KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Dreams come true they do
Dreams come true
From all of us to all of you they do

Don’t you know that dreams come true
Love is just a second away
(Better take a look inside)
Make that magic rule, let the miracle stay
(You gotta take a look inside)

Dreams Come True, Westlife

The dream of running a small cafe has nothing to do with the excitement of entrepreneurship or the joys of being one’s own boss—it’s all about one’s passion and enthusiasm. Such is a case of Dreamz Bakery. It is a love story about a pastry chef (the boy) and a designer (the girl). They both shared the same dream – opening their own cafe. That dream came to fruition when the boy had decided to return home from Singapore where he received training and the girl graduated from a design school.

Dreamz Bakery is small but warm. Customers can choose to sit on a bar top table on the right with high stools or a floor seating area on the left. The affable staffs and owner always smile brightly and the cafe design is kitschy without being cliche. The interior is quite simple; there are no fancy lampshades, mass-manufactured furniture or expensive paintings, but they focused on delivering personal touches. I love the wall adored with portraits of the café’s regular, the pink polka dot table cloth and the quirky guest book which allows us to sit in one corner scribbling and drawing.

Apart from specialising in artisan cakes and desserts, wedding cakes and occasion cakes (birthday, anniversary), there are also cookies for sale. We tried quite a variety of those cookies, and boy they tasted good! My favourite was the kitty almond cookies and chocolate chip nut cookies. I got my Latte (RM 7.50) while Ivy got her Cappuccino (RM 6.90). I thought my coffee was nothing to shout about. The yam cake (RM 9) was moist and dense, but surprisingly leave a light feeling in my mouth, and just sweet enough. Chocolate Mille Crepe (RM 9) was a tad too “flourly” and thick to my liking.

All in all, Dreamz Café is open for anyone seeking great company to come together and enjoy a leisurely afternoon. Here are some photos of this cozy cafe design:

Dreamz Bakery (3rd floor)
No 32-1, The Strand Jalan, PJU5/20D
Pusat Perdagangan Kota Damansara
47810 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 012-2003441
Monday :10.30am-7pm
Tuesday : CLOSE
Wednesday to Sunday :10.30am-9pm

Do check out Dreamz Bakery facebook page for more info!

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Pan Heong is such a legendary eating establishment in other part of town – Batu Caves. With cheap, affordable pricing and no frills interior; Pan Heong is not intended to be a gourmet restaurant, but as places where one can enjoy comfort food in the company of friends.

This Batu Caves most famous restaurant boasts wall photos of visiting celebrities and politicians throughout the years. The newspaper cutouts are solid testaments to their popularity too.

Sang Har wat dan hor (RM 68 for 4 pax) is one of the main reasons people flock to this restaurant. Imagine luscious fresh water prawn and kuey teow (flat rice noodles) drowned in a thick gravy in bright orange hue (from the prawn roe).

Upon taking the very first bite, we were pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was! The medium sized prawns were sweet, succulent and springy to bite. The kuey teows were so smooth and the eggy gravy was well enhanced by the prawn flavour. Absolutely divine!

Kao Yoke Mee Hoon (vermicelli with stewed pork, RM 16.50 for 2 pax)

The stewed pork was very flavourful, and with the right ratio of fats versus lean meat, it almost melts in the mouth. The mee hoon packed plenty of wok hei too! This must be another must order dish at Pan Heong.

Sang Yu (snake head fish) and Century Egg Porridge (RM 15.50 for 3 pax)

It was cooked just right: the velvety smooth porridge was neither too thick nor watery. The robust fish slices were fresh and chunky while the century egg has a nice, creamy centre. One bite into these beauties and we were transported to heaven!

Mee Mamak Goreng (RM 10.50 for 2 pax). It was sweet and spicy at the same time; but pales in comparison with the excellent dishes we had before this.

Nam Yu (fermented bean curd) Pork (RM 25). Fried till crispy, the nam yu pork was extremely flavourful and addictive. However, we found some pieces to be too lean and tough while some were delightful delicious with a right amount of fattiness.

Even our order of Sweet Potato Leaves (RM 13) tasted so good that it vanished in split seconds!

All in all, Pan Heong serves very good food at a reasonable price. Each of us paid about RM 22 for all that food! Parking is horrendous and the crowd is crazy, so be there as early as 11am for lunch.

Pan Heong Restoran
No.2, Jalan Medan Batu Caves 2,
Batu Caves,
68100 Selangor
(parallel to SRJK Kheow Bin)
Tel: 03-6187 7430
GPS Coordinates: 3.233434, 101.674165
Opens from 8am to 330pm daily.

Every year when I asked KampungBoy what he wants for his birthday dinner, he asked for nothing but good healthy and happy life. I know! That is one hell of a very general answer; so this year I asked him to make a special request and he specifically asked for a “crabby dinner”. After some deliberation, I decided to take him to Wong Poh for some yummy-licious claypot butter crabs!

If you are a crustacean fanatic, Restoran Wong Poh at Bukit Mayang Mas is the place to go. We reached the place at 6pm sharp on a Saturday evening but to our horror, the place was already packed inside out and we have sit under the intense glaring sun.

We ordered the salted egg mantis prawn as an “appetizer”. It came to our table hot and crispy. While the mantis prawns were coated with incredibly rich and creamy salted egg yolk paste, we find Wong Poh’s version to be too “flour-ly”.

