OVERSEA (P.J.) RESTAURANT (海外天大饭店) - SHARK'S FIN SOUP

It has been a long time I have not entered to my blog, was busy with my exam. Today, I'm done with the 10-days-non-stop-"war" (exam), & my dad decided to reward me with some SHARK'S FINS SOUP!!!! Yuu~~~ huu~~~~

Although we have ordered some other dishes, but I would like to concentrate on the shark's fins soup at this moment. It is the BRAISED SHARK'S FINS SOUP (红烧鱼翅). It is so pure to the extent you can taste the fishy smell when you chew on the fins. Due to the fishy smell, it became more precious, because it's a proof of real shark's fins instead of the fake ones. Yet, the broth soup is thicken by slow braising. The beansprouts go so well with the soup. This is because the savour of the soup is very strong, but when it's coupled with some fresh beansprouts, it composes the best combination!!! Such an exquisite dish, yum yum~~~


PRICE: $$$$$ (RM 110++) per bowl

WORTHINESS: marvelous

SUMMARY:
There are some other fine-dining Chinese restaurants which serve more deluxe shark's fins soup. However, this BRAISED SHARK'S FINS SOUP (红烧鱼翅) is definitely one of the best in Oversea Restaurant. Though it's a little pricy, but it's undeniably a pleasing reward!!

LOCATION:
Lot 28, Ground Floor, Lorong Utara C, Plaza Armada, 46200 PJ.

STAR-RATING: 8/10 *

TAI THONG RESTAURANT - DIM SUM

I assume there's a majority of people who has been to one of these restaurants, so, no point to blah blah blah into the history of Tai Thong. Recently, there is a promotion on Dim Sum. So, there I go again, for good food @ a good price!!! ^.^

"虾饺~烧卖~叉烧包~凤爪~排骨~" Traditionally, the steamed dim sum is a must whenever we go for dim sum session. Personally, I'm not a big fan of steamed dim sum, but I don't mind ordering STEAMED PORK RIBS (蒸排骨) , as it is my favourite!!!

Apart from steamed dim sum, we have ordered CHAR SIU PASTRY (叉烧酥), CHEUNG FUN (肠粉), YONG TAU FU (煎酿三宝), CENTURY EGG WITH PORK PORRIDGE (皮蛋瘦肉粥), SALAD PRAWNS (沙律虾), EGG TART (蛋挞). These are some of my must-order dim sum!! Yum yum~

Besides that, there are some desserts available, & I've ordered MANGO PUDDING.


PRICE: ($) per plate

WORTHINESS: good

SUMMARY:
Overall, it's a value-for-money dim sum eatery. Although it is not the best place in town for dim sum, but it is a clean restaurant serving moderate quality of dim sum.

LOCATION:
Any Tai Thong Restaurant

STAR-RATING: 5/10*

Shook!

It is so 'syok' (astonishing) to dine in Shook!. Whenever I was dining in Shook!, I felt like a celebrity, I felt like I'm a VIP being pampered with exquisite food . Mum & dad decided to make me a VIP on the day of my birthday this year. And so, here we are again, in Shook! I remember the last time I went, the menu was simple. Chinese / Western/ Italian / Japanese. NOW, IT'S LIKE READING A LAW BOOK!!! It's too complicated although the cuisines remain the same! (It took us quite some time to decide what to order... =.=")










Clockwise from bottom: MARGARITA, bottled water, FRUIT PUNCH, CARLSBERG, bottled water, SHELLY TEMPLE.
Personally, I love hitting the bottle, but I'm not an alcoholic. I drink but I don't gulp in tons of alcohol, pure savor! Therefore, I always order cocktail whenever I'm in Shook! (another reason is because cocktail costs RM25 while juice costs RM16, so which will you prefer???).
MARGARITA [Price: $$ / Worthiness: Fantastic!!!]
FRUIT PUNCH [Price: $ / Worthiness: Good]
CARLSBERG [Price: $ / Worthiness: Good if it is to be compared with the other drinks in the menu]
SHELLY TEMPLE [Price: $ / Worthiness: Good]







Apart from serving us aperitif (drinks before meal), we are served with this appetizer. I have no idea what is this called. Well, it's some biscotti-look-alike-bread with some olive-tasting dip.






