Christmas Wonderland & Hokkaido Ramen Santouka revisited @ Pavilion KL

The Christmas spirit is definitely alive in Pavilion KL. Lots of beautifully decorated Christmas trees and a carousel in the middle of the mall. For the past few weeks that we have been visiting Pavilion KL, the place has been constantly packed -- everyone wanting a photo with the lovely decorations in the mall.

Christmas Wonderland at Pavilion KL

Christmas Wonderland until 1 January 2012

Hey Santa

Our original plan was to eat at Suki-ya, since I was craving for some shabu-shabu. In the past, when we visited Tokyo Street, there is usually a queue in front of Hokkaido Ramen Santouka but this time, there was a long queue in front of Suki-ya, and none in front of Ramen Santouka! How bizarre. Anyway we were too lazy to queue ! hence de cided to eat at Ramen Santouka instead. (After we got seated, then a huge queue formed outside the restaurant lol!)

We made sure that we ordered the Tokusen Toroniku Ramen, the premium pork cheek ramen (RM36 for regular) since we missed this the last time we were here.The condiments were served separately, not sure why though? Anyway the pork cheek is really good -- tender and flavoursome (I think I tasted fermented bean paste?). It's definitely a lot nicer than the char siu served with the other ramens.

Since I enjoyed the shio ramen so much last time, I ordered this again. The broth was just as good as I remembered -- milky and rich. It's one of those soups which gets better the more you drink it... I always make sure I finish mine. This really is one of the best ramens in KL (at the moment).

Shio ramen (RM22.50 for small)

Don't forget to order one of these Komi Tamago (RM2), flavoured boiled egg with a beautiful runny yolk.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka now offers various sets -- ie ramen plus side dish (salad), chawanmushi and a rice -- but we didn't order this since the ramen is usually filling enough for us. This time, we also got a table to ourselves, it makes dining here much better.


Opening times: 11.00am to 9.45pm daily.

Service: Good.

Location: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, Lot 6.24.03, Level 6, Tokyo Street, Pavilion KL, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2143 8878

Website: http://www.santouka.co.jp/en/index.html

Loh Bak Bun

Loh bak bun (white carrot/radish 'flat cakes') is my mom's favorite Chinese go orkuih before she forgot it's her favorite. She bought it whenever she saw it on breakfast stalls and now I buy it for her whenever I see them. She needs me to remember things for her and sometimes it's very frustrating to me. Ok, it upsets me sometimes but I know the irritation comes from not wanting to accept that she's not the way she used to be before.

Mom used to make very good kuih(a Malay word that originated from the Hokkien word koe for teatime snacks, usually made of rice or glutinous rice flour and steamed) but her generation never wrote their recipes down in paper or blogs so many recipes have disappeared. There is hope though because daughters and sons remember the taste of what their moms (or dads) cooked and through many tries, family recipes can be recovered.

I got the recipe for loh bak bun (the bun is pinyin and doesn't mean bun as in steamed flour buns, but it means a flat 'cake' or snack) right on my fourth try. The first time, mom insisted on adding rice flour to the glutinous rice flour so that the bun wouldn't be too sticky. The bun turned out hard and got harder when it cooled. The second batch was made with pure glutinous rice flour and I liked the stickiness but there was a floury texture, like the bun wasn't cooked through even though I re-steamed it.

The most common bun recipe, especially in West Malaysia I think, is the one made of wheat starch and tapioca flour, like for the ha gow. The wheat starch makes the wrapper or 'skin' translucent and shiny while the tapioca starch gives the skin some structure because wheat starch, when cooked, is very soft and slightly sticky. I was sure that's not how our local loh bak bun! are mad e so wheat starch was out for me. The third time, I made the wrapper or 'skin' with glutinous rice flour and cornstarch and it was totally not the right texture.The fourth time, I added potato starch which I had plenty of.

Bingo.The texture of my fourth batch ofloh bak bunwas soft, smooth, sticky, slightly (and very slightly, I didn't want it any more than that) chewy--exactly how I like it. The filling was delicious and I gobbled two bun within a minute. How am I going to face the people in KL next week, with my wobbly thighs and turkey neck and droopy buns (the human type)? Why can't we just eat without growing fat?

Besides being a snack, loh bak bun is eaten at breakfast too. What I do is fry the filling the night before so that it cools and the liquid dries up. The next morning, it just takes 3 minutes to make the dough, 5 minutes to fill the bun (cut the banana leaves night before) and another 5 to 7 minutes to steam them. I make my bun twice as big as what I get at the stalls. It's robbery at the stalls because the loh bak buns are now 80 sen each, some RM1, and they are half the size of my palm with hardly any filling. I made about 20 large loh bak buns for RM5/USD1.60. RM1.50 for the radish, RM1.00 for the dried shrimps, about RM2.50 for the glutinous rice flour and the banana leaves are from my garden. I'd get rich if I have a breakfast stall at some kedai kopi.









