Cool Off Period

Since we've been having a hot spell in KL, I thought some cool pictures may be good right now. Icebowl is just one of the many Hong Kong/Taiwanese Asian-infused recipe shaved ice dessert chains which dot the Malaysian dessert scene. The offerings are typically Chinese, so the crowd tends to be smack bang into that market segment, making the noise levels pretty high when the joints get crowded. This outlet is in SS2, Petaling Jaya.

This nifty little gadget tells you when your order is ready for collection.

When it turns into a flashing, vibrating UFO, your dessert is ready.

Typically Chinese in nature, this dessert is made out of cooling elements like snow fungus, barley and lotus seed.

This one features grass jelly, pearls and taro balls - a chewy dessert for those needing to sink teeth into something.

There is also a small selection of more liquid desserts in the form of milk tea.

Hitting the G Spot?

What makes Fullhouse close down in a matter of months while smaller eateries like Grumps in SS2 Mall continue to chug along? Would niche specialization be a factor? After all Grumps is non halal, discounting perhaps 35 percent of the traffic (although traffic is hardly the word to describe the trickle of people coming through the mall). But perhaps this 'exclusivity' gives it a better hold on the market. That and comfort food.

I like Grumps because their servers are chirpy and speak English. A plus point is that they give you drinking water and don't fleece you the way some outlets like Pancake International does, (only bottled water, chargable, or nothing).

Their food is pretty good too. Not amazing, but good. Simple. Basic. Homey. Sometimes there's no place like home, right?

Their version of chicharon, the popular Filipino snack of fried pork rind.

The fact that they offer pizza with anchovies is a pull for me.

Pork chops are nicely grilled with the perfect sweet glaze.

Mix It Up

What makes a rojak great? Fellow Malaysians are divided into various camps from the get go. For starters, what is the 'real' rojak? Is it the combination of diced fruit and vegetables tossed in sticky black prawn paste, sprinkled with crushed peanuts? Or is it the mix of fried floury items, julienned cucumber and turnip (jicama), hard boiled egg and fried tofu on which a spicy, chunky peanut sauce is poured over?

My Penang-friends will say that all Northerners equate rojak with the first description, while the second is known as Pasembor, or Mamak (Indian Muslim) rojak.

I tend to agree with the Northerners and the strange but wonderful black salad is what comes to mind when I think 'rojak'. The best rojak, in my opinion, is the one made by a little bent old lady who works the night market circuits on weekdays (she is on my turf on Wednesday) and at the Subang Golf Club on weekends. Her mix and ratio of fruit to vegetables is great. She has a deft hand at mixing the perfect blend of chilli with the sweet, sticky shrimp paste (petis udang or har koh) and her shrimp crackers are really crunchy, well-drained and not oozing oil, and brittle enough to crack pleasantly in the mouth, but robust enough to stand a coat of the sauce without getting soggy.

She does not add too many bells and whistles to her rojak. Her vegetables compromise of cucumber and turnip, while her fruit items are pineapple, jambu (rose apple), young papaya, green mango, hog plum (kedondong or sah lei), and sometimes, some starfruit. Prawn crackers round it up and dried squid is available upon request and extra cost.

It's simplicity in itself, but it is such a quintessential piece of Malaysia. It was probably the dish I missed the most when away from my native shores, forget the roti canai and nasi lemak!

Wat Happened To How It Used To Be?

I cannot let go of first loves. It's very hard for me to pretend affairs never happened. Not when I walk past this store front nearly every week and the servers smile and wave, then look very let down that I walk past, a little shame faced. I'm a loyalist. I keep my food friends close to my heart (and my cholesterol closer), but sometimes, one needs to be strong.

And yet, one cannot forget how it first was. And so, this is my tribute to the way it used to be at Watami Paradigm. (Cue Barbra Steisand's Memories)....

Is it my imagination, or did more people stop by before?

This lighting used to really inspire me. It backlit the dishes so well!

The Ceasar Salad with the fresh soft-boiled egg is about the only thing that remained constant by the time the love affair ended.

I liked the pizzas too, but I figured that if I wanted pizza, I'd eat Italian.

This was nothing like the putrid, stinking sashimi i got the last two visits I went to Watami. Wat-ta-hell is wrong with you guys?

The sushi used to be inspiring.

Appetizers were fun!

The stone bowl rice remains tasty, but why would I come to a Japanese restaurant for a Korean dish?

Wallet Freeze

I'm all for 'you-get-what-you-pay-for' but this is a climate of 'do-you-really-need-to-eat-this?' and very few things make it on the Okay To Splurge list. Among them are good quality sashimi (great source of protein, and possible source of very, very bad food poisoning if it's not fresh are more than enough reasons to eat better) and great coffee like the one I had at Pacific Coffee recently.

On my Take It Once, Not Again Until Someone Richer Treats Me list is Freezy Freezy. Ever since Lecka Lecka reduced its retail presence, I have lusted for gelato. Real gelato. So when I saw this kiosk in Paradigm Mall, I had to have a go. And of course, to justify my blogger status and my promise of delivering as much a 360 degree taste experience, I had to try as many flavours as possible. So I did. Six. And my bill was close to RM70. Yup! On gelato. That's a McDonald's outing for a family of five!

