Review: 2014 Parent's Day Menu @ Hakata Ippudo Ramen

**Non-Halal**


Seems to be happening now to celebrate Parent's Day rather than separately on Mother's or Father's Day which is a good thing to consumer as we now get to enjoy many promotions for over a month rather than just 2 days :D

So went on to Hakata Ippudo Ramen to check out their Parent's Day menu. The outlets at Pavilion KL and The Gardens have this special menu that goes for RM99++ that is good for 3 person. For this menu, you'll get to enjoy 2 appetisers which you can select from 6 choices; 3 bowls of ramen which you can choose from 3 options plus 3 glasses of soft drinks or juices. Value for money definitely I would say ;-)

There's no secret that we love our ramen and virtually tried quite a number of them around town. Capt'n Hook loves the strong broth taste, hence if by any chance there's a ramen place around, we will definitely be heading there for dinner. So by now, we have a few favourites and are so happy that we can find Ippudo at The Gardens and the latest outlet at Bangsar Shopping Complex. Don't need to weave through the traffic jam to Pavilion KL.

To start off, BoiBoi picked Curry Cheese Harumaki and the Buta Karaage as our appetisers. All of us love the Curry Cheese Harumaki. To me, it reminds me of curry puff but this comes as deep fried spring rolls with a filling of mild curried potatoes, mince pork with cheese.



The Buta Karaage turned out to be deep fried pork loin which is juicy on the inside but yet crispy on the outside. Best when dipped in the special sauce.



There were 3 types of ramens to pick from but the waitress recommended us to order all the three so that we can share and taste all of them. How sweet of her and pretty wise choice I would say.

Let's get the low down of ramen here in Ippudo. One can pick the texture of the ramen ranging from soft, normal, hard to very hard. Apparently, normal and hard are KLites' favourites. They even have straight or crinkled noodles. As for the broth, all of them have the basic cloudy white tonkotsu (pork bone) broth. The variations would have different ingredients added changing the basic flavour completely such as the addition of miso paste, spicy miso paste or fragrant garlic oil. The toppings have the standard pork loin slices, kikurage (black fungus strips) and spring onions. You may add soft boiled egg or chashu separately.



As for the condiments, there will be a bowl of fresh garlic that comes with a garlic press, sesame seeds that came in a grinder and Togarashi. Try the broth on its own first before deciding if you need to add any of these.

They started us off with the mildest flavour, Shiromaru Motoaji with the basic tonkotsu broth paired with normal thin noodles. The broth is not overpowering at Ippudo, just nice for me but for someone like Capt'n Hook, he pressed in one pip of fresh garlic. I took a sip and gee the fresh garlic took the broth to another level. We were given the soft straight noodles here, nice.



The next bowl of ramen, Akamaru Shinaji. This bowl has a special miso paste and fragrant garlic oil added to the tonkotsu broth. This miso paste is mildly spicy and we loved it that the garlic oil is so fragrant that Capt'n Hook does not need to press in any fresh garlic. I quite like the normal noodles texture.



I have some comments written by BoiBoi on his phone while we were in the midst of eating and he emailed to me so that I could put up here, so those in block quotes and in blue were written by him ;-) atta boy!

Akamaru Shinaji ramen is a bit spicy here. Well, it consists of pork belly (of course it's obvious), thin noodles, some kikurage, spring onions and special blended miso. This tastes better when sesame seeds were grounded over. Mmmmm.........spiciness during the cold weather is best.

Our last bowl is Kataka-men which has spicy miso, minced pork & some chopped cashew nuts over tonkotsu broth, paired with hard wavy noodles. Personally, I quite like this combi but would opt for normal noodles as I find the hard noodles a bit high on the al dente side. I would say adding extra grounded sesame seeds lend a nuttier taste to the broth.

This is "The Spicy" ramen among the three. It seems to be Ippudo's original tonkatsu broth with spicy miso, cashew nuts and ground pork. It too also has pork belly and some garlic. Good for keeping away Dracula. Actually, it's not that spicy though. My spiciness level is divide the nasi lemak sambal by 2 and add some garlic anddd voila! You got that spiciness.

When we first tasted Ippudo's soft boiled eggs not long after their opening, we got disappointed with the over cooked yolk. When we gave Eddie, the Outlet Manager, the feedback, he quickly got us one egg to try. Needless to say, the egg fans in the family were mighty glad to report that this time round the egg was made perfectly. It has soft white with runny yolk... BoiBoi called it lava overflowing heh!  Photo was taken by him.

