Ri-Yakitori @ The Gardens

I realised that I have been super bad. It's not that I have stopped going out to eat or that I'm not eating due to my diet. It's just that I ALWAYS forget to take the pictures nowadays. Even when I do remember, I take FOREVER to upload it. Then, when I have finally uploaded it (like today's post), I have forgotten what I have eaten so once again, you gotta make do with just pictures.

Was in Gardens the other day with a couple of friends and did not know what to have for dinner and decided to try the Ri-Yakitori at the Gardens Hotel because the chef is a friend of this friend who was with us the other day. Since some people have been raving about this place, thought I should give it a try. By the way, as the restaurant's name depicts, it serves mostly just yakitori. Basically, it's just stuff on skewers (sticks rather) and barbequeing it.

Chef at work

Chicken skin

When the waitress first served us this, I was wondering what the hell it was coz it did not looked like anything that we usually have for appertisers in a Japanese Restaurant. Then my friend was explaining to me that it is chicken skin and you are supposed to mix it with the shredded cabbage that they serve to get the optimum taste. Well, I have to say, on its own, it is a bit "gurly" but with the shredded cabbage; it was really yummy!

What this place is really famous for are the different parts of the chickens on skewers. There are like the upper thigh, lower thigh, spleen, heart, intestines, kidney, etc etc. It's like almost every single part of the chicken is on the menu. The yakitori is done perfectly with just the right amount of salt and marinade. We have also decided to try the scallops and the Wagyu beef cubes. As usual, the Wagyu just melts in your mouth when you chew it, PERFECT! Price is between RM6 to RM28 per stick depending on what you order. You can also order some other non-yakitori dishes but I have to say, there are not a lot of choices as their main attraction is afterall, the Yakitori.

Ri-Yakitori
7th Floor, The Gardens Hotel
Kuala Lumpur

Business Hours:
5pm to 1am (last order at 11.30pm)
Closed on Sundays

Tel: 03 - 2268 1188

**Disclaimer: Everyone has different taste buds so dun blame me if you want to try based on MY opinion and it is not good. I would also love it if someone pays me to write this review but sadly no, am writing this because I am procrastinating work. =P

Diet

Have started to MIA again and I think this is going to be for some time since I have been on a diet recently. This diet consists of no (for me would be low rather than no) carbohydrates which means no rice, no noodles, no bread. Wah........talk about super difficult when I first started! I LOVE my rice, my noodles, my bread......basically my carbs! How like that??? Sigh....but I guess I have no choice since I have been putting on weight (a LOT of weight) since I moved back to Malaysia ten years ago. Really gotta suck it up and live with it!

Today is the start of third week since I have been on this no/low carb diet and I am slowly adjusting to it. Hopefully this works so I can look slim (er....maybe not slim but slimmer than now lah) and svelte for my sister's wedding next year!

Restoran Lan Je @ Rawang

Went down to Serendah recently for an overnight trip, would have blog and post some photos about it if I have some photos of the place without my friends in it. The place is quite nice albeit expensive. Anyway, to get to Serendah, we have to pass through Rawang and apparently; Rawang is famous for steamed tilapia (Fei chou yu). One of my friend's dad goes to Rawang really often to eat so we got the directions from him. Somehow, we still got a bit lost until another friend who lives in Rawang had to give a step by step direction on the phone. Have to say this place was packed! There were quite a number of restaurants along the same road and they are all selling the same thing but this was the only place that was filled to the brim!

Packed!

One fish?

Two fish?

Four Fish!

Heh.....have you ever ordered four fish at one go? We definitely have not! When the lady came to take our oder, first thing she asked was, "how many fish do you want?" I seriously do not think that we have been asked this question before, how many fish? Usually we just ordered one fish with many other dishes. But over here, almost everyone has a fish on their own. As we were not sure, we just ordered four with one plate of vegetables and one plate of tofu. Fish was super fresh and tasty! My friends did point out, it does not have the usual muddy taste. But then, most of the tilapia are farmed reared now so definitely will not have the muddy taste.

