Our Fave Souled Out Brought Back Our Old Favourites!

Geee... did I got your attention there? I hope I did :p

We were invited to SOULed OUT recently by Frat Mustard, the Marketing Manager of theQguides to check out their new menu. We can't resist the offer as SOULed OUT is our favourite makan place. So we HAVE to be there and boy we were glad we did. We met Frat for the first time... neh say Hi to Frat.



Not only that, we met THE beauty queen, Bangsar Babe, for the first time as well. Rachel and Ruth were there too this time. SOULed OUT's PR consultants and their own propaganda pixie, Fanny were ever so accommodating to all our whims and fancies, thank you so much for putting up with our antics.

Two of the many reasons why we liked this place is their staff which puts up to all our requests with a smiling face that made us feel at home plus of course the extensive menu of food and drinks. We have yet to try out all their drinks cos imagine they have over 100 choices of them!

Let's start with their drinks then... ranging from beer, liquor, cocktails, mocktails to coffee and tea... we loved them all. You'll find SOULed OUT own creations as well as award winning ones. Clockwise from left, the red pink hued drink is their most popular drink, Dragonfly (RM12) which consist of mainly of red dragonfruit with the addition of watermelon and strawberry with a tinge of lemon; Mojito was my choice... I tend to go for this for the fresh mint and lime perk-me-up; my second drink was this Green Peace, the jumbo sized one (RM35) that is with an almost 12" tall glass filled with white rum, Midori, dry orange curacao, sugar cane juice and pandan flavoured syrup; whilst Capt'n Hook rounded up his meal with their award winning Harry's Crunch but his is errr without the crunch ie. cornflakes hehe... I took a sip and I have to say this is a nice one instead of the usual Irish Coffee as this one has vodka, Bailey’s Crème de Cacao, chocolate sauce and pandan syrup!





I've always loved the Indian dishes here, hence the Sizzling Lamb Cutlet (RM28) that made a come back did not disappoint. The meat were succulent filled with the rich spices that melded into the meat, best wrapped with the naan served but you can always asked it to be served with rice or chips.



I was excited to hear that the Hokkien Mee (RM14) and Claypot Loh Shi Fun (RM14) were back. Capt'n Hook asked if it's really good without the lard hehehe, well I would says it's quite there with the wok hei (breath of the wok) and all. As for the loh shi fun, I only have one comment... where is the raw egg that usually topped this??? Sorry but it's my personal preference :p I was kinda expecting it to make the noodles smooth and slippery even though the mince meat sauce is good enough here to do the job.



This is my first time trying the Singapore Fried Noodles (RM14) here even though it's not new. I like this as the tinge of tang is there with the slight use of tomato sauce. I've a new found favourite which is the Koay Teow Beef Tausi (RM14). It's a new dish but I've always order this in another place which has since closed. I loved the subtle hint of smokey saltiness accompanying each bite of the tausi (fermented black beans) together with the tender and smooth beef slices.



For something Western, the new Pan Seared Grouper (RM23) would be a good choice for light eater like myself. The grilled grouper fillet is served on top of a mixed cajun pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes and capsicum. Another light dish would be Roast Beef Baguette (RM18) which made a come back. I had expected to bite into a chewy baguette but surprising the texture was not chewy at all, instead it's pillow soft haha... kinda unexpected but the soft bread soaked up the juice from the roast beef. They are then topped with salad, mushrooms and cheese before being baked. I can see this would be a wholesome dish for my boiboi if I want him to have some protein and hidden greens topped with cheese (his fave). Otherwise, he would be forever ordering SOULed OUT's pizza! *roll eyes*



Mention pizza, and yes we did have them as well. One was the B-B-Q Chicken Pizza [RM 19 (8”) RM 24 (11”)] which is something new on the menu. The thin crispy crust pizza has marinated B-B-Q chicken, corn kernels, BBQ sauce, pepper and tomato salsa as the topping. I don't usually fancy BBQ sauce in my pizza but thank goodness this version was all right. At least the BBQ sauce did not masked out the taste of the other ingredients.