I have got an additional review here! Yayyy. This is a lava egg (lava egg = runny yolk) that has been broken into 2. Bad news for Humpty Dumpty.

My BoiBoi has the comical side of him of commenting on Ippudo's on a whole as I did asked him how did he liked it this time round. Other than the food was yummy...

The service was a whopping 9 out of 10 (GR8). They provide music, air conditioning of course otherwise I would have sweaty armpits. Hehe...

*rolling eyes*

Please note that this special Parent's Day menu is only available at Pavilion KL and The Gardens outlets going at RM99++ until 15 June 2014. We'll be sure to head back for another round before promo ends. As for Bangsar Shopping Centre outlet, as the menu and concept are totally different, the sets available are different as well. We can't wait to give this outlet a try soon, very soon ;-)

We have heard someone commenting The Gardens outlet is very hot but happy to announce that the issue has been addressed. So please give it another go :D

Thank you to Eddie for being the perfect host and Sharyn of Ippudo Malaysia for the invite.


Hakata Ippudo Ramen

Pavilion KL

Lot C4.07.00

Connection Level 4 

Tel: +603 2110 6233

Opening hours: 11.00am - 11.00pm

The Gardens Mall

Lot T-218 Level 3 

Tel: +603 2201 6238

Opening hours: 10.30am - 10.00pm

Review: Mission Wraps - Chicken Wraps ala Fajita

A lot of times when it comes to meal times for Capt'n Hook and I, we would usually go simple especially when we're not fans of rice. We would opt for noodles, sandwiches, wraps or just salad.

I've discovered Mission Wraps some time back and seems like it is getting easier to get them these days. I've seen them at most supermarkets and hypermarkets. Retailing around RM7+ and there are promotions now where you'll get a bag of Mission Tortilla Chips with every 2 packets of wraps purchased. So I would look for such promos before I buy them :p and the last I saw such promo again was last week!

These wraps comes in a few flavours and I think I have tried Wholegrain, Potato, Garlic and Onion & Chive. The thing I like most about Mission wraps is it's resealable ziplock packets as we usually can't finish all 8 pieces in one go. So I'll just ziplock the bag and chuck it into the fridge. At times, when it comes out from the fridge, it can be quite dry. What I do is just sprinkle both sides with a little water and warm the wraps gently on a frying pan, a couple of minutes on both sides.

Another great tip I would like to share is... wash, dry and keep the resealable plastic bags! I know, sounds like a hoarder I am but I dislike wastage and being NOT environmental friendly. Since the bag is quite sturdy, I've used it to marinade meat. Other time, I've stored leftover homemade capatis in one, perfect size, I tell you. I can think of many other ways to reuse such bags :p perhaps I shall share that in another post.

Most times I will just sprinkle some salt & black pepper on a piece of chicken breast and grill it on a grill pan or simply fry it on a frying pan. Both work just as fine. Let the meat cool down a little before slicing into strips before using in my wraps or sandwiches.

After a while, I sort of like give a little variety on the marinade. This particular marinade is something like fajita and I've used chicken fillets hehehe yeah the lazy in me, don't even need to slice them up and use them whole in the wraps.



As for the accompaniments, you can use any combinations of fresh lettuce leaves, shredded carrot/jicama/cucumber, avocado slices, tomato or even kiwifruit salsa, etc; sour cream or yoghurt; at times I just squeeze Kewpie mayonnaise over the veggies; you got what I mean now... the combinations are endless, just use your imagination. Actually quite a good way to clear up the fridge.

Chicken Wraps ala Fajita(Enough for 4 wraps)

350 g chicken fillets (about 8 pieces), pat dry with paper towels

Marinade:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt (I've used Himalayan but you might need to adjust the amount as Himalayan is not as salty)

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a mixing bowl. Add in the chicken fillets and mix evenly. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinade, about 1 hour but longer is nicer.

Remove chicken from the fridge and let it get to room temperature. Pan fry fillets in frying pan with a little oil on both sides till cooked. Shouldn't take long... maybe around 6 - 8 minutes on medium heat.

Remove fillets to a plate and cool down a little before assembling the wraps.

