Le Pooh in KL - Part 1

I headed down to KL on 10 Nov and I have to say, it was a relief seeing the massive jam on the other side of the highway for a change. The holidays have just started, and everyone is scrambling to head north or out of KL. It also started raining cats and dogs when I reached KL and arrived at Sunway Pyramid, my stop of choice since I'll be staying with my bestie Jo as usual. Walked around for almost an hour before Jo and Alan arrived and we headed for Zen Japanese restaurant for dinner. I find that I frequent Japanese restaurants a bit too often whenever I drop by to KL. We ordered and Ichi was kind enough to drop by a bit later to join us for dinner.

I didn't manage take any pics coz we were famished. No time to snap, just swallow everything over a lively conversation. Later on, one of the waiters came to inform us that they delivered a wrong, smaller-portioned order of sukiyaki which was meant for another table. We ordered beef sukiyaki for 3-4, but it came as chicken in a measly pot for 1-2. I didn't care as we were too hungry and just polished off everything. On the plus side, they've prepared our original order after that and proceeded to serve it, and informed us that the wrong order was on the house!

Min Huei proceeded to arrive after we were done with dinner and we continued to chat. During that time, there were a couple of lil' kids (brother and sister I believe) running around the place, and the boy accidentally knocked onto a cute waiter (OK, I was checking him out) carrying a pot of hot green tea at table right next to ours, where 3 women were seated. Hot tea splashed all over the youngest woman's thighs and left arm. Luckily, the cute waiter managed to stop the little girl, who was chasing her brother, from hitting the teapot AGAIN!

Poor thing got scalded and her skin turned red instantly. Her mother and grandma (I assume) made a big scene of suing this and that and how the children's parents were so irresponsible etc. The kids belonged to the family sitting just a few tables away and the parents didn't even bother to come over and apologized, but instead the mother just kept yelling at the kids, especially the boy. Come on lah, they are KIDS after all. Yelling at them continuously for almost 10 minutes with public embarrassment in't gonna help. The boy's mother only went over to apologize, dragging the hysterical boy along, when the young woman's mother and grandma's rantings got even louder, to the point when everyone could hear. We felt that the apology definitely wasn't sincere, just to 'save face'. She was still dumping the blame on the sobbing mess of a boy the whole time. She even threatened to leave the crying boy at the mercy of the women and just walked away in anger. What a mother of the year she is!

Just a few hours, already drama started, but I digress. After dinner, we settled for some Chatime to chat over with. It was a pity Calvin couldn't make it as he was sick and he needed to prepare for a charity concert the next day, so recovery is more important. I must say, I'm a Chatime virgin and I love the chewy pearl balls. For some reason, mine was filled halfway up with balls -_-"

On Sunday, Jo and I headed to Gayvillion Pavillion for brunch in Ichiban Boshi. Min Huei joined us a little bit later.

The 3 of us went around for some shopping, but it was just window shopping, coz I couldn't find anything that I wanted. We even went to H&M in Lot 10, but came out empty-handed. My gaydar almost exploded though.

Then, it was time for SNOWFLAKES! I made sure brunch was light to make room for it. I love Ocha'ryo!~

Because 2 wasn't enough, I got another...for free! All thanks to Jo. I'm such a glutton.

After Snowflakes,we headed to Matic for a charity orchestra concert. Five members of the MPO (Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra) were there as guest performers that night. One of 'em was a harpist and the other 4 played in a string quartet. I thought the harpist was excellent. Particularly mesmerizing to me were one of the string quartet's female violinist. Such emotion and strong gestures, couldn't take my eyes of her during the performance. Definitely one of the highlights of the evening. Kudos to Camerata Musicales for putting up a great performance as well.

Another highlight for me was when one of the blind girls came on stage to sing Teresa Teng's classic, Ye Lai Xiang. It was really moving, and she had a good vocals too!~ After that night, we kept Ye Lai Xiang non-stop. Gay dou sei XD

Stay tuned for Part 2!~

Tasty Discoveries @ Sakae Sushi

This week, I was given the privilege to attend a event to sample some of Sakae Sushi's newest creations. By now, everyone should already be familiar with the friendly green frog from the outlet that offers scrumptious Japanese cuisine. Come on, isn't he just adorable?

