(Glorious) Kobe Beef @ Osaka

I was in Osaka in time to catch the cherry blossoms at the tail end of its blooming season a couple of weeks ago and it was absolutely gorgeous! But that isn't the main point of this post now, is it? As usual, savouring the local delicacies is of top priority. 

Alright, so Kobe beef is actually from Kobe which is about 35min away from Osaka. After taking a stroll down the famous Dotonbori and meeting the Glico Man, we'd stumbled upon one of the restaurants licensed by the Kobe Beef Tourist Association to serve this variety of beef (as we found out from the friendly waiter who spoke minimal English).

Premium Kobe Beef Sirloin

Premium Kobe Beef Fillet

Both the Fillet and the Sirloin were gloriously tender and well-marbled, but my favourite was the Fillet as it was more flavourful. They were both literally happiness on a plate. I'd never tasted anything like it before.

Who doesn't love Kobe beef? Anyone who enjoys a good piece of steak would.

Kobe beef award.

This restaurant recently won an award for its steaks on the 13th of December, 2016 as proudly displayed on each table for all to view.

Entrance to the restaurant.

Not actually sure of its address. However, it is right across the street from Dotonbori (Glico man side).

Price list of the Premium Kobe Beef cuts.

If you do find yourself in Osaka, and you enjoy a good flavourful, well-marbled piece of steak, head on over here or directly to its source in Kobe!

Krop Krop by Oinkz @ Plaza Damas

Our usual haunt for porky burgers at Oinkz @ Section 17 had sadly ceased operations. Fortunately, my partner in crime got wind of its main operations at Plaza Damas. Woohoo!

Krop Krop by Oinkz serves up just what its name suggests - porky goodness on a simple plate, rather a tray in our case with the burger and fries.

The uber delicious Hambo Burger (RM18).

We both got the Hambo Burger, which comes with a deliciously juicy pork patty sandwiched between a fried egg, onion rings and the healthy combo of lettuce and tomatoes. Really enjoyed every single gigantic mouthful of this one. It's pretty sizable so you will definitely be filled to the brim.

Something interesting here is that customers are provided with gloves so their hands don't get all juicy and oily from slobbing away at the burgers!

Krop Circles aka deep fried porky goodness (RM10).

We also got a side of Krop Circles, which were these pork balls that were crisp and chewy at the same time. Yum!

The restaurant is small inside but there are tables outside as well for those who prefer some fresh (not so?) air.

Krop Krop by Oinkz.

In addition to the burgers, they've also got a selection to cater to the Asian tastebuds.

Menu selection.

Definitely worth a visit. I've been back once more even before posting this!

Where:

Plaza Damas, G-0-1,

Jalan Sri Hartamas 1,

Sri Hartamas,

50480 Kuala Lumpur.

When:

10am - 10pm

Crack Pork @ Kota Damansara

Been wanting to check out Crack Pork for a bit now, and finally had the opportunity to the other day as we were in the area. We had initially wanted to visit the chocolate museum but the queue was snaking far too unreasonably long under the hot sun so decided against it and went straight for lunch instead.

What a wise decision it turned out to be as not only were we in the comfortably cool ambience, we got to enjoy some excellently done porky goodness!

Siu Yuk Sandwich (RM16.50)

Filled with a generous portion of deliciously crisp roasted pork and topped with vegetables and mustard dressing, the Siu Yuk Sandwich was carbo-lard heaven on a plate. The ciabatta paired surprisingly well with the siu yuk, then again what doesn't?! Would like to try siu yuk with baguette next time around.

Siu Yuk (100gm for RM10)

If the sandwich isn't enough to satisfy your porky cravings, go for the plate of more Siu Yuk! The pear sauce was an interesting pairing though...shall try the other two sauces available next time.

Crack Pork

If you like siu yuk, do give this place a try. If not, and if you're a fan of bread, go try their sandwiches at least.

Their menu.

Verdict: Definitely heading back for more and to try the other items on the menu.

Where: 
59, Jalan PJU 5/21,
Kota Damansara,
47810 Petaling Jaya.

When:
Weekdays 11am - 3:30pm
Weekends 11am - 5pm
Closed Tuesdays.

Rakshee @ Kota Damansara

Last week, we visited Rakshee after the better half had heard about it through a review. This is the first place I know of in town to serve bakso (which is a type of Indonesian meatball) and we'd never tried it before so we figured we could give it a try.

Rakshee

The dishes must have been prepared much earlier as they plated barely five minutes after we'd ordered and sat down. 

Pasta Carbonara (RM11.90)

The Pasta Carbonara was only okay. It wasn't exactly the most flavourful carbonara out there but for that price, I guess it's passable.

Lasagna (RM16.90)

The Lasagna was filled with plenty of minced beef but was a tad salty and the ton of cheese on top was a little overwhelming. Again, I've definitely had better.

Bakso Nuggets (RM10.90)

The Bakso Nuggets was the highlight of the night. Crisp and crunchy on the outside, nice and chewy on the inside, these nuggets were yummy especially with the chilli and cheese dips!

Bakso Soup (RM1.90)

Somehow, the first three dishes weren't enough to fill our tummies so we decided to try the Bakso Soup, which we'd seen a couple have at least six bowls of. This bowl comes with two bakso balls and some glass noodles. The soup was tasty but didn't really have the oomph factor. 

I can't say the food here's amazing but it isn't all bad given the reasonable prices. If you're one for meatballs then a try wouldn't hurt.

Where:

13G, The Strand,

Jalan PJU 5/20A,

Kota Damansara

Jay Fai @ Bangkok

Bangkok has always been a haven of shopping and food, and on every trip we'd frequent the restaurants my uncle discovered when he was based there years ago. This year, we went back to this restaurant we first visited last year but did not have the stomach space to really enjoy the dishes to the fullest.

