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

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

Ying Ker Lou Hakka Cuisine @ The Gardens, KL

I'm so happy that there is a place to enjoy Hakka delicacies now without the trouble of making them from scratch =) Most of you have probably tried Ying Ker Lou before but I just want to highlight some original Hakka dishes that you should try if you have not =)

Lei Cha (RM 13.90)

Hakkas (well, my family) call it "Lui Cha" so the name "Lei Cha" must be in another dialect. I wish they had used the original name in Hakka though =P

A bowl of rice is served with assorted diced vegetables, roasted nuts, pickled radish and diced fried tofu which you have to mix together. There is also a separate dish of deep fried salted fish for added taste. The bowl of murky green soup you see at the top right is the "tea" made from assorted herbs and tea pounded into a paste and dissolved with hot water. It is not as thick as the original lui cha soup but the flavour is still sufficient. The soup actually tastes very healthy and yummy so do not a judge a book by its cover =P

Mixed Lui Cha

After mixing everything together, you can eat it on its own and drink the soup separately or ladle the soup into the big bowl of rice and wolf it all down. The mixture of non-oily stir-fried greens, salty pickled radish and salted fish, crunchy peanuts, moist rice and herb-y soup gives it a refreshing taste without making you feel bloated.

Hakka Yam Abacus (RM 18)

The infamous Hakka Yam Abacus here is quite good. There is the wok hei from stir-frying the dish over high heat, releasing the fragrance of the minced pork, mushrooms and woodear fungus and letting its flavours be absorbed by the yam balls. The addition of chopped parsley adds to the fragrance of the dish. The price is quite steep for a relatively small portion but I guess they have to cover the super tedious work of rolling and pinching thousands of yam balls each day =.= Give it a try if you have not as this is one of the signature Hakka dishes =D

What's in the gourd?

Peekaboo!

PawPoints: 4 Paws

Pawket: Tomato

Ying Ker Lou Hakka Cuisine

Lot 231-232, 2nd Floor
The Gardens
Tel: 03 2284 8480
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Rakuzen @ Desa ParkCity, Kepong

This restaurant has been reviewed so many times that I don't feel like reviewing it but I just have to highlight my favourite set from Rakuzen :D
    

Sakura Chirashi Don Set (RM 38)

Assorted sashimi scattered over a bed of vinegared rice - my absolute favourite! ^_^ Love the pickles!

 

Close-up of the Sakura Chirashi Don

  Look at the thick juicy cuts of sashimi! The bento box is truly overloaded with delicious goodies ^_^

Silky smooth Chawan Mushi

    

Nabe Udon + Salmon Don Set (RM 38)

JS's value-for-money set - Nabe Udon and Salmon Don. The Nabe Udon was a big portion with lots of ingredients. The salmon slices in the Salmon Don were quite thin unlike the thick juicy cuts provided in the Sakura Chirashi Don.
    

Nabe Udon

    

Salmon Don

I guess I don't have to go through the taste of each dish as most of us are already familiar with Rakuzen. I still vote for it as being the best Japanese restaurant together with Sushi Zanmai and Pasta Zanmai under the Super Dining and Super Sushi Group as all three provide good quality and delicious Japanese meals at affordable prices.
   

PawPoints: 5 Paws
Pawket: Olive

http://www.superdining.com.my/

Rakuzen
Desa ParkCity
Subang Jaya
Empire Shopping Gallery
Sunway Pyramid
Plaza Damas
GTower

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. @ Sunway Pyramid

Taking inspiration from the Forrest Gump movie, Bubba Gump specialises in shrimp meals and its decor references many scenes from the movie. I'm not going to elaborate more on the ordering method as I'm sure most of you would have been there before. Just wanted to share the awesome shrimps I had here <drools>

   

Eat me! ^_^

   

Mama Gump's Garlic Bread Basket (RM 5.90)

    
The garlic bread here is toasted to a crisp with the wonderful aroma of melted garlic butter and cheese. It tastes buttery and crusty and cheesy - both my brother and JS love it to bits.

  

Mama Blue's Southern Charmed Fried Shrimp (RM 38.90)

   
Are you salivating just looking at the numerous golden lumps of deep-fried shrimp? Imagine dipping each into the tartare sauce or salsa provided and eating the entire de-shelled prawn coated with crispy panko batter whole <ascends into prawn heaven> It feels so good not having to peel the shells off the prawns and being able to plop each crispy yet juicy and bouncy prawn directly into your mouth...absolutely heavenly. The tail bits are also deep fried to a crispy texture that you can chew into bits if you wish.

  

The shoestring fries are deep fried to perfection - no soggy, stringy, straggly bits. Very addictive with the tartare sauce (I even had a refill of the tartare sauce). The salsa on the other hand tasted a bit weird...there was this funny taste I couldn't quite place. It was slightly bitter and sourish with a tiny bit of unpleasant new wardrobe smell =.=

  

The coleslaw was average but I wished they provided a bigger portion to offset the heaty-ness of the deep fried platter.

  

Close-up of the golden shrimps

     

Lt. Dan's Drunken Shrimp (RM 39.90)

   
This platter consists of chargrilled shrimp and spicy sausage against a bed of mashed potatoes and sitting in a sea of non-alcoholic Bourbon sauce.
    

• Shrimp is fresh and juicy and has sufficient flavour when eaten on its own. 
• Spicy sausage is also good with a wonderful chicken taste.
• Mashed potatoes was average. Very smooth though.
• Bourbon sauce was a little too cheesy for my liking but my brother mopped up every single drop of sauce =P
• Skinny golden strips propped upright in the blob of mashed potatoes tasted like deep fried flour? Not too sure what it is but it's great with the sauce.

    
Apart from shrimp, they also serve chicken, beef and other seafood. The dishes served at Bubba Gump are very yummy but prices are a bit steep. But then what would you expect when you're paying others to deshell a whole load of prawns for you? =D

   
PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Cheese

  

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Market

Oasis Boulevard, Sunway Pyramid

Tel: 03 5638 4559

Daily: 11am - 10pm