Fish was actually not very big so you CAN have one on your own, just make sure you don't order anything else. Actually, you should just order the fish and not anything else because only the fish is yummy! Oh ya, and the fish is really cheap at RM13.50 a piece! Talk about PLC (pang leng chang - cheap, nice and good!)!! For those who are interested, they also have a branch in Kota Damansara so you do not have to go all the way to Rawang to try the fish. I have not been to the KD branch so I have no idea if it is as good. Word is, some say yes, some say no so will have to go check it out soon to find out! I heard it is slightly more expensive at KD but environment is much better and defnitely nearer than Rawang!

Restoran Lan je
No:27-28, Block C,
Jalan Rawang, Gerai MPS BT-16,
48000 Rawang,
Selangor

Business Hour:
11.30am - 3.00pm
5.30pm - 10.30pm
Closed on tuesday

Tel: 017-619 1599
012-339 7800
019-277 0037

**Disclaimer: Everyone has different taste buds so dun blame me if you want to try based on MY opinion and it is not good. I would also love it if someone pays me to write this review but sadly no, am writing this because I am procrastinating work. =P

Mizu Japanese Restaurant @ BV1

First, I would like to apologise for the disappearance again. Friend was complaining the other day, "Eh, how come you always just post one and then disappear wan?" Yes yes, I do know my fault. I am terrible at this! A lot of times, I have actually assaulted my food before I realised; "S**t, I forgot to take pictures." Then if not, I forget to take the card of the restaurant and I would have no idea what the restaurant name is, the address and phone number of the place. If I actually did both, I would upload the pictures and just stare at my post or get distracted by the Bejeweled Blitz on FB. =P How lah, like that? For example, the post today; I have uploaded the photos awhile ago but just did not get to writing it. I took so long that I have forgotten what most of the things are so you just have to be contended with looking at the pictures. (^_^)

The Huge range of Wine Selection

The fine dining set

Super fresh sashimi....yum!

Japanese Cucumber with roe and mayo

This Japanese Cucumber with roe and mayo was recommended by the waitress I think. Something rather different but not exactly my cup of tea.

For the life of me, I cannot remember what that plate of crispy thinggi was. Was it squid? Hmmm....all I could remember was, it was super delicious!

Er.....some roll with avocado, not bad though

This, I remember. It is foi gras sushi roll. If you are a fan of foi gras, then you will like this.

I think this one is the pan fried roe on top of the sushi. I did not like this because my taste buds are not used to Japanese fine dining. =P



Overall, the food is quite good and service is excellent but SUPER expensive! But then, this is Japanese fine dining so I supposed I cannot complain much. I should know what I am getting myself into when I said yes to the dinner. Er....I probably will not go back unless someone else is buying. =P

Mizu Japanese Restaurant
F6, First Floor,
Bangsar Village 1,
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03- 2283 6988


**Disclaimer: Everyone has different taste buds so dun blame me if you want to try based on MY opinion and it is not good. I would also love it if someone pays me to write this review but sadly no, am writing this because I am procrastinating work. =P

Prime Steakhouse @ Meridien Hotel

For the longest time, people have been telling me about the steaks in Prime; like how good and succulent it is but also super expensive. It is only worth it if you have the Starwood card and only two of you go because you get 50% off all food and 20% off beverages. Anyway, I had the card for like almost two years and I still did not go. Why? I have no idea either....maybe it was just not the right time? Anyway, my Starwood card is expiring end of October and my dad is not renewing it this time. So, my friend (who is a big fan of Prime) and I decided to pay a visit while I can get the discount.....still (heh.......for those who can get the joke, sorry.....I just couldn't help it! If you don't, watch this and you will! =P)

The beautiful lights in the restaurant

We were quite late in arriving due to our typical, fantastic Malaysian jams. Friend has asked me to call the restaurant and inform them that we will be late and at first I thought it was not necessary because I did not think that the place will be full since it is so bloody expensive. Luckily I did because the place was packed! If you had wanted to have a romantic dinner, it was not going to happen because it was just bustling with people, conversations and laughter; not that I mind. I was just in awed because I did not think the place will be so full. Heh.....our economy is not that bad afterall right?