SNOW WHITE DANCING PRAWNS
At a lost for words, I was once speechless in order to describe this dish. What I can say is, it is breathtaking!!! I'm a prawn-person, but I'm pretty sure that as long as you do not hate prawns, you will definitely fall for this dish. These prawns, which will later dance in your mouth all the way to your belly, are coated with snow-whity sauce, and are accompanied with some chopped mango. It's such a divine appetizer! The taste is unbeatable! [Price: $$$$$ (RM59) / Worthiness: Excellent (depends on individuals)]

PAN-SEARED SEABASS FILLET
At the bottom of the fish is laid with mashed potatoes & some sliced potatoes. The buttery sauce that melts on top of the fish creates an amazing combination of the fish+potatoes (it might sounds like fish & chips, LoL!). Usually I will ignore the greens on the plate. To me, greens are garnishes! However, the "garnish" on this plate tastes quite well! [Price: $$$$$ (RM69) / Worthiness: Good]

GRILLED AUSTRALIAN BUTTERFISH
This butterfish isn't as tender as the seabass above, the meat is firmer & harder to masticate, in contrast it has less fat, by all means healthier!!! It's obvious, firmer = less oil, but at the same time less juicy. However, I do not reject this dish. [Price: $$$$$ (RM59) / Worthiness: Fair]



UNAGI NO KABAYAKI
I love unagi, because it is very moist & juicy. As in this dish, it is grilled with subtly sweet kabayaki sauce (a sweet basting sauce which is similar to teriyaki sauce). I am flattered by the taste and the texture of the fish, but it is too salty to be consumed alone. Advisable to dine with a bowl of rice. (Previously there were bento sets in Shook!, but I didn't see any this time. Hopefully, there will be unagi no kabayaki bento set in future!!) [Price: $$$$$ (RM89) / Worthiness: Better than good]

GINDARA TERIYAKI
My usual way of eating/cooking cod fish would be steaming it. This is the 1st time I've tasted grilled black cod fish with teriyaki sauce. It lacks moist as compared to those steamed. Fortunately, the teriyaki sauce defenses the dryness of the fish after being grilled. It stays tender & it taste succulent! [Price: $$$$$ (RM61) / Worthiness: Good]


FETTUCINE PRAWN AGLIO-OLIO
This is a disappointment-of-the-day, sigh... I was told that this dish is one of the Chef's Special, but it doesn't taste anything special. It's blunt & it looks like the fettucine is suffering from "dehydration"!!! Luckily the prawns are really fresh. [Price: $$$$$ (RM59) / Worthiness: So-so]








SUMMARY:
A place to go with a reason. The reason can be to enjoy fine-dining, to splurge on festivals/any events, to treat your beloved-ones, etc. Though it's pricy, but you are not only paying for the food, but also paying for the 1st class service as well as the VIP-feel of ambiance. The soothing atmosphere will lure you to go again, but the figure shown on the bill will reflect to your brain asking you to spend wisely (LMAO). Well, I'll go again, but not too soon.

Location:
Feast Floor, Starhill Gallery
181, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Star-rating: 9/10*

TENJI - Japanese Buffet Gourmet Sensation

It's a hit in town! Everyone is talking about TENJI. I need to keep on track, therefore I have a go to have a thorough look on it!!! However, in this posting, I would focus on more photos than words. You'll get my point once you go through the entire posting!!! ^.^


ID (Interior Design)
To be honest, the ID of Tenji is fabulous! Nothing to be complained about! The luxurious design, the comfy environment, the lighting & etc. create a warm & soothing atmosphere. As a result, customers might be paying for the ID instead of the food!!!