Review: Artisan Popsicles From The Potong

We have the privilege to meet with Ivan, one of the 3 founders of The Potong which have branded themselves as fresh artisan popsicles recently. Ivan proceeded by introducing the concept and production of The Potong which I find it very interesting. I think I would love to be their taste bunny (well if they wish to hire me hehehe) as The Potong team embarked on concocting the various flavours coming from fruits, vegetables, herbs etc. Well not only those but also booze for the child in every adult we know :D

The Potong range is divided into Signature Range, Seasonal Specialty, Booze Pop (RM9 for each pop) and Prosecco Pop (RM15 for each pop). The first two (RM5 for each pop) can be found currently at Wondermama Restaurant & Cafe. The Potong should be made available at more outlets soon, I guess just wait for the announcement on their Facebook page. The Booze and Prosecco will be available at places with liquor licence at a later stage. However, you can dig into them at the following upcoming events in the Klang Valley:

The Week of Taste Malaysia @ Publika > 19 - 21st Oct
The Great Brunch Experiment @ BSC Concourse area, Ground Floor > 27th & 28th Oct 10.00am - 6.30pm
FAB Market  @ Publika > 28th Oct
Urbanscapes Festival @ Padang Astaka > 24 & 25th Nov

We have a little tasting session of these pops which claimed to be all natural but Ivan was honest enough to inform that they do need to add some sugar to adjust the sweetness according to the sweetness of the ingredients procured plus addition of a little stabiliser to keep the texture consistent.

We got to try the Cherry Root Beer and Sunny Melon. Cherry Root Beer is made of A&W root beer, vanilla cream and topped with a maraschino cherry, reminded me of the time when my dad took us to the then A&W at Jalan Raja Laut for a root beer float... ahhh such beautiful memories ;-)

Honeydew melon, cucumber and thyme make up of Sunny Melon! Loved this combination and the soft texture was an added bonus. I have tasted similar granita made by Rohani at work but this is so refreshing and on a stick! Totally a must have on a hot hot day.

Ivan was kind enough to bring along a bottle of prosecco for us to try out the Prosecco Pop experience. We are supposed to dunk a pop into the sparkling wine before popping the pop into our mouth. We got to try with Rosy Mango (Mango, Grapefuit & Rose Water) and Watermelon Fizz (Watermelon, Lemonade & Apple Mint).

The sensory played up when it first tasted the slight sweet slight bitter wine followed by the flavours of the pops. We loved Rosy Mango but Watermelon Fizz is great too! Kids would love them, well minus the wine combi. The pops given to us for tasting for this Prosecco Pop experience is a normal sized pop but it will be shorter in the actual sales. So please don't complain horrr when your pop is shorter when you try them at the above events.

Do follow The Potong on their Facebook page to catch hold of their latest offerings and locations.

Thank you Ivan for the time and pops; and Lanatir for the intro.

Psst, apologies for the crappy pics cos I dunno how to use Capt'n Hook's camera lol.

Review: Gardenia Sommerset Cottage From European Cottage Style Bread Range

If you're a long follower of this blog, you would know that I'm a bread lover. It always excites me when I can get nice & healthy multi-grains  loaves other than those standard stuff I get off the shelves. I used to buy discounted gourmet breads in a hotel after 6.00pm near my workplace but since I've stopped working there... our bread loaves are limited to Adventist loaves and we're also loving Massimo Wheat Germ as I can get them easily here. I know how to bake bread, just that I'm so lazy to bake a batch. Moreover freezer space is rather limited. It just not worth baking a loaf or two as the time and work involved is just isn't worth it unless I make a bigger batch.

I loved the range of bread available in Singapore. You can find gourmet loaves easily on supermarket shelves. Whenever Capt'n Hook goes to Singapore for meetings or my aunt come visiting, I'll ask them to get my fave Gardenia's Banana Walnut Loaf. 3 years have gone by and Gardenia has yet to launch similar loaf in Malaysia :( and I doubt they'll sell it here. It's also sad to note that the Butterscotch Toast'em has became a rather sad loaf with very few blotches of butterscotch in a loaf.

When I pass by the mini market last week, I was surprised to see Gardenia has a range of new bread on the shelves. Labelled as European Cottage Style Bread, I noted there are 3 in this range namely - Sommerset Cottage, Passione Italiana and Bonjour. Sommerset Cottage is an English loaf that has 12 multi grains & seeds.



