Dragon-i @ Cititel Midvalley

Today I brought my mum to lunch at Dragon-i in Cititel. If you're in Megamall, you can access Cititel through Coffee Bean on the ground floor.
Dragon-i specializes in flavours from the regions of China such as Canton, Szechuan and Shanghai.
Spicy food is on my list of favourite foods right next to sashimi so I will be indulging in Sichuan style cooking today.
Sichuan food can basically be described as being extremely hot, sour, sweet and salty. Common ingredients in Sichuan cooking includes chili, ginger, spicy herbs and the famous Fagara (Szechuan peppercorn). The peppercorn is indigenous to Szechuan Province and produces a fragrant and numbing effect to the mouth almost like getting a novocaine jab from your dentist. (Overdose on these peppers and you will be drooling like a buffoon )

The entrance to Dragon-i



Interior



Open concept kitchen

The idea of having these three buttons is ingenious. Patrons need not wave like a raving loon with this device. Press any button for whatever service you need and a waiter will pop up ala' Houdini. Very fun, but I have yet to try pressing all three buttons at once. Hmm.. maybe three waiters will appear at once ?

How does one tell the difference between vinegar and soy sauce in a Chinese restaurant ?
( besides looking at the label lah ! ) Well there's an old Chinese proverb, 'Kou Chou Ngai See Yau' which literally translates to 'Tall Vinegar Short Soy Sauce'. Now you can tell the difference :)

Appetizer

Hot sour soup La Mien $14

La Mien means hand pulled noodles. Patrons will get to see how this noodle is prepared at the open kitchen.

The whole process looks like the chef is trying to skip rope while whacking the person if front of him.
This hot sour soup La Mien is self explanatory.. It tastes just that. Very spicy, very sour and very appetizing. The thick broth is cooked with shredded mushrooms, bits of prawns, tree ear fungus, red onions chili oil and white pepper. Definately not for the faint of heart.

La Mien with brazillian beef brisket Rm15

This dish is nothing to shout about. The soup is quite bland with a layer of chili oil. Nowhere as spicy as the Hot Sour La Mien. The beef although very tender is tastless in the soup.

Sichuan cold spicy chicken $14

Last of all is the Sichuan cold spicy chicken. I did not particularly enjoy this dish as it was not spicy enough and didn't numb my mouth. The roasted peanut bits lends a bitter taste to the dish and the chicken was too dry. It seems like the chef made a toned down version of this supposedly spicy and numbing dish to suit the locals. Bah ! I am paying for authenticity so give me the real deal !



Although there are many other items on the menu I have yet to try, I will probably think twice before returning to this restaurant as these three very simple dishes was a big disappointment. I've eaten authentic Sichuan cuisine in Szechuan Province and this did not come close to the real thing. I also prefer Red Chili Restaurant in Pudu (review coming soon).




Dragon-i Restaurant
Main Lobby Cititel Hotel
Ground Floor Midvalley


Tel No : 03-2282 0155

Soba-Ya @ Ara Damansara

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been busy eating and didn't have enough time to blog.

Today I wanna share with you my experience at my mates Japanese restaurant. Soba-Ya is located in Ara Damansara just before the roundabout heading towards Subang airport.
Soba is a type of Japanese buckwheat noodle either served cold with dipping sauce or hot in broth. Soba-Ya's specialty is of course handmade Soba.

Chef Uramoto san

Chef Uramoto Katsuyuki is from Toyama Prefecture in Japan and has more than 20 years experience as a chef both in Japan and Malaysia. His most recent post being at the Holiday Villa in Subang. He is also a consultant for Kampachi restaurant at Pavilion.

The interior at Soba-Ya




Appetizer

Sashimi Moriawase $45.00

This dish consists of Salmon, Saba ( mackeral ), Hamachi ( yellowtail ), Maguro ( tuna ), Butterfish and Mentaiko sushi ? ( pollock roe ). The slices of fish is so fresh you can almost taste the ocean.

It's chicken..it's gyoza..NO ! It's chicken gyoza

Gyoza is a type of Japanese dumpling usually made from meat or vegetables. Chicken wing is self explanatory. What's amazing about this dish is the chef somehow managed to fuse this two items together and Chicken Gyoza was born. The bottom part of the wing is chicken but the top part is the gyoza infused into the chicken. This is a very innovative dish with an awesome taste to boot. The meat is very tender and with the juiciness of the gyoza... heaven....

Pork yakitori

With subtle amount of fat in between the crunchy skin and tasty meat, this dish is a winner. The pork is perfect with just a hint of salt.

Pork ribs

Grilled to perfection.

When I barbeque ribs, the meat is either too charred on the outside or too bloody on the inside. At Soba-Ya, the ribs are crunchy on the outside and the meat is pink on the inside.

