Umai-ya @ Uptown 37, Damansara Utama PJ

It has been a while since I hang out with my 2 best friends (since secondary years) and have a good time. All of us already started our own family so we don't get to meet up like this everyday except for special occasion or holidays. Matt suggested something other than Chinese food... so we decided to eat Japanese food instead.

All of us met up at my house in BU before heading there. Parking is not that hard to find during holiday seasons. Located in Uptown 37 (developed by See Hoy Chan Group) which also houses HSBC & Starbuck, it should be relatively easy to find.

A big wooden door at the entrance...

This is one of the places where they prepare the dishes for you.

We were shown into a private room by the waitress.. yay!! We can crack lousy jokes and make fun of each other without having to worry about other people staring at us like crazy people.

Look... they even have Chinese New Year addition in their menu!

Kani Unatama Maki @ RM14 (4 pcs) - soft shell crab, tamago and eel wrap with seaweed

Taco Pelt @ RM20 (6 pcs) - fried seaweed roll with soft shell crab and fresh salmon

Dragon maki @ RM24 (6 pcs) - salmon, ebi tempura roll with eel and avocado on top.

Unagi okonomiyaki @ RM18 - Japanese pizza with unagi anf kirimochi

Koebi karaage @ RM9 - deep fried shrimps with salt. Drip with lemon and good to go... quite crispy. However, please chew carefully, as it's shell might pierce into your lips.

Kabocha sapporo ankake @ RM18 - pumpkin with mushroom and chicken thickness sauce

Leo's verdict - I forgot that both my friends are not into raw meat... therefore, most (or should I say all?) of the stuff ordered were cooked. I'd been deprived of sashimi again :( apart from that, everything was great and most importantly, we got to sit down together and chat our night away. When you have families, opportunities like these are rare. That is why I really enjoyed the night.

Restoran Makanan Laut Leng Kee @ Taman Taynton Cheras

As a matter of fact, I never thought that I would be coming back here again. Partly because the food is not that great and the service can be rude sometimes (especially when there were a lot of diners). But it was quite hard to find a restaurant that is opened during CNY (yes, you guess it right... this is a very backdated blog). Initially we were planning to have dinner in Puchong but our intended destination was closed for the holiday, so we went to Cheras instead (her parents were staying with her sis in Cheras).

It's not easy to locate this restaurant, as it is located further inside Taman Taynton.

There was huge crowd waiting for table by the time we arrived. We opted to sit outside under makeshift canopy, as most of the diners wanted to dine in their air-conditioned room. Feeling very hungry, we quickly placed our orders.

Steamed "wan" fish topped with ginger paste - some slight soil odour, that is why they like to prepare this fish this way... just to cover up the smell using ginger's pungent flavour. Oh yes, please be careful when having this fish, as it's famous for its fine bones.

Marmite pork ribs - the meat was slightly burnt but the gravy was quite good though.

4 Heavenly King - a decent dish... not too spicy.

Braised taufu - my words failed me again. I didn't know the name of this veggie but according to Jenn, it's called 'seng kua' (cantonese). Using Japanese taufu, the gravy provided a sweet taste to its already sweet texture.

Leo's verdict - apart from the rather rude waiter who took our order (he seemed to be in rush to give birth) and the rather below average food, we managed to fill our stomach :) But if you ask me if it's worth coming here, I'd say "give it a try", as the food quality differs everytime I come here. Good luck!!!!

Pasta Zanmai @ 1Utama Shopping Centre (Old Wing)

Last minute shopping before the holiday began, and Jenn was feeling hungry after walking for a while. Pregnant woman... always hungry!

We'd come to know about this place for a while now but never step our feet inside. Anyway the outlet is design in such a way that the front half is allocated to sell Japanese products while the other back half is where the restaurant is.

You can observe the chef whipping out the dishes through the transparent glass.

Rather big menu with separate dessert + beverages menu.

The interior looks nice and cosy... with 2 big lamps in the middle of a few round shaped table + sofa.

