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O Bahn Mi, 1 Utama

September 6, 2016 by HB

O Bahn Mi

I want to eat bahn mi, my better half told me. “Pan mee?” I said, aghast. I hate the stuff. I had misheard. She meant the Vietnamese sandwich inspired by the French. We were at 1 Utama coz she wanted to look at mooncakes. O Bahn Mi is located on the ground floor and I thought I had been to one of their branches before (turns out not, that was quick bites). It also serves other Vietnamese street food.

Bahn Mi 1Utama

The place was packed on a Sunday morning which is surprising since the other F&B outlets were practically empty. O Bahn Mi is a popular destination due to their extremely quick turnover and relatively lower prices. You order at the counter and the food gets delivered to you a minute or two later. Besides bahn mi sandwiches, they also have pho and broken rice – one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes in Melbourne.

Grilled BBQ Pork Sandwich (RM 10.90)

Grilled BBQ Pork Sandwich

O Bahn Mi actually has a wide range of bahn mi sandwiches. This is one of their most popular ones. It’s served in a Vietnamese baguette about the size of a 6″ sub. I’ve been to Hanoi before and eaten this. We’ve also had bahn mi in Cambodia during our trip there. It’s a great option for breakfast, it’s sold out of carts in Vietnam and people eat it in the mornings. The one here is pretty decent too.

Combination Beef Pho (RM 14.90)

Combination Beef Pho

I didn’t feel like eating bahn mi so I had their pho instead. The pho at O Bahn Mi is awesome! The soup is beefy and has tenderloin, brisket and meatballs inside. The also serve lots of herbs and aromatics on the side, including Thai basil. You really need this to make the pho better. A lot of places skimp on the fresh herbs and it’s not the same without it. This place makes it right. Delicious!

Caramel Flan (RM 5.90)

Caramel Flan

I love crème caramel. It’s actually a very common desert in the 80’s in Malaysia but not everyone knows that. Our house had a box at all times and in the past, coffee shops would serve this. Nowadays it’s very rare to find it while eating outside except at Ramadan bazaars. I’ve only seen it once when my dad came over to visit. We went to a random place and found it on the menu. The sprig of mint on the dessert adds a lot.

O Bahn Mi Us

I didn’t realize it at the time but they only charged me RM 1 for the Vietnamese coffee by upgrading me to one of their meal sets instead of charging it separately, which would have cost more. The meal for the two of us cost RM 31.60 at O Bahn Mi. It’s very reasonable compared to our usual brunch bill. The food is pretty good too. There are so many pho places nowadays compared to a few months back and there’s no one happier than me by this development coz I love pho!

KyoChon Malaysia, 1 Utama

July 28, 2016 by HB

KyoChon

I’ve been a bit obsessed with Korean fried chicken lately and went down to 1 Utama just now to check out KyoChon. My better half went with the kids when I was back in Sibu and told me that it’s quite decent. She had a mixed platter and thought the Honey Series are great. KyoChon is an international Korean fried chicken chain that started in South Korea but now has branches all over the world, including the United States, and now, Malaysia.

KyoChon Malaysia

KyoChon recently started serving 1/2 and whole chickens but they used to only have drums, breast strips or wing + drumlet combos. I was eating by myself this afternoon so I couldn’t order the whole chicken. I went with the drumstick option since I prefer a whole leg to Buffalo chicken wings. The pricing is RM 18.50 for 8 pieces of wing and drumlets or RM 11.50 for 2 pieces of drumsticks. KyoChon also serves fresh, unfrozen chicken so it’s not tacky like fast food.

Soy Garlic Series (RM 11.50 for 2 drumsticks + RM 6 for combo)

KyoChon Chicken

I made this a meal with an RM 6 upgrade. It comes with steamed rice, salad, soup, and a drink. The rice costs RM 3.90 separately so adding RM 2 for soup, salad and a drink is an awesome deal. KyoChon takes at least 15 minutes to get your order ready since they’re cooked to order. It actually took more like 20 for my order to come but it’s worth it. The drumsticks are much smaller than I had thought so it’s a good thing I ordered two sets. I wouldn’t have been willing to wait for another 15 min just to add on an item.

Red Pepper Series (RM 11.50 for 2 drumsticks)

KyoChon Red Series

I’ve seen a lot of Korean mukbang hosts eat these drumsticks. They’re real drumsticks from the legs e.g. not the smaller drumlets from the wing. However, they’re a lot smaller than what you’ll expect. I’m not sure why this is the case…maybe they use smaller chickens? One portion isn’t enough for a person, unless you’re a small eater. I actually thought these were full sized drums and planned to eat 3 and take away 1 coz I thought I’ll be full but I ate everything in the end and was less than full.

