Magic Wok - First post in 2013 (after more than a year of hiatus!)

Looking back at my last post (November 2011)... I realised that I have been missing for more than a year! Workload took a huge chunk of my time in 2012 - the rest was spent with family. Of course, I would still read blogs from those whom I follow from time to time... subjected to free time. At the moment, I would just simply use Instagram to post up the photo of the food that I had eaten which was then uploaded into Facebook.

Despite the convenience of using Instagram, I still love writing... perhaps I was just lazy and being pampered by all those apps in iPhone these days. I don't have time during the day because most of my times were spent down in the factory and when I got back to the office, I had to do paperworks and that didn't include my outstation trips. The remaining time had to be spent with the family when I got home. At night, the wife would normally hog the laptop and thus I didn't have much time to post anything. Forget about Tweeter - I have already stopped using this app after a few months.

Right! Now it's 2013 - new year with new resolution! Chinese New Year is around the corner and all the necessary preparations have been made to celebrate this joyous occasion. After all, this time of the year is the time where I get together with my family and relatives - the only time when all my siblings and parents would sit down for reunion dinner. I truly cherish this moment and that is also the reason why I am looking forward to this holiday. It's a tradition to wear everything new on the first day and I assure you that my wallet has been bleeding one month earlier leading toward February 10th.

My first ever post is on Magic Wok - a relatively established restaurant in Damansara Jaya whom I have never thought of going before even when I moved to PJ. My first visit there was during the Winter Soltice festival but I didn't bring anything there then. We went there again to celebrate Keith's 2nd birthday - and this time I brought my DSLR along. Normally we would go earlier to avoid the dinner crowd.

We were the only patrons at that time and so we got all the attention :) it was a restaurant with adjoining bar where a lot of people having happy hours next door. Sometimes they would seat you there if the place was packed!

Claypot tilapia with white pepper and roasted meat - the soup was nice enough without overpowered by the white pepper. It was all bones in the end!

3 meat combination - forget the charsiew, siew yoke was decent (skin was crack-a-lacking) but not memorable and the only good was the roasted duck which I thought was good but still not comparable to Sun Ming Kee in Cheras.

Signature Magic Wok fried rice - wok hei is assured and with the siew yoke thrown into the rice, each and every bite was a bliss

Braised pork knuckle (boneless) akin to the dong po yoke - nothing was left in the end except for the layer of fat on top of the meat. We even sapu all the gravy with the accompanying steamed buns. It was good without being too salty and the meat was very tender with fall-off-the-bone texture.

Nai bak with yam - comfort food that most people would find pleasant to the tummy

Fried chicken with sliced ginger was definitely the highlight of the night! We would have ordered the second helping if we didn't take into consideration the calory. The chicken meat was aromatic, juicy and still juicy on the inside as we sank our teeth in... and please help yourself to the crispy ginger slices which we could not get enough of!!

Leo's verdict - this place is family-oriented and the service was quite fast. The servers didn't make a lot of fuss despite Sher Ryn and Keith boy running and playing around. Oh yes... I'll end this blog with a family portrait taken during the dinner. 

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Canton-i @ 1Utama Shopping Centre PJ

Canton-i needs no introduction - for those who are familiar with KL's dining scene, they would know that this restaurant is another offspring of the people behind the highly successful Dragon-i chains. While the latter offers Shanghainese cuisine (including xiao long bao), the former serves Hong Kong style cuisine. I've been here countless times until I lost count and I rarely blogged about it as this place has been blogged to death! Given the fact that I only ordered a dish or two everytime I came here (and most of the times the same dish all over again... yes I'm predictable), I didn't feel like writing any post.

Until now - when there were more than 2 diners (4 this time and in this case, my in-laws), it meant more dishes and not the same boring post. Its interior was mostly white with Oriental theme.

Most of the time when there's elderly around, a pot of Chinese tea is a MUST - in our case, a pot of Oolong priced at RM10 per pot.

A huge lemongrass fan - how could I resist ordering the lemongrass with iced jasmine tea? A bit pricey at RM10.80 per glass though!

Deep fried pork intestine and fish congee (RM11.80) was shared between all of us. The intestine and fried fritters were served separately to ensure their crispy-ness.. how thoughtful! As usual, the congee's texture was silky smooth and flavourful which won the elders' approval.

Apart from that, we also had the 3 combinations of roasted meat (RM32.00) - char siew, roasted duck and siew yoke. I found that all the 3 meats were good - just enough to be shared among us.

However, the siew yoke stood out from the other two - I love its crispy skin plus the 50/50 ratio of lean and fat meat. Crackling sound could be heard once I took a bite on the delectable meat.

Grilled eggplant with special meat sauce was definitely another dish worthy of mentioning. My love affair with eggplant started during my university years. I just loved how this aubergine plant absorbed all the flavours that are used to cook this dish. The sauce was flavourful but not too salty and I could taste the sauce with each and every bite of the eggplant.

Braised garoupa belly with garlic and pork belly (RM32.00) was another hit - the fresh & flaky garoupa meat combined very well with the sinful pork belly.

