NEW SHANGHAI IN PAVILION, KL

Our initial plan was to have Japanese dinner after unsatisfactory meal in Hinata during the day. After walking around from one restaurant to another searching for pork free Jap food , we decided to have the on going Dim Sum Tower promo in New Shanghai, located near Mercato Supermarket. 

Price @ RM13.80++ per person without drink (min 2 person) plus  30% off after 7.30pm. Incredibly cheap for a 5 star halal dim sum.

 

 My foreign friend fancy the vintage setting combines with modern look. The classic pictures on the wall brings one back to the 1920's Shanghai era. Who don't love chic restaurant!

 After waited for 15 minutes, the 4 tier dim sum in a tower arrives at our table. FYI, these items are shown on the menu and changing to other items is not allowed.

Shrimps Dumpling (pic 1)

medium size fresh prawns wrapped with thin & tranluscent skin..crunchy

Shanghai Dumplings (pic 2)

wantan skin filled with minced chicken meat

Steamed Chocolate Bun (pic 3)

spongy & infused with chocolate

Steamed BBQ Chicken Bun (pic 4)

chicken fillings was tad sweet but tasty

Deep Fried Chicken Roll (pic 5)

the fried popiah skin is non greasy but the chicken fillings was a little dry

Fish Cake (pic 6)

bouncy and flavorful

Fried Chicken Dumplings with sauce (pic 7)

nicely absorbs by the sweet tangy plum sauce

this fiery chili sauce will give you more ummpp.....within tolerable level

If I were to come again, I won't mind ordering pic no.1,3, 6, porridge plus other items not in this promotion.

Chicken and Century Egg Congee

Smooth and delicate porridge loaded with chunks of chicken meat and cut century eggs and sprinkled with spring onions and sesame oil.

Lot 1.02.00, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

 55100 Kuala Lumpur

Business Hour: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm (Mon-Sun)

Tel  No:03-21422833

ROJAK & CENDOL

The weather looks like going to rain when we stepped out from a shopping mall. On the way driving back to my place, we decided to stop by the road side to have rojak/ pasembor and cendol for an afternoon tea break. Never mind if it's rain, there is big umbrella to cover the three of us from getting wet.

The owner, an Indian man is assisted by a malay lady helper to run his daily business using a mini van.  Usually,  brisk business during noon and from 3pm onward, lesser crowd but unpredictable.

This is my second time eating here and similar to my first visit, I placed the same order i.e. a plate of Rojak and a bowl of Cendol since mom insisted to share as she can't finish it by herself and sis is already full after a hearty lunch.

Rojak with Cuttle Fish (RM5)

In Penang, this staple is commonly known as Pasembor. Filled with a mountain full of julienne turnip, cucumber, fried prawn fritter, crunchy crackers with added cuttlefish (at extra cost) and laced with thick red gravy made of chillies and sweet potatoes plus other secret ingredients. I ate mostly pieces of spicy cuttlefish and crunchy crackers while my mom help polished the remaining in the plate.

Cendol Pulut (RM1.80)

When having rojak, make sure you order cendol too! This time, I find the coconut milk too diluted which could be too much of shaving ice. The rest were pretty standard ingredients i.e palm sugar, soft red bean, steamed glutinous rice and worm like green jelly.

HOW TO GET THERE?

After the traffic light junction, (on your left is Nong & Jimmy Thai BBQ Seafood Restaurant in Pandan Cahaya), turn and keep left. About 5 minutes drive, you  will see this mini van at the roadside.

TARBUSH EXPRESS - FOOD REPUBLICA @ 1 UTAMA

A friend told me that I must try Tarbush. At first, I thought it was a fine dining restaurant but it wasn't...it was Tarbush Express with outlets in Pavilion, Sunway Pyramid and Bandar Utama. 

Since we were in Bandar Utama, we hopped into the Food Republica and saw this stall without any customer. Is this a clue to food isn't good?  But who cares, I can get my food in an express way without queueing rite?  Menu was simple and made easier for us to choose within 5 minutes.

