KY eats – My Honeymoon Desserts

A couple weeks ago I was invited to a pretty sweet offering – a food tasting session at My Honeymoon desserts at Kota Damansara.

Now desserts is often favored by female more than guys, and I think there’s a very good reason to it. DESSERTS is spelled exactly backwards of STRESSED,and are usually chilled, hence the XX portion of humankind are often the more chillax of the two.

We shall learn.

My Honeymoon Desserts

The story is, the owners of My Honeymoon went to Hong Kong for their, well, honeymoon and fell in love with the desserts during their the visit. The cravings started to mount when they’re back home, and hence the restaurant was born. Long version of the story here.

Mix Fruits Lo, Mango Special Lo

There were 11 of us at this review session, and 10 of them happened to be female, just like I mentioned earlier right?

We had quite a lot of different desserts over the night, in fact, it was the most desserts I had in one seating, and here I shall attempt to categorize them slightly:

The Lo down:

• Mix Fruit Lo – honeydew, mango, watermelon, and more in this mixture of goodness, best of those who can’t decide
• Mango Special Lo – the mango at My Honeymoon desserts is imported from Philippines, you can be sure of the quality. I’ve always love the mango from Philippines, even the dried version, but this one’s just superb!

Mango Cream with Sago & Pamelo, Durian & Mango Pancakes

The pancakes:

• Durian pancake – this is one of the must-haves at My Honeymoon Desserts if you’re a durian lover, but a must-avoid if you can’t stand durian for this is the real deal, plenty of King of fruits with all it’s glory… and smell.
• Mango pancake – yep, it’s the mango again, mango and cream doesn’t work that well for me, but some swear by it.

assorted summer special, tofu magic snow ice
sweet memory, colorful granulated ice

Sweet and creamy delights:

• Mango cream with sago & pamelo – the sweetness of mango & sago in contrast with the explosion of citrus when you bite into pamelo sacks, very interesting
• Sweet Memory – Durian and beans, the name is perfect for durian lovers!

Shaved ice, new age ice kacang?:

• Assorted Summer Special – almost like a shaved ice version of mix fruit lo, best for those who can’t decide
• Tofu magic snow ice - the healthy choice, I like the big red beans and the tofu was a bit unexpected but in a good way
• Mango snow ice – mango, shaved ice, pearl, do I need to say more?

special baked rice cake, Rachel presenting the mellow fellow pastry

Pastry items:

• Special baked rice cake – I felt that this one could be a little sweeter, essentially a baked  ”nian gao” (chinese sticky rice cake), not oily like the fried type
• Mellow Fellow Pastry – topped with a scoop of chocolate ice cream, the crispy pastry with it’s filling were truly awesome, a perfect blend of sweet,s lightly salty and the right amount of savory tastes.

hello, chocolate sweet ball with crushed peanuts,
sweet ball coated with crushed peanuts, mango special maruko

Pearly goodies:

• Hello – a mixture of tofu, pearl, cincau, and mango base. The pearls are big and juicy, I like them. Could probably use a better name though
• Mango Special Maruko – more pearls and mango, if you love them equally, this is a good choice

We’ve got balls too:

• Chocolate sweet balls with crushed peanuts – half a dozen ping pong ball sized tong yuen with black sesame fillings served with crushed nuts and chocolate sauce, addictive
• Sweet balls coated with crushed peanuts – same as above for those who doesn’t like chocolate sauce

7 up mint syrup with sago-blue, mango magic snow ice,
mango glutinous roll, mango pudding

Other desserts I couldn’t categorize:

• Colorful granulated rice - I think this is a two in one type of deal where you get to have fruits and glutinous rice at the same time, main meal and dessert in one go, pretty good!
• Mango pudding – yet another mango dessert, this one without any ice, done rather well, and the paler color shows that there’s no artificial coloring involved
• Mango glutinous roll – the shredded coconut in this dish brings out the sweetness of mango even more

Yuenny, Mimi, CitiGal, Haze, Rachel & Karen, Fresh, Jackqie

Scarily, the desserts you see here is but 1/4 to 1/3 of what is available at this outlet, so there’s plenty of choices to fit every type of taste. Most desserts here are priced below RM 10 and come in pretty good size portion, better deal than having just a cup of coffee at many places, and a cheaper too.

Ultimately, the desserts were made even better with the company I was with, the lovely girls from Nuffnang made this possible and it was a blast!

Address:
My Honeymoon Desserts
No. 22, PJU 5/10,. Kota Damansara,
47810. Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.151556, 101.593044
Tel: 03-6150 3325

By the way, first FIVE commenter who state Karen’s last name correctly gets free RM 20 voucher! (you’re not qualified if u work for nuffnang hehehe)

KY eats – Char Kueh Kak & Tofu Bakar at Jalan Sayur

I’ve pretty much totally forgotten about this place until horng tweeted about it several days ago. Dug through the photo album uploaded from my old phone, and viola! There are materials which I had failed to share from the awesome roadside hawker centre at Jalan Sayur.

