Pink Panther and Chocochino at Big Apple Donuts

Still excited about yesterday's episode where 'A Tale of Two Superheroes' finally turned ONE years old, the two superheroes felt that they should reward themselves with a little something sweet today. And here comes the much hyped Big Apple Donuts which we bought from the outlet at the Gardens, right after dining at the super yummy Din Tai Fung (yet again! :p)

Despite being probably the last people on the planet to try out the donuts, we actually hesitated initially because all the donuts looked awfully sweet. But since there weren't many people queuing up at that time, why not? Haha. Let's pump our body with a 'little' sugar rush!



We decided to go ahead with ordering only 2 donuts. YES. Only TWO! Haha. One for Superhero W, one for Superhero S. With everyone else ordering at least half a dozen of donuts, we certainly stood out among the crowd! At RM2.20 per piece, and judging from the size of the donuts, it's a tiny weeny bit pricey but let's hope it tastes just as good as it was all hyped out to be...

Here are Superhero S' Pink Panther and Superhero W's Chocochino...



Even with seemingly over 20 varieties of donuts being displayed, it was easy for us to make our choices actually. Superhero S LOVES strawberry... and seeing a shiny pink donut is certainly very very enticing indeed... Haha. As for Superhero W, the Chocochino seems like the only donut with real 'character', as it was supposed Homer Simpson's favorite! *grins*

When we bit into the donut, we were a little surprised to find even more cream inside the donuts - mine being obviously the strawberry flavoured one... and the Chocochino being chocolate. The donuts are pretty light, and with the thick sweet topping and crazy amount of sweet cream inside the donut, I was pretty sure we were going to run around like Energizer bunnies soon with all the extra sugar! But having not tasted J.Co Donuts, we couldn't say which was better... but some friends have voted Big Apple to be the better version.

And while waiting to be served, we actually had time to look around and see how they made their donuts. They were shaped using a mould, then placed aside to let it expand, then dumped into the hot oil to fry and finally decorated (and pumped in) with all those sinfully sweet toppings and cream.

We obviously will not be able to handle eating Big Apple often, but it should be a good treat once in a while... :p

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

Sushi, sushi...and more sushi!

With the two superheroes still into Japanese foodie fever, we flew over to Sushi Zanmai at The Gardens, Midvalley once again to try out some of their other offerings on the menu. Though it's our second time viewing their menu, it still leaves us very undecided on which foodie to pick because everything looks just oh-so-delicious! OMG... Haha. :p




After flipping through the entire extensive menu 10 times and counting, we decided to keep it a little light this time around. We ordered plain sushi, sushi and nothing else but sushi! Haha. Yeah, it's a sushi galore! But next time shall try out their sukiyaki too... *grins*

So first to arrive, our mix 'n' match sushi orders that consists of Salmon Salad, Salmon and their Chuka Iidako (octopus!).




Truly delicious...I love their Salmon Salad the most. The mayo wasn't too overpowering, and the mixture was just perfect. Nice.... And the salmon was fresh too, while the Chuka Iidako was absolutely appetizing with its hint of sweetness. Nice way to open up my appetite! Haha. :p

Next up, our Stamina Rolls!




Haha. First of all, I love it for its name. C'mon! Stamina Rolls??? Haha. Very cute huh. And secondly, it's eel!! OH... in simple words, we love eel! And this is no ordinary eel offering. Just look at their presentation. Beautiful right? The sushi is filled with this cold "cucumber" thingee and some others that give the sushi this crunchy feel when you sink your teeth into it.

If it's just topped with plain sushi with the sweet sauce alone, it would've just turned out to be some ordinary sushi dish. But with the crunchy feel to it, it totally transform the meal and take it to a different indulgence altogether! Very highly recommended. Must try!

And last but not least, during our last visit to Sushi Zanmai, we promised ourselves that we would make the following wish happen whenever we were to visit this place again. Ta-da!




