Sushi Tei @ Tropicana Mall, PJ

Somehow, the weather is scorching hot. Somehow, work is just too much to digest. Somehow, I always have a huge craving for good food. Somehow, I don't know how I ended up in Tropicana Mall. Somehow .........

This particular mall has been a huge success, a huge hit amongst movie goers, a huge hit amongst grocery shoppers, a huge hit amongst food lovers and a huge hit amongst coffee lovers.

There are simply countless food outlets in this medium sized mall which serves a huge variety of food from Western to Eastern and to some Malaysian local delights. But there is simply one restaurant that interests me ie Sushi Tei, a Japanese restaurant situated at the ground floor.

The setup of this place is simply marvelous, simple yet delicious. There are various seating for huge crowd, medium as well as smaller crowd. Amazing! And they even have some seating at the sushi counter too.

But beware ! This outlet is always crowded. You will find a medium long queue of hungry fans waiting to be seated at the entrance and such scene is a norm. No joke. Somehow this place manage to pull in the crowd which means something is really cooking at this restaurant.

Egg Mayo @ RM3.20++

To start off the feast, first to be gobbled down my belly is a couple of 'Egg Mayo'. This is one simple delicious starter and believe me you will want more. We did our best to take in only a couple cause this was just the very first dish being brought out. There's more to come and we decided not to spoil it.

Homemade Meat Gyoza @ RM9.80++

Somehow I would prefer this to be made of pork instead of chicken. I have this tongue for pork meat as it taste so much better and yummier compared to chicken meat. Anyhow, be it chicken or pork or beef they managed to dish some really lovely gyoza. A tad oily but it was ok as long as it tasted good and good it was.

Umaki @ RM7.80++

Eel omelette is not really my cup of tea though.... But it was for my 'lou poh'. But then it would really be interesting to put one into my mouth and give it a go. Tastefully done, I must say.... really delicious..... and I had a second in my mouth without knowing it. A little sweet, a little salty, oh blimey... the eel had eaten my brain ...... :)

Ika Okonomiyaki @ RM18.80++

Aaahhhh.......... finally, my favourite, Okonomiyaki was brought to me with the red carpet rolled down. Wowsers...... just loved the sight of it and the aroma was overpowering the whole room. What a dish. This Japanese pancake was made with some squids in it which they believe they can price it at RM18.80 because of it. I find it rather costly but it was truly yummy ! With extra mayo this pancake just my tired stressful day back to turbo mode. 

Oyako Don @ RM13.80

Aawww..... why must they serve all my favourite at one go. This Oyako Don means chicken meat topped with egg and served with rice. Pure delight to sink my teeth into it. Meat was tender and was well marinated. The texture of the rice was simply mind blowing especially when it was mixed well with the egg. Another champion !

Conclusion : Gambate ! Gambate ! Continue to dish out what you have done today maintaining the quality of the food and you will not go wrong. This is the reason why this restaurant is always packed! Food is good, service is good too, waitress are well trained and well mannered. Price is competitve. Outlet is clean and come with a relaxing ambience. A 4.5/5.

Cheers.

Sushi Tei 

Tropicana City Mall

Lot G-16

Ground Floor

Jalan SS20/27

47400 Petaling Jaya

Selangor.

Tel : 03 7728 9299

Restaurant Sam Yu Seafood @ SS3, PJ ~ Part 2

A relative was in town for a visit and it would not be complete without having a good meal in one of the popular restaurant in PJ. As usual the place was pretty packed with regular patrons even during the weekdays. We decided to dine in the air conditioned area since the weather was scorching hot.

The dishes we had this time was special and not the normal one would order. This bowl of bean curd with vegetable was superb. I liked this particular dish as it was not too sweet and not too salty. And it goes very well with a plate of rice. I was trying very hard not to consume too much rice but .... with such dish on the table .... makes it very difficult to have a proper diet.

Another favorite dish was brought to us and without fail it was finished before we knew it came. This lovely bowl of spinach was superbly done. The soup was sweet from the red dates that was cooked together which makes this a winner. 

This plate of pork cooked with ginger and vinegar was specially ordered for my relative since he is a 'man eater'. And of course my wifey's favorite too. Frankly this is one dish that I will never touch as I do not fancy vinegar and fatty pork. But from the scent of the aroma filling up the room I can tell that this is one really good dish. LOL. At least both my relative and wife loved it.

