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

Burgertory Gourmet Burger @ SS15, Subang Jaya

We love all things pork so you can imagine our delight on hearing about a pork burger joint! Burgertory is located in Subang Jaya and is only open for dinner. They serve both beef and pork burgers but who would order beef when there is pork? =P The place is crowded with students and working adults alike so be there early to grab a table! 

Awesome indeed!

Details of the restaurant renovation

Menu

The menu changes periodically so what may be available in this picture may not necessarily be the case when you visit. The beef and pork burger choices are a main stay but I noticed the variation in set meals offered.

Who's that at the counter?

Mascarpone Curry and Cheese Set

No comment on this as we did not try it but the curry sure does look good! This burger comes with a juicy pork patty, sunny side up egg, deep fried onion rings and mascarpone curry sauce.

Onion Rings, Chicken Nuggets and Fries Combo

I love the onion rings, nuggets and fries! One of the better ones out there plus the mustardy mayo is awesome too!

Burgertory Treasure

Thick juicy pork patty smothered in melted cheese with a sprinkling of crispy, deep fried pork lard? Right up my alley! This burger definitely does not disappoint and is rightly one of their mainstays and best sellers.

Awesome possum stuff

See how dense and moist the porky patty is?

The Pioneer

The Pioneer comes with tobikko, crab meat in pimento sauce and the signature pork patty. Nice combination of flavours that is unique to Burgertory.

Burgertory Treasure with Roast Potatoes

I spy with my eye a fallen blob of pork lard! =D The roast potatoes smell lovely and are infused with the flavour of lots of olive oil, garlic and herbs. They are not the super crispy type but are addictive nonetheless. 

It is actually quite a hassle to go to Burgertory as they are located at the ever busy SS15 and only open at night but we always love going back for their juicy pork patties and new inventions / additions to the menu. I also like the fact that their burger sets are relatively affordable yet maintain a consistent quality. Definitely highly recommended! 

PawPoints: 5 Paws
Pawket: Onion


Burgertory Gourmet Burger

8A Jalan SS15/4D
Subang Jaya
Tel: 03 5561 9991
Tue - Sun: 6pm - 11pm

Xiao Long Bao and Noodles @ Din Tai Fung

Well, I'm sure everyone is already well-acquainted with Din Tai Fung and its famous xiao long baos. Anyway here are my 2 paws on Din Tai Fung's scrumptious food =)

        

Their signature dish

     

Wantan Soup La Mian

     
Don't really know why JS ordered this since it looks soooo PLAIN but he should be comforted by the two bulbs of xiao bai chai ^_^
     

Shrimp Pork Wantan Soup 

     
Their wantans are really bouncy and chockful of shrimp and pork meat filling. Not a fan of Hong Kong style wantan soup though as it tastes too shrimpy to me.
       

Xiao Long Bao

       
This is their signature dish which is as good as they claim to be =)
       

Delicate stuff

               

Hot and Sour Soup La Mian

         
I love Sichuan food so this hot and sour soup suits me just fine. Very peppery and the thin somen like noodles absorb the flavours nicely. Also love the soft silky tofu bits and crunchy woodear fungus.

             

Grouper Fish Dumplings

           
Grouper fish dumplings are a welcome change to the usual wantans and xiao long baos. Quite delicious actually and not fishy at all.
         

Shrimp Fried Rice

         
I love having fried rice at Chinese restaurants as the chefs do it so well with lots of fluffy egg, crunchy shrimps and the nice aroma of wok hei.
           

Spicy Shrimp Pork Wantan La Mian

         
An interesting variation of the usual wantan noodles, the spicy la mian includes a dash of chilli oil and tasted really good.
       
         
PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Onion
                    
Din Tai Fung

Various malls

Estilo Spanish Tapas Bar and Charcoal Grill @ Publika, KL

Happy Chinese New Year!!! What better way to start off the lunar new year than with a post of one of my favourite restaurants! =D I'm a big fan of Spanish food and when I saw Estilo at Publika, I told myself I had to try it! It's located outside Publika, near Fat Boy's Burger Bar and I love its quirky decor especially its numerous hand painted ceramic plates.