The claypot butter crab is the piece de resistance here, which we spotted in almost every other table. The crabs were so fresh, so fleshy and most importantly reasonably priced – medium size crabs are selling for RM 45 per kg and big size crabs are asking for RM 70 per kg. For only RM 52, we had two medium size crabs with plenty of sweet, succulent meat.

Not to forget the thick, creamy butter sauce with a sprig of curry leaves or two. The gravy is best mopped up with fried ‘man tao’ (RM 0.70 each).

KampungBoy said that it was one of the most incredible-tastiest and satisfying birthday dinner ever. Forget about fine dining! Ditch the fork and spoon! To add to the experience/taste, we broke the claws apart with our hands, pulled the meat off with our teeth and happily licking the butter sauce off our fingers. Messy but so satisfying.

Happy Birthday again!

Restaurant Wong Poh
36 & 38 Jln BM 1/2
Bukit Mayang Mas
47301 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 603-7803 3527

ADVERTORIAL:

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Read our review on Xiao Fei Yang here.

Sushi Tei is one of those Japanese restaurants that offers good quality Japanese food that is light on the wallet. When we were still staying around the PJ/Damansara area, we always make it a point to drop by Sushi Tei for a light lunch/simple dinner after we are done with our groceries shopping at Carrefour, Tropicana City Mall.

So we were absolutely delighted when Sushi Tei invited us over in conjunction with their new menu launch (ends 31st March 2011).

new menu items are marked with asterisk ‘*’ sign.

Edamame (RM 4.80). We love edamame – steamed with a bit of salt, it is a great snack loaded with tons of health benefit.

Wakame Salad (RM 11.80). This light, refreshing salad possesses just the right amount of crunchy seaweed, greens and tangy sauce.

Kani Avocado Salad (RM 14.80). In my little humble opinion, I would say that this salad has it all. Sweet succulent kani (crab sticks), creamy avocado, briny tobiko and fresh, crisp greens.

Sashimi Moriawase (Hamachi, Salmon, Tai) – thick cut, fresh but not to the extend of literally melt in your mouth; considering the price that they are charging.

*Deep Fried Shirauo (whitebait fish). Deep fried to perfection, these little fishes were really addictive! I snacked on fried little fish like french fries!

Tempura Moriawase (RM 13.80). Probably my least favourite of the night; I found the batter a little too greasy for my liking.

Takoyaki Balls (RM 8.30). Filled with a generous amount of ingredients, the takoyaki balls were nothing out of the ball but they tasted pretty decent.

Assorted Sushis

*Crunchy Tuna Roll (RM 18.00). The creamy texture of the tuna combined with light mayonnaise, and its tart flavor combined with seaweed, nicely contrast with the crisp batter.

Kani to Salmon & Avocado Maki, serve with yogurt sauce.

Dynamic Roll

*Volcano Maki (RM 7.80). The maki in melted cheese roll topped with seaweed and tobiko tasted really good. The myriad of texture and the taste was an eruption of flavor!

Teriyaki Salmon. This is such a crowd pleaser; the teriyaki marinade gave the salmon a wonderful kick of flavor. Our only gripe was that the fish was slightly charred.

Teppanyaki Chicken (RM 16.80). The juicy, boneless chicken cubes weretoo mild for my taste bud.

Meat Gyoza (RM 9.80). The gyozas were well executed – crisp on the outside, hot and juicy on the inside.

Yuzu Ice Cream (RM 7.00)

Goma Ice Cream (RM 7.00)

Shio Ice Cream (RM 8.00)

Chocolate Wafer (RM 7.50)

Pino (original, RM 8.00)

We ended our meal with some ice creams and sweet pastries. My favourite has to be the Shio ice cream (salt flavored ice cream). The ice cream combines the classic sweet, creamy ice cream with a little zing of saltiness for a pleasing combination of flavors. You got to try it to fully appreciate the great flavor!
Judging from the crowd that they draw each night, many share the same opinion that Sushi Tei is extremely popular with its consistent quality and affordable pricing. It is definitely a place worth revisiting again, and again.

Sushi Tei
Lot G-16, Ground Floor
Tropicana City Mall
3, Jalan SS20/27
47400 Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.130757,101.626421
Tel:03-7728 4299

Private Kitchen, Speakeasy, Underground Dining, Home Cafe……Call it whatever you like, because these terms generally refer to a restaurant-like setting tucked away in some neighborhood housing area or apartments. Reservation is almost mandatory due to limited seating capacity. Advertising is usually by word of mouth; coming from friends and families who have been largely impressed by the food quality. And in most of the time, the chef will decide what to cook for you, based on the best of the market for that day.

That’s a really intriguing idea. And it is already taking place around the world especially in HK, where rentals are exorbitantly priced. Restaurateurs found a new way to market for their food. And here in Malaysia, private kitchen is something that I’ve never known of until my colleague introduces me to Huck’s Cafe, a home cafe located in a beautifully crafted two-storey corner lot at Jalan Gasing.

The house is beautifully converted to a cafe like setting, with beautiful garden and Balinese theme man made pond.
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Jarrod & Rawlins, the purveyors of fine food & wine is launching their brand new set of menu again. Thanks to Elaine and J&R, we were given a sampling of some brand new menu items that will make it into the regular menu this month.

Toad in the Hole with Gravy

We sample a good chunk of tasty offerings such as the “toad in the hole”. J&R’s sausages were good as usual. The beautifully puffed up Yorkshire pudding proves to be a clear winner with its ultra crispy exterior and soft, fluffy interior.

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