The bitter gourd (also known as bitter melon) looks like a cucumber but with ugly gourd-like bumps all over it. As the name implies, this vegetable is a melon that is bitter. There are two varieties of this vegetable: One grows to about 20 cm long, is oblong and pale green in color. The other is the smaller variety, less than 10 cm long, oval and has a darker green color.

Now that you’re gotten acquainted with the bitter gourd, let’s get to the interesting bit. Bitter gourd is often used in Chinese cooking for its bitter flavor, typically in stir-fries (often with pork and douchi), soups, and also as tea. And more recently, I’ve discovered a restaurant here in Klang Valley that serves everything bitter gourd. That’s right … from bitter gourd juice (yup, you heard me right) to dish and soup.

Fu Kua Restaurat (Fu Kua translates to bitter gourd in chinese) is located in Taman SEA, Petaling Jaya, just right behind Hong Leong Bank. Out of curiosity, I checked out the place one day. The crowds swells up during dinner so it’s advisable to go get a table earlier. Ordering seems easy enough, especially if you can read chinese menus. Fortunately for me, the menu has english translation.

Since I don’t really fancy bitter gourd (it’s a childhood thingy …. just don’t ask ….), it was tough for me to order the dishes. Especially when almost every dish is made up of bitter gourd … in some way. There’s like bitter gourd with black beans, bitter gourd with meat, bitter gourd with ….. sigh, you get my point.

Anyway, after some contemplation … I manage to order something basic. Bitter gourd soup, bitter gourd with salted eggs and another meat dish which I can’t recall the name. And here’s the surprising thing! I actually ordered bitter gourd juice. Yup, call me crazy but I just couldn’t’ resist the temptation!

So the drink came and I took a sip. The facial expression on my face was priceless, or that’s at least what my dinner date told me. After recovering from the initial shock, my first reaction was to totally abandon that bile tasting drink! So I did. I order something a little more decent …. coke.

The dishes weren’t that bad and in fact it tasted quite alright. Not as bitter as I expected it to be. The soup was quite tasty and the bitter gourd with salted egg was quite good too. As I was taking it all down, I felt like as though I am going through a detoxifying diet. Yup, that was pretty much it.

And just before settling the bill, I challenged myself to finish my bitter gourd juice. And to my utmost surprise, the drink was bearable. The bitter taste was not as bad as it is on the first time. My theory is that all the bitterness in the dishes may have neutralized my taste bud …..

Looks aside, did you know that the bitter gourd has excellent medicinal virtues. It is antidotal, antipyretic tonic, appetizing, stomachic, antibilious and laxative and that’s why the bitter gourd is used in native medicines of Asia and Africa.

So if you got what it takes, I challenge you to finish that glass of Bitter Gourd Juice ……

Fu Kua Restaurant
Unit 19, Jalan SS23/15,
Taman S.E.A.,
47400, Petaling Jaya
11am to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11pm

I’ve been away for quite a while. Yup … job obligations. No choice. But that’s what everyone says, right? I actually miss doing this. I miss the rantings and bitching of culinary preferences among us ‘reviewers’ or better known as ‘foodies’. So here I am again, now that what I have to do is all done and the next one is not until June 2010.

For my new article, I could probably summarize it into a single sentence but then again, where’s the fun in that? So I shall elaborate further ….. here’s how it goes…..

I was at Cineleisure Damansara to catch a movie. The movie was a major letdown but let’s not go there … As I was saying …. I went there for a movie and usually followed by dinner like I always do (well, I do live just around the corner and cooking isn’t exactly my best traits so eating out are some of my best options …). Yup. I chose Mr Teppanyaki because I must have walked past it a million times but I just never went in. So here I am, finally … deciding to check it out.

Time check …. 6:45pm. The place was deserted. Probably too early for dinner, I told myself … and proceeded to find a place to sit. I sat next to the chef’s workstation to get a good view of him cooking and of course … for opportunities to capture a few shots.