To balance our rather heavy dinner, we ordered the stir fried lotus roots with celery and macadamia nuts (RM16.80).

Leo's verdict - to be honest, I had better and if you asked me, I could even mention which place with the best char siew, siew yoke and roasted duck. But then, those good places are quite far from where I live. Plus you can get all 3 varieties under one roof. For the prices, the dishes are definitely not cheap but it's convenient (inside a shopping mall) because it's near my place.

Canton-I
G-208, Ground Floor
1-Utama Shopping Centre
Bandar Utama
Petaling Jaya

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Celestial Court @ Sheraton Imperial Hotel KL

ahhhhh!!! Dim sum... two words that I could never grow tired of :) and I'm sure that most of you love having dim sum too. Everywhere you do, you'd notice dim sum shops sprouting in the neighbourhood, especially those frequented by the Chinese. However, there is a place where you could literally see our Muslim friends savouring dim sum too. Mind you, it's not cheap to eat at this particular place but hey, it's not that we eat dim sum everyday and if you have the moolah to splurge on some nice dim sum.. why not?

Celestial Court is one of those places where the Muslim can eat dim sum here in KL. As a matter of fact, I only know this place as the only halal Chinese restaurant :P where else ah?

Back to the topic - I love Celestial Court as the service was fast & attentive even when the place was almost full house. It was so spacious and rather quiet, one can enjoy a cup of Chinese tea and their dim sum without having to feel like being in a pasar! (Go to a normal dim sum place and you'll get my point) Not that I hate the noise but once in a while, I'd like to enjoy dim sum with the loved one without any distraction.

As usual tea would be served after placing orders - in this case it was Shui Xian tea. Dim sum session seems not complete without Chinese tea :) maybe it's just me!

Steamed prawn dumplings with bamboo piths (har kau la...) - one word.. huge! The prawns were huge and fresh nonetheless and we enjoyed it very much!

Steamed mini abalone with crab meat (siew mai) - epitome of what a good siew mai should be

Steamed buns with barbequed chicken - taste-wise alright but it would be perfect if it was pork

Spring rolls with shredded toasted duck, mango and mint - unique combination but I loved it nonetheless

Steamed juicy dumplings with herbs & spices (siew long bao) - thick skin and powdery. Din Tai Fung's version beats it by miles

Deep fried golden buns with custard & salted egg yolk - I expected the golden juice to ooze out when I tore it apart. To my dismay, it didn't.


Sauteed radish cake with pacific clams in XO sauce - wok hei is assured!

Freshly made rice rolls with prawns & water chestnut - fresh prawns but all of us had the same thing in mind.. overcooked! The rice roll's texture was mushy.

Scallop dumplings in "Eye of Phoenix" topped with salmon roe - no complain

Eight treasure glutonious rice in lotus leaf - one of the best version here in KL. I just love how the aroma from the lotus leaf infused into the glutonious rice.

Congee with scallops - smooth texture

Congee with seafood - ginger provided extra zing to the taste.

Leo's verdict - We were full to the max by the time we finished the dim sum session. Jenn's parents complemented on how good the dim sum tasted, albeit very expensive. I've gotta admite that people at Celestial Court have everything to make their dim sum sounds expensive. Although I admit that this place remains as one of my firm favourite places to eat dim sum in KL (the other one is Tai Zi Heen in Prince Hotel). Without my Starwood card, I would have paid a bomb here.

Celestial Court
Imperial Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-27179900

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Pao Xiang @ 1Utama Shopping Centre PJ

For breakfast, I would prefer something light as I don't like to stuff my stomach to the max in the morning. Give me something light plus a cup of good tea/coffee and you'd make my day. However there is, of course, exception to this rule - Bah Kut Teh!! I mean, who can resist a steaming hot bowl of thick herbal soup with the sinful pork meat? I can't... resistence is usually futile (in this case at least!)

I fell in love all over again with BKT after tasting Mo Sang Kor's version (Hutong Lot 10) for the very first time some time last year. However, it was kinda difficult for me to drive all the way to downtown KL to savour on this delectable dish... their Klang outlet is equally far from my home. Apart from Mo Sang Kor, I think that Pao Xiang's version of BKT was commendable too... I actually tried both outlets in Berkelay Park Klang.

So when Pao Xiang opened its door at 1Utama Shopping Centre, I was jumping with joy. I can go shopping after having one of my fav breakfast... best of both world!!!

BKT affair used to be hot and stuffy as not many BKT restaurants dare to open door in shopping malls. Pao Xiang's outlet was huge and spacious... and most importantly, air-conditioned! I didn't feel cramped nor sweaty at all while dining here.

Most of the times, I would bring my own Puer tea along but if you don't have any, Pao Xiang offers extensive range of tea leaves for you to choose from.

Re-filling of hot water is most of the time DIY affair as the staffs are busy serving customers.

Apart from pork, they do offer other side dishes such as vegetables.. in our case, it's yaw mak topped with oyster sauce.

