Restoran Kin Kin, Pandan Indah

Perhaps it's the fame, or it's just my (biased) belief; whatever the reason, I'm still vouching for Kin Kin "superiority" - for serving the best chilli pan mein in town.

Stumbled upon this branch one fine Saturday when we were hunting for food and it's like a blessing, for the shop is fully air-conditioned, unlike the main branch which is perpetually packed. Who wouldn't like that? A clean and air-conditioned environment vs one where patrons ends up dripping with sweat? Choice is yours ;)

Here, fittings are kept minimal; there's only a cashier counter, tables and chairs for dining, and a few pieces of paintings and framed reviews about the shop on the wall. With the glass walls installed (instead of conventional cement walls), that would definitely lure attention from passers-by, at the same time proving the hygienic state of their shop. Wise!

Orders didn't take long to arrive; it was already 2.30pm and the lunch crowd has since dispersed.

The star ingredient. Very fiery.

Don't know how many of you stomach these a-spoonful. Just a dab, and I'm already feeling the burn.

Consuming the bowl of dry pan mein, without chilli mixed in.

The pan mein, topped with poached egg, anchovies, minced meat and fried shallots. Unlike most who mixes the chili with the noodle before eating, I prefer to have them separately, dabbing just a little to the noodles only when i feel like it. That way, I can sample the original taste of the noodles.

Sweet potato leaves soup, with remnants of poached eggs. Naturally sweet.

Just add a spoon of soup to the noodles if it's too dry for your liking. Else, can opt for the soup version.

Pork balls - must have!

Herbal tea (Home-made loh hon guo)

Total: RM17.00 (pan mee X 2 + herbal tea X 2 + pork balls)

Revisit: Yes


Restoran Kin Kin
6-G, Jalan Perubatan 4
Off Jalan Pandan Ilmu
Pandan Indah

The Vintry, Medan Damansara

Casual fine-dining

Primarily a wine shop and bar, The Vintry, located at Medan Damansara, is well-hidden behind the more visible row that has accommodated Victoria Station and Sri Ayutthaya (amongst others) for years.


To complement their selection of wines, Vintry also offer an array of "meaty" delights (mainly pork), namely tapas, salads, mains, burgers and sandwiches. Oh, yes, a decent list of desserts for the sweet-tooth too!

Ushered to the upper level when we arrived, we were told to leave by 9pm as all tables were reserved. In fact, at 6.30pm, most already are.

Although a 2-storey shop, seats are limited as half of its floor space is taken up by the wine racks; leaving little ground for tables, and it certainly didn't help by placing bigger couches on both floors. And because the walking isle is so narrow, you might knock into others unintentionally.

The Exclusive First Floor

Today's Special

Dine in a dimly-lit ambiance.

Food for the (Hungry) Souls

Vintry's signature dish, Roast Pork, "made with traditional recipe"
RM7 per 100g

Neither good nor bad. It was nothing out of ordinary; just wasn't as "fine" as what others claimed it to be.

Sauteed Mushroom RM14
Fried with olive oil, lots of finely-chopped garlic and basil leaves.

The halved mushrooms are saturated with garlic bits and basil leaves, but I'm glad that the combination of both ingredients hadn't overpowered the original flavor. Not too bad, this dish.

BBQ Pork Ribs RM 49
Six pieces of ribs, served with green salad, and a side of mash.

Marinated well and good in taste, but I have to say, ribs are definitely not the easiest piece to eat. Only five, six bites from each rack, the effort needed to separate the meat from its rib is a pain. Makes me wanna stop eating after a while. Oh well, perhaps it's just me being lazy ;)

But the yummy mash has kept me desiring for more.

Last but not least...

TO-DIE-FOR Tiramisu RM 12

This, my darling blog followers, IS the BEST reward from the visit. Served chilled, the glass of sweet is a blend of mascarpone cheese with layers of coffee-flavored cake bits drenched in coffee liqueur. I'd go back to Vintry just for this!

Great desserts finds redemption! :)

Total = RM 90.20 inclusive of the customary 10% SCV.