Ordering food was a breeze, as long as you don’t speak. All you need to do is to point out what you want on the menu. Don’t get me wrong, you can ask but chances are, you don’t get your answer as the waiter can hardly speak properly. Or it’s probably just me. I ordered Lamb Teppanyaki, which is twice as expensive as the price of a Beef Teppanyaki (I wonder why). Anyway, I asked the waitress if the Beef Teppanyaki comes in dinner sets.

She stared at me …
I looked back at her …
She glanced at the chef …
The chef looked back at the waitress …
And finally both of them just stared blankly at me …
I gave up.

Yup, I could almost hear the deafening sound of silence at that moment. Anyway, they started cooking and what comes next didn’t exactly surprise me. There were 2 chefs (I am assuming they are, since they’re dressed as one) and if I am not mistaken, one was teaching the other to cook. Yup …. right in front of us. And trust me, it’s Cooking 101 …. Live! They went on for a while and finally served our orders.

Time check … 7:05pm. Great! My movie starts in 10 minutes and I am still getting a focus on my camera. Very quickly, I got a couple of shots and started digging in. Lamb Teppanyaki. Beef Teppanyaki. Tasted pretty much the same. Yet I paid almost double for the Lamb compared to the beef. Tempted to ask about it but decided not to. Not to be mean but I really doubt there’s anyone with the authority to provide me with a satisfactory answer.

I made a conscious decision on the spot. Never …. to step into this outlet. Ever … again. Was my decision a little harsh. I think … not.

Having said all of the above, it is still after all …. my opinion. Ever heard of …. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure? So, it’s up to your own judgment, eventually. If you’re up for a little challenge, by all means …. Cineleisure Damansara or now known as E@Curve is where you want to be.

Here’s more of the same views (if you fancy a little more reading) …
Live To Eat
J.Sanctuary
Limfy

I must have walked past this restaurant at Gardens MidValley many, many times but I just never attempted to check it out. Perhaps there’s just too many restaurants of this genre around? But when Ken called recently to offer a session with Din Tai Fung, it was an offer I could not refuse.

After all, Din Tai Fung was ranked as one of the world’s top 10 restaurants in 1993 by The New York Times.

I did a little research about Din Tai Fung before attending the session. Finding out the restaurant’s specialty is the least I could do to prep myself. And here’s what I found from an excerpt in Wikipedia.

Din Tai Fung is an award-winning restaurant of Taiwanese origin, specialising in Xiao Long Bao (small steamed buns, marketed as “dumplings” in the West). Outside its native Taiwan, Din Tai Fung also has its restaurant chains in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States.

Almost immediately I have this burning desire to ask the question. What … makes a good Xiao Long Bao?

Armed with the ultimate question and a big appetite (the session was set at 10am … and trust me, I am NOT a morning person) I went for the session. I made it just in time as the session was about to begin and I was greeted by the owner of Din Tai Fung Malaysia herself, Ms. Lim Meng Lu. I was truly impressed with her gesture as she personally made time to attend to us despite her busy schedule.

And so our journey through culinary perfection began with a tour by Ms. Lim across their open-kitchen. First stop … the Xiao Long Bao station. This Shanghainese specialty, named after the small bamboo steamer (xiao long) it’s typically served in, is without doubt the dumpling lover’s dumpling. Xiao Long Bao should be sheathed by a skin that’s delicately thin yet resilient enough to encase its steaming, soupy contents.

There’s an art to making Xiao Long Bao – a dumpling nimbly crafted by the most expert dim sum chef should boast an amazing number of tidy little folds. Count ‘em – 18 at least, in good hands of a master chef.

Eating Xiao Long Bao required a certain amount of skills as well. Did you know the condiments to compliment the taste of Xiao Long Bao has to be accurate to get the taste “Just Right”? The ginger that is mixed in the sauce for dipping Xiao Long Bao has to be young and fresh ginger. The soy sauce use by Din Tai Fung has been pre-selected from 20 different brands to find the right taste that matches the original sauce from Taiwan.

