Friday, November 21, 2014

You & Me Kitchen Corner @ Kinrara Puchong – Hidden Romantic Gems Review

 

Finding a romantic place to dine and quality dishes serves without costing you and arm and a leg, is not easy these days but You & Me Kitchen Corner @ Kinrara Puchong located at ZP2, 27 & 28 Zest Point, Lebuhraya Bukit Jalil,Bukit Kinrara 9, 47180 Puchong, Selangor along the Lebuhraya Bukit Jalil.


When you arrive at You & Me Kitchen Corner @ Kinrara Puchong, you will be greeted by a very nice and beautifully decorated garden setting with wooden swing to sooth your stress away. Breezy and stylish with natural lighting by day, it is even soul warming at night as the lighting will be changed to a more romantic setting

Once inside, you will notice that the interior have different table setting i.e lovers’ corner, love shape table, round table and the normal dinning table. It is a nice place to hold an event like pre-wedding, post-wedding or wedding ceremony. 


You & Me Kitchen Corner @ Kinrara Puchong, offers a wide varieties of dishes from Chinese to Western dishes which account for over 160 dishes to choose from. What is amazing is that the chef have painstaking made almost of its’ own ingredients ranging from the pasta (noodles, vermicelli, wanton noodles, pasta, wanton skin) to the sauces, soup base and so forth.


The chef emphasises on the quality & taste of its food. While food tastes wholesome & lovingly home-made it is liberated from excess oil or salt (here they use the Himalayan salt) with its homemade recipe.


For Appetizer we started with the STUFFED JAPANESE INARI – 3 pieces, it has that nice porky meat filling, combined with the soft and smooth Inari. With the added special sauce layered at the sides, it was the perfect match as a starter.


The next starter that was served was the YOU & ME SIGNATURE BAKED CHICKEN WINGS – 3 pairs. According to the Chef, it will take at least 20 minutes to cook this dish as baking the whole chicken wings to this perfectly baked texture will require this amount of time. 


The skin has a special crisp while the meat of the chicken wing was still moist. The presentation of this dish was splendid.


THIS CHRYSANTHEMUM SPRING ROLL – 5 pieces, is another creative use of the wanton skin (made in-house) to wrap and fried out to resemble a Chrysanthemum flower. It not only looks nice but tasted even better with the stuffed pork meat with shrimp paste.


The flower petal which is the park of the wanton skin is very crispy.


An innovative way to present the next dish is the PORK BELLY SATAY - 6 sticks – It come serves on top of a mini BBQ stove with charcoal still burning in it, to give you the extra feel of the warmth on to your satay i.e. still served hot.


The Pork belly was very well marinated with the strong aroma of the Lemon Grass and the gravy was very fragrant with a strong smoky peanuts flavour. 


After all the appetizer, we started with the Chinese dishes serves here, which is the YOU & ME SIGNATURE FOUR SEASON VERMICELLI IN PORRIDGE – this is the first time I have actually eaten a bowl of noodles cooked in a porridge broth. It is really first of its kind, as the porridge which was cooked with chicken was simply delicious and heart warming.


The decorated vegetables which are used to resemble the four seasons are sliced ginger, slice fresh red chilli, carrots and black fungus was a delight to look at. Even the fine texture vermicelli was in-house made too.


Next we had, CURRY NOODLES WITH MINCED PORK & MUSHROOM – this is similar to the Spicy Pan mee which I have eaten before but with an added taste from the in-house sauce which was very flavourful. The noodle was very springy and chewy and blended perfectly with the ingredients and gravy.


Seeing this dish, it does not resemble any curry noodles as the first thought of curry is, it must have loaded up with santan and spicy red/orange colours.


HEART TO HEART – the white Pearl rice comes in two lovely heart shaped. Couples can share this dish together. It comes accompanied with a special in-house concocted sauce with sides condiments on a bed of freshly cut purple cabbage.


To eat this dish, you just add all the condiments and mix it. The combination of the sauce, the meat and the other condiment was delightful with each bite having an ingredient or two in it.


