KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Citygal picking up using her charm against the guy at the counter.

Kawaii Display

Winding the lever

So there is this place at Sunway Pyramid that makes me give little shrieks of “Kawaii Neh” like those Japanese school girl wannabes. The decor shouts cute and cheerful all at once and the pink white green colours are even mirrored in the little ice cream cups.

Probably realizing that RM6.90 for a scoop of ice cream is beyond the reasonable range, they are now having a promotion where you can get a single scoop at RM 5.50.

Students from Taylors, Sunway, Monash, KDU, etc are given an even cheaper rate at RM 5.00.

“But I’m not from those colleges, so not fair!”, I told the staff, of the other species with soft ears (that are easier to pour lies into) obviously.

“Hmm, so you are still doing college? I’ll give you the student rate then.”I felt bad for conning my way for a mere 50 cents.

Come to think about it, 50 cents can buy me half a sugus bar or a cup of chinese tea ice. I felt better instantly. We picked matcha and goma. First, the staff took out a small round tub with slabs of frozen ice cream and placed it in a special compartment of the machine.

After some winding action, the frozen ice cream comes out in pretty swirls. Other than matcha (green tea), goma (black sesame), they have azuki (red bean), ichigo (strawberry), daku choko (dark chocolate) and ramu reezun (rum raisin), with matcha, ichigo and daku choko being the most popular flavor. The ice cream turned out soft and creamy after some compressing actions in the machine. I would definitely return to try the other flavours, all of them.

Yokomon Ice-Cream Stand

Asian Avenue, Sunway Pyramid

The shabu shabu dining experience originates from Japan, where thin slices of beef is being swish to and froth in pots of boiling clear konbo and daishi soup. Nagomi, unlike other Malaysianised shabu shabu places with fish balls and mock meat, offer us a truly Japanese swish swish experience.

Since the Menara Hap Seng branch is located near to my working place, together with my colleague, we checked out the place on their second day of opening.

The best thing without a doubt was the atmosphere but the service was slow and a little chaotic; it takes ages for the serving staff to bring in the menu, another long pause before we get our serving of soup, and finally our order of shabu shabu sets arrived after a freaking long time.

When we asked the waitress to check on our order of food and why is it taking so long, she shoved her tongue and answered “I duno wor”. Classic.

The shabu-shabu servings are available in sets (salmon shabu-shabu RM45++, chicken set RM28++, duck set RM 29++, beef shabu shabu RM33) and all set comes with the clear broth, a bowl of rice and assorted vegetables.

Everyone gets an individual pot and individual serving of soup. Most of us chose the signature clear chicken broth, Nagomi while another colleague chose the spicy soup.

The Step By Step Guide

1. For a more flavorful broth and to bring out the taste of the meat, cook all the white vegetables, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, onions and leeks first.

2. Dip a slice of meat into the hot boiling broth, and swish it back and forth for less than a minute. Poultry may take a longer time to cook than meat.

3. Dip the cooked meat in our homemade sauce. Ponzu is great with vegetables, goma to enrich the meat and chili to suit Malaysia taste buds.

4. Intersperse the cooking of meat with other green leaf vegetables and tofu.

5. Pour the steam rice into the leftover broth, let it simmers a little, enabling the rice to absorb all the goodness from the broth.

Other than the set item for shabu shabu, Nagomi serves all kinds of salads, Japanese tapas, sushis and sashimis as well. We were too horrified to order extra sides by then. We paid around RM40++ per pax, pricey but one can be sure that they are getting what they paid for. I hope that service has improved by then because I can almost be assured by their quality and commitment towards their Japanese Shabu Shabu.

Nagomi Shabu Shabu
http://www.nagomishabushabu.com/

Jaya 33,
No. 3, Jalan Semangat,
Seksyen 13,
46200 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.

Suite 1-19,
1st Floor, The Podium, Menara Hap Seng,
Jalan P.Ramlee,
50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hartamas Shopping Centre, Ground Floor.

Business Hours:
11:00am to 10:00pm (daily)
Contact:
603 7986 2330 (Tel – Jaya 33)
603 2141 6332 (Tel – Menara Hap Seng)
603 2141 6331 (Fax)

Our first visit to Unique Seafood falls on Father’s Day, with a lounge full of customers waiting to be seated we were fortunate enough to secure a table shortly. We handed dad the baton of ordering since it was his day.

We were expecting jumbo oysters, huge mantis prawns, bigger sized crabs but most of the orders turned out less than satisfactory. According the restaurant manager, those were “the few left in the tank” unless we can tolerate with the frozen seafood. Most of the non seafood dishes like guai fei chi (empress faux sharkfin), claypot egg plant with minced meat, two-some kalian are pretty good. The salted egg crab albeit small in size, is really rich and flavourful. It better be, since Unique claimed themselves as the pioneer of salted egg crab.