Sakae offers a wide range of items on the menu that leaves you spoiled for choice, ranging from teppanyaki, yakimono, agemono, tempura, nabemono, Japanese noodles and donburi. While offering tasty Japanese delights at reasonable prices, Sakae is constantly innovative in creating new ways to offer customers the best value in terms of variety, food quality and dining experience.

The first dish to arrive was the Kaisen Salad (RM16.90), which looked both vibrant and appetizing. Top of the salad consisted of prawns, tuna flakes, snow crab leg and is strewn with shrimp roe. All this was sitting on a bed crunchy, raw cabbage and surrounded by lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, blanched broccoli and seaweed. It came with a side of creamy goma (sesame) dressing. The prawns and crab tasted fresh, while the shrimp roe added a hint of saltiness that was just right. The dressing with really delicious and nutty, and really made the dish. I found myself wanting more in the end, as there were more salad than dressing, even after we mixed it through. The salad overall had great texture, with the crunchy assorted vegetables and the soft seafood.

Next up, came the Kaisen Pirikara Nabe (RM 24.90). It was an abundant and appetizing seafood hotpot that comprised of prawns, squid, salmon, Japanese fish-cake, scallop, assorted vegetables (napa cabbage, shiitake mushroom, hon-shimeji mushrooms, leeks and sliced onions) and some glass noodles in a kimchee soup. The seafood was fresh and not overcooked. The soup was flavorful, but the spiciness was definitely milder than Korean version. However, I felt that it lacked just a slight bit of saltiness, which would really add a bit more depth to the flavor of the soup and bring out a tad more savoriness. I added a small amount of shoyu and it was perfect.

After that, it was time for some new sushi dishes. First up was the Ebi Crepe (RM5.99). A luscious roll with whole-cooked prawn, crab stick, lettuce and egg mayonnaise wrapped in a light crepe layer. Taste-wise, it was just alright for me. It could use a bit more texture, as each bite was a bit too soft. Perhaps adding cucumber would be good, just for some crunch.

The Sakae Blossom (RM9.99) was just gorgeous and just as lovely to eat. It was an intricately-designed roll with very lightly grilled salmon as the blossom, with sides covered in shrimp roe and finished with small dollop of mayonnaise on top. It was easily one of my favorite sushi of the night. But then, I love anything with lots of shrimp or salmon roe =)

The Soft Shell Crab Maki (RM 5.99) was scrumptious. The combination of soft shell crab, sweet beancurd and spicy mayonnaise really made each bite sing. Also, I love anything with crispy soft shell crab, but who doesn't? =P

The Inari Avocado Ebi (RM7.99) was pretty good as well. The salad dressing, avocado and sweet beancurd skin combination was tasty but it wasn't as memorable for me.

Another favorite for me was the Hana Maki (RM9.99). It was a beautifully crafted flower rolls with delicate, fresh, raw salmon petals wrapping a sushi rice centre and topped generously with mayonnaise and shrimp roe. The richness of the salmon and mayo made each bite melt in my mouth.

The Hotate Mentaiyaki (RM20.90), which is succulent half-shell scallops grilled with cod fish roe, tasted both creamy and fresh. The scallops were still soft and slightly briny and cod fish roe tasted almost like mayo. I'm not sure if any mayo was added to the topping.

I've always loved the Genmaicha (brown rice tea, which is green tea combined with roasted brown rice) that is served in Sakae. The roasted brown rice really gives it a pronounced, toasty and delicious flavor.

The last item was the Curry Udon (RM12.90), which came with Japanese fishcake slices, chicken, cubed carrots and potatoes. The texture of the curry is not as thick but taste-wise, it didn't disappoint. We were all stuffed by then but still managed to scoff it down.

After all the fantastic food, we were ushered outside for a group photo with none other than the plump green frog. It was flattering as some of the marketing crew, along the with the frog, came all the way from KL for this event!~

Yes, I look like I'm still hungry, as I tried to steal a bite on the froggie XD

A big shout-out to Emily, as it was her birthday that day!~ And she met her prince too...in frog form. Not yet kiss mah, so haven't transformed yet.