Next we move on to the Western dishes, the first of which is the MARINARA SAUCE HOMEMADE PASTA WITH APPLE MEAT BALL – the meat ball which was added with apples was very bouncy and meaty. The strong apple flavours embedded in the meat paste was evident in every spoonful. The pasta which was fried is a slight different variant from the spaghetti which we are used to. Nevertheless it adds some texture to this dish.


This is then followed by the HOMEMADE NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES AND MIXED FRUITS IN SPECIAL THAI DRESSING – it has a tangy feeling, a little sourish taste. All the noodles here are in-house made and fried using corn oil to give you a nice crunchy feel. 



Next, we tried the PAN FRIED RED EYE STEAK – this dish is very well decorated to resemble a cattle farm. The vegetable and pan fried mushroom is the “cow pen”. The sauce that was provided for this dish was the BBQ sauce and the Brown sauce. 


What I like about the way this dish is served was, unlike other restaurant which pours in all the sauce on the meat, the sauce are served on individual container i.e one that look like a milk urn to complete the decor. This way, you will have full control on whether we like it with sauce or little sauce or no sauce on our steak. By the way, this dish is served together with a small glass of red wine.


Our last dish that we had was the PAN FRIED NORWEGIAN SALMON FILLET – It comes decorated to resemble a salmon swimming in the sea with bubbles form by the onion rings, while the vegetables with mushroom is the bed of corals.


This dish is served with an avocado based sauce, which is flavourful and matches to the Salmon. The other side sauce one of which is the caviar sauce and the garlic sauce add wonders to this dish. This dish is served together with a small glass of white wine to complete the meal.


For desserts, we had the GOLDEN BRICK – It is a sugar coated toast with the mango sherbet. Sweet ending to the meal, the toast was a tad too sweet for me. But when you dip the toast with the sherbet which has a sourish taste, you get to taste both sweet and sour taste at the same time. 


For drinks we had the Tropicana Tea – which has freshly cut Apple, Grapes, Passion Fruit, Strawberry, Kiwi. It is a super refreshing drink as each sip accompanied with the freshly cut fruits is very delicious. The sweetness level was just right. 


For coffee, we had the POTTED LATTE – the coffee comes from Triple A, Taiwan. For me, I find the coffee taste to be on the milder side as I really like my coffee to be extra fragrant and super strong. But for others, this version should be ok.


The last drink was the ORANGE EGG NOG – this is an orange juice with fresh egg blended into it. The result; you get a drink that taste quite similar to a yakult. The blended eggs make the drink a little creamy and milkier. Served cool, it is a delight to drink.


Yes, we had a field day at You & Me Kitchen Corner @ Kinrara Puchong as the food presented and serves here are so picture beautiful and it awaken your senses and taste-bud to a new level. So, if you are really looking for a romantic place to chill with your love ones and have beautifully presented home cook meal served to you, then you can’t miss out this place.



Thursday, November 20, 2014

BITES CAFE @Lakefields Sungei Besi - Breakfast, Breakfast and Breakfast Review


Breakfast is one of the most important meal of the day. With that in mind, Best Restaurant To Eat was invited for a breakfast menu review at the Bites Café located at 72, Jalan Tasik Utama 7, Lake Fields Sungei Besi, 57000 Kuala Lumpur.


Bites Café décor is one of a casual hip café setting, with artistically decorated posters lining up on all its walls with comfortable seating and friendly environment.


The emphasis at Bites Café @ Lake Fields Sungei Besi is on the an all day breakfast menu, ranging from Mexican, Italian and all the way to Malaysian breakfast with a special twist on some of its varieties.


There is also a childrens' corner where little kids can play while you can sip your cuppa of your favourite coffee while enjoying a nice breakfast here.


EGG BENEDICT was the first dish on the table for us to review. The serving comes with a runny flowing egg, Smoked Salmon, a little of the sautéed spinach, Hollandaise sauce, toast and some fresh salad. 


Next, was THE FRENCH breakfast which is a French toast with chicken ham, melted cheese, maple syrup & topped with sunny side up. The toast was perfectly toasted to give it that light fluffy crunch. 


