Roadside Stall (Steamed Fish) @ Taman Maluri, KL

Simple but delicious!....

Cheras.
*shudder*

Another place where the traffic jams and road rage/ agressive driving levels have achieved such infamy that I would never venture there alone, especially on a normal (working) weekday....

... which is why I had never tried this gem of a roadside stall, situated in Taman Maluri, sort of diagonally opposite the Hotel Maluri:
(Map at the end of post - don't ask me for directions. Am lost there. Sorry...)
Just a little roadside stall/ shack....
Of course the ambience is simple :) - it's pretty much a makeshift wood and zinc shack, with basic plastic tables and chairs, so don't expect too much in terms of comfort:
(It can get a bit warm actually)
Seated inside the stall area....
Note:
Don't be fooled by the above photo - it gets very packed during lunch time, with many people waiting around for a table. We were just really lucky, as we missed the lunch crowd by about 5 to 10 minutes.

They have a very limited menu there - doing only a handful of steamed dishes and some vegetables. The specialty is the steamed fish though, so we had to try that:
The steamed fish.....
YUM.
The fish was fresh and perfectly steamed, with it sweet flesh bouncey and supple. Also, the accompanying soya sauce + oil mix was perfect and accentuated the fish, with a beautiful balance of salty fragrance - flavourful yet delicate somehow (... which I was told is because they only use the best possible quality of soya sauce).

My only gripe is that they only have river fish available here, with its evil little pronged bones.
:(

If you are really too scared/ lazy to deal with the fish bones though, you can always just order the Steamed Chicken:
Now for the steamed chicken....
Essentially, the ingredients in the soya sauce base is the same as the fish, but with the proportions tweaked (I think).... Somehow, it tasted interestingly different enough that you would not notice/ care, again accentuating the perfectly steamed pieces of chicken....

We also ordered the Steamed Tofu and some vegetables (kai lan):
- The tofu:
Apparently eating more tofu will make your skin smooth?....
- The vegetables:
Tasty greens....
Both were nice, with the tofu texture being wonderfully silky smooth and the vegetables having a nice crunch - yay! Not chewy and fibrous.
(Overall, delicious...)

I don't know how much each dish was... but it cost us only RM 39 (RM 13** per person) for all that and drinks!
(** Roughly equivalent to a mind blowingly affordable USD 4 / Euro 3 / British Pounds £ 2 per person!!)

If only there were some way that I could go eat there more often....
:(

So, it's: Very simple setting (in a road side shack), delicious and fresh steamed Chinese food, very reasonable prices BUT limited menu, traffic/ parking can be a pain and it's a popular place for lunch so be prepared to wait for a table....

Summary Information:;
Steamed Fish Stall @ Taman Maluri, KL

Opening Hours: Lunchtime only - approx. 11am to 3pm
Phone: -
Address: Roadside stall, Jalan Jejaka 3, Taman Maluri, Cheras, 55100 Kuala Lumpur (Sort of diagonally opposite Hotel Maluri)

NOT SURE WHETHER HALAL

MAP:

View Steamed Fish Stall in a larger map

OTHER REVIEWS:
- Tummy Thoughts
- AhMoi.com


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Roadside Stall, Taman Maluri, Cheras, PJ, Petaling Jaya, Chinese, Cheap Eats, KL, Kuala Lumpur

Yummy New Year's Resolution?

If you are searching for a new year's resolution - here's one to consider :)....

"Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia?", I wondered, "What's that?"

I never imagined that there would such a specialised and professional cooking/baking school right here in Malaysia, newly opened in the not so new Wisma Thrifty in PJ (very near PJ Hilton):
Spacious and well equipped "classroom"/ kitchen...
While there are full time courses (9 months or 6 months, I think), for professional certificates, there are also a large range of short courses (2 days/ 1 day/ half day) for beginners who want want to learn how to bake, or hobbyists who want to expand their skills.....

Other than the basic stuff (eg. Baking bread, biscuits, cakes), you can learn more complicated stuff, like wedding/ decorative cakes:
So pretty...
.... and how to make pretty little chocolates and sugar art too:
I want to eaaaaaaaatttt...
That day, I was there to learn how to bake a chocolate fondant (YUM) through a special introductory class followed by a "Bake Off" contest with the RED fm DJs**.
(Aly, Jeremy, Terry and the new addition to the RED fm family - Rudy, were there that day)
:) :) :)

It started off with a demo/ instructions by the charismatic chef Guillaume Lejeune:
(He makes it look SO easy, but well, I guess it's because he has more than 15 years experience in this line....)
Voila!.....
After that, we went back to our teams and had to try it out by ourselves. It seemed so very simple - with only 5 ingredients and about 5 steps on how to make it:
Sugar, chocolate, butter, flour and eggs - that's all you need...
... but of course, whether or not the fondant is too dry/ too moist/ rises/ deflates depends on skill (and a lot of experience/ practise).