1 part soy sauce
3 parts vinegar

That’s the right combination for the right taste. Why … to mix with your Xiao Long Bao of course!

Satisfied with my newly acquired knowledge, we moved on the dishes served. Laid on the table were several specialties of Din Tai Fung. The appetizers, according to Miss Lim were some of their best selling items in the menu. As I looked across the table, there were a few varieties of choices … none of which is my favorite. At least not before I tried them. I was never friends with stuffs like cucumber, bean curds or worst …. Century Eggs!

Someone wise once said … never judge a book by it’s cover and I guess it’s very true in this sense. After trying a little of every dish I found my new love! Especially with the one I never liked … Century Eggs! But after trying their Taiwan Century Eggs, my perspective towards it changed totally. Specially imported duck eggs with slices of pickled ginger and guess what? The usual pungent Century Egg after-taste is gone! And suddenly, I love century eggs. The magic hands of a chef ….

I am definitely going back again for their appetizers ESPECIALLY their Taiwan Century Eggs. Besides appetizers, Din Tai Fung is also popular for their La Mian which is type of hand-made or hand-pulled Chinese noodle. Here’s a good list of their latest menu items.

See what others say about Din Tai Fung

WMW
KL People KL Food
Malaysian Food Guide
Precious Pea
FoodPOI
Black Tie White Lie
Iamthewitch.com
SloppyChic

And here’s the address to Din Tai Fung Gardens MidValley
LG207 The Gardens
MidValley City
Tel : +603-2283-2292

I read somewhere that Nasi Lemak is the national dish of Malaysia. Well, I haven’t really thought about it but that’s quite true to a certain extent. Nasi Lemak is available on almost every street corner and in almost every local-themed restaurant, served with everything from chicken to beef to cuttlefish.

Best of all …. you can have Nasi Lemak for breakfast, lunch or dinner but I seriously doubt you want to do that, especially for health reasons. And I guess it’s a national dish because …… almost everyone enjoys a simple dish of Nasi Lemak ….

So what exactly makes a good Nasi Lemak? The rice? The sambal? or the condiments? It is a very personal preference but personally, I would go for all 3. It’s the combination of all 3 that makes the taste of Nasi Lemak … “complete”.

And I am happy to announce that I’ve found this perfect combination at Village Park Restaurant in Damansara Uptown. Well, at least according to my taste. What I like most about the Nasi Lemak in Village Park Restaurant is …. like what I said earlier, the right combination of …..

Coconut milk fragrant rice – not to mushy and not too dry. Just nice.
Sambal (Chilli) – not too spicy, not too sweet. Just nice.
Condiments – crispy anchovies, crunchy nuts. Just nice.

And if you fancy a little ‘extra’ on your dish, go for the fried chicken which looks equally good as well. Otherwise, there’s also cuttlefish and other choices of side dishes that suits your taste. As for me, my ‘complete’ combination of Nasi Lemak will be just plain Nasi Lemak with a piece of fried chicken drumstick. Medium done.

A little while ago, some folks decided to find out the best Nasi Lemak in town and Village Park Nasi Lemak was nominated. And here’s the result …..

11th April 2009 : The 1st Annual Foodsters Award : Village Park came in Champion !
20th May 2009 : KLue – Top 10 Nasi Lemak in the Klang Valley : Village Park came in 4th

So if you’re interested to try some ‘award winning’ Nasi Lemak …. do check out Village Park. And here’s their address …. with a map just in case you get lost.

Village Park Restaurant
5, Jalan SS21/37,
Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Contact: +603 7710 7860
Business hour: 7am – 8pm daily, 7am – 6pm on Sunday and public holidays

What others say about Village Park Restaurant.

KampungboyCitygal
WaiSikKai.com
Memoirs of a Chocoholic
Food4Thot
Plusizekitten
Boredworkers.com
A Whiff of Lemongrass
Lessthanten

It’s a Sunday morning and you woke up early. Put on your jogging shoes and did a couple of rounds in your neighborhood and hit the shower. You’ve just started what we like to call .. “A Great Healthy” morning and what follows on would most likely to be a great healthy breakfast. That’s right …. cereals, cornflakes, some fruits and a dash of fresh, low-fat milk. Right?

