BaoBei - Sakae Sushi Event

Organizer : Bao Bei Reading Wonderland

Location : Sakae Sushi, One Utama

Date & Time : 16th November 2013, 9:30am - 12 noon

Our morning did not start well, but let's not mention something that is not worth remembering here. 

Luckily we cheerful 3Cs managed to bring back our mood to participate the Sushi Making Project.

Happy faces ready to "make sushi"

This set was "made" by Little C, and MaMa was the "Assistant" 

That's why it looked better than Big C's.  Hahaha...

This set was made by Big C with a helper. At least, Big C used her own hands to put things up on her own! *Bravo!* Look so pretty!

There was a Sakae Frog Mascot! My girls were playing the usual MOUSIES attitude, refused to even go near the mascot! While others were fighting to snap a photo with the FROG, Cs were actually very happy with the BaoBei banner at the other corner. Hahahaha ... 

Not so much of sushi making, we were there just for the participation.

RM30.00 for children, RM50.00 for adult is definitely not so worth it.

The sushi making was not really interesting, and the food served were not fresh. I am so sorry to complain here. Sakae Sushi just not my type of sushi.

It was stated 9:30am - 12noon in the circular. But, the event did not start until 10:30am, and everything was over before 11:30am. None of us ate much as it was all cold and hard, no sushi was served, it was a bento set with fried chicken which were hard and cold, the fish cakes were cold too and tasted funny. The rice were also cold and overly SWEET! :( Big Disappointment! 

Luckily, again, we three cheerful Cs went home happily, considering it a 

family ACTIVITY!

Cs' Hot pick for a bowl of handmade noodles.

Cs' favourite eating joint! I don't think I need to elaborate! :)

Bonjour Garden - Bakery Cafe

I had a lunch together with my colleagues to celebrate birthdays of two teammates, hahaha..., sorry...super belated AUGUST Baby & OCTOBER Baby! Can't help, we were short of hands & legs for August till recently! So, everyone is back at full force, and now we get to have lunch together!

I never like to bring my teammates to the same place for food, so I have to always crack my head and google google to find a nearby eating place so that we don't take up too much time for traveling, and savour our moment together at meantime. 

So, I just found out that Bonjour Garden @ Kota Damansara is not just a Bakery but also a Cafe, which means they SERVE food too! So, I thought why not give it a try otherwise we might just end up the newly opened Burger King in Kota Damansara! Hahaha.... 

It is just 5 minutes drive away from our office which is perfect. We were kind of lucky to get a parking the moment we got there. The bad thing about Sunway Damansara is the heavy traffic flow; it is always very congested especially during lunch times and dinner times. So, it's indeed OUR lucky day! 

Bonjour Garden is a open-air concept cafe. Love their simple and cozy set up! I just love the open-air concept, and it was not HOT as the place was well-shaded and also there was a huge fan installed which gently cool up the whole place. Cozy place to have a meal. Somehow, the place doesn't seem so popular as I didn't see much crowd in the cafe. We were one of the FEW. However, I heard from my colleagues that they are very popular at the their bakery.

Bonjour Garden is serving illy coffee, for an amateur coffee drinker like me, it serves considerably good coffee here. I had cold shrimp sandwich which was a chef recommended dish, unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend anyone to try it. I didn't like the excessive mayo and the countable shrimps ON TOP of the bun. Aglio-Olio was alright, nothing to shout about. Fish & Chips should be normal too even though I didn't try it, but it was served in a rather big portion. Chicken chops were also ok, and the lamb chops were actually quite good at its price. 

The total bill came up to RM280 for 8 of us, approx. RM 35 per pax for a western meal with drink, I would say is quite reasonable. Not cheap but acceptable. Honestly, food was OK, nothing to wow! but acceptable. I don't mind to come back here again for a cup of coffee and sandwich. Why not? :)

How can we celebrate birthdays without presents! Guess what!!?? I received a belated birthday present too! So sweet so sweet! 

This group of beautiful and capable ladies are not just my hands and legs, they are also my sweetheart! So sweet!!!!!!!!!!!! Having the present is one sweet thing, the sweetest thing is their thoughtful gift, they downloaded some photos of my girls and made me a personalized framed puzzle with HELLO KITTY on it. 

Love you girls (both my Cs & my beloved teammates at TMP) sooooo much!! Muaks! Hugsss!