Haha. Yes, we're crazy people. Crazy over Kanimayo Sushi! OMG... Yes, the Crabmeat Mayonnaise Rolls. Now we don't have to fight over it anymore... 6 for Superhero W, and 6 for Superhero S. Haha. Super delicious and our all-time favourite! *wink wink*

And this concludes our recent adventure to Sushi Zanmai... can't wait for our next trip to another Japanese foodie outlet! OH....

Tony Roma's at The Gardens, Midvalley

After watching the much-anticipated Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and right before we got cheated by Jusco Supermarket, the two superheroes actually flew over to Tony Roma's at The Gardens, Midvalley for a yummylicious lunch! Haha. Drool, baby...drool! :p



It has actually been a while since we last had any sort of western cuisine as these days, we seem to be down with this Japanese foodie fever. Haha. I can't help it! There's something really seemingly addictive about consuming all those sushis and salmon. But since we've already tried Sushi Zen and Sushi Zanmai the last time, we thought we should go for a change of taste.

Tony Roma's fits the bill perfectly, because we didn't want to go for Yo! Sushi just yet. Why? *whispers* Because we just finished a whole large box of sushi, which was secretly tapau-ed into the cineplex to replace our popcorns! Haha. Good idea huh. More healthy mah... *grins*




And so, we were led to our seat in Tony Roma's and I have to complement their service really. Super friendly and warm. They make you feel like you have personal butlers waiting for your orders. Nice.... Waiter waiter... come come.... :p




We went for their set lunch, which I would say is pretty comprehensive really. Superhero W went for their Rib Eye Steak, medium-grilled and topped with their steak butter. Meanwhile, Superhero S decided to keep it light and went for their Chicken Bowtie Pasta, consisting of a generous portion of chicken and bowtie pasta, lightly sauteed with garlic, basil, tomatoes and pesto, topped with delicious cheese.... OH!




For their set lunch, it comes with a Soup of the Day and a glass of soft drink of your choice. The soup arrived shortly, and according to our personal butler, it was some special Chicken Soup. Which actually tasted SUPER delicious! The chicky flavour was tremendously powerful with a hint of peppery taste and there's carrots, celery, chicky bits, and even some bowtie pasta inside!




The soup also came with this, according to Superhero W, *ahem*... Marie biscuits... which came in the form of really really thin crackers. Love it! :p




Before we could finish walloping our soup, our butler brought out our bread with an accompanying garlic butter. So this would be something like a Garlic Bread. The bread was fresh, and I love this subtle sourish salty taste to the garlic butter.

And then, this came...




I went like..."What the....?!" Wow...this plate of pasta can actually feed an entire family already man! How to finish?? Haha. The serving here is HUGE... no doubt about it. What more after whacking all the soup and the bread, there's little room left in my tummy to consume such a tremendous amount of pasta. *Looks to Superhero W and smiles....*

Before Superhero W could respond, his order came...




Check it out... such a big big piece of steak! Looks really juicy too... But since both of our orders came with a nice bowl of chilled coleslaw we decided to attack the salad first before making our way to the big meal! Haha.




My Chicken Bowtie Pasta set lunch priced at RM19.90 was absolutely yummy...Good portion of the chicken pieces inside, and I simply love the amount of diced tomatoes on my pasta! But this dish is too much lah. Cannot finish even with help from Superhero W. Haha.




Superhero W's Rib Eye Steak set lunch, priced at RM49.90 was beautifully done, pink on the inside, very very chewy and juicy! When he chewed on the steak, sitting right beside him, I can actually hear the juicyness from the oh-so-succulent steak. Thumbs up!

As a whole, I would think that the Tony Roma's set lunch is really really worth it. There's the soup, the bread, the salad, the main course and the drink. How can anyone say NO to all that?! Haha. So the bill came at around RM80, including tax. Pretty reasonable price for the amount of food served, and the cosy ambience and personal butler service! Haha. *wink wink*

Gelato Fruity at Midvalley Megamall

After downing our super sumptuous Japanese foodie at Sushi Zanmai in the Gardens, both the two superheroes and Superhero S' sister, Winnie suddenly had this ridiculous craving for ice-cream! OH.... despite being so full and all, we still couldn't resist the temptation of sinking our teeth into some icy cold dessert. Yummy!!