All the meat was served in a small bowl and heated using jelly-like substance to ensure the soup was constantly warm.

The selection of meat was extensive as well but most of the time, we stuck to our regular meat such as soft bones (nuan kut).

The small knuckle was another favourite - they used rope to tie the meat together while cooking BKT to make sure that the meat was held together.

Intestine anyone??

Now this is something that you have to call and pre-book as the supply is normally limited - pork tendon. This stuff is rich with collagen goodness, something that Jenn loves to the max!

Leo's verdict - price-wise it was slightly more expensive compared to their outlets in Klang but bear in mind that the rental rate is higher especially in popular shopping mall such as 1Utama. Unlike Mo Sang Kor, they do provide refill for the soup although a little bit stingy on the quantity. I am sure that most of you have your favourite BKt place and have different opinions + preference on BKT, but I'm not really that picky... whenever I crave for BKT, this place will definitely be on top of my list.

Pao Xiang Bak Kut Teh
P282 Promenade, Lakeside
LG Floor, 1 Utama Shopping Centre
Bandar Utama
Tel: 03-77252599

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Remember 126 @ Bukit Tinggi Bentong, Pahang

Those who have been reading my blogs regularly (lol! not that I'm that popular) would know that I travel between Pahang and KL regularly. Living in a rather small & quaint little town can be quite boring after a while so what can be better than driving to KL which is like only 2 hours from my hometown :) it used to be more than 3 hours in the past but the route from Bentong-Raub-Kuala Lipis had been straightened up so it was a JOY for me.

In the past, Jenn & I could afford to stop wherever and whenever we wanted. Now with 2 kids in tow, planning is essential and most of the time, we would end up in Bukit Tinggi area around lunch time. With a lot of restaurants mushrooming in this area, you would be spoilt with choices. However, only a few of them really stand out from the pack and Remember 126 is definitely one of them :) despite its rather funny name, the food is good and service is relatively fast. Jenn & I have become their regulars and they would greet us with huge smile on the face. They even know Jenn's parents who dine there too!

The restaurant is HUGE and airy, something that we absolutely love. This restaurant is one of the most popular (if not the most) restaurants here and the evidence is shown by the almost full house state despite weekdays.

At the time I wrote this post, I had gone there countless times hence the amount of food that I am going to post in this blog. All in one mah :P

What I love most about the food is that the consistent standard. One dish that stood the test of time is the stir fried baby water cress with chopped garlic. The green was just so fresh and they would use finely chopped garlic than crushed garlic cloves (I'm very particular on this), therefore the aroma of garlic was infused into the water cress evenly. There were times that I would order the second plate as I could not get enough of this.

Another must-order dish in Bukit Tinggi area is the deep fried pork belly with caramelised sauce. For some reason, I never grow bored of this dish. I simply love the fact that the pork belly is very crispy , so crispy until I forgot the fat layer which I avoided most of the times. The sweet gravy was a pefect companion to the rice and enhanced further by the chopped onion. One grouse though was that the amount of onion sometimes more than the meat.

Another porylicious dish that must not be missed is the claypot pork belly with salted fish. As sinful as it sounds, I could not resist the aroma of high-grade salted fish that was used to cook this dish. However, their version was quite oily so for those health-conscious people.. stay away from this OK?

A trip to Bukit Tinggi is not complete without the fish! Yes... FISH specifically river fish. Here are some of the versions that I'd tasted - starting with steamed bak sou gong (silver catfish) with shredded ginger and superior soy sauce. Cost only RM30/kg.. even though this fish is not caught in the wild, it's meat was sweet and flaky without the dreaded muddy taste normally associated with reared ones. The fish is reared in the river uphill with constant flow of clean water. You can opt for the wild ones which easily cost double the price but generally still cheaper compared to KL's standard.

Steamed "wan" fish with crushed ginger is another favourite of us. Heaps of famous Bentong ginger were used to provide extra pungent taste (in a good ginger way) to this fish. Just beware of the fine bones which are literally everywhere in its body!

Steamed asam tilapia - without the muddy taste normally associated with this fish, the sourish and slightly spicy asam gravy was a heaven for us. It never fails to persuade me for a second bowl of white rice everytime.

Claypot curry fish head - garoupa head was used to prepare this dish and even though the name was exciting, the curry somehow failed to make its mark! I had better version in KL and in my hometown.

However, the fish head was fresh and the meat was definitely succulent! Just look at it :)

Other dishes include this stir fried bittergourd with egg - simple yet satisfying dish that I could not get enough of. It was a little bitter but I love it.

Claypot taufu with assorted vegetables was passable but not memorable.

Leo's verdict - on average our lunch here (3 dishes) cost approx. RM50 with the fish! Can you get a better deal anywhere in KL? Parking is ample and given that this area is less than 30minute drive from KL, a weekend drive here is not really that far away right?? Given the fact that we are usually stuck in the traffic jam for more than 30 minutes...

Remember One Two Six Restaurant
PT3347, Kg Bukit Tinggi
28750 Bentong, Pahang
Handphone: 012-2251894

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.