Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

Looking back, it's been 6 months since this started.  Time has passed pretty quick, but without any regrets.

Year 2013 - Another start to a brand new year, a whole new set of resolutions to achieve and hopefully, a lot more good and interesting things to experience.

Wish all of you a Happy New Year!

Ribs @ Oasis, Bandar Utama

I was reading through some blogs, and I came across this cosy restaurant near One Utama Shopping Mall where many applauded it for serving really nice pork dishes - Ribs @ Oasis.  As it is nestled right in the middle of the housing area and away from the main roads, it is no surprise that I never knew about this place.

Been here two times on Saturday, and the Soup of the Day (RM 7.90) had always been pumpkin soup.  It may not be the best (especially being compared to Palate Palette), but it still tasted good.  Although the sweetness of the pumpkin is not enough, but it has been well-seasoned and served with a dollop of cream, it is a good start.

I had the RIB's Pork Loin Chop (RM 33.90), which I find very delicious (Note, I was having sore-throat and yet, I enjoyed this dish very much).  A big piece of juicy grilled pork loin, drizzled with white wine honey mustard sauce and served with braised cabbage, topped with tomato salsa garnish.

Lean pork loin, if overly cooked, would be very dry.  But Ribs managed to make it very tender and juicy, which was enjoyable.  The sweet sauce tasted quite good, with a well combination of different flavours.  To add flavours to the palate is the refreshing, sweet tomato salsa.  Overall, very satisfied.

KS took the RIB's Baby Back Pork Ribs (RM 32.90) served on top of mashed potato, with salad on the side.  There were 2 choices of sauce - smokey barbecue or honey mustard sauce.  Thinking of trying something different, we opted for the honey mustard sauce.  Well, honey mustard is not such a bad idea because it actually tasted quite nice, but I think the BBQ sauce would have been a better match.

The portion is quite big, and every piece of the grilled ribs are quite meaty.  However, I felt the meat was a bit on the dry side.  They even gave extra servings of the sauce, although I felt there were more than enough on the ribs already.  Too bad the salad was a bit little and seemed quite pathetic sitting next to the ribs.  Well, luckily the pork loin came with a lot of cabbage, which KS can "steal" from.

We then came back another weekend for lunch to try their famous Reverse Pork Burger (RM 33).  A piece of burger sandwiched in between two juicy, handmade pork patties served with bacon, caramelized pineapple, and cheese - it is a combination to die for.

Boy, did it smell good, especially that fragrant bacon.  I almost couldn't help devouring into it as soon as it reached in front of me but I just had to take pictures of this beautifully laid out masterpiece first.

The pork patties were well-seasoned and juicy (I rated the juiciness as medium because I think it could be more juicy, but still good enough).  Combined with the salty bacon and caramelized, sweet pineapple, this Hawaiian-style burger was totally delicious.  Not to forget, I loved the toasted, buttery burger bread that goes with it.  If only they gave another slice of that burger (then it wouldn't be called a reverse burger, would it?).

Definitely will come back especially for the pork loin and the burger.  Yummy!

As Ribs @ Oasis is pretty small, it would probably not able to accommodate many at a time, especially during dinner time.  So, it is highly advisable to make reservations earlier to prevent disappointment as we saw many being turned away due to the limited seats available.

Ribs @ Oasis

Lot 1-1, B04 Oasis Complex

No 2, Tengkat Bandar Utama

Bandar Utama

47800 Petaling Jaya
Tel:  03-77298921

GPS:  3.150479,101.610198

Swiss Delice: Premium Swiss Biscuits

If you're one of those people who love anything chocolate, but has run out of new treats, you may want to consider Swiss Delice.  Although they are technically not pure chocolate, these melt-in-your-mouth premium Swiss biscuits are delicious.

The original Swiss Delice product is the Vogelnesti, which are biscuits with raspberry filling and hazelnuts.  I find this okay because the raspberry filling tasted a bit fake (it could be because I left it in the fridge), but the hazelnut portion was nice.

The other Swiss Delice product which I enjoyed very much is the Japonais - meringue biscuits with chocolate and hazelnut filling.  This is really good especially chilled.  It is very velvety and not very sweet.  Although I find the portion too small, almost the size of a coin, but I think it is worth it because it was so addictive.

Bak Kut Teh @ Sei Ngan Chai Bak Kut Teh, Klang

It was a public holiday and my uni friend suddenly Whatsapp me for a bak kut teh lunch outing at Klang.  One of his colleagues recommended this Sei Ngan Chai Bak Kut Teh @ Meru, Klang, so off we go heading to this place.

