Monday, March 7, 2016

Kota Damansara Food: SHELLOUT Seafood Restaurant - Louisiana Cajun Boil Fresh Seafood Feast


Seafood is one of yours truly favourite food; and when the invitation to review Shellout Seafood Restaurant 16-1 Jalan PJU5/15 Dataran Sunway Kota Damansara 47810 Petaling Jaya came by, there was no hesitation to rescheduled all the other review.


What is so special about the seafood that is served at Shellout Seafood Restaurant? The seafood is cooked using the Louisiana Boil style. People of Louisiana USA are used to this cooking style; in which the seafood are boiled using a special seafood or crab recipe broth. The seafood is then interspersed on the table to be eaten with your bare hands and fingers; normally outdoor.


Shellout Seafood Restaurant was set up to have a seafaring theme since it is a restaurant that specialises in seafood and on most of its' walls, you can see the graffiti that are drawn and written by customers who patronise the restaurant.


At Shell Out Seafood Restaurant the recipe broth is the Louisiana Cajun Boil which has a slightly stronger taste with a slight spicy note. You can order your boil based on your tolerant level of spiciness; which is either on a mild, medium or the super spicy level which is known as OMG. You can also order the Original flavour (a stronger taste) or the Malaysian style (milder flavour and less salty).


The restaurant also served up some starter food like the one that we had; was the Sweet Potatoes Fries (RM9.90).


The second snack on the table was the Silver Pomfret which came with French Fries. We love the Pom-Fret as it was fried to a very crisp and crunchy texture. You can literally eat every part of the fish including the bones.


Next came our first boil on the table which is the Big Crab (market price) in the Original flavour Shell Bang medium spicy level sauce. Customers can order the add on to the boil in which we had the Broccoli (RM10.90), Corn-on-cob (RM2.10 each) and Potato (RM8.80 for 3 pcs). The meat of the crab was very fresh and the sauce was very tasty with a strong cajun flavour. These meat crabs are sourced from Indonesia.


To go with the sauce, we ordered the Garlic Bread (RM 9.90 for 6 pcs). Spread the sauce onto the crispy bread and viola, a toast that you just can't stop eating.


Next on the table was the Yabbies or Crawfish (RM50.90 for 500g) in Black Pepper Sauce. Some customer remarks that it is quite challenging to eat these yabbies, but there is a very simple way to enjoy this crustacean, first you snap off the head and suck out the cream from the yabbies head, then you proceed to break the tail section, give a massage along both the sides of the yabbies from front to end and when you are done; Peel off the skin and viola you have a single piece of crawfish meat. Yummy.


This is followed by the Succulent King Prawns, (RM 55.90++ per 500 grammes) on the Butter Garlic Sauce with OMG spicy level. The firm texture of the prawn is infused with butter and an aromatic garlic flavour; such that it melts in the mouth and leave a savoury aftertaste of this sauce.


Next on, is the Green Mussel (RM 31.90++ for 8 pcs) in a Lemon Pepper Sauce. This is another sauce that we like. The fresh mussel meat texture was firm and very succulent.


followed by the Bamboo Clams (RM 20.90++ per 500 gramme) also in Lemon Pepper Sauce. This method of cooking the Bamboo Clams brings out the clams natural sweetness.


The next seafood on the table was the Giant Scallops (RM 29.90++ for 6 pcs) on a Butter Garlic sauce - medium. We like this sauce and the combination of the butter and garlic does bring out the full flavours of the fresh Giant Scallop meat; which has a very bouncy and a slightly chewy texture.


Our last seafood which is the Star of the night is the Canadian Lobster with the Shell Bang sauce. For fans of lobster you really got to try this out. Although a little messy to eat, you can request the friendly staff to help you out with the dissection after you have feasted with your eyes and in our case, our cameras.


If you love fresh seafood and like to try out the Louisiana Cajun Boil style for a change, then head over to SHELLOUT Seafood Restaurant at Kota Damansara for your seafood fix. Make sure you made a prior reservation as it is usually packed.

Read our other Louisiana Boil Review

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Petaling Jaya Food: Malgudi Indian Restaurant - A perfect marriage of tasty North and South Indian Cuisine


When it comes to Indian food in Malaysia, the first thing that comes to mind will be banana leaf rice serving an array of dishes with side dishes of vegetables. But this time around, +BestRestaurant ToEat was privilege to try out some of the classic and tasty combination of North and South Indian dishes at MALGUDI Indian Restaurant Lot 17, Lorong Universiti C, Section 16 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor recently.


