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Chef Martin Yan Chinese food wine pairing banquet @ Mandarin Oriental

Dec 042011

jacobs creek martin yan wine pairing dinner

I went to Chef Martin Yan‘s wine pairing banquet dinner at Mandarin Oriental a couple of weeks ago. It is actually quite intriguing for two reasons – I was a huge fan of his popular Yan Can Cook TV show as a kid and getting to meet the man and taste his cuisine in real life really appealed to me.

chef martin yan

He’s now doing a show called True Passion with Martin Yan on AFC where he pairs wine with Chinese food so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when the invite came along.

martin yan dinner mandarin oriental

The dinner started with a cocktail reception where Jacob’s Creek served wine with various hors d’oeuvre before the six-course banquet dinner:

Chilled Scallop with Jellyfish and Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

Chilled Scallop with Jellyfish and Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

This is the first dish that came out. It’s paired with Jacob’s Creek Steingarten Riesling and resembles the traditional cold appetizers in Chinese banquet dinners. There are four delicious items in this starter which includes a surprisingly tasty salad arranged on a soup spoon but the one I loved the most is the namesake.

scallops martin yan

The scallop is huge and pan-seared to perfection. It’s topped with scallions (spring onions), shallots (red onion) and carrot shavings but it is the pomelo citrus bits at the bed of the oyster shell it’s served in that makes this an orgasmic combination.

Oven Baked Sea Treasure Broth Served in Coconut with Puff Pastry

Oven Baked Sea Treasure Broth Served in Coconut with Puff Pastry

This Cantonese style double boiled soup is paired with Jacob’s Creek Reeves Point Chardonnay has treasures galore – there’s dried scallop, fish maw, shitake mushrooms, crab meat and even even abalone.

abalone martin yan

It tastes sweet due to the coconut flesh that’s infused into the broth. It goes very well with the buttery puff pastry crust that tops the young coconut shell that it comes served in. I’m not usually a huge fan of soups but this one is deliciously decadent – I even ended up scooping the succulent coconut flesh to eat.

Cantonese Style Steamed Cod Fish with Superior Soya Sauce and Baby Cabbage

Cantonese Style Steamed Cod Fish with Superior Soya Sauce and Baby Cabbage

This is the obligatory fish dish and it’s no secret that I have a weakness for steamed fish. I love the subtle flavors and fresh and tender cod. The fish almost falls apart when you spear it, and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Mmm…my favorite dish of the night.

jacobs creek

All the dishes are paired with a Jacob’s Creek wine and I’ve written about the wine pairings in Lifestyle Asia – Celebrity Chef Martin Yan Heats Up KL – and included two recipes from the night by Chef Martin Yan from AFC kindly provided by Joey.

Peking Sweet and Sour Prawns

Peking Sweet and Sour Prawns

I totally loved this dish. The prawns are really fresh and the sweet and sour sauce is delicious. Chef Yan gets this one done to perfection – there is a thin crunchy crust from the batter which seals in the tender and juicy prawn flesh. It’s paired with Jacob’s Creek Steingarten Riesling 2007.

Australian Lamb Cutlets in 3 Chilli Sauce with Jasmine Fried Rice

Australian Lamb Cutlets in 3 Chilli Sauce with Jasmine Fried Rice

This is the main dish for the night, paired with a robust Shiraz. The lamb is amazingly rich and almost falls of the bone and the gravy goes well with the small portion of fried rice on the side. It’s one of the two dishes Chef Martin Yan cooked on stage and the lamb cutlets has a really great sauce made with ketchup, balsamic vinegar, chilli sauce and sugar. I preferred the sweet and sour prawns though.

Sweet Temptations of Chocolate and Mango and Lychee Jelly and Raspberry Coulis

Sweet Temptations of Chocolate and Mango and Lychee Jelly and Raspberry Coulis

This is the dessert after a wonderful and satisfying meal. The rich chocolate and mango cake/mousse is topped with an edible slice of chocolate with Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur printed on it. The lychee jelly and raspberry coulis at the side goes very well with it as it cleanses your palate after each bite of the rich dessert.

martin yan dinner group photo

This is our table at the dinner – got this photo from Wilson. Wei Zhi, Evelyn and Suanie was there too. I didn’t get the name of the other but the one in the Mandarin Oriental outfit is Bel.

martin yan

I also got to meet Chef Martin Yan, one of my childhood heroes. I can still remember the refrain “Yan can cook, so can you!” that he does and he hasn’t lost as bit of his stage presence. The guy has a great sense of humor and is very friendly in real life too. You’ve got to see him in action, the thing he does on stage is exactly like his cooking show.

mandarin oriental chocolates

There was also a selection of chocolates and candy from Mandarin Oriental to end the night. I was totally stuffed when I got home. It’s one of the best dinners I’ve had recently.

Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Porridge in SS2, Petaling Jaya

Chinese, Exotic food, Food reviews 27 Responses »

Jun 232011

kung pow frog leg

Yes, this is a branch of the renowned Singaporean frog leg porridge located in the more dubious part of the island. I’ve had the pleasure of eating at the original Geylang Lorong 9 frog leg porridge in Singapore and have been known to drop by their branch in Petaling Jaya a couple of times and I’ve always found that they cook up a consistently good frog leg dish.

geylang lor 9 frog leg

I went there for a late lunch yesterday and ordered the medium kung pow frog leg claypot (RM 24). You don’t have to eat porridge if you don’t want to – there’s an option for rice as well, which we both went for. However, it should be noted that the awesome kung pow sauce goes better with porridge.

malaysia frog leg porridge

Anyway, I was telling Bonnie about how producers sell food at a higher price to supermarkets compared to restaurants coz the former needs to display their goods while the latter don’t. I remember watching a documentary where a restaurant owner was interviewed saying how supermarkets require better looking food items coz for display while restaurants can get away with the odd ones, since most of the cooking is done without the customer seeing it, but for the life of me I can’t remember exactly where I saw that show.

She sat there listening patiently until it dawned on me…it was actually her reporting assignment that I was watching a couple of days ago and that’s where I heard that fact. -_-

frog leg claypot

The Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Porridge name is a bit of a misnomer since they don’t just serve the frog legs but the entire frog. It tastes really good though – frog meat is exquisitely tender and juicy – it’s like a cross between a fish and a chicken thigh.

geylang lor 9 frog leg us

I still prefer the original Singapore one though. I know they import their frog meat from Malaysia but it still tastes better to me. I suspect it’s the way they cook it – the flagship Singaporean Geylang Lorong 9 porridge place just has better claypot kung fu.

frog leg rice

Order the fresh barley if you can’t take spicy food – their kung pow frog leg can be pretty intense.

Rice Bowls Restaurant, Pusat Bandar Damansara

Chinese, Stalls 143 Responses »

Aug 242010

rice bowls chicken rice

Rice Bowls Restaurant is hands down the best halal chicken rice in the world. I happen to hold the Mayorship on foursquare for this place for one simple reason – I eat here almost every day. However, a couple of weeks ago, I got a piece of shocking news – they’re closing down coz the proprietor is moving to Australia.

rice bowls restaurant

I was horrified. It took a couple of hours for the realization to sink in. Where am I going to eat lunch now? There’s nothing remotely as good as this chicken rice place in Pusat Bandar Damansara. It was a shining beacon in the rat race – a sanctuary I look forward to every single day. I’ll have to go hungry and die of starvation. :(

rice bowls chicken rice meal

Dejected, I started eating at other places again until someone told me the good news. Rice Bowls is open! It lives again! It’s the modern resurrection! I could scarcely believe my ears. I had to see it with my own eyes, being the Doubting Thomas that I am.

Behold! It’s true! Rice Bowls is open under new management. Shout it from the hills! It’s back, and so is the chef and the people working there.

rice bowls staff

I always eat the same thing over here so when I walk in the staff will just smile at their regular and go “Biasa?” and prepare my order. It’s apparently more renowned for the roasted chicken but I prefer their steamed chicken. My usual is the drumstick chicken rice with an extra bowl of rice and iced tea. I love the oil and sauce that goes into the steamed chicken and the chilli sauce is fucking awesome as well.

rice bowls chicken rice mine

My routine for eating it is to dump the extra bowl of rice in the plate and pour the chicken + oil + sauce on top. It’s almost like a ritual. I’ll eat 3/4 of the rice + sauce and save the 1/4 virgin chicken rice for eating with chilli sauce. I’ll down the hot soup after that and finish the meal with the iced tea.

rice bowls chicken

It used to cost RM 8.10 for a drumstick with chicken rice and an extra bowl of rice (free) plus iced tea, but under the new management, there is no more free extra rice. It costs RM 9.60 for my regular meal now so that makes an extra bowl of chicken rice RM 1.50.

rice bowls lunch

I don’t mind though. It is indeed the best halal chicken rice in the world and I’m glad to see that it’s back!

