Spiced Soured Cream Cupcakes

It has been a while since I've made any cupcakes. I've some leftover sour cream from my Choc Guinness Cake and I need to use it up. So I scour thru my recipe books looking for one that uses sour cream. I found quite a number but I did not have enough sour cream then I saw this Spiced Soured Cream Cupcakes recipe in my fave 500 Cupcakes & Muffins.

As usual, I modified along the way as when I measure out the sour cream, there isn't enough so I top up with some plain yoghurt to make up the amount. I've also replaced pecans with pistachios since I don't have any in my fridge and instead of sultanas, I've sub them with mixed fruits soaked in brandy that I have ever ready in my fridge.

I took a double take when I was reading this recipe as the recipe does not contain any oil nor butter! Sounds rather healthy eh? Hence, the texture of course is NOT cake like but more like steamed cake. It's dense and not fluffy. If you like moist fluffy cake-like texture, this is not your kinda cupcakes. Capt'n Hook didn't like this at all but I liked it as my breakie after a short 30 secs in the microwave. Perhaps it could be better with the recommended cream cheese icing but I didn't make any as I preferred mine plain.

Spiced Soured Cream Cupcakes

adapted from 500 Cupcakes & Muffins by Fergie Connolly (published by PageOne Publishing)

Cupcakes:
190g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs
150g light brown sugar (this is still a bit too sweet for me, originally it was 175g)
175 ml sour cream (125ml sour cream + 50ml plain yoghurt)
3 tbsp mixed fruits
3 tbsp pistachios

1. Preheat oven to 170C and line a cupcake tray with paper liners. The recipe says 18 but mine yield 12 only.

2. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl and set aside.

3. In another large bowl, whisk eggs and sour cream. Whisk. Add sugar and mix well.

4. Fold in the dry mixture in 3 batches and mix until smooth. Next stir in the mixed fruits and pistachio.

5. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. Bake for 20 minutes until firm. Remove tin from oven and rest for 5 mins before cooling the cupcakes on a rack.

Review: Time Out Malaysia's Restaurant, Bars and Clubs 2010/11

I've gotten the inaugural issue of Time Out Malaysia's Restaurant, Bars and Clubs 2010/11 courtesy of Mongoose Publishing. I've promised them that I will review this guide with my utmost honest opinion :p

I've only received my copy on Friday and started poring through the entire weekend and now the book is a bit like harm choy (pickled mustard cabbage/battered) hahaha I stashed it inside my bag and carried it around. So that shows how much there is to offer in this guide.

The layout is pretty typical Time Out KL which I've used to it with lots of yummilicious food and drink pics and also pretty settings of the restaurants/clubs featured. No doubt the bulk of contents focused on Kuala Lumpur but I like the guides for Langkawi, Penang, Ipoh, Pahang, Malacca, Johor and East Malaysia which are divided into 2 sections - restaurants and bars & clubs! Just a note, Fay Khoo, the acclaimed food writer is the editor for the Food section, where else, Sam Coleman, Time Out KL’s Nightlife Editor edited the Bars & Clubs section.



The restaurant guide are broken down into the various cuisines and in alphabetical order such as American, Asian, Dim Sum, Indian, Seafood, Vegetarian and even Health Food not forgetting Hawkers! Eating place coverage is rather wide (according to them about 500) and pretty good with a short review stated other than the standard address, phone number and website url. Those confirmed Halal are marked otherwise it is noted with non halal or pork free. I've noted though that one of this were labelled wrongly for one makan place which I've informed them.

Just like the other guides, some of the places listed are no longer in operation, something unavoidable as they're usually correct during press time.

When I checked Langkawi section, geez there are so many happening eating places now in Pantai Cenang, I so wanna hop on the next flight to Langkawi cause I haven't been there for like 9 years!!!



I ran through the bars and clubs section, oh myyyy... I'm so outdated hahaha. My crazy party days ended when I got preggy with BoiBoi. At that time, the place to be seen is Spiral and of course the Telawi rows. Seems like the party scene have changed so much like the happening locations are no longer Telawi or Hartamas but Changkat Bukit Bintang and Heritage Row. Gee, I learnt so much from this guide!

