Makan Makan @ BALI / Jimbaran Bay

Jimbaran Bay seafood - always ask first !!

Fancy a beautiful sunset over BBQ bounty from the sea ?? The Jimbaran bay is famed for its endless row of BBQ seafood restaurants . But beware !! Cut throat prices !! Always ask first before ordering , and always talk the price first !!

We were qouted IDR650,000 at Matahari Cafe !!! Then we decided to leave after having a beer , and called for the bill , no body come . Finally the captain came and ask us are we sure we doesnt want to eat there. We told them , yes we doesnt want because the price is too high !!! And immedietly the price came crashing down to IDR250,000 !!! So remember ASK FIRST !!!

Cool Bintang Beer with a sunset view to match...lovely..

The standard bumbu Bali style BBQ Seafood set which we manage to talk down to IDR250,000.

Bakso

Another common street food found in Bali is Bakso , bowl of 'meatballs' are mixed with handful of noodles doused in chilli sauce n sweet soya sauce and topped up in soup.

The humble Bakso Ayam with egg cost a modest IDR8,000 .

Naughthy Nuri's Warung , Ubud

Theres a tiny hole-in0the-wall in Ubud, names after a NYorker's wife Nuri. Its situated on the outskirt of town and has a very loyal expat following. Reputatedly to be serving the best Martini's in the whole of Bali, where Anthony Bourdain would attest to. The best ribs in the world ??? I would not agree to... IMHO its a bit over rated and over priced. Anyway oink-oink over BBQ pit couldnt goes wrong right ???

Aussie Steak @ IDR135,000 ( RM48) , rather pricey and not recommended.

Yummy BBQ Pork Ribs from Nuri's cafe in Ubud. IDR70,000 for this slab ( RM 25 ).

She must be the most pictured lady chef women in Bali ??

Naughty Nuri’s Warung
Tromol Pos No 219,
On the road leading to the North of Ubud.
Opens from 9am-10pm.

Eat-Pray-Love, its Balif or those who didnt watch the movie yet ! Nice place , but expensive food !!

Below is some of the 'Balinese' food which we ate in Bali..not actual Balinese in most of the cases....

Souled Out - Sri Hartamas

Its been quite some time since I stepped into this wonderful restaurant. Actually I've been visiting Souled Out since its early days back in 1996/7. talk bout food then. its the place to be seen in Mt Kiara. It was like our port then, mention about Happy Hour its Souled Out, mention about pasta its Souled out..mention about birthdays parties its Souled Out again. its like we have sold our soul to Souled Out back then. By the way , mentioning about celebrating your birthday at Souled Out...you would have a time of your life ..with the staff singing for you in groups and makes you the stars of the nights by making you stand on the chair when they sing..not for the shy and faint hearted though.

Food was fast and they really live up to their name by serving under 10 minutes !!! As we are sitting directly under the air-cond, the food really turns cold fast.

Tasty Spaghetti Carbonara (RM18) withs lots of beef bacon. Hmmmm Yummy.But due to the strong aircond it cools fast and makes it to soggy.

Cheese Nachos ( RM16) Really nice, so far one of the best I've tasted in KL after Hard Rock Cafe's nachos.Mushroom galore with Mushroom all The way ( RM 22 for 8" ) from their Pizza selection. Simply prepared with mushroom,tomato puree and cheese, for an uncomplicated taste. Porterhouse Steak ( RM 36 ). The steak comes thick, just the way I like it. Not too bad, but the beef is just too tough even though we requested Medium rare. Should have ordered Medium, as its too rare and the tough veins and fibres are tough to chew on , as its not broken down yet due to the cooking time.


Overall its a good experience making this trip back to Souled Out and we left with a happy feeling satisfied with the food and reasonably priced too.

Souled Restaurant
20, Jalan 30/70R, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-2300 1955
Damage : Expects to pay rm30-40/pax including drinks.

Guinness Infused Christmas at Michelangelo,Solaris KL

SOHO at Solaris KL has been developing preety fast to be next to be seen place in KL, much merrier when I first step foot into this new place few months back . From a piece of swampy land ( many would have remember the short cut from Segambut heading out to Jalan Duta in the mid 90's filled with pot holes and overgrown lalangs ) to where it is today, mushrooming up with clubs and fine dining restaurants and not forgetting the mamak's.