Upon entering the MALGUDI Indian Restaurant, you will be greeted with a family friendly Indian theme dining experience that has it's wall deck with Indian decal and paintings.


Our review started off with a soup which is Rasam; usually Indian restaurant will serve the common sourish rasam (tomato, tamarind, and lentil soup), but at Malgudi, they offer a number of varieties that you can choose from; but for us we had the Nandu Rasam which is the Crab Rasam (RM 7.00). Unlike the common ones, this Rasam only had a slight hint of the sourish taste while having a very strong flavour of the crab and was served piping hot.


Next, we had the the Vegetarian Combo Chips (RM12.00). This is a combination dish of 3 different vegetables which are coated with spices and  fried; our combo platter came with Fried Onion, Fried Bitter Gourd and Fried Cauliflower. We are quite fond of the bitter gourd (does not have that strong bitter taste) as it was very thinly sliced and fried till it has a crisp and crunchy feel.


The first main dish that we had was the Kanava 65 ~ Squid (RM 14.00). This is the white squid which has been coated; fried with curry leaves and served with a bed of fresh cut onions. The squid has that crunch, chewy taste and with a slight squeeze of the lime juice was just the right fit for this dish.


The second is the Chicken Lollypop (RM 15.00). This dish shares similarity to the boxing chicken in which; the meat are slightly deboned and fried. The main difference, the drummet and winglet are then cooked in a special sauce. This chicken wings are served with a wrapped aluminium foils for ease to hold the chicken wing when you eat it.


The next dish is the Fish Pepper Fry (RM 20.00). The fish which is mackerel is firstly deep fried and then sauteed with pepper. The fish has a flaky texture which was cooked with spicy and savory sauce of tomatoes, onions and garnished with chopped scallions; this dish is best eaten with white rice.


This is then followed by the Panner Butter Masala (RM 12.00) This is a fried cottage cheese (in-house made) which is cooked in a spicy masala butter sauce. The cottage cheese has a chewy texture and buttery taste.


Next, we had the Tandoori Platter (RM 30.00) (Small). A combination tandoori platter that consists of Tangri kebab (chicken drumstick), Chicken Kebab, Fish Kebab and Prawn Kebab. Here we can really taste the perfectly grilled chicken drumstick which has a strong spice taste which we like and coupled with the mint sauce and a squeeze of lime juice was perfect. We also like the Fish Kebab which has a nice spicy masala taste which was well marinated and grilled to the right timing. The Tandoori dish is best eaten with the Plain Naan.


At Malgudi Indian Restaurant, they also serves a varieties of Naan bread to accompany all the delicious fare, starting with Plain Naan (RM4.00) Garlic Naan (RM5.00), Butter Naan (RM4.00), Masala Kulcha (RM4.00), Tandoori Roti (RM3.00).


Mutton Rogan Josh (RM 18.00) is one of the most synonymous and delicious mutton curry recipe of the Kashmir, a popular and well known Northern Indian dish. The perfect balance of the usage of the spices together with the Chef multiple years of cooking skills at Malgudi; blended out this dish. The meat does not have any gamy mutton taste and it has a nice texture (not too chewy and not too soft) - just the right timing for a tasty dish and best eaten for me - White rice.


Our last dish is the special Chicken Briyani (RM 16.00). Normally we would have expected the Briyani rice to be served at Malay or Mamak Restaurant but to have it served at any Indian Restaurant was something new to me; anyway when the dish arrive in that little special cookware and topped with the hard boiled egg; it was very eye pleasing. The rice that was used was the Basmati long grain. As for the taste, it was superb although by now our stomach is almost filled to the brim. It was so good that we relish this dish to the last grain.


Today; we had a great gastronomic journey of Indian cuisine at Malgudi Indian Restaurant; if you are a fan of Indian Cuisine whether North or South; you might want to check it out.

Friday, March 4, 2016

A Free Social Media Dashboard Tools To Schedule, Manage and Monitor All Your Facebook, Twiiter and LinkedIn Account


Social media platforms have been around for quite some time but with more and more small businesses using social media especially Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to market their company product and services; the need to schedule, manage and monitor this sites and accounts has dramatically increased.

You already know that social media is a very effective way for you and your business to generate new leads and fans to your page by engaging them with the right content and message to them.