Named after the chef, Jay Fai is a one-woman (rather, grandmother) show with an elderly lady at the helm of the woks. Everything here is cooked over charcoal, which adds even more zing to the dishes. Jay Fai wears goggles to shield her eyes from the smoke, first time I've seen this on a chef!

Jay Fai whipping up the famous crab omelette over charcoal fire.

We were clever this time, ordering the bare minimum of dishes to savour every bit of flavour. Of course, the Crab Omelette was a must.

Jay Fai's famous Crab Omelette.

Swimming in a pool of oil, the omelette was superbly done with a perfectly crisp outer layer wrapping a generous amount of fresh and thick crab pieces. Two thumbs up!!

At 1000 Baht, this omelette doesn't come cheap but it's worth every penny.

Then, there's the Glass Noodles with Prawns in a claypot. I cannot tell you how tasty this was. The flavour was beyond imagination, and the huge prawns were extremely fresh, juicy and succulent.

Glass noodles with prawns.

Finally, the Drunken Noodles aka Fried Kuey Teow with Seafood. This dish was excellent on so many levels. First of all, the kuey teow was cooked al dente. Second, it was mixed with prawns, squid and crab - all so very fresh and well cooked. Lastly, this was all very well complemented by the secret mix of Jay Fai's sauces. If there was a food heaven, this dish would most definitely make the cut. 

Why is it called drunken noodles though? Well, they say that one day a man who's had quite a few drinks visited a hawker in the wee hours of the morning, looking for food. So, they whipped up this dish with the available ingredients.

Drunken Noodles.

The menu here is in both Thai and English so it's easily accessible for tourists. Even Martha Stewart is a fan!

Jay Fai with Martha Stewart.

If you're ever in Bangkok, do try this place out. Highly recommended! Plus your taste buds will thank you.

Where:
327 Maha Chai Rd,
Khwaeng Samran Rat,
Khet Phra Nakhon,
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon,
10200 Thailand.

Restoran Boston Baru 伸波士顿餐室 @ Klang

Having been here before, I'm well aware of the wait time for the dishes to be served at Restoran Boston Baru. The wait time is known to be extremely long (for the not so patient ones), so I was wary at heading back but as they say, after some time people forget the pain and failure and in this case the wait time, and dove tummy first back to the restaurant.

Restoran Boston Baru at 6pm.

By the time we got there, most of the tables were occupied and it was only 6pm. We were lucky to have gotten the last few tables available.

Then, it was a game of hide and seek with the person in charge as it took a good 20 minutes for our orders to finally be taken. 

With high spirits and a semi-full stomach, we eagerly awaited our dinner. Dish after dish plated at the other tables as we watched in full hope of ours being next. An hour went by and still nothing. I wasn't hungry yet at this point. But with the two hour mark fast approaching my patience was wearing thin. Poor better half was once again at the wrong end of my wrath. Then as if the food gods were upon us, the first dish appeared! Woohoo!

Fried Kuey Teow.

The Fried Kuey Teow wasn't bad at all, but was it worth waiting almost two hours? I'm not so sure. I'd opt for the neighbourhood Robert Char Kuey Teow with a wait time of 10min anytime.

It was another 20min before the next dish was served.

Teochew Steamed Fish.

The Teochew Steamed Fish was superbly steamed with expert skills as the meat was well tender and juicy. Generously filled with plenty of ingredients to supplement, the soup was extremely delicious, making one down it as if dying from thirst.

It wasn't long until the final dish was served.

Nestum Mantis Prawn.

Fried to perfection, the mantis prawn seemed to be fresh off the waters, layered in a crisp batter and a ton of nestum, the Nestum Mantis Prawn has got to be my favourite.

At the end of the night, the better half asked if I'd ever return again. This is one difficult question to answer. I do enjoy the food very much but the wait time is bordering the lines of ridiculousness, to which he cheekily responded that perhaps it would be good training ground for my patience. Fine, challenge accepted!!! I shall return in future, but next time we will have to time our arrival to be at the front end of the batch.

If you're looking for above average seafood (read very good steamed fish and nestum mantis prawns) at reasonable prices, do head over to give it a try at least once. A word of advice though, do not go with an empty stomach, or bring some snacks as the wait has the potential to make one hangry. Heck, you could even bring board games or a movie to pass the time!

Where:

Jalan Taiping,

Kawasan 18, 

41400 Klang.

When: 

6pm - 2am, Daily except Wednesdays

Cake Jalan Tiung @ Shah Alam

I'd read about Cake Jalan Tiung in an article listing the up and coming cake shops in town but never found the time to head over until the other day when finally a good friend of mine (who's a big fan) took me there.

My friend tells me that you've got to be early-ish to enjoy the cakes on offer, otherwise you'd be in for disappointment and a lack of sugary goodness.

The selection may not be as impressive as the likes of Sugar Rush but as they say - less is more. I've got to say, the quality of the cakes here is tip top.

With just the perfect level of sweetness, the Salted Caramel Cake was one of the best I've had. The chocolate cake was deliciously moist, and was perfectly paired with a drizzle of salted caramel.
The Chocolate Chip Cookies were nice but I still prefer Mrs. Fields or Famous Amos.

On a second trip there, there was a different selection of cakes available. The pink one is infused with rose it seems, and the icing definitely has a hint of sirap bandung. Cocoa Pops is yet another delicious chocolate cake with a creamy choc filled with choc pops in between the layers.

The treats here are most delectable yet doesn't crack the sugar-meter on the tastebuds. Definitely one sweet treat worth returning to!

Where:
31, Jalan Tengku Ampuan Zabedah J 9/J,
Seksyen 9, 40100 Shah Alam,
Selangor.

When:
Wed-Sun, 12pm-7pm