Sulaiman’s Famous Cendol, Pudu.
During a recent walkabout around the Pudu market (???) area, we were brought to this stall in some alleyway off Jalan Pudu. Only after we were seated, we noted that many locals ordered their cendol in cantonese! Yup, the Indian uncle manning the stall speaks Cantonese. Heh.
The Cendol Kacang (RM1.10) is your usual plain cendol with a serving of kidney beans. The beans were soft and flavourful without being too mushy. And the cendol easily glides down one’s throat. The ratio of gula melaka and the coconut milk here is perfect, resulting in a refreshing, fragrant yet not too sweet dessert.
My favourite however, is the Cendol Jagung (RM1.20). Somehow the dollop of cream corn accentuates the flavours.
Great dessert during these hot days indeed. He also has Cendol Pulut, with glutinous rice and a special version .
Sulaiman’s Famous Cendol & Rojak
Mobile Stall next to Restoran R.S.S Maju,
Pudu Market Alleyway (Jalan Pasar?)
Pudu, K.Lumpur.
other review;
- (in mandarin)
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Saraceno Ristorante
This new, three-month-old Italian restaurant took over what used to be a French restaurant at Berjaya Hotel. The food served is supposed to be southern Italian cuisine. Still relatively undiscovered, I think Saraceno deserves better because the menu was relatively interesting and had more character in comparison to mainstream Italian restaurants. The food actually tasted pretty good too. The focus was not on fancy presentation or complex range of ingredients. Each dish was kept simple and unassuming. I loved the texture of the homemade pastas, but could be slightly too ‘undercooked’ for those who do not like their pasta al dente. Therefore, if you are one of those folks, be sure to request for more well-cooked pasta. Don’t worry about the restaurant looking chi-chi and stifling. The decor is a total mismatch to the very friendly and down-to-earth personalities of the Chef and the floor staff.
Complimentary breads with olives and its oil. There were three different types of bread. The spinach bread (on the top corner) was interesting to the eye but did nothing to elevate the taste (which was otherwise just fine) . The olives were great! Not too salty and totally addictive.
Fresh pasta from Naples with eggplants, cherry tomatoes and smoked mozzarella ($19.80). The pasta was slight too al dente as I found out that gave me quite a work out chewing. I would have preferred a heavier hand on the salt but to each his own.
The other fresh pasta was pappardelle with grillled peppers and olives. Again, very simple flavours. Both pastas reminded me of fresh pizza toppings against fresh pasta.
Dessert was the apple tartin with vanilla ice cream. I loved the dessert despite not a big fan of the caramel sauce. The chunky apples were nicely stewed until it was soft. Against the puff pastry and cold ice cream, it was rich and heavenly. The icecream did not look homemade but at least it was of good quality with specks of vanilla against a rich creamy base.
Saraceno Ristorante Italiano
Italian. G/F, Berjaya Hotel
83 Duxton Rd
Tel: 6438-9638
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Fiftythree
Once in a while, the ladies who keep me sane at work would cast their boyfriends aside and indulge in a day of eating and shopping together. We went to Fiftythree for lunch, first time for all of us.
Fancy potato chips served on a platter of charcoal was our amuse bouche of sort.
Following shortly was a little gunny sack bag containing the exact number of mini bread rolls as there were folks on the table. There were heated ball bearings at the bottom of the sack, keeping the rolls warm. Now, I am all for the novel idea and presentation effects but the bun, oh do I think it sucked. It had a too hard crust, a too dense innard and too salty in general. No amounts of good butter could save it.
The appetizer was chilled cherry tomato and watermelon, with horseradish, and mozzarella foam. This dish, I’m guessing, was trying to get this interplay going between temperature, texture, and flavour. If so, I think the idea was a great one but the execution fell short. I found the horseradish too dominating and the dish could do better without. That, plus the heavy cream sauce lining the bottom of the plate was quite redundant too.
The main course was barramundi with pear and blackcurrent jam. This was more palatable and the fish was fresh. The sweet jams surprising went well with the fish and the bits of fried shallots added delicious enthic flavours.
Dessert was apple risotto with rosemary foam and struesel of sorts. There was no rice in this dessert. The apple was chopped and diced finely to resemble risotto. Served warm, the cinnamon notes harmonized with the scent of rosemary pretty well, if not unusual. My palate could not decide if I was having a savoury or sweet course. Interesting dish that was easy to eat but I would not order it again.
Fiftythree remains an interesting place to visit once in a blue moon because I truly was not really impressed enough to come back again anytime soon.