There is one section where they focused on the newly opened but already very happening like KL Live, Dragonfly, The Opera, Tin Mine (wow revived!!! hehe shows how old I am huh?), MILK, Elixir etc.

Popular bars and clubs in Langkawi, Penang, Ipoh, Pahang, Malacca, Johor and East Malaysia were also listed. Should be handy if we're going to any of these places without BoiBoi :D



For RM38, I think it's really value for money. Seriously if food and drink are not your cup of tea (I can't imagine how though heh), you can check out their Time Out Malaysia's Visitor’s Guide. I loved this guide as well!

Time Out Malaysia's Restaurant, Bars and Clubs 2010/11 is available at newstands and bookstores near you. Pick up one right now!

Review: Uncle Chow Kopitiam @ Cameron Highlands

**Could be Halal since I see Muslims eating here but it's definitely pork free**


Normah took us over here, a skip and a hop from Hatters Cafe & Bakerie, to introduce us to Uncle Chow, yeah, he's a real person... owner of Uncle Chow Kopitiam. Normah left us in the good hands of Uncle Chow as she had to run back to prepare a large order of pineapple tarts, however her son, H, stayed on with us.

Seems like the kopitiam culture has not escaped Cameron Highlands' scene but so far I think they're the only one around. Haven't come across another, well at least in Tanah Rata or Brinchang. They've been around for about a couple of years and I really wonder how people find their way here as it's pretty remote. I was told there is signage but I didn't really notice heh since we were relying on Normah's instructions. Uncle Chow said there are a lot of long staying foreigners from Japan and Europe patronising his kopitiam and I noticed quite a number of them are staying in the apartment units around the area.

Capt'n Hook was telling Uncle Chow that he looked very familiar. As they chatted further, they found out that they might have attended a meeting or perhaps a seminar together. Not at all surprising since Uncle Chow was in the same industry as Capt'n Hook. He and his wife have since retired and moved to Cameron Highlands for this.



I loved the place here the moment I stepped in as it is VERY clean and tidy!!! Browsed around and checked the display.



See how neat the crockeries are stored here...



Saw Normah's chocolates on display here :p. So in case Normah's shop is closed, you can come over here to grab some.

Other than that yummies like chocolate cake, scones, curry puffs, deep fried spring rolls, steamed yam cake and Pulut Tai Tai! We didn't try these though, next time definitely!

My Honey Lemon (RM4) have the right balance of honey and lemon. BoiBoi's Soy Bean with Cincau (RM3.50) which I had to "Alam Flora" it since he can't finish it... the soy bean tasted freshly made and not overly sweet.



This was H's Set A (RM5.00) that consist of 2 slices of toasted bread heh from Hatters that came with a saucer of butter and kaya hygienically covered with aluminium foil (as seen in the pic), 2 soft boiled eggs and a cup of tea (or coffee). Auntie Chow said H always order this set. Papa's bread is good, of course! So must support :D



Capt'n Hook's Curry Laksa (RM7.90) doesn't look as fiery as those at Madras Lane but I sipped the soup, I was very wrong. It's flavourful and I know fresh coconut milk (santan) is used here. There are pieces of fishcakes and fishballs plus one whole piece of chicken with bone intact. Ahhh finally the first place in Cameron Highlands that serves chicken with bones (fast food like Marry Brown, KFC and mamak not counted!!). Some blood cockles would have complete the laksa but then again this is a highland... it's hard to obtain fresh seafood.



Our BoiBoi is a big fan of Fried Koay Teow (RM6.00) and he straight away picked this item from the menu. I asked to try some and oh my, it's full of wok hei! Ingredients wise there are some fishcake slices, taugeh and eggs which is the standard ingredients one usually gets in Cameron Highlands, I noticed lah.