Our chocolate fondants turned out quite well though, I think (IMHO), although it was just a eencey weency bit too dry:
Some of our fondants...
Our team didn't win. :(
(Aly's team won)

... but all in all, I had a really fun day out - made some new friends and learnt a yummy new skill! :)
(This was just a short intro class though, so it wasn't anything too complicated)

- Don't get between me and any yummy chocolatey desserts, ok?
(You have been warned! :P)
This is me trying to look scary...

SHOUT OUT:
- To RED fm: Thanks for organising such a interesting and fun contest/ event,
- To my team mates (Rudy, Tania, Jessica and Nadya): Nice meeting you!
AND
- To Chef Lejeune, Chef Wei Loon and the rest of the team at the Academy: Thanks for being such good and patient teachers to this bunch of newbies. :)


Now I just need to buy an oven....
*lol*

Signing out,
J

Summary Information:
Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia @ Wisma Thrifty, PJ

Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9am - 5pm
Phone: +603 7960 3846 / +603 7960 3848
Email: info@academyofpastryartsmalaysia.com
Address: Lot 2-A, 2nd Floor, Wisma Thrifty, No. 19, Jalan Barat, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
(Also, check out their Facebook or website for more details on classes/ courses available)

Map: (Below)

NO PORK THERE

MAP:

View Larger Map


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

Lunch @ Tanjong Beach Club, Singapore

Food review, and one of my most treasured secret recipes, just for you :)...

J's RECIPE FOR A RELAXING DAY:

1) One serving of Black forest mojito (SGD 17++):
(Can be replaced with other flavoured mojito/ cocktail of your choice)
This can be considered as a healthy fruit drink ah?...
+
2) One beautiful beach:
Man made beach, but still very nice...
+
3) Several portions of Eye Candy:
Beautiful bodies line the beach...
+
4) MORE Eye Candy, just in case:
Hotties (well, some of them were anyway) lounging in and around the pool...
=
Happiness!
:D

Haha...
Hope you enjoyed this "recipe" that I shared with you.....
(It's one of my most favourite, treasured ones...)

This time, I found ample "ingredients" at the Tanjong Beach Club on Sentosa Island, Singapore, during my recent trip to go for ZoukOut 2010.

- You can sit by the open area:
Feels like an island resort!...
- Or sit by the covered bar area:
Lots of people chilling out on that Saturday afternoon....
While we sat there, enjoying the sunshine, we nibbled on the adorable little TBC sliders (SGD 16++):
6 cute lil' burgers...
While they were small in size, they lacked nothing in juicy yumminess, with its fluffy buns (not starchy - yay!), thick meaty beef patty and oozing melted cheese:
Cross section of the moist beef patty, mid NOM...
Unfortunately, the interesting Watermelon and pork skewers (SGD 12++) that we ordered didn't taste as nice:
High class, non-Halal satay?...
Overall while it wasn't bad or anything like that, I found that the cubes of pork weren't flavorful or tender enough and didn't match very well with the watermelon.
(Was kinda disappointed)

When I took a bite of the Truffle fries (SGD 12++) though, all was forgiven:
Carb-y bliss!....
First of all, the texture was perfect - thick cuts of potato, crisp on the outside yet fluffy and moist on the inside without any hint of that horrid starchiness that you can get with yucky fries.....

... and all that deliciousness was amplified by the hint of earthy truffle scent and little bits of cheese coated on the french fries.
(OMG. Bliss)

Needless to say, I had a really nice time that day.
(Can't wait to go back there, if only for the awesome truffle fries *DROOL*)

Note:
Do not be insulted when they bring you the bill/ ask for payment the moment they serve up all your food - that's just their standard procedure.... :)
(It's NOT because you look dodgy/ suspicious)

So, it's: Simple, yummy food by a beautiful man made beach that will make you feel like you are no longer in the concrete jungles of Singapore BUT ok, so the food isn't exactly cheap/ affordable and the service can be slightly inattentive (yet friendly) if you are seated too far from the main bar area....

