Z.G.M Ramen @ Jln Imbi

Yes, it has been  2 bloody long years since I've updated this site :(  I must confess, I inially started this site as a hobby and always procrastinated when it comes to updating. Well, since I'm back now, I will try to update as much as possible :) 
Today, I'm gonna blog about a restaurant which I have frequented more then a year. 

Z.G.M Ramen is situated along Jalan Imbi opposite Sakura Restaurant and specializes in szechuan cuisine. It's recently refurbished and takes up two shoplots. The old section serves as a smoking section while retaining the old furniture while the new section is decked out banquet style. To the uninitiated, szechuan food uses mainly garlic, chili and szechuan peppers while some dishes is garnished with peanut flakes and sesame seeds. Szechuan pepper has a very unique flavour. It has a slight soury overtone and creates a tingling numbness when bitten.

             Pickled cucumber in chilli oil and szechuan peppercorn

                                                

     Pickled cloud ear fungus in chili oil  

                                                                                 

                                                    

These appetizers have a similar spicy sour tang. I am guessing they used the same marinade. Certainly whets my appetite :) 

                         Stir fried chili beef                                 

This is a pretty standard dish. Beef stir fried with dried chilies, carrots, onions and capsicum. The meat was juicy and not overly cooked and the medley of vegetables really brings out the meaty flavour. A one time only dish for me though. 

                     Steamed lamb  ribs                                     

    Le Dip       

                                                         

This is hands down my favourite dish at Z.G.M. The ribs were lightly seasoned and then steamed until the meat literally falls off the bone. Some of you might be put off by the amount of fat but this is  the way I like it :) This dish is a prerequisite everytime I come here and sometimes the meat may be a bit more 'gamey' than usual. 
The dip consists of chopped garlic, chili oil and vinegar strained with szechuan pepper and goes really well with the lamb.

Direct translation : water cooked fish

                                                  

This is another highlight of Z.G.M. Fish fillets cooked in..you guessed it, szechuan peppers, dried chillies, chili oil, cabbages and water spinach. A lot of the dishes uses the same type of ingredients but  different  preparation makes each dish unique.  This dish also comes in variations or pork, beef and frog legs. By the way, the fish is not exactly cooked in water, what you see is mainly oil -_-

Mixed vegetable 

I find this dish rather unique, taufu cooked with century eggs, capsicum, cabbages and some other stuff I can't make out. It has a very light and cooling taste despite having century eggs, something nice to counter all the spicy and oily dishes.

Basil chicken

                                                                

I used to like this dish until they decided to stinge on the basil. The chicken is cooked in finely chopped basil with sliced potatoes and pickled chillies. This dish didn't used to be soupy and a lot more basil was used so the whole dish is green in colour unlike what you see now :(




Despite some letdowns, I will still frequent this restaurant and there are heaps more dishes I haven't tried. It's nice comfort food especially during cold rainy weathers but be warned, szechuan food is heavy on msg, salt and oil.. not exactly a healthy meal.


Z.G.M Ramen 

Lot 124, Jalan Imbi

Kuala Lumpur

Open daily : 11 - 10pm 

Tel : 03-2145 1211/2141 1195 
        0122376919
 

KFC Double Down Sandwhich

No, you will not be able to try this here. It's only availabe on Rhode Island in Nebraska. Bread replaced with 2 pieces of fried chicken ?? Damn, bring it on ! I want me some of that awesomeness.. Gotta try it at least once rite :)

Matsuba Shokudo @ OBD Tower

OBD Tower is situated along Jalan Desa Utama in Taman Desa. Yes, it is another restaurant in Desa :) OBD Tower is made up of a majority of Japanese occupants. I was pleasantly surprised to know that their cafeteria is actually a Japanese restaurant and even more surprised that the food is above average :)

Nondescript entrance

Ah Pek sushi chef

The interior is okay if you want to eat and leave. Not a recommended place to chit chat over drinks though.  