KyoChon Me

KyoChon is a good option for mall dining. I like how the Red Pepper Series is reasonably spicy and mildly Tabasco hot sauce like sour. It’s my favorite sauce. The rice they serve looks like Korean short grain rice but tastes less sticky, like a hybrid of local and Calrose rice. It’s not as good as the ones we had over the weekend. Honestly, the Korean fried chicken we had at Chicken House in Mont Kiara was a lot better too. However, RM 31.90 for lunch, inclusive of their wonderful beetroot salad dressing and the thirst-quenching Natural Sparkling Yuzu Fruit Tea, is a reasonable price in a shopping complex.

Planking

June 1, 2011 by HB

I just came back from a trip to Kuantan where I got to swim in the blue seas and get some planking photos done. Heh!

You’ve all heard of the phenomenon that started in Australia and swept worldwide…unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few months, that is. It really only hit mainstream news when someone died while planking on a balcony.

I’ve seen some crazy stunts by plankers on the Planking Facebook page which started it all. What is planking? In a nutshell, all you do is lie face down with your hands by your side at the most ridiculous places. It’s just as simple as that.

I did the heated swimming pool rail at the resort (or at least tried to). This is a totally failed planking attempt since it’s really hard to balance on a wet and slippery 10 cm rail and perform a perfect plank.

The good: I was cheered on by a bunch of people vacationing there and chilling in the pool. Plus, since it is the Hyatt Grand Regency Resort, none of the staff wanted to be the one to stop a paying guest at a 5 star hotel. Heh!

The bad: I have bruises everywhere and my family jewels hurt like nobody’s business. Why? Think about it. It’s a 45 degree railing. You’re planking on a steep downward incline, trying to get the perfect form. It’s wet. When you lose your grip (what grip?), guess which part of your anatomy hits the rail before you slide into the pool or fall on the side? Yes, ouch indeed. -_-

I also did the notorious balcony planking photo there. We were at the 4th floor so it wasn’t very high up and the rail was relatively large enough to do it without an excessive chance of you falling down and ending in the ER. It’s not the perfect form but it’s close enough without being too dangerous. Also, if you look, there is a safety awning which would probably hold my weight if I fell down the wrong side of the building.

I have to say though, planking is a very idiotic meme that has swept the net for reasons unknown. It’s dangerous and it’s stupid. I suggest you do something better with your time…like playing the Funbots Dance Facebook app!

It’s also another Facebook activity so there’s that in common. Heh! It’s basically a game by Munchy’s to celebrate their 20th anniversary. They’ve been around since 1991 and this year, in the spirit of the Share the Fun campaign, four Funbots have been created – Michael Oven, DJ Mixer, ChopChop, and BeatBox. Witty!

There’s a real life parallel to this – the Funbot characters will begin their physical journey from 19th May, starting at the Munchy’s factory in Batu Pahat and ending in 1 Utama Oval Concourse where there will be a grand celebration from 1-5th June. Mark your calendars now coz fun and games await! Come and join the celebrations! 🙂

In the meantime, stay out of trouble and play the Funbots Dance app on Munchy’s Facebook page. It’s strangely addictive and you get to win prizes including a Macbook Pro, iPad 2 and other Apple products instead of a trip to the hospital. 😉

You can also track the progress of the Funbots journey to 1 Utama on the page. Come and beat my score now! w00t!

Waffle World, 1U

November 21, 2008 by HB

waffle world

Waffle World is a colorful dessert house specializing in (you guessed it) waffles. The bright, happy shades used in this franchise coupled with their merry “Cheer Up! Waffle World is here!” tagline attracted us to this establishment (as well as their new WW Tower – the tallest dessert ever built).

waffle world montage

The place is located just off a busy shopping mall through way, so if you have reservations about eating at a place like this, well, you’re too pretentious to be reading sixthseal.com anyway. 😉

strawberry goes bananas

I’m not going to write about my girlfriend’s drink since she always orders the usual orange or pineapple juice. Mine is the more adventurous Strawberry Goes Bananas (RM 8) which is a fruit smoothie blended with fresh strawberries and bananas. The two tastes surprisingly well together, with the more subdued banana covering up the acidic aspects of the strawberry.

waffle world walnut

This is the Banana Walnut Waffle (RM 7.90). The presentation is great, with bananas lined in an oblique fashion (I’ve been told to use more common words, but 15 years of reading SK has influenced my writing somewhat, so perhaps angular would be a better word here?). It’s sprinkled with crushed walnuts, a heap of ice cream, and generous squeezes from a Hershey’s syrup bottle. The taste? Spectacular.

