Friday, August 29, 2008

CBC Steamboat Restaurant at Taman Cheras

A couple of weeks ago, the two superheroes finally met up again with Superhero S' sis, Winnie and her knight in shining armour, Kit for a dinner meeting in her area. She suggested that we head over to CBC Steamboat at Cheras Business Centre, Taman Cheras for some really yummylicious steamboat that she'd usually frequent with Kit.



And so, we flew over to the steamboat restaurant late evening to indulge in some good company and good food! We were probably a little early as we were among the first few to arrive. Just as we were seated, they came to take our orders. We left all the ordering to the regulars, and decided to just sit back and relax. Haha.



But I must say, this restaurant is located beautifully around the corner lot, which gives it ample space for the tables. Love the ambience as well, as it was really windy, and the soft breeze was just an added bonus when eating steamboat as it can get rather hot with all the hot soup and boiling! :p



As this is not a buffet style steamboat, the orders are based on per person basis. There were four of us, so the two of them decided to order for three person's portion. It was a good thing they didn't order for four because the portion for three was just perfect! There were a mixed variety of super soft and bouncy fishballs (ridiculously delicious!), fried tauke, fish slices, bean curds, yam slices, golden mushrooms, vegetables, dried yee mee, eggs and etc. You can make additional orders out of the menu as well. We decided to opt out from seafood as all of us have allergic reactions to it, except for Superhero W. Awww.... too bad! Haha.



The soup base is also pretty light, especially the tom yam. Not the super hot and spicy type that would sting the back of your throat, but rather the sweeter type with a subtle hint of spicyness and sourness. We absolutely love it! As I'd usually skip on the tom yam, I find the clear soup base really tasty as well! I almost wanted to drink up the whole soup! (Superhero S is crazy over hot soups, you see... :p)



Overall, it was just a beautifully simple meal here, nothing fancy, nothing extravagant, but works just right for us! The service was also really good as they kept refilling our soup and came over to check on us if everything's okay. And their good food and good service is reflected in their number of customers that day. It was just an ordinary night on a week day, and they were packed! The people just kept coming... and coming! Not bad indeed...

The bill came up to about RM14 per person, including a pot of tea. I can't wait to come back here, especially for their unforgettably delicious fish balls! Oh my... Undeniably the best ones I've tasted! Haha. But if you're someone who prefers going to all-you-can-eat buffet steamboats, we'd recommend you Restoran Hoi Tong at Seri Kembangan. THE best steamboat buffet ever! But that's for another time... :p

Sis, when are we going again?? Haha.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

My First Kung Pao Chicken

Superhero S has always been wanting to try cooking one of Superhero W's top of the list dishes. As her cooking inspirations usually come from Superhero Mum's cooking at home, she has never been able to learn how to cook Kung Pao Chicken because even Superhero Mum have not tried cooking the dish herself. So what now? *worried*

I've actually had it in my mind, formulating the possible ingredients and sauces involved whenever I try out any Kung Pao Chicken dishes in restaurants. Well, die die lah. Never try, never know. Haha. So first of all, I marinated the chicky chunks with a dash of light soy sauce, white pepper, a pinch of salt, some sesame oil and corn flour, and set it aside for the flavour to be released. Too bad I didn't have any cashew nuts at home, otherwise I'm sure it would lend a hint of sweetness and crunchiness to the dish.

Cut the big onions into smaller pieces, take out the seeds in the dried chillies and soak 'em. I used about 10 pieces of dried chillies for a stronger kick of spicyness. Heat up the oil and fry the chicken first before setting it aside. Next, throw in some finely-chopped garlic, the onions and the dried chillies. Give it a little stir, then throw in the chicken. Give it a little dash of light soy sauce and some dark soy sauce, not forgetting the sugar. Well, I suppose that should be it! Haha.

Presenting, my first Kung Pao Chicken...



To be honest, I didn't know if my crazy recipe was going to work out or not. So, what do you think? Haha. From the looks of it, it sure got the looks of the Kung Pao Chicken! But how about the taste eh?



*Come Superhero W, try my Kung Pao Chicken... tries to feed him with a piece of chicken!* Haha. Well you know what? I really can't believe that it tasted exactly like the Kung Pao Chicken we usually have outside! Arhhhhhhhh....!! I did it! Haha.