The Vintry Cellar
130, Jalan Kasah,
Medan Damansara,
50490 Kuala Lumpur
(right behind Victoria Station)

Tel : 03-20948262
Reservation recommended.

Value-for-money Set Lunches @ Plus One Shabu Shabu, 1 Utama

[Related post here]

There you go peeps, a great steal from Plus One Shabu Shabu!
Value-for-money set lunches from RM9.90.

Mixed Set? Sliced Fish Set? Chicken Set? Pork Loin Set?
Rib Eye Set? Mutton Set? or the Homemade Ball Set?

Your call. All is priced at RM12.90 each, except the Mixed Set, at only RM9.90.

Each serving (or set) feeds one, and it comes with fish balls, fish slices, yau mak (Romaine lettuce), pumpkin slices, enoki mushroom, prawn, crabstick, chicken meat, fu-chuk (beancurd sheets) and dried noodle.

Mutton slices and homemade balls are dished separately.

And not forgetting, the range of soups to choose from; Papaya Soup, Fish Soup, Chew Chow Soup, Japanese Miso Soup, Tom Yam, or Coriander & Preserved Egg Soup, whichever rock your taste buds.

Chew Chow or Tom Yam Soup? Both equally good as appetite enhancer!

The homemade balls (made up of an assortment of mushroom pork and fish balls) are a must-have.

Noteworthy, every weekday, Plus One have a RM1 promo for their selected side dish. If I'm not mistaken, the promo for mushroom pork balls falls on every Fridays. RM 1 for 4 pieces. Can't get any cheaper!

Sauces corner - plenty of dipping!

Mango or Orange cordial are served on the house.

Total: RM 28.40 (inclusive of 10% SVC). Definitely a steal !

Plus One Shabu Shabu
F337-F338, First Floor
Centre Court
1 Utama Shopping Centre (New Wing)
Tel: 03-7725 3322

Singapore Food Hunt, October 2008

1/ Food Republic, Wisma Atria @ Orchard Road

Clockwise from top left: Singapore Prawn Mee $9 (big), Fried Carrot Cake $4 & Barbecued Chicken Wings $1.30/pc


Out of the three, I like the Barbecued Chicken Wings best, which sells like hot cakes. The chili dip was a perfect complement to everything (including the Oyster Omelette, not in pic, available from the same stall of Fried Carrot Cake) and is a delight to our palate.

The Oyster Omelette is also recommended; where the oysters (plain, unbattered and semi-cooked) are splat in the middle of the omelette - different from the presentation here in KL, where oysters are fried together with eggs and tapioca flour.


2/ Lavender Food Square @ 380 Jln Besar S209000

Stall #01-02 Song Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle

Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle $3

Words had it that this is one of Singapore's specialty; hence my every reason to try.

Also referred to as bak chor mee, the springy noodles are tossed in black sauce and vinegar, and topped with spoonful of minced pork meat, lean meat, liver, sliced mushroom and greens on the side.

The first mouth was greeted by a strong foretaste of vinegar, which sets me aback, because I've never liked vinegar, but the strong-smelling taste subsided a bit after a few mouthful.

Stall #01-04 Long House Miow Sin Popiah & Carrot Cake



M ordered a piece of popiah to try ($1.50) as this stall had receive numerous recommendations from the media. The popiah skins are made as they sell and has a mild salty taste. Wrapped with julienned eggs, turnip, beansprouts, and chopped peanuts. Thumbs up from M.


Stall #01-14 Ah Long Pancake

Die Die Must Try, this is what the signage says.

So we did. This is good stuff. At $1.10 per piece, crunchy on the side yet pleasantly soft in the middle, the prawn fritters were still crispy when we had it for supper. It's quite oily, so if you must, drain them on tissue / paper towels before eating.

Other hot-selling items from this stall includes pancake, which I feel is lacking in quality compared to KL's version.

Stall#01-17 Eminent Frog Porridge

Not bad, but still lacking the WOW-factor.

(Still prying on a chance to try Geylang's porridge).