Summary Information:
Tanjong Beach Club @ Sentosa, Singapore

Opening Hours: (Tues to Sunday) 11am till late
Phone: +65 6270 1355
Address: 120 Tanjong Beach Walk, Sentosa, Singapore 098942 (On Sentosa Island)
(Also, join their Facebook/ Twitter for constant updates on events and sunshine/rain conditions)

Map: (Below)

NOT HALAL

MAP:

View Larger Map


OTHER REVIEWS:
- SoShiok.com
- Dawn Yang clapbangkiss
- Gastronommy


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Sentosa Island, TBC Singapore, Tanjong Beach Club, Singapore

Tron: Legacy 3D

Geek-tastic!....

Isn't it awesome? In less than one lifetime, CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) in movies have come SO very far - from this:
A very young Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan...
... to this:
Garrett Hedlund with Olivia Wilde...
.. And also, from this:
Erm. Looking at it now - looks kinda silly, horr?...
... to this!:
I WANT THIS LIGHT CYCLE!...
Don't ask me about the details, as I was very young when I watched the original Tron (1982)... but I do remember liking it.
(Although not as much as how much I liked Star Wars)

So, of course when I heard that the sequel was out (after 17 years!), I was well, excited!
:D

Here's the thing though:
I really enjoyed this Tron sequel, but I acknowledge that it's not exactly groundbreaking or particularly interesting in terms of the storyline...

Still, what it definitely has is a LOT of eye candy, whether in terms of the awesome new Light Cycles (I want.....!), or the really hot women in skin tight light suits.
(The music by Daft Punk, who also cameoed in the movie, is also really nice - very different from the usual movie scores)

- Olivia Wilde is super duper hot!:
Wow!...
- Beau Garrett is also super duper hot!:
Again - Wow!...

So?:
Watch it lah, and preferably in 3D so that you can fully enjoy the graphics.....
:)
It's a fun sci-fi/ action movie with lots of eye candy - entertaining enough to while away 2+ hours but just don't expect it to change your life.
(Also, don't worry if you haven't watched the first Tron movie from 1982 - you shouldn't be "lost" when you watch this movie)

PS/ Thank you Steven Lisberger for bringing this into my life.

Main characters:
- Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn/ Clu <-- FYI: The younger Kevin Flynn/ Clu is COMPLETELY ANIMATED. Still not 100% convincing as a real human but still, WOW.
- Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn
- Olivia Wilde as Quorra
- Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley/ Tron
- James Frain as Jarvis
- Beau Garrett as Gem (Siren #1)
- Michael Sheen as Castor/ Zuse <-- Darned OTT! :)
- Daft Punk as Masked DJs

Synopsis:
A 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world - Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the digital world of Tron where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidante Quorra, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey of escape across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous...

(Note: Synopsis adapted/borrowed from Rotten Tomatoes, which gave this movie a pretty bad rating of 48% fresh!)


Here's what some others thought of the movie:
- AprilFy. com
- JOSHUAONGYS.COM
- My Space. My Thoughts.
- z.a.r.y.l.
- Grey Review


Geeking out :),
J


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

Hoofed @ TTDI, KL

New porky option in the TTDI area....

Hello.... :)
Just to give you a head's up, this is an invited review:
(Here are my usual disclaimers)
1) I have not been paid to write this, but neither have I paid a cent for my meal,
2) I will still be as objective as possible re. the food/ restaurant, and
3) If I go back to the restaurant incognito and find that the food/service is horribly different from this experience, I will amend my ratings here...

It does seem like this side of TTDI (near the police station/ Maybank) is booming with lots of yummy new food choices, and the newest (porky!) addition to the array is Hoofed, located just above the also fairly new Tom, Dick and Harry's (TDH):
Hoofed is on top of Tom, Dick and Harry's....
While TDH is geared towards casual dining/pub grub and is thus decorated according to that theme,... you will find that Hoofed is like its more sophisticated sibling, with a classy yet cosy ambience and more complex selection on its menu:
(LOVED the beautiful brick lined ceiling - made it feel like we were in a wine cellar, even though we were on the 1st floor!)
Warm and sophisticated....
We ate quite a lot that night (Damn - ruined my diet. Again. LOL)... so I 'll keep the descriptions succinct.