And that concludes, yet another successful first attempt by Superhero S... *smiles happily*

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Din Tai Fung at The Gardens, Mid Valley


Superhero Mum had flown over to KL with a bunch of her tai chi aunties for an occasion, two Sundays ago. Since it's really such a rare deal that she was coming over, the two superheroes decided to give her a nice treat at Din Tai Fung, ranked as one of the world's top 10 restaurants by the New York Times.




Famous for their xiao long bao or juicy pork dumplings, we were pretty sure Superhero Mum would love it here at Din Tai Fung, the Gardens. Thank goodness we arrived just before lunch hour as the moment we got seated, we could see crowds and crowds of people pouring in and lining up for their tables outside. Phew! Haha. Close shave indeed...




So right away, we were given the menu to make our orders. A quick glance at the menu reveals quite a delightful choice of Shanghai noodles or la mien and even fried rice. Well of course their dumplings commanded at least a big page out of the menu with their many different varieties. Since we've heard so much about their world famous Xiao Long Bao, we were adamant that we must try it.



After placing our orders, we were served with this small plate of appetiser thingee. Not entirely sure what it was, my Superhero Mum took a mouthful first before telling us that it's something like a seaweed combi thing. Don't know what its official name is, it tasted a little sourish and chewy. Not a fan of strange things, it's no wonder that Superhero W shied away from it! Haha. *Come here... try one bite... Superhero S runs after Superhero W with the plate of appetiser* :p



Superhero Mum and me decided to go for the refillable Chinese Tea, priced at RM2 if I'm not mistaken. Very refreshing indeed... But Superhero W had to go for his usual gassy soft drinks with his Sprite. The man eats Japanese food with Sprite, and now Chinese food with Sprite! *shakes head*

Soonafter, my Braised Beef La Mien (priced at RM16+) arrived...




WAH.... I tell you, the first thing (or rather the only thing!) that you see in that big bowl is the huge chunks of beef! My goodness... Filled with chunks and chunks of beef and tendons and served with a super rich and tasty beef broth, this is probably the best beef noodle I've eaten! Even the springy la mien are a delight to chew on. And the beef so tender, I find it most irresistible...! Thumbs up for this one. Haha. *super grin*

And not long after, Superhero Mum's Chicken Chop La Mien (priced at RM14) was served...



I can see Superhero W's eyes aiming straight at the big plate of crispy looking chicken chop pieces, served alongside the big bowl of La Mien in clear soup. Mum absolutely adores the soup as she kept saying, "Mmm...very delicious, the soup!". Haha. Surprisingly, the soup has only very little traces of MSG. Goes really well with the super crispy and delicious chicken chop, Mum had no problem finishing up on her meal. But not before Superhero W took almost half of the chicken chop... Haha.

And finally, Superhero W's Fried Seafood Udon (priced at RM16) arrived...



Judging from this picture, the Udon sure looks awfully spicy right? In fact, I was quite worried that it would be those super hot and spicy type as the chilli looked very red... But much to our surprise, it turned out to be delightfully sweet and spicy! Yummmmmm... Loaded with big, fresh prawns and other seafood, Superhero W gave a big big smile after wiping out the entire plate to indicate that he's very satisfied with his meal. Haha. :p

All the time, while we were busy feasting on our foodie, we could still see patrons coming in and lining up outside for their tables. Amazing crowd, this is! And then, the big star of the day arrived...



Our 6 pieces of ultra juicy Xiao Long Pao! (priced at RM6+) OH.... *drools!*
They look so delicate, and elegant with supposedly at least 18 exquisite folds, I gave the honour to Superhero Mum to try it out first. She told me that there's soup inside the xiao long pao, and to eat it, one must pop it in their mouth and drink the soup first. Haha.



Too bad Superhero W can't take porky. Anyway, since I've never tried any xiao long pao before this, I can't make any comparisons. But this one here surely raises the bar. Very very delicious! The fine skin felt like so soft and vulnerable...but still able to hold the soup inside!



No wonder this kid got so into it as he was all plastered onto the transparent glass, looking at the chefs working on their xiao long paos. The bill came to about RM75 including tax for 3 persons. Overall, I think we'd definitely be back here again! There's still so much that we've yet to taste here. Haha. Can't wait! :p

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Chicken Rice Combo at KFC

One beautiful weekday, the two superheroes decided to fly over to the KFC at Kuchai Lama for some finger lickin' good bites. After a relatively long interval since our last visit here, we're both seriously drooling over the prospects of chewing into some sinful fried chickens! Haha. :p

Since we've already pretty much banned McDonald's due to it's massive price increase (crazy bloodsucker McD!), lunch at KFC suddenly seem like a much brighter choice. Relieved that the price of the foodie here in KFC isn't as ridiculous as McD's, we decided to get a little adventurous and tried out one of their new items on the menu.