We are always been searching for the right tools that makes reaching our social media goals possible  which can be very challenging and recently we found one of the best tools to save us time and have total control of all our facebook and social platform from a single software; in fact we also do not need to go to our facebook page to manage it all with the FREE software - XPERT SOCIAL.


I’m sure it will become an invaluable part of your business. We use this tools to help us finds relevant and engaging content, videos & news, all of which can be scheduled and posted with the click of a button. We can start to plan in advance of weeks or months ahead all our content and post it at the specific time to maximize your content reached. 


Using the software, we were able to save loads of time by having all our social media account and pages all in one place with the ability to schedule posts across multiple social platforms twitter and linkedin.


Best of all, we are able to start to measuring our social media performance by content i.e. which and type of content that brings the most clicks and engagement; which hashtags are performing, best time to post, best day to post; best social platform and more to help you get more traffic and generate new leads.

It’s amazing and it’s free; you can signup here and give it a try and start to relax just like us.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Damansara Uptown Food: Tsujiri Green Tea And Dessert Restaurant Opening In Malaysia


The Japanese Art of Tea Drinking is one of the cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha i.e. powdered green tea; This ceremony is also known as in Japanese; it is called the chanoyu. The elaborate and refined Japanese tea ceremony is meant to demonstrate respect through grace and good etiquette.


Tsujiri; a renowned and established green tea brand from Japan with more than 155 years of heritage, continued its mission to promote and convey the beauty of Japanese culture and the splendor of Fine Japanese Tea to Malaysia with the opening of its' first outlet at No. 58 Damansara Uptown Jalan SS21/58 Damasara Utama 47400 Selangor.


Established in 1860, TSUJIRI was founded by green tea specialist Riemon Tsuji, an entrepreneur who sought to improve the tea industry. Through several innovations, he found ways to enhance the flavours and sweetness of green tea, resulting in high-quality Gyokuro tea leaves, which is a breed of shaded green tea from Japan. He has also designed a method of transporting tea leaves so that they could maintain their freshness after harvesting.


Through his techniques, the benefits of green tea, known to be rich in antioxidants and believed to promote anti-aging, are maintained. Thus, TSUJIRI offers green tea rich in Vitamin A, C, E and Beta Carotene, as well as Catechin, which plays a role in burning calories.

Keeping to Riemon’s desire to continue to innovate while sustaining its traditions, TSUJIRI ventured into green tea-based drinks and desserts, but maintains its philosophy of offering the best quality. TSUJIRI products utilises the best green tea selected and preserved from Uji in Kyoto, and uses the traditional grinding method to convey its strong fragrance as well as flavour.


Now, Malaysian can savour this finest quality Japanese Green Tea not only in the many innovative hot and cold drink but also desserts offering at Tsujiri. Currently, Tsujiri has a total of 14 outlets worldwide; which includes in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Canada and now in Malaysia.



According to Mr Dan Osano, Chairman and CEO of MOD's & Kaw Ping Co. Ltd.; consumers today are more informed and are more discerning than ever. They look for quality, taste, and varieties. I believe TSUJIRI meets all these criteria and I am confident that we are able to cater to their needs with our stringent quality control and continuous innovation.



Tsujiri Malaysia offers a total of 48 green tea drinks, desserts such as ice cream and parfaits selections in their menu. Matcha lovers can choose from O-Matcha, tea, latte to desserts, ice blended, shaved ice, floats and not forgetting the delightful Parfait selection with Soft ice cream too.


Some of the Specialty drinks and desserts as offered by Tsujiri Malaysia.



O-Matcha Cappucino
RM 12



O-Matcha Roll Cake
RM 10



Tsujiri O-Matcha Parfait
RM 16.50



Tsujiri O-Matcha Shaved Ice
RM 17



Float
RM 13



O-Matcha Soft Ice Cream
RM 6.50



We hope that Malaysians can enjoy the culture and heritage of Japanese green tea, alongside its health benefits, through our café-style outlet,” shared Karen, Managing Director of TSUJIRI Malaysia during the launch. “Additionally, while keeping cool with our drinks and desserts, we can enjoy the unique and soothing taste and benefits of green tea.”