I liked my Fried Tom Yam Bee Hoon (RM6.00) too! With the same ingredients as the koay teow but tasted so different with the additional tom yam paste. What more with a generous topping of omelette strips!



Capn't Hook's Bubur Cha Cha (RM3.50) kinda look disappointing right? But don't be mislead by the visual... it's packed with great coconut milky goodness :p with pieces of yam and sweet potatoes.



So this concludes all the goodies for our trip to Cameron Highlands this time round. Remember to mark them down in your Buku 555 (note pad), might come in handy next time you're going to Cameron Highlands!


Uncle Chow Kopitiam
C2-G-01 Block C2
Taman Royal Lily
39000 Tanah Rata

Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Malaysia
Tel: 6012-205 2778
Open from morning (can't remember what time) and closed at 6.00pm


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Review: Bread and Chocolates from Hatters Cafe & Bakerie @ Cameron Highlands

**Halal**




As I've mentioned in my earlier post, we were lucky to find Normah to be around during our trip. There are many times they have to travel all over Malaysia to attend seminar or fairs and in fact they just got back from KL. So, if you intend to go over for some chocolates and bread, do call first.

Capt'n Hook arranged to visit her and she toasted some of the plain white bread that her hubby, Badrul, have made and served them with butter and kaya. On top of that she made some scrambled eggs which we did not touch as the bread was already very very good with butter!

The bread is soft, fluffy and tasted a bit buttery... like I've mentioned before just like those loaves you get from Sun Moulin but at a fraction of its price! I can't remember how much per loaf but definitely below RM3. No wonder they have many Japanese clients who are staying around the area patronising them. We were told a couple who owned a holiday home nearby will always bring 40 - 50 loaves back to KL!!!

These loaves are delivered all over Cameron Highlands but if you wish to enjoy some, you can drop by Uncle Chow Kopitiam for a couple of slices but then again that also depends on the availability of supply. Alternatively, just buy direct and bring some back.



Whilst making bread is Badrul's forte, Normah is into making chocolates, cakes and cookies. So one of the many reasons they've shifted here is of course the cooling weather which is perfect to make chocolates!





We have tried some of the range available from raisins, almonds, strawberry and dark chocolates. I find the strawberry one is a tad sweet but Normah was telling us that Chinese usually likes dark chocolates hehe just like me the bitter the better. The prices are reasonable, can't remember how much for a small pack but it's RM10 for 3 packets. The dark chocolate is RM4.00.





We got some freshly made London Almond which I didn't have the chance to take a pic. Inside each piece of chocolate, it contained a toasted almond encased in a cookie crust, all freshly made, hence the taste was excellent. It's nutty, crunchy and creamy if you pop the entire piece into your mouth.

If you happen to visit FAMA fairs, chances are you could find the chocolates at such fairs since FAMA is helping them on the marketing and distributing side. Otherwise, you can drop by the shop or Uncle Chow Kopitiam. The opening hours are 7.00am - 9.00am and 11.00am - 8.00pm and you can also find them at Brinchang Open Market on Sundays 7.00am - 2.00pm.



To get here, check out the map below. The shop is located below walk-up apartments and they're painted in light blue. This is how the shop front looked like if you wanted to buy some bread and chocolates. The signage is K Shoppe since it's a Kumpulan Usahawan Tani Bimbingan FAMA venture.




Hatter's Cafe & Bakerie
(Norsham Homemade Confectionery & Western Food)
RLC1-G-9 Taman Royal Lily
39000 Tanah Rata
Cameron Highlands, Pahang
Malaysia
Tel: 6012- 6200193 (Badrul) / 6012 364 0292 (Normah)
GPS Coordinates: E101° 22' 26.9" N4° 28' 10.7"




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Review: Rosette Cafe @ Cameron Highlands

**I'm not sure this place is Halal but it's Pork Free and was introduced to us by a Malay girl**


From my previous post, I've mentioned this Rosette Cafe just beside Ambank in Tanah Rata which is along the main row of shophouses. It was introduced to us by a Malay girl we met at Cameron Highlands Resort.