Freshly baked bread with three kinds of butter

We were served some bread with their homemade butter and the bread was delicious!!! It was so soft and especially with the butter, it was fantastic! Er.....I don't really know what the butter is made with. One is the normal plain butter (still my favourite, I would have to say), one is with sun dried tomatoes and some herb and I really cannot remember what the other one is with. Anyway, we finished the bread (you can ask for more at no extra cost but we didn't even though we REALLY want to) and I think that was kinda big mistake. It is a mistake because by the time I have my steak, I could not fully enjoy it as I was supposed to. =( Oh ya, we ordered the Caesar Salad too as it was supposed to be quite good there too. Sorry, as usual, I forgot to take the photo. =P



There were so many choices of steak here! All the different cuts, Wagyu, Kobe, different days of aged, Australian, New Zealand, Argentina.......see until I also confused; I am so not a fine dining person. In the end, I just let my friend decide because I did not know the difference. He ordered the Wagyu sirloin steak for me and him the Prime cut. The wagyu was so good! It just melts in your mouth and nothing beats a good steak! But then, like I said, I had too much bread before so I could not enjoy my steak fully. My friend had to finish my steak in the end because it was just too good and expensive to go to waste! =P

The next day, someone from the restaurant actually called me up to take a survey on the food and service.....wah......talk about five star service. Me like country pumpkin like that, never been to five star restaurants so have to say, am very impressed. Service was excellent!. The waiters were very polite and attentive and food was fantastic; no wonder the place was packed.

Prime Steakhouse
Le Meridien Hotel
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 - 2263 7555


**Disclaimer: Everyone has different taste buds so dun blame me if you want to try based on MY opinion and it is not good. I would also love it if someone pays me to write this review but sadly no, am writing this because I am procrastinating work. =P

The Atruim, Pan Pacific Singapore

Singapore was having some good deals when I was there, I mean.....mainly for restaurants. My sis was telling me that they have a lot of one for one deals around town and we decided to go for high tea at Pan Pacific Hotel. I have to say it was pretty good! Free flow of coffe and tea, nice environment and great bakes and sandwiches!

Our own Cabana

Inside the Cabana

The menu for our high tea

Sugar for our coffee and tea

Our aromatic coffee and the spreads for the scones

Plain and raisin scones

Our tray of delights!

All these are only for two people and there were four of us plus two kids and we were stuffed! Quite a good deal I'll say!


The Atruim Pan Pacific Hotel
7, Raffles Boulevard,
Marina Square,
Singapore 039595

Tel: +65- 6826 8240


**Disclaimer: Everyone has different taste buds so dun blame me if you want to try based on MY opinion and it is not good. I would also love it if someone pays me to write this review but sadly no, am writing this because I am procrastinating work. =P

Bakerzin, Singapore

When Bakerzin was opened in KL, it was one of my favourite place to go for desserts. It is true that the prices are a little on the steep side but the quality of the food was really worth it! Sigh........but due to whatever reason (there were a number of reasons or rather rumors going around), they closed down ALL the branches!!! =( I was so disappointed but what can I do right? Even my sister in Singapore was disappointed because she thinks the ones in KL are better than the ones in Singapore(Bakerzin is originally from Singapore)! Well......I have never tried the ones in Singapore so I cannot judge until I have try. So, when I went down in August, my sister took me there for desserts. It was actually a good time to go in August because Singapore was celebrating National's Day and it was 50% off for all desserts in Bakerzin!

