Kingyo Japanese Restaurant @ Life Centre, KL

Kingyo is the new Japanese restaurant in Menara Life Centre, taking over from Munakata. It is a relatively quiet restaurant, even more so on a week night. Here's our review of their Teppanyaki Course Menu.

       

          

Menu

           
The choices were quite good and we had a tough time deciding which to go for. In the end, we had Course B and Course E.

                  

Nice ceramics but not the best I've seen

                

Salad

           
The salad came in a chilled bowl which meant that the vegetables were extra crunchy and refreshing. The salad sauce was very creamy too.

              

Zensai

               
The appetizer consisted of a maki which was coated in very crunchy salmon roe but its taste was average, marinated jellyfish and blanched prawns that were sweet and crunchy. Seems like a lot of items at Kingyo are crunchy huh? On a side note, wonder if they reuse the decorative chrysanthemum flower? =P

               

Teppanyaki condiments

             

Butterfish and Oyster Teppanyaki

             
The butterfish was naturally sweet and its flesh firm whereas the oysters were just cooked and retained a hint of rawness. 

                   

Salmon sashimi

           
The sashimi were fresh and juicy and each slice was thick and chilled.

               

Clockwise from top: Salmon, Vegetables, Oyster and Squid Teppanyaki

           
The grilled salmon flesh was moist but the skin was very crispy. The oysters here were juicy and fortunately, the squid was not tough. I love the vegetables which had a crisp texture.
                 

Beef and Vegetables Teppanyaki

               
The grilled beef was very good - nicely done and not tough at all.

              

Tempura

             
Tempura here is good with a light and crispy batter.

               

Miso soup, rice and pickles

             
Love this combination - I should try just eating these 3 items for breakfast like normal Japanese =P There were 3 types of pickles which I enjoyed thoroughly. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the miso soup which was salty by my standards (which means it may be very salty for some) and had no seaweed!! Only a few blobs of scallion and tofu were floating about in the soup.

                 

Fruits

              

Overall, I quite enjoyed the food at Kingyo. I liked that their teppanyaki items were all generously sauteed in butter and had the delicious fragrant melted butter aroma. The waitresses however don't seem to be very experienced.
           
         
PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Cheese
                    
Kingyo Japanese Restaurant

G-05 Ground Floor
Life Centre
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2163 7888
Daily: 12pm - 2.30pm. 6pm - 10pm

Delicious @ Bangsar Village II

I'm pretty sure everyone has heard of Delicious, the eatery that most likely sparked the change in the eating habits of Malaysians. All of a sudden, dozens of cafe-style eateries serving light Western meals and simple, comfort food popped up across the Klang Valley. But since most people are familiar with its menu, I'll just showcase my favourite that I always order when I frequent Delicious =)

     

Spicy Seafood Spaghettini (RM 25.90)

   
I used to get this confused with the Seafood Linguine but that is a heavy version with thick, sundried tomato sauce and lots of cheese. This Spicy Seafood Spaghettini is very light and refreshing on the palate. It consists of spaghetti's baby sister tossed in oil, chilli flakes and coriander - my favourite combination =D Best of all, it comes with lots of squid and prawns of decent size. A squeeze of lemon and liberal sprinkling of ground black pepper immediately brings the flavour of the dish to another level. 

    

    

PawPoints: 5 Paws

Pawket: Tomato

    

Delicious

Lot GF-1, Ground Floor
Bangsar Village II
Tel: 03 2287 1554
Mon - Fri: 11am - 12am
Sat, Sun and Public Holidays: 9am - 12am

Restoran Lucky Seafood @ Lukut, Port Dickson

Restoran Lucky Seafood at PD is quite a popular place and is often featured in media for its signature curry chicken bun. The shop is located along the main road and is easily spottable as it sits right at the corner of the row of shophouses. If it's of any help, the restaurant is near Giant hypermarket.

     

Shop Front

      

Huge buns waiting in the oven

 
As you can see, the curry chicken buns are huge and we were lucky that there were still some buns waiting in the oven for us despite going there in the early evening.

      

Curry Chicken / Tong Po Yuk Bun (RM 38)

 
Unfortunately when the bun was presented to us, it had been sliced open to resemble a blooming flower and we were unable to take a picture of the crust. The curry chicken and tong po yuk are contained in separate wax paper wraps and are reheated simultaneously as the bun is baked in the oven.
   

