Review: Lai Foong Beef Noodles @ Taman Taynton View, Cheras

**Non-Halal**


This was the day where Malaysians went out in full force to vote for their government. Capt'n Hook have to take his mother to cast her vote in Cheras and after that I need to hurry to Kepong to do my duty. In between we need to have our lunch and off we went for Lai Foong Beef Noodles. I have only knew of this branch in Taman Taynton View last year but never got round to check it out until Edward's brother at the old Lai Foong urged us to come here to pay Edward a visit. He mentioned that it's air conditioned in Cheras so it's more comfortable however the prices are higher but compensated with larger portion.

You see, Edward was Capt'n Hook's colleague back in their banking days aeons ago. He quit his desk job five years ago to start this branch. His wife have learnt to cooked them beef dishes and is helping out in the kitchen. However on the day we were there, it was so jammed pack that Edward can't even take 5 to say hi. We managed to catch up though last Monday. He told us that when he first started out, the 2 years were very quiet until the newspapers highlighted Lai Foong existence in Cheras. Then business just went boom!

BoiBoi was having a grumpy time as he said he doesn't want to eat noodles but you know we don't always give in to him even though most times we'll oblige. So when he was given the menu, he gave me his grumpy look and pointed at this "What!!!??! You want me to eat this???" *chuckle* Yeah right!

We did asked Edward, what is their best seller and in a jest he pointed at the bull penis too!! Not sure if he was just pulling our legs but he said they got sold off quickly. Not that he makes a lot, just "punn thiu" (half a length) and based on my memory of a food show, bull penis can be quite long :p



Since we're not big fans of offal, it's always lean meat and beef balls for me and I like mine with lai fun (a type of rice noodles) (RM7.00 a bowl). We knew the broth was cooked for many hours in a huge tank (almost the height of my chest) at their KL HQ as Edward's brother was preparing them when we were there a couple of months ago. Forgot to ask if MSG is used but I dun really feel that thirsty even after downing the broth.



Since grumpy BoiBoi didn't want to have noodles, so he was happy to see his favourite fried rice on the menu. This Beef Fried Rice (RM8.00) was quite generous in portion and ingredients. Filled with wok hei too!



So was the Fried Beef Noodles (RM7.50) which Capt'n Hook ordered as an extra dish after seeing almost every other table have a plate of these.

Edward mentioned that they might have to close for a few days during Hari Raya Aidil Fitri as their beef supplier will be closed since many of their workers are Muslims. So do call up before turning up, but horrr we tried calling before and no one picked up the phone cos they were just too busy :p

It was sad to note that our other favourite noodles place Restoran 3U along the main road Jalan Dato Haji Harun had closed and replaced with another food place.

Restoran Lai Foong Beef Noodle

8 Jalan Nadchatiram, 

Taman Taynton View, 

Off Jalan Cheras, 

56000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +6012-2133 321
GPS Coordinates: 3.089158, 101.734214

Business hours: Daily 8.00am to 4.00pm. Closed on Tuesdays unless it falls on a public holiday.

Steamed Rice Noodle Parcels With Recipe

I've posted about Steamed Rice Noodle Parcels but I did not measure out the ingredients then and I've promised that I'll make up to that. So I've made these parcels again with all ingredients weighted and measured out. It's really very easy to cook up, the only trouble is the time taken to julienne the turnips (yam bean), carrots and French beans! So by all means, use a grater for carrots and turnips hehe...

Celine of Life, Love and Me commented previously "OMG!! THIS is my favorite too!!! :) My "Ah Mah" used to make this for me when I was Boi Boi's age. It has been ages since I have taken it. Don't think I am at the league to re-create this at home. I am still at the "only know how to fry one type of vege at the time" stage. :) xoxo"

What league??? hahaha Celine, if you read the recipes below, you'll know why I've asked you to make them this weekend cos it's really simple. Make your Ah Mah proud ok! ;-)


Steamed Rice Noodle Parcels/Rolls

1.2 kg (2 medium sized) turnips (yam bean), peeled (clean weight about 1 - 1.1 kg)
80 g (1 small) carrots, peeled
80 g French beans, both ends removed
30 g (4 cloves) garlic, chopped
30 g dried shrimps (omit for vegetarian version), washed, soaked and drain
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp grounded white pepper
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp oil

10 sheets of uncut rice noodle* (2 packets as 1 packet has 5 sheets)
Bean paste sauce* (mixed with hot water to dilute)
Chilli sauce** (optional, recipe below)

Garnishing:
Spring onion, sliced
Deep fried shallots (can be bought or best if self made)

* can be found at wet market at stalls selling fresh noodles

Prep:

Slice yam bean and carrot into thin strips as shown the pic. You can use a coarse grater, of course. Diagonally sliced French beans into thin strips (also shown in pic).