The Glossy magazine-like menu

Profiteroles with vanilla ice cream

Waffles with strawberry sauce and ice cream

Apple tart with vanilla ice cream

Bailey's Souffle

After trying all the above desserts, I do have to agree with my sister. The ones in KL are much, MUCH better than the ones in Singapore, especially the apple tart! Alas........it is closed here in KL so does not make difference even though it was better here.

Bakerzin #01-15/16/17, UE Shopping Mall Singapore www.bakerzin.com Tel: +65 - 6738 6992

**Disclaimer: Everyone has different taste buds so dun blame me if you want to try based on MY opinion and it is not good. I would also love it if someone pays me to write this review but sadly no, am writing this because I am procrastinating work. =P

Dien Xian Er, Singapore

I have to apologise for the loooooooonnnnnnggggggg disappearance. I have actually uploaded these pictures a long time ago but was just too lazy to blog about it. Then, when I was finally ready to do it, I dropped my brand new phone into a bucket of water and that had killed ALL mood to do anything and blogging was defnitely the LAST thing on my mind. Sigh.......have been having a run of bad luck (also due to my own stupidity and clumsiness) lately so I just have no mood for a lot of things.

Anyway, am back again and hopefully I will be more consistent this time round! I took a trip down to Singapore last month for a few days to spend quality time with my sister and nephews. I have also managed to catch up with a few of my old school mates from high school so it was quite a good trip overall.

Oh, again I have to apologise. I have no descriptions for the pictures here because all the details were in my "swimming" phone. I can only tell you that if you ever were in Singapore, this is a good place to eat. They have quite a number of branches around Singapore, not just in Vivo City. You can always check out their website here to see where to go.

Dian Xiao Er
#02-137/8, Vivo City
Singapore
www.dianxiaoer.com.sg

Tel: +65- 6376 9786

**Disclaimer: Everyone has different taste buds so dun blame me if you want to try based on MY opinion and it is not good. I would also love it if someone pays me to write this review but sadly no, am writing this because I am procrastinating work. =P

Cooking a meal

I was watching Jamie Oliver one day at home and thought his recipe for the roast chicken was rather easy. I have been dying to try out his recipe ever since but never really got the chance to. Then one day, was talking to my friend about going to her house for a swim. Talk talk talk and somehow the topic of dinner came up. That was when I had the bright idea of cooking at her place. Since I have not cooked for so long, was not very sure if I wanna ask other friends to come for dinner. But on the other hand, we needed them to come help finish the food. So, called them in the end. Some friends could not make it coz it was so last minute but we still ended up to have five of us and have to "ta pau" (takeaway) for a friend's boyfriend so that's six. Originally, I have only wanted to make one roast chicken and maybe dessert but with six people, there might not be enough.

Tomato Soup

So, I decided to make soup too. Tomato to be exact, thought it will be healthier since I have got no salad. This recipe calls the soup to be puree but I've got no blender so they just have to make do with minestrone-like soup. Heh....actually, the recipe only needs this to be cooked about 20 to 30 minutes but the chinese in me was taking over. I mean, how can soup be nice by just 20 to 30 minutes of cooking? I ended up boiling the soup for about two hours, quite nice though....considering I did not end any salt. Is this call "blowing my own horn"? =P

Roast Chicken with sweet potatoes and potatoes

Next was the roast chicken. The recipe doesn't call for any marination but as I was preparing it, the chinese in me kicked in again. Meat don't marinate where got nice? Sigh.....but it was too late already as it was time to cook the chicken. Turned out the chicken was okay but not as tasty as I thought it would be (because no marinades!). The potatoes and sweet potatoes were really yummy though, I just couldn't get enough of it! Heh heh heh.......blowing my own horn again, so thick skinned!

I have made the instant chocolate mousse from Nigella Lawson's recipe. This is super easy but I have used pure double cream instead of the usual thicken cream so it turned out really thick.....was so bloated after that. I have actually posted the picture too but due to some technical problem, it got deleted and I think it's too damn difficult to try to put it back up again so whatever.