Mr Chan's birthday at Sage

it was my dear friend, Mr Chan's birthday

and Sage was an awesome place to celebrate his birthday this year

nothing too fancy but yummy food to satisfy us!!

amuse bouche of the day, love the puy lentils a lot..

Royal lobster consomme, how can i not fell in love with this, each spoonful was so flavorful. the result of long hour simmering of this dish was really worth the wait. and lobster was fresh fresh..

Vichyssoise of cream artichoke with cognac abalone and Avruga caviar

since the night was to celebrate Chan's birthday, he had the special menu of the chef, where all dishes uses Cognac as one of the elements.

the cold vichyssoise was really smooth, puree like texture and the pairing of Cognac and abalone was just superb. and of course not to be forgotten the Avurga caviar, i still remember savoring it with the cold somen noodle and also Hiramasa Kingfish

this was also from the special menu, sorry to say say i only remember the tuna and the fresh scallop but i really don't remember the another seafood at the end of the plate. i just know i enjoy the freshness of each element on the plate

my appetizer, carpaccio of wagyu rump with plum infused konbu sauce

really thinly slice and nicely arrange make me felt that this plate look like a piece of art, lightly season carpaccio makes a good compliment to the plum infused konbu sauce. the slight salty tangy flavor of the sauce was good.

seared foie gras with dark grapes and red wine reduction

we knew Sage was famous for their foie gras and this dish here prove it once again with the yumminess and also being very generous with the portion. the slight caramelize on top of the foie gras and the creaminess of the foie gras makes us scream 'PLS GIVE ME MORE'. and you will never felt that you had too much because you had the berry reduction to compliment the foie gras

next on the table was the Angus Striploin Beef with mashed potato and Meaux mustard. but my eyes was on the mustard than on the beef. haha. coz i had this things for grain mustard since my training in Shangri-la. can't wait to have Edmond Fallot sitting in front of me (coming soon). but of course the Angus was perfectly cook, medium rare was suggested by the chef, and of course he knows best. they are perfect pair!!

ahh, its been so long since the last time i had nice lamb rack. it was really 'simplicity' for this dish. nicely sear lamb with a crispy crust and tender meat really don't need much other things. it stands strong by itself.

the birthday boy lightly glazed atlantic seabass with fresh ohba martel sauce. When this dish arrive on the table, i almost jump out of joy, coz i saw the beautiful zucchini flower sitting on the fish. i always find zucchini flower very beautiful and maybe because we really don't get it here, i find it even more special. its also yummy after deep fried and the seabass was nicely glazed but the piece that i had during my bday was better. this was the first time that i had hard liquor sauces that compliment well with fish. its not overpowering.

moving on to the dessert. after a few times we were disappointed as the crepe Suzette was always unavailable. tonight, they have it, so must have!! a classic crepe suzette with grand marnier ice cream. but i was slightly disappointed with it though. i find the crepe slightly too thick for my liking and the overpowering of the liquor. aiks!!

next was the baked apple in phyllo pastry with homemade cognac ice cream. cruncy layering of phyllo with apple that has been slightly caramelized. it wasn't really awesome but it was way better than the one i had at another restaurant. how could you call it an apple phyllo pastry when you had so much dried cranberries in it and the phyllo dough was not even buttered. how sad can that be. Therefore, no complains for the one i had at Sage. 

writing this makes me look forward to their upcoming truffle menu

ooohhhhh

sinny

the symbolic Fukuro

waiting waiting waiting, finally it arrived in the little red postbox

the owl flew hundred and hundred of miles and arrive safely at the palm of my hand

telling me my beloved friend had enjoyed her hols in Fukuro homeland, Hokkaido

i'm HAPPY coz i felt it

arigatou

sinny

Dish @ Dua Annexe

after hearing so much about this place, finally had a chance to have a taste of Dish during a dinner that basically gathered the chefs and foodies. Dish was part of Delicious which provide much more upscale dining, more exquisite dishes, of course at a much higher price comparing to Delicious. 

we were greeted with slices of warm toasted bread with butter or balsamic-olive oil dipping while chit-chatting with the head chef of Dish, Chef Rashid. it was fun chatting with him as he shares his past experience with us and also explaining to us the the grades in meat, the marbling and so forth. 

