KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

KampungBoy loves his meat and he is one of those who sneer at the idea of vegetarian food just like how some of us sneer at the Malaysian party of balance scale. To celebrate his pal YJ’s birthday, he has no choice but to make a reluctant move to Yishensu because the birthday boy wants to do vegetarian on his big day. Clean up the toxic waste in your body, my dear.

Yishensu is tastefully decorated and the restaurant’s interior has a refined and tranquil literary atmosphere. The restaurant was almost full by the time they arrived, with ½ of the restaurant having a wedding celebration for a Chinese couple.

To start off, Vege Bread Roll with Fruit Salad (RM15) made of vegetarian ham, cucumber, carrot wrapped with bread and deep fried is ordered. Appearance wise, it was a winner with the myriad of colors but taste wise, it was a let down.

Fried Rice (RM 9). Never judge a book by its cover. It turned out to be the best dish. Full of wok hei, the fluffy fried rice was very aromatic. A must order item in Yishensu, so said KampungBoy and the rest.

Abalone served with Mushrooms and Brocolli (RM 18). A simple dish, added with splashes of luxury – (mock) abalone slices.

Emperor ToFu (RM 16). The smooth silky home made tofus were stuffed with some mock meat. Even without a blindfold, it is often impossible to different the mock meat from the real deal.

Braised Mushroom and Chicken with Noodles (RM 9). The home made noodles are meant to resemble wantan noodles, but they’re way too starchy and soft for a braised dish.

The Dried Curry Fish (RM 22) is truly delicious. The curry was thick and creamy but not overly. Good to go with some white rice.

Fried Oat Prawn (RM 18). The outer layers coated with oats were really crunchy, while the mock prawns tasted a bit off which the guys did not enjoy very much.

Yishensu has certainly changed our perception towards vegetarian food because the only thing that we can relate to vegans is the conventional stuff such as greens and bean curds. If you are willing to try something new, do drop by but mind you that the prices are a little steep and there’s some hits and misses in their dishes. They are charging RM 3 each for green tea and white rice, so the total bill comes to about RM 150++.

The night ended with a drinking session at Long Bar, One World Hotel. Happy birthday to YJ. Wishing you another year of happiness and joy.

Yishensu – A Vegetarian Connoisseur
1 Utama Shopping Mall, Petaling Jaya
Telephone : +603 77294313
Fax : +603 56201150

 

To celebrate a friend’s birthday, we decided to splurge on some hearty Chinese food. The choice is rather obvious because we chose to meet at Mid Valley, which house the two of the outlets from Crystal Jade Restaurant chain in Malaysia – Amuleto & Crystal Jade Restaurant. Crystal Jade has been expanding. Other than the existing outlets – Crystal Jade Lai Mian at Lot 10 and C-Jade Express in Mid Valley Megamall, we now have Crystal Jade Kitchen & C Jade Meal 3 at Pavilion too.

Each restaurant carries different concept and serves different kind of food. Crystal Jade Restaurant at the Gardens is beautiful and swanky where one will be immediately be struck by the impressive interior upon entry – fitted with wood paneled walls, red velvet chairs, and rows of red terracotta warriors displayed low-key music in the background.

 

 

Since the restaurant is fully seated by the time we arrived, the seven of us were led into one of their private dining room with magnificent view overlooking mid valley city.

Feeling rather famished and greedy, we ordered two dinner sets for four. The serving portion is just nice for us to taste a little bit of everything.

 

 

Special Four Person Set Meal (RM 208.00)

Roasted Pi Pa Duck in Hot Plate – It is called Pipa Duck because of the resemblance of the butterfly cut to a pipa (Chinese music instrument). The skin is crispy and the meat is very tender and juicy, only to be spoiled by the overly salty gravy.

 

 

Double Boiled Watercress Soup – Slow cooked for hours, the hearty watercress soup makes a great tummy warmer.

 

 

Three Cup Chicken – Served in a piping hot stone bowl, it is very aromatic, with abundant amount of Thai basil and ginger. The gravy (made of soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil, 1 cup each) is great to be eaten with rice.

 

 

Deep Fried Prawn with Butter and Cereal – The shells of the prawn can be eaten as it’s fried to crisp! The prawns were fresh, firm to the bite and sweet, which was well-complemented by slight sweetness of the cereal.

 

 

Steamed Egg Plant with Shrimp – A simple dish as such as done perfectly. The delicate and silky egg plant has soaked up the delicious gravy, and the flavor permeate the dish.

 

 

Fried Rice in Assorted Grain in Hot Stone – The fried rice is lack of a hint of wok hei to make it tasty. The guys, who were skeptical towards anything organic, do not enjoy the assorted grain.

 

 

Almond Cream – The Chinese almond dessert is smooth and milky, giving a perfect ending to our meal.  

 

 

Premium Four Person Set Meal (RM 318.00)

Crystal Jade Roasted Duck – The roasted duck is nothing to shout about with its not so crispy skin and lean meat.