waffle world pizza

I opted for a savory waffle, since I kinda knew I was gonna have to eat half of the Banana Walnut Waffle (it’s the reason I’ve been getting so fat lately, my other half can’t finish her portions). I had the Tropical Pizza (RM 8.90), which is a pizza served on top of waffles (as the name of the establishment suggests) and it tasted pretty good. It’s sliced sausages and pineapples topped with melted cheese but at about the size of a modern cell phone, it’s not going to fill anyone up.

waffle world us

The obligatory couple shot.

waffle world tower

This is the WW Tower (RM 7.50) – a new creation from the labs of Waffle World Inc. It is hyped with the hyperbolic statement “AT LAST. The TOWER is BUILT” and is supposed to be the tallest dessert ever created at 280 mm. The WW Tower is a concoction of three scoops of ice cream, chocolate, caramel, blueberry sauces, almond slices, strawberry bits, and sponge cake, topped with two “towering” wafers.

waffle world me

It is every bit as tall as they say (I measured)…though I seriously doubt it’s the tallest desert in the world. It is definitely going to give you a sugar rush though.

I’m told the shade of purple in the dessert matches my G2000 cardigan too.

Wong Kok Char Chang Teng Hong Kong Restaurant

November 13, 2008 by HB

mongkok teahouse

Wong Kok Char Chang Teng (Mongkok Teahouse) Hong Kong Restaurant is yet another HK food franchise in KL. It seems that ever since Kim Gary took off, HK style quick service restaurants has been sprouting up like mushrooms in KL. This particular establishment comes with the tantalizing tag line “Taste to Feel Hong Kong”. Hmm…

mongkok teahouse montage

Wong Kok Hong Kong Restaurant is nestled in a quiet alcove in 1 Utama and features a warm ambiance with a heavy emphasis on diffused spot lighting. I did not attempt to count the incandescent spot light fixtures both embedded into the walls and in stand alone lantern style versions but I can assure you that there are quite a lot of them.

kwok chun on

This restaurant is apparently endorsed by a Mr. Kwok Chun On – a pretty boy chef with a forced smile and a unenthusiastic thumbs up. It comes with a lot of Chinese characters on the side, which I can’t read, but I gather he’s the establishment’s ambassador for a reason.

mongkok teahouse drinks

Doris had the Salted Lemon Sourplum Juice (RM 6.80) while I had the Chocolate ice-cream milk shake (RM 7.50). Salt with sour bases makes it sweet so her drink is quite pleasantly saccharine. The latter is coated with chocolate and crushed peanuts on the side of the glass, much like a frozen margarita is lined with salt.

mongkok shanghai rice

This is the Shanghai sauce roasted pork with mixed vegetables and rice (RM 9.50) which Doris ordered. It looks a little bit on the plain side, but it tastes good.

hong kong bak chang

I had the interestingly named Hong Kong waxed meat rice wrapped with lotus leaves (RM 9.50). Doris reads Chinese and told me this is a bak chang of sorts. I love the way it came out though – it’s like a tall, slim pyramid that’s almost phallic in nature.

hong kong bak chang open

It unwraps to reveal glutenous rice marinated in soy sauce with little treasures of pork, mushrooms and other ingredients inside the rice. It’s served with Taiwan sausages and a complete shiitake mushroom on the side. It tasted pretty good, and it’s novel.

mongkok french toast

We also ordered French Toast (RM 4.20) – it would be heresy to not check out the quality of the French Toast in a HK eating establishment. HK style French Toast has peanut butter inside and is deep fried with batter before a slab of artery clogging butter is put on top. I found Kim Gary’s French Toast to be much better than the Mongkok Teahouse version.

mongkok simmering

Mongkok Teahouse also has a premium menu – this is the Seafood and Vegetable in Paper Pot (RM 21.80) which we ordered from that menu. It seems to be one of their signature dishes from the prominent placement on it’s premium menu and comes simmering to your table courtesy of a small boiler beneath the pot.

mongkok premium

The Seafood and Vegetable in Paper Pot is filled with prawns, fish, seaweed, rice vermicelli and other Chinese herbs and vegetables. It tasted rather bland and we both felt it wasn’t worth the premium price tag.

mongkok teahouse us

I am so juvenile sometimes…

mongkok teahouse end

Wong Kok Char Chang Teng Hong Kong Restaurant is one of the less popular HK style eatery chains out there but it’s worth checking out the phallic Hong Kong waxed meat rice wrapped with lotus leaves.

…if only just to take a photo of it. 😉

Good Evening Bangkok!