and of course all this was accompany with good wines and company. We had two different wines that night but i don't remember the wine we had. i'm still very bad at remembering the wines (sommelier course next??)

our appetizer came with a bed of greens of my fav, rockets to pair with the beef carpaccio, quail eggs, sundried tomatoes and dried figs. basically, every single element on the place was ingredients that i love. thinly sliced carpaccio paired with peppery rockets with the tangy dressing was lovely. 

next was the meat part, looking at the above was the wagyu beef from Japan itself, according the chef, the wagyu that hails from Japan taste better than the Aussie one. and of course, he did explain quite a bit on the meat but the stomach was really growling that i couldn't really pay attention to it. i just knew they had this perfect marbling, look at it, of course the price too..

so are we having this for dinner, cross my finger

and when we were presented with the big slab of meat on the chopping board, i was thinking 'i thought meat should shrink slightly after cooking, this is bigger than the original size, weird'. nah, its not the piece of wagyu, but it will be be equally good, top notch black angus

melted truffle butter for that extra fat and flavors. who could resist this..at least not for me, especially when you are surrounded with good wines and company

ahhh, you need some greens to balance up the fat right. 

and not forgetting some stach, the wicked mashed potatoes..erm not that wicked actually, tasted better..oops

beef reduction, the bearnaise sauce and hollandaise sauce. to me, the beef is good by itself, all these weren't necessary when you meat is cook perfectly this way

look at that, medium rare, soft, melt in your mouth, flavorful, perfectly done..makes the saliva drips blogging about this. it was really a good one. two thumbs up. the main was over, but but, its never enough right. So, chef presented us his latest creation

foie gras with Hagen Daz chocolate ice cream and dried fruit sauce..hmm..cold creamy ice cream with fatty creamy foie gras..is this too much..alright, the foie gras was prefectly seared with a caramelized edge, creamy and flavorful; for the ice cream, who doubt Hagen Daz?? but i wouldn't say they are match made in heaven, although it was a whole new experience for me on this. 

i guess that should be enough for the night with the wine going down but we were greedy customers and since we were here, one more to go

the finale, roasted bone marrow serve with salsa and toasted bread. scoop out the gooey bits in the bones, although there weren't much, eat it with the toast, it was divine!! 

ended the night with the complimentary rose macarons and truffles

a night well spent

sinny

211, Jalan Tun Razak, KL

opens at 12 noon and closed on Mondays

Santouku Ramen

 Santouku Ramen, one of the hip eateries at the Tokyo Street in Pavilion

its full almost all the time during lunch hour or dinner time, we are lucky to get a spot for lunch (we would have got a seat faster if the staff did not made a mistake)

 anyway, back to the food, that's the highlight obviously

there were four types of pork ramen with different broth base, the shio (salt), shoyu (soya sauce), miso (soyabean) and kara-miso (spicy soybean paste).

and they have 3 different sizes of noodles, we opted for the medium one. i guess that's the the best size for us

 i opted for the shio while my friend opted for the miso, she likes her best while i like mine best

comparing it to Muratama ramen, i felt this is less saltier but much much more flavorful (i'm blogging this at a cold rainy day, what a torture) 

i love mine even it says salt, but it was not that heavy or extreme salty, i guess the appropriate amount makes a big difference. and i love love the toppings especially the bamboo shoots and the must have for a porky ramen, the sliced pork. and some chopped scallions, thats it, you really don't need that much if you have a good broth and a good noodle for a bowl of succulent ramen.

 and having a komi tamago to go with the ramen makes it a perfect meal. i like those eggs where you still have the runny egg yolks while the outer white is flavored. just look at the color of the egg. yes, some might say RM 2 for this egg is pretty pricey, but sometimes, just look at the food itself and persuade yourself 'its worth paying'. and i don't have to persuade myself for this.

next time i tot of ramen, this will be the first choice, and i had yet try Goku Raku Ramen at Mid Valley. shall make a visit soon as promised. 