We initially wanted to fly over to Baskin Robbins to satisfy our sinful thoughts in Midvalley but somehow ended up right in front of Gelato Fruity. Haha. I mean, hey... on second thoughts, gelato has much lesser fat and is a healthier option compared to those ultra sinful Baskin Robbins right? *grins*




Can't help but be attracted to Gelato Fruity's constantly changing neon lights on its signboard. Cool... And there were so many flavours to choose from. We were looking at one shelf which houses all the bad bad delights, with all the super kau chocolate flavours, after eights, oreos and more.

Can I have them all??

After satisfying our visual senses with all the chocolatey stuff, we then walked over to the other display shelf where this time around, the gelato colours were so much more catchier!




Check out the purple colour! OH... I like... I think it's dragon fruit flavour or something. This other shelf actually houses all the fruity flavours. But well oh well, the three of us must've been thinking, "what the heck, since already going to makan "ice-cream", better makan the most sinful ones loh!" Haha. Right or not? *wink wink* :p

Drool baby, drool...!

Both superheroes shared one Chocolate gelato while Winnie went for their Oreo. I have to say, the chocolate one (that Superhero W handpicked!) is super duper rich! Very kau indeed the chocolate! Not bad... not bad at all.

The new ambassador for Gelato Fruity...

Winnie's Oreo tasted lighter than the ultra sinful choc gelato but still very delicious. In fact Superhero S actually prefers Oreo to the choc one. After eating too much of the choc flavoured gelato, it has to tendency to be too overpowering but the oreo flavour would still somehow make you drool for more!

OH we love gelato... MmMMmm.... Haha :p

Sushi Zanmai at The Gardens, Midvalley

Just having found out from Bernsy that there is another seemingly yummylicious Japanese foodie restaurant in The Gardens besides our favourite Sushi Zen, the two superheroes and Superhero S's sister, Winnie flew there right away for a smashing dinner time! Haha. *drools..*

And since we're all not entirely familiar with The Gardens, it took us a wee bit time to locate our Sushi Zanmai's hideout. O...where art thou??




With some luck, we somehow found ourselves walking straight towards it. Located just next to the Borders bookshop, Sushi Zanmai really has very classy decorations. And mind you, this place is entirely packed even on a weekday! Must be really not bad woh... :p

We found ourselves a nice, comfy seat at the back corner of the restaurant. As we passed by the other tables while making our way into our seat, we couldn't help but notice all the super delicious foodie on other people's tables. WOW... Cannot wait to try the food here!! Haha. *grins*




Very nice ambience, perfectly set up with chic lightings and super comfy sofa seats. So comfy that our butts got superglued the instant we sat on it. The menu was ridiculously extensive. So many things!!! Which to order? And then there's also the foodie on the conveyor belt! OMG. *starts to panic!* Haha.




In the end, all of us settled for our favourite orders and chatted happily while waiting for the yummylicious food. You can actually see the chefs in action behind a transparent glass over at the right hand corner when entering the restaurant. Cool woh... Haha. But we were all too engrossed with chatting and helping ourselves to the unlimited supply of refreshing Green Tea that the waiter kept refilling for us. More, please...




The food came pretty fast really, and the first order to grace our table was the Kanimayo sushi, in other words, Crabmeat Mayonnaise Rolls priced at RM4.80!! We ordered this so that we can make a fair comparison with our favourite Sushi Zen's offering. And surprise surprise...hate to say this but the ones here are....




BETTER woh!! OMG...?! Both are equally enticing to eat, very delicious, very fresh and almost has the same presentation and taste. But...but... the ones here at Sushi Zanmai has this slightly unique burst of coldness when you eat it. OH... I love it love it love it LOVE IT!