Well, as you can see from the photos I've uploaded, it seems like there are plenty of choice & it looks yummy. Frankly speaking, no doubt there are various types of dishes, e.g. Japanese, Chinese & Western food, but, the taste isn't as superb as I heard from the rumours.

Let's begin with JAPANESE CUISINE. Sushi is not good!!! The rice is too hard, & the seafood on top of some of the sushi is very dry. Moreover, the mussels tempura taste so bad. The flour coating is too thick. The mussels do not taste fresh, the fishy smell of the mussels are too strong. Fortunately, sukiyaki is good. The mushrooms add points to the small little pot of sukiyaki.
To named themselves as "JAPANESE BUFFET RESTAURANT", by all means, the standard of their Japanese food should be the best. Surprisingly disappointed!

CHINESE CUISINE
Fair amount of Chinese food available. Steamed fish, crab, dim sum, steamed 'pao', herbal soup, fried rice, etc. I'm satisfied with the Chinese food. It's tasty but not the best. (If you want the best Chinese food, go to a Chinese Restaurant, why are you coming here!!!???) Ok, chill! The steamed fish is great, the dim sum is not bad, the crab is so-so. Ordinary but acceptable.

WESTERN FOOD
I did not try much on the western food, because I went there for Japanese food!!! I saw roast lamb, pasta, potato wedges...etc.

DESSERTS
Loads of desserts, such as cakes, tarts, puddings, cookies, chocolate fondue, ice-cream, 'ice-kacang', fresh coconut drink, fruits, pop-corn, etc... My favourite of all would be their coconut & mochi, Japanese mochi I mean!!! There are 3 choices, red bean mochi, mango mochi & cookie mochi. The best among these 3 would be mango mochi. Moreover, I'm happy that their choices of ice-cream aren't restricted to only vanilla, chocolate & green tea, RUM-RAISIN IS AVAILABLE!!!


SERVICE
This is the 1st time I concentrate on the service provided by the staffs. This is because it was horrible!!! I have been clearing my own table for more than an hour!!! When I brought back the sukiyaki onto my table, no one was there to light the boiler for me!!!
I'm not joking & I'm not defaming Tenji. There are so many CCTV inside & out of the restaurant. I have prove, unless the CCTVs are not working as well!!!
Hence, Tenji should not charge us on service!!! No service was provided but money was paid!!!


SUMMARY
I'm a 'buffet-person'. I've been to different Hotels for buffet. Most of them provide top-class service. This was the 1st time I encountered bad service from a Buffet dining place. It was disappointing.
Moreover, the rate charged is a hotel-class rate. Unfortunately, there aren't hotel-class of food neither there is good service.

Price Meal Type

RM77.00++ Lunch

RM88.00++ Dinner

RM39.90++ Supper

Hopefully improvement will be made soonest possible.


Location:

Lot L-01-01, SohoKL,Solaris Mont Kiara,No2 JLN Solaris

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 50480


Star-rating: 3/10*

PARENTS DAY SPECIAL SET MENU @ DRAGON-i

I'm always an advertisement-victim, easily caught by words like "PROMOTIONS", "SPECIAL OFFER", "ONLY LAST FOR ... DAYS", etc. Since Dragon-i is currently doing a PROMOTION on Parents Day SPECIAL Set Menu, how can I miss that!?

COLD SPICY CHICKEN IN SICHUAN STYLE (四川口水鸡)
Well, when it is firstly served on our table, it doesn't look like chicken at all. This is because it is perfectly placed into a half-bowl shape, & it looks like tofu. On top of it, has been sprinkled with a generous amount of sesame seeds. Although I'm not a big fan of Chinese cold dish, but this taste really good, which is out of my expectation.


