Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas, everyone! Christmas has come but not quite gone yet. How was your Christmas?

Was it a white one? Sadly, the closest thing to a white Christmas for me was in a glass bubble....


Had more presents than you could handle? The after-effect of Christmas shopping for loved ones may have burned a hole in my pocket, but it was worth it. After all, one of the joys of Christmas is giving. And did I say that I love wrapping gifts? There's a strange contentment in carefully selecting the gift wrapping paper and the appropriate trimmings for each individual receipient...., including this one...

Like his master, Julius has to be fashionable on Christmas too!


Had your fair share of Christmas feasts till you are ready to balk at the thought of having another turkey meal?


I had like 5 recipes that I plan to make for Christmas this year, and unfortunately, only ONE materialised, and it was a non-bake one.

Chocolate Cheese Lollipops

HAVE YOURSELF A JOLLY, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A FABULOUS NEW YEAR!

Bean's Dessert Kitchen

Looking for simple desserts in the vicinity of Subang Jaya? Why not give Bean's Dessert Kitchen a try. Serving a variety of tongshui (sweet broth) and herbal drinks daily, they also serve simple meals not uncommon to those usually found at local cafes and "cha-can-teng". Their tongshui are not bad and I usually go for them but today, I decided to try something different.

I have been craving red beans lately, which I have a real fondness of. When I saw a picture of the Special Red Bean Ice dessert, I knew I had to have it.

Well, it happened to be a hot day so the dessert really worked in cooling down the dreadful heat. It's basically shaved ice topped with lots of tapioca pearls, sago, red beans and "lightly" drenched in milk (not too sure whether it's coconut milk, evaporated milk or condensed milk- haha). The abundance of the big tapioca pearls really gave my jaw a big workout. It's chewing, chewing, chewing all the way. But other than that, although pleasant, it was not that special after all.


I also ordered their yam cake which was one of their recommended dishes in their menu. This was rather good although not the best that I have tasted. Not too dry and not too wet and not too stingy with the yam either. Be sure to ask for some sambal chili to go with it.

Bean's Dessert Kitchen
SS15/8B, Subang Jaya (Corner Shop)

Matcha (Green Tea) Jelly

The weatherman is pretty indecisive lately. The weather is either very hot and "very rainy". On one fine sunny (and very hot) day, I made some cooling Matcha Jelly. Very simple to make.


Click here for link to recipe.

Heaven-sent Desserts from Just Heavenly

Much had been blogged about this little gem of a cake shop in Damansara Heights. But just to remind you of how good the desserts are, feast your eyes on these:



Durian Chocolate Cake (A "definite must-must-must" for all durian lovers!!!)


Death by Chocolate (yumz!)


Banana Cream Pie (yumz!)


Creme Caramel (yumz!)


Chocolate Walnut Brownie (yumz!)

Enough said! To sum it up.....it's simply


Just Heavenly Pleasures
Ground Floor (opposite Chef & Brew)
Epicure, No. 1 Jalan Medan Setia 1,
Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur

What's up, Dog?

What's up with my doggie, Julius? To find out, click here.

Delicious Cafe @ BVII

Mango Cheescake with Lemongrass Infused Mango Chutney (RM11.90)

Delicious Cafe, what else can be said about it as there are already numerous reviews on this place. Some like it, others don't. I have to admit I fall into the earlier category. Although their menu isn't what I would say original or exciting (I can't help but to feel it's mostly inspired by the likes of Donna Hay, Jamie Oliver and etc), it's still a safe bet when one craves for simple biswholesome. However, compared to their other salads, the serving size is rather small and may not be sufficient as a main.tro/cafe type food done well. Not to forget that their well-presented food photographs very well too.....


I usually go for their salads when I dine there simply because I love salads and it's so hard to find good salads in KL/PJ.

Roasted Vegetables Salad with Baby Spinach and Oriental Dressing (RM18.90)
If I am not mistaken, the Roasted Vegetable Salad with feta cheese is a recent addition. It was good; simple uncomplicated flavours that are wholesome at the same time. However, compared to their other salads, the serving size of this salad is a tad small and not really sufficient as a main.


Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad with Anchovies, Turkey Bacon, Poached Egg and Parmesan (RM25.80

Their Caesar Salad is also one of the best this side of town, with the addition of turkey bacon and a perfectly poached egg (yummy!). The smoked salmon is optional and comes at an additional cost of RM6.90. Compared to the previous salad, this is so much more substantial as a main course.


Sirloin Steak Sandwich with Onion Relish and Toasted Ciabatta (RM22.90)
This must be a guy's version of a light meal. I stole a bite and I have to say, it's also rather good. Done medium well, the steak was juicy and tasted good with the onion relish.


Smoked Salmon with Sour Cream and Capers on Toasted Multigrain (RM18.90)
This is more of "my kind" of sandwich. Smoked salmon with sour cream and capers. What's there not to like? But perhaps it might taste even better if served in a bagel.


Nyonya Curry Laksa (RM16.90)
Their Asian fare is said to be pretty good too. This was what my friend ordered on one fine night. Except for the fact that it was a tad less than warm when it arrived, there's nothing else to complain. The broth was thick and creamy and fragrant with spices.

One of my favourite desserts at Delicious is undoubtedly their Mango Cheesecake (see pic above). And now, it comes in an 'improved' version whereby it is served with lemongrass scented mango chutney. Mmm..., mmm..., so good..., so good....!

Previous posts on Delicious Cafe here and here.

Delicious Cafe
Ground Floor, Bangsar Village II

Baileys Malteser Cheesecake

I like Baileys. I like Maltesers. I like cheesecake. Combine all three - oiishi...!



That's the first thing that crossed my mind when I first came across the recipe from the ever talented Aunty Yochana. So when a friend's birthday cropped up recently, I took the opportunity to test the "yummi-ness" level of the cake, whether was it as good as it sounded.



The cake did not disappoint but I would probably increased the amount of Baileys used next time. If you want to try your hands at making this cake, click here for recipe.

Rick's Cafe Casablanca (Klue RSVP)

Star of the night: Port and chicken liver parfait
Once again, my friends and I found ourselves attending the KLue RSVP dinner. This time, it was held at Rick's Cafe Casablanca in One Bangsar. To be honest, I was less enthusiastic about joining but spurred by some recent reviews that I have read about this place, I decided to go ahead.

All of us started with an appetizer of port and chicken liver parfait, spiced braised raisins, rocket and orange salad served with French baguette.

I love this dish a lot. I have had not so good experiences with chicken liver pate before and I have to say that theirs was among the best I have tasted. The sweetness of the spiced raisins and orange slices went great with the pate. All of us except one who doesn't take liver pate loved it and couldn't stop slathering it on thickly on the fresh baguette, which was also lovely.

We have 3 choices to choose from for the main course. I chose the braised lamb shoulder, sautéed zucchini and roasted sweet potatoes.

The braised lamb cutlets were rather tender. But I didn't really enjoy the dish. The flavour, although not bad, was not really tantalizing either. But I did enjoy the roasted sweet potatoes.

The other 2 choices were hot escabeche of blue mackerel and citrus,

and crumbed chicken breast stuffed with smoked duck and cheese, sugar snap peas and sultana jus.

Friends who ordered the former commented that the mackerel was rather "fishy" in taste (but to me, mackerels are like that) and the dish was rather sour (but again, I would expect escabeche to taste like that too...). I took a bite of the crumbed chicken breast and first thought that came into my mind was it tasted so like KFC chicken. Then again, I didn't taste it with the smoked duck and cheese.


Dessert was baked apple pie on puff pastry, red currant compote with vanilla ice cream. I was rather disappointed in the apple pie. It wasn't served warm so the puff pastry was rather hard and chewy as opposed to warm and crispy. The best part was the ice-cream which I think was home-made with real vanilla pods. It could have been much better if only the apple pie was served warm.


This time, Martell came up with 2 new cocktails. The Apple Martell and Orange Martell cocktails. The Apple Martell was really pleasant to drink. I think all of us had at least 3 glasses of it.



Rick's Cafe Casablanca
One Bangsar, Bangsar Baru
Kuala Lumpur

What has Julius been up to? (29 Oct 2007)

Read about his recent antics here.

Pho Hoa (Health Concious Choice) at The Curve

Ice-blended Vietnamese drip coffee with avocaodo (RM7.90)
I tend to drop by at Pho Hoa whenever I can't think of anything else to eat at The Curve. This is because they make a mean ice-blended vietnamese drip coffee with avocado that is simply divine,

Vietnamese Chicken Salad (RM4.90 or 5.90)
and value-for-money vietnamese salads that are better than average and come in generous portion.