Shawarma Lamb (RM10)

Nicely wrapped pita bread accompanied

with garlic cream and colorful bed of vegetables

Honestly, this is good and worth the money. Soft and hot pita tucked with grilled lamb lean meat which was tender and flavorful. Spread the luscious garlic cream + chilies sauce to make it more appetizing. Add greens to balance up this staple.

Food Republic @ 1 Utama

S346-S347, Second Floor

1 Utama Shopping Centre,

Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama,

47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan

FROM MY KITCHEN: PENANG NYONYA ACAR

My mom is a great cook and its undeniable with her skills in Penang Nyonya dishes (minus cakes & pastry) and everyone sang high praises on her food. She always ensure that all ingredients ((no cooking if missing 1 ingredient)),  needed are ready before preparing and cooking. Unlike me, I will proceed to cook even though one or more ingredients are missing!

Our family loves eating Acar/spicy vegetables pickle. I can just wallop one container on its own, just like eating salad and it taste so much better cos' its not only hot & spicy but also sweet & sourish! For others, they prefer to enjoy it with rice, noodles or fish/prawn crackers. This dish suits vegetarian too. Usually, my mom will whipped up a big wok and distributes to family and friends. Some even placed order from her especially during festive season.

STEP 1

It is very simple. Cut into strips all the greens i.e. cabbage, carrot, cucumbers, long beans and pineapple. Then blanched vegetables with vinegar, salt and sugar in a pot of hot water for about 5-6 minutes. Drain the water and leave it aside.

STEP 2

Another easy step. Pound/grind skinless roasted peanuts and roasted sesame seeds separately. Set it aside.

STEP 3

Tedious part is when preparing and cooking the sauce and this is where my mom skill comes in. . You can adjust the portion and taste according to your liking.So here is the 'guesstimate' recipe.

Sauce

CUT AND BLEND ALL: fresh red chillies , dried chillies (soak in hot water until soft), shallots, garlic, fresh turmeric, ground turmeric, galangal/lengkuas, candle nuts, and lemon grass.

HEAT UP few table spoons of oil in a medium size wok and fry all the blended ingredients. Put in water,vinegar, sugar and salt and bring it to boil. Leave it to cool . Mix all the blanched vegetables with pounded peanuts and sesame seeds. Store in a plastic container or jar. Keep in the refrigerator and this will last for half a month.

IKAN BAKAR PARAMESWARA IN UMBAI, MELAKA

I have always wanted to make a trip to Umbai and try the ikan bakar and  seafood but each time this plan was put aside or postponed simply because there is no more space in our tummies after a heavy food trail. So, this time,  I make sure this trip is materialize despite feeling full after an early dinner.  

After alighted from our car, we walked around and noticed there were few stalls selling dried food stuff and lots of seafood restaurants with no sight of customers at all. As we walked further inside, we saw a crowd in Ikan Bakar Parameswara which is nearby the river. Our instinct immediately tell us, good food is here BUT... read on to know more.

eye catching menu & number stands

assorted fresh (not so fresh) seafood and greens....
expensive price tag

plates of fresh cockles

fresh squids



BBQ cockles...



sauces for dipping
both the sambal chillies + dark soya sauce.. good combo of sweet,sour + spicy

Fish Otak-Otak (0.70 cents each)

While waiting for our order to arrive, this basket of hot grilled fish otak-otak  was placed on our table. My mom lamented it tasted sweet, bland and without any fish meat. We couldn't agree more!

Nasi Lemak Bungkus (RM1.20 per pack)

We saw this basket of packet nasi lemak on an empty table next to us. I took a packet, unwrapped it and put a spoon of rice + sambal into my mouth. Totally upset. Not only the rice was tad plain but there is no flavour at all except spiceness in the sambal.  My mom gave a nod.

Fried Squid Rings (RM18)

Earlier, my mom had picked a medium size fresh squid (RM18) from the ice box and was recommended to try this dish. My friend who are not a fussy eater commented that the squid is tough and not chewy at all. All of us smile and gave him a thumb up.