Claypot Frog Porridge $8

1 (frog) for $8, buy 2 get one free for $17

3/ Cheng Mun Chee Pig Organ Soup @ 24 Foch Rd (off Beatty Lane)

House specialty includes pig organ soup and pig trotter in black vinegar.

They have another stall in Lavender Food Square, which is just a minute walk away from this main outlet on Foch Road. According to other hawkers in LFS though, this main shop serves better food.

Business is so good that they can afford to practice a the self-service approach

$5.40 for the Pork Organ Soup (big portion), $0.50 for a bowl of rice

Good for two. Clear pepper soup (me likeyyy!) with salted vege, pork slices, pork balls and the usual innards - stomach and liver and slices of tofu.

Jia Jia Herbal Drink $ 1.30
Singapore-made natural herbal tea - concoction of ginseng (as if!), loh hon guo and chrysanthemum.

Revisit: Anytime!

Hotel 81, Elegance @ Singapore

Hotels in prime locations in Singapore charges an excruciating amount for a one-night stay, and even the YMCA Hotel, which is supposed to be inexpensive, did not fail to pop an eye.

With little budget to splurge, we had limited choice for accommodation and therefore settled for Hotel 81, Elegance on Foch Road, not too far from the prime shopping spots and City.

Hotel 81, Elegance, housed in a 5-level building, with 120 rooms to offer.

We took the Standard Room (no-window room), which comes with a queen size bed, private bathroom, a dressing table, air-con, TV with selected cable channels, telephone, hair dryer and coffee-making facility.

For the rate that we're paying, I don't think Hotel 81 is quite a "tourist class budget hotel" at all. The room was small, amenities are kept to the most basic, AND wardrobe and breakfast is not provided for. Basically you have little floor space and less space for baggages.

From lobby to rooms, Hotel 81's interior is kept white, which makes them look clean. However, there's a strong "wet" odor from the pathway leading to the rooms AND inside the room itself, and it is questionable where the odor came from when both the pathway and room were not carpeted. Time to check the ventilation system, guys.

Total for a 2-night stay : $ 238 (approx. MYR 569)
chargeable at $109 (Mon to Thurs) and $129 (Fri/Sat/Sun/holidays) nett.

Likes: Food choices are aplenty, eateries all around. The famous Lavender Food Square (open 24 hours) is just right across.
Dislikes: Location, Accessibility, Crowd, Service (Front desk officers during the day shift were quite hostile)

Location is quite a turn-off for me; MRT (Lavender station) is 15-20mins walk away and especially not pleasant when you have to walk with luggages. Buses (aplenty, each terminates at different locations) stops in front of the MRT, but they stop along Lavender Street only. You still need to do a little bit of walking to hotel.

What more, flagging down a cab is a challenge (which is a surprise to me, because I've never had such problem when staying elsewhere in SG). Suggest that you call for one before leaving the room.

Revisit: No

***

Hotel 81, Elegance
30 Foch Road Singapore 209276
Reservation accepted via call (65) 6396 8181 or website at www.hotel81.com.sg

***

p/s: Can anyone suggest other available budget hotels in SG besides Hotel81 / Fragrance Hotel chain? Kindly share. Preferably in the range of $80-$110 nett. I know there are lower rates alternatives in Geylang OR Balestier, but I don't think it's safe for females / female traveling alone.

Even in here (this hotel), you notice that there a number of walk-in guests who don't overnight (if you know what I mean), which makes the hotel (and stay) feels rather sleazy.

Winning Surprise from Makanlah.com!

Two weeks ago, I received an email from makanlah.com, surprising me with a winning notification for their September08 giveaway.

I was beyond words; while re-reading the lines to make sure I didn't read them wrongly.
Mistaken, I am not!

"We would like to congratulate you for winning September 2008 Giveaway - DKNY DELICIOUS LIMITED EDITION FRAGRANCE WORTH RM175 !"

Luck-stricken for the first time, finally... ;)

My virgin win! MY VIRGIN WIN!

And more pleasant that it already is, is the fact that I'm extremely fond of DKNY DELICIOUS, so winning this is a double-delight :D

The long-awaited parcel arrives.

