Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Appetizers / Starters at The Journey Cafe Puchong - by Best Restaurant To Eat

The Journey Cafe located at B-03-G, Block B, Setia Walk, Persiaran Wawasan, Puchong, Puchong Town Center, started business about 3 weeks ago. According to the owner, the cafe is based on his travel experience at airports around the world. He would like his patrons to experience the same type of ambience and mood of travelers and henceforth the name and the deco in this cafe.
 
 
Food Photo
 
Starters/ Appetizers are usually a great way to start any meal. At The Journey Cafe in Puchong, I had the opportunity to relish on a few of the tantalizing looking appetizers.

First one on the list, was the Fried Button Mushroom
 
Food Photo
 
 
Next on the table was the Shrimp Bruschetta. The shrimp was quite fresh and bouncy. Again, it is highly recommended to eat it as soon as possible as the baguette will turn soggy if left for sometime due to the dressings used. This starter only comes with 2 pieces and at the price of RM9.90, it is a little costly.

Food Photo

Grill Chicken Salad - Another great starter or appetizer if one's prefer, a not too filing start to a great meal. Here at The Journey, the salad comes with Grill Chicken with a salad dressing filled with fresh garden vegetables. The chicken meat used here is of the breast meat that are cut into long and thick strips. It would have been better had the chef cut into small cubes which you can be eaten together with the fresh greens with much ease.

Food Photo
Good
Next on the line is the Swedish meatballs. When the sheer mention of Swedish Meatball, IKEA comes to mind. Although not a very good benchmark comparison, nevertheless you can taste that the meatballs that are served here consist of real full bodied meat. You can taste the meat rather than the flour that most others used. The only setback was the chef, used too much of lean meat and once you cut the meatball, the meats are scattered out and does not gel together that well. Using too much meat have it's setback as it tend to be a little dry and tough, it would have been perfect had the chef put in a bit amount of fats to made it gel up and more succulent. This also causes the meatball to be too dry and hard on the outside. Could also be dued to a little over frying.

 

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Wine Steamboat in Bandar Menjalara Kepong - Tai Tao Steamboat Restaurant - by Best Restaurant To Eat

Steamboat is a very popular in Kuala Lumpur. Most outlet will serves it in many different broth i.e. Clear Soup, Tom Yam, Herbal and some are porridge base.

Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley

At this Tai Tao Steamboat located at No. 97, Jalan 11/62A, Bandar Menjalara, Kuala Lumpur, Kepong, they have a very unique concoction that I have tried for the first time which is a Wine based. According to the owner, his nick name is Tai Tao - the wine which are used for the steamboat here is a mixture of three wine namely White Wine, Yellow Wine & "Hsiao Heng" Wine.

Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley

We started off with the clear soup based for the other stuff i.e fishball, foo chuk, vegetable and so forth.

Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley

As you can see from the photo, the concoction came in a separate bowl i.e. the mixture is served with prawns, ginger and "Mok yee" black fungus. We were a bit skeptical about trying this new type of steamboat but what a surprise when we eat it.

It tasted like the Wine Chicken that post natal mother take during confinement. Another way to express it, was like drinking Hot SAKE and you can feel the wine flowing down from your throat to the stomach which is extremely tummy warming during cold raining evening.

Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley

The freshnest of the prawns makes it a perfect combination. It would have been even better if we had some "Choy Yin (farm)" Chicken as well. You can add the beehoon into wine broth for your finale.

If you want to try something different for steamboat, this has to be it. Don;t worry the wine will not make you drunk as when it is boiling the alcohol content gets evaporated.

Best Restaurant To Eat Other Steamboat Review

Steamboat Review by Best Restaurant. Pls Click Here




BBQ In Cheras - GPot Steamboat Restaurant - Cheras - by Best Restaurant To Eat

Had the opportunity to try out Steamboat cum BBQ at Restoran G-Pot - located at 8, Jalan Kaskas, Taman Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Cheras . I have a very high standard as far as steamboat is concerned.

There are 4 type of soup base that is the clear soup, tomyam, herbal and pumpkin porridge. My ratings for the soup base is below average. I sampled some of the seafood but it was not that fresh except for the prawns. Did not give a good impression.
 
Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
But, what i found to be slightly better was the BBQ, which is using a metal plate, quite like the Korean BBQ. Most will use the marjerin as the base for the frying but since this is a steamboat restaurant, they have shallot oil. So, we decided to use this oil instead as our base as it is less fattening. Surprisingly it turns out quite nice when we BBQ the wafer thin pork slice, beef slices and lamb slices. Oh and also the Prawns. This was the saving grace for the night.
 
Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
I hope the restaurant can ensure much fresher seafood in the future.

