When #porkgang was first initiated, we met each other almost exclusively only over dinners, and there were almost always pork involved. One of our earliest dinner meet was at Ribs@Oasis. This happened late last year, but I had somehow forgotten to process the photos until now.

Better late than never anyway.

Ribs serves a variety of Western food with a strong dosage of swine, just the way we like it. Situated just a couple minutes away from 1-Utama shopping complex, parking spaces aren’t hard to come by. However, getting there can prove to be a bit of a hassle on weekday evenings due to traffic.

Seating areas are mostly indoor, but there are limited tables near the sidewalk for those who prefers alfresco dining.

grilled pork loin chops

Anyway, lets get on with the food.

My eyes were fixated on the grilled pork lion chops (RM 30.50) when I saw it on the menu. It simply says “Chef Lee’s special recipe, served with braised cabbage and tangy apple sauce”

When the pork chop came, it did not disappoint at all. A huge slab of pork with a layer of fat around the edge, grilled to perfection with the fatty layer glistering and the leaner part still juicy, add a bit of that apple sauce, perfecto. I’d order it again on my next trip, no question.

grilled ribs, deep fried pork chunks, pan fried butter fish

Since the name of the restaurant is called Ribs, it goes without saying that we had to give it a try. Kim ordered a big slab of grilled belly Oriental pork ribs (RM 32.90) that came sitting on a generous serving of mash potato. I took a bite, and while it was pretty good, it wans’ t really overly impressive to be honest.

The deep fried pork chunks (RM 12.50) though, was really awesome and would serve as perfect beer food. The taste a little similar to the deep fried “nam yu” pork from Pan Heong at Batu Caves, but slightly more batter and crunchier, it was really good.

One of the ladies ordered the pan fried butter fish (RM 21.90) instead of something porky and gave the dish a huge thumbs up. Good to know Ribs@Oasis knows how to please your friend who wants to maintain her figure.

Eric, Horny, and Gareth ordered the bacon pork & reverse pork burgers

Then there are the pork burgers.

Ribs@Oasis offers quite a few types of pork burgers.  The usual, with bacon, with grilled pineapple, or if you so prefer, the ultimate reverse pork burger too (RM 20-29.90).

The shiny bacon, caramalized pineapple, and that big juicy home made pork patty ought to make any pork burger lover droll like a hungry puppies. Gareth rated this as good as the Cristang’s pork burger but totally different at the same time, with a completely different taste and texture too, but equally agreeable to the taste buds.

banana fritters, ice cream, molten chocolate cake with haagan daaz

Then there’s the desserts. I can never really understand the idea of over stuffing yourself at dinner, and yet still order desserts, but apparently suanie , jaclyn, cheesie, and kim do, and that’s why they ordered desserts.

The ice creams were from Haagan Daaz, and hence they were pretty good. I had a bite of the banana fritters and found it to be too huge, it was not exactly great. The molten chocolate cake though, was quite delicious. Forgot how much they were priced, but I remember them to be pretty reasonable.

founding members of porkgang, and 2 of horng’s lady friends

Ironically, the ribs at Ribs@Oasis might not be the dish to order, but the other pork dishes – especially the pork chop and burgers, does make the place worth a visit or three despite the traffic.

We had wanted to hang out at the place a tad longer, but unfortunately they observe the “normal” closing time by around 10 ish at night. I’d wish they open later and sell more drinks though.

Address:
Ribs@Oasis
2 Tengkat Bandar Utama,
1-1 BU4 Oasis Complex,
Petaling Jaya, SELANGOR 47800‎
GPS: 3.150219, 101.609912
Tel: 03-7729 8921‎

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Now lets look at the comparison on the rates you get during the sales period and some other telco.

Calls within the network as low as 19 and 7.5 sen per minute from 10pm-10am, whereas the cheapest from the other three providers is at 30 sen per minute. For Friends & Family within the same network, calls from the same time period are only 5 and 6 sen per minute, with the other providers pricing it at 15 sen per minute.  Don’t miss out! For more details check out the Big Freekin’ Sale site.

Just in case you forgot, the Free Blackberry Access Weekends work this way:

• Monday to Friday, reload the unlimited BB 250 plan for RM 2.50 per day
• Saturday and Sunday – FREE!

It is that simple.

Tags:  burger,  cheesie,  eric,  gareth,  horng,  jaclyn,  kimberly,  pork,  pork chop,  ribs,  suanie

Posted by KY | 27 Comments »

I am one of those people who loves variety when it comes to food. In a typical week, I probably had Malay food, a variety of hawker food, maybe even Japanese, Taiwanese, Italian cuisine. It is very rare that I have the same dish more than once in the same week.