Two Way Kailan

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Claypot Egg Plant with Minced Meat

Guai Fei Chi (Empress Faux Sharkfin)

LaLa in XO Sauce

Salt and Pepper Mantis Prawn

Cheese Baked Oyster

Salted Egg Crab

Sea Coconut Dessert

The total bill came about RM 180 which is pretty reasonable. For a minimum amount of RM100 spent on each bill, we were entitled for a kg of free fresh water prawns. So my parents make a revisit to claim for the voucher, and ended up ordering more. With more vouchers on hand, we went back for a family dinner the third time and this time around we have more vouchers to spend. Can you see the chain effect? The free fresh water prawn promotion is a pretty good marketing gimmick huh?

A medium size geoduck with fresh, plump and firm looking siphons was chosen. Known as the elephant trunk clam in Chinese, the giant clams purported to have aphrodisiac qualities are particularly popular in Asia countries.

Do not be fooled by a geoduck’s freakish look, with its large meaty siphon or neck extending from its large oval shaped shell. The meat has a sweet, fresh sea flavor and crunchy texture and is best eaten raw ala sashimi style or plunge quickly into boiling soup. Extra vegetables and tofu were ordered too.

Stir Fry Lotus Roots

Japanese Clam in XO Sauce

Fresh Water Prawn in Dark Sauce

Salted Egg Crab (Flower Crab)

Other than ala carte menu, Unique Seafood has more to offer, especially value for money set lunches and dinners that’s priced between 188++ to 688++. The dinner comes with a little heftier price tag but is worth every single cent. We were fairly happy with most of the dishes ordered, other than the insignificant flower crab that was recommended by the manager. Apparently Unique Seafood is quite popular among Ipoh folks, with a good scene of crowds on weekend nights, so do make your reservation beforehand.

Restoran Perak Unique Seafood
No 5, Persiaran Lagoon Sunway 1,
31150 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel 05-5486010 / 016 2615622
Fax 05-5486020

Theobrama Chocolate Lounge from Australia is making its foray in Malaysia, with the first outlet opened in One Utama, followed by a second outlet in Pavilion KL. We checked out the place after dinner at Sushi Zanmai, another famous Japanese restaurant in OU where you have to queue your way in.

Chocolate bars, delicate chocolates pieces with unique designs and decadent chocolate dessert gift boxes are displayed over the counter where customers can choose from.

It was pleasant and soothing just sit down on a Sunday evening and contemplate the menu. Other than all things chocolate, there is savoury item like pies and quiches to be chosen from. One have to place the order and pay at the counter beforehand and all prices shown are actually nett.

Snow white frappe (RM 12.90) is chosen from the extensive list of hot and iced drinks. The glass is decorated with pretty swirl of hardened chocolate that is not edible unless you scrap hard enough. The rich and intense flavored ice blended white chocolate is sprinkled with chocolate shavings. I absolutely love the drink!!

Another winner that took our heart away – Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake (or some similar name? RM 8.90). There would be nothing better than savouring a smooth and rich chocolate cheesecake punctuated with tangy fruity goodness.

We were tempted to order the chocolate fondue (RM 26.90) but it does not ignite our interest much when it arrives to the table next to us. It comes with a tiny pot of melted chocolate and choices of cut fruits (orange, kiwi, pineapple, strawberry), sans the nuts and ice cream. We would find ourselves here again, especially KampungBoy who is more than willing to chill out here while I’m too carried away with collecting points for my FFF (fashion fast forward) card.

Theobroma Chocolate Lounge
Lot FK3, First Floor
Highstreet
1 Utama Shopping Centre
Petaling Jaya
Tel : 03 – 7725 0623

“Hi guys, can do me a favor? I need a Mandarin-English translator as I’m doing an interview with a China chinese chef from Oriental Spoon.”

“Sure! We would love to!”

In fact, Chef Yu, who was hailed all the way from Guangzhou, China, speaks his mother tongue so accurately and succinctly that will put our “mangonese” (Malaysian Cantonese) into shame. Jason Ipoh Mali has no problem conversing in Cantonese as well. Nevertheless, a beautiful misunderstanding as such has led us to a hidden gem at Sooka Sentral for excellent stuff.

Oriental Spoon that serves halal dim sum and ala carte Chinese cuisine is located at Sooka Sentral, a new lifestyle mall more often known as the stunning giant shark like building that take less than 5 minutes of walking distance from KL Sentral.

Captivating pieces of Chinese décor and solid wood furniture creates a sense of intimacy despite the restaurant’s location at one of the most hustle bustle place in the city. Patrons can choose to be seated in either the private booths that can seat four people comfortably, the round shaped cushioned enclave for a cozy meet or a larger private room that can accommodate bigger groups.

The making of Hedgehog Bun that requires much skills and experiences.

Chef Yu and ‘Sous Chefs’

1. Steamed Siew Mai with Fresh Scallops
2. Yam Dumpling
3. Sesame bun
4. Sharks fin dumpling in superior soup
5. Deep fried lotus roots puff with minced chicken
6. Steamed rice rolls with sweet corn and minced chicken
7. Egg tarts
8. Butter crab and fried mantao
9. Spicy XO sauce Fried rice

* All food above is from ala-carte menu.

