The last time I wrote an entry about Ming Tien was over a year ago on the Bak Kut Teh and Dumpling. To be frank, I am not a very big fan of this big hawker center despite the fact that is is located within walking distance. I usually go there out of necessity.

I went there with my housemate Rachel a couple weeks ago with Rachel due to laziness to drive for a quick dinner. Not knowing what to order, I took up Rachel’s advice to share a pot of Curry Fish Head.

Curry Fish Head stall at Ming Tien Food Court

Apparently this particular Curry Fish Head stall is pretty new at Ming Tien that escaped my notice the last time I went (months ago).

For the two of us, we ordered a pot of curry fish head with rice.

a big clay pot curry fish head, yums

The fish head came in a clay pot, which is actually pretty nice to keep the warmth in. Other than pieces of fish head and meat, there are long beans, okra, tau pok (deep fried tofu), and brinjal. The broth is santan (coconut milk) based, and I find that it could be slightly spicier. Then again, I am from Penang and we generally like our food to be spicier than native Klang Valley dwellers.

Though the fish itself was just average, overall taste was pretty decent. Not great, but not bad either. For around RM 10 per person, it was actually a pretty good value for money.

Address:
Ming Tien Hawker Center
Jalan SS24/8, Taman Megah,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.114334, 101.611658

Tags:  curry,  fish-head,  food,  food-court,  ming-tien,  Petaling-Jaya

Posted by KY | 20 Comments »

I had a food review at Bruno’s last week, and pinkpau Su Ann was the partner in crime. The appointment was on 8pm, and knowing how well this girl is with punctuality, I had told her to make it 7:30pm, but it didn’t deter her from arriving at my place only 5 minutes before 8 though…

Anyway, lets get back to the topic.

Bruno’s is one of the new Western restaurants that serves non-halal food, a trend that is slowly emerging in the market, following the good receptions of places like Jarrod & Rowlins and Bermuda &Onions. A trend that I particularly welcome! The restaurant actually shares the same owner as Food Foundry (one of the only places that sells Mille Crepe)

classy deco, and Su Ann, the very hot and cute thief of time

The unique thing about Bruno’s is the Iberian pork they serve. The black Iberian pigs are allowed to roam in the oak forest and raised with a diet of grass, herbs, acorns, and roots. A few months before slaughtering, the animal is fed only acorns. As a result, higher level of oleic acid is found in the meat, which is supposed to be a good thing that lowers your bad cholesterol (LDL) while increasing the good HDL.

Now who said eating pork is necessarily a bad thing?

Spanish ham, glorious pork ribs

Our host of the night was none other than the famous Daphne Lee (who hit off with Su Ann in a long and amusing gossip session) of the Drams Project. We started our dinner with a plate of Spanish Ham and Sausage Platter. The meat were slightly salty and tasted something between dried meat (bak kua) and ham, they go very well with some bruschetta in between. A good selection as appetizer, though a taste that needs a bit of acquiring.

Then it was our main dish, the BBQ pork ribs. I’ve had BBQ ribs with beef, but nothing came close to having it original, pork, as it was meant to be. The portion was huge and it came with potato, french beans, and salad. The side dishes were meant to give your taste bud a chance to refresh, alternating between the juicy and meaty ribs and the freshness of vegetable. We finished the entire rack without much trouble at all, it was good. I think next time I should have some beer to go with this.

Zarzuela (soup), dessert, and linguine with prawns

Zarzuela, the name of the soup I probably won’t remember in the next 5 minutes, was very nice. There’s scallops, mussels, clams, squid, and prawns in the clam and tomato broth. Very sumptuous, very delicious, and probably nullified the effect of the whole oleic acid business.

We also ordered the linguine prawn with spicy white wine butter sauce, unfortunately it was a too spiced up and the prawns were a bit overcooked to my liking. Despite the very nice presentation of this dish, it was a disappointment for the night.

the dessert, the girl, and the wine

Dessert was the very sinful Valrhona chocolate lava cake, with this little orange fruit that I absolutely love. The chocolate cake went very well with the white wine we had.

It was a very good dinner, and with the most gossips I’ve heard since forever. I’m sure I’ll see you again somewhere, Daphne!

Jaya 33 is just a couple minutes off Federal Highway

While not cheap, prices at Bruno’s is still fairly reasonable. Entrees are from RM 30+ onwards and you can have gourmet sandwiches or salad for RM20+. Of course, that huge rack of pork ribs costs a bit more than that. They also serve steaks, seafood, paella, and a selection of tapas.

The review session was arranged by foodstreet. More pictures can be found on my flickr set

Address:
PG-01 A, Ground Floor, Jaya 33
Jalan Semangat Section 13
46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.110274, 101.637139
Tel: 03-7960 2663

Tags:  delicious,  iberian,  jaya 33,  Petaling-Jaya,  pinkpau,  pork,  review,  spanish,  su ann

Posted by KY | 36 Comments »

One of my favorite Indian food is the banana leaf rice at Kannan’s. They have one of the better set-ups there is; tables under the shade of trees with fresh air and ample of space of the outdoor. There are tables in the restaurant itself too, if you prefer to get inside or when the weather isn’t cooperating.

this place has both indoor and outdoor tables

For the uninformed, banana leaf rice is served, well, on a sheet of banana leaf instead of plates. Three to four types of vegetables is then served on the leaf, with rice and some papadum. There are usually a few types of curry to choose from, and a few other items to alter the taste, such as dried salted chili padi and chutney.