Fiftythree
53
Tel: 6334 5535
Lunch: Tues – Sat
Dinner: Mon – Sat
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Napa – Ubuntu
When I found out I could not get a reservation at The French Laundry, I had to look for an alternative dining location around Napa and was utterly convinced to try Ubuntu, touted to be the best vegetarian restaurant ever. Honestly, I couldn’t wait! But I was secretly afraid my friend would protest. God bless her, she was so accommodating throughout my trip and with my foodie obsession.
Anyway, there was absolutely no regrets whatsoever because I tasted THE BEST PEAS IN MY LIFE. These jade green seeds popped in my mouth and they tasted so clean you can taste the natural juices and sweetness.
“Hmm, I want to bring a whole bowl home!” I remembered that thought running through my ahead. That followed by “No more frozen peas for me. No more canned mushy peas for me. No more, no more, no more!”
The second course was “raw, roasted, pureed”, or how Ubuntu glorified the boring white cauliflower. In the little Staub casserole laid cauliflower cooked three ways. At the bottom, almost 3/4 of the pan, was roasted cauliflower together with whole garlic. The roasting caramelized the vegetables and enhanced it with a deep, smokey flavour. That was followed by a pureed layer, creamy and rich because gruyere cheese was mixed into it. Then, whimsicle raw cauliflower trees decorated the top. Stab the spoon into the pot and smear the vegetables over buttered toast. Yums!
Dessert was a “vanilla bean cheesecake”. Full cream yogurt, thick and slightly sour lined the bottom of the container. Then, digestive cookie crumbs, and cooked sour cherries filled the middle. Whipped cream cheese topped the whole thing off. The honey tuile on the sides were also nice and crispy. We really enjoyed this light but satisfying dessert.
Is Ubuntu the greatest vegetarian restaurant ever? I don’t know if I can make that statement. There is absolutely nothing pretentious – no fancy presentations, foams or molecular cooking. Ubuntu is nothing but fresh vegetables cooked simply to bring out their natural flavours. I loved the food there and sure beats all the other veggie restaurants I have tried so far.
Ubuntu
1140 Main Street
Napa, California 94559
Seven days a week:
M-Th: 5:30pm – 9pm
Fr-Su: 11:30 – 2:30pm and
5:30pm – 10p (9p Sundays)
Tel: 707.251.5656
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Las Vegas – Daniel Boulud Brasserie
Daniel Boulud Brasserie is a casual offshoot of the original Daniel Boulud Restaurant in NYC. Located at the basement of the grand Wynn hotel, the Brasserie offers a really good value tasting menu between 5pm to 7pm. Not only that, if you stay past 8pm, you would also get to watch the Wynn’s fountain show that shows at 15 minute intervals starting at 8pm.
The food focuses on classical French food and style of cooking and whilst quite ordinary, was perfectly executed so this meal turned out to be one of the most enjoyable one for me. The waiter was casual and friendly yet professional. The bread was interesting too – one of them had poppyseeds and the other had figs and walnuts.
My warm frisse salad with roasted mushrooms and poached egg was a lovely start to dinner. The soft, runny yolk added a richness to the earthy mushrooms and different flavours and the textures just all blended and melded in my mouth.
The scottish salmon with asparagus was perfectly pink and raw in the middle and had an interesting meyer lemon and radish relish that was sourish and did a good job in preventing the palate from becoming too tired. The skin was so crispy I savoured each bite of it. I cannot understand why most Westerners do not eat the skin of the fish. The first thing they do is to lift up the skin and set it aside. What a shame! Anyways, the portion was generous as well so we had to share dessert.
Dessert was a chocolate hazelnut fondant with nougatine crunch and coffee ice cream. It was a good dessert with tried and tested pairing but oh my gosh, the ice cream was sooo good. The bittersweet effect from the coffee grounds and the sweet cream was a match in heaven and I could only complain that the scoop was too small!
We got a complimentary bowl of mini citrus madelines because my friend’s steak was slightly overdone. These were surprisingly really fluffy and light, almost ethereal and just not like most madelines that are heavy and dense like muffins. It was a pleasant surprise and a sweet ending to dinner.
Wynn Las Vegas3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89136
(888) 320-7110
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Hong Kong – Sushi Imamura
Josh, the owner of the famous HK food blog, Chaxiubao, readily agreed to meet up for dinner shortly after I contacted him.
“You are a fish person right? How about sushi?”
You can never go wrong with sushi.
With that, we were led to Sushi Imamura, located at this tall and non-descript building that amazingly houses nothing but levels and levels of restaurants and bars. As we stepped in to join Josh at the counter, I felt reassured to see a Japanese chef already hard at work serving a pair of Japanese ladies. I would later find out, he was none other than Take-chan, the chef/owner. Anyway, needless to say, I was excited about what the rest of the evening would bring.
