The Mysterious Avengers @ De' Champion Duck, Bandar Menjalara

(NON-HALAL)

Long before "The Avengers" came to town, there was another superhero team; helping to save the world from cholesterol by eating up as much fatty food as possible.  We called ourselves "The Mysterious Avengers" (TMA)... We have since gone under the radar as the authorities were on to us and tried to curb our activities. I now blog on one of TMA's cholesterol conquest with fondness ... Yes, TMA were last seen at De' Champion Duck in Bandar Menjalara ... and this is our story.

Claypot "Shuin Choy" - it was spicy enough but was not as sour as I would like it to be.  I enjoyed the bits and pieces of meat; especially roast duck skin together with the pickled vegetables.

The Drunken Roast Duck was great - the meat was tender and juicy and the herbal gravy with a tad of Chinese wine added lovely flavours to it.  It's a different kind of roast duck...this is good but my fave is still the two stalls in Klang, HERE and a similar herbal style roast duck HERE. Of course, De' Champion Duck is a much nearer alternative :o)

Feasting With Friends @ The Han Room, The Gardens Mid Valley

(Non-Halal)

JK, an old childhood friend of mine since primary school days has always enjoyed good food and we have enjoyed sharing many food experiences through the years we have known each other.  We would be the ones walking over to Sakura in Jalan Imbi (back in the late 70s and early 80s) and ordering the Nasi Lemak for take away where the two of us would be tucking away in our school canteen.  I remember, back then the famous Nasi Lemak (now being served in Madam Kwan's - Sakura's still around but their nasi lemak has never been the same since Madam started dishing out on her own, haha...) was just about RM4.50 or so, it was a luxury at that time and one that we would indulge in ever so often.  Yes, those were the days where we would sign autograph books with each school year ending. Remember, those silly things we use to write ? Silly, but since we were so young, we probably thought they were quite poignant! LOL ...

"Drink hot coffee, drink hot tea
Burn your lips and remember me"

"Me no study, me no care
Me go marry a millionaire
If he dies, me no cry
Me go marry another guy"

Our friendship has withstood the test of time; the ups and downs but here we are, still enjoying ourselves when it comes to food.  Nothing much has changed with JK and her love for good food. 30 odd years down the line, we are still sharing that love for good food. This post of the wonderful feast we had at The Han Room is dedicated to you JK, my old friend ...

Thank you!

The lovely three layer siew yoke (Roast Pork)

The addictive Paku Vegetable in Spicy Sauce

Three Treasures :-

Kelantan Delights @ Wisma Consplant, Subang Jaya

I always remember my trip to Kota Bahru back in 2007 with a dear old friend of mine with great fondness.  I miss the wonderful East Coast hospitality from the folks there and of course - the food!  You can check out my older Kota Bahru posts HERE.  Ever since then, I've been on the search for great tasting food from the East Coast right here in the Klang Valley; while it's good, they just can't measure up to the real experience of dining in East Coast itself.  So, when I got an invite from Pure Glutton for dinner at Kelantan Delights, I just had to go.

While of course, eating in Kota Bahru has been more of street/hawker fare, dining at Kelantan Delights was a different experience altogether.  I could see how the fine dining concept would work well for this restaurant; there is only a handful of such fine dining Malay restaurants in Klang Valley.

Great Food @ California Pizza Kitchen, Fahrenheit88

It was a surprise to me and many others when California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) relocated to Fahrenheit 88.  The last time I went to CPK for my Red Velvet fix, it was still in Suria KLCC.  Ever since then I never got around to visiting the new location till I was invited to the launch of California Pizza Kitchen's latest menu additions in mid October recently.  They still dish out some innovative items now and then (how I fell in love with their introduction of Pesto Chicken Pizza and Cheeseburger Pizza back then in September 2010).  While the price range of CPK's items are on the higher scale; CPK delivers more with the generous, fresh and high grade ingredients they put into their servings. Do note that a few of CPK's items contain alcohol; it's denoted in their menu with an "*" next to the item name (I've also done the same here) and you can always check with the staff too.