Presenting... the Chicken Rice Combo at KFC!



Haha. But on the other hand, to play it safe just in case this chicky rice combo isn't as delectable as it looked, Superhero S decided to order Snack Plate as a back-up routine.

So, now if you were to ask me how the chicky rice fared, I would say it's actually not too bad. Though the rice is definitely not as fragrant as my subsequent attempts at cooking my own chicky rice (after adding the miracle ingredient, butter... all thanks to a tip by Paris! :p) it still complements the KFC fried chickys pretty well.



The soup is naturally laden with MSG, but the fried fish balls in halves are a nice addition. Superhero W actually kinda liked the soup. Haha.



The combo, priced at RM10+ after tax, came with a soft drink. And it was then that we'd realized that their cups have actually shrunk! In place of those usual large, thick paper cups are thin, plastic cups that are smaller in size. Well, during times like these when everything either gets ridiculously expensive or shrunk in proportions, it's pretty expected really.



Overall, we like the Chicken Rice Combo and definitely wouldn't mind going for it again. After all, the difference between the Snack Plate and the combo is just the chicken rice and the soup! The fried chicky is still the same! You can't go wrong with KFC's standard fried chicken. Haha. :p

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Chocolate Dipped Waffle at Baskin Robbins

Some weeks before our romantic candle light-on-cake dinner for two, the two superheroes had flown to their favourite haunt, Sushi Zanmai at the Gardens to satisfy our cravings for Japanese foodie. However, this time around, we got clever and put ourselves on control mode and ordered just enough a portion for our tummy. Haha.

Yeah, so that means... we still have space for dessert! YAY! So after the fabulous meal at Zanmai, we were walking around Mid Valley when we spotted this...



OH! Baskin Robbins... *starts singing, "oooo what's your flavour...."* Haha. :p
Both of us turned to look at each other, and with a big big smile, we flew over to the Baskin Robbins to dig into some sinful ice cream!



We actually stood there to run through the menu for the longest time, and still couldn't decide what to order, until we saw the person standing right before us walking away with...



OMG. "WE WANT THAT ONE...!!"
Haha. And that was how we decided on our ice cream. Yes, it's one of their signature sundaes, the Chocolate Dipped Waffle priced at almost RM20 after tax. Wow...RM20 for ice cream! Haha. Yeah, we weren't thinking straight at that time! :p



Superhero S went for their Chocolate Mint flavour while Superhero W went for one of their rich chocolate flavours. So here we have it, a double scooped ice cream on a chocolate coated crispy waffle, topped with whipped cream, even more melted chocolate and a cherry!




Stay away from this post if you're currently on a diet. Haha.
Well, I guess it's too late now if you're already reading this! *evil grin*. But hey, you can always head over to Gelato Fruity just nearby for some less sinful dessert. :p

So if you're asking us if it's worth it or not, we'd say "Fantastic ice cream, super rich and super duper fattening... but it's all worth it!". Haha. We got hordes of people staring at us while we were digging our ice cream. Every little kid, every adult, every single thing that walks! Haha. Hey maybe the next time around, we'll head over to Haagen Daz instead to try out their signatures. OH! *melting...*

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Happy 2nd year anniversary...



Yesterday, the two superheroes celebrated their 2nd year of holding hands and flying around in their tight superhero suit together... Yes, it's our 2nd year anniversary together! Haha. *super grin*

No candle light dinner, no romantic getaway for two, just a simple beautiful Mocha cheese cake from Baker's Cottage.

Now get ready our 2 forks, light up the two beautiful candles, dim the lights, blow the candles, and...

.... MAKAN!
mmmMMMMm.........
(initially we wanted to use hands but figure that it would be too disgusting! :p)
After the super fattening dinner, Superhero W and Superhero S then held hands, smiled to each other... and flew into the sunset together, and they live happily ever after...