The cafe looked cosy but kinda small. It was half-filled when we were there. There are only 2 person serving the area but then again they were seen preparing drinks behind the counter as well, hence getting the attention from the wait staff can be rather painful. It took them "forever" to even bring the menu to a French couple who sat next to us. We have to helped them to get the wait staff attention. During the wait, I noticed the wait staff was crossing to the next shoplot via an opening at the back. Since I was kaypoh curious, I went over to the next shoplot to have a look. Ohh seems like the place belonged to them as well. It's Downtown Hotel. If not mistaken, the bistro upstairs belonged to them as well. However, the decor and setup at Downtown is simpler.

Looking at the menu, it's very extensive as it serves Western, Chinese dishes, Japanese and steamboat as well! Prices are quite average for us from KL. We did not need to wait long for the dishes to arrive.

Since BoiBoi read menu on his own these days, he asked for a Spaghetti Beef Bolognaise (RM10). Serving portion is considered good. I sampled some and have to say it's pretty good. Generous amount of minced beef is detected here. BoiBoi cleaned the plate up in a jiffy and he said it's nice!



Capt'n Hook and I decided to order some dishes to go with plain rice. He picked a Chicken Curry Kapitan (RM12). It came piping hot in a claypot and does not look anything like Curry Kapitan but what the heck. There are sliced chicken pieces and smattering of potato cubes in there. However, there is one thing I noticed, of all my trips to Cameron Highlands, I've never ever eaten large pieces of chicken with bones. Chicken are hard to come by or they try to save up the bones to prepare stock?

Anyway, it doesn't matter if it doesn't taste nor thickish like Curry Kapitan but this curry is hearty. I kept heaping the gravy onto my small portion of rice, kinda feeling a little regret asking for small portion hehe. You can opt for a single portion of this serve with rice at RM7.50.



Next, I've ordered a Stir-fried Asparagus with Garlic (RM12). Goshhh RM12 for such a small portion and we are in Cameron Highlands!!! Well unless they don't grow them here but seriously their fibre dishes are pretty expensive for me. I noted items like Watercress with Belachan, Mixed Vegetables or a simple Spinach dish will dent your pocket at RM10.



Our next order of Venison in Sizzling Hot Plate (RM18) arrive on our table with the sparkle of gravy sputtering all over hahaha. It got pretty smoky too. The smell that whafted out was fragrant. All these attracted the 2 French couple whom just sat down, so much so the lady came over and ask us what we have ordered hahaha. Visual attraction that is!



The tender venison was cooked in a soy bean paste sauce with a smattering of black beans. There are lots of onion slices in there which gave a slight sweetish tinge to the dish. We both loved this dish a lot and I think this will be definitely on our order the next time round.

Since we were quite full, so no dessert ordered. Our meal with 2 bowls of rice (RM2), watermelon juice (RM3.50, cheap but watered down) and 2 glasses of warm water came up to RM57.50. Slightly more expensive from T Cafe but this is a whole lot more satisfying!


Rosette Cafe
42, Jalan Besar, 39000 Tanah Rata,
Cameron Highlands, Pahang
Malaysia
Tel: +605-491 3159


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Cameron Highlands - The Good, Bad and Ugly

The recent school break in March saw us going uphill to Cameron Highlands at a very last minute arrangement, as usual. Thanks to the wonder of internet, we managed to secure pretty good deal to stay at Century Pines Resort located at Tanah Rata. We liked the place as it's still quite new looking, clean and looked maintained. The plus point is it has super king sized bed that fit 3 of us comfortably. It's within 5 minutes slow stroll to Tanah Rata shophouses which makes food hunting so much easier. Kids will love it here it's just across the public playground where quite a number of new play items have been replaced with new ones.

