While the breath of Japanese cuisine kept advancing in Malaysia, there’s a segment of this food that alienate majority of the population here in Malaysia. See, you can find sushi, sashimi, and yakotiri that are suitable for most everyone to consume for the most part, but when it comes to proper Japanese ramen, the pork free or halal version proved to be a bit of a challenge to locate.
Kogura Chicken Ramen, Lot 10
The good news is, we now have Kagura at J’s Gate Dining in Isetan KL.
Kagura Chicken Ramen is hailed from Tokyo with the name of Seimenka Kaguraya, and even back in Tokyo, the recipe has always been pork-free and lard-free. Rare but still pretty popular at the same time.
There’s a selection of different soup base and ingredients, ranging from RM 12.88+ to a maximum of RM 22.88+. When it comes to proper Japanese ramen at these type of set up, I’d say they’re very competitively priced.
While the base is chicken, there’s a choice of shoyu, miso, and “rich” soup. They also serve gyoza, fried rice, and a limited choice of tempura (menu below)
Kagura Chicken Ramen
So how do they taste like?
We tried the “rich” and shoyu ramen together with their dumplings, and I gotta say that the soup base rivals the pork based ramen, with a slightly less greasy note. They also did a good job with the chicken base chasiu, but I do feel that the texture of pork chasiu is still superior. Overall though, this is a more than decent version of ramen that certainly did not make me regret having it for sure.
The dumpling though was sort of average, I guess perhaps it’s the lack of fatty bits that failed to bring it to my expectation.
fancy some dumpling to go with your ramen?
Skip the dumpling unless you are way too hungry, otherwise, this ramen is fit for anyone who loves ramen, even if you’re not specifically avoiding pork for whatever reason.
When it comes to food that represent Malaysia around different embassies all over the world, satay is probably right on top of the list. Not only it is delicious, these meat on stick is also portable, easy to store, simple to cook, and super convenient to eat.
Satay Sri Melaka, Lembah Keramat
For most of us, satay usually means chunks of chicken or beef served on skewer that’s not unlike Japanese yakitori, but if you spend some time looking around, there are other varieties available that may surprise some of us – and for those who likes it a little different, take a look at Satay Melaka.
Satay Sri Melaka is located at Lembah Keramat, some 20 mins away from KLCC, closer to Zoo Negara area (makes for a great after-zoo early dinner spot if you ask me). This is a “lesser developed” area of KL, parking is a breeze, and prices aren’t overwhelming.
plenty of peanut sauce with sambal to go around
The selection of satay here should satisfy even the most picky of eaters, there’s beef, chicken, mutton, as well as various different innards – chicken heart, liver, gizzards, and even beef tripe.
I thought the chicken was perhaps a bit dry (would be great to have some chicken skin), but those innards were really lovely, with beef tripe being my favorite. For chicken satay my favorite would be Satay Ampang.
The peanut sauce and sambal was quite top notch and adds to the overall flavor in ways that every satay place should. Spicy, flavorful, and with just enough spice.
meat, chicken, liver, stomach, they’ve got it all
If satay is what you long for, this is a worthy place to check out for sure.
Address: Satay Sri Melaka 74, 64, Jalan AU 4/6, 54200 Kuala Lumpur, Selangor GPS: 3.201103, 101.756342 Tel:011-1157 7115 Hours: 4pm to midnight
When I first received the invitation for Gin Rik Sha, I must admit that from the name itself I’d have never guessed what this place is all about.
Gin Rik Sha, Plaza Damansara
Well, as briefed to us, the name Gin Rik Sha actually derived from the “pulled rickshaw” in Japanese, which does not really explain what they serve here and how it is all related, but it is definitely a fun quirky name that I’ll remember.
a drink after a long day’s work
As it turned out, this restaurant at Plaza Damansara specialized in something that isn’t very common around Klang Valley – modern Indian cuisine with a bit of fusion touch, as well as a fully equipped bar serving wine, whisky, spirits, and even cocktails.
how do you like your cocktails?
Started the evening with cocktail, I wanted something sour and was recommended to go with Amma’s Potion made with gin, coriander leaf, lime juice, and cucumber syrup, a good refreshing start to the evening.
My second was Whisky Cha, a play of whisky, masala herbs, and sour which was a tad more sophisticated compared to the refreshing note of the first.
If you’re not a cocktail person, there’s plenty of other drinks to choose from, alcoholic or otherwise (see menu below)
chili chicken is great as bar snack
If you like something with a bit of a kick to start, Chili Chicken certainly fits the bill. This is Gin Rik Sha’s interpretation to the classic popcorn chicken but one that is quite high on the spicy meter. Juicy inside, crispy out while being spicy and aromatic, I love it, a perfect bar snack to go with beer, or cocktail in this case.
kerala shrimp, wrap it up
Kerala shrimp is a classic Indian dish of spicy tamarind flavored shrimp with roasted coconut, and in this case served with toasted chapati instead of rice, which turned out to be quite a good combination. The sauce carried a kick and complimented the seafood well without being overpowering.
banana leaf baked sea bass
If you like fish, check out the Banana Leaf Baked Sea Bass – banana leaf wrapped with fresh aromatic sea bass and basmathi rice and served with brinjal sambal.