STARTERS
- Roast pork belly (RM 17++)
AKA. Siew yoke....
(Photo borrowed from Aly because mine turned out too blur)
A good start to the evening - fairly tender slices of meat with a crispy layer of skin. :)
(I wish the fat were a bit more "melt in mouth" though but overall, not bad)

- Smokin' Duck Salad (RM16++)
A healthy part of the meal....
(Photo borrowed from Aly because mine turned out too blur)
Yum! :)
The fresh greens, smokey slices of duck and tart vinaigrette matched well, and the century egg added an interesting rich creaminess to this salad.

MAINS
- Hog on a Board (RM170.00++ FULL, RM90++ HALF)
Poor little suckling pig....
One of the specialties here (with limited quantities daily so you'd better call to book), the cute lil' suckling pig looked very promising indeed as it lay on top of the wooden board....
Piggy cross section....
... and biting into a slice of it: Yummy. :D Tender, moist meat with a crispy and tasty layer of crackling skin.
(There is also a nice sauce served at the side, but I think it tastes fine just like that too)

- Bacon Fried Rice (RM18++)
Carbs are my (other) weakness....
Pork (Salty bacon + Sweet Chinese sausage slices) fried with rice, eggs and mushrooms - What's not to like? :) :)
(The texture of the rice was just nice - dry yet moist, and also just flavourful enough without being too oily)

- Pork Shoulder Chops (RM30++)
Pork chops....
Yet another porky option... :)
To be completely fair, the lean cut of pork could have been a bit more tender but overall it was still nice, accentuated by the simple yet delicious gravy and bacon mash potatoes.

- Chicken Chop(RM24++)
Tender chicken chops....
The chicken chop is essentially prepared/ presented in the same manner as the pork chop but was the far yummier of the 2 - the meat was perfectly tender yet with a slightly crisp top layer.
(I was surprised how much I liked this, as I usually dislike chicken chops at restaurants)

- Braised Lamb Shank (RM35++)
Big serving of lamb....
The lamb shank was pretty hefty, presented atop a bed of ratatouille and bacon mash with gravy. If I were to be fussy, I would say that it wasn't as tender as I would have liked (wasn't fork tender), but still overall it wasn't bad....

- Pan Seared Atlantic Cod (RM38++)
More healthy options....
This goes to prove that healthier options are not necessarily less yummy - the perfectly cooked, tender piece of cod was a delight to eat! :)

DESSERTS
- Brownies a la Mode (RM12++)
Chocolatey dessert....
The brownies were nice - relatively moist and light, instead of the usual dense brownie texture, and went well with the ice cream.

This was a stolen recipe though! *LOL*
(The chef said his mum was annoyed with him because he "borrowed" her prized recipe)

- Baked cheese cake (RM11++)
Dense cake....
Wah. Very creamy and rich!** I liked how the hazelnut sauce added an interesting twist to it though. :)
(** Which would have been a good thing on any other night but I had eaten wayyyyyyy too much that night)

*Sigh*
I do feel sad on how many piglets/ pigs were sacrified to satisfy our appetites that night... Oh, but don't worry: All good piggies go to heaven!:
Look how happy they look! :)....

PSSSSST:
1) Thanks to the management+chef of Hoofed for the wonderful meal. :)
2) Aly! Thanks for extending the invite to me, babe! *hugs*
3) Mr Fat Boy Bakes, Wa Lau Wei, J2Kfm and Kelly - Thanks for the excellent company. The night definitely would not have been as fun without you there!

Overall: Sophisticated yet cosy new restaurant in the TTDI area, good range of porky food as well as other dishes, reasonable pricing BUT nothing much bad to say! - while not everything was perfect, there were some stand out dishes that made me wanna go back soon....

Summary Sheet:

Hoofed @ TTDI, KL
18A, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14 (on top of Tom Dick & Harry’s).

Taste: 6
Ambience : 7
Service : 7
Price** : RM 60++ per person
Parking: OK

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks

Telephone No.: 03-7728 8567
Opening Hours: 4pm till late
Parking: Limited

NOT HALAL

OTHER REVIEWS:
- Aly's Wonderland
- Wa Lau Wei
- Motormouth From Ipoh
- Kelly C


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant, Western, TTDI, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Hoofed, Pork

Restoren Pan Heong @ Medan Batu Caves, KL

I wanna go back soon :( ....

Batu Caves...
... an interestingly hilly area with beautiful limestone caves and that famous Indian temple that has a giant gold statue of Lord Murugan and the famed 272 steps.

It is also an area that is fairly well known for traffic jams and since I hardly ever venture there, essentially it is pretty much a complete mystery to me.