There're two items which I didn't manage to take a photo of and that's the Wild Mushroom Soup (Bowl RM15, Cup RM11 - puree of Portobello, Shiitake and white mushrooms with a touch of cream and garnished with homemade garlic-herb croutons).  It's a heavenly treat for mushroom fans -  but some might not take to it as much as I did as they may find the mushrooms too overwhelming.  I guess if you like it mild you shouldn't order Wild Mushroom Soup, yes???

Then there's the Spicy Chicken Tinga Quesadilla (RM18 - Crispy hearth-baked flour tortilla with grilled lime chicken, Monterrey Jack and Cheddar Cheeses, chipotle sauce, caramelized sweet onions, roasted red and yellow peppers, black beans and fresh cilantro and served with CPK's homemade ranchito sauce).  Eat it while it's warm....yes, the gooey cheeses hangs on to the tortilla, hahaha... a bite of it actually made it look like it was performing a trapeze act minus the performer of course.  It still gave a lovely performance! Loved it!

This time round, there are another 12 new items! Feast your eyes on 10 of them....

White Corn Guacamole & Roasted Tomato Salsa with Chips (RM25 - Fresh avocado, sweet white corn, black beans, jicama, green onions, red bell pepper, cilantro, serrano peppers and a homemade roasted tomato salsa served with white corn tortilla chips).  I was torn between the two dips which tasted great and had their own merits.  The creamy crunch of the White Corn Guacamole and the tangy zing of the Roasted Tomato Salsa - both exceptionally tasty!

Roasted Vegetable Salad (Full RM30, Half RM27 - Roasted artichoke hearts, asparagus, eggplant, red and yellow peppers, tossed in homemade Dijon balsamic vinaigrette.  Topped with fresh avocado.  Add grilled shrimp for RM14 and/or sauteed salmon for RM16)

Lim Kee Tang Hun off Jalan Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur

My first visit to Lim Kee (yes, just Lim Kee sans Tang Hun) was a few years back with Jason. Soon, after a few more visits to this place, the shack was torn down and I wondered where it had gone! Two years later while chatting with a new found friend of mine, I was elated to find out the new location of Lim Kee.  I was told it's now located in a proper corner shoplot and wondered whether food still tasted as good as before.

I was indeed excited at the thought of finally revisiting my long lost Lim Kee, now known to me as Lim Kee Tang Hun.  So, has any of my old fave dishes stood the test of time (and relocation)?

The Fried Abacus Seeds still tasted good to me.  The abacus seeds seem a bit softer as compared to back then.  I just love biting into the bits of dried prawns and coriander!

Reminder : Oldie Golden Goodie Woo Lan, Brickfields

(NON-HALAL)

The family use to patronise Woo Lan quite frequently till it shifted from it's zinc roof shack (I remember, they use to have the water sprinklers on to cool the roof in the daytime!) to a proper shoplot.  I wonder why we stopped going? Lost its charm due to the move? Not sure why actually.  But finally, we did get round to having dinner in Woo Lan; dining on some old favourites.  Some things never change...yes, it may be an oldie but it's still a golden goodie!  Yup, the family needs to be reminded about this place now and then ;o), we all need a such a reminder (such as this post).  It's easy to forget with all the new restaurants that keeps appearing as time goes by (while some fade away in our memories as their doors close for business due to such changes or economic reasons).  Are there any restaurants that you have loved in the past and miss; now that it's no longer here?

So, let's us remember ...

Woo Lan looking foreign to us ... but the food remains the same

Salad Prawn

*nom

1) The act of eating

2) An act of affection

3) A sound to express satisfaction through eating

So, yes...all of the above; eating the dishes affectionately (but not loudly! HAhaha....).

