Senjyu Sushi - Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara

Trio Salmon Gunkan

The carousel was moving but the plates were few and far in between. What's happening? It's Sunday evening! How am I to entertain the guests and satisfy the hunger except going a la carte? We came away satisfied with the menu and worth noting is that the service is good and attentive.

Parking at Cineleisure is an awkward affair with narrow ramps and low ceilings. Not an ideal place for the claustrophobic. It may be better to park at the Curve and walk across from the Food Street. Obviously the Cineleisure overall concept has not worked very well as business round the complex looked slow.

Hana Moriawase. The salmon and swordfish were good. Salmon was thick and almost buttery. The tuna was disappointing as it was fishy. The clams were average, between briny and soft leathery in taste and texture. Saving the day, the clam tasted as it should to the palate.
Salmon Kimchi Nabe. Miso based soup with a dose of heat from the spices and the heat from the portable stove. The salmon has got to be fished out as soon as possible to avoid over-cooking.Kimchi Beef Udon. Premium beef slices with Udon. Japanese version of our Wat Tan Hor with Beef and much better.Ikura Chawabmushi as it should - smooth and with a strong Shitake mushroom aroma.And our 3 plates of very average sushi (Softshell Crab, Salmon and Baby Octopus) from the belt. If possible go for ala carte.

Refreshing Salads from O'Briens (KLCC) and New York New York (1 Utama)

Greek Tossed Salad with Feta Cheese

It was a disappointing outing at the PC Fair. The target was the mass and consumer market and most vendors were resellers thus with limited range of products.

So after trudging around and with nothing to show we retired around a tiny table at the O'Brien's kiosk in the vast concourse area of the KLCC Suria. The Concourse was filled with various stands, stalls and carts. It was a sight to behold as usual esp. with the addition of a cacophony of various tongues from the many tourists that KLCC Suria attracts.

I was fascinated with Greek Tossed Salad esp. with the accompanying Feta Cheese. Mind you there were quite some big cubes of cheese! Yum!! The product is from goat's milk and is cured and salted in brine solution over several months giving it a salty and sourish taste. It has a rough and grainy texture. Great for salads!

Pasta Salad was run of the mill. Getting something unique the next time round! The greens were really not at their best at 9:30pm. Bruises and oxidation will occur. Get the salad early.

Pasta Salad

And refreshed with a cup of Earl Grey Tea.

Another day another location (New York New York 1 Utama). Ending up at the other end/new wing of 1 Utama. Another occasion in need of refreshing! This time the leaves were of good standing and so were the smoked salmon slices. With the tart and sharp vinegar this is reinvigorating.

Smoked Salmon Salad

Caesar's Salad was average almost veering into sub-standard. The dressing and Parmesan Cheese were there but look where are the greens?

Blueberry Swirl White

Go Crabbing at Teow Chow Seafood Restaurant, Bukit Sri Bintang, Kepong - Revisit

Menjalara and Bukit Sri Bintang have a huge concentration of Tai Chows dishing out good crabs. When I think of quality crabs cook to my satisfaction it has to be here. My last visit to Teow Chow left a good impression and I wanted to revisit it again but this time ordering more variety as well as quantity.

We went for 1.3 kg of Crab with Butter Sauce and another 1.3 kg of Crabs with Salted Egg Yolks. Each weighed in at about 0.6+ kg. With a crowd of three we have more than sufficient to go round.

Claws were huge and the meat was fresh, succulent and firm. The plentiful butter sauce got the mantou soaked thoroughly. What a combination. So fulfilling!

The cook controlled the saltiness very well giving us a pleasant dish not overwhelmed by all the salt. This allowed the shell fish taste to surface being helped by the sauces. A dish to savour .Mantou was used to soak up the butter sauce and scrapped the salted egg yolk sauce.

More carbo to filled the stomach!. Glass noodles is usually a good combination when paired with seafood. A match made in culinary heaven.

Stir-fried potatoes leaves with garlic round up the meal.

Sin Hup Kee Restaurant (Home-Cooked Style) - Ipoh, Perak

Sin Hup Kee has built a huge following on mom's cooking, home-cooked style food. Huge following, loosely translated means tasty and reasonably priced food. Personally this shop's food is beyond good, it has a clean and comfy premise, brightly lit and air-conditioned. Anyway, who wants to (or can ) argue on "mom's cooking".

Go early or else all tables will be taken. I arrived at 6:0pm and quickly organised the food. While waiting the crowds were piling in.