Since we can choose 2 out of 5 cold dishes, hence this SMOKED BEAN CURD SKIN STUFFED WITH MUSHROOM (烟熏香素鹅) will be our 2nd choice. I'm amazed by this dish, it's really yummy!!! The taste isn't too heavy, not too salty, just nice!!! The bean curd skin is nicely fried, but it is not too oily, acceptable. The mushroom, surprisingly, can be easily chewed. I'm definitely happy with my choices of cold dishes!! ^.^






DOUBLE BOILED SUPERIOR CHICKEN SOUP WITH FRESH GINSENG & CONCH MEAT (真参真意鲍螺汤)
This is the 'main character' in this set menu. The main purpose to order this set, so it has to be good in order to be the main attraction. Fortunately it is not a disappointment. I like this soup because it is really healthy, herbal but doesn't taste/smell bitter, it tastes superb!!! The meat & ginseng is edible, dip with some soy sauce will generally taste better.


SAUTEED SEA PRAWN IN SICHUAN STYLE (双腾干烧鲜明虾)
I can only describe this dish in ONE word, BRAVO!!! As per my previous post, I made it clear that "I am a prawn-freak", "I love prawns", but in one condition, the prawns must be fresh!!! Not only these prawns are fresh, but the sichuan-ness taste is delicious!!! A little sour, a little sweet, a little spicy, evenly. I'm so into it, ended up with two prawns on my plate (such a greedy food-lover, LoL).


DEEP-FRIED AROMATIC CRISPY HALF CHICKEN (当红蒜香脆皮鸡)
This dish can be considered as a traditional Chinese deep fried chicken, due to the salt+pepper dipping, which we can now only be able to taste in old-school Chinese restaurant. The chicken itself without any sauce/powder dipping is great. However, when it is dipped with the salt+pepper, it becomes more salty. Personally, I don't mind salty food, but my parents do not favour it. Therefore, I suggest to those who do not fancy salt, just don't dip onto any sauce/powder...

BRAISED RED TILAPIA WITH BROWN SAUCE (恩深如海泥罗红)
I find this dish ordinary. It's a deep fried tilapia swimming in brown sauce. The sauce is ordinary, the fish is quite fresh. However, it is sprinkled with a fair amount of preserved turnips ('chai poh' in Hokkien) which has enhanced the freshness of the fish. A bonus point to 'chai poh'!!!



BRAISED BLACK MUSHROOM, WINTER BAMBOO SHOOT & VEGETABLE (美满双冬扒时菜)
I'm a vege-person, but I am fascinated by this dish. The mushroom is so soft, & it has absorbed all the sauce into it, makes it extra tasty. Moreover, the usual smelly taste of improperly-washed-mushroom does not exist, showing that the mushroom is well cleaned & the sauce has fixed the bad smell of the mushroom. Besides that, I'm not used to eating bamboo shoots because of the taste & texture, but these bamboo shoots & the sauce are perfectly matched. On the other hand, the vegetable is too big!!! Advisably to cut them into smaller pieces/slices.

LONGEVITY BUN WITH RED BEAN PASTE (敬母万寿蟠桃包)
It's so cute!!! I like buns alot, especially traditional Chinese buns. This is because it is always hot & soft, & the fillings are very tasty!!! In addition, the peach shape of this bun is so adorable!!! I would suggest to peel off the skin of the bun before eating, to prevent the consumption of the colouring on the surface of the bun.



DOUBLE BOILED OSMANTHUS FRAGRANS WOLFBERRY & ALOE VERA (桂花杞子芦荟蜜)
This is very special because of the osmanthus fragrans(桂花). It is a popular ingredient when making Chinese desserts, dumplings & liquor. As this dish has added wolfberry, it makes this dessert sweeter & healthier. This is because wolfberry is very nutritious, good for our liver as well as eyes. Moreover, by consuming aloe vera, it's good for our digestive system & beautifies our skin. Good for ladies!!!