 

 

Braised Sharkfin with Seafood and Bamboo Pith – it was flavourful and rich, with spot on taste. Bamboo pith provided the crunch in this sweetish-savoury soup.

 

 

Pan Fried Stuffed Vegetables in Hot Stone – Most of the stuffing were very generous and it was quite a delight eating the fresh and bouncy fish paste by itself.

 

 

Steamed Soon Hock in Preserved Vegetables – Fresh from the tank, the meat is lean and moist with a mild flavor. The topping of preserved vegetable make it promisingly delicious.

 

 

Braised Seasonal Vegetables with Assorted Mushroom and Shrimp Roe – The vegetables are cooked just nice with a nice crunch, while the assorted mushroom and shrimp roe make the dish “glam”.

 

 

Birthday Noodles – A symbol of longevity in Chinese culture, it is a must for us to order the birthday noodles for the birthday boy. The noodles are awful though, mushy in texture and bland in taste.

 

 

Chinese Herbal Jelly with Mango & Pamelo – The jelly has a mild herbal taste but thank god that the mango puree and pamelo are added to make it palatable.

 

 

The Auditors

 

Happy Birthday to Jeff! Wishing you all the best on your future undertakings!

The total bill comes close to RM 600++. With most of the food is tasty (but not earth-shattering) and excellent services, this is a great place to take guests, visitors or a date, or just a fine restaurant to choose when you have a craving for Chinese food. Just be ready to spend a fortune!

 

Crystal Jade Restaurant
Lot T 210
3rd Floor
The Gardens
Mid Valley City
Kuala Lumpur
Tel No: 03 – 2283 3129
(Non Halal)

 

 

 

 

To celebrate a friend’s birthday, a group of us make our move to NZX @ Ara Damansara. Tucked in at a rather obscure place (to me, who has never been to Ara Damansara), most fine it quite a hassle to get here. Calls from friends asking for directions keep coming in and it was until one hour later that everyone was here. Instead of being grumpy and angry, our friends who arrived late were pretty amused by the first sight that greeted them – an apartment like restaurant.

 

 

Each section of the restaurant is decorated to resemble the different spaces like bedroom, bathroom, courtyard, etc. Most of the décor pieces are available for sales. One can choose from the closets full of clothes, portrait frames, key chains, to the potted plants, the canopy bed drape and the hanging crystal chandelier.

 

 

Full House is particularly the most crowded place in NZX, one reason for that is almost certainly its relaxed atmosphere and wallet friendly meals. Did I tell you that the menu with comic strips was exceptionally cute too? Unlike the extensive drinks list, main courses are limited where we were left with only 5 to 6 items each on the Asian Menu and Western Menu.

 

Location Map (Credits to SaiMatKong)

 

I tend to think that most themed restaurants would rely on hype and glitz rather than good food. It comes to my surprise when the food was by no means a dreadful meal, but much of it was mediocre and acceptable, with more rooms for improvement. Full House is exceptionally relaxed and convivial. It creates the perfect atmosphere for any individual to sit, read a book, meet new people, have some coffee or simply hang out.

 

 

 

1. Everyone sing the birthday song and have the birthday child sing along.
2. The birthday is deep in thought, hmmm I wish for more toys, more candies, (more chicks)……
3. Awwww so cute!
4. The portrait of a happy family.

 

 

We adjourn to Heritage Bay Club at Pulau Duyong for High Tea buffet after that. The RM300 million a year yacht race called the Monsoon Cup (some say the F1 of yachting) has left us behind Heritage Bay Club (Kelab Teluk Warisan Terengganu). Other than accommodation, Heritage Bay Club offers sailing facilities as well.

 

Idris Yusof, the ex chief minister of Terengganu.

 

The restaurant that we are heading to is Ulek Mayang Restaurant, located at the club house of Heritage Bay Club, overlooking the South China Sea.

At RM 25++, the buffet spread revolves around Malay delicacies such as mee soto, rojak, ayam kunyit, roti canai, ais kacang and a niche selection of western starters and desserts.

The food was surreally bad, not all of them, but most of them. Quite simply, there is no excuse for unattentive service in such a prestigious club but it happened. Our finished plates are never cleared and we have to squeeze for table room. Nevertheless, we would love to thank KampungBoy’s sister in law for buying us the meal.

 

Bar Area

 

Sleekly Designed Indoor Dining Room

Alfresco Dining at the Patio

With KampungBoy’s Parents

After the meal, we walked around the deck for some cam whoring session and to catch a glimpse of the prize-winning boats from the Monsoon Cup competition. Such a stunning place isn’t it? It better be, so much of money was spent on it!

The Heritage Bay Club Marina & Resort,
Pulau Duyong,
21300 Kuala Terengganu,
Terengganu.
Tel: 09-627 7888
Fax: 09-622 9903
E-mail: info@heritagebayclub.com.
Website: www.heritagebayclub.com

 

 

To the greatest boyfriend in the whole wide world, Wishing you a day as special as you are, Happy Birthday! Love,Citygal