Wrong. Haha.

My usual Sunday morning would be … opening my eyes to the loud sound of neighbor playing his favorite tune on the radio and children screaming away playing next door. My dogs .. Pepper the Boxer, Chilli and Ginger my Shih Tzus would probably be screaming away for breakfast too. By the time I get out of my house, it’s already 11am .. yup, just right in time for lunch.

I headed towards Damansara Uptown as I was told about Ho Choong Tuck Restaurant that serves pretty decent Tim Sum. Now, that’s my favorite Sunday morning …. starting the day with a good (not necessarily healthy) breakfast. Something like Tim Sum. Yup…..

As said, they serve pretty good Tim Sum, although not the best. Choices are good with the usual steam dishes, fried stuffs , glutinous rice (lo mai kai) and of course, pau. Unfortunately, not all the dishes are good especially the Siu Lung Pau. I had to drill my way through the thick skin before being able to taste the “oh so plain” soup inside.

Generally it’s quite a good choice for occasional visits. Alternatively … there’s a good place selling Nasi Lemak a few doors away which, I presume is good since it’s always packed. I’ll be checking out that place ….. soon. Meanwhile, there’s the address in case you are interested.

Restoran Ho Choong Tuck
21, Jalan SS 21/37
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya

My first visit to Ah Cheng Laksa for a review was way back in January 2009. It was a casual visit without the restaurant owner attending to me. And you can read about what I wrote here.

I was invited to visit this restaurant again recently to do a “food sampling” together with a few other fellow foodies. If you’ve been frequenting food blogs, you may have heard of Feedmelah.com … by a team of foodies consisting of Stephen, Sue Ann and William. Here’s their article on Ah Cheng Laksa.

And if you’ve not been to Ah Cheng Laksa, it’s located on the lower ground floor of e@Curve (formerly Cineleisure Mutiara Damansara). If you’ve read my last article, I mentioned a little about what they serve i.e. Assam Fish (my favorite), Nasi Lemak Petai and etc. During this visit, I had the opportunity to sample a few other items from the menu. Of course, boss belanja (paid by the boss) … definitely choices are wider.

If you’re a Malaysian, chances are …. you’d be familiar with dishes such as Assam Laksa, Curry Laksa and Nasi Lemak. If you haven’t ….. let’s question your nationality! They are of course …. national dishes of Malaysia. The Assam laksa is a sour fish-based soup. Asam (or asam jawa) is the Malay word for tamarind, which is commonly used to give the stock its sour flavor. It is also common to use “asam keping” also known as “asam gelugor”, dried slices of tamarind fruit, for added sourness. Modern Malay spelling is asam, though the spelling assam is still frequently used.

And the Curry laksa (in many places referred to simply as “laksa”) is a coconut-based curry soup. The main ingredients for most versions of curry laksa include tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles (see ham). Ah Cheng Laksa prepares their laksa using chicken instead of shrimp. Cockles is a must in my bowl of Curry Laksa. Add in a little sambal and garnish it with Vietnamese coriander, or laksa leaf, which is known in Malay as daun kesum, and I am fixed.

Nasi Lemak is available on almost every street corner and in almost every local-themed restaurant in Malaysia, served with everything from chicken to beef to cuttlefish. That makes preparing a GOOD Nasi Lemak more challenging, since there’s many choices to compare with. Ah Cheng whips up a pretty decent plate of Nasi Lemak …. good enough to cure your hunger pang, but they’ll have to do better to make it to the Top 10. Yup, the Top 10 Best Nasi Lemak in the Klang Valley.

Venue
Ah Cheng Laksa, e@Curve (formerly Cineleisure Mutiara Damansara)
Lot LG 9(i), Lower Ground
Cuisine: Local food
Opening hours: 10am – 10pm
Halal : YES
Tel/ Fax: 03–5632 6101

Marco’s Pizza.

