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

Sanbanto @ SS2, PJ

We first tried Sanbanto SS2 a few years ago when porky restaurants were scarce and thought it a very good concept with good food to boot. We recently made another visit to its Bangsar outlet which is located in the row of shophouses behind TMC.

       

*squeal*

   

Shop Front

        

Interior

      

Menu

       

Anatomy of the pig

         

Tonkatsu (RM 21)

     
I had the deep fried bread pork cutlet which came with tonkatsu sauce, side salad and potato salad. It was actually not too bad as the meat was quite flavourful. The only downside is the panko coating is not super crispy and a wee tiny bit dry. The potato salad was creamy and crunchy with lots of cucumber and carrot strips.

      

Tonkatsu cross section

        

Classic Carbonara (RM 23)

         
The Classic Carbonara was good too with al-dente spaghetti coated in thick creamy carbonara. The plus point is that this is a non-halal place with real bacon topping the noodles.
               
Quite a nice cosy place for an average priced meal. However since the Bangsar outlet has shut down (yes, we are quite backed up on posts =.=), I'll provide the address of the SS2 branch.
         
         
PawPoints: 3 Paws
Pawket: Tomato
                     
       
Sanbanto

32 Jalan SS2/63

Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03 7876 1728
Tue - Sun: 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm

Awesome Canteen @ Taman Paramount, PJ

Awesome Canteen is garnering quite a bit of interest for their quirky burgers and old school style decor. They have artfully renovated an old shoplot in Taman Paramount so the place looks bright and inviting, thanks to the clever incorporation of a skylight.

Menu

Menu

Menu

Counter

Soup of the Day

The price for their soup of the day varies but the Mushroom Soup which was served that day seemed quite little for its price. It is served in an enamel tin mug with a slice of toasted garlic bread. Did not try this but the soup looked thick and hearty.

Kangkung!

To keep with the times, the staff served every table with a small dish of stir-fried kangkung - on the house of course since it costs next to nothing =P It was extremely well executed, super fragrant with the taste of fried anchovies and shrimp paste. I was so tempted to ask for a bowl of rice to go with it...

Baked Japanese Curry Rice (RM 18.90)

Again I did not try the Baked Japanese Curry Rice but the curry smell was quite strong so I assume it must have been good?

Paleo Chicken Burger (RM 18.90)

The Paleo Burger comes with a choice of chicken or beef and is served with a side salad, scrambled eggs and Dorritos. Unlike the usual burger, the portobello "bread" is a single piece which covers the patty so we were all quite disappointed that there is not extra portobello mushroom at the bottom of the burger. I only tried a piece of the mushroom and I must say it is very juicy.

Roast Beef with Roasted Vegetable Sandwich (RM 21.90)

Finally my dish where I can comment on! =D I had the roast beef sandwich which came with roasted vegetables and Dorritos. The thick cut sandwich slices were toasted and went well with the beef which was neither tough nor dry. The entire combo was very light and refreshing and the flavours of roast beef and juicy roast vegetables complemented the other very well.

Really fresh greens

See the roast beef?

Sambal Chicken Burger (RM 16.90)

The Sambal Burger, also with a choice of chicken or beef patty, is truly a fusion of local flavours. It's like a nasi lemak burger minus the rice. The burger comes with fries and coleslaw. Again no comment as I did not try it.

Sambal and cheese?

Awesome Canteen is a nice cosy place, perfect for a quick catch up with friends. They should probably increase the number of menus though as there was not enough to go around. Refillable water is available at a charge of RM 3.90 per table.


PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Tomato



Awesome Canteen
19 Jalan 20/13

Taman Paramount
Tel: 03 7865 8048
Tue - Sun: 11am - 10pm

Kar Heong @ SS14, Subang Jaya

Kar Heong is one of my favourite places for chicken rice in Subang Jaya. It is located in SS14 which makes it slightly hard to get a parking spot but the chicken there is really worth our patience.

      

Shop Front

        

Bean sprouts

     
Bean sprouts are plump and crunchy with the fragrance of fried garlic oil.

         

Oiled rice

           
The oiled rice here is fluffy and warm.
           

Chilli sauce

       
Love the chilli sauce which has sufficient kick to it.

         

Steamed chicken

         
The steamed chicken is popular as the meat is moist and skin extremely smooth.

         

Pork ball soup

       
Pork ball soup is average but I do like the meaty pork balls.
     

Char Siu

       

Siu Yuk

     
We also tried the char siu and siu yuk which are on par with other famous chicken rice establishments. The char siu is the dark caramelised type and the siu yuk retains its crispy skin. There is also kuey teow soup but we did not try it. It seems a popular dish though as many other patrons ordered that.

   

     

PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Onion
       

Kar Heong

60 Jalan SS 14/2
Subang Jaya
Tel: 012 389 0399
Daily: 9am - 9pm

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