I've roughly chopped my dried shrimps cos they were big and longish. If you have the smaller ones, just keep them whole.

Cook:

Using a wok with lid, heat it up before pouring in the oil. Put in dried shrimps and fry till they "pop" or smell fragrant. Add in garlic and fry till light brown. Stir in carrot and turnip strips until they're well mixed. Sprinkle in 1 Tbsp of water, cover and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Stir in the French beans, salt, white pepper and sugar (please note my salt level is on the low side, so adjust it according to your tastebud). If you feel the vegetables are a bit dry, sprinkle in the other 1 Tbsp of water. Put on the lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir and check if they're cooked (meaning the turnips have turned soft). If they're not, cover and cook for another 3 minutes or so (I guess you'll have to judge as it will depend on your heat and how juicy the turnips were). Set aside to cool down a little.



Do note that when you cook with the lid on, you'll noticed some liquid would form in the wok. This would hasten the cooking process as opposed to frying in a open wok (which I did once and took so long to cook up). Just cook till vegetables are soft and moist but yet still retained a slight crunch and the liquid is dried up. In any case where 2 Tbsp of water is not enough, by all means keep on adding by the tablespoons.

To assemble:

Carefully unroll the rice noodle sheet on a clean surface. Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of fillings into a thick log diagonally towards one edge. Fold the shorter end over and roll once towards the opposite end. Tuck in left and right ends. Continue to roll till the end, just like how you roll a parcel.

I know I've promised earlier for step-by-step pics but I was alone at that time and hands all oily from handling the rice noodle sheets, so it's quite difficult unless I wash my hands 600 million times hehe.



Otherwise, you could roll them into a log. Just spread out 2 generous tablespoons fillings on the long edge of the sheet like a long log. Then roll up like a swiss roll till the end.



Place parcels or rolls onto heatproof plates and steam on low heat for 5 - 7 minutes. Not on high heat though as the parcels will break.

To serve (best when warm):

Slice the parcels or rolls. Spoon over bean paste sauce and chilli. Sprinkle with spring onions and deep fried shallots.

Easy peasy... not??? Let me know ;-)




Chilli Sauce**

60 g (4 medium sized) red chillies, sliced
50 g young ginger, skin removed
3 cloves garlic
Calamansi juice, to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients into a rather fine chilli sauce.

Char Siu Wantan Mee (Noodles) @ Restoran Meng Shiang, Taman Yulek

**Non-Halal**


I've heard and read so much about the char siu (bbq pork) over at this corner coffee shop named Restoran Meng Shiang in Taman Cheras/Yulek but never got round to it. The thing most people complaint about was the waiting time. Since we were passing by here on a weekday, we gave it a try. Took a look inside the double-lot coffee shop, doesn't seems pack and we managed to grab a table near this stall.

This stall sells char siu wantan mee (noodles), it's nearly 12.30pm and thank goodness there were char siu strips hanging at the glass display. Later on, we saw one of the staff bringing out more char siu strips wooohooo. We put in our order of one small and one medium, surprisingly our noodles came within 15 minutes instead of the standard waiting time of 45 minutes.

This was my one-portion noodles. Loved the generous amount of char siu that were glistening in full glory of the caramalised sweet and sticky marinade. What I liked is it's not sickly sweet kind and they are not fatty. Plus I got char siu thau (head) part of the strip. Yes I know it's not healthy to have the charred bits, I guess once a while should be ok? And this is my kinda of a perfect char siu wantan mee where the noodles were cooked al dente retaining the bite whilst not tasting heavy of alkaline that is used to make the noodles. The dark sauce must have the right balance of oil, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce with a slight hint of sesame oil which this stall have nailed it to the T!



My benchmark is Koon Kee and this stall really matched up, if not better! The 3 pieces of wantan - nothing to shout about though but the char siu, noodles and the sauces combi were excellent.



This is Capt'n Hook's one and a half portion (medium) noodles (sorry pic a bit blur cos I need to hurry up and tuck in :p).



I gather the elusive waiting time must be for weekends. We also noticed that the chicken rice stall next to them also belonged to the same family. The display of steamed chicken, siu yuk (roast pork) and char siu, has very little offering left. The wife manned the noodles stall whilst the husband took care of the rice stall. Meanwhile, the daughter takes in order and stuffing the wantan with minced pork mixture.

