Day 5: 10 April Beckys 30 Days, 30 Giveaways!

Its Day 5 of Beckys 30 Days, 30 Giveaways on RebeccaSaw.coms Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaSawBlog)!

Just follow the steps stated in the visual to participate in the giveaway, and you can stand a chance to win an afternoon tea for 2 at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur! You do not want to miss out on this giveaway, because this is the best place in KL for an authentic English tea feel!

So, head over here: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaSawBlog NOW!

Dungeness Crabs @ Elegant Inn, Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur

Elegant Inn tends to be one of those steadfast places we always go for Chinese food.


This time, a tasting session of a few dishes they had introduced led to a very nice discovery.... a new breed of crabs aka Dungeness.


I've eaten it before in San Francisco but this particular crab comes from Europe.


Any genuine crab lover will love this newbie in the Malaysian market, as when eaten cold, the meat is sweet and chunky. Best bits is the creamy roe. Just add a dash of black vinegar and believe me you will be in crustacean heaven.





This yummy delicacy is priced from RM168 to RM238 per piece. Price tends to vary depending on the size of each crab received from the suppliers so double check prices and also availability of it before you head here.


We also sampled the baked version which was good but as exceptional like the supremely cold variety.





Continuing on the crabby trend, we also had these superb crab roe noodles.


It's based on a noodle dish I once sampled in Macau, on the recommendation of J,! the own er of Elegant Inn.


This small place located next to the port that served these wonderful noodles had the distinction of being listed in Michelin's Macau guide. I've not blogged about my trip to Macau but these noodles were very memorable.


Even though you have not tasted the original, this one is almost as good with its creamy golden roe topping thin egg noodle strands that are have a lovely al dente texture.







For those who feel the crab roe noodles are too decadent, how about these crispy Chinese noodles braised with fish maw and sea cucumber. Part of a six course meal of RM118++ per person, I love these noodles for its textural contrast - crunchy strands mingle with softened ones that have touched the fragrant broth.


Adding more texture to the whole dish is julienne slices of fish maw, sea cucumber and Chinese chives (the pale version). A dash of aromatic dried prawn roe or har chee completes this wonderful dish.







We also sample steamed capon aka yim kai with a fragrant ginger paste but my favourite was the braised abalone served with sea cucumber stuffed with eight treasures, and a braised Chinese mushroom.


The abalone comes from the Middle East (my first time eating this type) and has a soft centre. While its fragrance is a ! wee lack ing, this was made up with the aromatic eight treasure stuffing underneath that soft collagen rich sea cucumber. Even the braised mushroom was good.


One would have loved to abandon good manners and just licked up all that yummy sauce.







Even vegetables taste divine here and I love this home style cooking of eggplant with longbeans in their aromatic sauce with chilli paste, dried scallops and dried shrimps. Love how the eggplant melts in the mouth with bursts of the dried shrimp flavour coming through. Best eaten with a bowl of hot rice.





Last but not least, a sample of their new dessert, a nifty thing known as almond milk tea with glutinous rice ball. The tea is milky with hints of almond and once you reach the bottom, there is the surprise of a glutinous rice ball filled with black sesame paste. It is served with a sweet osmanthus water chestnut stick. A twist on the classic dim sum specialty, the water chestnut cake, this one was ingeniously battered and fried hence you get two textures - a crunchy batter on top and the almost jelly like with a crunch from the water chestnut. This is part of the RM118++ set menu.

! < br>Note, there are various set menus available. There's a 4-6 person set menu for RM338++ with wide choices for dishes. There is a RM118++ per person set and one for RM88++ per person. Details are in the Flickr set.


Elegant Inn
2nd Floor, Podium Floor
Menara Hap Seng
Jalan P Ramlee
Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03-2070 9399


(Non Halal.For more pictures and the set menu details, see my Flickr set).


*Note: This meal was paid for by the restaurant.

Moshi Moshi @ Port Melbourne

One weekend found us looking at each other with a blank face after I asked "what's for dinner?". There was nothing I felt like whipping up in the tiny kitchen and I had not come across any exciting food reviews.

We went on to Google Map and started to look at our neighboring suburbs for inspiration before settling on Port Melbourne. The next thing to agree on was the cuisine. After a disappointing meal of cheap and quick Japanese at Samurai last night, we decided to go for some more Japanese.

Two restaurants popped up and the one with the higher rating on Urbanspoon won; Moshi Moshi.

Calling themselves a Japanese Seafood restaurant and said to be owned and run by Japanese, we thought we would be in good hands.


The place is small and cozy with the dim lights giving that extra privacy for couples dining. After looking at the menu and failing to find inspiration in how we would order our dinner, we decided on their Seafood Platter for 2. Easy, just sit down and wait.

The beer seemed a little expensive at $12 for a 500ml bottle but the taste made up for it. The next step is to go to a bottler and get some of these to live in my fridge for a while.