This was followed by the BREAKFAST PIZZA – a serving of Beef Bacon, Egg, Baby Spinach, Mushroom, Baked Beans and topped with some sprinkle of Cheese – The ingredients are found mostly in the Big Breakfast set but here it is served on a thin crust crispy pizza dough.


and then, THE ITALIAN BREAKFAST - Frittata with turkey ham, onions, spinach, cherry tomato, eggs. A fabulous, exceptional and a thick layer of soft scrambled eggs (4 eggs to make this) made this dish a delight to be eaten.  The choice of ingredient used were very complimentary. This dish is specially for eggs lovers.


THE MEXICAN is wrap in a burritos, came with a topping of tangy home made sauce. It is a breakfast burritos with tortilla, chicken sausage, egg, mushroom, cheese. 


CLUB SANDWICH WAFFLE– The freshly made flaky and crisp waffles used here are the type of thin crusted instead of the meaty thick type which is a better choice. Sandwiched in between the waffles, are the beef bacon, scrambled egg, fresh strip of lettuce, cheese and tartar sauce .


Next, we had the GRILLED CHICKEN & WAFFLE SANDWICH, the waffles comes with grilled chicken, sautéed mushroom, melted cheese, and a densely infused mushroom sauce that gives it a unique flavour & aroma. Licking up the sauce with a piece of waffle and top with a piece of chicken, it amplifies the overall flavours. 


BERRIES & BANANA PANCAKE – is a super thin and crusty pizza dough, makes it perfect as the base for the topping of the Berries compote, bananas whipping cream and the flavourful maple syrup. This dish is more of a munching snack or desserts, although it is more than sufficient for a small eater. 


The POTATO SALAD - The crunch of the boiled potato with an added drizzle of ham and cheese mayonnaise coating was a superb mix and a very complimentary starters.


Next is the GRILLED SALMON FILLET ON CRISPY POTATO CAKE, it is served with sautéed asparagus & homemade sauce which lent a subtle fragrance to the dish, The salmon was pan fried which has crisp skin while the flesh of the salmon retains its’ natural taste. 


Lastly we had the BEEF BACON & SHRIMP PASTA – The natural salty taste of the beef bacon, springy shrimp topped with a layer of chilli sambal that is slightly spicy add a new dimension to the taste and positively addictive. 


As for desserts, we started with the DESSERT WAFFLE TOPPED WITH GULA MELAKA ICE CREAM – This is a dessert worth saving your appetite for as the smooth and light sweetness of the flavourful Gula Melaka ice-cream jive well into the waffles. 


For coffee, we had the AFFOGATO WITH CRUSHED CRANBERRY ALMOND BISCOTTI WITH: PANDAN KAYA ICE CREAM – a light single shot espresso – the espresso shot is not that strong and blended seamlessly with the smooth and velvety ice-cream of the pandan kaya, although we would have preferred the normal vanilla ice cream.


Lastly we had the AFFOGATO WITH CRUSHED CRANBERRY ALMOND BISCOTTI WITH COCONUT ICE CREAM. 


Start your day with a hearty appetizing breakfast fare at Bites Café @ Lake Fields Sungei Besi. 

Monday, November 17, 2014

UDON-YA SAN@ Pandan Indah Cheras – Quality and Affordable UDON Review


There are not many specialized UDON restaurant in Malaysia, the one that are around are mostly quite pricey for a bowl of it due to the expensive and quality of ingredients used especially in the making of the UDON and the KAKE soup based. Best Restaurant To Eat was invited to review UDON-YA SAN Restaurant located at 65, Jalan Pandan Indah 4/6a Pandan Indah, Cheras Kuala Lumpur.


UDON-YA SAN@ Pandan Indah Cheras opened recently in August 2014 and has a very minimalist Japanese setting. It exudes a simple family dining environment.


All the UDON at UDON-YA SAN are hand made daily by the chef – so you get the assurance of the freshest UDON possible.


The recipes used to prepare the UDON and all its broth have time tested and gone thru the mill for more than 20 years. The chef is very particular on the use of good quality key ingredients and condiments that are used to prepare and serve to its’ customers.