Jenn is a ig fan of avocado and so when she saw a dish with this ingredient - Kani to Avocado no Gomadare Shitate, or crabmeat & avocado pasta with sesame sauce @ RM26 - she quickly ordered it. The set comes with small salad and miso soup. It will be less RM3 if you opt for pasta only. This dish came in quite a big bowl and boy, the crab meat (not crab stick) looked fresh and big chunk too. The sesame sauce made the difference to the pasta.. its aroma blended with the freshness of crab meat and avocado, made me couldn't stop slurping the spaghetti. The salad is equally nice, veggie was fresh and actual crab meat slices were used with sesame dressing. Guess I'm a sucker for sesame oil and its stuff... lol!!!

Leo's verdict - So far, I was impressed by the quality of the food. Too bad that I was not hungry at that time, and so I didn't get to try their other dishes. I'll make sure that I come back soon...

Restoran Win Heng Seng @ Jalan Imbi, KL

Formerly Wing Heng, I thought that they had closed down and taken over by other proprietor. But when it finally opened its door to the public after some renovation works, I realised that they only changed the name to "Win Heng Seng" and did some paintings and rearranging the interior. The cashier counter had bene moved to accommodate more tables. One good thing though... all the stalls remain the same!!! (Sigh with relief)

My favourite sam kan zhong (pork ball noodle) stall and the boss who prepares the dish himself every morning!!!

Also not to forget the super busy pastry stall... I really like their egg tarts. Used to be RM0.50 per piece but the price has increased by RM0.10! Whatever... I'm still buying because I love the fluffiness and crispy-ness of its skin while the filling is just nice!

My favourite sam kan zhong (RM5)... dry style. Most of the time, I would ask for extra roasted sausage at RM2 extra. The dark soy sauce is slighty salty and sweet, which goes very well with the ho fun and the minced meat. When you add the roasted sausage or meatball... it was simply heaven!

Normally you would get 2 or 3 pieces of pork sausages, which is proven to the crowd puller, for normal price. But for extra RM2... the boss will be glad to throw in another 4-5 pieces extra into the bowl of soup.

One of my favourite places in Klang Valley for a cuppa of iced cham (RM1.70)... it had a strong taste of coffee and tea, unlike other places which are quite diluted.

Leo's verdict - after the renovation, I feel like the shop has become more spacious and brighter. Maybe it's just me! :) a must go place for breakfast everytime I go to downtown KL. The downside are that it can be quite hard to find a parking for your car, a table to sit down, and also it can get quite stuffy once the place is packed. But if you have the patience, everything will be just fine.

Ajisen Ramen @ 1 Utama Shopping Centre (Old Wing)

We were indecisive today... both of us could not agree on what to eat for dinner. So we set out on a place to go and then decide on what to eat once we're there. We ended up in 1utama... spent a good 20 minutes just to look for carpark (a big SIGH!!!)

As we walked, we saw this outlet... hmmm!! Not bad we said... so Ajisen Ramen it is!!!

I asked Jenn to go inside first while I snapped a few pictures... like this one where they put some Japanese decorations and pictures of the food on the display.

This is how it (inside) looks from the outside... quite modern.

Rather big menu

Chicken Teri Set @ RM11.80 - this set came with a complimentary soup. The teriyaki sauce was OK but I preferred grilled chicken instead of deep fried (in this case). I also like my salad to go with thousand island sauce but then, it was too much... YUCK!!!

Fish ramen @ RM12.80 - it was hard to describe the taste of the soup (according to Jenn). It was a combination of spicy and salty but not too much... just nice and Jenn liked it. Again, the fish meat was deep fried!!

Black pepper tontoro @ RM12.80 - it certainly looked very big on the menu. When it was served, it was only 5 pieces of ultra thin slices or black pepper marinated pork. The meat was not so tender but quite chewy though. For those who like their meat to have strong black pepper taste, you would love this... Jenn thought that it was too peppery but I liked its strong taste.

Leo's verdict - I don't really like my chicken teri set but the tontoro was good. Jenn also commended on her ramen. Well, I have to come back for Round 2 and try different food in order to make conclusion on whether it's worth coming or not.