Along with DELICIOUS, enclosed in the parcel are Makanlah.com silk-screen stickers, RM10 cash vouchers from Chili’s and Michelangelo’s and RM30's from Spaghetti Grill.

Weeeetttt, expect new reviews soon.

The dining vouchers

THANK YOU makanlah!
(image reversed-printed on silk-screen stickers)

DELICIOUS SHINE(S) :)

♥ DKNY Be Delicious

Want to win like I did? Here's how. Simply Snap - Eat - Share & Win! makanlah.com give away a special gift every month as a reward for sharing food reviews.

So, best of luck; bfntt hope you'll get YOUR winning surprise soon too :)

Fluffy Kaya Puffs from Sin Eng Heong (Ipoh)

Parents and a few of members from my extended family made their way to Kampar and Ipoh during the hols for a makan day trip. Besides a satiated tummy, they also came back with .....

... this! Kaya puffs from Ipoh.

That was to be my first time trying the frequently-featured bite on media (which I got to know just moments ago).

The kaya filling and the skin (rolled into layers of thin flakes) is pretty awesome; made me snack on one after another.

Still crispy after the few hours return-drive from Ipoh ....

.... and not too sugary. (but can get quite messy when eating) -_-

I wasn't even tempted to try, but Mom "forced" me to take a bite off hers. Tsk, would you believe me if I told you I've never liked kaya puffs before?

So, judging by that fact and that I had two at one go, I must say, this is bfntt-Recommended! :)

Sold at RM0.60per piece

Sin Eng Heong
No 64, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri
(Jalan Clare)
30300 Ipoh
PERAK
Tel: 05-243 9659

the SOCIAL @ Telawi 3 Bangsar

- I quote the website... "One of Bangsar's leading fine dining, pool and music venue, the perfect venue for a complete night out. If you enjoy great food, fantastic music and a superb bar, complimented by the warmest welcome in the area then look no further."

Offering a mix of Western and Oriental cuisines and alcoholic beverages, the SOCIAL (restaurant cum bar) is well-accepted by locals and foreigners alike.

the SOCIAL ..... butterfly

From Starters to Salads to Sandwiches to Pastas to Classic Westerns to Oriental Dishes to Bar Snacks; I'm sure of which at least one WILL catch your fancy.

Inside

Wine connoisseur I am not; I simply have high relish for white wine....

Pinot Gris RM 150 per bottle
White wines over red, anytime!

Food Are Vital To Life (and Living), no?

Aromatic Crispy Duck **chef's special RM29
Served with thin crepes, sweet plum sauce, chili oil, julienned spring onions and cucumber.

I had imagined this to be similar to (if not exactly like) Peking Roast Duck, but it turned out different... not in an unfavorable way though. My take? Perfect choice to snack on with a glass of wine!

The sliced meat are a little brittle, but still acceptable. Best eaten with crepe and plum sauce.

Ultimate Club Sandwich RM18
Chicken salad, bacon, avocado and egg mayonnaise on ciabatta bread

Tried it. Liked it.

Marinara Aglio Olio **chef's special RM24
Squid, prawns and clams in roasted chili and garlic oil

A disappointing order; cos they overfed this with chilies, and made it overly fiery and impossible to finish up. Squid, prawns and clams were also lacking in quantity.

Traditional Fish And Chips **chef's special RM 24
John Dory Fillet in batter, salad with salt and vinegar

Revisit: Yes, great place to chill-out at night. Give it a try yourself, maybe?

Also available, a Pool Room for avid pool players and wi-fi access for customers.

the SOCIAL
No 57-59 Jalan Telawi 3
Bangsar Baru
59100 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur
tel : +603-2822 2260

(Relocated) Feeling Cafe @ Section 2, Wangsa Maju

Read related entry here.

My apologies if this entry which was posted in Sept last year (2007) had misled anyone to their old premise in KLSC @ Section 5 Wangsa Maju. They have since relocated to the newly erected Metro Wangsa at Section 2.