The restaurant is vibrantly surrounded by bright red walls, tables and of course … how can you miss the metallic red bar stools. With mirrors covering the walls of the restaurant … one might take a look from outside and thinks this is a huge place. But once you’re in there, you can’t shake off the feeling of a cozy family restaurant. Very much like the feeling you had when you visited Burger King for the first time. A little “fireplace” adds to the uniqueness of the place.

I am no fan of western food especially Pizzas and Spaghetti but Marco’s Pizza does churn out some pretty good choices.

The latest addition is the new Marco’s Pizza branch located in Bangsar New Village. Setups in this new outlet is pretty much the same as the one in Taman Bukit Emas, except for the level of service. On a personal note, I have visited both the outlets and I am happy to say that the level of service at the Bangsar New Village branch is commendable.

With 2 huge flat screen TV’s and a reasonably big children play area, this outlet is very ‘child friendly’. That means, you can enjoy your meal in peace. For those parents with young children, you will appreciate this.

Their specialty is of course pizza, hence the name. And I am sure you are interested to know which pizza is good. Well, depending on your preference … the menu is packed with a whole long list of pizza options. Here’s 3 that I had …..

The good stuffs are not limited to pizzas only … also check out their spaghetti … my favorite is the angel hair. Specifically … Angel Hair Gamberoni. Huge prawns …. basil … and napolitana sauce. Drooling yet?

Details
Address: G18, Ground Floor, Bangsar Village 1, 1 Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03-2287 2933 | Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (daily)
Budget: RM15 to RM40 | Cuisine: Mediterranean | Pork-Free: Yes
Credit Card: Yes | Smoking: No

SohoKL. Solaris Mont Kiara. This place goes by many names. But one thing is for sure. This area sure has a good collection of eateries. From Japanese to Hong Kong, and western to Balinese and of course locals too. It’s practically a foodie’s haven !

Recently I was invited by a friend to check out one of the joints in Solaris, Asian Terrace. Asian Terrace serves authentic Thai and Vietnamese Cuisine with a semi-open concept surrounded with water features and greenery … in other words, Balinese style lah.

Asian Terrace is famous for its homemade Mieng Kam which is a little similar to our “popiah” except, you wrap it with a leaf. Most of the condiments are spicy in nature so if you are up for it, got for maximum toppings! Then there’s also the Crispy Catfish Mango Salad which is deliciously appetizing especially if you’re on for crispy crunchy bites. Of course tomyam is a must in an Thai restaurant. There’s quite a few choice to select from …. there’s the Traditional Thai Thick Tom Yam and also the Sour Chicken and Coconut Soup (that’s right, Coconut soup!).

The other stuffs on the menu are Green Curry Chicken, Grilled Tenderloin Beef with Homemade Sauce, Steamed Sea Bass with Soy Bean Sauce, Deep Fried River Prawn topped with Thai Spicy Mousse and Pineapple Fried Rice and many more. Spoilt for choices eh?

Anyway, someone wise once said …. picture says a thousand words so as usual, I let the photographs do the talking. These are my dinner…… and if you think this is a lot, no it isn’t. A pinch of this and a nibble of that, you end up with a whole load. Next is diet time !

I still remember meeting fellow foodies such as A Whiff of Lemongrass, Masak-Masak, Kampungboycitygirl, Tankiasu, Teckiee, WMW …. among others. There were many others which if I list them down, would take many pages to complete. I enjoy the company of fellow foodies simply because we speak the same lingo.

FOOD.

I mean, what more could a foodie ask for? There food. There’s company. And then there’s more food. And that is why I’ve decided to organize group-makan sessions again. The most recent one was held at Tasty Pot Restaurant, in Sunway Mentari.

Did you know that Sunway Mentari is well-known for the abundance of steamboat restaurants? At the time of this post, there are at least 5 other steamboat restaurants that I know of within this area. Last I heard, there will be another 3 or more opening soon. Good for foodies like me, I thought. So much choices, so little stomach space! But when I posted this question to Wenny, restaurant owner of Tasty Pot .. here’s what she said.