The traditional shape for loh bak bun is the flat pillow shape.


Loh Bak Bun (makes 20 large bun)
The filling:
1 Chinese radish ("white carrot"), about 400 gm
2 to 3 T dried shrimps
2 t veg oil
salt, white pepper and chicken stock granules

* you can add some carrots if like

The dough:
4 cups packet of good glutinous rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch flour
2 cups boiling water

--banana leaves, cut into palm-sized oblong pieces

1. Grate the radish (I don't remove the skin) into very fine strips. Wash the dried shrimps, soak 5 minutes in water to soften (keep the water) and then mince them finely.
2. Heat up a wok/frying pan and add 2 T veg oil. Fry the dried shrimps until fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes or until you can't standing their jumping about. Add the radish strips, then season with salt, chicken granules (commercially, msg is used) and plenty of white pepper. This snack should have the flavor of the radish, dried shrimps and white pepper. Add the soaking liquid from the dried shrimps, cover the wok for a couple of minutes, then remove it and continue to fry under medium heat until the radish is transparent and all the liquid has evaporated. Taste and season if necessary. Dish out and cool.
3. Put the flours into a large bowl and pour the boiling water over, using a pair of chopsticks or spoon to m! ix the w ater and flours in circles. The resulting lumps of flour will become semi-transparent. If you don't use boiling water, the dough will break apart and be hard to shape.
4. Put the dough on the counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute only.
5. Divide the dough into 20 or more portions, rolling them on your palms to make them smooth. Cover the dough and dough balls as they dry quickly.
6. Flatten a dough ball, put 1 tablespoon or more of the filling in the center and fold the two sides together. Pinch the sides to seal. You can either make a ridge along the sealed edges or turn the bun over and shape into a 'pillow'.
7. Cut and grease the banana leaves (or the bun'll stick to the leaves), place the filled buns on the leaves and steam 5 minutes for small buns and 7 to 8 minutes or longer for larger buns. When bun are nearly done, brush them with a light coating of veg oil.

Restoran Siong Huat Bak Kut Teh (Klang Tasusia) @ Port Klang.

Klangites just loves their daily fix of Bak Kut Teh.

I have friends who could eat it for breakfast and dinner.

Sunday lunch is always an adventure for us-discovering new places through words of mouth or from the blogging communities.

Restoran Siong Huat Bak Kut Teh (Klang Tasusia) is a mini steel structured warehouse built under a big tree-spacious with many ceiling fans to keep their customers cool and comfortable-a private covered car park and an open kitchen.

Besides Bak Kut Teh, there are crullers, tau pok, blanched vegetables and fresh seafood like fishes and clams to go with it.


Prices are still reasonable and affordable as most of the restaurant's patrons are locals.


p/s-the food get cold easily (no food warmer for steamed dishes)


Appetizer-Chinese crullers with BKT soup for dip-Rm2/ Clay pot dry BKT-pig's trotter-beautifully cooked to perfection-not charred nor dried-with a teasing dried chillies taste and lingering herbal flavor-Rm18/ Steamed red snapper - a fresh and chunky piece of the fish's tail-with blended ginger and a bit of XO oyster sauce- 5 stars-Rm34/ Steamed Clams (Kepah) with julienned young ginger and chopped red and green Bird's eye chillies-fresh, meaty and briny-a bit too much on the chillies otherwise it's perfect-Rm20/ Pig's Intestine (average-double stuffing ones would be better) and Pig's stomach (thick) in a herbal BKT soup-kept warm with a candle wax flame-Rm9/ Blanched crunchy Beansprout with a sprinkling of deep fried salted fish flakes-Rm8/
Total bill:Rm97/
Location: along Jalan Tengku Badar (beside 99 Mart)
Port Klang.
Tel:019-276-0363/017-233-3321.

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Oat Milkshake

Bananas, nut milk, protein packed peanut butter, healthful flax seeds for beautiful insides and beautiful outsides, and thickening oats.

Its a smoothie for your health but its also feels like youre drinking a milkshake. Drink up and rush out the door. Theres life to live!

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Oat Milkshake

makes about 2 1/2 cups. one large or two small portions

Print this Recipe!

2 cups cold almond milk (soy or regular milk would also be delicious)

1 banana, cut into chunks (frozen is ideal)

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 heaping teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon flax seeds, ground into meal

2 teaspoon old fashioned oats, ground fine

In a spice grinder, pulverize flax seeds and oats into a fine powder. My spice grinder is just my coffee grinder really well cleaned out.