• Bread was fluffy and compact with a nice hard crust. There were tiny spices embedded in the bread (probably star anise) which were rock hard so be careful not to bite on them. Really yummy when doused with curry or tong po gravy.
• Curry chicken contained a number of big chunks of potatoes and chicken and was surprisingly quite spicy. Addictive <thumbs-up>
• Tong po yuk was really smooth with a flavourful gravy but pales in comparison to the curry.

       

Kangkung Belacan (RM 10)

     

The kangkung belacan smelled fantastic but it was kind of undercooked so the stems were tougher than usual. Taste-wise, it was great just like how anything with belacan tastes great.

    

Mantis Prawns in Butter (RM 18)

     

The mantis prawns in butter were deep-fried till the batter was quite hard. Nothing spectacular as it was kind of bland and the fragrance of curry leaves did not really come through.
      

Squid in Salted Egg Yolk (RM 18)

      

The squid in salted egg yolk wasn't what we (or rather, I) expected as we were used to the deep-fried kind available in most restaurants in the Klang Valley; instead it was the wet type with runny salted egg yolk still coating the squid rings. Again, the taste was rather bland as the flavour of the salted egg yolk was reduced to such an extent one might as well call it squid in salted egg yolk. I'm not sure what that leaf of iceberg lettuce is for - not very pretty as decoration and insufficient to counter the high cholesterol of the dish - it looked quite pathetic =.=
   
All in all, a very average meal with the exception of the curry chicken bun. I've had better seafood at other restaurants along the main road (you can try Weng Yin Seafood Village near Thistle Port Dickson Resort). Prices are very affordable though. There is also another outlet at Seremban if you're in town.
 
 
PawPoints: 3 Paws (4 Paws for the Curry Chicken Bun)
Pawket: Onion
     
Restoran Lucky Seafood
4366 Jalan Bandar Lukut
Taman Aman
Port Dickson
Tel: 06 6512 392
Daily: 11.30am - 11pm

The Dogs @ Edinburgh, Scotland

I came across this cute pub while researching for food in Edinburgh. The usual pub food is served at The Dogs whereas its sister restaurants Seadogs serve seafood and Amore Dogs serve Americanised Italian fare.

Unfortunately, this pub does not have the usual pub favourites such as Shepherd's or cottage pie, roasts (probably because it's not a Sunday) or even my favourite J2O(!!) (a non-alcoholic beverage in a beer bottle with melon flavour). Nevertheless, it is a cosy place with nice food.

Coat of arms

Menu

Bar counter

Skirt steak, chips, beef tomato and smoked garlic butter (GBP 11.75)

Simple steak and wedges done beautifully - the steak was juicy and well-flavoured with the added taste of garlic butter, the wedges were roasted to a crisp yet fluffy texture and a halved grilled tomato. Good stuff =D

Seafood stew with garlic crouton (GBP 9.95)

The seafood stew was filled with ingredients - lots of mussels, prawns, mini clams, fish and calamari stewed together with cabbage, celery and leek. The broth was creamy and rich with butter, coating every single piece of seafood very well. The garlic crouton was crispy but slightly tough once dipped in the gravy. I would have appreciated a bigger piece of crouton though =P Overall this was one yummy dish but it can get kind of cloying after you've had most of it.

Showing you the way to good food

PawPoints: 4 Paws

http://www.thedogsonline.co.uk/

The Dogs

110 Hanover St
Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 220 1208

Daily

Sirocco Restaurant @ Holiday Inn, Melaka

I had the opportunity to stay at Holiday Inn in Melaka when I was there for business which also marks the first time I rode the "water rollercoaster" >.< If you think you can find Holiday Inn by following the Pusat Bandar signs, you'd better think twice. Best to bring a GPS as it is actually by the shore.
   
My overall view of Holiday Inn and its amenities was quite good with nice rooms, comfy beds and an infinity pool which overlooks the ocean (although there is construction going on near the shore). The buffet breakfast was average only but the hotel does house a decent Italian restaurant.

      

Lovely name

       

Interior

   
The restaurant boasts an open kitchen and wood-fired pizza oven so take note if you don't want to smell like pasta...
        

Complimentary loaf

   
The complimentary bread is huge! Just compare its size with the saucer or fork at the upper right corner of the photo. The first day I was there, I only had a slice whereas the 2nd day I was there, I had 4 slices but in my defense, I ate it with the Seafood Stew below and used it to mop up the gravy. It seems  freshly baked but most probably it is warmed in the oven. The crust can be chewy at certain places but overall it was crispy and crusty. Wonder what they do with all the leftovers =P

     

Not sure if it's the norm for a high olive oil to balsamic vinegar ratio? My preference is for lots of vinegar, otherwise wouldn't it be like soaking bread in oil?