We managed to pay a visit to Capt'n Hook's ex-colleague, Normah, who has opened up a place near Tanah Rata together with her hubby making handmade chocolates and I tell ya, her hubby made the most delish bread loaves where the texture is like those expensive Japanese loaves found in Sun Moulin BUT at a fraction of the price! Even though their enterprise is named Hatters Cafe and Bakerie but they are more of a SME churning handmade goodies rather than a cafe. More on them later ya in another post.

It was through her that we got introduced to Uncle Chow Kopitiam which is just located a block away. Well, if you have been to Cameron Highlands, there isn't much good food to shout about unless you wind your up to Trinkap where the locals adjourned or to one of the many tourist packed steamboat restaurants that serves you loads of frozen "fishballs" in all shapes and sizes. We were so glad that we finally found a place that serves decent, if not, good food. Void of hungry tourists but packed with locals and long term staying foreigners! So Uncle Chow Kopitiam deserves another post too!

We popped by Cameron Highland Resorts to have a look. The last we were there, they were still known as Merlin Inn!!! LOL well, YTL did a tremendous make-over to make this place so plush with luxury. Of all things Capt'n Hook mentioned to have dinner here errr so I have to check the menu first to see if it's suitable for BoiBoi. My eyes wondered to the steak... priced around RM300++, I think I would rather come down and have a wagyu steak at Prime! Anyway the good thing about Capt'n Hook is that he loves to chat up with people, especially SYT kekeke which he did on our way out. He spoke to one of the local Malay girl and he asked her where to eat!

This SYT recommended a place next to Ambank along Tanah Rata and that evening we walked over under the cool air towards Rosette Cafe. Thanks to her, we managed to have another good meal which of course deserve another post of its own!

That's just about all the goodies we encountered this trip. So what's bad this time???

Our dinner at T Cafe (above Marry Brown Chicken) on our arrival night was rather bad this time round. The last trip, the food wasn't as great as those people have claimed in forums and blogs. Thinking it could be our choice of order, this time we diverted and ordered a mix of Asian and western. BoiBoi's Beef Lasagna came as a lump with layers of lasagna sheets, cheese and mince beef sauce which sees more mushrooms and shredded carrots and serve with a side of green salad.



Capt'n Hook's fried rice, I think it was done kampung style is very dry and plain.



My Western Chicken Chop came the very last where the meat is akin to dry tree bark! It's so dry and tough that I have to eat them up drowning in the brown gravy. Sighhh and I thought ordering Asian items are bad but... We have eaten their sweet stuff before but not at all impressed. Perhaps we were too pampered with all the Heavenly and FBB goodies. Anyway, they're going to change the name to Lord's Cafe soon in dedication for the good 8 years in business *scratch head*. The food, one cup of tea and 2 glasses of smoothies came close up to RM50.



Since this round is a leisurely trip, we did not go anywhere specifically but just chilling out escaping the unusually hot and humid Kuala Lumpur. The only place we went after a wee bit of traffic jam at Kea Farm was BOH Sungai Palas Tea Centre upon BoiBoi's request.



When we arrived, it was lunch time and expectedly it's rather packed. We stood near a group who were done with their tea. As they were only occupying one table, Capt'n Hook asked if it's all right for us to take the small table at the end. Sadly the old auntie said NO, it's taken! Grrrr this is the very UGLY side of Malaysians... selfish *beep*!!! We stood next to them for more than 20 mins and they were nonchalant at all, CIS!



It can also turn out quite 'ugly' when papparazzi keep snapping pictures of you :p

We managed to get the table next to them and we splitted the table up so that another 3 person could sit at the next table. We grabbed some egg and tuna sandwiches (RM5 each), mushroom soup (RM5), 1 piece of scone (RM5) that came with butter and strawberry jam (not conserve :( ) and 2 cups of BOH's clove and cardamon tea (RM3 each).







It's nett pricing here but RM26 is kinda pricey... however in exchange of the wonderful view of rolling green hills and super strong wind blowing by... it was indeed priceless.