Restoran Meng Shiang is just a stone throw away from A Wet Thai Cafe and opposite the 3-shoplots Restoran Hau Kee.


Restoran Meng Shiang
1 & 3, Jalan Kas Kas 2
Taman Cheras (Taman Yulek)
Kuala Lumpur

Review: Menya Musashi @ Eat Paradise, Isetan 1Utama

**Non-Halal**


Early May, whilst I was waiting for my gift to be wrapped at Isetan 1Utama, a flyer announcing the opening of Isetan Eat Paradise on 11 May caught my eyes. I took one and oh myyy... I'm very excited over the possibilities of so many delicious food places right inside Isetan 2nd floor. Looking at the floor plan, the eating places seems to be spacious but in actual fact, they're just postage stamp size. I can imagine the crowd during peak hours.

The non-halal outlets consisted of Menya Musashi (Tokyo Ramen) debuting in Malaysia; Gantetsu (Hokkaido Ramen) also making its debut in Malaysia and Won Korean (not visible up front, just walk right to the end).

Meanwhile the pork-free outlets are Senya (Udon & Soba); Ichiro Sushi (sushi bar debuting in Malaysia); Puran B (cafe) which is actually Plan B where The BIG Group laid its first baby foot step in 1Utama; Gyu-Kaku (Japanese BBQ) also debuting in Malaysia. Then there's Caffe Gino over on the Ground Floor serving gourmet Japanese coffee.

With Capt'n Hook being a big fan of porky ramen, I guess we don't have to look any further than checking out Menya Musashi which has already gained wide publicity by the bloggers.



Apparently Menya Musashi with its flagship store in Shinjuku is one of the legendary ramen in Japan. It's owner, Yamada Takeshi is amongst the 3 ramen industry icons apart from Kawahara Shigemi (Ippudo) and Furuya Ichiro (Nanttsutei). Unlike Goku Raku Ramen's porky broths, Menya Musashi has a subtle broth based due to it's usage of dried saury (a type of fish that is usually in season during autumn) other than pork and chicken bones. Ramen used is thicker than Goku Raku Ramen, about medium thick I would say.

One of the characteristics of Menya Musashi is the interior decor which is samurai based with quite a number of art pieces of some kinda of samurai heros, samurai and sword themed lampshades, black pillars, tables and chairs. I'm no expert in this but while waiting for our ramen to arrive, Capt'n Hook peppered me with info about Miyamoto Musashi. Gee, I've no idea Musashi is actually a legendary swordsman!

There's no table service here. One has to place order and pay at the cashier upfront at the entrance. Then take a seat and soak in the art pieces. I've asked for a glass of cold green tea (RM2) and it really came ice cold, very very refreshing. It's also great to note that they serve drinking water FOC without even asking!



Menu is small and there are 3 steps in ordering a bowl of ramen, very simple as stated in the part pictorial menu. Just take a pick of your choices.

Step 1 - Oil

• Shiro (white) - Onion Flavored Oil/Original
• Kuro (black) - Special Oil of Fried Shallot & Garlic
• Aka (red) - Homemade Musashi Chili Oil

Step 2 - Ramen and Ingredients

• Musashi Ramen - 2 pieces of Chashu, Menma (fermented bamboo shoots), Ajitama (flavoured egg) and Negi (spring onion)
• Ramen - 1 piece Chashu, Menma and Negi
• Ajitama Ramen - 1 piece Chashu, Ajitama, Menma and Negi
• Chashu Men - 3 pieces Chashu, Menma and Negi

Step 3 - Served in Broth or Tsukemen (Broth on separate bowl)

Options to "kar liu" (Cantonese to add on extra) Chasu, Ajitama, Menima or Negi at extra charge. There are also a few of side orders such as gyoza.

I've opted for the signature (according to the cashier) Musashi Ramen (RM26) with a Shiro base of original flavour. I liked the texture of the thicker bouncy ramen. The broth is simpler in flavour. Chashu piece is humongous in size so far as compared with the rest of the ramen places I've been to. However, the texture of the pork slices is kinda coarse. The yolk is not runny at all for my Ajitama :(



Capt'n Hook as usual went for a full body broth of Kuro Chashu Men (RM30). He seems to enjoy his broth till the last drop. I did have some of the broth and find the fried shallot and garlic oil way too overpowering as I prefer to enjoy and taste the natural flavours.



