Into the Doorway of Food, where it's all about Eating...



Let's start the journey into my world of food...

Different tastebuds with different tongues; you're the eater and you're the judge...
What I share here is simply the passion towards food and drinks.

Don't hesitate to ctiticize; if you like my articles, encourage me.


Sunday 27 October 2013

Chubi, It Sounds alike Cute in Hokkien!

Going around the Bayan Lepas area in James's new car, we've then decided to have our lunch at the Chubi Kitchen that is located at One World. Its name in Mandarin家味 and the ambient reminds me about the feeling to be at home, for a home-cooked meal.

Indeed, I'm firstly amazed by my mug of Lime and Sour Plum. The mugs are cute, aren't they?

Starting with the simplest dish of Omelette芙蓉蛋, it's an ordinary egg dish with the sliced onion. For me, it's hardly to make mistake on this dish and I like it as usual. We've then ordered the Stir Fried Kang Kung with Sambal马来风光 and the Gong Poh Mantis Prawn宫保虾姑肉. Both of the dishes are quite tasty or they're at least comparable with any that I've ever tasted before. My favourite is the fresh and young  leaves of the Kang Kung.

We've tried as well their Thai Style Pork Knuckle泰式猪手 and the Curry Stingray咖喱魔鬼鱼. The pork meat is very succulent while the skin is very crispy. I like it without the sweet and sour Thai sauce. Besides, I do enjoy the fresh Stingray fish in the "Assam-based" curry soup whereby the sourness has indeed made the dish to taste more appetising.

We've enjoyed the lunch time in a quiet surrounding, just because we're the 1st group to be here. Some of my colleagues think that the meal is quite pricey here, as we're paying less for the same dishes at other restaurants.

Monday 21 October 2013

Welcome, if You're the Pirates!

I'm alike a stranger to the Georgetown as I'm so outdated with the restaurants that have newly opened in town. It's a fruitful chat with the bikers' gang whereby I'm being informed about the Authentic Portuguese Food that is located at the Muntri Street. It's a small restaurant or I'll say that it's more towards an inn or a tiny corner that is meant for the pirates to gather around. It's called Pirate's Tavern. I've definitely enjoyed this cosy ambient that has been decorated uniquely with the elements of the sea such as the captain's hat, oars, anchor, gasoline lamp and of course the pirate himself. Despite the small area, I've had fun to play around and capturing the images here. Oh ya, not to forget to read the "The 10 Rules of Pirates' Conduct" that has been framed on the wall! I've laughed about it and I bet that you'll as well...

Starting with the appetiser, we've decided to share Tabua De Chouricos or the Portuguese Sausage in a Plate葡萄牙香肠盘 that consists of 5 different types of sausages. They're served on a wooden chopper board and then being served with the garlic toast and a pot of Portuguese Chili Sauce. I know neither the name nor the meat that each sausage is made of, but I do know that I love the taste of the sausage that is orange in colour. I guess that it's because of the paprika or the chili powder. The sausages are indeed "Europeans' Saltiness" that is slightly too extreme for myself. Anyway, the Chef has been very smart that to match the sausage with their special sweet-based chili sauce. I'm actually scooping and eating the sauce with the sausage. Well, not to waste the big portion of the sauce! Besides, I've also enjoyed their garlic toast that is made from the wholemeal bread. The crispiness of the toasted bread and the thick layer of the chopped garlic, I've definitely indulged into the nice aroma and the deliciousness of the toast.

Spotting my favourite dish, I've ordered the Paella for 1pax. It's actually a Spanish dish that is made of rice with various meat and seafood. Comparing to the Paella that I've ever tasted before, the approach is quite different here whereby the Chef is using only the sausage and prawn instead of the chicken meat and various seafood such as squid and fish. Anyway, it's delicious except that I'm a little disappointed that the prawns are not fresh whereby the meat is actually very softy. I like the yellowish rice that has been coloured evenly with the Saffron and its nice aroma is indeed very appetising. I just think that the baked rice is indeed too wet that I prefer if it's slightly drier.

Additionally, Lucas has ordered the Cordeiro Grelhado Com Molho Limao E Alho or the Grilled Lamb with Garlic and Lemon Sauce. I've not taken the image of the plate but I've given a try on the lamb meat, it's marvellous! The Chef has utilised the garlic and the lemon juice to reduce the intensity of the lamb's smell and on the other hand, adding the refreshing taste to the meat. Just-in-time grilling, the meat is juicy and tender.

I'll definitely re-visit Pirate's Tavern to try out their grilled menu, especially the meat dishes. To small eaters, I'm recommending that to go for sharing. The meal is definitely worthwhile for money, big portion for small price! 