Love their artwork

Assortment of cute plates

My favourite of the lot =)

Complimentary bread

They serve thick toasted bread slices for dipping into their signature creamy, garlicky, buttery aioli. Can't get enough of their bread =P

Spanish Tortilla (RM 9)

The thick omelette layered with potatoes and onions was all right but slightly too starchy even for a potato lover like me.

Patatas Bravas (RM 12)

Deep fried potatoes are absolutely the best! These have fluffy insides and went well with the Turkey Bacon Aioli which came with a dab of spicy sauce.

Chorizo (RM 18)

The paprika chorizos were really flavourful and confit potatoes were absolutely addictive as it's bite sized and slightly crispy on the outside yet mushy on the inside.

Calamares Fritos (RM 16)

These deep fried calamari were extremely crispy and done just right. Seems like they love aioli here, don't they?

Champinones (RM 14)

The sauteed mushrooms were awesome! The creamy sauce with a splash of wine was extremely good and went really well with bread.

Pinchos Morunos (RM 20)

These chargrilled chicken skewers were extremely juicy and tender. The orangey sauce - probably another variation of aioli - was really good too.

Paella Estilo - Large (RM 102)

Estillo's signature paella looks awesome and you can literally taste the rich stock coating the rice grains. They were very generous with the amount of chicken, chorizos and green beans which tasted nothing less than wonderful. The garlic and chilli infused olive oil also added another layer of taste on the paella, somewhat like what bird's eye chillies in soy sauce is to noodles.

Paella Mariscos (RM 58)

The Paella Mariscos has plenty of fresh mussels, fish, squid, clams and prawns. Similar to Paella Estilos, the rice is extremely flavourful. The single slice of lemon however did not seem sufficient for the entire pan.

Chorizo and Pineapple Paella Pan Pizza (RM 18)

I ordered this out of curiosity as I thought it was a Paella PanPizza. Turns out it's a PaellaPan (Normal) Pizza. Its base was the hard yet crispy type and really good. Although pineapples were not evident, its juices definitely seeped into the tomato base and lent it a nice sweet flavour.

I absolutely love the food at Estilo and can't wait to return for more as I only had nibbles of everything =( Surprisingly, it does not serve pork but everything tasted awesome! =D



PawPoints: 5 Paws
Pawket: Tomato


Estilo Spanish Tapas Bar and Charcoal Grill

No. 34, Level G2
Block C5, Publika Solaris Dutamas
Tel: 03 6203 9883
Daily: 11.30am - 11.30pm

Tong's Kitchen @ USJ 19 City Mall, Subang Jaya

Tong's Kitchen at USJ 19 City Mall is a simple establishment serving yummy homemade dishes. It is great for a quick dinner without emptying your pawkets =P

Wonder what is their mascot supposed to be...

Menu

There is a huge variety of dishes to choose from which is always a good thing.

Stir Fried Sweet Potato Leaves (RM 12) 

A simple dish stir fried with garlic, the sweet potato leaves were very young and fresh.

Pumpkin Beancurd (RM 8)

JS's family love the Pumpkin Beancurd here which is essentially deep fried beancurd braised in a savoury and creamy pumpkin gravy.

Chicken with Salted Eggs (RM 18)

The fried chicken was moist and juicy and the chef was very generous with the amount of salted egg yolk which totally enhanced the taste of the chicken.

Sweet and Sour Fish (RM 23)

The portion is huge with lots of deep fried fish slices coated in a sweet and sour sauce. Very yummy indeed.

No pork is served but I am not sure if the restaurant has a halal cert. Overall, Tong's Kitchen is a great place for inexpensive home cooked fare.


PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Onion


Tong's Kitchen

G02, Ground Floor
USJ 19 City Mall

Tel: 03 8023 6153
Daily: 10am - 10pm