Purple Cane Tea Restaurant @ KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Kuala Lumpur

I found this post from my long lost archive, all drafted...and now, here it is 4 years later!  I have also lost the original photos :o(.  Well, I've always enjoyed the food from Purple Cane Tea Restaurant and somehow enjoy dining at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall outlet (is that the HQ?) more than Midvalley.  Maybe it's about having these Chinese dishes in such a place that adds "character" to it? Hahaha...anyway, it's about time I post this. Enjoy!

***************

Crouching Audience & Hidden Tea Leaves!

Fighting the downtown traffic and finally arriving at this restaurant located in Jalan Maharajalela, calmness swept over me when I stepped into Purple Cane Tea Restaurant. I had no idea why but I guess it might be due to the fact that I was greeted warmly by one of the staff with a very sweet smile who proceeded to usher me towards the table where my friends were already seated.

The retail counter

Looking ahead, I could see that the restaurant was almost at full capacity and just before the seating area, there was a retail counter selling all sorts of tea leaves, tea pots & cups and other accessories. Instead of taking my seat, I delayed myself along the way (much to the amusement of the staff who was there and probably annoyance to my friends as they waited!), I whipped out my camera and started taking photos. What truly caught my attention though was this particular staff who was seated close to the ground and she was brewing tea for customers to sample – with all the pots and cups displayed on a big rustic wood log table just at the side. I joined some of the others who surrounded the table and crouched down to have a better look and was mesmerized by the whole process. The staff began to explain about the different type of tea leaves and even how important it is to follow a certain process, from having the right ambiance, the proper way of brewing tea right down to type of water used for getting a perfect brew.

Watching the tea brewing process

When I finally joined my friends at the table, I noticed that there were different teapots. There were two of each, one for storing the hot water and the other with the tea leaves which we poured the hot water into. The small metal container that you see in the photo belongs to my friend who had brought along his own tea leaves in it.

J Tean Kitchen Fusion Bak Kut Teh @ SStwo Mall, Petaling Jaya

(NON-HALAL) - Warning : Lots of delicious photos ahead

It's been a while since I got around to accepting a food review invitation since I've been busy running around and when J Tean Kitchen extended one, I did - mainly because it's a stone's throw (well, make it 10 or so but who's counting? hahaha..) away from my home.  Not only did the group of us had the opportunity to taste some delicious food but it was also that day that I was introduced to James Tean, the owner of J Tean Kitchen.  I was glad as I finally met the man behind the wonderful Tean's Gourmet Malaysian Traditional Curry Laksa paste.  I normally buy packets & packets of them for Mrs Pitt and friends who are residing overseas.  It's always a hit with the food crowd.  Well, Tean's other paste are all pretty good too as Mrs Pitt has tried several of the varieties and told me they are all GOOD! Malaysians overseas must have these in their pantry!

Anyway, back to meeting Master Tean himself (as he's popularly known by that name), we sat down with him and had lunch together.  As we took photographs of the dishes, he brought us through the story of how J Tean Kitchen came about. It has much to do with the support and encouragement of his friends who mooted the idea of him doing a restaurant business using his over 30 years of expertise in the food manufacturing industry with his line of Tean's Gourmet products (e.g. like his famous Bak Kut Teh herbs & spices pack for instance).   Hence, J Tean Kitchen was born ... and now begins our feast with some East meets West fusion dishes.

Ahhh...lovely.  Braised Pork Bun - Tender braised pork slices sandwiched between a nice soft and fluffy steamed mantou (Chinese bun/bread). Well marinated and goes well with the mantou and julienned vegetable. One of my regular orders during my repeat visits here...

RM7.90 for three of these fluffy yummy babies!

Midsummer Nights Feast 2011 - Master Chefs Of The Five Elements, Starhill Gallery

Yes, it's that time of the year again! Starhill Gallery's annual Midsummer Nights Feast in Feast Village will be on from 1-8 July 2011, presenting the Master Chefs of the Five Elements, namely Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space.

