By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little India
My family and I eat regularly at , but we’ve never gone to the original outlet at Market Street. I’ve always enjoyed the food there which serves Chettinad cuisine and immediately said yes when the invitation came in from PenangTuaPui. I was excited to see what the original outlet had to offer! The menu for the night mainly focused on South Indian cuisine and we were told that the food is cooked fresh everyday!
First up to whet our appetite was a Chettinad style Vegetable Soup (RM3). It was a light clear soup with cauliflower, carrots and french bean. The soup was a great start to the meal! We were told that the soup had a yellow tinge due to the use of dhall.
Next up was Bitter Gourd Chips (RM6). This was a surprise as it was sliced really thin and crispy to the taste! I’m not a big fan of bitter gourd though cos I don’t like the bitterness and this was plenty bitter!
The Squid Fry (RM8) was dish I really enjoyed. Squids are very easy to overcook. But there was no sign of hard rubbery squids here. Even after it cooled down substantially from all the photography, the squids were still nice and tender.
Meanwhile, the chicken cutlet (RM6 for 2 pieces larger than the photo above) is easily my favourite appetizer of the lot. The cutlets were very flavorful thanks to the generous use of spices with a slight tinge of heat to it. And there were also very soft with a slight crisp edge. I would definitely order this again!
The luciously thick Mango Lassi (RM4 – comes in a bigger glass than the photo)
The Ladies Finger Pepper Fry (RM7) was an instant hit! The ladies fingers were finely chopped and had a surprising chewy texture. The generous but not overboard use of black pepper gives the dish its zing. I’ve never had ladies fingers cooked in such a delicious manner!
The Kadai Vegetable (RM9) was an assorted vegetable dish cooked in a rich slightly spicy gravy. I tasted beancurds, tomatoes and lots of button mushrooms in the dish. We were told that Kadai is the big vessel that is being used to cook the dish, hence the name.
The Mutton Chukka Varuval (RM18) is another one of Karaikudi’s specialities. This turned out to be the spiciest dish of the night. But I loved it! The mutton pieces were scrumptiously tender and very well marinated with spices. I wouldn’t hesitate to order this again as I found it paired very well with naan bread.
Next was the Chettinad Potato Masala (RM6) which was a mild dish. It would go well with the spicy mutton dish too! I liked the fact that the potatoes here were not too mushy so there was still a bite to it.
Continued here:
Cake Decorating & Tiramisu Baking Class in Penang!
As a baking enthusiast, it thrills me to bring you this piece of news that Big Boys Oven will be back in Penang for another round of classes!!
This time, there will be an exciting full day cake decorating class (using fondant) and also a tiramisu class!! ~swoon~
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–> Cake Decorating Class (Hands On Class)
Pastry Chef Sunny Yaw will share with you:
- How to make your own fondant (sugar paste) and gum paste
- How to cover a 2 tier cake with fondant
- How to decorate the 2 tier cake with flower theme (similar to photo above)
Time : 9.30am – 5.00pm
Date : 18th April 2009 (Saturday)
Fee : RM550 per student (All materials included, plus tea break)
(Limited to only 6 students)
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–> Glorious Tiramisu (Hands on class)
Tiramisu, a rich decadent and desired dessert! Come learn the art of making this glorious dessert with Sunny Yaw!
Time : 9.30am – 12.30pm
Date : 19th April 2009 (Sunday)
Fee : RM150
(Limited to only 6 students)
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Limited seats available! To register for the class please email bbonorth@gmail.com or sms/call 012-4209433
I can hardly wait!! 
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OXO Cafelab @ Queensbay, Penang
is one of the latest additions to the eating scene in Bayan Lepas area. I found out about it when a friend had sent me their Opening Promotion Brochure. RM9.90 for set lunch! RM13.90 for set dinner! the brochure had said. I liked the Red, Black and White color scheme. I liked their quirky cute logo. And the brochure certainly looked interesting! So kudos to their advertising agency!
Incidentally, as I planned to visit the place for dinner, I had read of it. I was impressed that they offered a Healthy Steam Cusinese Set complete with herbal soup! So off we went!
I had high hopes for the place as we entered the venue. It was very well decorated. Very chic! And complete with pool table too!
Glancing through the menu, OXO Cafelab serves a variety of cuisines – Asian, Western, Local. And they serve breakfast too from 8am-11am.
For their opening promotion, OXO Cafelab is offering 15% discount for their set meals. A set meal comes with a drink (cordial), soup OR salad, main dish and dessert. No discount for ala carte orders. I opted for the set meal and chose the Soup. Soup of the day was Mushroom Soup. I didn’t really care for the soup as I found it too starchy and bland.
We had another set meal and opted for the salad, which thankfully fared better than the dismal soup.
My main meal choice was the Juicy with Boxthorne Fruit and Plum Sauce. (This set is normally RM18.70, after discount – RM15.90) The chicken piccata here was basically chicken chop coated with egg and then pan fried. I found the boxthorne fruit and plum sauce interesting as it gave the dish an Asian twist to it. Overall, a very normal dish save for the interesting sauce.
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Yu Lin Seafood Restaurant @ Kampung Baru, Bukit Mertajam
Yu Lin Restaurant is a new Chinese restaurant I visited during the last Chinese New Year with my family. It currently occupies the same building in which another old and established restaurant used to operate in Kampung Baru – Mei Xiang Way.
Although Yu Lin is new, it has already received good recommendations for the good and cheap Chinese dishes. One of them being my close friend and another my family members themselves who have been there before this.
While browsing through Yu Lin’s menu, we noticed a unique dish called Claypot Duck with Yam @ RM15. Generous portions of duck meat and chunks of yam were the main ingredients, as the name suggested.
If you have a perception that duck meat is tough and tastes gamey, this dish would change your mind. I wasn’t too thrilled with the taste because I am not a yam fan, but my parents loved it a lot.
Surprised by the cheap price of RM9 for Fried Shark’s Fin with Egg, we simply had to order this because all of us loved this since young. It tasted great and for the amount of ingredients like mushroom and shark’s fin used, RM9 is a steal!
Oiliness is one of the shortcomings I noticed in this dish prepared by other restaurants. But Yu Lin certainly did a good job in controlling the amount of oil used, which was very evident from the photo itself.
Next was a personal favorite of my sister, Salad Prawns @ RM21. There are generally two versions of salad prawns, either steamed or fried. The former usually consists of steamed de-shelled prawns and served with honeydew, while the latter is deep fried to a crisp with the shells still intact.
The prawns were fresh from the sea and had a succulent, sweet tasting flesh. Simply an enjoyable dish, nothing to be complained about.
Kam Heong style is one of my favorite methods of cooking seafood, especially if cooked with lala clams. Since clams were not available that day, we had Kam Heong Squids @ RM12 instead.
This dish reminded me of a wonderful curry squid I had once in Penang, where the squids were also deep fried first to a really crispy, crunchy texture. After this, the squids would be transferred to another wok to be fried with Kam Heong sauce. The fragrance and spiciness of this dish is bound to whet your appetite, best if taken with white rice.
We also tried Yu Lin’s Signature Seafood Tofu (beancurd), costing only RM12 for a huge portion like this. Crispy on the outside but soft and warm inside, it was even nicer if dipped in Thai chili sauce.
Because all the food was great, we proceeded to order another two dishes – Stir Fried Chicken with Curry Powder @ RM8 and Fish Meat Yin Yong @ RM7. The curry chicken was a slight disappointment for the saltiness, but at least the chicken meat was tender. I guess this dish was not meant to be eaten on its own but with white rice as well to even out the flavor.
This gotta be one of the nicest Yin Yong Kung Fu Chow (Cantonese style) I ever had. It packed enough ‘Wok Hei’ and the egg broth was simply delicious. But the speciality remains that fresh fish slices and prawns were used instead of pork.
Overall, a very happy and satisfied meal. Very recommended for those looking for good and reasonable priced Chinese restaurants in BM.
Restoran Yu Lin
No. 2836 & 2837,
Jalan Kampung Baru,
Taman Tampoi,
14000 Bukit Mertajam, Penang.
Tel: 04-5386389
Located opposite along Jalan Kampung Baru, a few shops away from Ah Nam’s Claypot Frog Porridge.
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Love, Life & Chocolates @ Schokolart, Solaris Mont Kiara
Chocolate oh chocolate, how I love thee. Let me count the ways….
Anyone who knows me well would know what a chocoholic I am. There is something so soothing and so exquisite in a piece of really good chocolate melting slowly in your mouth…
And so I practically jumped for joy when we headed to Schokolart at Solaris Mont Kiara. My first time going to Solaris Mont Kiara too!
White, black and pastel pink is the theme of the interior of Schokolart. And there’s even a more private corner with seating for two, separated by fringed curtains. I would have picked those seats had I not wanted more light for photography sake!
Upon entering Schokolart, a glass case of chocolates and cakes greet you. I was estatic!
After glancing through the menu, we settled on a set lunch for RM18 (which includes a drink, choice of main meal – various types of or sandwiches, and a chocolate praline)
We tried the Apenzeller Rosti with a Jalepeno sausage. The generous portion of Apenzeller rosti came with bacon bits inside. I’ve tried the Rosti at Marche in the Curve but found that theirs was drenched in oil. Not very appetizing at all. Fortunately the rosti here at Schokolart fared much better! Crisp external layer and soft flavorful shredded potatoes on the inside. It paired well with the salty and spicy sausage.
The Schokolart Satay (RM20.90) immediately caught our eye and it came highly recommended. I just could not imagine how satay would taste, coated with chocolate!
I just loved the presentation of this dish! The chocolate satay came with fried ‘man tau’ and a very mild peanut sauce (tasted like it was made out of peanut butter!) So how did the chocolate satay taste? It was good!! I loved it! Very delicate hints of chocolate which your tongue might miss if it eaten with too much of the peanut sauce.
After much debate between getting chocolate pralines or a chocolate drink (I was trying to do my waistline some favors by not indulging in both), I finally decided to go for the pralines. A box of 6 pralines would set you back RM27. For dine in, they offer you 100gm of pralines (9 pieces) on a platter at RM36.
Raspberry Wasabi (white praline on the left) and Sweet Spice (on the right).
The Raspberry Wasabi consisted of white chocolate encasing a raspberry and wasabi center. Odd as it may sound, this combination actually works very well! The sweet white chocolate was balanced with the sour raspberry while the wasabi center gives it a lil bit of kick.
Meanwhile, the Sweet Spice was a combination of chilli, cinnamon and chocolate. Another winning combination! Don’t be alarmed by the chilli as it isn’t at all spicy. Just enough to give you a hint of spiciness.
Rocker praline (on the left) and Sesame praline (on the right).
I didn’t quite fancy Rocker as it had orange peel in it. I liked the nuts though. But I’m the type who likes my chocolate as is – no nuts, no fruits and most definitely no orange peel!!
Now the Sesame praline on the other hand, was a different story altogether. It was perfect!! Chocolate encasing a smooth nutty flavored center that melts in your mouth! ~swoon~ I heart!!!!!!!
Almond & Fruit Chocolate (on the left) and Mango Passion Fruit (on the right).
For the almond & fruit, I chose the bitter chocolate version. There’s a milk chocolate version too. I liked the bitter chocolate. But again, did not like the orange peel.
The Mango Passion Fruit was another winner for me. I have always liked both mango and passion fruit, so these flavors mixed with white chocolate were a delight for me.
There were a few other chocolate pralines that I didn’t get to try, not to mention a whole glass case of mini cakes. For the pralines I’ve tried so far, my favourites would definitely be Sesame, Sweet Spice, Raspberry Wasabi & Mango Passion Fruit (in that order).
I have not been to the other chocolate specialty place – Theobroma, so I wouldn’t be able to compare the two. But from this particular experience, I must say that I do like Schokolart. I’m not crazy in love with it, but thats just probably cos I would need to sample their menu in more detail. I would like to see more chocolates though. And I will definitely come back to try their chocolate drinks. Alcoholic drinks available too!
is located at Solaris Mont Kiara – opposite Tenji, above COld Storage. Block K-01-05, SohoKL @ Solaris Mont Kiara 2, Jalan Solaris, 50480 Kuala Lumpur. T:03-6203 0968
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Japanese Desserts @ Kin Shui Tei, Tropicana Golf & Country Resort
Yesterday (Valentine’s Day) I was invited to a Japanese Dessert Fair at Kin Shui Tei located within Tropicana Golf and Country Resort. The invitation was extended by Tam, who also invited me to restaurant not long ago.
Kin Shui Tei is a classy Japanese restaurant its restaurant run by Mr. Ikuo Tanabe, a vastly experienced chef in Japanese cuisine. Needless to say, I was extremely excited about the food review for the entire week. For a food blogger, an invited review like this is as good as it can get, almost a dream come true!
Three new desserts I sampled were (clockwise) Fruits Panna Cotta, Fruits Mizu Mame and San Shoku Abekawa. I just love how vibrant the colors are in this photo.
I am going to start with my most favorite Japanese dessert of all, the luscious Fruits Mizu Mame @ RM19. Mixed fruit (apple, orange, grape, watermelon), lemon tea jelly, raisins and Japanese black beans (mame) are served on a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
The presentation was nothing short of impressive, especially the leaf shaped apple slices. It was so beautiful that I was quite reluctant to dip my spoon into the dessert. But, it had to be done anyway lol.
Besides the fresh fruits, I particularly enjoyed the raisins because they were not your ordinary dry raisins but infused with white wine and honey. This gave the raisins a juicy texture and nice honey taste, which was very delicious when coupled with the vanilla ice cream.
At first I thought RM19 was a little expensive for a dessert. But after knowing the extra mile Kin Shui Tei takes from providing the freshest ingredients to preparing and presenting them delectably well, the price tag was well worth it.
Fruits Panna Cotta @ RM19 is quite similar to Fruits Mizu Mame, except it had less fruits and a pudding. The pudding is called Panna Cotta, an Italian dessert made from cream and milk. It had a silky smooth texture which melts in your mouth and tasted not too sweet. White wine infused raisins were also present in this dessert, with honeydew and bits of juicy lychee flesh sprinkled on top.
I would recommend Fruits Panna Cotta to those looking for a bigger portion in their dessert.
The last dessert I had was San Shoku Abekawa (Three Colored Japanese New Year Cake) @ RM15. As the name implies, it is a plate of Japanese dessert with three different colors and flavors (from left to right) – cocoa, yellow bean and green tea. I liked the presentation, just like ice cream on sticks.
Among all three, yellow bean flavored is my favorite for its stronger taste and sweetness. If you didn’t know, Japanese New Year Cake itself is tasteless so the powder was the only source of flavor.
Another important thing about the cakes is that they must be enjoyed warm when delivered to your table. If left cold, the rice cake would harden making it really chewy in your mouth. This was perhaps the most traditional Japanese dessert I had that day, sadly the one I liked the least too.
I didn’t only get to try Kin Shui Tei’s latest desserts, but also some of their best selling dishes. Man, I am such a lucky person! Teppan Seafood @ RM 59 is a set meal consisting of Teppanyaki seafood and vegetables served with rice, miso soup, an appetizer, Japanese pickles and a fruit platter. Wow, that’s a lot of food in a set meal don’t you think?
The Teppanyaki seafood had generous portion of fresh squids, two huge prawns and a slice of sea bass. Each seafood is unique on its own with the squids cooked with a secret sauce, prawns baked with cheese and the sea bass pan fried. I really enjoyed the fresh sea prawns, with flesh as thick as my thumb. Eaten with the soft, melted cheese the prawns were simply heavenly..
And a Japanese meal wouldn’t be complete without sashimi. I am a newbie to sashimi and didn’t know how to appreciate it before this. But Sashimi Teishoku @ RM46 completely opened my eyes to the wonderful world of sashimi. I finally realize why the Japanese liked sashimi so much!
From the looks you may think that they are sushi, but a closer look would reveal that no sushi rice is there. It is purely assorted sashimi (salmon, salmon belly, butterfish etc) with some wrapped with thick Suzuki (Japanese sea bass) slices to resemble a sushi. Now, that’s really something.
Besides sashimi, the same accompaniments for Teppan seafood are also provided (miso soup, rice, fruit platter). Here, miso soup is enjoyed the traditional way by sipping it from the bowl instead of using a spoon.
I haven’t found myself enjoying sashimi so much like this before even though I have eaten it before in many Japanese restaurants. The sashimi was so fresh that the flavors were out of this world, I simply couldn’t hide the happiness and satisfaction with each bite I took.
When asked by Debbie, my host for the meal about the freshness and tastiness of the sashimi. I only could reply with nods of approval and a wide grin on my face, lol.
Freshly ground wasabi can be requested in Kin Shui Tei at no extra charge. It’s definitely fresher and spicier, perfect for the sashimi I had.
Kin Shui Tei’s new menu is done beautifully with hundreds of Japanese dishes to choose from.
You can also dine in the Tatami Room if you like a more private dining session. It’s spacious and no extra charge is imposed for dining here.
Kin Shui Tei’s dining area – calm, relaxed and very Japanese atmospheric. Seatings next to the windows are brighter with natural lighting, great for food photography.
If you are a Japanese food lover, you really got to try Kin Shui Tei. I am not saying this because they invited me over for a free meal. The fact is it’s a great Japanese restaurant and I honestly enjoyed the food here. Rather than visiting the chained Japanese restaurants, why not pay Kin Shui Tei a visit? I am sure you would enjoy the food here as much as I did.
Kin Shui Tei
C/o Tropicana Golf & Country Resort,
Jalan Kelab Tropicana,
47410 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: 03-78042079 / 03-78804437 ext 315
To reach KST from LDP, take the left turn before reaching One World Hotel into Persiaran Bandar Utama. Keep going straight until you see Lebuh Bandar Utama, and follow the road. You will go pass Centrepoint Bandar Utama on your left and eventually arrive at an intersection where you can see MSC Status Bandar Utama on your right. From here, go straight and you will see the signboards leading to Tropicana Golf & Country Resort.