Managed under the same brilliant team of Bangsar Seafood Village, I can almost ascertain the quality of food and service. The dim sums are special creations of Chef Yu who has been in the dim sum industry for more than 10 years. The word “halal” is not much of an issue here because everything is so close to the real deal, some even fares better compared to their oink oink counterparts.

I almost can’t believe it when Jade, the sweet PR girl told me that they are doing a dim sum buffet promotion on every Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday for the month of July at RM 18.80++! It is too good to be true, considering ala carte price that ranges from RM 5 to RM 12, it is a very good deal. I’m going to make my reservation anytime soon!

Oriental Spoon
1-5, Sooka Sentral,
Jalan Stesen Sentral 5,
50470, Kuala Lumpur
(opposite the MRCB building)
If you are coming from Brickfields, take the elevated road, which is called Jalan Stesen Sentral 5. Keep to your furthest right as the road curves, and take the first right turn. Sooka Sentral is on your left
Tel: 03 – 2261 3222/ Fax: 03-2780 2055
Opening hours: 7 days a week (11 am – 8pm)
Later opening hours for dinner: Just give them a ring in advance, and they’ll open till 10pm for dinner

I was utterly delighted when Food Street invited me to do lunch at Kampachi. As the second oldest Japanese restaurant in Malaysia, Kampachi has never failed to keep up with their reputation, especially the legendary Sunday brunch buffet that strike a perfect balance between value and quality.

Edamame (RM15) as Starter

Sashimi Boat

Sashimi Boat (Close Up)

First greeted our eyes were the prettily decorated sashimi boat. A special order of sashimi included tuna belly-toro (2 for RM100), amber jack-kampachi (2 for RM 44), salmon-shake (2 for RM20), cuttlefish-ika (2 for RM12) and butter fish-abura bozu (2 for RM30) were served on a bed of crushed ice. Thick slabs of underwater goodies of wonderful texture together with freshly grated wasabi are how you spell HEAVEN exactly. Kampachi is definitely the place for sashimi of the freshest and most premium sashimi.

Fresh Wasabi

Fresh wasabi is best enjoyed after it is grated. However only a small amount should be grated each time should be grated each time because it is best to be consumed within 15 to 20 minutes as the flavor will disappear after being exposed to air. Notoriously hard to grow, wasabi plant is rare in Japanese eatery around which is why a small root like a quarter of this will set u back at more than RM30.

The fresh wasabi has less kick than the usual paste that we had, but the ethereal fire is very long lasting and gives a very pleasant, lingering taste on the palate.

Chef How – An Educational Lesson on Jap Food

Tempura Moriawase (RM 39)

The assorted tempuras are perfectly done a la minute – feather light and crispy batter while the inside is juicy and tenderly soft.

Tokubetsu No Mayo Kaki (RM68)

The hokkaido oyster cooked teppanyaki style were delicious, huge and juicy, not gritty and not too milky. Chef’s special concoction of light green colored mayonnaise and dark sauce has added a whole new dimension to the dish as well.

Soft Kani Maki Sushi (RM 53)

A special creation of Chef Seiji Sudo with 9 years of experience as a sushi chef in Tokyo, the soft shell crab maki has lured us over again and again. I was hooked on the crunchy exterior layer of fish roe, before reaching into the soft sushi rice and the airy yet crispy soft shell crab.

Seafood Fried Rice in Stone Bowl

Fried Rice in Making

As simple as it looks, the Japanese fried rice has the best of world – light and fluffy rice paired with succulent sweet seafood. The serving is pretty generous where all the rice is well hidden beneath the layers of scallops and prawns. Cooked on a hot stone, which mean very minimal usage of oil, I can’t help but to dig in knowing that it will not further burden my bulging stomach.

Whole Japanese Melon (RM 380)

Sliced Japanese Melon (RM63)

The netted japanese melon has become a Japanese favorite for giving as a gift to friends and bosses to show their gratitude. If you are wondering, why does the melon costs a whopping usd 100? According to chef how, it is actually nurtured with extra care by special growers in Shizuoka and Hokkaido.

Is such exorbitant sums melon any different from the usual melon? It is astonishingly delicious with brix sweetness of over 16%. It is so juicy that when you bite into one, the juice will overflow and spills down that makes you thinking that another RM10 has just dripped down.

Matcha Ice Cream & Atsuki Ice Cream (RM 12 and RM15 each)

Abekawa Mochi (RM20)

For a sweet ending, we had the home made matcha and atsuki ice cream that tasted so genuine. The abekawa mochi is a must order item over here, roasted Japanese peanut is sprinkled in abundance onto the sticky warm mochi, making it a great combination that is a pleasure to the eyes and mouth.

With the hospitality of the restaurant manager Ann Yong and Chef How, the meal becomes an joyful and educational experiences shared by all. With jet-fresh supplies of premium and fresh ingredients, one can be sure that they are getting what they paid for. Apart from that, service was impeccable because all the Japanese speaking staff in Kampachi is very well trained. If I have that extra cash to spare, Kampachi would be the first place that appears on my mind. If only…

Kampachi Japanese Restaurant
Equatorial Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur.
12 noon – 230 pm for lunch
6.30 pm -10.30 pm for dinner
Tel: 03-21617777 extension 8444