EARTH -“Tribute to Mother Earth” by 3-Star Michelin Chef Benoit Vidal from France

Viva La Vida @ Vivo, Tropicana City Mall Petaling Jaya

Ah...time flies. Mrs Pitt has come and gone and now I'm easing back into my old routine. It was great to have Mrs Pitt around and I only wished she could have stayed longer but all good things must come to an end. It was a crazy two weeks that we had, crazy but nice as it meant two weeks of family time. Mrs Pitt came back smack in the middle of our infamous Malaysian "heatwave"-we were "melting" in the sweltering heat. Hahaha....well, Mrs Pitt survived and she's now on her way back to San Francisco for a cooler reprieve while the rest of us are trying to cope with the heat.

I just realised that I never got round to taking Mrs Pitt to try out one of my favourite "cool" desserts.... Located nearby at Tropicana City Mall (errr....on a side note, was shock to read about the topless Vietnamese woman who had fallen to her death from the condo and onto the mall car park driveway area, not sure which condo it was, mine or next building!...err...sorry I digress!).

Okay, back to the good things in life...where was I??? Oh yes, my fave dessert in Tropicana City Mall. Presenting.....

The blueberry pizza on its own is ok but eat it with ice cream and it becomes lip smacking good! You can choose the ice cream flavours but I like it best with vanilla ice cream (I usually add an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream). Try it!

Meanwhile, here are some of the other fave orders whenever I'm at Vivo, Tropicana City Mall. I somehow find that the food here tastes better than the one in Curve....all the better for me, as it's nearer. Try this outlet at Tropicana City Mall and see if you agree with me :o).

And love it I did ... Fresh shiitake mushrooms slow fried with butter and garlic, finished with home-style creamy tomato sauce. Yes, it's rich. Yes, it's flavourful - nothing like tucking into a pasta meal like this when I love mushrooms, butter and garlic (precisely)!

An Annual Do? Oriental Pavilion, Jaya 33 Petaling Jaya

(NON-HALAL)

Must Order(s) @ Sim Hap Ke, Taman Connaught, Cheras

(NON-HALAL)

NO LONGER IN OPERATION

Yes, the title says it all. Since my first visit here with Precious Pea back in 2009, I've been coming back to Sim Hap Ke now and then as I absolutely love their dishes. If it was not for the fact that it's in Cheras, I would surely dine at Sim Hap Ke even more often. I've also passed the love on to Jason and other non-bloggers like Ash and Kev (who would drive over and pack a dish or two just for his own consumption, definitely no sharing from him! hahaha...) and they too are in love with Sim Hap Ke dishes.

So, what else is there to say but to just let you know what are those dishes that I love...and that if you are ever there (for the first time) and don't know what to order...here are some dishes that you might want to try. Well, these are my "must order(s)" whenever I'm there - I don't eat all these in one visit of course!
Caution : with such delicious dishes (especially those with gravy), one is bound to order an extra bowl (or two) of rice!

Now, this is tricky...Sim Hap Ke dishes up their Deep Fried Squid great...tricky 'cos you gotta choose between the Salt & Pepper

OR

The Salted Egg Yolk style ...obviously the Salted Egg Yolk has a "heavier" batter as compared to the "cleaner" Salt & Pepper but seriously, both are great.

Snacking @ Fat Spoon, Damansara Utama, Petaling jaya

Much has been said about Fat Spoon. I must say that the photos of the facade and the interior of Fat Spoon from other blogs attracted me rather than the food. I had read that there were hits and misses and we decided to just opt for snacks instead since we were already eating way past lunch time after a meeting at our HQ. True enough we were delighted by the way they have done up the place when we arrived at Fat Spoon. So much so, there are actually more photos of the place than the food we ate :o)

Fat Spoon's charming door, with a wooden fat spoon as a door handle - it looks like the place has been around for decades - well, apart from the way I edited the photo :o)

Inside looking out ...