When we got back in, we were surprised with dessert and presented with 4 flavors of their ice-cream. From the top: Dragon fruit, passion fruit, black sesame and green tea. My favorite were the dragon fruit and passion fruit ones, albeit it digressed from the usual Japanese flavors. I loved the refreshing, bright and clean taste of both =)

Each of us got a goodie bag, with a little green froggie inside too!~

A big thanks to Sakae Sushi for gracefully hosting us and making sure we had a great time that night. Also, thanks to my buddy Criz and our helpful organizers from Foodsion for making this happen =)

Entering Adulthood

11.1.11 was a special occasion. Not just because of it's numeral uniqueness, but it is the day zai2 could officially vote, drink and enter clubs without fear of raiding police dragging his skinny ass back to balai!

Naturally, we planned a surprise. Since zai2 hadn't been to The Ship before, Albin decided it was the right venue for this occasion.

As an appetizer, Albin ordered half a dozen escargot with cheesy, garlic sauce. Zai2 only ate a teensy piece, with great difficulty. I found it delightful though. First time eating a snail =P

Zai2 had fish baked in creamy and cheesy sauce. Very filling indeed.

The steaks were mediocre and felt rather tasteless to me.

I had the Chicken Au Chambertin (hope I spelt it right). It was just...meh, I've had better.

See, this ginna so excited to open his present.

Dennis got him a porcupine bag, to complement his porcupine hair XD

I bought zai2 something he always wanted. An ice-cream cake from Baskin Robbins, filled with strawberry cheesecake ice-cream and layered with caramel top. All 3 things zai2 loves...strawberries, cheese and caramel. Fat die us but as long as he's happy lor XD

Just a small, but still rather noisy gathering.

Happy birthday zai2!~

Shawnie's Farewell At Ingolf Kneipe

Yesterday, we headed down to Ingolf Kneipe German restaurant to have a farewell for our dear friend Shawn. He'll be leaving for New Zealand on 7 Jan, so you can still catch him until then.

Zai2 got an advance birthday gift for Shawn. A TENGA EGG XD

Ingolf Kneipe is very well known in Penang for it's great German beer and food with affordable prices. This place is always packed. If you don't have a reservation, you could end up waiting up to an hour for a table. Well, if you had to, you could chill at the bar with beer first.

Luckily for us, we DID have a reservation. We were in a German restaurant, so naturally, lots of meat and sausages!~

Zai2 and I felt really hungry, so we ordered the Caesar salad, which came lightly dressed with duck breast, crispy bacon bits and croutons. I hate a Caesar salad that's sodden with too much creamy dressing, so this was perfect. It also came with a small bread basket consisting of some sliced sourdough bread, sliced baguettes and butter.

We both also shared the Butcher's platter. It was a huge plate for various kinds of sausages and meat so we couldn't finish it. There was a big piece of roasted pork belly, which I'm usually not a fan off. But this was done superbly with the fat under the skin rendered down and absorbed into the meat. This resulted in a really crispy and caramelized skin with soft, buttery, tender pork. The various types of sausages on the platter were a delight as well. Very tasty and oozing with juiciness XD

The platter came accompanied by a thick onion gravy and German mustard. I absolutely LOVED the mustard, soooooooo good.

The pot pie was loaded with soft, fluffy mashed potato fused with oodles of melted cheese. Could use more meat sauce underneath though but no one was complaining.

Dennis had the special of the day which consisted of a duo of pork and chicken. I didn't get to taste it, but doesn't it look so inviting?

The beef roll that Shawn had was really good, according to him and zai2. And Zai2 doesn't even like beef!

Albin, a frequent patron here apparently, had the mixed grill. I wanted the bacon so bad =P

Our feast...can you believe the 6 of us managed to scoff this down our bellies?

Ingolf is definitely one of my fave places to eat. I've never had a bad or mediocre meal there. Everything is usually abundantly-portioned and very pleasant to the taste-buds.

We will DEFINITELY be missing our fave body-jammer in the group. Quite a few of my good friends have made a move elsewhere recently, either to green pastures or just a new change in their lives.

Addicted To Aarti!

Aarti Sequeira is an Indian food blogger living with her husband Brendan in LA. She is the winner of the latest Season 6 of The Next Food Network Star. The winner will join the ranks of the biggest Food Network stars such as Giada De Laurentiis, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, Alton John etc, and own their own show on the Food Network.

Aarti's culinary point of view is to infuse Indian flavours into American cuisine. Here are a few videos from her own channel on Youtube.

Gosh, isn't she just so pretty and adorable? I can't help but love her bubbly and cheerful personality. And her clips are absolutely cute, hilarious and informative. You can view the rest of her clips in her Youtube channel called aartipaarti. I just can't stop watching her videos.