Passione Italiana is the Italian loaf that oooo surprise surprise sundried tomato, olives and a blend of Italian herbs. Not many Malaysian know what is sundried tomato let alone has tasted them! I held on to one loaf to read the ingredients and I can certainly smell the herbs!

Lastly, there's the French style bread named Bonjour. This one is basically a white bread coated with white and black sesame seeds.



I grabbed the Sommerset Cottage since I like multi-grains bread to test out first. I had them with plain butter, butter with strawberry jam and of course not to be missed out peanut butter! Although I loved the idea of a multi-grains and seeds bread but the texture somehow it's a little too soft to my liking as you can see in the pic below. I supposed Malaysians are not used to dense loaf. Other than this, I'm pretty sure Malaysians would be quite receptive to this range of bread as quite a number of people is turning to eat healthily. Price wise, I would think it's a little steep for such kinda loaf size. The price range is in between RM4 - RM5. With about RM2 more, I could get a bigger and denser Adventist loaves... no choice for the comparison as I'm really a frugal housewife lol.



I ate 2 slices for breakfast at around 9.00am and it lasted me to about 12.30pm before my stomach starts to growl which is not too bad for 2 slices of Adventist bread could last me to about 1.00pm :D

I might just get the Passione Italiana and try it with sundried tomato cream cheese spread or even make a bruschetta out of them... let's just see then ;-)

You can find these European loaves at these locations.

Review: Tean's Gourmet Vegetarian Curry Paste

Remember my last review on Tean's Gourmet Curry Chicken Paste? Since it was so favourable, I moved on and tried the Sambal Tumis sauce but I did not put up a post since the photo didn't turn up looking delicious :p The sambal tumis made really good stir-fry of the 4 Heavenly Kings of petai, four angle beans, long beans and brinjals! A short cut way instead of using the mortar and pestle to pound away the spices.

I've also tried the Vegetarian Curry Paste. Just like curry chicken, it's so so easy. Just prepare the vegetables you liked, in my case I have carrots, long beans, cabbage, brinjals and tofu puffs. Then just followed the steps printed on the packet and voila... a pot of vegetable curry in less than 20 minutes (including the washing and chopping but excluding the soaking time :D)!



However, I didn't quite like the taste of this curry as I find the spices too strong to my liking but Capt'n Hook liked it though. I guess no harm in trying as you may liked it as one man's meat is another man's poison.

Review: Teaklimey's Lime Squeezer

Back in November, we made a short trip to Malacca to attend a wedding function. We haven't been to Malacca like close to 10 years and what a major transformation to the city centre. The area had been spruced up and best of all the river ain't smelly any more! We even took a river cruise and enjoyed all 45 minutes of it.

We walked along Jonker Street and checked out some of the trinket and souvenir shops. It was in on of these shops that Capt'n Hook got mesmerised by Burmese Walking Stick. Since there isn't that many to choose from, we took the pamphlet home and he got on to the website Teaklimey.com to check on more information. He sent an enquiry and a Mr Brown replied. Since he's based in Thailand, he told us we could get them from a couple of shops in KL but we could also go to Seremban to meet Mrs Brown to select the sticks.

Since Seremban is less than an hour away, we took a leisurely drive there. We met Mrs Brown or fondly known as Jesslyn. She handles the shipping and marketing aspect around Malaysia for Teaklimey products. If you have checked the site, you would come across quite a wide range of products made from recycled teak.

Jesslyn was kind enough to presented me an early Christmas gift which is a Lime Squeezer. Later as we chatted, she found out that I liked to cook and was also a food blogger. She was so delighted and presented me with more goodies. Once of which is a very unique tong. She said it's very good for handling meat during barbeque party. It can be used as a salad tong. The uniqueness of this tong is with the design. When it's not in used, it's folded flat! To use it, just need to flip it around and there's a piece at the edge that acts like a spring. I really liked how it folded flat and can be stored just so easily, plus it looked really great and sleek. Wonderful to use when guests are around and make great gift too!





You can watch the demo here:



I usually couldn't really care about kitchen tools like lime squeezer as I find it less work by just cutting lime into wedges and squeeze with my hands but not when I need to squeeze loads of them when I worked at Bayan Indah :p



Not sure about you but I find our lime (limau nipis) is very hard. It can never be cut half and squeeze just like that or with a juicer. When Jesslyn told me that the lime squeezer works perfectly, I was pretty skeptical at first until I tried it.