We decided to save brainwork and go omakase. We started with some appetizers and then fresh sashimi, each kind served ala minute and piece by piece.
It must be the season for bivalves of all sort, because we got an enslaught of them. But because I am not a big fan of most of them, I could only remember the x-large oyster, which had just arrived earlier that day, and was huge that it could be cut into three sections. Served with a bit of lime and ponzu sauce, it was sublime and tasting every bit like the sea.
An interesting take on the geoduck sashimi was this version wrapped with crunchy cucumber and then with nori and sesame seeds. The latter ingredients lent their umami flavours to the otherwise tasteless geoduck and turned this “maki” into a tasty treat.
The most interesting item was definitely the shirouo. In fact, it is by far the most interesting thing I had ever eaten. These are very small transparent fish to be eaten alive. We were instructed to let them “dance” in the mouth first before finishing them off. They were surprisingly not very metallic in taste and the texture was a little bit similar to eating konnyaku.
We could not resist fresh uni when we found out they were available. Unfortunately, these ones were not as full of roe and not as creamy and rich as we had hoped for. I don’t mean to imply they were bad, because they were good, just not as satisfying.
The other highlight for me was the kuruma ebi. This black shrimp is not commonly available. The body was plump and slightly chewy with a bit of bite. Its big head was later deep fried to be enjoyed as “prawn crackers”.After our sashimi course, Take-san took over and made us our sushi. His sushi was beautifully made at just the right size. The rice tasted a little bit off balance, with the sour note a notch beyond my personal preference. Otherwise, they would have been perfect.
A couple of pieces were particularly memorable because of their appearance. One was this kohada sushi. I took a picture of Take-san plaiting the fish into this beautiful creation. He sauced it with his special house sauce before requesting for us to eat it as it was.
The other one was this shima aji sushi topped with a pickled sakura flower. The sourish flower contrasted with the fish, inevitably highlighting the sweetness from the fish.
The whole meal cost about HKD 1,200 per person, without sake or other drinks. Not cheap but certainly oishii deshita!
Sushi Imamura
523-527
16/F
Tel: (+852) 28360035
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Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St – Part 2
We had the opportunity to attend a at Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street last week and the experience of dining at this Indian Restaurant is something different compared to other reviews we have done. Despite having quite a lot of Indian Restaurants or eating outlets in Penang, we have to admit that we have less exposure about Indian Cuisine and there are still a lot of interesting facts about Indian food that we have not found out.
In the second part of the Invited Review, we will showcase the rest of the dishes that we have that time and save the best for last, a home made recipe (although not from Karaikudi) that gives us a lasting, “sizzling” impression. 
The three dishes that we had that time, clockwise from bottom left; Mutton Chukka Varuval, Chettinad Potato Masala and Ladies Finger Pepper Fry. Notice that all the dishes were put on the same type of container, called “kadai“.
Kadai in this case, refers to the cooking pot which the dishes are prepared and normally bigger in size. The smaller ones as shown here are used for serving instead. The loop shaped handles make the kadai easy to carry.
This dish is a favourite among the food bloggers during the review until we actually requested the second portion Ladies Finger Pepper Fry (RM7.00). It is quite chewy and some say it is “quite Q (the Cantonese version)”. The pepper taste for this dish is not as strong as the mutton dish.
The dish in slight yellowish is a simple dish that every other cuisine will have as well. The indian version of “telur goreng” or scrambled egg is Egg Podimass (RM4.00). Huat Koay said this is the first time he had noticed the Indian scrambled eggs dish. Taste wise, you have guessed it, just like scrambled eggs.
Kadai Vegetable (RM9.00) contains assorted vegetable cooked in rich gravy. Some dishes uses Kadai to indicate the dish is prepared using this type of cooking pot.
Chettinad Potato Masala (RM6.00) is a good dish to have with either the naan or dosai. The masala sauce and potato taste good with the potato being soft and easy to chew with the bread.
Squid Fry (RM8.00) is definitely different from the that we have been tasting at the Malay outlets. The Malay version is just squids fried with flour but for the squid fry here is dipped in spicy batter before being fried and the red colour is just part of the spices used.
The squid has some spicy taste which makes it interesting than the conventional ones and we also squeeze some lime juice on top which taste very nice and totally different. Just like any other fried squids, it must be consumed as soon as it is served or it will harden the longer it is exposed to air.
The lamb dish is always Tam Ciak’s favourite but Fei Fei will always keeps a distance because of its pungent smell. Yet with Mutton Chukka Varuval (RM18.00), we feel surprised when we noticed Fei Fei keeps taking pieces of the mutton for himself.