Cristang pork burger P7 (by request, not on menu)

But once in a while, a particularly dish come along that is so awesome I just had to have it twice in a row. The latest of such phenomenon come in the form of a very unique pork burger from Cristang Restaurant.

The first time I had it was on Wednesday, I went there again for the same dish on the very next night for dinner, and there is no doubt I would go to Cristang again many times more.

mushroom soup and bacon ribs curry (non spicy)

Cristang Restaurant is located at 8 Avenue in PJ State, a stone throw away across the big Police Station that handles all sorts of traffic accidents in PJ. 8 Avenue itself is a relatively new shop lots that has paid parking much like the concept of Plaza Damas.

The good: there’s always parking spaces

The bad: you have to pay around RM 2 for the spot

pork burger P7, Weihenstephaner beer, pork burger P5

At Cristang, their specialty is pork, and oh, they do serve beer, including the 3 types of Weihenstephaner.

The menu is actually rather extensive, you can find pasta, fried rice with bacon & Chinese sausage, pork bacon soup, pork noodle soup, Portugese laksa, and even Bak Kut Teh noodle.

KY, Terence, and Gareth gobbling down our pork burgers

Then there are the 6 different types of pork burger code name P1 to P6.

Every type of burger comes with their specialty pork patty made fresh and grilled when order. The differences are:

• P1: pork patty (RM 16.80)
• P2: P1 + back bacon (RM 19.80)
• P3: P2 + minced pork chili con carne (RM 23.80)
• P4: P3 + petai stuffed in patty (RM 25.90)
• P5: P4 + grilled cajun prawns (RM 28.80)
• P6: P5 + grilled fresh cut pineapples (RM 30.80)

Missing from the menu is P7, by special request, is basically a P4 plus melted cheese. This was the burger I ate twice in 2 days.

kerol, kim, jeff, shiang, cheesie, and jaclyn

To say the burger is unique is probably an understatement, it is a creation of art, something so ridiculously out of this world I am suspecting the chef probably has a very weird sense of imagination.

Who would have thought a little bit of diced petai in pork chili con carne (something similar to pork sambal at 6-10 nasi lemak , except actually better) with melted cheese, bacon, and that oh-so-juicy pork patty and buns could result in a burger that tastes so good?

My favorite animal meat in three different textures and three different tastes, with that fresh yet slightly pungent smell of petai, then there’s the cheese, the onion, tomato, and pickle. It’s just so goooood!

Did I mention that the wedges accompanying the burger is one of the best I’ve tasted from anywhere too? There’s a hint of rosemary to the potato, a mark that the chef doesn’t prepare the wedges just for the sake of serving the burger with some potato.

Well, other than the burger I’ve tasted the mushroom soup and the bacon ribs curry, they are good too, but I’m not sure when I’ll order other dishes and forgo my stomach space for P7 yet. We shall see.

Address:
Cristang Restaurant
Unit B-G-19
8 Avenue
Jalan Jernih (8/1)
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.09985, 101.640208
Tel: 03-7956 7877

Tags:  burger,  cheesie,  gareth,  jaclyn,  jeff,  kerol,  kimberly,  pork,  shiang,  terence

Posted by KY | 42 Comments »

I gotta admit that I didn’t know about KFC having breakfast menu prior to this advertorial engagement. Needless to say I was actually quite curious about it as KFC has always been one of my favorite fast food chains. In fact, I believe KFC was the first air conditioned restaurant I’ve dined in outside of any wedding dinners attended as a little boy.

This article is supposed to talk about the KFC Happy Morning contest, but since this is primarily a food blog, lets do a food review first!

KFC, that’s where I want to be!

So I went to one of the biggest KFC outlets in town, the 350th restaurant at Jalan Universiti one quiet morning to try it out. At 24-hr outlet like this one, breakfast menu runs from 4am to 11am, others are 8-11am. Check the full list of KFC outlets serving the breakfast menu here.

Since I was out on a mission to do a taste test, I ordered up quite a feast. A sausage platter, a.m. twister, a.m. riser (burger), nasi lemak, chicken porridge, and an orange juice for good measure. When I said “eating here”, it was safe to say that the cashier lady was in a bit of a shock.

sausage platter, a.m. Riser, a.m. twister

The sausage platter came with two chicken sausages, the bun that also comes with any KFC snack plate, hash brown, and scrambled egg. Though presentation was not exactly gourmet, the sausages actually tasted pretty good. I suspect they are from the same good quality Ayamas sausages since they are under the same roof. I like the scrambled egg too.

A.m. Riser is a breakfast size burger with a original recipe chicken patty on top of scrambled egg sandwiched in between the sesame seed buns. The taste is pretty close to colonel burger, but with the extra flavor of scrambled egg.