Other than the ramen as the draw, at the moment Master Chef Yamaguchi is around. You can't miss him as his photo appeared on the menu and his imposing fiercesome aura (kekeke) is hanging around the restaurant klik klaking on his wooden clogs. He was looking at us at the corner of his eyes while I snapped pics using my tiny mobile phone. So fiercesome that I did not dare to approach him :p

Not sure how long he's going to be here but there were a couple of Japanese chefs in the kitchen. I guess if one really would like to have a genuine taste of Menya Musashi ramen, it's really a good time to taste it now. Once the chefs left... let's just hope things will maintain but as far as my own experience thing's won't be the same. So do go now.

On a note, we went for a show after our dinner here and we both felt thirsty in the midst of the show... the only day I left my water bottle at home duh! We scrambled to the supermarket to grab some cold drinks before heading home.

Oh ya, there's 10% service charge and 6% Government tax because it's opened under Isetan Malaysia.

Menya Musashi
2nd Floor Isetan 1Utama
Bandar Utama
Tel: +603 7713 7777
Dining Hours:
Sun - Thu 11.00am - 10.00pm (last order 9.30pm)
Fri, Sat & Public Holiday 11.00am - 10.30pm (last order 10.00pm)

Steamed Rice Noodle Parcels

My mother had made Rice Noodle Parcels for us when we were young. They are chee cheung fun sheets (flat rice noodles) filled with a yam bean (jicama/sengkuang)) fillings served with bean paste sauce and chilli sauce. It's my BoiBoi's favourite and every weekend he'll ask me to buy from a nearby coffee shop for breakfast but that particular stall made them into rolls (fun guen in Cantonese).

I liked it a lot too and when I eat them, I know it can't be that difficult to replicate at home. This is my first attempt, hence I did not measure the ingredients. I promised to do that the next round. I did not make the rice noodles since I can buy them from the wet market at the stalls that sells all sorts of noodles, assorted fish cakes, fish balls etc. So that saves a lot of time.

For the fillings, the rough portions would be 1 portion (1 medium sized) shredded yam bean (use a coarse grater), quarter portion of shredded carrot (use the same coarse grater for uniform size) and quarter portion of French beans, sliced thin diagonally. Normally only yam bean is used but I've added carrots and French beans for colour. I've also added a small handful of dried shrimps (omit this for vegetarian version), soaked and drained. 3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely. Some oil, salt and white ground pepper.

To cook the fillings, heat about 2 - 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok (cos I find it's easier to stir the fillings in one). Fry the dried shrimp till fragrant before adding the garlic. Once garlic begins to brown, put in the yam beans and carrots. Stir to mix well. Once they begin to soften, add in about quarter cup of water. Cover with a lid and cook under low heat for about 5 minutes. Then stir and add in the French beans. Add in salt and white pepper to taste. If it's too dry, add a little more water. You may need to do this as you go on to achieve a dry mixture but yet the vegetables are soft. Stir and cover with lid. Cook until vegetables are softened.

If you noticed that your vegetables have softened but still very wet. Cook and keep stirring until mixture has dry up but yet retain a little moisture. Hehe sound complicated huh??? Just use your feel... the yam bean texture ought to be soft like popiah fillings but dry like ju hu char! Gosh I hope you got what I've meant hahaha...



Once the vegetables are done, let it cool down. To assemble, on a clean surface, take a piece of the flat rice noodle sheet and unfold it gently. Spoon fillings into a thickish log towards one of the edge, fold the short end over and roll once towards the opposite end. Tuck in both the left and right end. Continue to roll till the end... just like folding a parcel. Ok ok I promise to make a step-by-step pics next time.

Otherwise, you can make things easier by placing the fillings in a long log throughout the entire length of the sheet and roll it up like a swiss roll.



Next, place parcels on a heat proof plate and gently steam for about 6 - 8 minutes. I've used my electric steamer set at 10 minutes and felt that it's a little too hot that a couple of parcels burst. Next time, I should just reduce the timing.

You can serve the entire parcel on its own or sliced into halves with a drizzle of bean paste sauce (which you can buy from the same stall that sells the noodles, just need to add a little hot water to dilute the thick paste) and chilli sauce (I've used a blend of fresh red chillies, young ginger and garlic with loads of calamansi lime juice). Sprinkle with some deep fried shallots (but I did not have any on hand) and chopped spring onions.