It's really amazing how easy and effortless to squeeze lime with this teak squeezer! I just put the lime, cut side down and press it together. Easy peasy!



Best part the pesky seeds are all retained inside the squeezer. Just look at how much it managed to squeeze out in just one effortless press. I think we'll be having more limeade with this cool little gadget.



Teaklimey also have this cute little pepper grinder. Best for freshly grounded black pepper ;-)



Do note that all teaks used are from demolished old stilt houses with permission from Thai authorities and all products are hand crafted. Prices are inclusive of world wide postage and packaging. We would like to thank Mr & Mrs Brown for creating such wonderful eco-friendly products. We are looking forward for more unique items from both of you!

Review: Farm Fresh Pure Fresh Milk

This might sounds pretty anal but this is the brand of fresh milk that Capt'n Hook would hunt for all over Kuala Lumpur just to get hold of one bottle! The brand name is Farm Fresh and according to an expat friend, this milk is pure fresh milk that one can find on our shelves. The rest are mostly made from powder!!! Is this a revelation or not??



I supposed when your regular fresh milk supplier who goes round in his motorcycle with a stainless steel cylinder at the rear is on holiday, you could look for this Farm Fresh brand by Mawai Dairy Farm, Kota Tinggi, Johor (as stated in the label) for pure milk. So far, we've bought them from Jaya Grocer (Empire Shopping); Cold Storage (Bangsar Shopping Complex which stocks runs out very quickly, The Gardens and 1 Utama. Hunted for it at Solaris Mont Kiara but there were none!). Of late, I've noticed they have plain yoghurt too which we haven't try yet.

One 2 litres bottle costs around RM12.90 or could be a few sens less. There was once I spotted 1 litre bottles. Errrm as for the taste... tasted like fresh milk unlike a certain brand that tasted sweet and artificial to me.

Please note, this is not a paid post :-) and we do not know anyone from the said farm :D

Review: Can? Hot-Can???

Capt'n Hook and I have the privilege to attend this function at Havana @ Changkat Bukit Bintang to introduce a couple more flavours in the Hot-Can series. What piqued us was this creative aluminium can could actually heat up the contents by just pressing a button at the bottom of the can, give the can a few shakes and you'll have a hot drink right out from the can. Yes, amazing isn't it?



One of the owner and inventor, Dato' Kenneth Kolb spoke on how this concept worked. Seems that Hot-Can has developed a special double chambered aluminum can which contains the beverage in the outer chamber and holds water and calcium oxide (quick lime) separately in the inner chamber. When the button at the bottom of the can is pressed, the water mixes with the quicklime, starting an exothermic reaction that heats the contents of the outer chamber in less the 3 minutes by 50-55°C to give you a piping hot drink.

You can see here that after not long the button is suppressed, white smoke can be seen. This is the reaction of the lime and water. Next you can just leave it and watch the indicator which can turn red when it's really hot. Luckily the sip hole on the can is rather tiny to prevent one from burning their lips or tongue.





Hot Choc and Cafe Latte flavours were launched sometime back and this time round we got to taste Mocha. Hot Tea should be out by now as well. You should be able to find it in a supermarket or convenience stores. The Mocha has the right balance of chocolate and coffee, best is the sweetness level which is just nice for me. However the Cafe Latte is too mild in taste for most of us.

Capt'n Hook poured this Hot Choc out for BoiBoi to taste since the drink can get very hot like up to 65°C! Hmm this hot chocolate is just like thick homemade hot cocoa. Nice.



With this technology, the world of hot beverages just opens up to the possibility of having hot soup straight out from a can and also no surprise when Capt'n Hook asked if sake would be in the pipe line hahaha but sadly it was a NO since Hot-Can is certified halal.

Thank you to Nazeen and Lilyana for this invite.

Review: Tean's Gourmet Chicken Curry Paste

Time for a product review. This time Tean's Gourmet Chicken Curry Paste. I bought a packet of this after hearing my Malaysian friend who resides in Hong Kong raving of Tean's Gourmet ready made pastes. Can't remember how much but it's definitely less than RM5.