The Mutton Chukka Varuval has the pepper spiciness that can be quite strong which is the reason the lamb smell is not that dominant anymore. The meat is quite tender and easy to chew and comes in the dry curry type which is just excellent.
If you have eaten banana leave meals before, this is probably something you have experienced. Each of us was given a large stainless steel plate to put our dishes. All the dishes mentioned above were served to us one at a time and every when the waiter scoop the dishes onto our plate, they will mention the name of the dish to us, to tell us what we were having at that time.
Sometimes it may be hard to understand or to catch the name of the dish because of their heavy Indian accent, we have to ask them repeat a few times, even to the extend of spelling the dish. Yet, they are more than willing to educate us especially on the Indian terms used to make sure we understand them. Yes, the service and hospitality offered by staffs of Karaikudi Restaurant are quite welcoming.
Nickname “the Indian Pizza” is Chettinad Special Dosai (RM4.00). How special can it be? Well, this is actually a “thosai” that all of us commonly know of (besides the chapati and puri).
Chettinad Special Dosai comes in a very colourful topping that we feel it looks more suitable for culinary contest. With topping ingredients like chopped coriander (yes, they use a lot here), onions, potato, chili flakes etc, it combines the usual slight sour “thosai” taste with these ingredients and taste just wonderful.
Before being served with the final dessert, we were served with Chettinad Filter Coffee (RM2.80) to neutralize our tongue and to wash away all the remaining flavours that still exist in the mouth. Unlike other types of coffee, the fragrance of Chettinad coffee can be smelled in close proximity. Also, there is heavy use of milk in this coffee that it taste more like latte than kopi O.
The “eruption” feeling of the night was the Karaikudi’s signature dessert, Sizzling Brownie (RM10.00). The sizzling brownie is in fact a creation from the wife of the owner of Karaikudi Restaurant. All of us were excited seeing the ice cream brownie being served and all the bloggers were quickly, happily snapping the pictures because the ice cream melts fast.
The sizzling brownie looks like molten lava erupted from volcano with the chocolate sauce on top of the melting ice cream flowing down while the base where the brownie and cashew nuts are at the hot plate look hot and boiling, creating a sizzling effect which spills all over towards the surrounding. Notice the smoke effects going upwards on top of the ice cream…
Once the sizzling effect settles down, it is time to savour this delicious brownie with every spoon ends with “MMmmmmm“, “Aaaahhhhhhh“, giggling and laughing, re-enacting our childhood behaviours seeing those sweet delicacies. The sizzling brownie is just the right dish to leave a lasting impression of dining at Karaikudi Restaurant.
The GPS coordinate as shown (N 05° 24.992? E100° 20.442?) or map at below
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Afternoon Tea @Rasa Wing Lounge in Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa
We found ourselves relaxing and indulging in the Afternoon Tea at the elegant Rasa Wing Lounge in Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, situated in the tourist belt of Batu Feringhi. Our previous visit to this beautiful resort was for the buffer dinner at the Spice Market Cafe, but this time we opted for a relaxing [...]
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Invited Review | Bravo Italiana (Part 2) – Seductive Desserts
In our first part of food review on , we had appetizers and main dishes which considered delicious and satisfying. With such great foods we had that time, we were looking forward for equally par desserts waiting to be served as well. Well, how did it go then? Drool on the pictures below …
For coffee lovers who prefer with some alcoholic touch, this drink is worth to order. The float like drink is actually Orange Coffee with added Rum. Caffe Romano (RM14.00) looks more like cocktail concoction rather than coffee based drink. In fact, it does resemble A&W’s Rootbeer float when these drinks are served.
There are distinct three layers when Caffe Romano is served, the cream portion at the very top, the Rum portion somewhere in the middle while the orange coffee at the bottom. How do we know that? Well, Tam Ciak took a sip at the middle portion and ends up drinking most of the alchohol portion… Hehehe..
Once all the ingredients being mixed together, Caffe Romano taste much better than when the ingredients are distinct. The presence of alcohol covers most of the taste although we still can sense the coffee in the drinks. A interesting concoction to stimulate your senses and metabolism. Think of Alvin & the Chipmunks having coffee ice blended and scale down 10x minimum.
Instead of saving the best for last, we will present the best first and very much worth mentioning and recommending. Strawberry panna cotta (RM8.90) is the name and this small looking glass can easily sweep your feet away. For the desserts fans, you will definitely love this sweet dessert.