The main dish is obviously the soup version of bak kut teh.  One key point about the soup, which I find is very nice, is that there is a strong garlic taste and packed with a lot of pork flavour.  It doesn't have the bitterness of the  herbs and is very pleasant on the taste-buds   Luckily, they were very generous to allow us to refill the soup, 3 times if not mistaken.  The meat, unfortunately, is not tender enough and a bit tasteless.  I suspect all the goodness of the pork already has seeped into the soup.

Becoming very popular is nonetheless the dry version of bak kut teh.  I must say the meat here is more tender and better seasoned, with the addition of the fragrance from the dried cuttlefish and garlic.  But what I didn't like was that the cuttlefish was not sliced thinly enough, so it got a bit quite hard to chew.  But still, this pot of meat is delicious.

No meal is complete without some greens.  I love how they gave so much of the fried shallots.

Overall, Sei Ngan Chai is quite a good choice for a decent bak kut teh meal.  Do go for meat in the dry bak kut teh and the soup.  However, one thing I didn't like was that the meat was all cut in large chunks - in away, I find that quite a nuisance since you're forced to take big pieces of meat.

Price-wise, quite reasonable.  For a group of 8 people, it only costs RM 15 per person.  Bear in mind we also ordered many bowls of yao cha kuai, which is a must in every bak kut teh meal.

Sei Ngan Chai is part of a old single-storey house.  Despite looking old and small from outside, it is surprisingly very clean and spacious.  Even on a hot afternoon, it is very cooling and comfortable.

Sei Ngan Chai Bak Kut Teh

Corner of Jalan Kepayang and Jalan Gelugor

Meru, Klang

GPS: 3.050662,101.450605

Nyonya-style meal @ Ah Tuan Ee's Place, SS2

Ah Tuan Ee's Place is one place where you can find an authentic Nyonya cuisine.  With a homey ambiance  it is a very good place for a family hangout, or to bring our foreigner friends for a good local home-cook Nyonya meal.

There are two Ah Tuan Ee's Place outlets, but we went to the first outlet, which is in SS2, Petaling Jaya.  It is better to make reservations in advance as it can be quite packed in this small restaurant especially during dinner hours.

Ordering is quite a breeze as they have included pictures of each item on the menu, including a full description of the ingredients used.

One of the chicken dishes which caught my attention is the Sweet Ginger Chicken (RM 20.80 - small) - marinated pan-fried chicken pieces that are stir-fried with crunchy pickled ginger in a non-spicy sweet sauce.  While it didn't turned out exactly like the illustration in the menu, this dish is spectacular.  The sweet caramel-like sauce is very tasty and goes very well with the crispy, succulent chicken.  I was practically cleaning off the plate.

We then ordered the Stir-fried Fresh Kangkung (RM 13.80 - small).  Although it was just stir-fried with chillies only, but it is very flavourful with enough seasonings.  And the best part, the kangkung is not very oily unlike most places.

KS ordered the aTe's Mee Goreng (RM 12.80).  The yellow noodles have been wok-fried in a special spicy, yet sweet sauce with prawns, beansprouts, chives and eggs.  It may look like a normal plate of mee goreng, but what makes it stand out is the sauce used.  It strikes a good balance between the sweet tomato paste and chilli sauce.  It is quite spicy, but it is that spiciness that just makes you want to eat more of it.

The same goes to the Pineapple Fried Rice (RM 12.80), rice fried the ah Tuan Ee's style with chicken, carrot and aromatic spices.  It is also spicy, but it is not purely just hot.  The spiciness is very different, and addictive.  They are also very generous with the meat and pineapples, every spoon of it.

For desserts, one should not miss their signature dish - the Sago Pudding (RM 6.80).  The steamed sago pearls were topped with fragrant gula melaka and creamy fresh coconut milk.  The balance between the sweet gula melaka and the salty coconut milk was perfect, without overwhelming each other.

Another must try is the delightful icy-cold Cendol (RM 6.80).  Served also with gula melaka and coconut milk, it is very delicious and not too sweet.  One of the best Nyonya cendol in Klang Valley - definitely a perfect end to a satisfying meal.

Word of advice if you're taking the ala carte.  The "Small" is good enough for two person, so if you're heading there with a big group, do order the larger portion instead.

Ah Tuan Ee's Place

74, Jalan SS2/72

47300 Petaling Jaya

Tel:  03-7957 2915