New dim sum menu @ Celestial Court, Sheraton Imperial KL

Last week during the school holidays, we took the kids to Sheraton Imperial KL for a night's stay. We bumped into Celestial Court's restaurant manager, Ray while we were dining in Essence and he mentioned that they were introducing a new dim sum menu the following day (4 June 2012).

Talk about good timing. I have made plans to bring them for dim sum here after we checked out, so it was a good opportunity for us to try their new offerings. You can read about our previous visit here.

They have made additions to the old menu, maintaining some of the popular items. We tried 4 new dim sum items as well as some from the old menu.

Brand new..

There's no escaping the scallop dumpling.. :P It is served with shrimp and topped with salmon roe (ikura). We loved it - plump, juicy prawns with a sizeable scallop and beautiful translucent skin tinted with spinach. Baby C liked the ikura so much that she took them off the top (off all 3) and placed them on her plate to enjoy slowly.

Scallop dumplings with shrimp and spinach topped with salmon roe (RM15)

We also tried the Prawn and Banana rolls served with wasabi-mayo (RM16). This was off their deep fried items section. Again, juicy prawns nicely married with the banana (sweet-savoury). I did however find the wasabi to be overpowering - this is not a dish for kids as well, unless your kids are fond of wasabi.

The steamed crab meat dumplings with asparagus (RM13) was good, however a little ordinary compared to other dim sum items we have tried here.

The fluffy pastry with chilli crab meat (RM15) had flaky pastry with a spicy filling. I liked it, though I wouldn't have minded slightly more crabmeat filling :)

Old favourites...


Our kids loves the siew mai and charcoal bun here, they had this during their past 2 visits too. The siew mai comes in a portion of 4, notice there's only 3 left in the photo - yeah, Baby D grabbed one as soon as it arrived at our table! After he finished his first one, he took another one - leaving mummy with ... none! He somehow got his hands on daddy's mini abalone too. :P Btw, now that I look back at my previous visit, the siew mai is topped with tobiko now instead of ikura. Am delighted to see my kids happily eating their food.

Siew mai topped with mini braised abalone (RM13)

The charcoal soft bun with salted egg yolk and custard filling (RM12) is another huge hit with my family. Still good the third time around - a must order for us.

We ended our meal with my kids favorite dessert, the pandan paste sesame ball served with Teochew yam paste (RM11), affectionately known as "ball ball" to my kids. The ball-ball was also as delicious as we remembered it.

Baby D... all smiles :)

The current dim sum menu as well as full set of photos can be viewed in my Facebook album here.

Read about our previous visit to Celestial Court here.

Pork-free.

Opening times: Monday - Saturday, 12.00 pm - 2.30 pm; Sunday and Public Holidays, 10.00 am - 2.30 pm, Dinner (daily) 6.30 pm - 10.30 pm.

Service: Good.

Price: Total bi! ll was R M60.90 after 50% discount with the Starwood Privilege card.

Location: Celestial Court, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03 -2717 9988

GPS Coordinates: 3.158813, 101.700203

Naked Japan @ Albert Park, Melbourne

We have been compiling places for quick fix dinners.


The criteria is pretty simple, affordable which in this part of town is under $20 per person, within 5-10 minute drive away, no queuing required, easy parking, in and out in under an hour and obviously tasty grub.


So far, we have found a place for Thai, Indonesian and Fish & Chips which are all in South Melbourne. Deciding that we should not over rely on one suburb, we spread our search engine to Albert Park and guess what, all directions seem to point towards this little Japanese shop called Naked Japan.


So we went on an early Sunday night. The sky was dark even though it was barely minutes after six and the place ticked all the right boxes; no requirement to queue (we were the only ones), plenty of parking and under 10 minutes to get here. Looking at the menu, you can easily eat for under $20 too.


With everything ticked except tasty grub, lets see what we got.

The croquette was deep fried to a crisp but the filling was disappointing. No hint of crab like advertised on the menu.

The cousin had the curry udon and it did look rather comforting but there was no praises from him.

We ordered the katsu curry and the katsu don. This is where it tanked badly. For a restaurant that is not occupied and a meal that cost over $10, the least I expect is a meal that is made from scratch. Alas, the chicken and pork katsu were pre-fried and re-fried. This only meant the meat was dry. As for the curry sauce, again I was disappointed. Even the packet version tasted better.

I also saw fresh gyozas made on the spot but at the same time saw pre-cooked ones on display which I suspect would be the ones served to us had we order some.

To make things worse (only for me), I realised the whole crew was speaking Korean and not Japanese, marks deducted for authenticity but then again, it just me being particular.