Here's one of my fave episodes of Aaarti on the Next Food Network Star. She competed in an Iron Chef challenge where she needs to prepare 3 dishes within 1 hour and all her dishes must be inspired by the secret ingredient which is shrimp. Her dishes were then judged by the Iron Chefs themselves, namely Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Cat Cora and Morimoto. She received the best, most astounding reviews among the final 4.

You can watch all the Season 6 episodes in Youtube channel somebody7100. Seriously, I couldn't stop watching after I started. Pretty awesome show =)

I'm really looking forward to her upcoming show called Aarti Party in the Food Network channel. Congrats Aarti, you really deserve it! =)

Mmm...Meat!

My good friends tell me I'm such a carnivore. Zemien knows I love my protein. I can't help it, I love my meat!

Coincidentally, I found this in Youtube.

My fave expression comes from chef Michael Symon (love the guy),"Meat on meat on meat." I wonder why...?

Mmm...who doesn't love a meat fest? =P

Watching this awakened my inner carnivore even more. RAWR!

MEEEEEEEAT!

This Is Why You're Fat

Got these from thisiswhyyourefat.com.

The Steakinator
2 8oz Prime Angus steaks with braised short rib, cheddar cheese, bacon and a fried egg on a toasted cheese and garlic sourdough bun.

The Meat-Up
Ground Beef, topped with 2 pepperoni logs, stuffed with Cheez Whiz, topped with a layer of bacon, topped with a layer of mozzarella cheese slices, topped with more bacon, topped with meatballs and served with brown gravy.

Deep Fried Chocolate Cake
Battered and deep fried slices of chocolate cake served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Powdered Pancake Donut Surprise
Inspired by the favorite desert of the character, Cartman, on “South Park,” 9 12” pancakes with 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup of chocolate syrup and 1 cup of maple syrup between each layer, all topped with powdered donuts and powdered sugar.

Triflebetes
A trifle dessert whose layers from top to bottom include: sugar crystals, cotton candy, Butterfinger pieces, melted Caramels, Twinkies, peanut butter mousse, Rice Krispy treats, chocolate syrup, melted candy bar, peppermint cookies, Girl Scout Thin Mints, white chocolate pudding, Crème Horns, melted butterscotch and Brownies.

El Niño
Ground beef, sauteed onions, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese wrapped in a large pepperoni pizza, totaling three pounds.

The Sex Panther
Breaded schnitzel, bacon, cheese, ham and steak in a hollowed out bun.

The Fat Bastard Burger
Burger with triple beef, triple bacon, triple cheese and caramelized onions.

Max Brenner’s Chocolate Pizza
Pizza topped with double melted chocolate chunks, melted marshmallows and candied hazelnut crunch bits.

The Big Fat Ugly
A sandwich filled with four cheeseburgers, a double cheesesteak, a chicken cheesesteak, gyro meat, grilled chicken, bacon, sausage, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, chicken nuggets, mac n’ cheese bites, fried mushrooms, jalapeño poppers, pizza bites, onion rings, hash browns, American cheese, mayo, and ketchup on two rolls.

Double Bypass Burger
A burger topped with five slices of bacon, four slices of cheese, two fried eggs, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion between two grilled cheese sandwiches.

Ultimate Biscuits
Three biscuits topped with ham, pork sausage, bacon, cheese, two over easy eggs, and gravy.

The 30,000 Calorie Sandwich
Sandwich filled with ground beef, bacon, corn dogs, ham, pastrami, roast beef, bratwurst, braunschweiger and turkey, topped with fried mushrooms, onion rings, swiss/provolone/cheddar/feta/parmesan cheeses, lettuce and butter on a loaf white bread.

And these are just a fraction of the pics, loads more at thisiswhyyourefat.com. Seriously, why would people even come up with these stuff? Everything is mostly heavily deep-fried, loaded with appalling amounts of processed carbs, sugar, fat and sodium. Not to mention the portion sizes are ludicrously huge. Caloric content would be through the roof and each would probably contain enough calories to kill a baby elephant. And most of them don't even look edible to me. In fact, most, if not all of them look REALLY disgusting. Looking these absurd 'franken foods', I can't help but think that they are inspired by mindless, irresponsible gluttony.

No wonder the world is eating itself to death...