That summed up our good, bad and ugly experience at Cameron Highlands this round. Sighhh, the weather is soooo nice and cooling that I'm really thinking of "migrating" there like what Normah did! So should I??? Tell me now! :p

Our previous trip here:
Cameron Highlands Part 1: The Land of Work Horses
Cameron Highlands Part 2: Sam Poh Chi
Cameron Highlands Part 3: Heritage Hotel
Cameron Highlands Part 4: Rose Valley
Cameron Highlands Part 5: Bala's Holiday Chalet
Cameron Highlands Part 6: Cactus Valley
Cameron Highlands Part 7: Cameron Valley Tea House
Cameron Highlands Part 8: The Sungei Palas Tea Centre
Cameron Highlands Part 9: Food


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Review: Nagomi Shabu-Shabu @ Menara Hap Seng

**Halal**


'Twas a Friday evening and we're stuck at Menara Hap Seng due to the crazy traffic. To wait off, we decided to find a place to eat in the building. The thing about the eateries in this place is, they're usually packed during lunch hours on weekdays but come evening, things can be pretty quiet which is perfect.

Got Capt'n Hook to checked out the menu at Nagomi Shabu-shabu and Sushi Bar and he's game to try this out since I've been there before. It will also be BoiBoi's first experience having to cook his own food heh.

As I'm aware that the individual portion can be quite daunting for a small eater, so we ordered two sets (RM15 each) which came with your choice of soup that came in individual pot and a plate of vegetables that contains a raw egg, a portion of noodles (choice of ramen and udon) silken tofu, shitake mushrooms, spring onions, carrot slices, leeks and half a head of cabbage. Capt'n Hook asked for the Nagomi signature soup which I find it to be a better choice than the chicken soup that BoiBoi had asked for. The pot are placed on induction cooker which is good as you can control the heat yourself and won't generate extra heat other than the boiling soup in the cast iron pot.



We have platters of ribeye (RM18 for 150g) and chicken (RM10 for 150g) that have a portion of minced meat with a cracked quail egg in the centre where the waitress will mix them up and form 2 meatballs as seen here. 2 portions of enoki mushrooms (RM3 each) as they have ran out of oyster mushrooms.







Am sure you would think how come we've ordered so little but seriously they're more than enough for the 3 of us. We chucked in the vegetables then swish our meat with our chopsticks, chuck onto the dips and slurp the noodles up. BoiBoi had fun removing the food his pair of chopsticks, a skill that he had only recently picked up, until he really had had enough of the food. There are 3 types of dips served namely peanut, chilli and soy sauce. Loved the tangy chilli sauce and the peanut sauce as well but can a bit cloying when one is full.





Our meal with 2 cups of refillable ocha (RM2.50 each) and one glass of orange juice (RM9, freshly squeezed) plus 5% Government tax and 10% service charge came up to RM89.70.


Nagomi Shabu-shabu and Sushi Bar
Suite 1-19, 1st Floor, The Podium
Menara Hap Seng (Formerly Mui Plaza)
Jalan P. Ramlee
50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: (603) 2141 6332

There are branches at Jaya33 and Hartamas Shopping Centre.

BBGS Old Girl's Association Tea on 24 April 2010

Calling all the old girls of BBGS!!!

Just a quick favour today to post this announcement up. The Bukit Bintang Girls' School (BBGS) Old Girl's Association will be having a tea this Saturday, 24 April 2010. The details:

Date: 24 April 2010, Saturday

Time: 3.00pm - 5.00pm

Venue: Karl’s Beisl, Lot K-OG 13 & 14, SoHo KL
Solaris Mont’ Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Click here for the Map

Cost: RM20 nett per pax

There will be a special demonstration on making Apple Strudel --the authentic Austrian style. BBGS souvenirs will be on sale.

RSVP: Email bbgsoga@gmail.com OR Call Sow Yoong: 012-292 1460, Kim Lin: 012-2183 799 or her assistant, Tammy: 012-296 4148

For payment details, please head on to the BBGSOGA's blog.


Note: Not sure the younger generations are aware that BBGS was demolished and made way for Pavilion. Well, in case you're wondering where is this BBGS.