BBQ Cockles (RM6)
well cooked and I like it but others prefer half cook with blood  



Asam Pedas Cencaru (RM4.80)
Unlike Penang Asam Pedas , you can't find bunga kantan and other fresh herbs in this staple. Surprisingly, the gravy is fragrant and thick and helps me to clean up my packet of nasi lemak.



Overall, we were not satisfied with the food here except the asam pedas. 

next....umbai at nite 

TEA BOX CAFE IN NILAI

This is my virgin trip to Nilai and first time having dinner in Tea Box Cafe serving Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia food.  The set up outside the cafe was simple with breezy wind while the inner was kind of dim and dark.  So, definitely I chose to have my meal outside the cafe.



Even though the ambiance is inviting but the service is quite poor.  We asked for the menu thrice from two different server and it took 30 minutes before it was given to us. During that time, only one couple was having their dinner!   As usual, I wanted to order food with 'unfamiliar name' but all the waiter/ess can't explain to us detail of the dishes and have to refer to their main cook. Also, they don't know what is the best seller in the restaurant. This is so unacceptable, right? 

Luckily, all the food that we 'simply' order was awesome and cheap too. Save our day!



Cendol Jawa (RM3.50)
Using evaporated milk, this icy colorful dessert is filled with cendol, strips of jackfruit, soft red beans and black jelly. Quite sweet but acceptable after the ice cubes melts.

Ayam Penyet (RM7)
With a plate of white rice, it really goes well  with the blazing hot, tender + aromatic deep fried chicken. Mix it together with pungent sambal and  crunchy tempeh + fried salted fish for more ommph!

Tom Yam Chiang Mai (RM10)
When this arrive on my table, I was full of awe and couldn't get my eyes away  from the red smacking crab and prawns (big smile) and lala and ring squids! Not only the seafood are fresh but the soup made of coconut milk, lemon grass + etc was so tantalizing.

If I know the food here is so good (minus the poor service), I would not cancel order on Nasi Ambeng Udang... but just like the saying goes, Belum cuba belum tahu, lepas cuba hari hari mahu (lol)!


This cafe is located behind Majlis Perbandaran Nilai. If you don't know how to get there, just ask people for direction. As for us, we chanced upon this cafe while driving aimlessly in the town!

WHITE RAJAH BORNEO CAFE

When I started reading Suitaupui blog months ago, I become too addicted to his blog that I'll visit his blog every day to check out the delish and cheap food in Sibu, Sarawak.  All the colorful food photos with full description really enticed me and make me salivating! 

I came across 'White Rajah' mentioned in his blog by another blogger who had dine there during her visit in Kuala Lumpur. Obviously, it was a joy for me to know Sarawak food is available in this restaurant next to Lot 10. 

Batik framed menu with a touch of Borneo map

Laksa Sarawak
Served with bountiful of soft vermicillies + beansprout, shredded chicken meat + egg. Disappointed with the soup which was neither flavourful and tasty...even the sambal didn't help!

Foo Chow Mixed Bagels 
Also known as Kompia, this soft biscut are baked using charcoal oven. I personally like the onion bagels which are chewy,fragrant and soft whereas the sesame flavour is just too plain.

Fire Baked Fish with Lady Finger
Pungent sambal and full with oomph...best!

Set 1 - Promo Dessert
The 'trio' came individually in sparkling ice cream glass. Instead of partaking each dessert separately, mix the warm coconut rice pudding + kambusi (warm yellow corns in coconut milk)  and vanilla ice cream and you'll get 'Vietnamese Cendol'..nice!

Although we were seated inside the air cond restaurant, we enjoyed eating and watching people walking ...lively view!

White Rajah Borneo Cafe 

Piccolo Galeria @ Bintang Walk, Kuala Lumpur 

Tel: 03-2144 9466

 Business hours: 11:00am-12:00am

FUNNY MOUNTAIN, SOYA BEAN MILK & SOFT BEANCURD

Usually, a large crowd or long queue of people will trigger me to unfold my curiosity. The other day,   I joined in a beeline of young and old people in front of Funny Mountain to try the soya bean juice and tau fu fah/sweet soft beancurd.