A.m. Twister is a pita wrap with pieces of original chicken, tomato, and some sauce that tasted similar to mayonnaise/tartar. The tomato makes it kinda refreshing and it was actually better than I had expected.

nasi lemak enak, KFC chicken porridge

The KFC chicken porridge actually tasted pretty good too, I like the fact that it comes with crunchy deep fried anchovies. To me, extra pepper is a must, and I kinda wish they serve this on all hours tho.

Nasi Lemak Enak comes with fragrant rice, half a hard boiled egg, three slices of cucumber, and sambal with anchovies. You can also add a piece of fried chicken for good measure, but since I already ordered so much, I didn’t. The sambal was a little too salty and not spicy enough to my liking, I think this dish is still in need of some refinement.

The full breakfast menu and pricing can be found here.

OK now lets get on to the serious stuff!

There’s a contest in conjunction with KFC Breakfast Meals, and it is a very simple 3 step to participate.

1. take a photo of you or with a group of more than 2 people with any KFC Breakfast Meal(s)
2. Submit your entry on the website or MMS your name, NRIC, and photo to entry@happymornings.com.my
3. Collect points to win. Individual photo – 10 pts, Group photo – 20 points. Collect as many points as possible to win!

Of course, you can submit multiple entries, but make sure they aren’t duplicates of just taken from different angles.

Grand Prize is a cool MacBook Pro, and there are 8 iPhones as weekly prizes!

Check out www.kfc.com.my/happymornings for more info

Tags:  burger,  kfc,  lunch money,  sausage

Posted by KY | 32 Comments »

It all got started when Larry of Frontera sent me an email that titled “Ready for some real Tex-Mex?” a few weeks ago.

Having spent quite a number of years in the States, I was quite eager to give this place a try. It had been a very long time since I had any Mexican food, let alone the more unique Tex-Mex, so Mellissa and paid Larry a visit a couple weekends ago.

Frontera Tex Mex restaurant with owner Larry

Frontera is located at Jaya One, a place that is fast becoming a very trendy watering hole in PJ. There are dozens of eateries offering a wide variety of choices from fast food chains, cafes, Chinese restaurants, pubs, and of course, a Tex-Mex outlet.

Larry greeted us warmly and we took a seat at the bar. The restaurant is decorated in typical sports bar concept that is not very different from the likes of Chili’s. Nothing to shout about, but it was clean and comfortable.

Habanero and Jalapeno peppers, Mexican Oregano

Larry is a man who appears to be very passionate about his food, from the moment we sat down, the Texan went into in depth discussions about the ingredients, recipe, origin, and basically almost everything about the dishes we were served.

Everything here is done according to the way Larry learned from back home, and it all starts out with the ingredients. I had recently noticed that some Cold Storage outlets are carrying jalapeno and habanaro peppers (love the former, didn’t miss the latter), and apparently Frontera is the reason behind it. Larry was the one who initiated the import of the peppers that eventually found its way to the grocer.

chips and salsa, Frontera nachos, Taquitos de Pollo

We got started with chips and salsa (RM 8.95), they used to offer this for free so long as you order drinks, but apparently Malaysian can’t handle free chips and will inadvertently start to abuse it (as in come in, order a beer and have free chips all night long). Despite knowing we will have a lot to eat in the session, we finished the chips anyhow. The salsa was just too good.

Two classic Tex-Mex dishes came next, nachos (RM 22.95) and taquitos de pollo (RM 19.95). The nachos aren’t the typical messy type that you get at cinemas (for example, at Gardens), individual tortilla chip covered with melted cheese and a slice of marinated jalapeno pepper on top with some sour cream, lettuce and tomato at the center. Very authentic and nicely presented.

The taquito de pollo is something that looks like a love letter (pastry) but with the texture that is closer to deep fried spring role. The rolled up tortilla with chicken was very delicious with the spicy homemade jalapeno salsa, I would have eaten more than just one if Larry didn’t keep bringing out other dishes.

BBQ beef ribs, Frontera burger, chili con carne

The BBQ beef ribs priced at RM 49.95 is one of the most expensive dishes you can find at Frontera. I do like the BBQ sauce that goes with it, but ultimately, it is no pork. I personally prefer the pork ribs at Tony Roma’s (in Bangkok) over this. If you’re a beef ribs person, I suppose there would be no complains.

The Frontera burger (RM 15.95) is a great value that beats the Carl’s Jr. equivalent by miles. A good size beef patty with cheese and chili in between the buns that goes so well with mustard for some kicks.