And the last dish for the day, chicken cooked with shallots and dried chilli with a dash of Chinese cooking wine... is a must. Somehow this was not the best I had before but still ok lar..... It was a tad too dry and also salty. Goes very well with white rice. 

Conclusion : Not too bad la but a little pricey. Portion was slightly disappointing. But choice of food was superb. My relative says it tasted good compared to those he had in Johor. A 3/5 will just do for today.

Cheers.

Restoran Sam Yu Seafood

No 32, Jalan SS3/35

Taman University

46200 Petaling Jaya

Selangor.

Tel : 03 7875 1197

Restaurant Ang Kee @ Chow Yang, SS2, PJ.

Whenever I drive past the row of shops along SS2/10, I always wonder what's cooking there. This is because this row of retired shops has been given another new lease of life as more and more eatery choose to open their new outlets there.

Chow Yang at SS2 has been a sleepy town for the past years but it is totally a different story altogether. Demand for a vacant shop is tremendous as this has pushed the property prices and rental prices up a little. You may not find fancy fast food outlets there but you do find some very interesting food outlets there and also a few 'chain' restaurant there.

Finding a parking lot has been a problem now since more and more people flock to this sleepy part of SS2 in search for food. It is always a chaotic scene there especially every Thursdays as one of the biggest 'pasar malam' is being held there.

Restaurant Ang Kee has been plying it's business here for many years and can be considered one of the popular eating outlet here. This place is always crowded especially dinner time. All flocks of life can be found here which means this place is popular amongst family.

The setting up of this place is simple ~ but what is important is that it is well lighted and it is quite airy. Because the inner shop space is enclosed, noise pollution can be of great height when the place is crowded. To us that is only secondary issue and what's primary is to have a taste at their food.

This special dish consists of fish paste steamed together with mushroom and garnish with some broccoli. It's something similar my mom used to cook for us when we were much younger and it was pure pleasure to be able to find such dish. Fish tasted really fresh and has the springiness feel or texture to it which was superb. I truly enjoyed this dish and I would recommend it to those who have little knowledge about it.

This plate of 'siew kai' was a little too dry. But then ...... at least it tasted good. Well marinated and as long as it is not too salty it's perfect for me. The younger generation truly enjoyed snaring at the tender chicken meat..

...and the wise middle aged people like myself will prefer to sink my teeth in this sumptuous fish dish. Dunno what it's called .... LOL ..... but heck it goes really well with rice. This fish is called 'Fei Chow Yue' or in direct translation 'African Fish'. Deep fried a little and cooked with some house specialty sauce and viola a mouth watering dish. Yum....

Vegetable is a must and we decided to have two different types of vege. One for the faint heart and one for the adventurous. Two simple vege dish to cater for both the young and the old. Amazing ....

No mercy for this wonderful plate of 'nai yau har'. Simply amazing and is a crowd favorite. Prawns was nicely done and fantastically not overcooked. And it was snapped up in just a few minutes. Lovely.

To end the night we decided to order 2 plates of 'hokkien mee'. This was never in out list of dish to order but was recommended by the shop owner that we have to give it a go. And that's how we ended having it on the table. We have to thank the owner for this lovely recommendation as the hokkien mee was superb. A tad too sweet but otherwise it's perfect.

Conclusion : Not a bad place to take your family out for some good food. Place is clean and brightly lighted. Service was ok lar ~ what do you expect from such restaurant. Food was pretty good and it is pocket friendly too. A 3/5.

Cheers.

Restaurant Ang Kee
No 50, Jalan SS2/10
Chow Yang
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor.
Tel : 012 274 7148

Restaurant Shang Kee @ Ulu Yam

It was a wonderful weekend of relaxing and fun with family members and friends. We spent a great deal of our precious time at Fraser's Hill. The bungalow we stayed in was superb and the whole atmosphere was just amazing. How I wished I could own such a lovely there. Weather was superb too not too hot and was quite breezy. Fantastic. This was what I was looking for.

Ah! well.... good things have to end somehow. It was time for all of us to make our journey back to KL. It is always a sad thing to do ~ reality bites don't they. But before really heading back towards KL we decided to make our way to Ulu Yam for a good meal as Ulu Yam is famous for it's 'Loh Mee'.