Sunday 6 October 2013

YEA the Japanese

Celebrating Elaine's birthday, we've decided to visit the buffet concept based of restaurant that is located at Times Square, YEA Japanese BBQ & Shabu-Shabu. It's the 1st restaurant to use Transparent Crystal Barbecue Stone. Emphasising the health consciousness, the blackish burnt or carbon at the base of the barbecue stone after each grilling can be easily washed away with water. Each table consists of an induction cooker for the Shabu-Shabu and a man-made crystal for the Barbecue. Choosing the steamboat soup, you can opt for the Shabu-Shabu昆布柴鱼, Fish Head鱼头, Tom Yam东炎, Korean Kimchi韩式泡菜 or the Chicken Herbal药材鸡.

Getting prepared for the Shabu-Shabu and the BBQ, it's starting time to pick your favourite ingredients from the freezer and the chiller. "What should I put into the Shabu-Shabu? What should I've for BBQ?"; I'm amazed with the choices that I'll be able to eat here, a wide selection that ranges from the meat, seafood to the mushroom and vegetable. Besides, some cold and hot dishes are available as appetisers as well. The seasoned scallop, steamed mussel, fried Enoki mushroom or a bowl of rice, they're meant for you to fill up your hungry stomach while waiting for the food to be cooked. They've done proper labelling in order to ease the customers in identifying the ingredients. Simplifying the cooking procedures, put the ingredient such as the scallop onto the heated crystal. Then, cover it up and rinse the cover with water. This is a fat-free and a complete healthy way of cooking. Finally, add some flavours to your scallop with the black pepper, chili powder, lemon spray or the Kumbu Shoyu. My favourite is the scallop that is topped with glass noodle. The freshness of the scallop and the sweetness of the onion has completely satisfied my taste bud. Besides, I love the cheese-filled fish ball especially at the moment of the hot and melted cheese is exploding inside the mouth.

Another surprise for me is the various dipping sauces such as Sacha, Garlic Ginger, Miso, Shioyaki, Seafood Chili Spicy Sauce, Cumin, Chili Bean and Ginger Chili. The Chopped Garlic, Spring Onion, Chili Padi and Coriander Leaf are available additionally for garnishing. "Which sauce is suitable for the meat? Which is to go with the seafood?", the recommendation is written clearly on the label. Oh ya, there's a wide selection of desserts such as cake and ice-cream to sweeten the teeth after the main course! I'm sad as the cakes are not tasty but Su and Phui Yee do love the ice-cream.

Requesting the waiter to remove the BBQ stone after our dinner, it's using the heat from the charcoal. I like the concept of the trash bin that is directly in front of us.

Our stomachs are so full that we're to the extent of lazy to move away from our seats. I've enjoyed the varieties here but there's a disadvantage that I feel very thirsty after the dinner.

Saturday 5 October 2013

A Small Restaurant by the White Beach

Our colleague, "Xiao Di Di" has recommended the White Beach Restaurant沙灘小館 that is located at the Soon Plaza by the Burmah Road. It's a small restaurant that can cater for only 8 tables with 4 tables of 10 people and other small tables for small groups or families. Thus, it's really highly advised that to make an early reservation to avoid disappointment. Besides, the area is very inconvenient due to the limited parking space.

Starting to order, "Xiao Di Di" has decided for the Prawn Roll马蹄鲜虾枣 and the Guinness Stout Pork Ribs黑啤排骨. The Prawn Roll is very crispy in its brownish skin. I like especially the juicy prawn and the crunchy water chestnut that have both made up a perfect "biteness" in the mouth. Besides, being chopped in very tiny pieces but the nice aroma of the Chinese Celery is definitely an added mark to the Prawn Roll. The Guinness Stout sauce tastes indeed sweet and it has coated evenly onto every piece of the pork ribs that they look shiny black. I've enjoyed the outer layer of the pork rib that is slightly crispy but the meat is apparently too thick that it's tasteless.

We've ordered additionally the Sizzling Bean Curd 'w' Minced Meat铁板肉碎豆腐 and have as well taken the owner's recommendations of Stir-Fried Spinach 'w' Superior Stock上汤苋菜 and the Balinese Chicken巴厘式鸡. The ordinary bean cud dish tastes safe but there's nothing to be amazed of. I'm a little disappointed with the spinach that has been presented in a very interesting appearance with fried anchovies and century egg yet it doesn't taste delicious. The stock or the soup tastes somehow weird that it smells "fishy". Finally, the Balinese Chicken is the chili based dish that tastes slightly spicy and sour. I don't really like the chicken because it's not really delicious and I find that it tastes quite plain.

The dishes here are quite ordinary but they're all edible in my accepted level of tastiness. I'm giving a big "thumb up" to the Prawn Roll because this is the 1st and only dish that is very delicious and I've not found it anywhere else.