For the dinner, I ordered a piece of fried chicken and a small plate of deep fried fish egg as compliments to the main dish. The vegetables served were fresh cucumber, cabbage, and okra. There were some fried bitter gourd as well. Fish curry, chicken curry, and dal. Overall it was a very satisfying dinner.

the proper way to eat is by using your fingers

The bill came up to less than RM 20.00 for two pax. The banana leaf rice itself was only RM 4.00 per serving, while the other two dishes and drinks made up the rest of the bill. A pretty fair price considering a single piece of fried chicken at KAYU nasi kandar costs RM 6.00.

Here’s the fun part — did you know that there are certain hidden codes you could do with the banana leaf upon completion of your meal? If the food was good, fold the leaf from top down. If bad, fold the leaf from bottom up. And if you fold one corner of the leaf, you are telling the server to charge everything on you and not to bother your guests.

Kannan Curry house is situated near SS2’s Rothman Roundabout

this entry was originally posted on Monsterblog
a tale of two superheroes posted about this place too.

Address:
Jalan 17/45
Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.119819, 101.629887

Tags:  banana leaf,  indian,  outdoor,  Petaling-Jaya,  PJ

Posted by KY | 11 Comments »

Following our sumptuous dinner at Lucky Loke with the garlic fish and asam prawn, we decided to head for some dessert that we deserved, especially since Kim wasn’t with us. We decided to head to Food Foundry at Seksyen 17 for some Mille Crepe.

how do you resist something like this?

For the uninitiated, Mille Crepe is a French dessert, basically made by many layers of very thin cooked pancake. There are some custards and other flavorings in between the layers, usually presented in slices, kinda like Cheesecake. Mille literally means a thousand, but in this case, there were 20 layers of crepe that made up this dessert.

Despite just having had a heavy meal, we ordered 3 pieces of this wholesome stuff, Vanilla, Chocolate Orange, and Strawberry & Cream.

this one’s for you, Kim.

Of the three flavors, my favorite was plain old Vanilla, the texture of 20 layers of crepe with the taste of fresh custard and the vanilla flavor, very luxurious. It’s easily one of the best desserts I’ve ever had, and put Cheesecakes on a completely different scale altogether. With Mille Crepe, you don’t get the annoying “stick to the roof of your mouth” feeling as you would with the latter. The Chocolate Orange was very good too, as with the Strawberry & Cream flavors, but I thought they could have slightly stronger Strawberry taste to it though. We finished everything rather quickly while almost bursting our guts in the process.

The dessert costs RM8 to RM9 per piece, but it was seriously good and any dessert lovers should not call themselves dessert lovers if they haven’t give this a try. It was a pity Kim had to miss it.

Food Foundry is located at Seksyen 17

This restaurant is located at the same block as 6 to 10 grill, other than Mille Crepe, they serve some western style as well as local cuisine and desserts.

Address:
BG-8 Happy Mansion,
Jalan 17/13, 46300
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.123520, 101.634870
Tel: 03-7955 3885

Tags:  dessert,  food-foundry,  french-food,  gareth,  kelvin,  mille-crepe,  Petaling-Jaya,  PJ

Posted by KY | 22 Comments »

I have drove past Restaurant Hoppy with the recognizable giant roast duck “statue” at SS2 many times, but for various reasons (eg: several of the noobs do not eat duck), I have never had a chance to try it until last weekend. This is despite the fact that I actually do love to eat duck, as evident from postings on Fatty Duck, Sunrise, Loong Foong, and the PJ State Loh Ngap.

herbal roast duck, tofu, and steamed soup

For the two of us, I ordered a bottom quarter (thighs and drumstick portion) Tang Gui (当归) roast duck, a tofu dish, and a steamed soup. The other types of herbal roast duck includes Ginseng (泡参) and Shin Chuan (十全) style. I know Tang Gui is supposed to be a female’s herb, but that’s the only type left when I was there, so be it.

To be fair, the skin of their roast duck, while very good, is not as crispy as Loong Foong. However, the unique herbal taste more than make up for this short coming. The duck meat actually tastes strongly of the herbs, and the gravy was very strong too. I must say that this is not for those who dislike the Chinese medicinal herb tastes, but I absolutely love it. The tofu and soup, while not exceptional, were pretty decent as well.

no frill but comfortable set up

The meal for two came to around RM 25 for two. That is including the 5% government tax and the curious 2% service charge. This is still very good value for the rather unique roast duck and some pretty good side dishes. The restaurant also offers other dishes commonly found in many Chinese restaurants, such as seafood, vegetables, poultry dishes, and so forth. You can actually bring friends who aren’t into eating ducks there.

Restaurant Hoppy is situated at SS2

This restaurant, is in fact, not the only branch. There are branches of Restaurant Hoppy in PJS 8/5, Sunway, and Jalan Desa 2/1 at Kepong.

Address:
Restaurant Hoppy (SS2 Sdn Bhd)
40, Jalan SS2/66,
47300 Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.119471, 101.620429
Tel: 03-7877 9729

Tags:  chinese-food,  herbal,  Petaling-Jaya,  roast-duck,  SS2 SS3 SS4,  tofu

Posted by KY | 8 Comments »