If yo! u are wi lling to fork out $89.50, you will be served a platter that is the size of the table. It looks really generous but if you stop for a moment and bring out the calculator, I reckon it almost works out to be the same if you ordered ala-carte (albeit not all the items). While it looks like fun to be digging into so many items on one plate, I had a few complaints.

I guess we were also somewhat pressured to eat what were the hot items first like the deep fried soft shell crab, the tempura rock fish, the breaded scallops and the calamari even though ideally you want to start off with the lighter sashimi items. I know its called a platter but I couldn't help but think I would have enjoyed this far better if it was split into two courses, a hot and a cold platter. Apart from the hot items, we had wagyu beef nigiri (overcooked), sashimi (too thinly sliced), oysters (really good), bay bug salad (slightly too much mayo dressing), tiger prawns (fresh), sushi rolls (alright) and maybe an item or two more.

I guess in some ways we were disappointed especially with a respectable score on Urbanspoon (learnt my lesson) but I guess our dinner could have been a better experience if we ordered ala-carte instead of being lazy and settling down on a platter.

Not sure I return back to this place.

Address and contact details:

Verdict: 3 stars out of 5 stars. It seems like a real favourite to many but I guess we weren't too impressed or maybe it was a case of high expectations. However if you happen to be in Port Melbourne, this plac! e is sti ll a decent option for a meal.

Ikuzo Ramen

A Ramen Revolution is erupting in SS2, where Ikuzo has started serving the Klang Valley's widest, most wallet-friendly range of ramen.

It's a hip-looking space here, filled with eye-catching posters _ a casual, comfortable spot for friends & families to gather.

Izuko's cute menu; its ramen, made of rye flour, comes in original & spicy flavors (kinda KFC, eh?), thin or thick in size. Customers can pair the variations with a choice of MSG-free broth.

Searching for a steal? This cha-shu ramen in shoyu-based broth with five slices of cha-shu, spring onions & seaweed costs RM8.90 (no service charge) _ less than half of what we'd be paying at Santouka, Marutama & other high-profile outlets.

Hokkaido ramen (RM8.50), with cha-shu, bamboo shoots, spinach, bean sprouts & sweet corn in miso soup. Though the soups are made with pork & chicken bones boiled for hours, they're not as deeply savory & richly satisfying as the best ones out there. Addictive, but not amazing.

Curry ramen, with spicy-red noodles & breaded pork fillet. Wish the eggs were the seasoned ones instead of being only hard-boiled, but for RM7.90, we can't complain.

Ginger green tea, root beer with rice-infused ice cream & green tea yuzu float.

Other ramen options include seafood, black sesame soup, beef kimchi & stir-fried. Side dishes are also available at populist prices: five pieces of gyoza cost RM3.50.

Ikuzo Ramen,

52, Jalan SS 2/61, Petaling Jaya.

Open daily, 10am-11pm.

Petite Millie, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya

Petite Millie is one of many restaurants located in the new "old wing" in 1 Utama. The name translates to "Little Millesime", and yes it is the little sister of the French fine dining restaurant, Millesime in Solaris Dutamas.

Petite Millie serves casual French-inspired cuisine which is more affordable than Millesime (of course you can't really compare the two but the menu here is created by Max Chin of Millesime). The dining concept is based on casual modern European, reminiscent of a French brassiere with industrial accents. The dcor is simple, with grey tables, stainless steel chairs, bare walls and an open kitchen concept, where diners can watch the chefs at work.

One of the three signature dishes, tarte flambe

Restaurant interior

The menu is simple, and you will see some of Max Chin's favorite ingredients here such as avocado, air d! ried bee f, smoked duck breast and haloumi cheese. Petite Millie has three signature dishes, which are the tarte flambe, poutine and tartine. Other than the signature dishes, Petite Millie also offers soups, salads and main courses, desserts and daily/weekly specials.

We enjoyed the avocado and crab tarte flambe (RM19.50) - the French's version of a pizza. The thin dough is baked until crispy and topped with with crme fraiche for the base and fragrant thyme, lemon oil, ample crab meat and avocado slices. This is good as a snack and shared between two to three persons.

Nice, thin base

Poutine originating from Quebec, Canada is a dish of chunky fries topped with grated Cheddar cheese, homemade gravy and a topping of your choice. There is even one quirkily named Very Atas One! (RM26) which includes thinly sliced beef, blue cheese crumbs and caramelized onions. Btw, Chuck Hughes whom I got the pleasure of meeting in February is from Quebec and one of the dishes he prepared during his evening dinner was poutine!

If you like chips and gravy, you will most probably like poutine too. The Poutine Cheek (RM26) that we tried was hearty - the gravy was very flavoursome and went well with the fries, the six-hour braised Australian Wagyu beef cheek was very tender and a dash of truffle oil finished it off nicely.