MIGF Menu - Minori Japanese Cuisine

25th October 2013, 7:30pm

It was not an intentionally planned meal, but it turned out wonderful for me and my mom, and Cs too.

The Malaysian International Gourmet Festival @ Minori, Royal Bintang

The Full Course Menu - RM 288 ++ per serving

My mom and I ordered a set to share.

The course started with UMESHU COCKTAIL, a very good quality umeshu with a tad of sweetness. Very Very Nice! NOT ENOUGH to drink!

2nd Dish was the Cold Chawanmushi with Abalones, Sea Urchin & Fresh Wasabi

This is definitely a very delicate Chawanmushi I ever tasted.

The smoothness of the egg pudding and the freshness of sea urchins were indeed impressive. Abalone Slices were chewy but breaking easily with a sweetness of its juice. Sea Urchins were never something that I would order, but this top quality seafood that Minori served that day had introduced me the exquisite taste of Sea Urchin; melt in the mouth with firm texture.

Appetizer : Tomato, Lotus slice & Sweet Bean in Yuzu Dressing.

Clean & Clear. Simple & Nice!

Sashimi Starter

Chutoro, Amberjack, Flat Fish, Salmon & Sweet Shrimp.

Don't ask me HOW GOOD they were because I am already salivating NOW!

So fresh, so sweet, dissolve gradually after a few chews. REALLY SUPERB!

Clear Soup with Mushroom, Grouper, Carrot,  Mitsuba Leaf, Raddish, Japanese Lime. This soup was quite normal, but Big C loved it so much that she finished the soup, and My Mom & I only got to taste a small spoon of it.  

Very refreshing Soup! Nice! Yum Yum!

Grilled Salmon, Grilled King Crab, Taro, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Capsicum, Mushrooms,Foiegras Ponzu, Gingko, Rice Corn.

Everything was delicious, especially the Foiegras, mm~~

Love the Japanese Taro too!!!!

Grilled Wagyu with Eggplants & Leek.

Do I need to tell you more???!!! Seriously, this portion is NOT ENOUGH for 2!

It was so juicy and not RAW at all. Love how the chef lightly marinated the beef   thus the wagyu remained its freshness and juice. No overpowering issues here.

Oh My God~~!!! Delish! So succulent & heavenly.

Yuzu Sorbet

Refreshing - Ready to proceed with the next course with a clean tongue :)

Fried Minced Shrimp with Lemon Udon Sauce.

Uncomplicated, fresh & aromatic.

Sushi Meal - Toro, Scallops, Ikura, Konbu Shoyu Gel & Spring Onion.

Wow!!!!! This dish is served cold, really cold.

But it was MARVELOUS! A good combination of all, the Konbu Shoyu Gel was not engrossing at first, but spoons after spoons with the great combination of the sushi, it was REALLY good! I am so hungry now! Geezzz..

Dessert : Melon Yogurt Jelly & Fruits : Grapes & Melons.

None of us got excited when the last course was served. Hahaha...

Not pretty & interesting enough for us to WOW. BUT!!!!!! Hold There.

The Yogurt Jelly was actually very special! Flavour was mild but just the right texture & taste to end the EXQUISITE MEAL of the night.

If you asked me if it worth RM288 ++! Oh! Yes! It's CHEAP!

Considering the ingredients used & freshness of the Wagyu and seafoods, you won't get it anywhere else at this price. 

Perhaps we were lucky that night, there were special guests and media reviews. So, I guess it would be the BEST of the BEST!!! Hahaha...Lucky!

Sweet Treats for MaMa

We had a Baby shower for Dan among our ARGS Gang at ACME Bar. Since the last visit here for coffee, we had a pretty good impression on its Pavlova! We have been talking about the Pavlova and can't wait to a taste of it again. 

The first Pavlova experience was superb. The meringue was not sweet, cream was at its good texture & sweetness, coupled with the sourish passionfruit sauce, it was FANTASTIC!

So, because of such recommendation, everyone hold a great expectation on the Pavlova at ACME bar. We ordered two to share among us. Unfortunately, it didn't glory the way it happened on our last visit. Elayne actually complained   she tasted the rotten eggs liked on the meringue, overall, it disappointed everyone. :( 

Luckily, we had the sizzling brownie to balance the disappointment. The bubbling chocolate sauce in sizzling hot plate was intriguing that everyone had nearly forgave the bad of the Pavlova! Hahaha...  

YUMMY!!!!!