 and since we are there, we gotta have some mochi. a friend said the mochi she had at Japan was better, thinner skin, better mouthfeel. i never been to Japan, maybe its true what she say, but this is already good enough for me. its printed on the box, luxury deli, but i'm not so sure how luxury is these. lol. just to let ya know, mochi sweets does not originated from Japan, looking through their web, its actually from Hong Kong (why am i not surprise with all this gimmicks nowdays)

 they had variety of flavors, the one we had was blueberry, strawberry, sakura, cream chocolate, mango yoghurt and red bean

its so thoughtful of them to actually insert  notes on how to eat; different defrosting time according to the season. and its best consume on the day of purchase. we did tried on the day we purchase and also a day after we kept in the fridge and re thawing, indeed the texture of the mochi was pretty different. 

 we even had the chesnut flavor. this is how it looks inside with the cream and the filling (sorry we don't have a proper knife that time). nothing too sweet and i actually like skin, chewy and soft at the same time, and the mouth will keep on going nom nom nom, nom nom nom.

one flavor that i like a lot was the sakura flavor. don't you think she looks beautiful, very mild comparing to chocolate cream or even the matcha flavor i tried previously, but still very yummy. if only they have another outlet nearer to my place. (cross the finger)

i guess that sums up for lunch

sinny

Hokkaido Santouka Ramen

Tokyo Street

Level 6 Pavilion KL 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Ben's at KLCC

i guess the BIG group has made an impact to the F&B in Klang Valley with the enormous expanding of outlets from Reunion, Canoodling, Ricetaurant, Bens General Store, T Forty Two, Bistro 32, Plan B, Ben's Independent Grocer to the current visit of mine at Ben's KLCC. Totally amazed with the people behind all this eateries. After a few good visits to Ben's General Store, Ben's at KLCC was the right one to go during FHM 2011. this is the compilation blog for the both visits

it was packed with people for both days we went, you might have to raise your voice to talk  as everyone seems to be chit chatting along. but the business seems to be very good until the usual lunch time almost ended, its still packed with customers

they have a wide selection of food and drinks, and everything seems to be so yummy and it makes me think of Delicious menu at the same time..we had the garlic baguette, and my crime partner was comparing to the one she had in Paris.haih. but i do wish they have a more intense garlic buttery flavor coz i luv my garlic bread that way. This wasn't too bad but nothing much to shout for

next was the Asian style duck confit salad. since i was having my tummy upset and just recently recover from sick, i thought this will be quite refreshing (what was i even thinking, 'refreshing from a confit??) coz i saw the word pomelo and lychee. i remember having something similar to it at Delicious. but this was truly truly spicy. and i wish there were more duck meat and i couldn't taste the confit. It's a bit disappointing on this but i was still picking on those fruits. haha.

next was the calamari rings, some prefer their deep fried squid using those tiny squid but i like my calamari rings this way (that's why they were called calamari right). Basically, just forget about the recovery, and just eat..nom nom nom.calamri + hint of lemon + more tartare = yummy!!!

ahh..we have their traditional caesar salad. looking at this make me think of the caesar salad pizza at Ben's General Store. it looks exactly the same minus the crust right.?? silky smooth poached egg, whole anchovies (how generous), crispy bacon but it look more like a deep fried turkey ham, and one big portion of romaine, the only think not sufficient enough for me is the dressing. i think they won't mind if i ask a bit more though. next time then

and the pasta list was certainly tempting enough with the description. so we ordered a chargrilled seafood spaghettini. its almost olio style with more seafood and more flavorful,most of the food partner knew i'm always in love with olio for the simplicity. this dish was certainly that way too. pasta was al dente, simple and flavorful, seafood was fresh and seasoning was just right enough for me..stash it!!

then, we had the crispy soft shell crab tortilla, this didn't leave quite an impression on me..just remembering the soft shell crab was pretty salty but i do remember the crispy four color chips serve at the sides instead of the normal carb that came along with your main course. interesting chips and i would say lets leave the tortilla wrap for the Mexican food. they know what's best when it comes to tortilla (thinking of tortilla chips + guacamole + melted cheese..owww....)