Lucky for us my father in law knows the way to the best restaurant in Ulu Yam for this delicacy. He was our walking GPS for the day and we were all so delighted with it's performance. Chuckle. There were so many so called famous restaurant dishing out this delicacy but we choose to head towards this restaurant by the name of 'Restoran Shang Kee'.

Surprised! Surprised! This place was packed when we arrived and blimey it was close to 4pm. Simply just cannot believed it. Most of the patrons are from KL just like us after a lovely weekend away from the busy KL life.

There is nothing to shout about this restaurant. It's just like any other ordinary restaurant but the only extraordinary thing about this place is it's 'Loh Mee'.

Loh Mee @ RM16.00

Before this lovely bowl was brought to us I could smell it's aroma from mile away. It looks marvelous and all of us wanted a go at it! Some liked it with some vinegar and some, like myself, do better without it. Yummy yummy.... good good ..... continue eating, continue eating ..... burp! burp! It was different from those I had back in PJ or KL. Seriously, it does taste Ulu Yam in it and that's why it's such a hit there. It's a little difficult for me to explain the different but do make a date with them if you really wanted to know how it tastes like.

Porkie Bites

This porkie bites sure does smells good and tastes good but it was over fried resulting to most of us a visit to a denture doctor. It was delicious not doubt but it was hard to bite too. And not to forget oily which is a big no-no.

Fried Noodle with Siew Yook

Since there was so many of us we decided to order another plate of noodle just to fill up the half filled bellies still longing for more food. I don't really remember the special name given for this plate of noodle but it does taste good. Again it was rather oily but I reckon this is a norm for Malaysian Chinese cooking. Fabulous and is equally as good as their famous 'Loh Mee'.

Delicious Saito Fish Cake @ RM16.00

Delicious Saito Fu Zok  @ RM16.00

Both this fish cake and fu zok which is made from saito fish is truly out of this world. It tastes really delicious and from the first bite I could still feel the saito fish meat to be very springy which scores full marks. And both of them are supposedly the 'chiew pai' dish.

Conclusion : Loh mee is superb including the other fried noodle. Fu zok and fish cake is out of this world which is a must. A tad too oily for my liking and portion is just so-so. Rather expensive from my point of view. Service sucks but you still get food served on the table. LOL. A 3/5.

Cheers.

Restoran Shang Kee
Jalan Besar Bandar Utama
Batang Kali
Ulu Yam
Selangor.

Kin No Mizu @ The Intermark, KL.

The Intermark formerly known as Yow Chuan Plaza is full of new ventures since the whole building underwent a massive renovation. The building has been fully revamped and has a new look which is 'upmarket'. Pretty impressive and it even have Hilton's Double Tree Hotel occupying a whole wing.

Having an office at The Intermark surely speaks quality rather than quantity. But it could also be a nightmare hunting for food especially during lunch time. It has been a ritual to take a short walk over to Ampang Park for reasonable priced food but having lunch there day in and day out ruined all the excitement. This was when we decided to venture into the new outlets at The Intermark.

A couple of levels up brought us to this lovely looking Japanese restaurant by the name of 'Kin No Mizu - Japanese Dining'. The first impression of this outlet was pretty amazing. The way this restaurant was designed was breathtaking and breathtaking it was as one will have to be very careful when walking around this outlet. Certain parts or areas have so-called man made water alleyways which could be dangerous if one mistakenly steps into it.

The whole place was full of blue lights which makes the environment cozy. Table settings was impressive too with a couple of long tables to suit big crowds and they even have a private room to cater for private function. As for food, they have a handful of set lunches which was very impressive. All set lunches comes with an appertizer, Chawan Mushi, Miso Soup, Pickles, Rice and Dessert. 

Sashimi Set @ RM38.00++

This 'Sashimi Set' was full of praised as the portion was enough for an adult. Freshness was guaranteed as the thinly sliced salmon and other seafood was superb. Presentation was beautiful as always since this dish has been served in the most beautiful ways as one can think of.

Unagi Set @ RM35.00++

Beef Teriyaki Set @ RM32.00++

Grilled Saba Set @ RM23.00++

All the other sets that came was very impressive too. Beef teriyaki was delicious and succulent. It was done the way we wanted and we were not disappointed. Grilled Saba tasted really good too and also grilled to near perfection. Unagi was slightly salty but goes well with rice. Same goes for the grilled Gindara which amazing too. Pure delight.