However, the good old favourite - Sake San [RM 25 (8”) RM 32 (11”)] really took the cake! No wonder Bangsar Babe's eyes lit up when it arrived as she was relating how her sister raves about this pizza that she had eaten in WIP but by the time she had wanted to go, WIP was closed for reno. (Pssst we heard that WIP is going to come back with a bang pretty soon, so stay tune ya for the opening date).

This Sake San is kinda fusion with smoked salmon, roe, cherry tomatoes, Japanese mayonnaise, lolo rosso and a hint of wasabi. Lolo what leh horrr?? It's actually a type of lettuce heh. I totally understood what's the fuss now. The burst of flavours is simply fantastic... imagine the soft smoked salmon against a crispy base of crust and lettuce with light hint of wasabi... and and and the popping of the ebiko (shrimp roe). It's just simply amazing. The thing now is how to educate my boiboi to eat smoked salmon and wasabi???



We were then served dessert of Praline Chocolate Mousse (RM8); Lava Cake (RM13); and Pannacotta (RM10). The creamy chocolate mousse has a hint of almond chocolate caramel but I have to say that this is not a light dessert so it's best to share this. The taste was wonderful and we can see that Bangsar Babe was eating this non-stop, not sure about the other two babes who were sitting at the other end with Frat. I'm seriously wondering how Bangsar Babe can eat and maintain such a slim silhouette?



The Lava Cake is not new but I noticed out loud that it is being served in a different shaped dish :D which Fanny confirmed, see... I told ya that we're regulars at SOULed OUT. The warm and moist chocolate cake is baked in the dish and topped with vanilla ice cream, Haagen-Dazs that is!

The Pannacotta is an Italian style vanilla beans infused cooked cream topped with a choice of raspberry or caramel sauce sells fast here so make sure you reserve one at the start of your meal. I had always liked pannacotta, it's light and easy on the stomach.

I have to say the best part of this eating session is we got to savour so many dishes in one sitting. Myself and Capt'n Hook took tiny morsels of each dish whilst Fanny kept asking why take so little until I have to surrender and tell her that I'm a lousy food blogger for I'm a small eater. She realised it soon after a few dishes when I said I'm already filled. Hehehe I can see the shocked in her eyes :P

Thanks so much to Frat of theQguides for inviting us and Fanny for accommodating us.



SOULed OUT 20 Jalan 30/70A,
Desa Sri Hartamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2300 1955 (Reservations); +603 2300 1929 (General)
Business Hours:
Afternoons: Monday – Friday: 12noon- 3pm
Evenings: Everyday & Public Holidays: 6pm – 1am
Happy Hours: 12noon-3pm and 6pm-9pm


Technorati Tags: malaysian food

Review: Restoran Sang Kee

**Non-Halal**


Back in April (oops sorry I've loads of back logs), I've gotten tired of the eateries around Chinatown but got pressured by Capt'n Hook to think of a place to eat nearby as we were stupendous hungry, otherwise we'll end up at Seng Kee again!!! Being the kind of person who usually will get extra creative under extreme pressure, I think I did it again heh :p

I suddenly recalled there is this place which my parents used to bring me as a child... hidden in between Traditional Chinese Medical Institute Malaysia and BP House along Jalan Hang Jebat is Restoran Sang Kee. There is limited parking space inside the Traditional Chinese Medical Institute Malaysia for a nominal fee.



Stepping into the restaurant really brought back loads of memory. Nothing much has changed. Everything is still pretty old school and we loved the fans cos Capt'n Hook was wondering what brand they were as the wind generated was so strong hehe.



Capt'n Hook ordered their fresh water prawns noodles (sang har yee meen RM40 for 2 huggeee prawns). Have you guys been noticing that we have been ordering this a lot?? It's his fave! Funny the crispy noodles used here is not the thick yee meen. To me it looked and tasted like deep fried mee sua (vermicelli) instead. The prawns were extremely fresh whilst the gravy was nice, just not eggy enough for me.