Overall my ratings for the BBQ was 2.5 out of 5.
 
Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 

Herbal Dang Gui Duck Glass Noodle/ Rice Vermicelli - Lai Lai Casual Dinning Restaurant - Kuchai Entrepreneur Park KL - by Best Restaurant To Eat

Lai Lai Casual Dining located at 2G, Jalan Kuchai Maju 9, Off Jalan Kuchai Lama, Kuchai Lama

Duck are best eaten as Roast Duck or Teochew Stewed Duck or Eight Treasure Duck. As a soup, most restaurant will sell Duck with salted vegetable (Ham Choy) but not using Dang Gui.




I have a little doubt on how this Herbal Dang Gui Duck Glass Noodle/ Rice Vermicelli will turnout and taste. The first slurp of the soup gives out a truly warm feeling. If this soup is taken during the cooler weather, it will definitely be a real comfort food.

With a generous amount of herbs used, the aroma of the soup was very strong and flavourful. Although this dish is served with Glass Noodle or Rice Vermicelli, we have opted for the soup alone. I believe this soup will be best eaten accompanied with pluffy white rice instead. The price for a bowl of this dish is RM13.80.

Another soupy version is the one from Bidor, Ipoh. Duck drumstick noodles, the use of herbs are pale in comparison with the one I eaten here. chopstick

Beefy Taiwan Noodles - Lai Lai Casual Dinning Restaurant - Kuchai Entrepreneur Park KL - by Best Restaurant To Eat

As the name implies, it is a casual dining cafe. It specializes in serving taiwanese food. Of late they have been many outlets specializing in taiwan food, probably due to the fact that many Malaysian have visited Taiwan of late and have tasted many of the street food there.
Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley

Lai Lai Casual Dining is a new cafe that started its business about 1 and a half months ago. Having success in Singapore they are now in Malaysia - to be precise at 2G, Jalan Kuchai Maju 9, Off Jalan Kuchai Lama, Kuchai Lama. The outlet is a no frill and very well litted. I could smell the fragrant aroma of the beef broth which filled the air upon entering the shop. Can't wait to taste the specialty dish.

I had the opportunity to savour their signature dish which is none other than the popular Stewed Beef Noodle. In Kuala Lumpur, the popular beef noodles that I have tasted are usually the clear soup version while the taiwanese version are usually the spice infused stewed version.

The Beef noodles serves here is very flavourful and original. The aroma itself was just mouth-watering which is due to the amount of spices that was used to prepare the stew broth. Tasting this tummy-warming stew broth and you will know that much efforts have been put into preparing this dish. The noodles was that on the springy type. Although it was a little thicker than I would have liked, a slightly thinner version would have it made perfect for me.

Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley

The beef served were very chunky, while the meat was tender and juicy - evidence of the skills of the chef that was preparing this stew. For me, the best part of the noodles are the beef tendon, it was chewy and have retain the firmness of the tendon. The price for a bowl of this noodle RM13.80, but if you opt for tendon alone, you will need to add another RM2.00. Rating 4 of 5.

Chilled Desserts and Chilling Drinks - Eastern Crab Restaurant Ampang KL - by Best Restaurant To Eat

Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
Refreshing Mango Cream With PomeloThis is a nice dessert to finish off any meals.

It is a creamy chilled delight that comes with freshly cut mangoes and sago. It was just the perfect concoction to end my heavy crab meal that I had.

It was a perfect balance with the right sweetness. The only little flaw was that the type of sago used were not the chewy one, the type that was usually used for this type of dessert. Instead they used a powdery type that tasted like rice cereal. After failing to find any traces of pomelo, we asked the captain where were the pomeloes. He explained the the pomelo have been blended together with the mangoes. RM 8.20 per bowl - Rating 3 of 5
Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
For the finale, we were served with the Hong Kong Ice Lemon Tea. The pleasant smelling of the lemon makes a nice end to a rich meal. The fragrant of the tea was very strong and blended extremely well with the ice and lemon. Most places that I have tried this drink were either too bland or too sourish in taste. This drink will set as the new benchmark for me as far as Ice Lemon Tea goes. Price RM6.50 Rating 4 of 5

Location : Lot G.02, Ground Floor, Plaza Ampang City, 332-A, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Ampang

Crunchy Fried Siakap With Assam (Sweet and Sour) Sauce - Eastern Crab Restaurant Ampang KL - by Best Restaurant To Eat

Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
Looks can be deceiving. When this dish was served at the dinner table, it did not look very appetizing at all. It was probably because there were not much gravy or sauce that accompanied the fish.

I have eaten siakap mostly the Teochew style steamed version and also steamed assam version but never as a fried version.