Teow Chew Meng @ Sunway Mas

Chinese 85 Responses »

Apr 212009

teow chew meng

Teow Chew Meng is a Teo Chew eating establishment located at Sunway Mas. I would not be surprised if the proprietor’s name is Meng and people call him Teow Chew Meng, but that’s not the case. The owner goes by the name Steven and there are photos of him adorning the entrance of the place with various local and regional celebrities like Jack Neo (the Singapore director).

meng octopus

The boiled octopus (RM 12) came highly recommended so we ordered that for the appetizer. It’s just boiled baby octopus but involves no small amount of effort and skills to make it come out slightly crunchy (!). It pairs well with the spicy peanut sauce served alongside it. It’s nothing to write home about though – perhaps a lot of that has to do with being overshadowed by the superb Shark’s Fin Mee Sua Tow.

meng apple beancurd

We also ordered the Apple Beancurd (RM 10) which is an unusual combination of deep fried tofu with sauce and prawns. There are finely shredded green apples topping this dish and the texture and taste contrast between the tofu, chilli sauce, green apples and prawns gives a tantalizingly palate-confusing yet delicious experience.

meng salted egg

The other side dish we ordered is the Seafood Roll (RM 10) which is stuffed with prawns, fish, vegetables and salted egg. It’s another one of the house specialties, the salted egg yolk is supposed to add another dimension to this classic (and usually meat stuffed) dish. Teow Chew Meng is a big fan of substituting meat with seafood. The salted egg is like a surprise in the seafood roll – there’s a burst of flavor on your palate when you bite into it, which increases your appetite exponentially. :)

meng shark fin

The flagship dish of Teow Chew Meng is their excellent Shark Fin’s Mee Sua Tow. It’s similar to their popular Mee Sua Tow (all aquatic creatures are intact) except this version includes an added premium ingredient – Shark’s Fin. The strands of shark’s fin are sprinkled liberally on top of the dish. It costs about RM 11 per person, which is actually quite cheap considering a bowl for four (4) allows everyone second helpings with leftovers to boot.

meng mee sua tow

Teow Chew Meng does not skimp on the seafood either – marine biologists would have a field day identifying the large chunks of fish, clams, squid, prawns, oysters, crab sticks, fish maw, and cuttlefish inside. I love the mee sua over here. It has the consistency of porridge (not congee, porridge) but the starch and abundance of seafood and gravy makes it go down really well. It’s slippery in a good way.

meng shark fin mee sua tow

The Shark’s Fin Mee Sua Tow tastes great with seafood. This is the distinguishing feature of Teow Chew Meng – they use various creatures of the deep which unleashes (not infuse, it literally lets loose) a plethora of delicious seafood flavors into the mee sua. Nom nom nom. I ate three helpings.

View sixthseal.com in a larger map

Teow Chew Meng is located at Aman Suria and it’s surprisingly free from the usual office lunch crowd. I think we were the only ones there. Parking can be a problem during lunch, so car pool if you plan to go. The bill came up to about RM 160 for 9 people. I highly recommend going in a group and getting the Shark’s Fin Mee Sua Tow.

You’ll thank me for it, it’s awesome! Just thinking back makes me drool…

Lou Sang @ New Paris Restaurant SS2

Chinese 58 Responses »

Jan 262009

new paris

Restaurant New Paris is renowned for two things – their watermelon chicken and the speed their dishes are served. I was there for the second lou sang dinner of the year – there were 24 of us so we occupied two tables on the third floor. Yes, despite it’s humble exterior, Restaurant New Paris actually has three (!) floors of dining splendor.