Hope you got what I've meant and successfully replicate this easy peasy recipe. I know you can cos my friend (whom does not cook much) did just that the next day after showing her these 3 photos and simply by just telling her the ingredients with no instructions! Good luck!

Yes yes, I promised that I will measure my ingredients and do a step-by-step guide soon!!!

Ah Yee Curry Mee @ Kepong Baru

**Non-Halal**


One of our friend posted a photo of a plate of delicious looking curry chee cheung fun (flat rice noodles) not long ago and we asked him where that plate of chee cheung fun came from. He then described to us and since I'm familiar with Kepong Baru, it's quite easy for us to locate this Ah Yee Curry Mee. You can access this row of hawkers either on Jalan Kepong Baru (the main road) or Jalan Ambong Kiri 1. It's just next to Hoo Yee Kee Prawn Noodles. It's the same row as KTZ and Onn Kee Roast Duck just that Ah Yee Curry Mee is on the other side after the traffic light (coming from Kepong Baru side towards exit to Jalan Kepong).

Look for this signage... it's rather big facing the main road but there's a smaller one on Jalan Ambong Kiri 1 where parking is ample.



The place seems airy and bright, maybe because we were there very early before 8am hence the lights were all still switched on. Quite clean for hawker stalls standard. On the white board, there's a long list of offerings here ranging from chee cheung fun, curry noodles, prawn noodles, yong tau foo (stuffed beancurd & vegetables) etc together with the prices.



The small portion Curry Chee Cheung Fun is RM3.30 swimming on a light curry broth topped with pork meat and shitake mushroom strips in a brown sauce that I think is made from oyster sauce and soy sauce. I supposed this is the meat sauce you'll be given when one order the normal chee cheung fun. A sprinkling of chopped scallion/spring onions and deep fried shallots slices complete the dish.

Mine is a small portion with fu pei (deep fried beancurd sheet) costed RM4.10. The curry broth is light and not overly greasy with a nice subtle curry flavour. The meat sauce luckily melded well. Our only gripe is the smooth & slippery chee cheung fun is sliced a bit too wide.



Someone at the table had a bowl of Prawn Noodles (RM4.00 sorry no pic) which is rather lackluster when I tried a sip. There were only 2 medium sized prawn in there lamented that someone! So skip this.

I took a peek at our next table and saw that the Curry Noodles seems yummy, I guess that will have to wait till our next visit. We also found out that they used to operate from a corner coffee shop near by and shifted to the current location 2 years ago. Ahhh that explains why we can't find them at the coffee shop anymore :p


Ah Yee Curry Mee
Jalan Kepong Baru/Jalan Ambong Kiri 1
Kepong Baru
Opens for breakfast & lunch
Click here for map

Review: Goon Wah Restaurant

**Non-Halal**


My previous post on Goon Wah Restaurant, gee was so many aeons ago. I guess it's time for an update. Since my last post, Goon Wah now occupied another lot next to the old one and this section has air-cond for the putera and puteri lilin (literally translated from Malay as candle prince and princess... meant to be the people who tends to perspire easily).

When one come here, there are 2 items ought to be ordered. First is the Claypot XO Fish Head Noodles and the other one being the Claypot Loh Shue Fun. Let's dig on the first item... I supposed it's named XO because of the amount of ingredients in the claypot and it doesn't contain any cognac but it's very fragrant with the use of Chinese rice wine. I like the usage of thick bee hoon (rice vermicelli) here. Other than deep fried fish head and the usual tomatoes, ginger slices, spring onions... there are the addition of yam slices and fried foo chuk (beancurd sheet). We loved the slight sweetish broth with a slight tang infused by the tomatoes.



Goon Wah's Claypot Loh Shue Fun (a type of rice noodles) has a rather fancy name in Chinese and it came with a flame underneath. It's a dry version as compared to Yoke Heng's thick gravy. The loh shue fun is topped with a generous amount of minced pork and deep fried shrimps. To eat this, one has to give them a good stir to mix them all up evenly. This is BoiBoi and kids favourite! Other than these 2 noodles, they serve other delicious noodles as well such as Kong Nam Meen or even Wat Tarn Hor.



They have a few other popular items that tends to appear on every table. One of which is this Stout Chicken Wing. I can't detect the stout flavour, perhaps it's just one of the many ingredients of the marinade which results in a slight sweetish caramalised sticky gravy that clung onto the chicken wings. It's so good we have another round especially for the kids. We also ordered some steamed mantous to mop up the gravy.