Agadashi Tofu

Soft Shell Crab

The softshell crab was delicious and only cost Rm15. The body is juicy and has a bit of roe. Yummm.. It should be eaten as soon as it arrives because after awhile its not crunchy.

 Sashimi Moriawase

I opted for the normal sashimi platter since I've tried their specialties such as kampachi and the hamachi ( I forgot to bring my camera ). The fish is delivered twice a week and freshness is guaranteed. The highlight this dish is the scallop. It's very sweet and melts in your mouth.

 

The pork belly here is FANTASTIC!!!! How fantastic ? I would have came in my mouth if I could.. It's that good.

 

This came together with my pork set. You have 3 choices of noodles to choose from and I went for the Shio ramen. This was quite tasteless. Its basically noodle in boiling water  and the 'cha siu' has the consistency of cardboard.

The Unagi set came with salad and tofu in shaved bonitos ( usually smoked tuna ). The Unagi was very good, not overly sweet and the eel is very fresh.

 Oodles of noodles

Specialty items displayed at the entrace

 

 

View of the pool

I really like Matsuba. The prices here are affordable and the food above average. Most of their customers are also Japanese so you know they are doing something right. There's a smoking section and a good selection of sake. I am definitely eating here again :)

Matsuba Shokudo

OBD Tower Garden Condominium, (lookout for their signage next to guardhouse)

300-0-4, Jalan Desa Utama,

Off Jalan  Klang Lama, Taman Desa  

58100 Kuala Lumpur

open everyday lunch : 12:00 - 14:30

                          dinner : 18:00 - 22:30

Tel : 03 - 7987 7088  

 Non-halal 

Sanuki Udon @ Taman Desa

There's quite a few hidden gems in Taman Desa and one of them is Sanuki Udon. Situated opposite Desa Villa Apartments, it occupies a shoplot in an unassuming neighbourhood.




The no-frills and non-pretentious interior at Sanuki makes you feel right at home.










Udon is a type of thick wheat flour noodle popular in Japan and the ones at Sanuki are freshly made.

Dry 'Cha Cheong' style Udon


House special with Egg

The Udon has a very nice chewy consistency and manages to retain the flavour of the toppings well. The 'cha cheong' udon does not taste authentically Japanese but it was tasty nonetheless. I personally prefer the house special with egg although some of you might think it's a bit bland. I just love spicing it up with heaps of chilly paste :)

Prawn Kakiage

Chicken Karaage

The prawn kakiage was so-so. The batter was moist and not much in the taste department. The chicken was nice though, very crispy and tasty.

Green Tea Mochi

I don't think Sanuki Udon is a place that will appeal to everyone. Those looking for a healthy alternative to their meals should definately try it out. I do hope they will include more items on their menu as the current selections will hardly satisfy the those who like to have variety.
Sanuki also sells their Udon at Rm15 per kilogram.



Restaurant Sanuki Udon
9, Jalan Bukit Desa 5,
Taman Bukit Desa,
Jalan Klang Lama
58100 Kuala Lumpur
( Closed on Mondays )

Tel : 012-241 8131 ( Seiji Fukimoto )

Halal

Back

Yes it has been ageeees since I have updated and with my friends constantly yammering on me to update, I have decided to bring this blog back to life albeit some changes. Tune in soon :)

Classic Arnie

I was surfing around and found this vintage Arnie from 70's crime drama The Streets of San Francisco. We all know Arnie does not have a whole lot of range when it comes to acting but this is the first time we get to see him act as an emotionally unstable man-child you don't want to fuck with.
What the heck is up at 00:37 ? I know of steroid related rages but it makes you talk funny too ?

Pimp my ride - KL

I noticed this car parked next to mine at Midvalley.

Ok it's Pink..Nothing out of ordinary

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the emblem is a customized Hello Kitty emblem.







Im stumped trying to figure out if this car belongs to a guy or a girl. All evidence points to the owner being female but then again, those are macho speakers and the ''tong turbo' sticker just looks out of place.

I really wonder how your room looks like..