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, Las Vegas

During my two month stay in San Francisco, I actually had two mini vacations in between - one to Vegas and the other to Canada (Toronto, Ottawa, Ontario, Montreal & Quebec).  I've finally completed blogging on San Francisco ... I will now move on to Las Vegas, Nevada :o).  It was a short and enjoyable 3 day/2 night stay at MGM Grand.  When we arrive during late lunch hour - we headed off to look for food and ended up in Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill.

With warm, inviting lights and situated out in an open area, the setting was cozy and it had a garden feel with lit panels of roses as the backdrop.  Coupled with excellent service, this was great place that we started off with.

Crabbing @ R & G Lounge, San Francisco

This is one place I keep going back to, each and everytime I visit San Francisco .... without fail! What keeps me coming back here?

R & G Signature Dish - Salt & Pepper Crab

With that said....that's it! Just come here for the Salt & Pepper Crab 'cos R & G dishes up such a wicked style of it and you probably won't be able to find that "yum" anywhere else. It's so good that it deserves your whole hearted attention!

Battered and deep fried - I have never tasted such a delicious crustacean before. The mix of Salt & Pepper seasoning makes me want to devour it entirely (yes, shell and all!) if I could. This dish definitely delivers a 10 finger licking and lip smacking goodness (I can go on and on...hahaha). I actually sit here for a couple of hours as I slowly enjoy every single moment of it .... from cracking the shells, digging into the fresh plump flesh and licking the shells clean till it's almost devoid of the fried batter.

How plump? Check out the size of the shell! Take note that as with most crab dishes, there is no fix price on the menu as it follows market price. One crab is between USD30-40. It's oh...so worth it!

R & G Lounge
631 Kearny Street
(between Clay St & Commercial St)
San Francisco, CA 94108

Daily 11.30 am - 9.30pm
Tel : (415) 982 7877

Funky Villa @ eCurve

Having caught up with some floggers whom I've not seen in awhile during the Jaya One food crawl, I took up an invitation to join in for another floggers gathering and food review at Funky Villa, eCurve.  This time round....just one stop (not 6!), hahaha...Unfortunately, I made a boo boo and somehow didn't copy some of the pics that I took at Funky Villa.  The shots that I took of the restaurant are missing and I have no idea where they are.  I can only "say" that Funky Villa is filled with funky colours and just as the name suggests, offers a fun place for friends to gather at this bistro cum pub to fill their stomachs or just to chill.  Fortunately, the pics of the food were found safe and sound in the folder. Phew! So, with a sigh of relief...let's dive straight into the food and we're talking about LOTS of food! :o)

Pomelo Salad with Chicken, Shrimp & Cashew Nuts (RM15).  Apparently pomelo from Thailand is used for this dish as it's sweeter compared to the local ones.  Tangy and sourish, I rather enjoyed this salad.

Cat Fish Mango Salad (RM22). Having eaten similar Cat Fish Salad in Thailand itself, I've always wondered why the cat fish salad comes so fine and crispy.  Not that I'm complaining, it makes it a fish dish that I would eat but on the other hand I can't tell it's catfish.

Hard-boiled Eggs Wrapped in Fish Cake (RM13).  This was such a cute looking dish (it's a specialty of Funky Villa) and another fish dish I would eat.  Fish cake that's fried and wrapped over the hard boiled egg with my favourite garnishing makes this a winner.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry @ Jaya One - Part Two (Final)

(Continuation)
Location of gathering : Jaya One, No. 72-A, Jalan Universiti, 46200 Petaling Jaya

So, off we went for our main meal at our 4th stop

Kinnaree Thai Restaurant
12-1, Palm Square
Tel: 03-7957 3910
Email: kinnaree.jayaone@thaiinspired.com
Web: http://www.thaiinspired.com
Business Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12pm -3.30pm & 6.00pm -10.30pm
Sun: (Dinner only) 6pm -10.30pm
Signature Dishes : Pomelo Yam Som O, Deep friend Boneless Fish with Tamarind Sauce - Pla Sam Rod, Tom Yum Prawn - Tom Yum Gong

Lovely deco adorns the wall of Kinnaree and sets the mood well for a cosy and relaxed dining experience.  I like the way they had set the table and made us looked forward to tasting the Thai food here.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry @ Jaya One - Part One

Having Jaya One near to where I reside, I must say that I have only managed to patronize a handful of the establishments there. When I received an invite to cover 6 in one night, I decided to check them out. Furthermore, this meant a gathering with other floggers and when floggers get together, we always have a great time!