We have a Thai Style Tofu which is essentially deep fried tofu pockets filled with fresh cucumber and turnip strips with a sweet Thai chilli sauce drizzle over before a generous amount of crushed peanuts scattered on top. I find the tofu is a bit on the dry side but it was ok when combined with the rest of the ingredients.



We also have an obligatory greens - stir fried lettuce which I did not took a pic with my mobile (that explains the quality of the pics). Since I did not pay for the food, the total of the above plus additional pot of fish head noodles and loads of drinks orders, it came to about RM25 per head for our party of 8 adults and 3 children.


Goon Wah Restaurant
G13 Jalan 3/115C, KP2, Taman Kuchai Lama
Off Jalan Kuchai Lama
Tel: 603-79820048/79840722

Review: Canoodling & Ricetaurant

The BIG group's empire does not stop short at Western food. You may find Asian fares at both Canoodling and Ricetaurant at Bangsar Village II. Canoodling focused on all things noodles, whilst Ricetaurant serves various rice dishes on top of dishes that goes with steamed white rice. The best part of this combo is that they are situated next to each other, hence you can cross order from each other's menus.

We have been here several times and we find both outlets served quite good food even though the price may be a little high as compared to hawkers or dai chow (big stir-fry) shops. Dining in air-cond with comfort does come with a price ;-)



If you were to sit over at Canoodling side, you'll be peppered by bright yellow and black utensils and decor items. Where else over at Ricetaurant side it's silver, black and red. Totally dig the menu that came like school exercise book! The kitchens are enclosed in glass where you can actually have a look at how your food is being cooked here.



On one visit, I had a hearty bowl of Braised Beef Brisket Noodles (RM13.90). The broth is peppered with spices like star anise and cloves, thin slices of brisket and tripe. Loved the slight bouncy texture of the tendon.



Capt'n Hook had Thai Belachan Mango Fried Rice (RM13.90) which as usual, I have a little bite. This fried rice is not too bad eh, filled with wok hei (breath of a wok) but I personally like the belachan (shrimp paste) to be slightly stronger though.



There is an addition of Four King Belachan Vegetables (RM12.90) which surprisingly came up tops in terms of wok hei and sambal belachan used to stir fry the vegetables (French beans, ladyfingers, brinjal & onions) which can beat quite a number of dai chow places! Our only complaint is the brinjal sticks were sliced a bit too wide.



Capt'n Hook tried the Bubur Cha Cha (RM4.90) but was displeased with the sago that clumps together otherwise this would be something that could satisfy Capt'n Hook's craving. Mid way into this, a tiny piece of plastic was discovered. We informed the staff about both the clumpy sago and the plastic piece. We were offered a replacement but declined since we're quite full already. Coincidently, one of their management staff was seated nearby going through the restaurants stuff with the chef. We went by to say hello and feedback to her about the bubur cha cha and in general. We were glad that their chef had actually told her about the clumpy sago moments ago seeking for a solution. Talk about being efficient! Anyway, we have a great chat with her and glad to say that she welcomed all our feedbacks with open arms. When we leave, she said she's going to order the Four King Belachan Vegetables to spot check on the kitchen lol.

Another time, I ordered the Lemongrass Chicken Chop & Fried Egg with Rice (RM15.90) from the One Plate menu which come with soup and dessert. The soup came piping hot and seriously tasted homemade. On that day, a Monday, ABC soup was served and we both concurred that the soup has been boiling for hours that made it so tummy warming. My dish came very quickly actually, like within 3 sips of my soup upon serving. The chicken chop is tender but the lemongrass marinade is a little too mild to my tastebud.





Capt'n Hook who used to like Delicious (formerly owned by The Big Group which is now sold to E&O) nasi ulam & ayam percik and was delighted to find the same dish here. Ayam Percik and Salted Egg with Nasi Ulam (RM19.90) also comes under the One Plate menu.



Dessert served on that day was Mung Bean Sweet Soup which tasted like homemade.



Pleased to note that both Canoodling and Ricetaurant are pork free. We're glad that there's finally some good Asian food found inside Bangsar Village II, well of course other than the super delicious fried hokkien mee at Reunion Restaurant (which so happens to be formerly owned by The Big Group too!).