I cannot denounce it as LOUSY, the fact is I really tasted the Best Pavlova here at my FIRST VISIT which was only two weeks ago. Perhaps, the day was just not a PAVLOVA day. YES, highly recommend to try again!!! 

Yes. I would order again for my next visit. 

Woo!~~~ Affagato! I have not tried Affagato before but I heard of it and saw people ordering it. Didn't think it's any special, I would rather order a hot cup of Latte to get the wholesome of COFFEE. 

I must admit that I WAS TOTALLY WRONG of being skeptical until I had my very first Affogato at Artisan Cafe. WOOHOO~~~~ it was such a heavenly cup of coffee!!!! Love it!!!!!!! 

Oh No~~~ MaMa is developing Sweet Tooth!!!!!!!! Bad!

A night out for a Coffee & Dessert Treat

Probably we had stayed home for the whole day and didn't do much for a peaceful sunday. Grandma, MaMa, Ah Yi & 2Cs decided to step out of the house and go for a cup of Latte & some Desserts!

Our first choice was ACME Bar cause I thought the coffee is quite good, unfortunately the COFFEE Machine was out of order. So, we headed straight to Publika Namoo Korean Dessert Cafe.

MaMa had Korean Classic Coffee (similar to Latte but stronger), Cs had Babycino (Similar to Hot Chocolate, A Slice of Red Velvet & A Slice of Sweet Potato Cake to share among us. Ah Yi had a pot of Tea & Grandma had Americano. The girls love the Babycino, it's so chocolaty! It's basically chocolate sauce texture-like under the foam. It's a small little cuppy, so it's still alright.

The cakes were both NOT sweet which is a good thing for us. Red Velvet topped with the Strawberry sauce makes it a little sweeter, hmmm, not the best Red Velvet I have tasted. The sweet potato cake is simply really Sweet potato mash, hmm..., it's their chef's recommended dish but it's not our kind of cake too. Hahaha...would i recommend there for dessert? Not really. 

But, we are interested to make a trip there again for their dinner. The menu looks quite attractive. :)

Look what we found at Ben's! 

These photo were taken in the morning at the Dim Sum Place.

New Beggar's Delicious Restaurant

The TMP Makan-Makan group is back in action. It's been a while since the last eat-out together without our BOSS. hahaha... BOSS = ALCOHOL, so, while he's overseas, we planned out a eating trip @ Ijok. It's actually 45 minutes away from our office, so it's so too far away! 

My very first visit to IJOK.

Don't expect Air-conditioned eating environment but the fans are suffice to cool the place since they are located in the WOOLOO (secluded) palm plantation area. With the rapid development EVERYWHERE, this place is not so WOOLOO afterall, but you will still get to see Palm Trees and Muddy Trails.

The Makan-Makan group with a special little guest! Aiyoh..Forgot to ask his name, the little boy's my colleague's son.  

You will get Home Grown JACKFRUITS and HONEY.

So fresh & so HOMEMADE!

Let's get to the FOOD section.

We have ordered 1 10-course meal, and we have expected 11-12 pax per table. In the end, 9 pax in a table, and we had two tables for 18 + 1. 

The 10-course meal cost RM438 per set. I don't think you will ever get this price in town for such a serving!!!! Let's go!

Weird enough, BA BO FAN 八宝饭, is usually served right at the end of the course, before the dessert. BUT, this is our first course. 

It's DELICIOUS!!! The generous amount of salted egg yolks are found in EVERY scope of rice. Rating : YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!! Beware of the FATTY PORK though, you might just swallow one without noticing it because it's darn good.

The second dish served is the restaurant's famous Begger's Chicken, 叫化鸡，in strong herbal juice. This dish will not disappoint anyone, thumbs up from ALL of us! Well, if you want me to compare with Overseas Restaurant in town? They are both as good, just that this one is with strong herbal chicken juice, which is supposed to be very nutritious, 很滋补, according to the chinese tradition. 

Begger's Duck? Ba Bo Duck, 八宝鸭，I am sure they have marinated the duck with many herbs too but the gravy is slightly thicker than the chicken's and it has a stronger dark soy sauce taste. The texture of the duck is just tender and juicy but I personally don't fancy this dish. Well? Rating is Good. Some actually said not so good and some said very good. For me, so so, deserved a GOOD.