DOUBLE BOILED BIRD'S NEST WITH GINSENG (兹润泡参炖燕窝)
I assume most women love drinking/eating bird's nest soup, due to it's well-known benefit, a "tool to beautify" (美容)!!! Apart from this, the Chinese believes that bird's nest soup is rich in nutrients, provides lots of benefits to our body. Personally, I can't resist bird's nest soup, & my mum knows that. She "sacrifices" her portion of bird's nest soup to me, I'm so touched!!! Thanks, mum!!! The taste of ginseng is too strong, not my liking. However, I appreciate this bird's nest soup so much & I ended up finishing it, all because of my mum...


SUMMARY:
This promotion will end at 30th June 2009. A 4 pax set menu costs RM198++ on weekdays & RM228++ on weekends. In spite of that, a 8 pax set menu costs RM388++ on weekdays & RM438++ on weekends. If you are financially sound, try to be generous to your parents once a while. Bring them over for dinner. Create the bond between each other. Show some love. I love you, daddy & mummy!!!

Star-rating: 6/10*

Mee Bon Coffee Shop (米文包饺茶室/Kedai Kopi Mee Bon)

Today, I would like to get you guys into a more traditional Chinese food, dim sum. Not in a 5 star hotel, whereas it is situated at a shop along Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur. The shop does not look fascinating by itself, but the crowd/the queue of eaters do catch some attention. It has a history for more than 60 years. However, my reason to dine is not because of the crowd or the long queue or the history, it is a bond between Me & MeeBon (not Me & Marley!!!). This is because I have been eating the 'char siu pau' from this coffee shop since childhood. It has been accompanying me for more than 20 years. Not only their 'char siu pau', but also, their 'loh mai kai'...







'LOH MAI KAI' (糯米鸡)
This sticky glutinous rice steamed with chicken slices is one of the most famous dim sum that most eaters will order, so am I. I love 'loh mai kai' alot, especially the one in Mee Bon. May be it is because I'm used to their taste, & the taste suits me. [Price: ($) / Worthiness: good]



PRAWN 'CHEONG FUN' (猪肠粉)
This 'chi cheung fun' is quite unpredictable!!! What makes me say so is because the rice flour skin may differ each time I went. Sometimes it is perfect, sometimes it is too thick!!! In spite of that, the prawns are not constantly fresh. The chili is not bad. Hopefully, they can control their quality, even though it is during peak hours!!! [Price: ($) / Worthiness: Fair]


VARIOUS STEAMED DIM SUM
There are various types of dim sum to be chosen of. I personally would suggest 'siu mai' (烧卖) and 'yong ai gua' (酿茄子/brinjals). However, most of the dim sums which come with prawns are not fresh. The main reason which I have discovered is either the supply of prawns are not fresh or the shop keepers have kept the prawns for too long before making dim sum. Hence, causes all their dim sums which use prawns as the main ingredients, mostly taste weaker than those which acre made by pork or fish paste. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of choices. [Price: ($) each / Worthiness: fair]

SUMMARY:
A place which serves traditional dim sum with lots of choices in a reasonable price. Most importantly, their dipping sauce (a sweet black sauce) is very special, you cannot get it in any where else, but Mee Bon (I have heard from my mum that Mee Bon has a branch in Manjarala Kepong which is not named Mee Bon, I have to check it out 1st ^.^). Most of the places which sell dim sum are over-priced their food, but not Mee Bon. This is a place worth going, if you are not picky, or you have a heart for traditional dim sum kopitiam!!! LoL...

Address:
No. 491 Batu 3, Jalan Ipoh, 51200 Kuala Lumpur.

Star-rating: 3/10*

PriceTags / Worthiness Comments

PRICE
($): Below RM10
$: RM10 - RM19
$$: RM20 - RM29
$$$: RM30 - RM39
$$$$: RM40 - RM49
$$$$$: RM50 - RM100 [Price will be stated]
<$$$$$>: Above RM100 [Price will be stated]

WORTHINESS
It depends on my taste bud as well as my own fancy!!!