November 8, 2008 by HB

good evening bangkok restaurant

Good Evening Bangkok is a Thai eating establishment located at the Rainforest section of 1 Utama. I couldn’t help but feel that the restaurant’s name is derived from Good Morning, Vietnam – the Robin Williams movie about being a DJ in the Vietnam War, the only solace for US troops mobilized to probably the only war they lost. 😉

good evening bangkok montage

Good Evening Bangkok has a nice ambiance with Siamese artifacts adorning the entire interior. The seating arrangements are covered with an unfortunate shade of pink chair liners, but other than that, the lighting and fixtures were all very warm and inviting. We weren’t really hungry so we just shared a starter, a main dish and dessert.

good evening bangkok drinks

Doris had the fresh watermelon juice (RM 7.50) while I went for the Evan & Tate Salisbury Chardonnay (RM 16). My original choice was for the Singha beer (RM 18) for maximum authenticity but unfortunately Good Evening Bangkok ran out of the Thailand brewed beer.

good evening combo

This is their signature appetizer – the Good Evening Combo (RM 16.90), which is a taster dish of sorts. It contains fish cake, money bag, prawn wonton and mango salad. I love the mango salad, it reminded me of the som tam (papaya salad) I had back in Bangkok a couple of years ago. The other dishes didn’t really make an impression on me.

thai rice noodles

Phad Thai Goong Sod (Stir-fried Thai rice noodle with fresh prawn) was recommended by the waitress for the main dish. It’s one of their new menu items, priced at RM 14.90. I absolutely love this dish! Notice the dried chili powder and ground peanuts on the side. It creates an amazing fusion of flavor and texture when mixed into the rice noodles. It’s very, very spicy too, which always gets bonus points from me.

mango sticky rice

Khow Neow Ma Moung (Mango with sticky rice) is probably one of the most recognizable and popular Thai desserts. It’s priced at RM 11.90 at Good Evening Bangkok and comes with half a whole mango sliced into nice, easy to handle cubes, sauce on the side and sticky glutinous rice sprinkled with sesame seeds.

good evening bangkok us

It somehow didn’t taste too authentic but that’s all right coz I just went there for the WiFi. 😉

good evening bangkok

Good Evening Bangkok is a relaxing place to eat breakfast or lunch. The presentation is good and the service is excellent but most of the dishes have been found wanting. The appetizer and dessert we ordered isn’t anything to write home about, but the main dish is absolutely fabulous! It’s definitely worth checking out.

Louisa’s 23rd @ TGI Friday’s, 1 Utama

October 26, 2004 by HB

tgif 1 utama

This is TGI Friday’s at the newly revamped mall at 1 Utama which
threatens Mid Valley Megamall’s claim to the biggest mall around these
parts with its new extension wing. I was in KL as a surprise for my
girlfriend’s 23rd birthday.

tgif wait

Richard had already made preparations for Louisa’s birthday, but
there was a mistake in the TGIF venue so we had to wait for around 10
minutes before seating arrangements could be made for our party of four.

tgif interior

TGI Friday’s was packed as usual, since it was a Saturday night.
There was a table beside us with two girls who ate a prodigious amount,
which puts my legendary voracious appetite to shame. One of them ate
twice the amount that I could usually eat. I guess there’s always
someone better than you. 😉

tgif buffulo wings

This is one of the appetizers…I didn’t order it so I’m not sure what it is. Buffalo wings with celery and dip.

Ultimate Mudslide RM 19.50

tgif mudslide

A chocolate laced avalanche of Kahlua, vodka, Baileys Irish Cream
and ice cream. It’s absolutely fabulous – very thick and rich. It’s a
great dessert style cocktail. Highly recommended!

Ultimate Margarita RM 19.50

tgif margarita

Our signature margarita made with Jose Cuervo Gold, Cointreau and
Grand Marnier. I reckon it’s much better than Chili’s margarita.

World Famous Friday’s Burger RM 17.90

tgif famous burger

Our renowned patty topped with crisp beef bacon slices and melted Colby cheese. It’s alright, what I usually order at TGIF.

tgif burger macro

We shared this one along with the new Fajita Tower.

JD Chicken and Shrimp RM 32.90

tgif prawn chicken

This is a blurry picture of what Richard ordered. It comes with dip and mashed potatoes.

Fish and Chips RM 22.90

tgif fish chips

Here’s Alice’s meal. Fish and chips.

Sizzlin’ Fajita Tower RM 33.90

tgif fajita tower

This is the new menu item at TGI Friday’s. Chargrilled beef,
chicken, or combination (we chose the combo) on a platter of grilled
onions and peppers. Wrap meat and vegetables in warm flour tortillas or
crisp lettuce cups. Then top with cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo and
guacamole to give it more Southwestern flair.

tgif fajita 1
This is the highest plate on the 3 tier tower. It has the toppings on it.