Compared to the old premise, this cafe is bigger, fits more, but it is still as packed, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. And now that it is strategically-located at Section 2, there's more reason for nearby dwellers to come by.

Feeling Cafe on the first floor.

The centre stage. Performance begins at 9pm every night.

The smoking section is at the verandah.
I'd opt to sit outdoor when it's chilly or just to escape the loud crooning inside.

Food for Thought

Iced Jasmine Green Tea RM 4.50. RECOMMENDED on Menu.
But it's just another common drink.

Fried Dumpling (6 pcs) RM 4.50
Filled with minced chicken and diced potato. A good switch from typical fillings.

Wireless access (wi-fi) available free of charge

Overall, if you're expecting above average food, it's probably gonna dissappoint. But with F&B and music under one roof, it's passable to catch crowd's fancy. And when you're lucky, you get a team of accomplished crooners, or occassionally, local singers stopping by to promote their album.

Total Bill = RM 9.90 inc. 10% SVC

Feeling Cafe 音乐空间
No 5&6, 1st Floor, Jalan Metro Wangsa
Section 2, Wangsa Maju
53300 KL
Tel: 03-4142 3086
http://www.feelingcafe.com.my

Restoran Uncle Duck (HK) 得哥火锅餐厅 @ Berjaya Times Square KL

An episode on 8TV's Ho Jiak recommending a string of Steamboat/Shabu Shabu eateries in Klang Valley introduced me to Uncle Duck at BTS.

Despite the introduction on TV, its name has somewhat eluded me till lately (thanks to P's food photos on FB). Few months back, I was scanning the whole directory at BTS, trying to seek the eatery out, but to no avail. That, completely ruined my mood (and day).

So now, thanks to P's "reminder", here goes.


Restoran Uncle Duck (HK) 得哥火锅餐厅 is runned by Chef Marco Ma, or better known as Uncle Duck 得哥 (rightfully, shouldn't it be Brother Duck?) from Hong Kong, who specializes in roasted duck and HK delights.

Chef Marco opened this branch (the first is in Low Yat Plaza) to make room for more dining options; at the same time, allowing an expansion of menu; by introducing the HK steamboat fare.

Those planning to have steamboat ought to sit in, as the fabricated tables (with burner) are all inside.

Specially fabricated tables with individual burner. Shabu-shabu concept.

Interior

House specialty - roasted duck

There are many steamboat sets on Uncle Duck’s menu, from standard Mixed Set, to Seafood to Fish, Chicken, Beef / Mutton to Roasted Duck Set (how special! gotta try this one day!)

As for the soup base, choices include Duck Bone Congee, Tom Yam Soup, Tomato and Fish Soup, Chicken Soup, Coriander and Century Egg, Hong Kong Satay Soup, Korean Ginseng, Super Spicy Soup, and Chinese Ginseng. The last three warrants an additional charge of RM2 to RM10.

I took the New Zealand Mutton Set (RM13.90), with Chicken Soup (RM6).

New Zealand Mutton Set

Served in a bento box, the set comes with the mutton slices, tofu puff, meen gan, fish paste, wanton, prawn, enoki mushroom, soft tofu, black fungus, vege, and small cuts of corn, radish and carrot. Very small serving, as you can see above, but I loveee the soup.

Had a scoop when it was served, I thought it was enhanced with spoonfuls of MSG because it was flavourful. Guess I was wrong; no thirst uncalled-for after the meal.

Milky Chicken broth.

Each scoop of soup is compact with chicken flavour (taste exactly like home-made soups, after hours of boiling with chicken bones) and what I like is the orient taste - very Chinese. Reminds me of home ;)

All steamboat sets are served with two dippings - chilli and peanut & sesame sauce. Concocted with lime juice, the latter is more appetizing and goes better with these ingredients.

Bon apetit!

Yeah, just a gentle reminder!

Total Bill: RM 21.90 incl. 10% SVC

Revisit: Yes, the menu is extensive!

Address
03-107, Third Floor, Berjaya Times Square
No 1 Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2144 8998