Canoodling
Ricetaurant
2F-29, Bangsar Village 2
No. 1, Jalan Telawi Satu 

Bangsar Baru
59100 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia
Tel: +603 2287 1566
Daily Opening Hours: 12noon – 3pm & 6pm – 10pm

Review: Goku Raku Ramen @ Midvalley Megamall

**Non-Halal**


A while ago, I've received this invite from Goku Raku Ramen to attend their opening but alas I can't make it due to work. Recently I received another invite and planned it as such so that I can attend. They have asked me to bring along a few bloggers but little that I know that the date clashed with the launch of MIGF which of course I wasn't invited to. However, only FatBoyBakes could make it and when we met him, he told us that he did get an invite to MIGF but only because he said yes to me first and he kept it. We're so honoured indeed to dine with him :D



As we walked into the restaurant, we were lead to the far back and noticed that the restaurant is really big. We met Tomoko Nakano, Wong Chwee Hann, Yvonne Tan and Chef Shinichi Kanai (pictured above). We were briefed that Donburi House (the operator of Goku Raku Ramen) is the non-halal arm of Texchem group. Still does not ring a bell? Texchem owns Sushi King :D



Yvonne took us to a tour of the kitchen and showed us where the tedious and labourious broths were made (no pics allowed here), followed by how ramen which is made here on a daily basis.

I have to say the broths made here are from a mix of fish, chicken and pork are certainly made with lots of love which you can certainly taste it! The tonkatsu broth is simmered for 17 hours where else the Gokuraku signature broth is boiled for 30 hours! They're boiled in 100 litres tanks and stirred every 3-4 minutes. During the tour, we witness the chef mashing up the boiled meat and bones on the strainer to "juice" out all the goodie bits from the bones and all into the broth. So now you know why the broth is so flavourful. We did asked Kanai San if they keep the soup boiling over night which he replied no due to safety reason. They'll turn off the fire and continue the next day. They even have imported water filter just for the broth and ramen.

Next, we were showed how ramen is made here using flour imported from Thailand. The machines were all brought in from Japan and are rather expensive, hence this outlet in Midvalley Megamall will make all the noodles and supply to their future openings at The Paradigm Mall (Kelana Jaya) and Gurney Paragon (Penang).

The ramen making process is no easy task even with the help of machineries. First the ingredients are mixed in a mixer before pouring into the rolling and cutting machine. The rolled out sheet is attached to a wooden rolling pin like handle. A second press is done by pressing two sheets of noodles into one to create a springy and bouncy noodles texture. These rolled up sheet will be left to rest for a couple of hours before shredding into ramen. I've processed a video here for you to watch the entire process. You can hear Yvonne's explanation on top of the questions fielded by us.



Next, the chef attached a shredding contraption to the machine. The noodle sheets go through this shredder and not only came out as shreds but in the correct portion size. The chef will weigh the portions at random to ensure the weight remained consistent. In Goku Raku, the ramen came in two sizes of thickness where the thick one is made from 3 types of flours whilst the thin one is made from 2 types. If you've watched the video, you would have heard that they do not sell their freshly made ramen AND no take aways for their ramen! I supposed it's for one to enjoy the ramen at it's best possible texture and temperature.



It is interesting to note that even cooking of the ramen is done to perfection with the help of machinery. The baskets are timed to lift up from the hot water to ensure each batch of noodles are cooked in the same temperature and timing.



We started off our dinner with an appetiser of Pirikara Negi Char Siew (RM7.90). Chef Kanai showed us that we need to lift of each slice of pork shoulder together with the lettuce and homemade chilli sauce and place everything inside our mouth to be eaten together. The char siew is extremely tender and the sauce made this a refreshing start.



We were showed earlier how Gyoza (RM7.90 - 6 pieces) is made here also using a special machine. The pre-made gyozas are placed on a hot plate and then after a certain time the chef put on the lid. The machine then steams up the gyozas making the based very crispy and the gyoza skin on top maintained a nice and soft texture. If they have done it nicely like the day we were at the review, as you bite into the gyoza, be prepared for a burst of broth ala xiao long bao. The gyoza here is amply filled indeed. Another must order for BoiBoi.



Next up, we got to try Tomato Maki (RM6.90 for 2 sticks) and Buta Bara Kushi (RM5.90 for 2 sticks). Tomato Maki has grilled thin pork belly slice wrapped around a cherry tomato whilst Buta Bara Kushi is deep fried breaded pork belly. Our BoiBoi loved the Tomato Maki when we brought him here for 2 occasions (yes it was that good that we have returned twice already!!) even though he dislikes tomato in general. I supposed he love the burst of juicy tomato when he bites into one together with the crispy pork belly. The Buta Bara Kushi has thicker slice of pork belly and they're very tender and juicy even though deep fried.