This dish is certainly a full meal, love the long grain rice and I wish there’s more brinjal sambal to go with! The fish was prepared properly and not overcooked, a good execution in this case. If this could be tapao as lunch I’d be a happy man.
Other interesting dishes on the menu includes spiced cauliflower rice, vegetable lasagna, chicken briyani, and even rack of lamb. There’s a good variety of modern and traditional classic to choose from.
hello Sammi! kulfi with caramelized bananas, carrot halwa filo pastry samosa
In the dessert department, their menu isn’t exactly very comprehensive. We did try the Kulfi with Caramelized Bananas and Carrot Halwa Filo Pastry Samosa with Black Pepper Ice Cream as the sweet endings to the night. I enjoyed the samosa and pepper ice cream, and thought the kulfi was perhaps ordinary and not having a lot to write home about.
Overall this was certainly an interesting visit, a place fit for after-work wind down or a proper meal with friends. The menu and combination is bolder than most, and I for one welcome more innovations in culinary offerings in KL.
Address: Gin Rik Sha 37, Ground Floor, Plaza Damansara, Jalan Medan Setia 1, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur GPS: 3.150079, 101.652613 Tel: 010-243 8266
One of the cool things about being slightly known for food is that I get a lot of recommendations to check out food outlets others find delicious, Ivy Sekinchan is one such places introduced by one of my futsal friends who are well aware of my love for fish noodle (particularly how often I ended up at B & Best)
Ivy Sekinchan fish noodle, Taman Bukit Anggerik
Ivy Sekinchan is located at Cheras, or more specifically, Taman Bukit Anggerik. This is quite a “remote” part of Cheras that doesn’t draw much crowd from people who does not stay within the postcode. The good thing about these sort of places is that you do get a stress-free parking situation, I guess…
While B & Best, or indeed Fatt Kee in Kota Kinabalu has quite a big menu, the offering at Ivy Sekinchan is a simple one-page affair. You get to choose from several types of fish ball noodle (in curry, dry, soup), grouper, dragon grouper, or giant garupa fish noodle, and fish head too (menu at bottom).
dragon garupa fish noodle soup
I had myself a bowl of dragon garupa with kuih teow (RM 22). The portion of fresh fish was quite generous, and was actually rather fresh and delicious. The soup base was quite strong tasting, if a little too salty. Cilantro, spring onion, tomato, and some fried shallots make up the rest of the ingredients.
A more than competent bowl of fish noodle for sure, but I’d like them to tone down the salt next time if that’s possible (or perhaps have it with dry noodle)
Hakka noodle if fish isn’t your thing
If fish noodle isn’t your thing, apparently the Hakka noodle here is worthy of a meal as well. Instead of wantan they have fish ball soup on the side, but you do still get the typical shredded pork on dry noodle as with any hakka noodle places (like the one at Pudu).
For those who’re into Ipoh food, Nam Heong is surely a name that’s familiar.
Over the years, they’ve been expanding and bringing some of the most popular dishes from the city of Ipoh and spread it all around Klang Valley and more, good for us who loves a good meal of authentic dish from the area while enjoying the comfort of air conditioned dining area and all that convenience that comes with it.
challenge yourself to these games at Nam Heong Roadshow
A couple weeks ago, along with others, I was invited to their roadshow at IOI City Mall to check out what it is all about. They’re running the road show across different outlets happening now until mid November, 2019. Check graphic below for dates.
But first, during this period, do use MLINGKY discount code to get 10% off when you dine in during roadshow dates.
I was pretty good at the shooting game
So, what about the roadshow and what do you do there?
Well, for one, you get to meet the mascot – Madam Ling 玲姐. You’re right, I did not know they had a mascot before meeting her, but Madam Ling is pretty cute. 😀
More importantly, you get to win prizes after you’ve enjoy your good old fashion Ipoh dishes at Nam Heong by playing the different games they have:
Clawing machine 1- eligible for Grand Prizes
Clawing machine 2- eligible for Nam Heong merchandises
Throw the ball into cup – Nam Heong Signature Menu and Retail Items
Shoot the gun – Nam Heong Signature Menu and Retail Items
Some of the dishes we sampled at Nam Heong
The prizes are super attractive too:
ITEM
DETAILS
Beats
Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones – The Beats Skyline Collection – Midnight Black
XiaoMI
Xiaomi Folding Electric Bicycle
Macwheel
Macwheel 36V 10.4AH Electric Foldable Bicycle Bike
Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) Bluetooth
SM-R800NZSAXME
G-Shock
Casio G-Shock 35th Anniversary BIG BANG BLACK GA-735A-1AJR Limited Edition (JAPAN SET)
So if you haven’t try Nam Heong yet, it’ll be a good opportunity to do so during one of their roadshow dates and win yourself some merchandise, or who knows, you may walk away with one of those big prizes!
Madam Ling Roadshow dates across all locations
When you do so, don’t forget to use the MLINGKY discount code for 10% off!