We started with the TSUKIMI UDON SOUP. To taste whether an UDON restaurant passes the most fundamental test in the preparation of UDON, is to really taste its KAKE broth. This UDON is using the KAKE soup base with added TENKATSU, TSUKIMI and a warm (half boiled) eggs with runny egg yolk.


The KAKE broth was very flavourful and at RM7.00, it is a steal.


MENTAIKO UDON –The MENTAIKO (cod fish roe) aroma pulled our noses down towards the bowl. Bowing our heads willingly, the UDON was chewy with a slight bounce.


With each mouthful of this UDON, which were coated with a generous portion of the super tasty and bouncy premium MENTAIKO was a delight to be eaten.


TSUKIMI UDON DRY is also called the Moon Viewing UDON  – there is no soup added into this UDON - Mix the semi cooked eggs and viola you get a strong egg flavoured UDON.


This is a dry version in which you can slurp your way into the delicious goodness of the UDON with the fragrant flavours of the TSUKIMI and topped with the white and yolk of the semi cooked egg, it makes the UDON silky smooth with an added crunch from the TENKATSU.


CARBONARA UDON – is a specially concocted gravy of Ooey-Gooey carbonara based infused with Fresh Cream, topped with succulent chunks of pancetta cured pork belly pieces, is enough to make you salivate.


Each pieces of the cured pork belly has a unique salty taste.


SALAD UDON – Cold Udon, Refreshing taste, this UDON is very popular in Japan. The strong texture of the UDON, have a distinct chewiness. It blended well with the sesame enhanced gravy and the freshly cut strip of salad green gives you a more balanced meal for those who are a little health conscious or want to be vegan for the day.


CURRY UDON – it have a distinct Japanese curry taste and flavour, although pale in comparison to a local Malaysian curry noodles. The curry is cooked using carrot and onion as its' base. The spiciness level is low, so anyone with a low tolerance of spicy level will find this curry to be acceptable.


KAKIAGE – mixed vegetable strip tempura. This is a nice starter that goes well with the KAKE based UDON. As when you dip it into the broth, you will find the KAKE soup infused into the tempura giving you a crunch of KAKE coated flavour.


ASSORTED VEGETABLE TEMPURA – The batter used to coat this vegetable tempura is not that thick, which we preferred. The assorted vegetable used was the ladies finger, brinjal, long beans and lotus roots. Comes with a ginger based tempura dipping.


The TONKATSU uses a special imported Japanese breadcrumb PANKO (fresh bread crumb type) and was lightly coated to the pork with a delicate texture. It has a special thin crispy tasty layer that was a delight to bite in. The accompany dipping was a mustard based sauce which have a smoky BBQ flavour.


CHICKEN KATSU – this KATSU uses dry bread crumb as compared to the TONKATSU. The difference is in the taste and the different texture of the fried chicken.


The chicken was fried to a deep golden brown and has a thicker and fluffy crusty feel.


CHICKEN KARAAGE – the Japanese Fried Chicken. Fried to perfection, not too dry ... smell good, taste good with the in-house marinated flavouring. The deeply flavoured skin crackle and crunch with the slightest touch of your teeth, and the meat is still moist, tender, and flavourful.


AJITAMA – served with a drop of special fragrant oil and top with a sprinkle of fresh spring onion leaves, it was sprung with a little creativeness to these authentic side dishes. As the size of the eggs was a little smaller, we were told that these were the free-range chicken eggs which explains the deep orange colour of the yolk.


SESAME SAUCE SALAD taste wise is quite similar to the coleslaw but this is infused with a strong sesame taste mayonnaise.


For drinks, UDON-YA SAN@ Pandan Indah Cheras, serves a few special in-house concocted drinks which are the Lemon Grass with Lemon, Cucumber with Lime, and Passion Fruit with Lime.


Overall, UDON-YA SAN@ Pandan Indah Cheras which emphasise on serving good quality UDON at a reasonably price will make UDON lovers or someone who loves to try out UDON, the opportunity to try it out.