Garlic fried rice

Hamachi fish head

Another simple yet wonderful tasting dish. Unlike salmon fish head, hamachi has a nice balance of fat and meat. Grilled and lightly salted, this dish retained all its fishy goodness.

Not a bong !

We decided to have a rest from all the eating and indulge in some sake from Chef Uramoto's hometown.
The basis of good sake is water. Some people call it ' The stock soup from the mountain' ( direct translation from Japanese ). Rain or snow which has fallen on to the mountain soaks through roots or rocks and flow underground after many years and ends up in pools of natural spring water. These water are also called 'shrine water' and in Toyama Prefecture, premium sake are made from these water.
The high is unlike other sake's I've tried. Sweet tasting and does not burn the throat. It gave me a very happy buzz.

Chef's surprise

Halfway thru drinking and chatting, Chef Uramoto brought out a container of fish and plonked it in front of us. I've never had sashimi served from a plastic container before but Uramoto san said this was one of his specialty which he keeps for himself ( hence the container ). It was Hamachi belly ( yellowtail belly ). I have tried Hamachi belly at Sushi Zen and it was nothing like this. The meat is very sweet and firm.

To end the night, Uramoto san fixed us this very unique drink. Dried flying fish fin in hot sake. The glass is then flamed to kill off the alcohol from the sake.
It tasted like essence of sharks fin and leaves a very pleasant after taste.


I really enjoyed the food here and there are a lot more items on the menu I would like to try. I am definately coming back here for Chef Uramoto's soba.



Soba-Ya
No. 27, Block D, Dataran Ara Damansara
Jalan PJU 1A / 20B,
47301 Petaling Jaya

George and the Dragon @ Bangsar Shopping Centre

On Sunday, me and a couple of mates decided to try a new English pub in Bangsar Shopping Centre called George and the Dragon. The name's weird all right but then again it's opened by the same good people from Finnegans in Bangsar Telawi.

The entrance to George & the Dragon

The bar

With a name like George and the Dragon, I expected the place to look like something out of a fantasy movie but sadly there was nothing magical about it, there wasn't any brownies sitting on toadstools and the toilets weren't enchanted.

G & D looks like a typical English pub reminiscent of Fawlty Towers. With its burgundy carpeting, thick wooden framed windows and prominent cross gables on its walls ( except there are no sloping roofs ) G & D does somehow make you feel like you're sitting in an old english tavern.

Softie Snake Bite Black

I made a mistake with my first drink. I thought this was gonna arrive pre-mixed with Guiness Stout but it only consisted of Strongbow, Carlsberg and Ribena.. Wtf !!! Who in their right mind mixes ribena with carlsberg ?? Suffice to say, it tasted lame... berry juice with perrier makes a better drink.

Carlsberg Extra Cold

I decided on a Carlsberg Extra Cold to get rid of the sickeningly sweet taste from the Snakebite.

The Extra Cold tap is sheathed in ice and uses glycol-based technology to dispense beer at –1°C but it didn't feel that cold as my beer was left waiting at the bar. Tastewise, I couldn't tell the difference between a normal Carlsberg and the Extra Cold.

Poor Man's Black Velvet

Next was the Poor Man's Black Velvet. Sounds like a real ass kicking, throat burning drink but it tasted just like the Softie Snake Bite albeit a stronger cider taste. Argh ! I was beginning to feel gypped since these drinks did not come cheap and I was getting really sick of the ribena taste.

Real Snake Bite

My mate and I decided to go all out and we shared 2 half pints of Real Snake bite with a pint of Guiness Stout. Halfway through this drink, conversation went up double the speed and saliva was flying everywhere... Yup, its getting the job done :)

Victoria Bitter

My mate used to study in Australia so he opted for a VB. They have weird slangs in Australia and this short necked bottle is called stubbies.. Cans are called 'tinnies' and 750ml bottles are called 'tallies'. Go figure..

Author talking to the fairies

So was I plastered..blasted..bladdered..cabbaged..hammered..tanked..spiffed..wasted..sloshed..
loopy..shemzmit..troooollsdd..assshaaaced....zxczsdcasc...efsdfdfsf.... ?
Fo shizzle my dizzle !! Another productive Sunday spent.



This is a very nice chillout place perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons. Traditional english food such as Pigs in Blanket ( sausage roll ) and Toad in the Hole ( sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter ) is also served. I did not mention earlier that G & D also has an al fresco seating area. I can foresee many a' Sundays spent here playing bridge while having tea and crumpets.


George and the Dragon
New Wing Ground Floor opposite WIP

Tel No : 03 - 22878316

Japanese Viral Video

Another thing I like besides Japanese food is their sense of humour. This video is not food related but I thought I'd share with you anyway. Enjoy !!

Extreme Sashimi Chef

Sorry, haven't had time to update my blog so I will leave you with this video of the best sashimi chef ever. Enjoy :o)

Hadhramawt Restaurant @ Chulan Square

The weekend is here and my parents finally came back from Bangkok. My dad had food poisoning and was spewing ala' Linda Blair throughout the trip so I decided to make it up to him by taking my parents to Hadramawt Restaurant.

