey complex.

As much as I would have liked to, I didn't manage to catch everything in the couple of hours I was there but here are photos of some of the ones I saw:

1) The Back Stage Tour (Boo - no photos! The guide said "cannot") and Props Exhibition:

(Wow. It was amazing walking around the normally "no access" areas and hearing about how much hard work goes into the preparation of all performances and the general maintenance of the KLPac)
(Never knew that it was run by a non-profit organisation..... )

2) The Gamelan jam session!:

(I thought this was really interesting because after the musicians performed a couple of soothing traditional Gamelan songs, they allowed us all to try out the instruments)

3) Art Exhibition and Local Movies/ Documentary Screening:

(No photos of it but the local documentary on the Broga/ Semenyih Incinerator was very sad and thought provoking... although a bit left wing)

4) The Belly Dancing Performance and Workshop:


5) Human "statues" (they were acting out scenes from a hat) and cute stone statues outside:

6) Guy Doing Dramatic Kungfu-y Dance on the lawn:

(Am not sure if he did it on purpose but at one point his wooden sword thingy flew out of his hand and hit someone on the head!)

7) Checking out the lovely Koi fish at the nearby Sentul Park Koi Centre:

(Oooh.... look at all the pretty fishies! I only have the baby Kois pictured here but if you are in the area, go check out how big the Koi can get... They were gigantic - almost one metre long!)

8) Traditional Japanese Music performance at the Koi Centre:

9) Fish Catching Game for the Kiddies:

(Mmmm, actually I really wanted to try to catch the cute little fishies too but I figured that there's no way I can pass off as a kid. Haha....)

Ahhh... such a beautiful, sunny day out (although it got a bit too hot!):

It was great to see the overwhelming response to the (free!) full day at the KLPac. I do hope that everyone who went there walked away feeling like they had fun and see that "art" is not such an unapproachable thing... I do admit, there were a few of the acts that day that had me scratching my head thinking: "What on earth is it suppose to mean???", but it was still interesting to watch!
(Hopefully everyone will come back and support the local arts scene as paying customers soon - we can't have our "starving artists" all starve to death now, can we?)
:)

Anyway, if anyone from the KLPac is reading this: THANKS A LOT! I had great fun (especially on the back stage tour) and hope that this Open Day will be the first of many....


"Support your local arts scene!",
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KLPAC Open Day 2008, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal