Chinese Cuisines at Restoran City Star, Petaling Jaya

December 25th, 2009

I was invited by Ken for dinner together with his friends from Tour2U at Restoran City Star in Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya during my Kuala Lumpur trip. This double shop lot restaurant owned by Mr CM Wong has a nice and clean environment with one section of the restaurant air-conditioned.
Our meal consists of several recommended [...]

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Chinese Cuisines at Restoran City Star, Petaling Jaya |

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Penang Food – Dim Sum @Aik Hoe Restaurant

March 30th, 2009

The day started with a “yum cha” session at the old eatery, Aik Hoe Restaurant located in Carnavon Street. This restaurant which occupied two shop houses still managed to retain its old nostalgic charm after fifty over years. The fixtures of old ceiling fans with flooring of small squares of blue and white tiles still [...]

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Penang Food – Dim Sum @Aik Hoe Restaurant |

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CK Lam featured in Guang Ming “We Eat”

March 29th, 2009

I am happy to see myself featured in the “We Eat” section in the Guang Ming Daily published on 29th March 2009. It was indeed an honour to see the full page article of myself having breakfast in Aik Hoe, one of the oldest restaurants in Penang which is well known for its authentic dim [...]

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CK Lam featured in Guang Ming “We Eat” |

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Yaki-Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

March 29th, 2009

After witnessing the huge success of Tenji Japanese Buffet has managed to achieve by offering 50% discount on all dining period, many other Japanese buffet restaurants are doing the same too. Xenri, Daidomon and now the newly opened Yaki-Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant too.
These promotions or competition you might say, are definitely good news for Japanese buffet lovers. Anyway, yesterday was the day Earth Hour was celebrated and we happened to be at Bukit Bintang area wondering where to have dinner. We looked at Starhill’s Jogoya and it cost RM88++ per pax, pricey.. Then we suddenly remembered Yaki-Yaki next to Low Yat Plaza.
We decided to give it a try because it was quite cheap for a buffet @ RM46.25 nett per pax (including service charge and tax) We didn’t make any reservations and dined as walk-in guests.
After we got our table and paid the full amount, we were guided to a round table just next to the beverage area. Each table has its own captain in charge, and any orders for barbecue are to be made through him. To ensure the food is maintained at its freshest, Yaki-Yaki only serves the food (for barbecue only) when an order is received.

sashimi oyster unagi

After making an initial order for some scallops, unagi, beef and Chicken with Wine Soup. We took a quick tour around the restaurant to see the available choices. Yaki-Yaki has Japanese (sushi, sashimi, tempura), Chinese (cooked seafood), Western, seafood, skewers (mushroom, satay, sausage) and dessert sections.
The first thing I had was of course some sashimi, raw oysters and an Unagi sushi – just to test the freshness. The sashimi was definitely fresh and very enjoyable, that alone was enough to make me a happy person lol.

mussel unagi prawns

Mussel with mayonnaise, sushi and steamed prawns with herbs. The prawns (freshwater type) at Yaki-Yaki are very fresh, another good news for me. Among all prawns in the buffet, I found this cooking style the nicest because the herbal taste wasn’t too strong and you can still taste the prawns’ sweet flesh.

spring water egg

Perfect half boiled egg the Japanese style, called Spring Water Egg.

fresh coconut

I think Jogoya started it, and thanks to them the newer Japanese buffets serve these mini fresh coconuts. Very sweet and refreshing! Oh you don’t have to worry that they will run out, Yaki-Yaki replenished them very quickly and generously. No need to compete with the other diners for it lol (you know what I mean hehe)

scallops Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

The first food to arrive from our barbecue order – Scallop with Butter Cream sauce. It was nice to see the butter melt and cooking the scallops when they are placed on the barbecue. But too bad the same couldn’t be said for the taste. By the way, the time needed to cook the food is written in the menu itself. For example the scallops need to be barbecued for 3.5 minutes, while fish typically needs 4 minutes. Better bring a long a friend who can read Chinese because the timings are all written in Chinese.

miso beef

Miso Beef, lots of fat in this one.

bbq miso beef

Because they are sliced to thinly, they cook pretty fast in 1-2 minutes. And they tend to stick to the grill too.

flaming BBQ beef

The melting of the fat will make the fire burn even stronger. I managed to remain calm and took some photos while my gang was freaked out trying to put off the fire, lol.

lamb beef chicken satay

Left to right: Beef, Lamb and Chicken Satay, they were very spicy! Funny that only Chicken Satay was not in skewered form.

bbq satay

The list of food can be ordered for barbecue includes: Chicken Slice with Honey sauce, Miso Chicken, Lamb Belly Tender, Beef Striploin, Hokkaido Sanma Fish, Shishamo, Argentina Squid, Crab with Butter Cream Sauce, Japanese Rich Ball and Mochi and etc.

tofu scallop mussel

A plate of delicately prepared Japanese tofu, some more mussels and cooked scallops.

tempura soft shell crab

Tempura Soft Shell Crabs, no doubt one of the most popular items in the buffet. But luckily Yaki-Yaki replenished them very frequently too. I didn’t have to wait long for it.

prawn tempura

Tempura Prawns,very crunchy since I got them just after they were deep fried.

sashimi abalone sushi

More sashimi, all were nice and fresh. Special mention to the sliced abalone with spicy chili sauce, which was great as well.

ebi sushi abalone sashimi

The Ebi (prawn) is a must try, very flavorful.

sushi prawn unagi

The Unagi with Japanese Tofu (upper left) was another yummy dish.

scallop ebi sashimi

The cooked scallops at the sashimi section tasted much better than those for barbecue.

cod fish

We didn’t enjoy the Cod Fish because it got hard, dry and salty after being barbecued.

unagi Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Luckily the Unagi was very nice. But you gotta pay extra attention when cooking them because they get burnt very easily. Shown here is a portion for three.

pomfret garoupa prawns

Whole pomfret, Garoupa (head and tail only), huge clams and tiger prawns were available at seafood section. They were very fresh as well but weren’t really suitable to go on the grill except the clams. Reason being they tend to get really dry and tasteless after being barbecued.

unagi crab clam bbq

Some food tasted much better if Yaki-Yaki’s recommended cooking method was followed. Firstly, place the clams in the small aluminum foil plates. Then, fill up the plate with some Chinese wine before placing them on the barbecue grill. Although this will make them take longer to cook, you will be rewarded with tasty clams infused with the fragrance of Chinese wine. You really gotta try it.

chinese buffet Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

OK, enough of what I had and lets take a tour of the restaurant. First stop, Chinese food section.

butter prawns.jpg

Butter prawns

crabs Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Cooked crabs

snails Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Snails

cawanmushi soup

Cawanmushi and different types of soup

chicken herbal soup

Chicken Herbal Soup

coconuts Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Fresh coconuts that come in large containers in front of the kitchen counter. I have to admit they weren’t displayed as fancy as those in Tenji or Jogoya but who cares as long as they are replenished fast, that’s what I think really matters. Other fruits like orange, apple, dragon fruit and kiwi can be found here too.

seafood section

satays Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Raw Satays

sausage skewers Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Skewered sausages, which I didn’t try any. There’s skewered mushroom, sweet potato and corns nearby too.

tempura station

The soft shell crabs prepared at the tempura station were not only for the diners but also for the sushi section. Half of the soft shell crabs being fried here would be sent to the sushi section used to prepare California Rolls. So, no pre-fried soft shell crabs were used at all.

Sashimi and oyster section. This section is the best for me because most of the food tasted great.

salmon sashimi.jpg

sashimi Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Salmon Sashimi, orangery goodness!

salmon slabs Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

butter fish Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

cawanmushi soup

sashimi sushi section

The chef is very friendly and likes to talk to the customers. He will also give recommendations if you are unsure of what to eat. Cool guy.

salmon chef

He’s so friendly that he even volunteered to pose for me while holding a huge slice of salmon.

mussels Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Mussels

scallops section

Scallops

herbal prawns

sushi seafood section

sushi refilling

japanese egg

instant coffee machine Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

A huge selection of drinks were available, from soft drinks to coffee, tea and fruit juice.

local drinks machine Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

The iced Nescafe was pretty good!

coffee vending machine Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

Brew your very own coffee here.

jelly dessert Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

A fridge containing Fruit Jellies is located next to the drink vending machines.

sauce station Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

And lastly, the Sauce Station with some unique looking containers. OK, I didn’t write a lot because I feel the 50+ photos are pretty much self-explanatory of what is served in Yaki-Yaki. Overall, very good Japanese buffet and I actually enjoyed the warm, cooked food more than the barbecue.
For RM46.25 (promotion period only, and 5% government tax and 10% service charge on NORMAL PRICE) this buffet is very worth visiting and I highly recommend it if they can maintain the quality and freshness of the food. And I think many of you want a comparison of Yaki-Yaki and Tenji, so here goes:

  • Pros:

      i. Better, fresher food overall.
      ii. Premium food like tempura, coconuts, sashimi, oyster and scallops are replenished very fast.
      iii. More attentive and efficient LOCAL staff (waiters, cook)
      iv. Tatami rooms for private gathering
      v. Longer dining period (3 to 4 hours)
      vi. Made me feel like returning!
  • Cons:
      i. Almost non-existent dessert section, only jellies and some normal ice cream served (No Haagen-Dazs here).
      ii. Very dark environment.
      iii. Hot environment because of the barbecue, will sweat.
      iv. Less photography freedom (not allowed to take photos of the restaurant)
  • yaki-yaki-japanese-buffet

    50% discount only from 16/03/2009 to 30/04/2009

    Buffet Lunch NP RM65++ 11:00am to 2:30pm (3.5 hours)

    Buffet Hi-tea NP RM55++ 2:30pm to 5:30pm (3 hours)

    Buffet Dinner NP RM75++ 6:00pm to 10:00pm (4 hours)

    Buffet Supper NP RM65++ 10:00pm to 2:00am (4 hours)

    Yaki-Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant,
    Ground Floor, Federal Bowl,
    Jalan Bukit Bintang,
    Off Jalan Bukit Bintang,
    Bukit Bintang Central,
    55100 Kuala Lumpur (next to Plaza Low Yat)
    Reservation: +603-2142 8111

     Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

    sashimi oyster unagi 214x300 Yaki Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang

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    Yaki-Yaki Japanese Barbeque Buffet Restaurant @ Jalan Bukit Bintang |

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    Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St – Part 2

    March 27th, 2009

    We had the opportunity to attend a food review 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. :)

    invitation review karaikuni kurai2 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    The three dishes that we had that time, clockwise from bottom left; Mutton Chukka VaruvalChettinad Potato Masala and Ladies Finger Pepper Fry. Notice that all the dishes were put on the same type of container, called “kadai“. 

    invitation review karaikuni kurai3 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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. 

    invitation review karaikuni ladies finger3 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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. 

    invitation review karaikuni kurai5 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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.

    invitation review karaikuni unknown Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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. 

    invitation review karaikuni unknown2 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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.

    invitation review karaikuni squid Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    Squid Fry (RM8.00) is definitely different from the Sotong Goreng 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.

    invitation review karaikuni squid2 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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.

    invitation review karaikuni lamb Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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. 

    invitation review karaikuni lamb3 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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. 

    invitation review karaikuni serve in plate Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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.

    invitation review karaikuni serve in plate2 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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.

    invitation review karaikuni tosai Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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). 

    invitation review karaikuni tosai2 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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.  

    invitation review karaikuni coffee Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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.

    invitation review karaikuni szilling brownie Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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.

    invitation review karaikuni szilling brownie2 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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…

    invitation review karaikuni szilling brownie3 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    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.

    invitation review karaikuni gps Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2
    The GPS coordinate as shown (N 05° 24.992? E100° 20.442?) or map at below

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     Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2

    icon smile21 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 2

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    Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St – Part 2 |

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    Penang Restaurant – Cai Xiang Seafood

    March 26th, 2009

    As a newbie to an area, I would usually choose to patronize the restaurant that is recommended by word of mouth or through the blogs. This time around I chose the Cia Xiang Seafood Restaurant in Bukit Tambun for our family weekend makan outing. This restaurant is nearby the Bukit Tambun Interchange of the North [...]

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    Penang Restaurant – Cai Xiang Seafood |

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    By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little India

    March 25th, 2009

    My family and I eat regularly at Karaikudi (Hillside) Restaurant, 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!

    k2 1024x768 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little India

    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.

    k3 1024x768 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little IndiaNext 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!

    k4 1024x767 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little IndiaThe 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.

    k5 1024x767 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little IndiaMeanwhile, 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!

    k6 767x1024 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little India

    The luciously thick Mango Lassi (RM4 – comes in a bigger glass than the photo)

    k8 1024x767 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little IndiaThe 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!

    k15 1024x767 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little IndiaThe 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.

    k10 1024x767 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little IndiaThe 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.

    k12 767x1024 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little IndiaNext 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.

    k2 1024x768 300x225 By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little India

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    By Invitation: Karaikudi Restaurant at Market Street, Little India |

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    Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St – Part 1

    March 25th, 2009

    We had an opportunity recently to attend a food review that is out of what we have covered till now. Up to now, PenangTuaPui has limited posting on Indian food which we are beginning to cover for more. We are lucky to be in touch with Karaikudi Restaurant to do a food review about their Indian Cuisine as well as to understand more about indian culture and indian food.

    karaikuni outlook Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    There are two Karaikudi outlets in Penang with this one at Market Street, which is inside Penang’s Little India itself while the second outlet is at Tanjung Bungah. The chefs for these two restaurants are different although it is handled by the same management.

    invitation review karaikuni random3 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    We have the upper floor for the food review purpose so that our presence will not disrupt the present business operations below. In fact, we were there during the dinner so the tables below were pretty much packed anyway.

    invitation review karaikuni random Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Most of the decorations inside Karaikudi are imported from India to imitate the environment of the original Karaikudi city, the capital of Chettinad. The painting above is also an import from the homeland of Chettiyars.

    invitation review karaikuni review Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Meet the fellow bloggers Nick, Criz, Steven, Buzzing Bee, Cariso, Lingzie and CK Lam. Where is PenangTuaPui? As usual, the 4 of us are at the lower right of the picture :)

    invitation review karaikuni hafiz and manager Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    We are lucky to have Hafiz (Marketing Manager) and Lakshmanan (Restaurant Manager) to be our hosts for the food review. Both of them provided lots of explanation and background about Karaikudi and the dishes we had to enable us understand more about Indian Cuisine.

    invitation review karaikuni eval form Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    For a start, we decided to do something different on the food review with the use of an evaluation form. This form actually helps us to jot down our taste and perception at the moment we taste it when things are still clear in the mind. It will also let the restaurant know of the so called customers’ feedback.

    invitation review karaikuni mango lasi Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Mango Lassi (RM4.00) was the drink of the day which came in medium height glass. Any Indian restaurant you go to will tell you that their Mango Lassi is good and this one is no exception either. The mango lassi is thick and full of flavour but less creamy (less butter taste) compared to Passions of Kerala.

    invitation review karaikuni vege soup Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Chettinad Style Vegetable Soup (RM3.00) is a home made vegetable soup with spices and the yellowish colour on the soup is because of the use of dahl. The soup is watery type and not as thick as the western style while the taste is not that strong either. Perhaps, this is not just our style.

    invitation review karaikuni bitter gourd2 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Bittergourd chips (RM6.00) is an addictive appetizer served with fried chilies and curry leaves. The bittergourd used is smaller type which is much bitter compared to its bigger brother. 

    invitation review karaikuni bitter gourd3 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Taking the first bite of this bittergourd, one can feel the spiciness surrounding the bittergourd snacks but gradually the bitterness taste becomes more evident and the effect seems to linger for some time. The spices used have encapsulated well the bitter taste at the begining but tingling your taste buds with spiciness before letting the bitterness sets in. 

    invitation review karaikuni bitter gourd4j Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    The crispy bittergourd can be quite addictive too despite the bitter taste. Each time after we finish one chip, there was a mix feeling for spiciness and bitterness that somehow tempting us to take the next bites. The Kashmir Chili used was quite crispy as well but not too hot in taste. Still the spiciness flows down the throat as we swallow it.

    invitation review karaikuni chicken Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Chicken cutlet (RNM6.00) comes in a lovely shape that bring smiles among some of the bloggers. Want to take a guess why? Because it is made into the heart shape specially for us…hehe

    invitation review karaikuni chicken2 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    The boneless pieces of chicken is marinated with eggs and bread crumbs before being fried. It contains chopped green chili and coriander as well.

    invitation review karaikuni chicken3 Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    The chicken cutlet is quite tender without sign of being overfried and taste a little bit, (yes, just a little bit) spicy because of the chili. Tam Ciak said it feels like eating the spicy KFC chicken nugget…. :)

    invitation review karaikuni roti Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    We thought this is supposed to be a dessert but Chettinad Special Dosai (RM4.00) can just be a sweet dish to have with main dish. 

    invitation review karaikuni snapping Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    The dosai (thosai) is actually a favourite among the kids because of its colourful and sweet taste. It has cut dried cherry on top as well as sesame seeds. Once you open the inner part, it reveals the dessicated coconut in different colours red, green, yellow and original colour. 

    invitation review karaikuni ingredient in tosai Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    We initially thought nutmeg was included as well but we got it wrong. The dosai can be eaten on its own or it goes well with the dishes we have too.

    invitation review karaikuni briyani Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Chicken Briyani (RM9.50) comes in a typical Indian container that we normally see in the movie except this is much smaller. The briyani uses basmathi rice which is longer and more fragrant compared to normal rice. One piece of chicken drumstick is included in the briyani rice with an egg served on top of the rice. 

    invitation review karaikuni fried roti Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Sometimes we just cannot help ourselves laughing when we see the names although we know this is how each dish is called. Yes, our bad for being such mischievious… Chicken Kothu Paratha (RM9.00) is essentially Prata (bread) that has been chopped and served together with cooked chicken. This dish looks simple enough with nothing to be amazed yet perhaps it is the simplicity of this dish that makes it special at Karaikudi. 

    invitation review karaikuni kurai Invited Review | Karaikudi Restaurant @ Market St   Part 1
    Some of the dishes we have, clockwise from bottom left; Mutton Chukka Varuval, Chicken BriyaniChettinad Potato Masala, Kadai Vegetable and Ladies Finger Pepper Fry. To know more about each of this dish, stay tuned for next post~!

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    The Wok Cafe – Authentic Penang Nyonya & Local Cuisine @ Kota Damansara

    March 21st, 2009

    The Wok Cafe is a newly opened restaurant at Kota Damansara serving home-cooked authenthic Penang Style Nyonya Cuisine. If you’re from Penang, The Wok might sound familiar because their first branch – Hot Wok is indeed located in Penang along Burmah Road (previously at Tanjong Tokong).
    Opened only about a month ago, Mervyn the head cook and owner extended an invitation to me to their restaurant to try their Nyonya cuisine and Penang hawker food. Being an avid fan of Penang hawker food, I was eager to find out if The Wok could live up to the standards.

    soya-bean-gula-melaka

    It was a surprise visit because I happened to be at Kota Damansara for dinner and suddenly remembered about Mervyn’s invitation. After meeting the owner himself and got ourself seated, he presented us with The Wok’s menu, which was extensive and had almost all the Nyonya food I’ve ever known. But I was actually more interested in the Penang hawker food listed in the last page, lol.
    Anyway take a look at the drinks, can you guess what are they? No they are not teh ais and sirap bandung but soya milk mixed with gula Melaka and rose syrup respectively! I think I have openly expressed my dislike towards gula Melaka before but when combined with soya milk, it was a great and refreshing drink for me. This is so simple you can try making one yourself!

    otak-otak

    A serving of Otak-otak (for two persons) cost RM5. Under the soft and squishy fish paste was a layer of fish meat. I enjoyed it but I might have loved it more if only it was spicier.

    prawn-noodles

    Since Mervyn stressed that they have retained the original Penang cooking style when it comes to their hawker food, the easiest way to verify this claim was to order a bowl of Hokkien Mee (Prawn Mee) @ RM6.

    prawn-mee

    And truthfully enough, the Prawn Mee was of Penang style with light and sweet tasting soup packed with prawn flavor. Interesting enough, some nice and crunchy lard was present in the noodle. Ah.. it has been a long time since I last tasted a good bowl of Prawn Mee like this in KL.

    penang-char-koay-teow

    Char Koay Teow, the iconic Penang hawker food @ RM7. There’s simply no other food that can represent Penang better. I particularly ordered this because I had been deprived of a good Char Koay Teow for months, lol.
    If you feel RM7 is expensive for Char Koay Teow, well don’t be because that’s the standard price for any restaurants here. Besides, the price is justifiable by the big portion and the four huge, fresh sea prawns. My god those prawns were so meaty and juicy.

    char-koay-teow

    The Wok included sliced fish cakes into their Char Koay Teow, which is not a norm in Penang. And one of my favorite ingredients, cockles was missing too. When asked about the cockles, Mervyn explained that the cockles were not fresh that day so they were omitted from the dish. An acceptable explanation. I wouldn’t want any unfresh ingredients in my Char Koay Teow that would spoil the whole dish or, worse still, cause me food poisoning later.
    To be honest, it tasted nice for a plate of Char Koay Teow especially those yummy prawns.. simply heavenly. But if compared to the real Penang style Char Koay Teow, I found the authenticity to be lacking due to the lack of the special fragrance and ‘wok hei’. I feel I am very picky, lol.
    Just to be fair, it’s not easy to be a master in all Penang hawker food. Even Penang hawkers themselves are specialized in their very own food only. You won’t be able to find a stall selling both great Prawn Mee and Char Koay Teow, would you?

    hokkien-char

    Mervyn then suggested that we give their Penang Hokkien Char a try. Hokkien Char is a fried noodle (usually yellow mee mixed with vercimilli mee) with dark soya sauce and meat, prawns and vegetables @ RM7. Sometimes liver is included as well.
    Like the Char Koay Teow we had earlier, The Wok wasn’t stingy with the ingredients. Huge juicy prawns and generous strips of meat were given.

    penang-hokkien-char

    If eaten on its own Hokkien Char seems like a very normal noodle, which is why sambal is so important for this dish. Sambal is like the soul of Hokkien Char, to provide the desirable spicy and slightly sourish flavor to this noodle. Even just a hint of sambal would make all the difference in the taste and open up your appetite.
    But not all sambal would make the cut yeah, because only authentic Penang sambal is qualified for the task. Well, I am glad to say Mervyn has managed to cook the Hokkien Char and sambal very faithfully according to Penang style.

    cendol

    Then it was time for desserts. First up was Cendol @ RM3.30.

    sago-nangka

    And followed by Sago Nangka @ RM3.30 too. Both SL and I preferred this to cendol because the jackfruit bits and sago were just much enjoyable compared to starch noodles and kidney beans. This is highly recommended for desserts.

    the-wok-cafe-nyonya

    The father and son team of The Wok Cafe has put in a lot of effort decorating the restaurant to give it a 50-60s feel. With many Nyonya decor, antiques, photos around, dining at The Wok Cafe felt like being sent back to the past.

    the-wok-cafe

    Round marble tables and old coffee shop chairs will bring out the nostalgic feeling in you. Provided if you’re born before or around the 80s lah, else I doubt you would feel a thing lol.

    the-wok-kota-damansara

    I know Penang Hokkien Char is not easy to find in KL after being here for some time. So, if you’re curious about how Hokkien Char tastes like and not visiting Penang anytime soon, do head to The Wok Cafe to try it. The Nyonya cuisine looked pretty interesting as well and I won’t hesitate to return to sample it. And if you’re staying near Kota Damansara, do know that I am pretty jealous of you because you have easy access to great Penang food cooked by a true Penangite lol.

    The Wok Cafe
    Authentic Penang Nyonya & Local Cuisine
    26, Jalan PJU 5/21
    The Strand, Kota Damansara

    PS* – The Wok Cafe is located at the newer shoplots across the road from Kayu’s Nasi Kandar. After turning into The Strand from the traffic light, keep left and you will notice a big electrical shop and Alliance bank. The Wok Cafe is just behind.

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    Penang Food – Seafood Beehoon and Pork Porridge @Lam Kei

    March 17th, 2009

    Fancy having a bowl of piping hot seafood beehoon or pork porridge? I had my share over at Lam Kei located in Nam Thean coffee shop along the busy Jalan Jelutong. This stall has been around for thirty-five years with the second generation taking over now. They have another stall selling this similar food inside [...]

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