So this post is brought to you by the procrastinator in me, enjoy!

tofu bakar at Jalan Sayur night food court

I’ve written about the pork intestine porridge and chee cheong fun at this place, but here few more things you should definitely check out if you ever find yourself at the vicinity.

First off is the tofu bakar & prawn fritters by this aunty in red t-shirt (aunty not always in red t-shirt, however). The sauce is home made and very different from anything I’ve ever had. A strong hint of belacan + prawn paste in it, and definitely come with a kick.

Can’t remember the price, but not more than a few ringgit per plate. She also offers grilled cuttle fish, but those things can be pricey.

one of the better char kueh kak (fried radish cake) in town

The tweet from Horng though, was the char kueh kak, or Penang style fried radish that comes with egg, bean sprout, and a bit of finely chopped salted vegetable (choi pou).

You can often find char kueh kak stalls at various pasar malam, but most of the time the quality is a bit of a suspect. This was why I had only written about one other char kueh kak place in Penang on this blog. The version sold here is as good as any decent one  you can find on the island, plenty of “wok hei”, flavorful, and satisfying for the char kueh kak fan in me.

pork noodle, fish noodle, Horng, KY, Rachel, Kerol, Shiang

During the same session, others had pork ball noodles and fish noodle from another stall that turned out pretty good too. There is still one other stall selling fried chicken that I have yet to try at Jalan Sayur hawker centre (always a super long queue), so perhaps next trip!

Address:
Hawker center at Jalan Sayur
off Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.135208, 101.713051

Awesome Tau Eu Bak & Prawn Mee at Champs Bistro, BU Centrepoint

BU Centrepoint is one of our favorite places to meet up, partly due to the free parking after office hours and weekends, and mostly due to the dictatorial behavior by Suanie, who stays close enough she could get there on foot if she wants to.

On the very first day of the year, we started off with a great get-together brunch at Champs in BU Centrepoint. (and went to Hulu Langat Thai Fish Farm for dinner on the very same day too)

pork: checked, beer: checked, alfresco: checked, hot waitress: checked

Located on the first floor of the older section of Centrepoint, Champs had been around for quite a long time. The menu at this restaurant ranges from the popular local hawker foods such as hokkien mee and pork noodle to slightly more westernized dishes like spring chicken and fried calamari.

It is quite unique, you don’t get too many bistros with LCD TVs, air conditioned, while serving beer and soya sauce pork at the same time. (Incidentally, Bernard’s Bistro located at downstairs is more of the same, owners are related)

the very sinful tau eu bak (soya sauce pork)

Almost without fail, every time I go to Champs, I order the tau eu bak (soya sauce pork). This is the quintessential traditional Hokkien dish that my mom used to cook on special occasions back in Penang, and I’ve always loved it to the max. Thank goodness I’ve been able to find a good bowl of tau eu bak here at Champs (another place would be Poeny Garden in Kota Damansara).

The two most important thing on a bowl of good tau eu bak are the texture of the pork, and the sambal belacan. Champs got both of these right, the pork very tender and had the right amount of fat vs lean meat ratio; the sambal belacan was just the classic red chili + belacan + lime mixture, I really love the sambal.

the signature Prawn Mee (hokkien mee) at Champs

For most people, Champs is synonymous with their Prawn mee (or Hokkien mee if you’re from Northern Malaysia). Though the price seems quite a bit steeper than those you get from hawker centers, they are quite a big difference in the bowl.

Crispy shallots, kang kung, generous amount of pork, bean sprouts, and that super huge prawn soaked in a soup base that is as good as you can get from anywhere. Of course, the ambiance at Champs beat pretty much any kopitiam too.

fire pork balls, calamari fritters, spring chicken, crispy pork belly

There’s also quite a good selection of finger foods at Champs that goes especially well with beer. Fire pork balls and crispy pork belly are quite essential if you are swine lovers, and though they aren’t exactly easy on the wallet, they certainly tasted very good. However, I thought the spicy calamari fritters were just ordinary, it’s probably not something I would order again.

While the group basically ordered either tau eu bak or the prawn mee, kerol got herself the spring chicken. To our collective amazement, it was the WHOLE chicken! It must have been a long spring season too as the bird didn’t exactly look very small. She did say that the chicken was good, just too big a portion though.

Kim, Horng, Suan, Kerol, KY, Gareth, Jac, Eric, Terence, Rachel

Other than the dishes we ordered, Champs is also quite well known for their Hokkien Mee, Char Kueh Teow, pork noodle, and other local delights prepared with high quality ingredients.

It was a very satisfying lunch session that lasted more than a couple hours at the end. Even though it is not exactly cheap to dine here, Champs will remain one of those places that I visit every once in a while.

Address:
Champs Bistro
Lot F10, 1st Floor, Centrepoint,
Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.137988, 101.610124
Tel: 03-7722 5800

Bak Kut Teh at Sun Fatt Kee, Seapark

It seems like it’s been quite a few weeks since my last post on a bak kut teh place, this cannot be be happening!