Can't resist to order Goe Low Yuk (Sweet and Sour Pork RM13). In the days of the yore, Goe Low Yuk is a standard fare especially when you have children around, well I was one of the children hehe benefited from the yummy gravy and pork bits. This is a must have ok!!! If you happen to come here, take a look at the tables around, sure have this dish on them. This I tell ya, is how an original Goe Low Yuk should taste like!!!

Sang Kee's version still retained the old school taste. The pork pieces are tender without much fatty bits, coated with seasoning and flour before being deep fried to a crisp. They are then cooked quickly in tomato gravy with pineapple, cucumber and capsicum pieces. The pork retained its crispiness till the last bite and the tomato gravy tasted just right, not too sweet or sour.



When I was there, I saw the notice pasted up which said Ho Chak!Ah Xian (sorry cos it was like 2 months back :p thanks to Mimi for refreshing my memory) featured them over that weekend... which explained why there were quite a number of young generation dining there that night. Dear Restoran Sang Kee, we'll be back!!!


Restoran Sang Kee
Off Jalan Hang Jebat
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603 20785092
Opening hours: 11:00am-3:00pm; 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Coordinates: 3°8'36"N 101°41'57"E

Happy Duan Wu Jie

**Non-Halal**

Today is Duan Wu Jie aka Rice Dumpling Festival. Those who are celebrating this festival, Happy Duan Wu Jie to you and your family.

Should you feel like having some luxurious abalone filled rice dumpling (bak chang), you can head on to Y E Traditional Dumplings. Perhaps you could try their healthier brown rice version.

If you're pressing for time or your favourite stall have ran out of rice dumplings, you can head on to supermarkets to find Kawan's mini alkaline rice dumplings (karn shui type) in the frozen department. I've tried their savoury version as well which is not too bad, halal too if not mistaken.


Technorati Tags: duan wu jie + bak chang + rice dumpling + dragon boat festival

Review: Sweet Chat Café

**Halal**


Goshhhh it's gonna be a few more torturous month before the hot hot spell make a turn!!! Even when we were in a cool mall but our throats seem to get parched faster than usual. So to cool down, we went looking for a place that serves icy stuff and Sweet Chat Café came to mind that day.

If not mistaken, Sweet Chat Café started off in Jusco Metro Kepong. I was intrigued then to see this cafe joined together with The Chicken Rice Shop but it's a pity that the café was at the back portion where there is totally no human traffic at all. On closer look, the café was opened by the same owner of the chicken rice chain. Somehow it got shut down before I got a chance to try them out until I saw one at Mid Valley Megamall. We came here a few times but I never got the chance to take any pics until recently.

I took a look at the menu which is looking good now with expanded items especially the savoury portion which we have yet to try cos it never crosses our mind to come here for meals :p They seems to have added quite a number of local and localised desserts and dishes apart from the usual Hong Kong inspired ones.

I ordered a Mango Passion (RM7.50) drink that came with big chunks of grass jelly, mango puree and cubes, topped with shaved ice and soda water. I really really wish I could have one now! It's so hot that I'm melting. I loved the combinations with the shaved ice melting away, totally not sickly sweet.



My boiboi who loves anything soy bean picked a Soy Bean Jelly with Mango (RM6.50). The jelly is soft and smooth, almost tau foo far like but it's not that sweet, hence the mango puree and cubes played the role to sweeten the jelly up. A bit unusual but kinda refreshing.



The pretty predictable Capt'n Hook ordered their Durian Cendol (RM7.50) as he loves durian and when it arrived, both of us went "Waaahhh"... very sua ku horrr (country bumpkin)??? The portion was mountain tall!!! Best of all they did not stinge on the durian, just look at the huge lump on top. There were generous portion of cendol and kidney beans all over the shaved ice drizzled with the right amount of coconut milk and gula melaka syrup. It also has shiny large sago pearls!!! This has to be every durian lover's dream dessert.