In a blender combine almond milk, banana, peanut butter, honey, and ground flax and oats. Blend until no banana chunks remain, and the mixture is thoroughly incorporated. Pour into a glass and enjoy immediately.

Estate @ The Intermark

Estate by BIG: Round Two. Earlier entry: November 29.

The most alluring aspect of Estate's menu: the starters list, flooded with intriguing ingredients. Say no to slipshod salads & sample the Burrata cheese with tomatoes, edible flowers, beef bacon & basil-infused olive oil. If springtime in southern Italy carried a tangible taste, this might be it.

Grilled mackerel with avocado puree, cucumber confit, mustard & shiso dressing. One of the closest things to a Japanese recipe for The BIG Group. The fish is commendably juicy & not greasy at all, but the vegetarian accompaniments are what truly shine, so fresh AND refreshing.

Parmigiano-Reggiano croquette with egg yolk center, tartar sauce & micro greens. Devastatingly creamy comfort food that might haunt our dreams for weeks to come.

Crispy confit chicken wings & pan-seared scallops with cauliflower mousse, chopped chorizo & maple dressing. Bone-free, flavor-filled meat, coated with pleasurably brittle skin & partnered with components that would each taste terrific on its own but spark culinary synergy together.

More cauliflower, this time in the shape of a soup, again wedded with fowl: shredded duck confit. Endless variations on a theme, but every one can be equally enticing.

Mussels in Provencal white wine sauce. Satisfyingly plump mollusks cooked the French way, swimming in a savory broth that must be mopped up with garlic bread to the final drop.

Onion rings scented with rosemary, several notches above A&W's.

Need desserts? Estate has a sweet list, but if you're craving cakes, Acme Bar & Coffee (ABC at The Troika) is barely a 10-minute drive away from The Intermark. Acme's cempedak cake consti! tutes a nicely stinky substitute to the now-ubiquitous durian cake.

Acme's apple & olive cake _ sounds weird but tastes wonderful. Funny how things work.

Liquor-loving at Estate. Here's whiskey: Johnnie Walker Black Label & Glenmorangie Original.

Gin: Tanqueray & Hendricks.

Rum & brandy: Bacardi Carta Blanca & Hennessy VSOP.

Prosecco. Nothing to do now but wait for the hangover.

Estate,

The Intermark, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Open daily for lunch & dinner.

Deli Cafe and Bakery, Kota Damansara

We were at the mechanic shop as Bollywood Queen need to get something for her car..

While waiting and whiling away our time, I recalled there is a place for bread and drinks around this area..Just not sure where and what it's called..

But no harm asking right? So I tried my best to describe to taukay's wife...

Toast bread, kaya? Erm, name of place starts with D?

Oh, that's just behind our shop!

Man, am I lucky or what? hahaha..should have bought lottery ;p

And so we went to the back- it's passed lunch time but still packed with customers..

We were not keen on any of the nasi goreng/ lemak/ mee goreng etc..Just wanted a drink and bread.

Since they bake their own hainanese bread, we ordered a steamed and toasted kaya butter bread.

The wait was not long...

Steamed bread with kaya and butter..

Super piping hot, it was hard to hold and to take a bite. The bread was soft, yet had a lovely chewy, springy texture to it, giving a more solid feel to the bread rather than the usual airy types. The kaya was creamy and smooth, the amount was just right to go with the bread. Yummeh!

The toasted bread was served soon after..

Brow! ned toas t with a nice thick cut of butter. I likey :). The toast had a light crisp exterior and charred flavour. Bread texture was lighter compared to its steamed counterpart, yet still lovely to sink my teeth into. Though I am usually partial to toasted bread, Deli Cafe's steamed version was simply delish and a notch up the crisp brother (my preference la!).

Definitely coming back to try the round kaya butter buns on my next visit :)

Deli Cafe and Bakery is located at 57-G,Jalan Sepah Puteri 5/1B, PJU 5, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Thanksgiving and Christmas @ The Ritz-Carlton KL

Happy Thanksgiving!says the turkey chocolate cupcake!

I had the privilege to dine with SteveCokkinias, the GM of Ritz Carlton KL for my first ever Thanksgiving Dinner this year. The set up at the dining room was surreally real, thanks to Steve who wanted us all to truly experience Thanksgiving, just as how it was back in his younger days and his home country.

The gorgeous seating.

Steve and his wife, Mimi. Bee Hong of The Star, John of The Peak and moi. We purposely took this picture with the mck fireplace.

Sacks of potatoes, pumpkin, carrots and turnips.