Toilet training with Shimajiro

Shimajiro is the toilet training tiger. When either of the two buttons are pressed, he exclaims a short burst of pro-toilet-training rhetoric. "Crap! Crap like a champion!" and "RRRGGHHHHH"

Buonasera @ ss2

SS2 is home to a wide variety of restaurants and cafes. Local cuisine makes up the majority of choices available so I was quite surprised when I came across this restaurant which prides itself in serving authentic Italian cuisine and not using MSG in their cooking. Buonasera (which means good evening ) is situated next to Restaurant Hoppy, Herbal Roast Duck. If you have difficulties finding this place, just keep a lookout for this famous landmark..

The huge roast duck signage

Story has it that a couple of customers liked Chef Enzo Dente's cooking so much that they decided to invest in his restaurant. Thus, the new Buonasera was born after major renovations.

Oooh fairy lights and its not even Christmas

The setup is modern, simple and comfortable. You can catch the waiters attention easily while maintaining a comfortable level of privacy from other diners. I notice some people like to evesdrop on other peoples conversation. I secretly wish that the waiter would accidentally pour hotsoup onto their crotch.

Dude, where's my croutons ??!

The plain caesar salad, just like what the name suggests, is plain. Garlic bread is usually served on its own, along with soup or the maincourse but this is the first time I am having garlic bread with salad. Don't get me wrong, I love garlic bread and the ones here are full of garlicky goodness. But dammit man, you never substitute salad croutons with garlic bread !
I would have preferred it if a more pungent cheese was used but then again, this is called 'plain caesar salad'.






The escargot was huge and juicy at Rm19 for half dozen but it did not taste garlicky enough. It lacked the 'oomph' factor. I personally prefer the escargot at Monte's.

Rm26.90

I chose spaghetti puttanesca as my main dish. It you think puttanesca sounds like a crude word, it's because it loosely translates to 'spaghetti the way a whore would make it'. I don't really know why they named it that, maybe whores in Italy are real good cooks ? I think its because this dish is hot, spicy, sour and pungent, just like Italian whores.
After complaining that the other dishes lacked 'oomph', this dish certainly made up for it. This dish is filled with fresh cut bacons, ripe tomatoes and olives. Delicious albeit a tad bit sour/salty. I can't help but wonder if the smell of it also plays a part in naming of this dish.

The penne arrabiata is almost similar in taste to the puttanesca. The flavour is rich and intense. It's amazing that these dishes are made without any MSG. The penne is topped with chopped garlic, bacon, olives tomatoes and chilli flakes. Again, it tasted it a bit more sour/salty than what I'm used to.

Rm29.90

I simply have to order pizza when dining at an Italian restaurant. I even gauge how good an Italian restaurant is based on their pizzas. The Napoletana pizza here certainly did not fail to impress. The dough is perfect, crunchy, not too chewy and not too oily. It's a very simple pizza topped with olives, basil, garlic and anchovies. I will certainly come back here for their pizza.


Restaurant Buonasera
42, Jalan SS 2/66
47300 Petaling Jaya

Tel : 03-78778586

non - halal

Reccie in Genting

Last weekend me and my mate decided to head to Genting Highlands for a reccie. It's been awhile since I've travelled to Gentings for leisure, I'm usually up there for work. Well, here are just some random pics of our journey.



The scenery to Gentings through Batu Caves used to be picturesque. Now its filled with commercial buildings. This place could have become a tourist haven but now it's just another wasted opportunity by our local governments.









The weather was very nice and chilly so decided to stop at Gohtong Jaya for curry fish head.





Piping hot curry fish head, goes well with the weather but it didn't taste as good as the last time I had it. Not spicy enough :(

Gohtong Jaya

After 2 hours, we have finally arrived. The weather was not as cold as I expected but it was great to be away from the heat in KL.

Salem High Country

Yup, that pretty much concludes my trip. No casino and no binging, only thing interesting was the diarrhea inducing steamboat dinner we had on the way down..

Next post will be more.. interesting, I promise :P