Fancy A Japanese Meal at Häagen-Dazs?

Updated 20 April 2010, 12.08pm

Thanks for asking, Qwazymonkey, I've forgotten to put in the price for the sushi platter. It's RM35++.

--------------
It's Friday, let's do a sugar high post!!! Heh Japanese meal at Häagen-Dazs?? :p

Yes and I really meant it... and I'm not stopping at matcha (green tea) ice cream of course! Read on...

Häagen-Dazs Malaysia had just launched their new menu, highlighting a new cake creation and a special ice cream platter. If you go to their shops now, do take your time to thumb through their menu which came bounded in hard cover unlike previously in folded cardboard form. There are beautiful or rather delicious ice cream creations, cakes and drinks imprinted on glossy pages. The "book" would be nice on our coffee table but sadly they don't allow us to have one haha.



Pieces of cakes called Sweet Romance which is purely made of vanilla ice cream topped with white chocolate shavings and whole strawberries. The white chocolate shavings lent a crunchy bite to the cake but it's too sweet for me to go with the vanilla ice cream bottom. Also note the strawberry is frozen as they have no choice but to do it as they would love to show off beautiful cakes in their display freezer heh. I don't have a problem as by the time I'm done with the cake, the strawberry had defrosted a bit. Pictured here are sample size, click the above link to see how the whole cake would look like.



All rightey, the reason we were here is to sample their latest creation - Sushi Platter! Each piece is hand crafted hence there are limited servings per day in each shop. Every flavour and the accompanying ingredients were carefully chosen in order for the pairings to compliment each other. The 4 pieces of "sushi" were served on a rectangle glass platter with a dollop of "wasabi" (matcha ice cream) on a separate saucer and thin slices of green apple standing tall on whipped cream.



I started off with a bite of "Tamago Sushi"??? Looks like "tamago" (omelette) to me :p but it's actually Mango and Passionfruit Ice Cream! The "shari" (rice) is made of Macadamia Nut Brittle (Capt'n Hook's fave flavour) and wrapped with a strip of "nori" (dark chocolate). I loved how the tangy "neta" (topping) melded with the sweet "shari" where else Capt'n Hook thought the macadamia gave a good nutty texture here.

Then I sink my teeth on the Kiwi Fruit Gunkan. Oh yummmss... the sweet Vanilla Ice Cream rice combined with sourish chopped kiwi fruit topping combi is spot on complete with the chocolate "nori". Loved how the sourish fruits counter the sweetness of the ice cream.



I dug into the "Sake Nigiri" which has Vanilla Ice Cream rice and the "salmon" piece is made of Mango Sorbet (my favourite flavour too!). Again a tangy and sweet match that worked fantastically.

Just like the Kiwi Fruit version, this Strawberry Gunkan is refreshingly good too but instead of Vanilla Ice Cream as the rice, this has Macadamia Nut Brittle.

It's my first time trying Häagen-Dazs' Matcha Ice Cream and I'm already liking it. It's slightly bitterish but the green tea taste is not overly strong.

Other than these, you can have your coffee fix here as well such as black coffee and iced cappucino. No comments on coffee since I can drink any :p Have to ask Joe and the Chocoholic.

Seriously, with all the wonderful pairings... it really made me wonder why some people dislikes ice cream! How could one not like ice cream???

This Sushi Platter is available at all Häagen-Dazs shops in Malaysia now, well until their next change of menu. However from now till 15 May 2010, if you order a plate of this, a complimentary scoop voucher will be given to you. So hurry to Häagen-Dazs now for your fix of delicious and creamy "sushi".

Thank you to Häagen-Dazs Malaysia, their PR agency and staff at Solaris Mont Kiara outlet for the lovely evening! BTW, don't fret when you walk into this outlet and notice there are very little tables inside as the mezzanine floor above have cosy sofas other than usual tables and chairs for you to lounge around to slowly enjoy their "slow melting" ice creams.

Häagen-Dazs
Click here for shop location