And then came Superhero S's Chicken Katsu Udon priced at RM8.80, which is really a bowl of Udon with seaweed and Fried Chicken Chop with salad. Haha. Fantastic! Very big portion of the chicky and I couldn't finish it alone. Had to give away half of it to Superhero W. Haha. Very nice combi really, and love the super crispy fried chicken. Superb ah!



Next was Winnie's Beef Udon.




She added lots of chilli flakes into it because she said it makes the dish taste better. And I tried a mouthful of the Beef Udon and it was very delicious indeed! The beef were layered thinly but the serving was relatively large for a medium order. Good...




Superhero W's large Ebidon, which was sticky rice topped with an extremely large portion of Tempura with Egg. There were like 4-5 big big tempuras on his bowl. So worth it! Priced at RM15.80, I'm sure Superhero W had a nice fulfilling meal that night...

And just when you think that's about it...there's actually MORE!!




Agedashi Tofu, very very smooth and it comes along with a sauce that tasted like Miso soup or something.

And loads of Sushi....!




Salmon Ikura, Chuka Iidako, Inari, Tamago and Salmon -- all in pairs! Haha. Yeah, one for you and one for me... *super grin*

All in all, the bill came to us at RM76. Very worth it! Will definitely make our way back here all thanks to the excellent food, top service (thanks for refilling our tea over and over and....again!), and cool ambience. Simply fantastic! And it wasn't the end of the night just yet... But we'll leave that for our next post, ok? :p

Oh and when we googled Sushi Zanmai the other day, we found out that KY has also previously written about the Sushi Zanmai at Sunway Pyramid. Go check it out!

P/S: We apologize for the yellowish texture to all our photos here. Haha. The dim, romantic lighting there wasn't helping our low-end camera phone. :p

Kani Miso Soup and loads of sushi

Since Superhero S was down with a fever and sore throat the other day, good ol' Superhero W decided to give her a nice treat so that she can recover faster. Since she can't be taking any fried food or spicy food or anything sinful, Japanese food seems to fit the bill perfectly... Haha. :p

Where else to go for yummy Japanese foodie other than our favourite Sushi Zen at The Gardens Mid Valley. Yes, we go there like every week or something. Haha. But on most occasions, we would usually go for their set meals, which wasn't the case this time around. We wanted to try something new, maybe something RAW... :p

Okay, but before that, Superhero S wants her soup. A quick look at the menu features this really attractive dish called Kani Miso Soup, which is actually crab inside the usual miso soup. Nice... Can't wait to see what's inside this pot...




And... ta-da!




Beautiful presentation! I love the look and the colour of the crab! OH yummy yummy.... The very flavourful (not to mention, powerful) scent from the soup immediately gushed out of the pot the moment we opened its cover. This must be good... And indeed it is! Very strong crab taste... But since I'm allergic to seafood, can't take too much of the soupy. Superhero W walloped the rest of it. Haha.


Okay, next on the menu is our must-order, Crabmeat Mayonnaise Roll!! And this time around, we ordered not 1, but 2!! YAY! That sums up to 12 little rolls for the both of us. And I seriously think it still isn't enough... Maybe 2 plates for each person huh, next time? *grins*

More sushis on the way...



We ordered a pair of each - 1 for you, 1 for me! Haha. Superhero W ordered 2 Salmon Sushis, 2 Inaris (Beancurd skin filled with sticky rice) and 2 of those Big Big Red Transparent Fish Roe Sushis (which I can't recall its name) Haha.

The Salmon Sushi was really really fresh, but for sushis, I think I'd stick to our Sakae Sushi or even Genki Sushi for the portion and price. But for Crabmeat Mayonnaise Roll, ONLY from Sushi Zen and definitely nowhere else! Haha. Simply addictive! I can still feel the taste of the seaweed and crab meat as my teeth grinds against it. OH! *super grin*