I had always wanted to try the famous Pan Heong restaurant there though (map at the end of post - please don't ask me for directions :P)... and was overjoyed when my colleagues brought me there for lunch one day:
Outside the restaurant...
Luckily we arrived JUST moments before the regular lunch crowd, but even then, the restaurant was already packed:
(Still, we were lucky that we didn't have to stand around to wait for a table)
Inside...
- To balance out the meal, we ordered the Stir fried Veggies with Garlic (about RM 6)
Greens are good for you...
Nutritionally, these are an essential order (fibre and vitamins, 2 things you need a lot of on a daily basis) but taste-wise the slightly "old" stalks of were at the most, forgettable.

- Moving on the the main fare, first up, the Mee Goreng Mamak (Mamak style fried noodles) (about RM 10, small size):
My dinner...
The noodles were tasty and had some wok hei (wok fried fragrance), which gave it an added kick. The only thing that held it back for me was that the slices of pork were ever so slightly tough.

- The Pei Tahn Sau Yuk Chuk (Century Egg and Sliced Pork Porridge) (about RM 12, small size) is another one of their specialties:
A lighter option...
While I appreciated that the porridge texture was fairly thick (without being too thick) yet smooth, overall the taste was just ok to me.
(Didn't like that the pieces of dried oyster inside were a little hard)

- Of course, being the babitarian that I am, I insisted we ordered the Kau Yuk Mai Fun (Braised pork rice noodles) (about RM 12, small size)
Plate of SIN :D...
I was in porky heaven - the moist noodle strands were soaked with savoury goodness (maybe a bit too soft for some though), and matched well with the slices of slightly sweet but savoury pork.
:D :D :D
Closer, closer... NOM.
To be completely fair, the meat could have been a bit more tender... and it really is ridiculously unhealthy due to how oily the noodles were (in no small part due to the melted fats from the pork, I'm sure).
(Warning: Make sure you eat the noodles while they are fresh/hot, or it may get a bit yucky)

Still, I definitely enjoyed it, and would not think twice about ordering it again if I ever manage to venture to that part of town again.

Due to my over-excitement on finally trying out this much blogged about restaurant, we completely over-ordered that day. :)
(My bad)

... There were only 3 of us, but all this food could have comfortably fed 5 people instead.
(Somehow, we managed to finish almost all of it though... or I did anyway. *blush*)

So, it's: Simple coffeeshop setting, yummy local Chinese rice, noodle and a la carte dishes at decent prices BUT it's a popular place so be prepared to wait for a table and parking can also be a pain....

Summary Information:;
Pan Heong @ Medan Batu Caves

Opening Hours: (approx) 8am to 3pm
Phone: 03-6187 7430
Address: No. 2, Jalan Medan Batu Caves 2, Medan Batu Caves, 68100 Bt Caves, Kuala Lumpur.

NOT HALAL

MAP:

View Larger Map


OTHER REVIEWS:
- A Whiff Of Lemongrass
- Cumi Dan Ciki
- kuan hoong dot com
- Precious Pea
- Caring is not only sharing
- KY Eats



TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Coffeeshop, Batu Caves, Restoran Pan Heong, PJ, Petaling Jaya, Chinese, Cheap Eats, KL, Kuala Lumpur

Contemplations

Random year end musings. No food so just skip this post, if you want....

THINGS I DISCOVERED/ WAS REMINDED OF THIS YEAR

1) I Am Lucky but Unlucky
Case in point: My car broke down twice this year, but both times it happened when I was already safely at my destination.
(I would just like to take this moment to thank God/ Guardian Angel/ Divine Power watching over me - Really. Thank You so very much... I really appreciate it....)

2) The World is REALLY Small
Case in point: It turns out that I am 3 degrees of separation from Jho Low!
(... which essentially means that I am 4 degrees of separation from Paris Hilton! *GASP*)


3) It's Tiring Being An Adult
Case in point: All my mini arguments/ headaches with the banks/ etc.
(Good Lord ppl. I actually do take pride in paying promptly, IF I get the appropriate notice lah. Don't give me grief if its just a case of miscommunication and/or how disorganised you really are)

4) Life is Short
Case in Point: My parents seem to be attending more and more wakes (of their friends and acquaintances) in recent years.
(My heart is filled with fear.... Sure, they annoy me from time to time, as I'm sure I annoy them too... but at the end of the day, I love them and wish they could live happily and healthily forever. *sigh* What can I do?)


Still in shades of (year end) blue,
J

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