Location of gathering : Jaya One, No. 72-A, Jalan Universiti, 46200 Petaling Jaya



1st stop
Brisik Restaurant
10-1 Palm Square
11.00am – 10.30pm daily
Tel : 03-7958 6681
Email: brisikdagang@gmail.com
Web: http://www.brisik.com.my
(Note : No corkage charge)
Signature dishes : Satay Serai, Tahu Telur, Ayam Penyet, Sundanese Flying Fish

The colourful and cosy restaurant, serving Sundanese & Siamese cuisine

Wau Penyu @ Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur

(HALAL)

It's quite a task finding a place to eat each time my work team gathers for a lunch meeting.  After our usual two hour formal meeting in the office, where we head to for our lunch discussion is always the highlight of the day! Hahaha....When restaurants started operating in Solaris Dutamas, we were glad that we now have a wider selection of venues apart from the ones in Solaris Mont Kiara itself.

I had read about Wau Penyu from Cumi & Ciki's blog and the nasi tumpang there (one of my faves since I first tried it during my memorable trip to Kota Bahru back in 2007 - read about it HERE and HERE) and told the team about it and we decided to try out the food.  The team loved the setup of Wau Penyu, a restaurant (or as they label themselves "a funky kopitiam") that serves delights from the East Coast of Malaysia.  We found the place conducive for a casual meeting over food.  It delivers a rather perfect ambiance and has a lovely red corner (with all sorts of framed keris adorning the wall!) where we would "nestle" together as we went through our weekly agenda..

The Fine Art Of Flavours, Midsummer Nights Feast 2010 @ Starhill Gallery

I was invited to Starhill Gallery on behalf of FoodStreet once again for the press conference on Midsummer Nights Feast which will be held from 2 July till 9 July 2010. As stated in their press release, Starhill Gallery Midsummer Nights Feast is inspired by Group Managing Director of YTL Corporation, Tan Sri Dr Francis Yeoh CBE. It is an annual “Starhill Gallery experience” that brings together the art of good food and wine, paired with music and entertainment to create convivial, festive experience that celebrates life by engaging all the senses and the intellect. In its third year, Starhill Gallery Midsummer Nights Feast continues to excite the culinary scene with world class dining experiences under the leadership of YTL Corporate Executive Chef Kevin Cape together with Chef Johann Ong of Shook! Kuala Lumpur and Chef Jacqueline Qiugiong of Shook! Shanghai. A host of international celebrity chefs like Celebrity Chef John Burton-Race, Stephen Mercer (winner of the Australian Golden Chef's Hat Award) and Master Chef Massimo Martina will be flown in specially to Kuala Lumpur to showcase their signature dishes for the celebration of “The Fine Art of Flavours”.

There will also be fashion shows while you savour the finest in haute cuisines on the runways of Shook! and live performances by Najwa Mahiaddin and Syafinaz Selamat, delivering catchy rhythms to add on to the dining experience. During the 8 day Midsummers Nights Feast, specially created menus using seasonal ingredients are specially created for all-day dining from Breakfast, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner and Supper! Now, this is what I truly call a FEAST! This time round, the media folks were taken on a walkabout around Feast Village to sample the different fare at the many restaurants that will be participating in this year's event. There were just too many samplers to try out, here's some for you all to feast your eyes on!  Click on "Read More" to see the many pics!



Shook! - Seared Sea Prawn with Bisque – Risotto, Soft Shell Crab Tempura with Curry Sea Salt. During this festival, Shook! will be having a special 3 course Set Lunch Menu at RM68++ per person.