Grilled Gindara Set @ RM35.00++

Chawan Mushi

Salmon Temaki @ RM12.00++
Soft Shell Crab Temaki @ RM15.00++

I really enjoyed the Chawan Mushi and wanted to have another bowl but I was just too over fed. The texture was just so-so as I've tasted even better ones but the taste of it really bring joy to the table.

As for the 2 different Temaki, I truly prefer the soft shell crab over the salmon. Very simple .... it's because it tasted better. LOL.

Conclusion : Nice environment, good service, good food, good portion, expensive. A 3.5/5. And yeah they have an outlet over at Bangsar Village and one over at TTDI Plaza. Check them out.

Cheers.

kin no mizu ~ Japanese Fine Dining

The Intermark Branch

Lot 211, Level 2

The Intermark

182, Jalan Tun Razak

50400 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel : 03 2166 2888

twenty.one @ Bangsar

Twenty.one ..... a number where it is highly loved by many. Well it could be '21' from a game of 'blackjack'. 21 years of age ~ a prime age, 21 for some means 'longevity' as 2 + 1 = 3 (sang). Etc...

This particular 21 is located in Bangsar Shopping Center at Bangsar. Twenty.one is a place where the young and the restless would like to let their hair loose in the evening with a couple of chilled beers or liquor, a place for many to unwind and entwined (LOL) and all this happens after sun set.

And during the day this place dishes out some really cool and funky and affordable set lunches. Cool in a sense where 'East meets West' and plenty to be offered. There are approx 10 different types of set lunches to choose from ~ sandwich, curry noodle, pasta, thai green curry just to name a few. And each set lunches comes with a glass of fruit juice or carbonated drink.

Different angle shots of twenty.one

The atmosphere of this place is pretty cool and relaxing indeed. The only downfall is that it smelt of cigarettes which is a pain. This unpleasant scent was being left overnight by late night party goers which is ok for the evening event but not for daytime event.

Complementary snacks before a meal

Service is commendable too as the waiter and waitress there are pretty alert and attentive. But it all depends on how busy they are, actually, from my point of view. They are also pretty well mannered and really performed in what they do best. Very hospitable indeed.

Thai Green Chicken Curry @ RM18.00++

Very presentable indeed when this dish was brought to us. Somehow there was just no 'aroma' to fill us in and this I smelt danger. And true enough from the very first spoonful of this lovely looking green curry into my watery mouth ~ ngom, ngom, ngom ..... it's tasteless. Failed miserably. If I was blindfolded I would not know that this particular bowl is 'green curry'. Yeah it's really this bad. Comes with some potatoes, beans and peas and served with a handful of bread. Yeah, no rice though. Pretty odd eh.

Bread for dipping (green curry)

Penne Tubes @ RM18.00++

Oh what a marvelous plate of pasta. It comes with 'tempura eggplant' and 'pesto chicken'. I found myself gobbling up this plate of pasta non-stop which means only one thing ~ delicious.

Spaghetti Oglio Olio @ RM10.00++

...and when we thought we had one of the best pasta, came another that is mind-blowing. I was firing in all cylinders. This Oglio Olio was even better. It comes with beef bacon, chilli, coriander and olive oil. Yummy !

Toasted Pesto Chicken Sandwich @ RM9.00++

Ahh .... finally one of the two sandwich was served. First to come was the chicken sandwich which came with tomatoes with bearnaise sauce and some fries with some dipping sauce. Pure delight sinking my teeth into this lovely sandwich. It was so delicious where everyone wanted more.

The 'Scummy Salmon Sandwich' tasted even better. It was truly amazing and out of this world. Words just cannot describe how wonderful it can be. And at RM16.00++  truly a bargain.

Conclusion : Not too bad foodie, lot's of variety ~ only touched on set lunches and lot's more from the ala carte menu, commendable service, pretty relaxing atmosphere, can't stand the ciggie smell, reasonable pricing.  But portion was slightly too small. A 3/5.

Cheers.

twenty.one tables + terrace
t1 level 3 bsc 
285 jalan maarof, bukit bandaraya
59000 kuala lumpur.
tel : 03 2287 0021
www.twentyone.com.my