I read the instructions twice cos I can't believed it was so simple to cook up a pot of curry chicken. Gone were the days where we need to pound away the herbs and spices, perfect for busy couples who rushes home to cook dinner for the brood. It says there just need to cook the paste with 1.5kg of chicken pieces and potatoes. Add water and simmer till cooked before adding coconut milk!!! Right there on the packet, it mentioned 15 minutes to cook the chicken curry.



So instead of one whole chicken, I bought 3 pieces of chicken thigh, chopped and have the skin removed. I fried the paste first till a bit fragrant before adding the chicken pieces and potatoes. Stir a bit and added around 250ml water. I put on the lid and simmer on low heat for about 20 mins as my chicken pieces are larger in size. Poured in about 200ml fresh coconut milk (I've used this since it's my first time using this paste but next time I'll use yoghurt or evaporated milk). Once it come to a boil, I tasted the curry and it was perfect! No extra seasonings needed so I turned off the stove.

Served with rice or bread.



My verdict of this paste is the curry turned out fantastic. A bit hot according to my colleague when I brought the leftover for lunch. It's so hard to believe such a great pot of curry chicken came out from an instant paste. My only complaint is the curry is pretty oily but all I did was just scoop out the reddish oil from the surface and it was good to go. Highly recommended especially those who resides overseas and now I understand why so many people rave about the paste. I guess it would be good to check out the rest of the range later on.

Review: Karl Biesl

**Non-Halal**

Updated 3 November 2011

This restaurant is closed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Edited 10 May 2010: Added link of A Lil Fat Monkey


A few weeks back, I got an SMS by Pure Glutton inviting me for a review hosted by Karl's Biesl. I told her I ate at Karl's Biesl just the week before and the food was just so-so. I told her perhaps I had ordered the wrong thing so I decided to join her and a group of floggers for this review. Needless to mention, I have to say one ought to judge a restaurant by its signature dishes and restaurants should educate their staff on what to recommend to patrons heh!

The restaurant is rather big but yet cosy with the woody interior. Little did we know that there is a very nice mezzanine floor above, perfect for private functions.

At the start of our lunch, we were told Karl is the name of the owner, Karl Rathswohl and beisl means a bistro, beer house or a casual dining place. I searched the net for more info and stumbled upon this link and the explanation really summed up what Karl's Beisl is!!!

The word Beisl (or Beisel) is probably Jewish. It oroginates from the word Bajiss, which means house. Beisls, which evolved in the 18th Century are inns offering local specialities. The style of a Beisl is like trattoria in Italy or Kneipe in Germany.


The characteristics of a Beisl are the followings: measuring beverages, panelled walls, hooks for clothes on the wall, mobile partition walls, wooden tables, checked tablecloth, choice of food and beverages displayed on blackboard, spice rack on the table and marking the frequenters' tables. You can choose among Viennese specialities such as Tafelspitz (braised beef garnished with chips, chives sauce, spinache, horseradish and apple puree), Vanillierostbraten (roasted meat with garlic) and Schnitzel (fried meat). Besides the meat dishes soups are also very popular. The choice of beverages consits mainly of ales and porters and in most of the Beisls one can buy also the so called mixed beer (ale mixed with porter). As a dessert we recommend you the famouse apple strudel.


A stratum of Beisls developed in the past few years, which matches the quality restaurants. These inns offer their services at a higher quality. That means that they take aim at affluent Viennese citizens and tourists. Visiting such kind of an inn can equal a gastronomic trip.


Ref: Vienna Hotel Online

As it was a very hot day, we were offered Franziskaner weiss beer, a German beer. It was indeed very smooth and a great cooling agent. This is available on the tap here. Oh thank you to Ciki to model for us :p

OK, let's get straight on to the food served to us. We tried a Spinach Salad that came with red peppers and pork bacon strips (RM18). The baby spinach are from Australia which is sweet and crunchy. We loved the light cream based dressing which has just the right amount! I hate overly drenched salad. If you look close enough, you'll see cubes that resemble chu yau char (deep fried lard) but chu yau char they are not! LOL they're actually roasted potatoes which are crisp on the outside.



A Cold Platter (RM38 for 1 portion or RM70 for 2) was quickly cleaned up. Not surprising when it has serrano ham, chorizo, roasted pork belly, olives, cheeses, roasted red peppers, gherkins, sun dried tomatoes and baguette. The cheeses were superb especially the blue cheese (which I don't like cos it stinks :p) according to FatBoyBakes, Ciki and the Lil' Fat Monkey.



