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

The Sage

OMG!!! i got so many back dated post

with all those work piling up, its really hard for me nowadays to find some time to keep up blog updated

this visit to Sage was during Poh Theng birthday, imagine how long it had passed

Capellini Pasta with Trip of Seafood and Togarashi Spice

this was Poh Theng appetizer, first bite into the capellini, you can taste a slight spiciness..but the spiciness sort of stay in the tongue for quite a while, very flavorful dish and prawn was nicely cooked.

Cold Somen Noodles with Abalone and Avruga Vaciar

Among all the appetizer, i prefer mine though.although it looks like a very simple dish, but the simplicity makes every single ingredients stand out by its own, the somen was silky smooth and the abalone was of course yummy, with the slight saltiness from the caviar. Awesome!!

Home Made Tagliolini Pasta with King Prawn and Spinach 

i misses this dish since my birthday treat, it was the same one that Eugene had previously, but i wonder why it tasted better the other day, more flavor, more mouthfeel..different touch of hand maybe??!!

 Cream of Cepe Mushroom Soup with White Truffle Oil or is it Porcini

i guess i really had bad memory, i really don't remember its cepe or porcini, i got short term memory loss i guess..i just remember the fragrance of the truffle oil..how pathetic..

cod fish, seared scallop with squid ink sauce

both cod and scallop is nicely seared and done perfectly..the cod fish was flaky and the doneness of the scallop was just nice enough. coated with the squid ink sauce and i just continue to nom nom nom all the way till the end. lovely lovely..who cares about staining the teeth or lips

 Braised Lamb Shank with Couscous and Piment d'Espelette

one heavy dish, but packed with full flavor..but i wished the lamb was a bit more tender, it did not fall of the bone as i hope for..but by tasting the sauce, u know it had undergone long hour of braising and pairing it with the couscous just make them a perfect pair. 

Smoked Duck Breast with Foie Gras and Red Wine Sauce

its quite a generous amount just by looking at the pic..with the thick foie gras sitting by the side, how can you not be tempted right? the duck was perfectly seared and still very tender. the smokey flavor of the smoked duck really attract the attention on the plate.

 Grilled Beef Rossini with Roasted Foie Gras, Red Wine Sauce

and i make way to foie gras the other day, despite saying that i will quit..but i did quit on shark fin though..beef was cooked medium, rosy pink with the foie gras that just melt in your mouth. i wish the whole plate was bigger..how greedy am i..and no more sharing next time..muahahaha

after the main course, it was dessert..i'm so not looking forward to it after the not so good experience, but decided to give it another shot..here it goes

 Mille Feuille of Strawberry with Cointreau Ice Cream

mille feuille was not compact enough and the cream was almost melting half way, i preferred a more decent mille feuille and an extra punch for the cointreau stated

Dark Chocolate Fondant with Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream

what to say when the fondant was fully cooked and not even a bit of the larvae like texture..how sad is that. they do offer to change a new one, but lets just leave it as it is la. and sorry to say, i really don't taste the earl grey despite being a tea which has their own special taste

Ginger brulee with fresh fruits

at least the brulee looks like a brulee right?? that was my first reaction looking at the brulee. and at least one of the decent dessert they had. crispiness from the torched sugar and the creaminess of the brulee was alright. it wasn't the best i had but still quite lovely

i guess i had quite a good meal with a slight flop by the end of the meal..still enjoying mua lunch with the companies..merci!!

looking forward for more at Sage

sinny