We shared a bowl of Ishiyaki Garlic Rice (RM16.90). Ishiyaki is the stone bowl the garlic rice is served in. The stone bowl is heated before the garlic rice is placed inside drizzled with a stamina sauce before topping with a raw egg. So before eating, you're supposed to mix everything up. We loved how the stone bowl actually creates a crispy rice crust at the bottom just like how we liked the crust from claypot chicken rice. Highly recommended for garlic rice lover!



As for the ramen, we started off from a weaker broth to the strongest just like how we do wine tasting *chuckle*. For the first ramen, we tried their best seller Tonkotsu Ramen. The one showed here is the basic of black fungus, spring onion, leek, bamboo shoot, and seaweed but for RM20.90, do ask for a bowl of Ultimate Tonkotsu Ramen which includes char siew and flavoured egg. For our return trips, we all have this and sapu (cleaned) the bowl clean including the broth! I have to say for that price, it's really worth it as for once we felt there are ample ingredients in the bowl as compared with the usual Japanese restaurants.



Oh yeah, this ramen is served with Mah You which is the blackish garlic oil. It is actually burnt garlic grounded into a paste. There's is a leek oil which is equally as fragrant but less stronger in flavour as compared with the garlic oil. They both gave the broth a totally different taste so experiment them yourself. The oils are not given separately to you, you'll need to request for the oil you would like, otherwise the default oil will be served straight in the bowl.



Gokuraku Ramen (RM19.90) is served next and is topped with char siew, onion, bamboo shoot, leek (from the leek oil and it's fried till blackish in colour) and seaweed. This is the broth that is boiled for 30 hours and the strongest of all. It's darker in colour due to the addition of shoyu. The broth is thick and is so flavourful. No porky smell is detected at all. If you prefer a strong flavoured broth, this is the ramen for you.



The last bowl of ramen we tried is the Gokuraku Miso Ramen (RM20.90). This has miso added to the Tonkotsu broth and is topped with cabbage, minced pork, flavoured egg and the default garlic oil. Surprisingly the miso gave the Tonkotsu broth a totally different identity at all. It wasn't salty nor the miso over powered the broth, in fact it's equally as flavourful.



What I liked is the additional toppings that you would like to add on is totally inexpensive. For example, extra char siew is only RM2.00 and nita mago (flavoured egg) is RM1.00 for one. FBB and I kept browsing the menu in disbelieve that the prices are so so reasonable here. Our return trips we ordered the Grilled Skewers set (arrghh I can't seems to find the photo) where all the 7 different skewers costed us only RM13.90!!! BoiBoi totally loves them. When he had his first bite of the chicken thigh skewer... he uttered "mmmm this is good meat" which made my jaw dropped as he hardly ever said such thing. A little foodie in the making?

By now, sake and soju would be have been made available. We tried the soju mix - Tenson Kourin Sour (RM24.90 for 2). The soju served here is actually potato wine with about 40% - 50% alcohol. You'll have a choice of either tonic water or 7 Up and between lemon or orange (the fun part is you get to juice them yourself!). We tried a combination of tonic water + lemon juice which turns out to be rather refreshing for me as it's on a tart side but Capt'n Hook preferred the sweeter 7 Up with orange juice.



By now, we were filled to the brim but we managed to try the Assorted Dessert (RM8.90) which has sampling size of annin tofu, rare cheese cake and banana fritter with vanilla ice cream. Annin tofu turned out to be everyone's favourite. It's almond jelly made with yoghurt, fresh milk, fresh cream, gelatine and almond (apricot kernels) powder. I usually stay away from almond jelly as it smells like ermm cockroach :p but over here, there's barely a hint of almond. The texture is soft and smooth.



At the end of the our dinner, FBB declared that he was glad to have skipped MIGF launch for this tasting session and it got to be great as he brought his family here for dinner just a few days after this session. Needless to say, for us too as we have returned twice. On our second trip, we bumped into KY & Haze!



We would like to thank Mabel for initiating the invite. Tomoko, Miss Wong, Yvonne and Chef Kanai San for hosting our delicious dinner. We're so going to be back often!

One last thing... do visit Goku Raku Ramen website to watch out for monthly promotions. Last month, ramens were given 50% discount on every Mondays. As for this month, there's a special set for 2 pax going at RM49.90 and so forth.


Goku Raku Ramen
Lot S25 & S26, Level 2

Mid Valley Megamall

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03 - 2282 3924

Opening hours: 10.00am - 10.00pm