Ok, I do not know what Hermit the Frog is doing here.

Naturally the food was good, and as authentically prepared as possible. Kudos to the new maestro of Ritz Carltons kitchen, Chef Martin Bchele from Austria.

And our turkey specially craved by Steve himself!

Menu

Salad
Beetroot Salad.

Soup
Roasted Mild-Spiced Butternut Squash

! Main
Sage and Onion Stuffed Roast Turkey, Baked Mashed Potato, Honey Glazed Carrots, Green Bean Casserole, Cranberry Sauce, Roasted Gravy

Dessert
Caramel Pecan Cheesecake, Jello Fruit Cake

Other than the salad, of which I find was a tad overdressed and sour (especially the beetroot), the rest of dinner was simply sublime. I loved the creamy butternut squash soup and the turkey was the tastiest ever I had. So unlike those bland and tough birds that I had had to endure year after year. So turkey can be tasty after all! LOL.

We were warned from the beginning to save room for desserts. Apparently the Caramel Pecan Cheesecake is to die for. Well, here it is. Ill let you judge for yourself.

Very homemade look yes? Just like back home, Steve said. Rustic and unpretentious.

We are one happy family!

I took the dinner as a prelude of what could be in for Ritz Carltons Christmas meals coming up this month.Chef Martin Bcheles skills seems promising so far. Perhaps I should head over for my Christmas brunch hereon December 25. Mouth watering delights includes Alaskan king crab to Italian asparagus risotto with the piece de resistance being the venison cooked to perfection along with the aged prime rib smothered in rich bone marrow gravy.

Of course there would be the traditional roast turkey, complete with chestnut stuffing, Cumberland chipolatas and roast gravy.

December 25, 2011
12.00pm to 3.00pm
Csars. Level One

RM98++ per child under 12.
RM198++ per adult
RM298++ per adult, includes Laurent-Perrier Champagne

To be honest Im more inclinedto theEggnog Boxing Day Roast, which includes turkey with trimmings, prime rib of beef, venison, marinated Norwegian salmon, hundreds of multi-coloured macaroons and, of course, cinnamon spiced Eggnog; just cos I havent had eggnog before in my life!

December 26, 2011
12.00pm to 3.00pm
The Lobby Lounge. Ground Level
RM65++ per child under 12. RM140++ per adult.

Sigh. Looks so good right? I cant wait for Christmas now!!

In keeping with the Ritz Carlton tradition (check out my post last year!), theunique life-sized Gingerbread House makes its debut again this year. Ritz Carlton hopes to raise funds for charity by selling off each of its bricks with all proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association.

Throughout December, youre welcome to Buy a Gingerbread Brick from the Gingerbread House with all proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Welfare Association. They shall inscribe your name or company logo onto each brick until they are all sold.

Buy a Gingerbread Brick from December 1 31, 2011
Minimum purchase of RM100
The Hotel Wing Lobby. Ground Level

Then we have the adorableannual Teddy Bear Tea with activities such as a Teddy Bear Workshop, Christmas tales reading with Santa Claus and gingerbread man decoration with the hotels Pastry Chef.

This includes a delectable Afternoon Tea spread with items such as winter truffle scented Wagyu beef tart (I wanttttt!!!), wild berry crme brle, butter poached Maine lobster quiche, with the childrens menu featuring goodies such as teddys gummy bears and lollies, chocolate fountain with marshmallows & teddy smiles cream cookies.

Children will have fun with creative fabric painting on teddys T-shirt & theyare able to bring their teddy bears home. Other activities include decorating their own gingerbread man with a selection of toppings.

Sounds fun eh? I t! hink so too! Do bring your little ones for an afternoon of fun mingling with other children and the best part? Theres no cleaning up afterwards!

December 10, 2011
3.00pm to 5.00pm
Carlton Gourmet. Ground Level, Carlton Conference Centre
RM135++ per adult. RM95++ per child under 12.

Fancy taking your Christmas holidays up another notch on the luxury scale? Yes?Book yourself into Ritz Carlton KL and spend Christmas with friends and family in a Two or Three Bedroom Suite at The Ritz-Carlton.

Wake up on Christmas morning in your spacious Suite and come mid-day, let the Chef cook to perfection your lavish family Christmas Dinner which your personal butler shall serve. Same goes for The Ritz-Carlton New Years Eve package at which includes access to The Club Lounge, a romantic butler-drawn bath, Cameron Highland strawberries and a Magnum bottle of champagne flown in specially.

Are you feeling festive yet? Well, I am!

Merry Christmas in advance my dear readers!

For further enquiries: Please! call Th e Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur at 03-2142 8000 or email dining_concierge@ritzcarlton.com.my.