Kopi Oh! @ Cineleisure Damansara

Jenn & I were here very early one Sunday morning to catch a morning movie. After buying our tickets, we proceed to this place for breakfast, as there was still an hour to go before the movie started. This place is one of the earliest business to be setup in Cineleisure, and it withstand the test of time! Most of the time, Jenn & I would come here whenever we watched morning movie in Cathay Cineplex.

Unlike other kopitiams where you placed your order to the waiter or the order chit, you have to order the food and drinks from the counter... pay for them and wait to be served.

They had pasted some pictures of their food and drinks on the wall.

What I really like about this place is their tea... not too sweet and tasted decent. I don't really need my cup of tea to be great or out-of-this-world, as long as it satisfied my craving. Priced at only RM2.40 for hot tea.

Half boiled eggs @ RM1.80 - it sure looked nice this time. The quality of their eggs are inconsistent. I like my eggs to be perfect. However, sometimes the egg yolk came unscatched, sometimes the white was still raw.

Toasted bread @ RM1.80 - They toasted the bread using charcoal instead of gas, and I loved it. I could taste the aroma of charcoal once I bit the bread.

Kopi Oh Special Sandwich @ RM3.90 - one of their signature dishes. Using chicken floss, dried bbq chicken meat, cucumber and chilly sauce... sandwiched between 2 pieces of toasted bun, this is definitely an unique offer and something different from other kopitiam. It is good enough to fill my stomach in the morning too!!!

Leo's verdict - All I can say that not all their food and drinks are great! But the person-in-charge (I wonder is he's one of the bosses) would be glad to take any feedback regarding the food & drinks that you commented. Once I complained that the half boiled eggs were still raw and my tea was quite bitter... he changed them right away without asking. At least he's trying to please the customers.

Restoran Yap Hin & Bah Kut Teh @ Serdang Raya

Due to its location which is quite far from where Jenn & I live, it really took us a long time before we finally had the chance to come here. I was planning to look for my friend to discuss the art of tea with him. He has a tea shop located in South City Plaza, and since it's so near to the new village, we came here for dinner first. This time, both of my sisters were joining us.

The view in the evening...

As I walked in, I saw the busy chef working non-stop to prepare the dishes to customers. I just couldn't resist to take this picture...

The cashier counter was equally busy with the staffs passing orders and collecting $$$

As this was my first time coming here, I didn't know what to order except for the highly recommended steamed snakehead (sang) fish and their bah kut teh. And therefore, the waitress recommended some of their famous dishes... starting with this very big and fresh oyster @ RM5.80 per piece. Since Jenn couldn't take raw stuff and both my sisters don't eat oysters... I only had 2... squeezing some lemons and then topped with their special chinese mustard which tasted just like wasabi (which was brown in colour) & fried onion... it was great!! The oysters were fresh too :)

Claypot bah kut teh - I asked for portion for two (2) pax and then realised that I should have asked for one, coz it was very huge (I mean the claypot). Did I mention generous portion of pork ribs, lean meat, pork intestines, button mushroom and also golden needle mushroom??? The broth has a very strong herbal taste... make sure you have tea to wash everything down afterwards... lol!

Claypot buttermilk chicken - the gravy is not too creamy nor diluted, just right! My sister almost finished the whole claypot... you should see her when pairing the gravy with her rice... hahaha!

Steamed snakehead fish - this is one of their signature dishes. All the snakeheads are reared by the owner and therefore, eliminating the fishy and soil odour which I hate. The fish meat was cut in slices and steamed on the spot before served! How good is that?? Well, my sisters who normally hate steamed fish due to the fishy smell actually praised this dish... I guess that is good enough!

Stir fried baby long bean - a simple dish with chopped garlic and dried shrimp. Quite salty though.

Leo's verdict - total damage less than RM100! It can be quite stuffy & noisy inside the restaurant, as the diners kept coming in and out. We were there early and therefore beat the dinner crowd. Quite a number of patrons waiting outside for their table. I really like the steamed snakehead, as not many places offer this dish.