The proprietor happened to be there that day and we gave her feedback of their overall improvement which she appreciated. We also told her their misses and she said they'll look into that. She kept thanking us for our support and feedback. Now, this is the kinda restaurateur we love and respect. Hopefully they could keep up with the good work.


Sweet Chat Café
Lot F-039, 1st Floor, South Court
MidValley Megamall
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2287 2798

LG-49A, LG Floor
Berjaya Times Square
Tel: +603 2148 7833


Technorati Tags: dessert

Review: Ramen Ton Chan

**Non-Halal**




Does Ton Chan rang a bell to you?? Yes, there used to be one outlet over at The Curve but it has shut. I've been there but the food and service were both terrible. Not sure what went wrong over there when the fact that Ramen Ton Chan had stood strong over the years at Wisma Cosway just like it's sister restaurant, Tosaya.



Ton Chan is a simple no fuss restaurant. It's clean and well patronise by the Japanese community. Their specialty is ramen but of course they have other items as well. They made their own ramen using pure ingredients without any preservatives hence their ramen are bouncier, firmer and chewier. They have reasonable price set lunches and dinner. Lunch hours are usually packed with office workers around here.

On that evening we were there, there was this special set dinner which consisted of a bowl of braised pork ramen, assorted sashimi, a side salad, 2 slices of watermelon and a dessert of tutti fruiti ice-cream (no pics). This set was priced at RM25 but since I requested for fresh ramen, an extra RM1 was charged which is fine with me. The texture of the ramen even after soaking in the hot soup was springy right till the last bite! The braised pork which the waitress said "khau yuk" in Cantonese tasted blissful with the right amount of fatty layers (not too much) in between the lean. I drank up the soup till nothing was left in the bowl heh and did not have any after effect of msg, no thirst at all which is superb!



There is a 10% service charge imposed.


Ramen Ton Chan
Lot 1.18-1.21, 1st Floor
Wisma Cosway
Jalan Raja Chulan
Tel: 603-2148 9389
Opening hours: Mon - Sat 12.00pm - 2.30pm; 6.00pm - 10.00pm
Closed on Sunday and Public Holiday

Technorati Tags: japanese food

Sick People's Food

Whenever my brothers and I were sick, we were not allowed to eat anything made out of rice, yup... not even rice congee/porridge. The first couple of days, we would be on mostly plain bread with light milk diet... or most to most we'll have the sweet braided loaf or those sugar topped sweet square bread with raisins all over inside bought from the rotiman on a bike. So can you image how horrible it was when your throat and mouth have this bitter tinge during that time and you have to eat all these bland stuff?!! Urrghhh...

However, things will get better as we recover... still no rice stuff including bee hoon or koay teow but we usually will have "chat tzai funn" (not sure what this is called in English but it's small bunch of noodle bundled with red or pink string, which I hardly see these days and it's not mee suah) or macaroni. They're usually made very plain with plain soup or just mixed with light and dark soy sauce. Still doesn't taste great but way better than plain bread. Sometimes, Mom will buy kurau fish (threadfin or mah yau in Cantonese) to add into the soup with plenty of amaranth (yin choy).

Well, that's what I fed my boiboi with over the weekend who wasn't feeling well since last Thursday. He is better now and is back to school today after his fever came back on Monday afternoon.

I cooked the macaroni slightly softer than al dente for easy digestion. In a another pot, boil some water but not too much since it's only for one portion. Marinaded the fish slices (bones and skin removed) with some garlic oil (just a wee bit) and soy sauce. Chuck in the amaranth first, wait for a while before adding the fish slices since they cook up rather quickly. Dribbled in wee bit of garlic oil like a few drops. Adjust the taste with a wee bit of salt and soy sauce (can just use soy sauce only). Once the fish slices is cooked, pour onto the cooked macaroni and serve.



This is sick people's food but slightly better than eating plain bread!

Working Like a Machine?

hahahaha...

(this is a sponsored post)