So even though most of the boxes were ticked, it failed in the biggest box; tasty grub.

Address and contact details:

Verdict: 3 stars out of 5 stars. Sub-par food and we don't think we will be coming back.

Awesome Curry Noodle @ Restoran Lian Hin SS15 Subang Jaya

Another good find of a delicious Curry Mee and this one is at Subang Jaya SS15 @ Restoran Lian Hin. Ipoh Chicken Rice is the main call for this shop but I think the curry mee is a hidden gem that you must try...The curry gravy has a good character sufficiently thick and tasty.The ingredients found here were dried pig skin, cockles, tau pok, long beans and chicken.Pork noodle is also sold here but nothing like the shop a few doors away.Tong Sui is sold here with a variety of them. I love dessert especially Tong Sui.

Restoran Lian Hin

Ipoh Chicken Rice

74, Jalan SS15/4B

GPS : 3.076599,10! 1.58886< /div>

Dining Out @ Soup Restaurant, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya

Soup Restaurant's ultra Chinese setting with faux bamboo and red wooden carved panels


In recent months, Singaporean restaurants seem to have invaded our shores.


The Paradise group first started their onslaught with Paradise Inn at Sunway Pyramid. This was followed by brand new openings at Paradigm Mall such as Paradise Dynasty that boasts those rainbow hued xiao long baos and Kungfu Paradise, their casual eatery offering. They are expected to also open Taste Paradise, their luxe offering


In 1 Utama, the space was conquered by Heng Hwa heavyweight Putien and this place, Soup Restaurant that serves homestyled food including their specialty Sansui chicken.


Strangely enough in the wake of all these new eateries emerging from the little red dot, the forerunner Crystal Jade seems to have retreated from the KL dining scene. They have now closed all their outlets in Mid Valley and the Gardens, leaving only one outlet at Pavilion KL. Quite a sad thing indeed as during its heydays, it had 3 outlets in the Mid Valley area, one in Lot 10 and two places in Pavilion KL.


Not sure if there is a lesson in there for Singaporean investors on the fickle taste buds of KL diners.



Sansui ginger chicken


This place rides on the Chinese heritage to ! promote its homestyled dishes.


Hence it is all decked out in ultra Chinoserie. From the moment you walk past the moon gate, you enter faux bamboo land that will make any Chinese kungfu movie fan happy. The interiors are divided into different areas like a Chinese house with pavilions and hidden nooks for private rooms and etc.


One good thing about these kind of interiors, it means you can dine at one cosy corner without the whole restaurant staring at you.



Steamed hand chopped minced pork with salted fish


The must-have is the Sansui ginger chicken (RM38 for half, RM68 for whole).


The smooth poached chook is deboned so there is no worry about messing with finicky bones. A bowl of minced ginger flavoured with chicken oil and broth accompanies the chicken for extra flavour. The ginger tends be mild versus fiery that may not up to true blue ginger fans. Nevertheless it still offers a good balance with the chicken.


Strangely enough, you are given crispy lettuce (sang choy) leaves, that you are supposed to eat the chicken with like a sang choy bow dish. It makes an excellent one stop meal, as I paired it with a dollop of rice, a piece of chicken slathered with minced ginger. The refreshing greens give a nice crunch to the whole ensemble but can mean your hands need to get down and dirty.



Teochew olive rice


Marketed under their Chinatown Heritage dishes, the steamed hand chopped minced pork with salted fish (RM16) has a nice rough edge to it with the mix of pork fat and meat. Chopped salted fish is sprinkled on top for extra flavour.


Eat the pork patty with the Teochew olive rice (RM10), steamed rice mixed with preserved olive leaves. Those savoury tasting leaves add a umami-like and addictive aroma to the rice grains. My only pet peeve would be I would have preferred longer and fluffier rice grains but I guess it is a matter of food costs.



double boiled yuk chok and kei chee with chicken soup


And living up to its moniker, the place serves a variety of double boiled soups that use Chinese herbs. Served in individual bowls, there are seven varieties with each offering different health benefits. We sample the refreshing double boiled yuk chok and kei chee with chicken soup (RM14.80) that is said to relieve irritation.


The soup is packed with lots of flavour as they are rather generous with the herbs and chicken in eac! h bowl. Drink every last drop since it's rather good for the soul.



Ah Por Fan Shu leaves


Last but not least, the customary greens in the form of their signature sweet potato leaves (RM15.80). Once a wartime ration, these leafy greens are now found on restaurant menus. It is offered in a few ways, doused with black soy sauce, spiced up with sambal or like this version, just plain fried with garlic, a healthier way to enjoy the smooth leaves.