It seems that most Netizens agree that it is a very expensive treat. Google Freezy Freezy and comments range from 'nothing special for the price' to 'very mahal'.

My verdict? It's great to be able to afford this regularly, because I really like gelato. But if I had the wherewithall to do it regularly, I would also expect it of myself that I would give more in the church collection bag, and also send more sundry items to the girls' home I support. Failing which, I would rather save the calories and build up my storehouse of blessings in heaven.

Doesn't look expensive, but it is. Beware! Note also the lack of pricing boards?

There are cheaper treats available at Paradigm!

Have to give it to them, however, that their gelato is in immaculate condition.

The flavours are pretty good too.

Would you pay RM70 for this selection? Three scoops in each cup. I say... NEXT!

A House With Weak Foundations...

How many Fullhouses have you been too? I bet they were all bustling, right? Despite how there are some complaints about the slowness of service or the quality of food, do you ever recall seeing your local Fullhouse un-full?

I bet the management of SS2 Mall thought that the Fullhouse brand would be a big draw to the mall. But sometimes, you just cannot beat the odds. The kind of interior design and fitout a store front needs to become a Fullhouse is quite pricey. To ensure quick ROI, they need customers - a big, long, constant stream of customers. And that is what SS2 Mall could not deliver.

As such, it is my unpleasant duty to announce the demise of Fullhouse in SS2 Mall.

My last meal there was decent enough, and it's a sad thing that even this brand could not sustain. Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles!

The way it used to be at SS2 Mall.

Even then, it was hardly full.

Cool drinks did not make this a hot spot.

Local food like this curry laksa was decent at Fullhouse.

Even if they did pass off instant noodles as ramen! 

At least their meat was of passable quality!

And their wedges were perfection! C'est la vie!

Chinese New Year Charity

If you are looking to stock up on some cookies for the upcoming Lunar New Year, may I suggest buying from a place which helps develop the talent of single mothers and assists them in making a decent living for themselves and their kids?

I have recently become involved with SuperMum Bakery, a community project by the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya, MBPJ and The Sun. In a small premise located in a community sports complex in Petaling Jaya, a little bakery has been established, run by my friends Clare and Kumar. The couple teach baking to women wanting to learn a life skill in order to be able to make cakes/cookies for sale from their own homes. Some of the profit from SuperMum is also channeled to the Single Mothers Association.

SuperMum offers a small, different range of breads and pound cakes daily, and specialize in more interesting bread mixes, such as European rye and sourdough. They also make black sesame wholemeal, herb wholemeal, wholemeal honey pretzels, chicken and mushroom pie, scones and mini quiches. These can be ordered and picked up at your convenience.

For Chinese New Year, their cookie repertoire includes oatmeal raisin, ginger oats, chocolate almond, pineapple rolls, almond mint, chocolate chip walnut, cornflake, dragon, chocolate meringue, white almond and sesame. Prices range from RM12 to RM24 for containers between 300 to 500 grams.

SuperMum Bakery
Kompleks Sukan Jalan SS24/1
Taman Megah
47301 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03 7803 0482
Cell: 019 2274 473 (Clare)

The bakery operates from 7am to 4pm from Tuesday to Saturdays. They open from 8am to 1pm on Sundays. Mondays are rest days.

PJ's Best Japanese

After the fiasco that was Watami, it was time to go back to basics. Forget nice interior design and mood lighting, forget places where they know your name but are willing to serve up reekingly bad scallops. Go back to anonymity in return for good, fresh sashimi and sushi. And so it's back to Sushi Tei in Tropicana City Mall.

In the years I have eaten at Sushi Tei, I have always come away with the impression of crisp efficiency. It's not warm and effusive, but orders are taken promptly and food presented quickly, and as of this visit, still very fresh.

A little spartan, but the food makes up for it.

I like Sushi Tei most for the lightly grilled sushi selection. I'm a big raw food person, but there is something delicate about the hint of char on the outside of a still rare piece of good fish. It brings out the flavour of the seafood, intensifying the natural sweetness via the caramelising of the sugars in the meat. I have yet to enjoy this kind of aburi sushi as much else where.

Aburi Sushi RM26.80

 The high diner traffic at Sushi Tei means that inventory moves quickly and is replenished fast. Therefore sashimi is always fresh. I have had two instances when the waiters have told me that they would not serve a particular item because it fell below their standards. This is something Watami needs to take to heart.

The Salmon Zukushi (RM29.80) was great - perfect slabs of salmon and salmon belly, rich and glistening with the healthy Omega oil sheen and pure orange perfection, set off by the deep coral of the salmon roe.

Salmon Zukushi

The butter fish (RM13.80) was firm, creamy coloured and exactly the right temperature, as was the other platter of assorted sashimi I ordered. I like a selection of both fatty and non-fatty fish in my sashimi and i find mix and matching the best way to go.

Asama sashimi (large portion) RM35.80

 The first cooked dish which came fell a bit short. The Kani Ikura Fried Rice was my way of getting Erin to eat rice, since she would do a lot for the 'little balls' which she loves so much. However, the rice was a tad dry, and the dish too peppery for even my liking. Not a good way to burn RM19.80.