My favorite dishes of the session was the unassuming Chili con carne (RM 8.95, RM 16.95). I lived in the hometown of Skyline Chili at Cincinnati for a year and chili was a taste I had acquired there. The chili here was the best I’ve tasted, there’s no beans, plenty of beef and the flavor of jalapeno, onion, and garlic all mixed together. This would be something I’ll order when I go there again.

new menu item, beef enchiladas, golden chicken fingers

The spring roll look alike dish in the collage above should be ignored, it is an experimental dish that might be part of the new menu that is in works. I can’t remember the name of it but it was something that tasted pretty good (especially with the sauce).

Enchilada is another popular dish at any Tex-Mex restaurants. The beef enchiladas (RM 28.95) we had tasted every bit like how an enchilada should taste like. Rich and flavorful.

And as if we haven’t been wasting too much food, Larry brought out the chicken tenders (RM 16.95) just because I told him I like honey mustard sauce and they are so hard to come by around here. The home made sauce made me want to cry, it was the long lost taste (from the sauce with McD’s nugget in USA) that finally found it’s way back, except 10x better. *slurps*

Don Julio and Patron tequila, margarita, XO cafe coffee liqueur

We were also served margaritas that’s made with premium tequilas including Don Julio and Patron (made with 100% agave plant). They tasted great, and maybe a tad too strong for me. We were also half-forced into taking a shot of Patron XO cafe coffee liqueur. It is a strange mix of strong coffee and tequila taste that somehow worked together very well. Saying that it tastes similar to Kahlua would be unfair, but that is the only description i could come up with.

Frontera Bar and Grill is located at ground floor, Jaya One

We chatted with Larry about a lot of other things too, it was a very enjoyable food review session. I headed back with a stomach that is so full and ended up skipping dinner for the day.

If you’re into authentic Tex-Mex food, give this place a try. After all the Mexican embassy has already made this place one of their favorite restaurants.

Address:
Frontera Bar & Grill
18-G-2, Block L,
Palm Square Jaya One,
No. 72A, Jalan Universiti,
Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.118298, 101.635294
Tel: 03-7958 8515

Tags:  beef ribs,  burger,  jaya one,  mexican food

Posted by KY | 41 Comments »

It is often my mission to taste food that are not available locally whenever I travel to another country, and that usually means eating by the streets and at some of the more dodgy areas the locals frequent.

However, unique perhaps only to Malaysia in this part of the world, there are several big restaurant chains that altered their menu to be Muslim friendly (Tony Romas, Subway), or skip the country entirely. One of such example would be Mos Burger.

Mos Burger – Japanese Fine Burger & Coffee

Mos Burger is the 2nd largest fast food restaurant chain in Japan after the ubiquitous McDonald’s. In addition to the native country, they also operate in Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The major difference between Mos Burger and the usual McD/BK/Wendy’s is the availability of their rather unique rice burger, and of course, the liberal addition of pork in their menu. (which was exactly why I went there in both my Bangkok trips)

KY & Mell waiting for our Mos burgers!

On our 3rd day at Bangkok, we found ourself at the biggest Mall in town, CentralWorld , Mell and I decided to have a go at Mos Burger for lunch.

The menu at Mos is rather big for a fast-food restaurant. There are hotdog, prawn, fish, chicken teriyaki, beef patties, beef teriyaki, unagi, and of course, pork burger (not available in Mos Singapore, sigh)

Naturally, we went for two different pork burgers. I chose the ginger pork rice burger, while Mell ordered the pork cutlet burger set. We paid and then sat down patiently and waited for the burgers to be served.

ginger pork rice burger & pork cutlet burger

The rice burger “buns” and the ginger pork was rather awesome. The feeling was rather like having a ginger pork bento with Japanese rice, but in a convenient burger format. I can eat this kinda things 3 times a week. Mell’s pork cutlet burger was equally impressive as well. Soft buns, generous amount of shredded cabbage, and the delicious pork cutlet with the savory sauce. The lady was well satisfied.

Our sets came with soft drink and a small serving of fries. The fries are slightly thicker than your standard McDonald’s, and less salty too. They’re probably healthier, but I wasn’t too impressed with them. Then again I was never a fan of fries since I the stint with McD over 10 years ago.

some other burgers and dishes from my previous trip

The set meals we ordered were 109 and 129 bath, or roughtly RM 11 and RM 13. A little bit more than BK and McD’s but the quality of burgers more than made up for the prize difference.

If you find yourself at the center of Bangkok, head to CenterWorld and give this a try. There is also a branch at Siam Paragon’s food court level.

Tags:  bangkok,  burger,  fast-food,  mellissa,  mos burger,  Thailand

Posted by KY | 48 Comments »