Being a new hip area..canggih restaurants cant be left out right ? And Michelangelo is one of them.Its been around for a few month , yet this is the first time I step my foot into this Italian eatery for the Guinness Festive Promotion where every dishes ordered from this special Guinness infused menu comes with a pint of this good black gold stuff :)-



Thanks to Jane for bringing up the idea in Facebooks Guinness Draught fans page we made or way there before it end on 31 December 2008.It was kinda last minute but we managed to get a few good company to join us that night. Thanks Jane , Michael , Simon , Ren and Lynndy for making it . And guess what , Lynddy and Mike were long lost college mate back in Melaka !!!

And we ordered every single item here !!!

Food was kinda good here, minus the slow service and unattentive staff. Imagine waiting for 1 1/2 hours to get our meal served was ridicolous !!!!

The mushroom and chicken soup was a let down. Campbell soup does better !!

A toast was made,can you guess whose hand are in there ????

Finally it came after 11/2 hrs of waiting. Stuffed quail with Foei Gras. Its a creation of Emmanuel Stroobant. If you dont know who he is ? Maybe "The Chef in Black" might ring a bell in you. Luckily it made the grade.

Lobster with Squid Ink pasta. The home made pasta was made al-dante and tossed in garlic and olive oil. Preety yummy here too.

Angelo's style braised chicken leg. I never liked chicken..but this tops my list. Tender and moist with a sweet Guinness infused sauce. And we tossed some of the remaining pasta onto the sauce for a yummy finish !!

Braised beef ribs. Pieces of ribs braised in Guinness infused sauce , so tender that the meats literally melts in your mouth. Jane's favourite for the night.

Guinness Stout marinated codfish. The fish was baked to perfection and was fresh and juicy. The highlight is the sauce which is slightly sweet similar to the Chicken Legs's sauce. I would rate this as the joint winner tonight.

And they even throw in free limited edition miniatures Guinness pint glasses.

Over all we all did enjoyed the dinner experience with Guinness , with the bill coming up to about RM350 inclusive of all the taxes and 2 soups we ordered. Not really expensive , taking into considerations the amount of effort putting into preparing every dishes individually upon order.

Guinness Christmas Experience at Ronnie Q

Part 2 of my Guinness Infused Festive menu brought me to Ronnie Q , Bangsar on this Christmas Day. Its Been around since the early 90's long during Bangsar's heyday as the to be seen place back then.


Being a typical Irish pub which pride itself as a Glenfiddich whiskey joint , Kilkenny and not forgetting Guinness. Naturally its got to be a part of the Guinness Festive promotion .

At RM23 nett it's a steal. For who doesnt know , it comes with free 1/2 pint of the black gold. Plus you'll get another coupon which entitles you to a RM12 off every 3 pints of Guinness ordered. Remember, promotion only valid till 31st December 2008 only.

Only Hainanese chop is available for this festive promotionand you get a choice of Chicken, pork or lamb is available. We opted for pork and chicken chop . The pork chop was kinda tasty but we found the chop a bit too salty, but luckily it was neutralized by the more subtle Guinness infused brown sauce. Luckily the chicken chop turned out better, as it was well marinated and juicy and less salty.....

Ronnie Q is at : 32, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru. 59100, KL Tel : 03-2282 0722
For those high tech ones with GPS nav : Lat 3.131721 , Long 101.671815


Directions : From Jalan Bangsar turns into Jalan Maarof. Go pass the mosque/Jalan Ara traffic light, take the first left turn ( Jalan Telawi 4 ) . Turn in and you would see a police beat base on your left and a convenience shop on your right. Turn right into the road leading uphill. Thats Telawi 2. And Ronnie Q is on your right just a stone throw away from Devi's corner.

Other landmark : Same row as La Bodega.

The GPS Coordinates was taken from KY Speaks. Thanks again KY !!!!

Other reviews :- KYSpeaks. Food Street Malaysia ,

Margaux, Dubai Mall

Take in the taste and the smells of the French Mediterranean while looking at the world largest fountain in Dubai Mall, Dubai UAE.

Margaux is perched on a balcony with a prime view of the magnificent Burj Dubai , the tallest building in the world., and there is an 800-bottle wine list. The chef, Julian Mercier, is trained under the Michelin studded Alain Ducasse.

The selection was pleasantly brief, yet every description was so beguiling that choosing what to order remained difficult. And for a brasserie run by a French chef, the options were startlingly Italian. It was a concept I wasn’t really familiar with. It was neither a tasting menu, nor a set menu; in both cases you know what you’re getting. Instead, it was like ordering in the dark.