Coming up is the Pig Trotter, 八宝猪手，which had actually not well accepted by many. The cubes are YAM cube, they were all very well cooked and these yams gave a powdery texture which I most fond of. As for the trotter, come on, all the way here, must have a GO for a taste! So, I was the first who dug in and sliced myself some meats, skins and fats. The texture of the fats are not as gross as you imagined, in fact, they are quite delicately cooked and the fats are morely dissolved,leaving a very thin layer fat attaching to the skin. The skin is still chewy, they are not soggy and slimy as it seemed. In fact, I would say this is a very well delicacy if you can overpower your conceptual of a normal fattening, greasy and unhealthy trotter. This is a fine dish I personally think, but a small serve is suffice to keep a good impression, more than that might ruin it.

Rating is FINE! Go for it. Just for the sake of trying!

Needless to elaborate, Stir-Fried Vegetable with anchovies, 抄时菜。

Let's just get to the rating - NORMAL. 

Steam Grouper with Vinaigrette Onions, Parsleys & Chives, 蒸鱼.

They didn't specify the dish name in the menu, it just mentioned steamed fish, probably the fish will depends on the day's availability. However, the fish is FRESH, the vinaigrette Onions & Parsley were appetizing. Something different. 

It tasted like a Thai Steam Fish BUT not exactly because the sour taste only occured when you eat it with the Onions otherwise it's just like ordinary Steam Fish. Rating - FRESH!

Yes, It's not the end yet!

Coming next is the prawns, 抄明虾。These prawns were undoubtedly fresh! Their flesh were juicy. Unfortunately, personally, I don't like the heavy thick sauce. A little sweet, a little spicy, a little salty. Don't ask me what style? Again, it didn't specify in the Menu, it just mentioned there PRAWNS. Rating is FRESH.

Pig Stomach Pepper Soup, 五宝汤。

It tasted like the Pepper Soup with Pig's Stomach (*Yummy, so chewy and no yucky smell*), black fungus, chinese mushroom, and abalone mushrooms and I think I see gingko in there too. The soup was not too spicy, the pepper was just enough to provide the warm and the chewiness of the Pig's Stomach are making the soup a lip-smacking one! Rating : Slurp!

The last in line (before the fruit) was the Crab stir-fried in curry leave, 抄螃蟹。

When it comes down to SEAFOOD, everything has to do with the freshness. Without its freshness as its primary concern, then it's pointless to serve. Again, these crab had proven their freshness with the clean & firm flesh texture. The cooking style is OK, nothing to shout about, I would prefer fatty crab's sweet spicy gravy rather than stir-fried in curry leave. Rating is FRESH. 

The last of the 10-course was a JACKFRUIT platter. Hahaha...which we had bought before the course started. The owner should have stopped us!!!!!

Obviously, we didn't CLEAN all dishes, but my table managed our best while the other SMALL-EATERS' table had many of the dishes DABAO 打包，takeaway! :P

What's our next Makan-Makan Destination?

Moon Kee Traditional Confectionery

Decided to take a day off yesterday for a round of photo shoot.

Since, the appointment was made in the morning, I have finally gotten a chance to bring Big C for BREAKFAST! 

I would think Big C prefers noodles over anything else. Nevertheless, it turned out otherwise. When Big C saw the little stall with all sorts of pastries lining up in sections; she stopped and gazed at the EGG TARTS before I could suggest what noodles are available in the Kopitiam.

"Do you want Fish Ball Noodles? Wanton Mee? " MaMa asked.

"I don't want noodles. I want this! " Big C replied, pointing at the egg tarts

"How about you, Baby?" MaMa asked little C.

"I want this too" replied little C

So, Yummy Egg Tarts for all. 

I have tried a few confectioneries, but I find Moon Kee's are still the best.

I love their YAM Pastry with char siew (bbq pork) fillings.

I claimed the BEST simply because I don't get to eat this YAM pastry at any other Kopitiam, it is rare, unless you go to Dim Sum places. :P

They use to have one kiosk in one of the KD's Kopitiam.

They closed it after TKbrothers opened up a Big Bakery offering more varieties.

I found this in SS2 Kopitiam! Hehehe...

There are TVs installed in the Kopitiam, and it was playing the "Power Puff Girls". Can you see the awkward tightness in her posture? Hahaha...

This photo was capture when Big C was attentively watching how Power Puff Girls fight the Villain in the show. She was fascinated by a totally new cartoon but at the same time she was tensed with the fear of "MONSTER". 

Big C is indeed my little mousie. :P

Here comes my Little C, Oh...She didn't order tart!