While waiting for my turn,  I saw on the pillar two plastic framed newspaper cutting .. the owner and celebrity with the delectable dessert.  Guess, I have make the right choice following the crazy crowd!

When it is your turn,  make sure you decide fast whether to have your drink/dessert  there on the spot or take away cos' the owner seems inpatience and so are the rest of people queueing behind you.



Texture was soft and smooth.  I  poured fresh soya bean milk and mixed it....good bonding indeed!

Soya bean milk (glass) = RM0.90/ Take away =RM1.90 per bottle
Soya beancurd (bowl) = RM0.90


49 Jalan Theatre
 (opposite Jalan Mustapha Al Bakri)
30300 Ipoh, Perak

Tel No:05-546 9968, 016- 595 0369, 012-516 1607

SATE KAJANG

Everyone knows that Kajang is well known for its satay and there are several stalls and shops selling this staple in this small town.

Restoran Malaysia Satay is one of the restaurant which we bumped into while searching for Hj Samuri satay. It was crowded during Sunday afternoon but we managed to share a table with a couple. From the menu displayed on the wall, we ordered 4 stick of duck meat, 4 stick chicken meat and 2 stick of beef meat which is accompanied with peanut sauce, slices of onion and 1 ketupat. Not forgetting cool sugar cane and chinese ice tea to quench our thirst.



chicken satay ...ready for grilled



peanut sauce .....

Ice Sugar Cane + Chinese Tea



Peanut sauce with a dollop of sambal to add spiceness...would prefer the sauce to be more thicker and more peanuts



Duck meat @ RM1.20 per stick, beef meat @ RM0.80 per stick & chicken meat @ RM0.60 per stick .. quite dry, not juicy at all and wasn't fragrant enough due to insuffient of fire from the heating element



 RESTORAN MALAYSIA

No 31, Jalan Semenyih, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Telephone : 603-8733 1160

Not feeling satisfied, we headed on to Sate Hj Samuri which is located about 5 mins walk from Restoran Malaysia. Only few tables was occupied during that time. But what draw our attention was Deer and Rabbit satay displayed on the menu. Unfortunately, deer meat was not available and we ended up having four sticks of rabbit meat + four sticks of beef meat.

ABC topped with 1 scoop of ice cream @RM3
marvelous with lots of soft red beans, cream of corn and jelly



Rabbit meat @ RM2 each and beef meat @RM0.60 each
...both meat was tender, juicy and well grilled
...thick peanut sauce + spicy sambal ..a winner!


Lot 1,2 & 3 Tingkat Bawah & Tingkat 1, Bangunan Dato’ Nazir,
Jalan Kelab, Kajang, Selangor, 43000
03-8737 1853



VALUE FOR MONEY @ FISH MANHATTAN

Where is the best place to satisfy your tummy without burning a hole in your pocket and still enjoy value for money western food? My preference would be Fish Manhattan, a fine and reputable seafood restaurant with chain of outlets in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. 

For a set meal of less than RM50, we opted for a starter and  2 main dishes which comes together with free 2 bowl of soup of day + 2 glasses of fruit mocktail.  In fact, I personally find that the portion served is sufficient for 3 person.

SOUP OF THE DAY AND DRINK
I could not have enough.... warm bowl of mushroom soup which was so refreshing and not too creamy!  The Tropical Breeze, a fruit mocktail was light and certainly help to quench our thirst.

STARTER - QUAD DELIGHTS
Line up in this platter are fried calamari + fried country mushrooms+ fried shrimps served with a bed of greens. Full of crunchiness with a little hint of residue! 

MAIN DISH 1 - FISH AND CHIPSThis serving was huge...2 big pieces of fried dory fish accompanied with garden salad and fries. Fish meat was tender + moist and sweet due to its freshness....simply delish without dipping any sauce.

MAIN DISH 2 - BAKED DORY IN GARDEN HERBS + BOILED BROCCOLI AND CARROTS
Really amazing..1 whole big piece of dory fish!   Garden herbs sauce goes well with this main and complement the fluffy and soft garlic herb rice.

Lot 1.18.02, Level 1 Pavilion

 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-2141 4341

Business Hours : 11am - 10pm