“Our restaurant has several unique elements to encourage customer coming back for more i.e. a good variety of soup flavors such as Soya Bean Soup which is their specialty. There’s also Soya Bean Curry Soup which is the 1st in Malaysia, Porridge, Chinese Herbal, Thai Tomyam and also Chong Qing Spicy Soup. Besides soup variety, we are also the first to serve barbecue dishes such as seafood and also lamb. On weekdays, serve a whole lamb while on weekends, two. You can check out our lamb being barbecued at the side of our shop.”

I did check out the whole lamb being barbecued … let’s just say I prefer to eat than look. I mean, I took a photo of it … but I guess my photography skills on dead animals isn’t exactly good yet. I must say the food variety spread is awesome. Here are just some of the food choices for you to dig in.

The choice of food seems endless … with more than 100 different types to choose from. Gosh, I think we were spoil for choices. Food aside, it’s good to catch up with some fellow foodies. Some I’ve know for years … such as BigBoysOven while I’m glad to meet new ones like Simon Seow, Nomad Gourmand (who turns out to be an old friend too, never knew she blogs!!!) and FoodPoi.

I believe it was a good session as I already have foodies asking if they could come back again for 2nd session. Soon, I hope. You should check them out too …

Address
No. 9, Jalan PJS 8/18, Dataran Mentari, Bandar Sunway
46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel/Fax : 03-5630.1282
Website : www.tastypot.com.my

Click HERE for map to Tasty Pot

Operating Hours : Daily from 12:00pm to 1:00am

I am writing about Plaza Mont Kiara again. Yup … after hanging here for more than 3 months (I rented an office lot in block B), I just discovered that there are more food eateries here that I don’t know about. So I decided to explore the surrounding area in Plaza Mont Kiara and this is what I found.

With that many restaurants near my workplace, I am going to have a good time visiting them one-by-one. And did I also mention that there’s a Fiesta Nite Market on Thursdays from 6pm – 10pm. You can find all sorts of food ranging from Nasi Rendang to Sushi. There’s also a Sunday ABC market that sells anything and everything, including FOOD too.

Anyway, back to my main topic … Clear Restaurant & Bistro, which is located on the ground floor of Plaza Mont Kiara … right next to Starbucks on block B. If you like chilling out with your colleagues after work, then you’ll like this place. Located right next to a fountain, it’s the perfect spot to have a drink and chat on a slow evening, while watching people walking by … busy with their stuffs.

Very relaxing.

Well, at least that’s what I like to do … especially when I have no choice but to have lunch, alone. They serve a pretty simple menu with a handful of choices, mostly western. Anyway, this is what I would typically order for lunch.

I usually begin with a starter, in this case .. Curry Samosa. Something light to chew on as I read my papers. (yes, yes .. bad habit. I like to read while I eat ESPECIALLY when I am alone).

Then I would proceed with the main course, nothing too complicated … Pan Seared Chicken Breast with mash and black pepper sauce. I love this dish, the chicken is tender and the taste, mixes very nicely with the sauce.

Once I am done, I’ll finish it off with a dash of ice cream, complimentary from the chef. Yeah, right … not! Actually, I just described one of their set meals which has all of the above mentioned, plus a drink as well.

This is what I can come up with in this article. Haven’t been writing for a while now … so I guess I am having a …. writer’s block ???

Well, if you are interested to check them out, here’s the address. Would I recommend this place to anyone else ….. yup. I would. Nice ambiance and surrounding, decently good food and not too pricey.

Here’s a quote from ExpatKL …

The interior is modern with a trendy slant towards elegance with a main dining area and a full bar. The contemporary menu is an eclectic fusion experience. There is a good selection of salads, appetizers, mains, pastas, pizzas, with an element of surprise in most dishes. Good selection of wines to accompany the food.

Address
B-0G-03 Ground Floor Plaza Mont Kiara,
2 Jln 1/70C Mont Kiara
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Tel : 03-6201 8406