Steamed Hung ChoeDry Pan Fried Spare RibsClaypot Tofu

Dried Pan Fried Chicken

Vege Platter

Sin Hup Kee Restaurant
17 Jalan Leong Sin Nam,
Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 052423128‎

Ipoh Famous Pork Noodles - Zun Seng Fatt, Jalan Bandar Timah

Ipoh's food stand tall whether measured by its breadth or depth. The sad thing is that it is a very much an insular thing as tourists mostly give Ipoh the miss. This state of affairs has been perpetuated for years due to lack-lustre leadership and no doubt will continue due to the current political stalemate. Many Ipohans had migrated to Kuantan (another Cantonese stronghold) for a better life and business. Some "jumped off" the plane (illegally) to worked in the West and Far East.

Take for example the Sin Yoong Loong and Nam Heong location. The small area has a huge concentration of good food. Name it they got it. On the other end about a kilometre away Ipoh has another gathering of good food led by the famous Kong Heng. In this area they have the famous Pork Noodles, good TongSui, all kinds of Pastry (the Siew Pau is excellent) and Char Koay Teow Ipoh style.

To get there is easy - coming down from Jalan Gopeng towards Jalan Sultan Iskandar (Hugh Low St.), then crossing the bridge (new bridge being build to replace very old bridge now) that spans the New to the Old Town one will turn at the second left for White Coffee and right for Kong Heng.

With such good food why Ipoh is not getting the tourist is hard to fathom. According to an astute observer, attendances in the form of customers are dwindling in these two areas. That is sad. Even Kong Heng are no longer their old self. Further Ipoh has the great Gua Tempurung, the lime stones forest of Simpang Pulai, the religious sites and a fair amount of colonial buildings concentrated near the Railway Station. With the theme park in Tambun Hot Springs area I am sure the momentum should be building up. But alas it was not to be. What does it take to lift Ipoh out of her doldrums?

The lady boss preparing each bowl by bowl of pork noodles from the 4 stoves.

A cuppa of "Cham". Coffee and Tea. I indulge in some coffee once a while through this beverage. I am not a coffee kaki as it gives me stiff headaches.Innards like kidney, liver, soft intestines together with a blob of minced pork. The soup base taste natural and gentle to the tongue as it is not aggressively seasoned with MSG.A plate of Ipoh famous bean sprouts to complete the meal.

Kong Heng is just one door away. Zun Seng Fatt was actually directly opposite Kong Heng but moved next to it. Its old premise has the famous TongSui.

Hong Ling Ulu Yam Loh Mee - SS14/2 Subang Jaya

Bustling and busy SS14/2 has a lot of offer esp. to those who like Chinese Bak Kut Teh, hawker stalls style and tai chow food. I sometimes dread going there at lunch hour. Parking is difficult. This is an old area of Subang Jaya and its appeal is really in its convenient and central location. Being old it also convey a tired look and may not be appealing to those who wanted to eat in a bright, clean, modern and air-con comfort.

Having spent a lot of my time eating bak kut teh here, finally we took a new tack. Hong Ling Loh Mee is from Ulu Yam so it seems from their signboard. I have some problems with food moving from a rural context into the city. It may be lost in translation. Somehow it doesn't seems right. Though I have not eaten the Ulu Yam version this place in Subang Jaya doesn't have the sufficient oomph to draw me back again and again.

We had their Loh Mee but the look was not inspiring and coupled with just arriving KL from outstation I did not snap their so call signboard Loh Mee. Further I almost did not take any shots due to the long drive. Their Loh Mee is packed with vinegar. The cook had packed it in. If you are not used to vinegar with food which is usual to northern Chinese palate then this is a problem dish. I rate the dish average.

The Hokkien Mee is of above the average hawkers fare standard. For those who balked at paying the premium may want to stick to their local provider.

For some variety and unique noodles go for their Shu Fan (Tapioca) Stick Noodles. Fried Lo See Fun style I like the chewy texture and the sauces used to fried it. Imagine the chewy stuff in the Bo Bo Cha Cha. Its of the same ingredients. I have taken these in Old Klang Road and Klang. Fried Crullers with fish paste and coated with mayonnaise!. Fusion. I thought this dish has pushed the limit. Acquired taste and probably need to get over the initial hang-up. Still an above average dish.

Fish paste wrapped in Foo Pei. Those who like fried stuff will like this. Fish paste was fresh.Fish cake was fresh again and the texture was fine and taste was above average.These Hakka YTF is above average. The fillings had too much salted fish and the texture was too rush and breaks easily a sign of a lack of meat in the ingredients.Hong Ling Ulu Yam Loh Mee (Facing NPE) - 48, SS14/2 Subang Jaya