Upon tasting the sauce, my perception of the dish has changed. The bell pepper, onion and ladies finger were very crisp (did not over cook) goes very well with the special assam sauce. The fish was crunchy from the outside and the flesh was tender (and most important it does not have the muddy taste of some siakap). Best eaten with plain white rice.

Rating 4 of 5

Location : Lot G.02, Ground Floor, Plaza Ampang City, 332-A, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Ampang

Overpriced Overrated Oyster Omelette - Goh Kee Jalan Raja Laut KL - By Best Restaurant To Eat

OOOO - Overpriced Overrated Oyster Omelette

I chanced upon this restaurant during one of my regular makan place scouting and read some wonderful review about this restaurant from a few blogs that I have visited. One of the specialty here was their Oyster Omelette. This is one of the dishes that I loved to eat. Looking at the photos, it looks very appetizing enough for me to give it a try some day.

Happened that, I need to go to KL to send my daughter to one of her K-Pop concert and I have 2 hours to kill in KL. Since I am already in the vicinity, so I decided to head over to this place to savour this dish.

There were quite a number of patrons when I arrived. I noticed there were some tables that have ordered this dish but majority of them ordered the restaurant signature dish which is Steam Fish Head in Superior Broth. Since, I am alone and probably too much to eat a fish head all by myself, I decided to order the Oyster Omelete which is also one of their signature dish too.
 
Photo of Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
At first glance, it looks good especially the oysters in the egg batter. The serving was so little that I finished it off in 5 small helpings. It lacks the smokey flavor that we normally gets from eating a good "ho chien" at the hawker stall. The oyster used here were very plain and flat. The batter was tasteless, it was, as if eating a plain fried omelettesad

The worst have yet to come. To my surprise the price for this dish is RM16.00 which is seriously over priced for a back lane coffeeshop restaurant. A reasonable price would be around RM8 to RM12.00. huffy

Lesson Learned: What looks good (from blogs) doesn't necessary taste good.

Crablicious Meal In Ampang - Eastern Crab Restaurant - by Best Restaurant To Eat

Mention about eating crabs, the first place that comes to mind would be in Klang or Port Klang, not anymore, there is a little restaurant that serves big juicy Sri Lanka Mud Crab right in Ampang.

I had the priviledge to sample an all crab dishes at Eastern Crab Restaurant.

First on the menu was the Crab Meat With Shark's Fin Soup in Superior Broth. Once the soup was laden on the table, the first thing that I noticed was the generous quantity of Shark Fin topping. I loved my shark fin soup with a dash of vinegar and peserved green chillies. I would say the freshnest of the crab meat took me by surprise as most other restaurants would serve frozen crab meat. You can easily see there are crab roe that accompany the soup too. Overall the soup was a good start for this meal. Rating 4 / 5. Price per bowl - RM19.50
 
Crab Meat Shark Fin in Superior Broth - Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
Next, comes the main course which is Singapore Chilli Crab. In Kuala Lumpur there aren't many restaurant that serves this dish. I remembered the last time I savoured this dish was in Singapore itself. My Singaporean friend brought me and my family to the iconic restaurant JUMBO@Dempsey that claims to serves the best in Singapore. Upon tasting, I was taken aback on how a Hong Kong trained chef could come so close to cooking this dish that can rivalled one of the best in Singapore. Best eaten with either Fried man tou or bread toast. Rating 4 / 5. Price per crab - RM55.00
 
Singapore Chilli Crab - Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
The third crab dish we relished for the night was the Hong Kong Typhoon Shelter Fried Crab. I have eaten crab in many cooking styles but never tried this before. When the dish came, I could see the overwhelming serving of garlic and shallot accompanied with the fried crab. I find the crab a bit tad too dry for my liking as I would prefer crabs served in gravey version. Rating 2 / 5. Price per crab - RM55.00
 
Hong Kong Typhoon Shelter Fried Crab - Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
The last crab dish was Fried Broccoli Topped With Crab Meat. I found this dish very refreshing after some rich crab dishes earlier. The Broccoli was very savoury. As again the crab meat used here was very fresh and it surely was the perfect combination. Rating 3 / 5. Standard serving RM17.00 Large - RM25.50
 
Fried Broccoli Topped With Crab Meat - Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
 
Although I felt a little guilty of the amount of cholesterol count for this entire meal, nevertheless the feeling of the hearty crab dishes surpasses it.

If you are craving for Crab dishes and does not want to travel great length to savour it, then gives this restaurant a try, you will never know what you are missing.

 

Location : Lot G.02, Ground Floor, Plaza Ampang City, 332-A, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Ampang
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Pork Cuisine In Kepong Bandar Menjalara - Restaurant Juro - By Best Restaurant To Eat

Western food are aplenty in the Klang Valley but a Western Pork Cuisine is hard to come by and more so with limited restaurants serving this delicatseen is a much try out.