Vietnamese Grilled Beef Salad (RM4.90 or 5.90)

Their appetizers are not bad either, I usually go for

Summer Rolls (pretty ordinary but I like summer rolls), and also their steamed egg cake.

Do not be mistaken, this is not the usual Chinese steamed egg cake ("kai tan kou") but a savoury version. Filled with egg and minced chicken, it tasted rather appetizing and yummy when eaten warm. Rather filling as well.



Beef Pho and accompanying condiments
I have stolen bites from my friend's orders of Chicken Pho and Beef Pho and I have to say that the latter is much better than the former. Also, you get to choose your preferred cut of meat or even parts.

During one of my earlier visits, my friend urged me to try this drink, Blended Avocado Juice. Didn't quite like it, tasted somewhat bland to me and definitely lacked behind when compared to the Ice Blended Vietnamese Drip Coffee with avocado (pictured above).


Pho Hoa
(Health Concious Choice)
The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

TAGGED! Power of Five (?)

Just found out that I have been tagged for this meme by Foodie Lianne .

5 things found in my room
Hidden and forgotten stash of junk food
Piles of half-read magazines
Piles of flyers (don’t know why I kept them in the first place)
Random pictures of family and friends
8ft tall cabinet filled with seldom-used make-up, skincare items and perfumes

5 things I’ve always wanted to do
Host a 3-course (at least) home-cooked gourmet dinner (ceh….)
Learn proper skills of sugar-crafting/cake-icing
Learn a foreign language (French, Japanese or Korean)
Have a LONG vacation, preferably somewhere near the Mediterranean or Southern France region.
Basic HTML programming (to revamp/redesign my blog. My current blog layout is so, so boring...)

5 things found in my bag
Wallet
Handphone
Camera
Makeup pouch
A bottle of water (I drink like a fish)

5 things found in my wallet
Cash
Bank cards (ATM and Credit)
IC and Driving License
Various membership cards (some may be expired)
Forgotten discount vouchers

5 things I'm currently into
My adorable doggie and all about dogs, miniature schnauzers
“Gym-ning” ("LM nut)
All about food (i.e., TV programmes such as Asian Food Channel, baking/cooking books, etc)
Detoxification (but sadly, there has been no action as yet)
Self-pampering (spa, massages, pedicure)

I think most floggers out there have been tagged. So to any bloggers out there who are interested in this meme, do play along...

Sweet Stuff (HK Point, McDonald's Green Bean Sundae & Reese's)

Everytime I go to Hong Kong, I make it a point to stop at HuiLauShan, a mango dessert specialty shop that (thank goodness!) has branches at almost every corner. One of my pet peeves is why isn't there anyone bringing this dessert chain into KL just yet.

But nevermind, for I have just discovered a HLS wannabe in Centrepoint, Bandar Utama called Hong Kong Point.

One look at their menu, one can guess that it must have drawn its inspiration from the famous HLS.



House signature (RM7.90)
Their house specialty is their Yang Ji Kam Po Lo (I think it's called this), which is basically blended mango puree topped with pomelo and aloe vera cubes. Very nice!


Mango Blended Drink (RM6.90 for regular)
We also had a mango blended drink with coconut milk and fruity crystal jelly. Another thumbs up for this one!


Longan Special (with white fungus and water chestnuts)
We were treated to a complimentary hot dessert called Longan Special or otherwise known as "longan tan shuet yi" with water chestnuts in Cantonese. Very soothing indeed although my friends said it could be better if it's a tad sweeter.

Hong Kong Point
Ground floor, Centrepoint (opposite the bakery)

I also managed to sample the McDonald's special limited edition sundae (for Raya), the Green Bean Sundae. First impression - the green bean paste looks too "green", almost fake. First taste - the green bean paste was too sweet. But after blending the green bean and sundae together, it was surprisingly good!

Special green bean sundae from McDonald's (RM3.20)

Last but not least, attention to fans of Reese's Peanut Butter. Let yourself be deprived no more. These goodies are now available at Cold Storage at RM1.99 each only! Hurry, go and grab some before I emptied their stock!