and of course with the busy lunch, there will always be things not available, the wagyu pie was not available, the second pie we order was not available also, and lastly the hero of the day, Moroccan Lamb Pie. saw the little L in the middle, it looks so cute..if only i could request for more L. the filling was flavorful if you like those moroccan spices, lamb and carrot was also tender (i always felt carrot makes an impact in stew) with the crispy flaky crust..yum yum..

and the final main courses was the wild mushroom spaghettini with marscapone..o..o...drizzle with one my my fav ingredients nowdays, truffle oilllllll...it smells super duper good. its hard to not fall in love with truffle since my meal in Il Lido. i would wish for slightly more marscapone but one thing for sure with the cream, truffle oil, big portion, we are still able to finish everything till the last bite because its not those pasta with super thick cream sauce you had at certain restaurant where you give up half way eating. and since they mention wild mushroom, if they would have morels right..perfecto.but that certainly wouldn't be the price they will be charging by then. haha. 

and lastly coming to the end of the meal, my current addiction

the banoffee sundae, okay to admit, i'm not a big fan of bananas especially dessert that got to do with banana. my home is never lack of bananas, daddy always nag nag: eat more bananas la. really don't understand why can't you inherit my love for banana. and ill be shaking my head and laughing at the same time (wat the.....) but this was good. some might say its nothing so special, its just ice cream with chocolate sauce, caramelized banana, butterscotch sauce and do you saw the brittle, or is it toffee?? who cares...but it makes me very happy and i wish i don't have to share..next time its for me and ONLY ME..there is just no particular reason to fall in love with something so so simple.

they were definitely two awesome round of meals. and i shall come back for more.

till then

sinny

Ben's

KLCC (replacing California Kitchen)

Tonkatsu

located at the 6th floor of Pavilion, replacing Caffe Vino or even the pervious ones, Italian on Sixth

i remember joking with a friend saying this particular shop must have bad feng shui where by the restaurant don't last very long

but i do hope this particular one last long, as i enjoy the 'mum mum' here

most Japanese restaurant here shares practically the same concept, wide array of sashimi, sushi, noodles, teriyaki, shabu shabu, yakitori..all under one roof except for a few; Ri-yakitori specializing in of course yakitori, the talk of town now, Santouku Ramen and etc etc. but Tonkatsu by Wa kitchen being the first in the Klang Valley specializing in tonkatsu (pork cutlet) brings smiles to lotsa ppl. and i'm proud to being one of them

the basic serving of tonkatsu, would be a nicely breaded pork cutlet deep fried till perfection, slice into bite-size serve with generous amount of shredded cabbage, miso soup and their signature sauce

here, customers are encouraged to grind their own sesame seed, and adding the Tonkatsu sauce to it. the aroma of roasted sesame seed was a perfect pairing to the thick Tonkatsu sauce. 

during my first visit, they had a bottle of pinkish red dressing for the shredded cabbage which we suspected was a ume dressing due the sourness and the slight saltiness of it..love it very much but during the second visit, oops...gone liau wor..it was just a typical normal dressing..aiks..

i had a set which is a combination of pork fillet (hire katsu) & pork loin (rose katsu). both were equally good, love the breading, as least its not those typical thick breading, crispy crispy but still juicy inside, rosy pink porky porky. and its not oily wer....a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, shredded cabage, what a meal huh!!! i love their miso soup, a lot of condiments insides and they have this sort of jelly like thing, something similar to the texture of konyaku.

the silky smooth tofu that came along with  the set

we had the kaki furai, plump juicy oyster coated with crispy breading once again

dip dip and slurp, there goes the oyster

if you are not a fan of porky, there is also ebi furai and chicken cutlet. erm, both taste basically alright but i still prefered my porky cutlet..that's why the place is called Tonkatsu right??

and lastly, the food crime partner wanted to try their yakitori, the salted pork belly and leek yakitori, erm basically its nothing to shout for, it wasn't really that yummy.but still acceptable, i guess after having those dishes above, the yakitori were just overshadowed by them. muahaha

do hope this place last for a while to satisfy my anytime craving

sinny

Tonkatsu

Lot 6.12 Level 6,

Pavilion Kuala Lumpur