The tartine sandwich is basically an open sandwich made with lightly toasted buttered sourdough country bread and toppings. This was my least favorite of the three signature dishes, as a matter of personal preference as it didn't really appeal to me. The One tartine (RM38) that we tried combines a selection of cold cuts such chicken pastrami and beef pepperoni as well as smoked salmon and in-house smoked duck - a rather expensive "sandwich".

Oh and if I have room left in my tummy, I never miss out on desserts. We loved the apple crumble (RM16.90), perhaps one of the best we've eaten in KL - a wonderfully crumbly tart filled with sweet apple slices and topped with amarena cherry ice-cream.

Petite Millie

Opening times: 10am to 10pm daily.

Location: Petite Millie, Lot G146, Ground Floor, 1Utama Shopping Centre, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 03-7732 0395

Website:www.facebook.com/petitemillie

Chong Fatt Restaurant @ Genting Klang, Setapak

Restoran Chong Fatt is another decent Chinese restaurant found in the vicinity of Setapak, there isn't many in Setapak.

Brown rice it's organic and of natural grains. It tasted yummy with the sauce topping.Special Tung Po pork belly in clay pot. This one is reddish in colour and delicious indeed.Paku Veggie stir fried with belacan, slight sappy but good.Thinly sliced pork belly with salted fish in clay pot.Bean curd lightly deep fried served with interesting topping and went pretty well with the rice.Home made fish balls with spinach soup.Teow Chew style steam fish.Restoran Chong Fatt has good variety of live seafood and indeed a good place to dine.

Chong Fatt Seafood Restaurant

No 18&20 Jalan 2/50C, Taman Setapak Indah Jaya,

Off Jalan Genting Klang 53300 KL

Tel: 03-4023 1088/4023 1077

gps : 3.197704,101.714875

Visiting Arnaldo Caprai, Italy

Visiting Arnaldo Caprai, Italy

Not long before lunch but the winter sun has barely made an impression; it is low in the sky its weak rays glinting off the vineyards trellising wires. The light applies a mellowness to the pastal colours of the winery and a painterly quality to the surrounding landscape.

We are introduced to Marco Caprai, son of the owner with perhaps the most recognisable wine name in Umbria Arnaldo Caprai.

This is the family that really brought the local red grape, Sagrantino, into the modern world applying up-to-date wine making techniques and innovation that has dragged the Montefalco region right to the forefront of Italian wine. It is a tiny region, the Lungarotti family alone produce more wine than the all of the Sagrantino di Montefalco DOC producers together.

The grape, distinctive but still uniquely Italian, makes powerful, long lived wines (the Arnaldo Caprai flagship 25 Anni they recommend keeping for 15-20 years) that are burly, dense and expansive. There is a sweetness of fruit that is quite beguiling but with those tannins and mouth-feel food really is required for maximum enjoyment. The Arnaldo-Caprai 25 Anni 2007 [ Adegga / Snooth] (first made in 1993 for the wineries 25th anniversary) is a big, dense wine; with power, sensual tannins and a swelling flow of unrelieved pleasure as the company brochure puts it!

While Arnaldo Caprai are rightly proud of their 100% Sagrantino bottlings (the Collepiano 2007, [Adegga / Snooth] pictured, is also 100% Sagrantino) this majestic grape works well in blends! . Over o ur protracted, highly enjoyable if a little endulgent lunch a Montefalco Rosso 2009 [Adegga / Snooth] was also served; while mostly Sangiovese (70%) an equal splash of Merlot and Sagrantino is also added making the wine more approachable, with vivid berries and a spice edge.

Also rather captivating was a white from the Grechetto grape, the Arnaldo Caprai Grecante 2011, [Adegga / Snooth] makes for a good aperitif and accompanied a platter of antipasto (Casciotta cheese, local prosciutto and a rustic flat bread) superbly. Lemony, minerality with a crisp nutty finish.

If you have scrolled through the photo gallery you might have noted a Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco, 2007 [Adegga / Snooth]. Passito is the Italian term for when picked grapes are dried in rooms (traditionally on straw mats) to a raisin like state before being made into wine. (As Mary explains on her Vindulge blog, Sagrantino is seen even locally as a sweet wine) The wines are sweet and a delightful finishing swirl to a meal. Was that a hint of liquorice on the finish? Amongst the jam and blackberry jam flavours it added a complex twist to a delightful wine. A wine that fortified us enough to venture back out into that Umbrian winter sun

There are full visitor facilities at Arnaldo Caprai; the vineyard lies just outside of the town of Montefalco to the South East of Perugia.

Londons Vini Italiani wine shop lists two Arnaldo-Caprai wines the Montefalco Rosso 2007 is listed at 16 and the Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 anni, 2003, is 53

!

Spittoon.biz - A UK Wine Blog - We Spit... So You Can Swallow