So today, let me introduce this little bak kut teh place at Seapark that I have visited since a few years ago. Tucked within Sun Fatt Kee kopitiam and somehow overshadowed by the busy mamak that is famous for its nasi lemak at night, this bkt stall isn’t flashy nor it is particularly busy.

wholesome bak kut teh, and i love their vegetable

Bak kut teh here is served in a clay pot, with teow chew style soup that is pretty flavorful. Ingredients are as per standard bkt places, lean meat, fat laden meat, knuckle, intestine, tripes, ribs, tofu skin, mushroom, and vegetable – if you asks for everything, my default choice usually.

I particularly like the “oily vegetable” they serve here, it is laden with a lot of fried garlic and oyster sauce, which makes it quite flavorful and not merely a dish with its sole purpose of making us feeling less guilty of having only meat.

everyone had bak kut teh except dree, who ordered nasi lemak (halal bah!)

Although this isn’t the best bak kut teh I’ve had (i’d say it is above average though); the very old school ambiance, friendly service, and convenience its location (close to where I stay) more than make up for it. The price is in line with most other bak kut teh places at around RM 10 ish per person.

The bak kut teh stall only opens for dinner, in the afternoon, the same kopitiam has a pretty good teow chew porridge stall.

Address:
Jalan 21/11b,
46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.109920, 101.622301

New Paris Restaurant at SS2, that’s what I called Fast Food

When we think of fast food, what comes to mind would usually be the big American chains. Burgers, fried chicken, and maybe even of porridge and sandwiches are usually to be expected.

However, one of the truly fastest dinner you can get is at a Chinese tai chow style eatery located at SS2 by the name of New Paris Restaurant.

KY, Rachel, Horng, Kimberly, and Kerol at New Paris restaurant

New Paris had a humble beginning, many years ago this was an operation with tables and chairs sprawling under a tree. Today, the restaurant has grown to occupy three shop lots and three floors.

The ambiance might have changed, but the one thing that stays true is the speed of service.

Business is often pretty brisk despite the size of the restaurant. Once customers leave a table, the workers will simply detached a layer of plastic table cloths together with all the plates, and new diners can take their seats within about 10 seconds.

pork knuckle, spinach, Guinness pork ribs, four types of beans

Here’s the blow by blow account of our dinner at New Paris, time stamp gathered from JPEG EXIF data.

8:22 p.m. – we were ordering our final dish.

8:24 p.m. – first dish arrived! The German pork knuckle (RM 38), one of their claim of fame, was crisp on the outside, but juicy and fatty on the inside. Very savory, very sinful.

8:27 p.m. - sautéed spinach with garlic and topped with salted dried “silver fish” (RM 9). Not anything particularly special, but provide balance to the meat dishes we ordered.

8:28 p.m. – Guinness pork ribs (RM 18), one of my favorite new style Chinese dishes. Tender ribs soaked with the goodness of Guinness black beer, providing that hint of bitterness that is so addictive.

8:34 p.m. – spicy squid with long bean (RM 15). A little bit of spicy seafood with the meat and vegetable dishes. This dish was somewhat a disappointment, squid tasted a little stale. I wouldn’t order this again.

9:03 p.m. – paid and left the building

Another famous dish at New Paris is their watermelon chicken w(Huai Bin blogged about it here) which we did not order this time around. Though the food at this place isn’t exactly the best nor they are very special, they are still pretty tasty. Of course, the super fast service makes up for any short falls.

Where else could you have a full Chinese tai chow meal within 45 minutes?

Address:
New Paris Restaurant
No. 62, 64, 66, Jalan SS2/72
47300 Petaling Jaya Selangor
GPS: 3.118758, 101.62938
Tel: 03-7955 9180

BB battery tips:

For the Blackberry addicts, including the newly converts from Xpax BB, one of the most tragic things that could happen is when you are out and the Blackberry starts to run low on juice.

For casual users, most BB models could last for 1.5 to 2 days under moderate to heavy usage. However, for the true addicts, you might find yourself left stranded with your BB notification light blinking amber before the late night is over.

Good news is, there are some adjustments you can make to prolong the battery life.

• Turn the back light dimmer.  I set mine at 20%, you can also consider setting the back light to auto shut off in shorter duration.
• Minimize the usage of vibration. Vibrating alerts consume quite a bit of power, use it only if you have to. I set mine to vibrate only when the phone is in the holster.
• Switch off WIFI scanning when you’re not using. This seems obvious but a lot of people overlooked it.
• Turn your bluetooth off when not using.
• Set Twitter auto update to 10 or 15 minutes. Cheesie used to set her UberTwitter client to refresh at 1 minute interval and wondered why her Blackberry 8520 couldn’t survive past dinner time.
• For models with 3G/HSDPA support, consider switching to only EDGE/2G. I get about 30% more life out of a full charge and don’t see a lot of performance impact unless downloading big files.