For those allergic to MSG, you will be happy to know that they attest to no MSG in their kitchen.


Overall, I liked the food here since you can't go wrong with such comforting dishes. Amid all that plasticky stuff in the mall, it is nice to find a slice of home. Quality is also definitely on par with their Singapore outlets. Their success rate with KL diners though may not be as high as Putien since their dishes can be easily replicated at a cheaper cost at home, tai chow and hawker stalls.


Soup Restaurant
G210A, Ground Floor
1 Utama Shopping Centre
Bandar Utama
Petaling Jaya


Tel: 03-77272788


(Non halal. Restaurant is opposite Petite Millie and Sun Moulin. For the full set of pictures, see the Flickr set.)


*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect th! is opini on. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

SF: e.g. Conference Day 1

12th April 2012

My daughter Yi was invited to be a presenter at a conference in the US in April to speak about her art after the YouTube video of her painting basketballer Yao Ming with paint and a basketball went viral in February this year. Mike Hawley, scientist, pianist, founder/co-founder of several major research programs and projects,formerly an MIT professor and researcher,and ex-roommate of Steve Jobs (they worked together on NeXT), had found out about Yi on YouTube. Hawley is the director of e.g. Conference,the 'best conference for creativity' held in Monterey California every April which is commended by people like Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple. Presenters range from innovators in architecture, art, entertainment, medicine, sports, technology and lots more. Read about e.g. Conference here.

We arrived in Monterey, about 1 1/2 hours away from San Francisco, the night before the conference started. Excited because we'd never been to such a conference and didn't know what to expect.



We had to be registered by 8 am so Hub and I ran out to grab breakfast. We hadn't had a Taco Bell burrito in years and it was a welcome chan! ge to br ead, and cheap too at USD2.49 each.



After registration, we went up to the hall and saw a giant poster of Yi (with red hair...) hanging together with those of the other 59 presenters. The title forthis year'sconference was 'Rebooting the Future' and so the presenters were illustrated as futuristic characters.



I was nervous to be there since I knew nobody except my daughter and Hub and they went their own ways. My camera was my security blanket.



At 8:30 am, the conference started. The conference was limited to about 500 to 600 people only. The entrance fee was USD4000 each; USD2000 less than TED Talk but still, gosh. Live streaming was available at a very affordable price of USD100 but of course that's not the same as being there and meeting all the people.



We had a break, with finger food served by waiters in the hall, and then it was brunch. The food for the 3 days was excellent, and I was very pleased that it was all all-American food.



Hub didn't quite get why this was served. It's like serving humjim bang I suppose. But it's very American, I told him. Notice that mini to Americans is regular size to others.






L to R, top row: Yi chatting with singer songwriter Kina Grannis (she's gorgeous,in and out,more beautiful in person than in photos, and when I told her I love her voice and wholesome image, she said that she'll never do the sexy nude stuff so I love her even more), Ren Ng, founder of LYTRO and his wife, and with Pixar executives (one of Yi's dream came true). Bottom row: with Tang, a conference attendee and artist Alexa Meade, with Tang and talented violinist Charles Yang and with cyber illusionist Marco Tempest and his friend.

Ren Ng, btw, was born in Malaysia and migrated to Australia at 9 and spent about 10 years there. He then went to America for university and did all his degrees in Stanford University. His doctoral dissertation, digital light field photography, earned him the ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award (ACM is the world&! #39;s la rgest and most prestigious scientific computing and educational society). Ren is the founder and CEO of Lytro, the inventor of light field cameras (which are shaped like square-sided kaleidoscopes) which may one day change the way all cameras will be made. Light field cameras take images without focusing so that capturing images, especially fast moving ones like hyperactive kids, can be faster than conventional cameras. Focusing can be done during post-processing, and you can choose which parts of the photo to be clear and which parts to be blur. No more struggling with bokeh effects.I enjoyed Ren's presentation and immediately wanted his camera!The Lytro cameras became available early this year and retail for USD399 and 499. Before you rush to order one, know that the pictures can only be offloaded on Apple computers. Computers on Microsoft Windows have to wait. News is that Lytro camera app might be available in future iPhones. Ren and his wife are a very nice couple and I felt very comfortable with them.





This seafood and asparagus ricewas delicious but it was very cold out, temperature in the 40s, so I didn't bother taking photos.



A photo to prove to Eric of Toronto that I really did get MythBuster star Adam Savage's autograph for him. Adam was n! ice and very obliging with autographs and photos. He told Eric to "Stay Curious!" and my son Wey to "Read Everything!".