Strawberry panna cotta is made of gelatin and milk, topped up with slices of strawberries. The texture is almost like pudding, soft, bouncy and easy to scoop but does not break easily. It smells nice and fragrance with traces of milk scent.
The expression of tasting the panna cotta can be quite gleaming with the urge to have more after every scoop. Each scoop of the panna cotta seems to pamper our tastebuds with tantalizing sweetness that leaves us feeling “high” for the moment.
If the strawberries are eaten together with the panna cotta, you can experience the flavours burst of sweetness and sourness combined. We just cannot get enough of this dessert, excellent~!
Bravo Italiana’s specialty is its famous Tiramisu (RM12.90). Despite the small size, this piece of Tiramisu is a wonderful dessert which we have commended and recommended during our initial food review some time ago.
The tiramisu served at Bravo Italiana is much of cake based type compared to the one at Bella Italia’s cream based type. Huat Koay and Tam Ciak prefer this version but Fei Fei prefers the one at Bella Italia.
The Tiramisu is served chilled and when each scoop is put inside the mouth, there is a mixture response and feelings of wetness, sweetness and slight bitterness (chocolate powder) due to various ingredients for this Tiramisu which makes us eagerly wanting the next scoop.
A great mouth wash that we just never get bored with
This next dessert in Martini glass is Chocolate Mousses (RM8.90). For chocolate lovers, this is something to look forward to.
The base is made of cream that has been mixed with chocolate which is later poured with hot chocolate fudge before adding shaved chocolates on top. To add to the touch, biscuit (similar to love letter) was slipped in to create an effect of a drink with a straw.
Chocolate mousse does not give much better impression as Strawberry panna cotta due to is purely chocolatey flavour, there is not much burst of flavours yet it has strong chocolate aroma and taste that keeps tingling in your mouth even after a while.
Because one of the main ingredients used is actually cream, one glass of Chocolate Mousse is more than enough unless you are a fan of both chocolates and whipped cream.
Tequila Key Lim Pie (RM8.90) is a favourite dessert in Florida which Bravo Italiana has prepared for us as well during the food review. The first glance looks quite like cheese cake because of its soft texture and cheese cake like colours.
The key lime pie has three parts; top part being the whipped cream, the pie at the middle portion and the crust at the bottom.
The flavours of slight bitter and strong sour can be instantly felt when the pie is eaten. The bitter taste comes from tequila while the lime gives the strong sour taste which can be quite addictive. The sour taste will trigger your senses and tastebuds and yet once the sensation subsides, the key lime pie is actually a nice desserts to have more…
Not all the desserts will be available at the same time as preparation takes time and the owner is shorthanded to prepare more. It is recommended to call upfront if your intention is to have specific desserts here.
Dining at Bravo Italiana has always been a wonderful experience during our several visits there, especially with the food presentation and serving portions. The food presentation may be simple yet it showcase the elegance and artistic side that every dishes that we have seem beautiful and its colours well matched. Indeed, the price is steeper compared to other Italian restaurants but the portion served is also much bigger. This we can obviously say worth the price. Furthermore, the taste of this Italian cuisine is definitely good to at least try because of the generous ingredients used.
For the small eaters who will probably cannot finish all, there is always an option to dine with bigger group and order one less main dish to fully enjoy the food. For example, for a group of four persons, you can order three main dishes to be shared, which can indirectly translate to lower price paid per person. This approach helps to maximize your purchase power and at the same time enable you to enjoy great Italian cuisine at Bravo Italiana.
As a note, we would like to thank the owner, Mr Limmee for organising this food review and also to for the use of photo of the front of the shop. At the same time, we also want to thank Albert Yap from for the great photo shoot out during the food review session. The album can be viewed .
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Lap Mei Fan (???)
Over the long weekend, I decided to make a one dish meal and made Lap Mei Fan based on this . It’s essentially steamed rice topped with preserved meats like Wax Sausages (??), Liver Sausages (??), and Waxed Duck (??). Yes, I know that CNY has passed but I kept a waxed duck drumstick from then in the fridge and since I brought back from waxed sausages from (for my parents actually, but am sure they don’t mind me sneaking one or two 
), it’s the best time to cook the whole lot. Hehe. As I don’t own a claypot, I could only make this using the rice cooker.
Artery clogging or carcinogenic inducing aside, this festive delicacy is delightful when you try your best to forget how sinful it is. The waxed meats slowly releases the juices if you leave it on the rice long enough. Sometimes it gets a tad oily, but the tender sausages and little bursts of flavours is more than enough to make up for it. The waxed produce are seasonal simply because most of it is wind dried and only the north wind during winter is cold enough to do the job properly. So I guess a sinful bowl once or twice a year ain’t all that bad?
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