It’s pretty straightforward and I managed to find the place even though it’s my first time there, so I think it wouldn’t be a problem for you as well. Refer the following links for more info on how to get there:
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By Invitation: Louis Cafe @ Argyll Road
Louis Cafe is a new player in the Western Cuisine food scene, having opened its doors at the end of December 2008. Tucked away in Argyll Road, it is located right opposite Mingood Hotel.
The Penang food bloggers had the good fortune of being invited for a scrumptious meal recently. And boy did we enjoy ourselves!
Louis Cafe offers a rather extensive menu ranging from appetizers, soups, main course and dessert. We kicked start our meal with three different types of salads. The hearty generous portion of Caesar Salad with smoked salmon (RM18) was excellent! The dressing was just right, cheesy enough and not too overpowering. I liked the smoked salmon added to it giving it more flavour.
The Scallop Salad (RM20) meanwhile was also a hit! Pan seared juicy sweet scallops topped with tangy apple salsa.
Also served was the Organic Green Salad (RM15) which came with a light balsamic vinegratte. This would definitely be a hit for those wanting a lighter, healthier option. Suitable for vegetarians too.
We were served 5 different types of soups – Wild Mushroom Soup, Cream of Broccoli, Cream of tomato, Cream of Cauliflower and Pumpkin Soup. My favourite of the lot would be the Wild Mushroom Soup (RM10). Generous use of herbs with a delicate hint of black mushrooms. A winner!
Coming at a close second would be the Cream of Tomato (RM9). Normally I avoid tomato soups like plague as I find the canned variety too artificial tasting and too sour. However, the cream of tomato soup at Louis Cafe suits my tastesbuds very well. Once again lots of herbs were used to bring out the flavour balancing the sourness. Tasted quite a bit like pasta sauce actually! lol. So please do not pair this with a pasta dish. Otherwise you would end up having similar tasting soup and main dish!
We were served a total of 12 main dishes and these are the ones that I personally liked.
The Fettucine Carbornara (RM16) came out tasting really cheesy and rich with lots of fragrant bacon bits and mushrooms. Warning! This dish is very rich! So unless you are a huge fan of cheese, you may want to share this.
The Pasta Arabiatta (RM16) was impressive. Not many places serve this dish and so I was quite pleased that it came out lovely! Slightly spicy with lots of flavour.
The Red Snapper with Cream of Tomato Pulp RM27 (this sauce is not on the menu, so remember to ask your server for it!) stole my heart almost immediately. The snapper was lightly pan seared and the interesting sauce complimented it well.
The Fish Gordon Bleu (RM25) was another hit! In fact, it was one of the fastest main dishes to disappear. Even though the fish was fried, it still maintained its juiciness. The cheese and ham filling further augmented the juiciness of the fish. Quite a small portion though which would be good for a people wanting a lighter meal.
I seem to be liking all the fish dishes here! The Pan Seared Salmon Steak (RM30) came with a delicious dijon sauce. The salmon was thick and melted in my mouth. Proof that it was cooked just right!
Meanwhile, the Beef Tenderloin with black peppercorn sauce (RM38) got thumbs up from me! The next time however, I would try it with the red wine sauce which lends the beef an amazingly tasty flavor. The Sirloin Steak (RM28) was served with red wine sauce. And would have been perfect if the steak had been a bit more tender. The meat was very well marinated. Alas, rather tough. Therefore, if you’re going for steak here, the Beef Tenderloin with red wine sauce gets my pick!
Another must try is the Chicken Tortilla (RM15.90). This is a new dish that’s not on the menu. Similar to Quesadilla, this dish had Mexican and Spanish influences. Best eaten warm, these tortilla breads were wrapped around a tangy chicken filling.
Finally, the Vegetarian Cutlet (RM15.90) was created due to requests for vegetarian meals. Its a blend of potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, corn and carrot. And its even aesthetically shaped into a leaf! Comes with a creamy dipping sauce.
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in the cosy environment of Louis Cafe. One great point about this place is that it offers free WIFI.
Louis Cafe is opened from 11am-11pm daily. Set lunch is available at RM18.90 and set dinner at RM26.90! Set meals change on a daily basis with 3 different choices of main course meals every day.
Other reviews of this place can be found at:
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Louis Cafe is located at 161-C Argyll Road directly opposite Mingood Hotel. For reservations, call 04-2287729.
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