Interior of Hadhramawt

There's not much decoration at Hadhramawt besides these. Hadhramawt serves a mixture of Yemeni and Arabian cuisine.

pita ( flat bread )

hummus

Hummus is a dip made out of blended chickpeas, sesame paste, garlic and lemon juice. The ones served at Hadhramawt comes with olive oil and cumin. Vegans and vegetarians rejoice, the hummus served here is definately better that the ones I've tried at other middle eastern restaurants.

Tabbouleh $8.00

We ordered tabbouleh as the other meaty dishes does not come with vegetables. Tabbouleh is a Lebanese dish which is made up of tomato, parsley, mint and bulgur ( durum wheat ) served on slices of romain lettuce and doused it lemon juice. The ingredients is very fresh and come together really well. The zing from the lemon juice complemented the mint and parsley. ( Sorry I had to use flash, there was a blackout halfway through our meal )

Mendy Lamb $20.00

Wow, this dish is aweesome. The lamb is very tender and did not have a strong gamey flavour and will definately appeal to meat eaters. My dad is a briyani fanatic and he gave this dish two thumbs up. Arabian rice is used and it is not oily and has a nice subtle flavour which complemented the lamb.





mild chilly dip

haneed lamb $21.00

Our next dish was haneed lamb. The same type or rice is used but the lamb is cooked in its own juice wrapped in foil. The lamb is juicier and has a stronger and smokey flavour compared to lamb mendy. Personally, I prefer this dish if you don't mind being thirsty throughout the night. I think msg was used to enhance the taste of the lamb.

liver $10.00

This dish is another sure winner. The liver, stir fried in tomato and eleven secret herbs and spices ( j/k, I have no idea what else is in the ingredients ) tasted absolutely wonderful. The liver is so crunchy but it still manages to let the flavours seep in.

author in the toilet

No, I am NOT taking a whizz. I am merely giving you an idea of how big the toilet is. I am not humping the wall either.

This is a good place to go especially if you're in the mood for simple and no-frills meal. Service is prompt and friendly. Hadhramawt has another new outlet in Beijing and the host which lived in China for three months can speak a bit of Mandarin.
I will definately come back and try out the rest of the bbq dishes.


Hadhramawt Restaurant
Lot 7 & 7A, Block B, Chulan Square
92 Jalan Raja Chulan
50200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel No : 03-2142 2744

Raja Sup @ TTDI

Chinese New Year is over and after a whole week of eating chinese food, me and my mate decided to pay a visit to Raja Sup ( King of Soup ). Owner Sabri Salleh has a lot to live up to having named his shop 'King of Soup' , luckily he does not disappoint.

Exterior of Raja Soup

This restaurant not only serves nasi goreng, bihun, ikan bakar, briyani and nasi kukus but also tasty nasi kerabu, nasi dagang, ayam dara !!! ( virgin chicken ? it's actually free range chicken which hasn't produce eggs ) to the more exotic air belacan perut muda, kerutuk itik and lot's more. Their specialty here is of course soup. You will find the usual sup tulang, sup ekor, sup daging and more interesting parts such as tendons, brains, heads, tongues and the infamous sup torpedo ( bull penis soup ).

Tongues and Lungs...Gene Simmons, dat you ?!

liver, intestines, whole tongue and oxtail





tripe and ribs

Patrons get to pick the parts they want buffet style and the cook will prepare the soup for them. Trust me, it tastes much better than it looks.

huge pots of mutton, chicken and beef curry..diarrhea heaven !

ulam ( raw veggie filled with chlorophyll goodness )

lauk-pauk





piece de resistance $20.00

We picked tendons, ribs, oxtail and ox tongue for our soup. The soup is constantly boiling in a huge pot tastes very yummy and not too spicy. The tendons is so soft to chew and the meat comes right off the bone. For the uninitiated, ox tongue has a melt-in-your mouth texture with an intense beefy flavour. Eating tongue here is not like french kissing a cow as the meat is cut into small slices. Definately the best part of the soup.

Ayam Kampung Goreng ( kfc kampung style )

The chicken retained its juicy moisture and flavours.

Nasi Kerabu $4.00

Nasi Kerabu is a healthy malay dish with rice mixed in a combination of traditional ulams and vegetables such as daun kadok ( similar to betel leaf ), bunga kantan ( ginger flower ), daun kesom ( laksa leaf ) and fresh red onions. The nasi kerabu served here is as close to the ones you will find in Kelantan.

What the heck is that in the soup ??!?

This place is a real gem. I usually come here a few times a month to satisfy my cravings for meat.


Raja Sup
No. 46, Jalan Datuk Sulaiman,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
(behind Secret Recipe)
7am - 11pm

Tel No : 012-2469211