Hahaha, Kakak did. She had Sausage Bun for breakfast. 

This photo was also capture while watching Power Puff Girls.

She was enthralled with the cartoons, and didn't even notice when I took away the sausage bun from her hand. 

Little C only found out her bun was missing not until the advertisement interrupted their cartoon show. Hahaha .... :P

My silly little baby!

Thai Fish Farm in Ampang

I have a group of eating friends and we called ourselves the BKK Group. Hahaha....  Once in a while, the "organizer" will plan for an eating out gathering. This round the "Organizer" has introduced us to this "secretive" restaurant located at one of the secluded area in Ampang. Well, to be exact, this restaurant is not as "secretive" as it seems because it was actually publicized through a TV program called "Ho Chiak" long time ago, according to a friend. I was intrigued by the "secretive" location and the Village-Style Restaurant, certainly looking forwards to have a scrumptious seafood treat. 

It is called the Fish Farm Thai Restaurant, located in Jalan Ampang, Hulu Langat. We arrived there before 7pm, and the restaurant was already congested with hungry customers waiting to be served. 

Yes, there was a stage set standing by itself; away from the dining platform, providing entertainment to customers. Special request for Birthday Song are available, the saxophonist and a "singer" aka "waitress" will present a birthday song at the table.

The first thing that attracts you upon your arrival is the Barbecue Station as the fragrance is like a bait, never fail to hook every single customer's scent.

The BBQ Salted Talapia Corner which captures every customer's attention.

This is one of the Signature dish - Thai Style BBQ Talapia

It is a dish in which the fish was heavy coated with salt before BBQ.

A friend called it 雪山飞狐- XU SHAN FEI WU - Don't ask me why?

I didn't ask further, all I know is this is how they ordered.

Grilled Gigantic Crab

This GIGANTIC crab cost approx RM150/kg. It is almost the size of Big C's face or even close to MY FACE size. It's huge! This crab probably cost about RM150.

~~~ The aroma of FRESHNESS is just irresistible ~~~

It is a must try for my revisit, which will be SOON hopefully. 

Stir Fry Coconut Flower with Prawn.

This dish is ordinarily good, I especially like the crunchy texture of the Coconut Flower. Yes, this will be in my order for my next visit.

Seafood Tom Yam

Nothing to shout about, I won't say it is superbly good but is ok.

Thai Steam Tiger Grouper

The fish is very very very fresh, the cooking style is moderate, it is not too sour nor too spicy. But I would order it with plain light soy sauce in order to accentuate on the freshness. This fish is not cheap, but I guess it is according to market price.

The signature Thai Style BBQ Talapia

Surprisingly, for a Talapia, the fish has proved its freshness through its juicy flesh with no soil smell. The flesh is not mushy and it is very very fresh. 

BBQ Mutton

Ooohhh... I'm not a LAMB person, but occasionally I will TRY if the MUTTON smell is bearable. So, this is one of the Mutton dish that I am willing to have a second "piece". It didn't have the strong Mutton Smell but you can taste the succulent Mutton texture with a mild sensation of MUTTON. Hahaha.. 

Deep Fried Spinach

I was fascinated by the picture on the menu when I see this dish. I have tried Deep Fried Kailan before but not Deep fried spinach. Something special but not exactly my preference. It is rather oily towards the end; the crunchiness is very appealing at the beginning though.

Our highlight of the Eatout - Deep Fried Mantis Prawn

Again, I have nothing to complain on the taste. It is good.

Especially when you ask me about the FRESHNESS, I would give TWO THUMBS up! It's fresh and juicy. Lip-Smacking Dish!

Deep Fried Salted Egg Sotong/Squid

Hmmm~~ I wouldn't say it is fantastic but again it is good with its freshness.

Overall, our bill came up to RM360 for 6 pax. 1/3 of the bill went to the Tiger Grouper, RM8 for each Mantis Prawn. The rest are reasonably priced, maybe ranging from RM15 - RM20.

It is already my plan for a revisit with my children and family EVEN before I left the Restaurant. I like the freshness that it serves. It seems that the restaurant rear their own fish as its name implied, also they have their own vegetable farm and poultry farm for the restaurant and for sales too. I am quite sure the children will love this place, it is definitely a family joint to spend a good treat of Lunch or Dinner. Yum Yum ~~ Mouthwatering already ~~ Can't wait to bring my Cs here!!! You know what? I know what I want to order for my revisit already!!!!!! This is how excited I am!!!!