Iwas so excited to meet Amy Tan the writer! I wish I had brought the hardcover copy of Joy Luck Club that CY had sent me when it was first published. I pat myself on the back for grabbing some postcards of Monterey for autographs:)

Here's Yi's latest work btw:

GUEST SOUP: Pumpkin Corn Pork Shin Fig Soup

Guest Poster: Debbie!Soup Name: Pumpkin Corn Pork Shin Fig Soup Introduction:This is a guest soup submission from our good friend Debbie, who is the ultimate stay-at-home mom with two kids ...

Xin-fully Good Still

Time really flies. The last time I met Julini, that lovely Marketing & Communications Manager of Concorde, was before last Ramadan, when she invited me for the Melting Pot's Ramadan Buffet Spread preview. And before you know it, in the blink of an eye, 9 months or so have elapsed. If I had been pregnant when I last met her, I would have definitely given birth by now. Anyway, this time round, the invite was for Xin Chinese Restaurant's new items on the menu, lovingly crafted by Chef Alfie Hoh. The only drawback about going to Concorde, on a weekday after work, is the mind boggling traffic at that Jln Sultan Ismail and Jln Ampang intersection.

Nevertheless, I wasn't SO late, the food that was laid out for the press was still there and still being photographed, like a celebrity hounded by the ruthless paparazzi. It was one of those strange occasions where the other guests were all from the main stream media, and some not so main stream, like Red Tomato, and Orange ....something or other.



Braised Thick Soup of Golden Superior Broth with Fish Maw and Seafood

Actually who needs Sharksfins, when the alternative soups are really so fabulously flavourful. Superior here is an apt description, for the soup really is lovely, and the broth ....put it this way, when we heard how many hours goes into preparing the broth, and the amount of stuff that goes into it, from duck to chicken, it's definitely not something you can replicate at home. Unless you have an industrial kitchen...



Pan-fried Prawn with Orange Juice in Milk Sauce
Oh, incidentally, if any of you people think I have suddenly developed a literacy in the Chinese language, I can assure you I am still disgracefully a banana, and that Chinese script you see is courtesy of the hotel, and all I do is cut and paste.

I digress though. Fresh crunchy prawns, made even crunchier is a crispy batter. Usually I am wary of orange juice sauces, because they tend to taste like cough mixture or haliborange, but this was not so, and the tastes were really complementary.




Such a delightfully colourful dish, that one cannot but feel one's spirit lifted, though one may be heavy laden.

Stir-fried Lily Buds and Sweet Peas with Straw Mushroom. You've heard how it is prescribed we should eat 5 different colored foods, or specifically fruit and vegetables, a day. Well, there you go, the dish that says it all.




Stewed Cod Fish with Soya Paste with Tomatoes
Chef Alfie said he toyed with the idea of using Miso paste, but it seemed so common. I am not sure what exactly Soya Paste is, (the inter! views wi th the Chef were conducted mainly in Cantonese, and my Cantonese is ...enough just to get by at kopitiams to order food, and understand 30% of Infernal Affairs), but it tasted good.



Wok-fried Flat Noodles and Seafood with Prawn Sauce. Kueh Teow la, in layman terms. Now, apparently some people could identify the prawn sauce, (oh, I guess because it was because they had shellfish allergies) but I couldn't really pinpoint that it was a prawn sauce. The fried noodles were nice, and a bit overkill on seafood, not enough kueh teow that kind of thing.

Delicious, but more "liu" than kueh teow, but I guess in this carbo hating world we live in, it might not be a bad thing.




Deep-fried White Souffl with Red Bean Paste. It looks a bit like puffs, but it is nowhere near the texture. The puff/souffle is actually made from pure egg white. Very skillfully using the presumably whipped egg white to form a ball around the red bean paste, it is then instantly fried. Chef explained that it requires quite a skillful hand to be able to manipulate whipped egg white, and to be able to achieve that kind of ethereal airiness.






Chilled Seaweed Jelly with Osmanthus and Wolf Berries. An OUTSTANDING dessert. I wish I could have this everyday. Refreshing, and I don't know if it was psychological, but it felt so cleansing. Ah, I am having a craving for this as I type. Ooops, did I mention pregnancy in the first paragraph?




Part of the dinner conversation revolved around the history of Concorde, and it's Merlin days. The true test of a true KL-ite is whether or not they knew what was BEFORE Concorde, and the legendary tortoise pond that was outside the Chinese restaurant. But even now, Xin does have a certain retro charm, as it HAS been around for awhile now.



Chef here being fielded by the media.

In my book, Xin has always been consistent in their Chinese food, and these new dishes introduced give me no doubt that they will be as good as they were during the press review.