   

Ghamberini (RM 32)

   
I was craving for pasta so the first day there, I had the Ghamberini which is king prawn (note that there's only one, uno, ichi single prawn =.=) and spaghetti tossed in chilli flakes and arugula. The first bite of the pasta was quite hard but it softened up as you make your way through the dish. Very flavourful, a tad too salty but I enjoyed it very much. The portion looked small on the huge plate but by the end, it turned out quite filling. I must say though that at this price, I expected at least TWO king prawns instead of a measly, lonely prawn =(

   

Seafood Stew (RM 25)

   
Seeing how cheap the Seafood Stew is (spag bol and meatless pasta are priced the same), I immediately ordered it on the 2nd day. There were double prawns, scallops, mussels, calamari and fish, all cooked in a rich tomato stew. The seafood tasted fresh and yummy and the gravy was thick and good with lots of tomato-ey goodness. The crispy, well-buttered garlic crouton was really, really good - everytime I bit into it, it snaps off with a resounding crunch even after being swished around the tomato stew.
   
Anyway good stuff and decent price for a hotel restaurant. Do drop by if you're sick of all the local delicacies and just want to chill at the hotel =)
       
   
PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Olive
      
Sirocco Restaurant
Holiday Inn Melaka
Jalan Syed Abdul Aziz
Melaka
Tel: 06 285 8169
Sun - Thur: 6pm - 11pm
Fri - Sat: 6pm - 12am

TEMPTationS @ Renaissance Hotel, KL

At Renaissance Hotel, TEMPTationS is the Asian brother of Vogue Cafe =P It largely serves local fare with lots of curries, salad station, a small dim sum station, congee, Indian vegetarian dishes, local desserts, ice-cream and Western cakes. If you ever see a lunch deal for buffet at this hotel, make sure you go for the one at Vogue Cafe. That's not to say that the food here isn't nice, just that it is not too...worth it =P However I recently found out that the dinner menu for TEMPTationS looks quite different than the lunch one so have a look at the menu and decide for yourself =P

      

Reception

     
Buffet breakfast goes for RM 45, buffet lunch RM 79 and buffet dinner RM 109.

I was there for a training course and since lunch was only for 45 minutes, I did not take pictures of all the dishes...just the general ones and ones that I like.

       

Cold Cuts

      

Salad Bar

      

My 1st round =P

       
As you can see (in a clockwise direction), there's Biryani rice, chicken and beef satay, grilled prawns, salmon cooked in cream sauce, deep-fried calamari and assam fish. The salmon tasted a little odd with a very rich cream sauce - not my favourite. The assam fish was good but not spectacular. The Biryani rice was fluffy and aromatic. You can probably see my favourites in the next picture...

    

My 2nd round O.O

       
I spied Yong Chow fried rice!! And as you can probably tell by now, I'm a sucker for carbs =D So here are all my favourites - chicken and beef satay, grilled prawns and deep-fried calamari. I also took a cold seafood salad which was not too nice in my opinion.

The fried rice was really good with lots of wok hei, fluffy egg, french beans and mini shrimps. Do take the chicken and beef satay if you're there as they were so succulent and flavourful with the rich peanut sauce. Each piece detaches easily when you pull on it and the meat is never tough. The grilled prawns were average but fresh and big so I took seconds =D The deep-fried calamari with curry leaves were crispy and fresh and not chewy...very addictive.

      

There were a lot of other curries such as chicken, beef, mutton, and lentil as well as a variety of chutneys. I did not take those as I already had my fill, lunching at a mamak shack adjacent to my office EVERY SINGLE DAY =.= But I'm sure the curries at TEMPTationS taste nice =)

     

Mini cakes and pastries

      
I did not take too many pictures of the cakes as I was late in getting to the dessert section and most of the cakes were already smashed or overturned and did not look appetising at all =.=
      

Cake slices and buns

     

Cendol and Ais Kacang Station

                

So anyway, do give it a try if you plan to let a foreigner sample local delicacies at a hotel buffet and if you absolutely love local food =)
 

PawPoints: 3 Paws

Pawket: Salami

    
TEMPTationS @ Renaissance Hotel

Corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 2162 2233
Daily: 6am - 11am, 12pm - 2.30pm, 6.30pm - 10.30pm