Haha.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Restoran Kembangan Paradise at Seri Kembangan

Since the day Superhero S actually started diversifying her talents (ahem...) into cooking, the two superheroes found their interest in dining over in Malay foodie restaurants slowly dwindling. Oh well, the portion of home-cooked food always seems to win me over you see. For the price that we're going to fork out when dining out, I'd prefer to cook the same dishes for the same price (if not lower) but with a portion to feed a family of superheroes! Haha. :p



However, sometime ago, while the two superheroes were in the Seri Kembangan area, we returned to one of the restaurants we used to frequent during the times when Superhero S was still staying there. Restoran Kembangan Paradise at Seri Kembangan had been one of our old favourites because they serve the best keropok lekor around. Not sure about now though, because on the day we went, the shop was closed and only the main restaurant was open.



Nicely decorated with little lights creating a bright outlined silhouette in the dark, this restaurant is built with a kampung style theme, complete with straw attap roof and "walls". With the ability to accommodate a whole lot of diners, it's no wonder this place strikes as a favourite among the people here.

We decided to order fried rice, and Superhero W ordered Nasi Goreng USA while Superhero S went for the Nasi Goreng Ayam Kunyit. Yes, this was the place that inspired my Ayam Masak Kunyit just a few posts back. It was after this visit that I decided to try my hands at the chicky dish, with consultation from Superhero W. Haha.



Here are our drinks, Iced Nescafe for Superhero W... and plain ol' Teh 'o' Ais Limau for Superhero S. Sorry for the poor picture quality that you're going to experience throughout this post. The place here seem to be enveloped with yellow lighting which makes my... ahem... camera phone very difficult to use. *blushing*

The foodie finally arrived, and here's the Nasi Goreng USA..



...and the Nasi Goreng Ayam Kunyit



As an additional order, we decided to ask for their Tom Yam Cendawan just for a little kick! Haha.




And what a kick it turned out to be... Super spicy with tons of abalone mushrooms, just too bad that the soup wasn't thick enough to bring out the real ooOMph! But it's still a pretty good tom yam to go with our fried rice. *grins*

Both fried rice was good, though as expected, the serving for the dishes weren't particularly impressive. The meat portion was little (probably due to the fact that I usually serve up a big big portion at home) but the fried rice was really tasty. Simple chinese fried rice with bits of mixed vegetables but very flavourful. Man, how to these people do it?? How come my fried rice never turn out like this? Haha. :p

But anyhow, the bill came close to RM20, but this is probably going to be a once in a blue moon affair as I still prefer home-cooking to dining out on regular Malay foodie. But it's still a refreshing change, and the food still maintained its standards here. It's still worth a visit... or two! :p

Friday, August 15, 2008

WALL-E, one of the best films of the year

The two superheroes decided that they should skip a foodie post today and put up a special post just for "someone" very special instead. Haha. We don't usually cover movies, unless they are really really good. Of all the movies we've watched this year, I can't remember most of them actually (which actually means to say that they are forgettable) but THIS is different...



Haha. We've been yearning and dying to watch WALL-E since we first saw its trailer many light years ago, and it finally opened yesterday! Arhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........
Superhero W bought the tickets online so that we won't have to queue up and booked a really superb seating right at the back of the cineplex. OH!

And after so much anticipation, we're so happy that WALL-E did not fail to deliver! Instead, it actually overwhelmed us so much that we actually feel like watching it again... and again after this. Haha. Another great Pixar effort, possibly the best to date, and just as memorable as Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille and now... WALL-E!



The movie follows the story of a robot named WALL-E who is designed to clean up a polluted Earth. For 700 years, he was the only one there, and over time, he developed a keen interest in the many trash he found while cleaning. Everything changed when another robot arrived on Earth, and he eventually falls in love with EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), and this marks the beginning of their misadventures...

OMG. You won't believe how adorable this cute robot is! An acronym for Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth Class, WALL-E embodies very human-like behaviour in a robot. Thanks to Ben Burtt, the guy behind the robotic sounds of R2-D2, WALL-E is made to sound almost like R2 and the only three main words that you are actually going to hear him "speak" is WALL-E (his own name), EVA (he meant to pronounce EVE, the name of his love interest) and Earth (yes, as in our planet).



We're not going to put up any spoilers or reveal much of the plot here, because we don't want to spoil the fun for you. Even if you've not been a fan of animated films, I believe this one is truly special and stands in a class of its own. We laughed throughout most of the whole movie, and at times it even got me almost teary! I can't believe I was actually going to cry watching a couple of robots! Haha. :p

For most of the movie, don't expect conversations because the people behind WALL-E actually spent some good time developing WALL-E's character through the use of body language. A simple simple story with very huge characters, all we can say is, you won't regret watching it! Well, at least we didn't. *grins*

Here's a video clip of WALL-E's trailer just in case you've not heard about this movie.