Then we have 2 types of soup - Cream of Forest Mushroom (RM18) and Cream of Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper (RM15). The mushroom soup is robust and not rich at all with cream but the red pepper soup is a real winner. It was the group favourite as the flavour was quite unexpected, ermmm where it looked a bit like laksa soup but the taste was refreshing with a light rosemary fragrance. My advice is try not to stick to the usual mushroom soup!



The mains started to arrive once we were done with the starters. The first was half a portion of Roasted Suckling Pig (whole at RM199 and half at RM110). This piglet have very crispy skin and a whole lot of succulent meat as compared to the fatty Chinese style's.

It's so delish that FBB couldn't resist gnawing on the whole thigh. Since I sat next to him, I could hear the crispy skin crackle under each bite.



The Roasted Suckling Pig served with steamed Cabbage (or you can opt for sauerkraut) and mashed potatoes. We have steamed cabbage and wow it has bits of pork bacon in there that made the cabbage very flavourful indeed. The mash was the creamy kind and not goey at all despite looking like one, perfect!



When the Farmer's Platter (RM95 standard portion 3 to 4 persons; big portion 6 to 8 person RM130) arrived, I can see everyone's eyes lit up. Can't help it when the plate is filled with Roasted Pork Knuckles, Pork Belly, Kasseler Ham, Bratwurst, Frankfurter Sausage and this platter is served with Steamed Cabbage/Sauerkraut. I personally like the bratwurst and sausage here. It was then revealed to us that they make their own sausages as they owned a smoke house!



Next, Double Rib Pork Chop (RM50) was served. It's such a huge serving! The chop is very thick and lean which made it a bit tough to chew on. I would love to have a little bit of fat on a chop.



Of all dishes, this Pork Wiener Schnitzel (RM38) is my favourite! Served with one of the best potato salad around (not just cos this is an invited review ok but it's really my honest opinion). The meat were flatted, seasoned and coated with flour, eggs and breadcrumbs before deep fried. The outside is crisp but the inside is ooooh soooo tender! This schnitzel was so good that Ciki and FBB just burst out singing My Favourite Thing (click to watch the video and listen to the song) from The Sound of Music (one of my fave movie that I've watched countless times). If you go to FBB's post, you'll understand why (pssst check the lyrics!).



A final meaty plate of Black Pepper Spare Ribs with Garlic Butter Rice With Pickled Veggies (RM60) came by which we were up to the brim. We savoured the tender ribs slowly. The fork tender ribs have juicy meat and not laden with sauce, the black pepper is not over powering at all.



Don't worry if you're not a babitarian (pork eater), you can opt for this Seafood Spaghetti With White Wine Sauce (RM30). A crowd winner even amongst the babitarian! The white wine brought out the sweetness of the seafood. There are huge prawns, scallops and mussels in there, value for money indeed.



Thank goodness the mains stopped here and out came the desserts. We have a Palatschinken (RM18) which is crepes with apricot jam served with a scoop of rum & raisin ice cream.



And of course a must have is Calvados Apple Strudel (RM20), a traditional Viennese strudel, a popular pastry in Austria. This strudel is a rolled layered pastry heavily stuffed with pieces of apples cooked in sugar and cinnamon with raisins. Since I liked cinnamon, this is absolutely lovely but if you don't you might find the cinnamon overpowering.



Karl's Biesl is located at Solaris Mon't Kiara or rather known as SohoKL which the host explained it meant Solaris Hot Spot! It's just besides Häagen-Dazs. I would like to thank Pure Glutton and her friend, the host, chef and staff of Karl's Biesl for the lovely afternoon.

Check what my fellow floggers have to say about this review:
Cumi dan Ciki
Kampung Boy City Gal
PureGlutton
My Story
Have Your Cake and Eat It Too
Memoirs of a Chocoholic
a lil' fat monkey (new)


Karl's Beisl
Lot K-OG 13 & 14, SOHO KL
No. 2, Jalan Solaris,
Solaris Mon't Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (+603) 6204 0628
Operation Hours 12 noon till late daily
Lunch: 12 noon - 3 pm
Dinner: 6:30pm - 10.30pm (last order)
Bar Food: till midnight
Click here for map

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!

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++.

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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