Kani Ikura Fried Rice RM19.80

The Ika Teriyaki (RM15.80) was much better, and we were surprised that Erin relished her few rings of it. Must be that sweet teriyaki sauce!

Ika Teriyaki RM15.80

The Tempura Moriawase was simple, but good. No bells and whistles, but a good batter and well-drained.

Tempura Moriawase RM13.80

Soft shell crab maki RM8.80 was simple, straightforward, and perfectly fried.

Misaki sushi, RM28.80.

To round up the carbs and protein, I ordered the Kani Avacado Salad which is a goodly assortment of tossed leaves and fresh crab legs with my choice of dressing - sesame, of course, because of the lovely rich taste the toasted seeds impart on the vegetables.

Kani Avocado Salad, RM14.80.

The bill for four adults and a child came to RM250.56.


Sushi Tei
Tropicana City Mall
Lot G-16 Ground Floor
Jalan SS20/27 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03 7728 9299

Cheap Tricks

Of the Big Three hypermarkets, I find that Carrefour offers the better selection of beef. Maybe the Malay-centric customers at Giant are used to tough, gamey meat which requires slow, long cooking. Perhaps Tesco prides itself more on its seafood selection, but whatever it is, I have found that beef bought at these two hypers more often than not is stringy, sinewy and hard to eat, even with tenderizing methods copiously employed.

So when I saw some pretty reasonably priced cuts of Australian beef at Carrefour in Tropicana City Mall on the weekend, I stocked up. Kit prepared the cuts of outside block tonight and they were pretty good! Of course, technique has a lot to do with palatability of the dish. Kit pre-tenderized the meal with bicarb of soda, then grilled it to seal in the juices, before finishing it off in the convection oven. He rested the beef for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. The juices were still red, and the inside a lovely ruby, just the way we like it. Not bad for cuts which cost RM6.20 a pack!

A nice, crisp cabbage stir fry made with Beijing cabbage (my father insists this variety is far superior than the normal cabbage) which cost RM3.83, also from Carrefour added the green element to the meal.

And of course, Kit needed his carb infusion, and made fried rice. As my friend Jess Yeoh says, Kit's fried rice has a lot more than the usual stuff in it. This time we had smoked chicken sausages, shrimp, and his signature spiced fried egg. Yum!

The meal cost about RM20 and could have easily fed three or four. The benefits of eating at home!

Taking A Chansii

There seems to be a tea kiosk everywhere these days! Generally we stick to Chatime, for the quality and the menu (not to mention our friendship with the family who owns the SS2 Mall kiosk), but today, because Erin was busy communing with the hamsters and fish in the pet store in Tropicana City Mall, the adults decided on a drink break.

Tea Chansii was the closest kiosk to the pet store, so Kit had the Japanese Fruit Tea (RM6.90) which was black tea topped with a selection of diced fruit. He did not think too much of it. The tea was non-descript, and the fruit was soggy.

I fared much better with the popcorn. I sampled all their variants while waiting for the tea, and I have to say they are pretty good! The caramel was nice, though movie-theatre caramel corn is better, and so were the other sweet varieties like the chocolate and original. The standouts were the seaweed, Japanese Curry and Mexican Chili, while the so-so ones were the cheese and garlic butter. I finally bought the zesty Mexican Chilli in a cup for RM4.90.

Tea Chansii
LG 22 Lower Ground Floor
Tropicana City Mall
Petaling Jaya

The Next Closest Thing To Home

In a pinch when we have to entertain but did not plan to cook, we head to the Subang Jaya Golf Club where we are members. The Golfer's Terrace serves one of the best selections of local food. I'm not alone in this view point. All my first time guests, some as far from Ireland and New Zealand, agree too.

For a while the outlet management took off the fried chicken wings from their line-up. It was a bitter blow, because they were an excellent dish. They re-introduced it sometime last year, much to my delight, and the dismay of my scales. Their best and worst point is that they are fried. We're talking golden skinned, crisp to the tooth, succulent down in the bone, best kind of frying there is. No other place I know serves wings like these!

The club's selection of noodles is also good. Their beef noodles has really good stock, so there is a rich, but not heavy beef broth to base their beef balls, tripe, tendon and beef cubes in.

Oddly, due perhaps to new staff, the Cantonese noodles I ordered came served with wantan noodles. However, they were still good, although eating the fine noodles in this thick gravy was a bit odd.

The satay stand is operated by a third-party contractor, but like most food vendors chosen by the club, the quality is high, and the prices still very reasonable. I still pay RM10 for a dozen sticks of either chicken or beef satay, and the meat is of reasonable quality. The chicken satay does not try to get away with pieces of skin balled up to add bulk, while the meat is most times quite succulent for the beef variant. The sauce is one of the better ones around - sweetly spiced, fragrant with the Malay aromatic herbs and with just the right blend of peanuts and gravy.

With four adults and a child, and drinks (though it was just Chinese tea), my meal cost in the region of RM55 for everything. Considering the view, I think this helps rate the club as one of the best dining out options in my repertoire.