What is interesting here is that this restaurant serves PORK as the main ingredient and as its name implies 'JURO' which literally means PORK in Mandarin, how appropriate.

First on the serving was the soup - Cream of Ham & Bacon - never had a soup like this before but the texture and taste of the cream of soup is just right and with the saltiness of the Bacon, it was a perfect blend
 
Cream of Ham & Bacon - Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
After the soup comes the refreshing Lychee Salad with Almond Flakes. Serves with thousand island sauce, the sweetness of the lychee was not too overwhelming.
 
Lychee Salad with Almond Flakes - Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
 
One of the main course of the night was non other than German Pork Knuckle. I love Pork Knuckle a lot. To eat pork Knucle, the first bite must be its skin. I would say the crisp of the skin was perfect as i can really taste the marinate that was not too strong and salty. Next the attack is on the meat, which i find it a little too dried and tough. Cooking this dish is a real challenge as if you can get the skin crisp right, the meat might be tough and dried. For this you can overcome with more orders of the home made brown sauce.
 
German Pork Knuckle - Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
Another not-to-be-missed dish is the German Sausage Platter, the sausage was very springy and meaty. What I like about these sausages is that it is not too salty. I remembered at one place i have eaten german sausages, it leaves me the feeling of saltiness, the more you eat it becomes more salty especially towards the end. I would say, the sausages serves here and the sauce that was accompanied was balanced.
 
German Sausage Platter - Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
 
The next dish is my favorite for the night, the Spaghetti Carbonara with Ham & Streaky Bacon. I am never a real fan of spaghetti but this simple looking dish amazes me. What I found perfect was the salty and crisp of the streaky bacon blended perfectly with the spaghetti. Normally i would eat bacon with bread but this dish have changed my prespective of what you can do with Bacon. If you like Bacon and Spaghetti, this is the dish for you.
 
Spaghetti Carbonara with Ham & Streaky Bacon - Tai Tao Steamboat in Kepong Klang Valley
 
 Location: No.31, Jalan 5/62A, Bandar Manjalara, Kuala Lumpur, Kepong
 
 
 
 

Deep Fried Crispy Trotter - Dragon Town Restaurant - Setapak KL - By Best Restaurant To Eat

Although the trotter was fried to the right crisp, the meat was tender and juicy and it blended well with the thick gravy sauce that makes this dish nice to eat accompanied with rice. If you like pork or especially pork trotter, this dish is a must order. Rating 4 out of 5.

Deep Fried Crispy Trotter
Address:42&42A, Plaza Crystal Villa Genting Klang, Jalan Danau Niaga 1, Taman Danau Kota , Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, Setapak

Pan Fried Egg With Oyster - Dragon Town Restaurant - Setapak - By Best Restaurant To Eat

I love to eat eggs and this dish with the oysters added into in , it makes a wholesome meal for me. The oysters that the chefs uses was of the right size as some other restaurants or outlet uses either too big oysters which sometimes gives out a smelly taste or too small which you can't really taste the oyster.
 
Pan Fried Egg With Oyster

Address:42&42A, Plaza Crystal Villa Genting Klang, Jalan Danau Niaga 1, Taman Danau Kota , Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, Setapak

Brocolli with Scallop - Dragon Town Restaurant - Setapak KL - By Best Restaurant To Eat

This simple dish is the perfect opening dish for any meal as the taste is not too overwhelming and goes well with anyone. With the fresh succulent scallop as the toppings the dish is very refreshing and soothing to start your meal. Rating 3 over 5

Brocolli with Scallop

Address:42&42A, Plaza Crystal Villa Genting Klang, Jalan Danau Niaga 1, Taman Danau Kota , Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, Setapak

Crispy Brinjal - Sakura Kristal @ Giant Hypermarket, Subang Jaya, USJ1, PJ Best Restaurant To Eat

Another dish that stands out in term of taste is this simple looking brinjal. It was served as the name suggested to be crispy. It surely is a different experience eating brinjal which are normally cooked with curries or stir firend but this one is different. Altough a little salty, it is best eaten with white rice.

Crispy Brinjal

Location: Giant Hypermarket - USJ Subang Jaya - Summit

Peranakan Seafood Curry - Sakura Kristal @ Giant Hypermarket, Subang Jaya, USJ1 Best Restaurant To Eat

Had a opportunity to have lunch here. One of the dishes that stands out was the Peranakan Seafood Curry. It was cooked with a smooth nyonya texture with fresh seafood and not too spicy - just nice for me. It goes well with white rice.

Peranakan Seafood Curry