Thursday, August 14, 2008

Home-cooked Chicken Rice...my first!

In the two superheroes' crusade to experiment with more home-cooking after the hugely-successful Ayam Masak Kunyit, Superhero S decided that she should put her next focus onto cooking Chicken Rice, undoubtedly one of their favourite food back in Malacca. No, no balls yet this time around. Haha. Just plain ol' chicky rice! :p

I finely-chopped some garlic, sliced some ginger, rinsed and cleaned the rice, and bought some pandan leaves for the extra flavouring. Heat up the oil, throw in the garlic and ginger and stir-fry till it's fragrant. Then, dump in the rice and stir evenly. Once it's done, transfer the rice to the rice cooker, fill it up with the same usual amount of water, and put in the pandan leaves, some salt and chicken stock. However, as I did not know how to make the authentic chicken stock, decided to use Maggi Chicken Stock instead. Haha. Yes, I cheated!


My chicken rice -- all cooked!


Okay, next would be my chicky dish. Since I only have bits and pieces of chicky meat, can't really do the pak charm kai (steamed chicken). Decided to improvise, and worked up another dish instead. I coated the chicky with some salt, added some ginger, slices of mushrooms and a generous dash of sesame oil into the dish plate and steamed it. Haha.



And my chicky meat came out even more flavourful that I'd expected! Oh, the sesame oil really turned this dish around wonderfully! So this is steamed chicky with a twist! :p

As for the rice, all I can say is... "OMG". Haha. I did it!
My first plate of chicken rice...



Couldn't have asked for more because Superhero W felt it tasted even better than most chicken rice stalls outside. The colour may be a little paler in comparison, but the taste is definitely there. Very chicky indeed! Superhero W suggested that maybe I should use some turmeric for the extra colouring next time. Hmm... true also eh?! *grins*

Since there should be a vegetable dish in every of our meals, I decided to stir-fry some cabbage to balance out the meal...



If you're wondering where's our chilli sauce, well... since I only have my sambal (which my Superhero Mum made herself! :p) in the fridge, decided add a little twist to my chilli sauce. Added lime juice from one limau kasturi, and it's all done. Tasted like some super pekat asam pedas sauce! Haha. Delicious...

In the end, it was a hugely satisfying meal... and it's making me awfully hungry just by writing this post! OH, can't wait to work on my next chicken rice meal... Hopefully it will turn out even better the next time around! :p

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Pandan Flavoured Mantou with Chicken Curry


While grocery shopping at Tesco the other day, the two superheroes decided to pick up this interesting item which hasn't made onto their menu just yet. Superhero S, upon recalling how Superhero Mom used to cook chicken curry as a dip dip for the super delicious mantou, decided to pick up the Pandan Flavoured one. C'mon, it's either the plain one, the chocolate one or this! Haha.



And so, we happily brought home our mantou which came in a pack of eight. It was frozen rock solid (what'd I expect? It's frozen food what?! Haha) and I decided to speed things up by immediately putting it into my traditional "steamer"... *grins*



Steam for 10-15 minutes and my mantou has now transformed to become hot, hot steaming pandan mantous! Smells terrific with the pandan flavour totally filling up the room. Ahhh.......!



Oh, at the same time, while waiting for the mantous to steam, I was already halfway into cooking my curry chicken. Decided to use those ready-packed curry formulas to save time since the both of us were in hungry mode already! Haha.



And it's all done... a plate of hot, fluffy mantou with 2 bowls of thick chicken curry - one for Superhero W, one for me! That way, we don't have to fight for the curry and the chicken. :p




Tore out a small piece of the mantou, and proceed to dip dip in the hot hot chicken curry. Super kick I tell you... Haha. Hot mantou, combined with hot and spicy curry. Definitely one of the best alternative meals besides the usual rice and fried noodles. And we couldn't even finish up the eight mantous, to think that they are actually quite small in size, or so we initially thought!



In the end, we had 2 mantous to spare as we could only manage 3 mantous per person. Haha. But it was a very filling meal indeed. Not to mention, very satisfying as well! Oh, let's do it again! Haha. :p