Crispy bread with olive oil and cream cheese

Beautiful scenery of the fountain.

My main for the day was a perfectly grilled aged Tenderloin from their prime cut selection . Unlike here in Malaysia, the steak is served just like that, what it suppose to be. Without any accompanying sauce ,which in my opinion , is the best way to savour this . Accompanying home style fried fat chips are served as a side dish. Lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper, the remarklby tender meat is well flavoured from the ageing process.

Margaux is a must try for anyone who happens to drop by in Dubai , soaking in the wonderful fountain show which starts every night at 8pm , with wonderful food to accompany.

Details

Location: Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Burj Dubai, Dubai

• Cuisine: French, Italian
• Experiences: Outdoor
• Times: Open daily noon-11.30pm
• Price: Dhs500+
• Credit Cards Accepted: Yes

Another short series of my step by step guide to a simple pot luck dish. Asparagus bacon rolls are popular items in Japanese izakaya bars. These are good as appetizer .They can also be eaten hot or cold.

But involved a lot of preparations as they need to be rolled one at a time.

#1 Roll the lightly blanched asparagus with the streaky bacon.Remember dont over blanch the asparagus as it would cook during sauteing time.



#2 Secure the roll with a toothpick.

#3 Repeat with the rest of remaining asparagus and bacon.

#4 Brown them evenly on a non stick pan. Remember dont add in any oil as the bacons would release oil when frying.


#5 Voila !! Done..isnt it simple ????

Vintry Cellar..The hidden gem of Damansara

The Vintry Cellar , is a hidden gem among the rows of shop houses in Medan Damansara, off Jalan Damansara. Hidden behind Victoria Station this place offers , a fair selection of premium wines and good food, which mainly features pork on its menu. The menu might not be extensive, but its good enough to complete a satisfying meal here. Oh yeah..if you are not satisfied with the menu on offer, you can always order from the restaurants along Jalan Kasah like Kah Soh Fish Head Noodles, The Rib Shop , Red's Japanese Restaurant. But trust me, once you had a starts to indulge on the menu, you wont be ordering anything else !!!!



Freied caramalized pork with spagetthi !! A perfect East meet West combination which surprisingly combined very well with our selection of red wine for the night.

The deer fried pork strips ( Rm 8 ) a must try !!! Fried marinated fah lam ( pork belly meat ) meat with fuh yue ( fermented bean curd ).


Our selection for the night. Ocio , a remarkably nice 2005 Chilean Pinot Noir produced by Cono Sur a premium renowed Chilean wine maker. Remarkably rare with only 1500 cases produced and its among the 59 bottles in Malaysia !! And we finished 2 of the 6 bottles available here !! At RM250, its a little bit expensive for a 2005 wine , but considered cheap for a Pinot of such a quality. It would be nice, if we could keep it for another 5 years ....................

The all time favourite Cuban Sandwich ( RM 18 ) . A thriple deck sandwich with loads of bacon , ham , gherkins and cheese. Would satisfy even the biggest appetite !!!!

Over all the bill came out to RM585 , which is due to the 2 wines which we finished !! Other wise the food only came out to a reasonable RM85 for 4 pax , which I would consider as reasonable for a cosy place like this...............

Oppsss......almost miss out one thing..their roast pork ( siew yoke ) is another dish to die for. Too bad since, we were too hungry, I didnt manage to snap any photos of those !!! Go try for yourself !!!

Address :
130, Jalan Kasah
Medan Damansara, 50490,Kuala Lumpur

Tel : 2094 8262

Location : Along Jalan Damansara heading towards KL direction. Located just behind Victoria Station.

Other reviews :

Boo_licious, Masak-Masak

Home made Filo Pastry !!

The outlook looks more like a tissue , Phyllo / Filo is a thin sheet of pastry used in Middle East cuisine. The fillings is left to your own imagination from fruits to veges to savoury desserts fillings.

In our case its filled with a tasty combo of salmon,spinach and potatoes !


Glaze the aluminium baking tray with butter , then lay filo pastry , layer by layer and add in boiled potatoes and spinach.

Lightly sear the salmon , just cooked enough to be flaked .Lightly seasoned with some sea salt n pepper to taste.

Flake the salmons and topped with some Mozzarella cheese for a cheesier touch

Baked at medium heat for 20 minutes. Glaze some eggs for a golden colour finish

Voila !!! Enjoy !!!