Business Hours: 12pm to 11pm
Website: tsujiri-global.com
FaceBook: Tsujiri Malaysia

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur: Grand Lion Dance to Usher 2016 Chinese New Year - Year of Fire Monkey



This year the Chinese New Year falls in the month of February. Being one of the traditional festivals that are celebrated in Malaysia, Chinese New Year is the grandest and the most important annual event for Chinese people. It marks the first day of the New Year in the Chinese calendar.


It is also known as the Lunar New Year and every year is represented by a zodiac animal sign. This year marks the Year of the Monkey. As part of the tradition in Malaysia; the Chinese New Year is never complete without the sounds of gong, drums and cymbals accompanied with the acrobatic lion dancing which ends with a loud and elaborate line of firecrackers going off.


The lion dance has been a traditional part of the Chinese culture for many centuries, and is still  practice till this day. The intensity of the sounds of the gong, drum and the cymbals add to the excitement of the lion dance performance which is believed to bring good fortune, luck, and prosperity. It is known that the loud sounds of the gong, drums, cymbals and the firecrackers are to scare away and ward off evil spirits in addition to bring good fortunes.


Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur had a grand Lion Dance performance at the hotel lobby to usher in the Year of the Monkey with full of prosperity, happiness and good fortune. The performance by Lion Dance troupe on the 18th February 2016 at 11am was well greeted by hotel guests and the hotel team.


 The hotel’s atmosphere was hyped up and many were cheering and enthusiastically as they watch the lion dance performing some of its outstanding acrobat stunts; agilely and gracefully as the “lion” jumped from one pole to another, with multiple amounts of difficult stunts. The performances of the lion dance troupe and the drummers bestow wishes of good fortune and prosperity on the hotel in the Year of the Monkey.


General Manager of Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Ms. Jane Suppiah together with the Executive Chairman, Dato’Tan Chew Piau & Directors also joined to celebrate the performance.


“The “Dance of the Lions” symbolically ushers in good luck and good fortune and we hope the performance is enjoyed by our foreign as well as local guests. It is an opportune for tourists and visitors to Malaysia to experience the many facets of our multi-national culture,” Ms Suppiah said.

May all our readers have a prosperous and Happy Chinese New Year.

"Gong Xi Fa Cai"

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Mutiara Damansara Food: Minori Japanese Restaurant Royal Chulan Damansara Hotel - Specialty Japanese Food.


Japanese is fond of eating exotic and prized seafood as it is. Little wonder when +BestRestaurant ToEat was invited to taste some of the special menu offering of MINORI Japanese Restaurant located The Royal Chulan Damansara Hotel 1st Floor No.2 Jalan PJU 7/3 Mutiara Damansara 47810 Petaling Jaya.


Minori Japanese Restaurant is a multiple MIGF award winner restaurant that has showcase some of the authentic and traditional Japanese dishes that captivate its' customer to continue to patronize the restaurant for some seasonal fare from time to time.


Set in a modern Zen style Japanese decorations, the restaurant has an elegant dining ambiance that are suitable for business and family dining. 


For this review; Chef Takahiro will be showcasing four of the dishes under his Omakase set. The first dish on the table was the Cod Fish Sperm Sashimi style which is the best way to eat it as you can taste its natural taste. This is the first time, we are tasting the Cod Fish Sperm. 

This Fish Sperm has a slippery soft white texture which is a popular delicacy during the winter season in Japan. When bitten it; together with a dip of the sauce, you can feel the bursting feel followed by a soft texture tau foo like musky taste of the cod fish. This Sashimi is complemented with chilled shredded radish, seaweed and scallion. 


The second dish is the Foie Gras Chawanmushi. Chawan mushi is one of yours truly favorite dish. The eggs texture are silky soft and was perfectly enhanced with the flavour and taste of the Foie Gras. Topped with a special sauce it was indeed a delight to slurp this velvety savoury egg dish. 


Next comes the in-house signature Minori Rolls. Using fresh ingredients such as soft shell crab and grilled eel was an interesting combination for this maki. Rolled it in with the natural sweetness of the avocados and dressed with a mayo based dressing, it was a delight to be eaten.


For dessert, we had the Fish Collagen Mochi Japanese Rice-Cake Dessert a.k.a Water Mochi. Water Mochi which has a soft and bouncy gelatin like texture; are made from fish bone and fish scales. You can then add in the Japanese Gula Melaka syrup; followed by the Finely Roasted Soya Bean powder and you have a dessert that is simple and delicious.


Make a date with Minori Japanese Restaurant to try out their Omakase style set and be prepared to be surprised with the offering of the chef.