new paris owner

I neglect to mention the other thing New Paris Restaurant in SS2 is famous for – the loudspeaker-toting proprietor. He takes his hailer and literally shouts out orders to the crew, you just have to experience it. Heh! You can see how often that is done by the well-loved and duct-taped hailer. Hail to the (real) King, baby! ;)
(no pun intended)

new paris interior

The full three stories of Restaurant New Paris are captured here. It wasn’t quite full when we arrived at 6:30 pm but by the time it reached around 7 pm the entire three floors of New Paris Restaurant was absolutely packed! It’s very popular, that’s for sure. I also learnt the arcane art of “cleansing” cups – you’re supposed to pour hot tea into one and then swirl it around before pouring it into the next cup. Rinse and repeat.

new paris lou sang

I present – the salmon yee sang of New Paris Restaurant! Most of the ingredients are sourced off-the-shelf…

new paris yee sang

…but it’s the ceremony that matters! More $ during the next year! More bonuses! Higher paychecks! Win 6k in Genting! Snag Cameron Diaz! Okay, maybe not that last one.

new paris aftermath

We were very enthusiastic about the entire thing…look at the aftermath of the lau sang session. I think some of it got into my drink as well… -_-!!!

new paris food

I like the quaint steamed rice in a pot that Restaurant New Paris serves their rice in. The butter prawns was tasty too. I wouldn’t be in a rush to write home about the omelet, vegetables, or the tofu but their pork leg is ze best! Excellent!

new paris fish

No Chinese New Year dinner would be complete without fish. This is ginger fish, steamed before being deep-fried. I was astounded that this was actually possible. How can you steam a fish and then deep fry it? Logistics aside, the ginger fish was great.

watermelon chicken

However, the signature dish of Restaurant New Paris is their watermelon chicken. It has scoops of fresh watermelon on the side with the hollowed out fruit being used as a receptacle for sweet and sour chicken. It’s fabulous and the presentation is great. It’s so good there was watermelon ball poaching amongst the two tables. :)

fionne wai yan

Wai Yan and Fionne.

new paris group

Restaurant New Paris serves good Chinese food and the upside is that they churn out their dishes really fast. I mean, really fast, as in Speedy Gonzalez kind of fast. The flagship watermelon chicken should not be missed. The chicken pieces are tender and flavorful and I could only find the Good Parts (TM) inside – drums, thighs etc.

Anyway, I’ll be driving down to Ipoh later for an overnight road trip. Catch you all tomorrow. Happy Chinese New Year everyone! :)

Famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodles

Stalls 25 Responses »

Jan 212009

ngau kee famous beef noodles

Famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodles is a simple stall setup in front of a dilapidated row of what looks like pre-war shop houses in the middle of KL. It’s supposed to have really good beef noodles and I like eating things that go moo. The roadside stall was packed with people and double parked cars, which is always a good sign.

ngau kee sign

I know it’s famous because the signboard says so. ;)

ngau kee montage

Famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodles invented the concept of “open kitchen” before it became the in thing for trendy restaurants. They probably coined the freaking word. Pioneers, they are. The stall also has the time-honored tradition of only offering five (5) different types of drinks. You’ll be spoilt for choice! ;)

ngau kee beef noodles

Ngau Kee Beef Noodles is famous for it’s beef noodles – some of us went for the Mixed Beef with Dry Noodles (RM 6) while the others went for the Mixed Beef Soup Noodles (RM 6). It’s basically the same thing, except the beef balls and tripe is served on the side with clear soup for the dry version while the soup edition has everything in a bowl with a heartier broth. This is the flagship dish of the stall. You can add 10 beef balls for RM 6 or 10 pork balls for RM 10. Okay, that didn’t sound quite right, but I meant the side dishes.

ngau kee pj

It’s so good PJ people have been known to drive down to eat the beef noodles!

ngau kee chilli

The best thing about the stall is their patented (well, not really, but it must be the recipe of the grandma or something like that) chilli sauce. Best ever.

ngau-kee-map

Famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodles is located along Tingkat Tong Shin. It’s close to Jalan Alor, and you can’t miss the huge neon cow (bull?) on the stall. While the stall would not be winning awards for hygiene standards or interior design anytime soon, you just can’t beat the fabulous beef noodles there.

Shanghai 10 @ Sungai Wang Plaza

Chinese 27 Responses »

Oct 262008

shanghai10

Shanghai 10 is a Hong Kong style eating establishment located at Sungai Wang Plaza. There was a promoter passing out 10% discount vouchers at the escalators so we decided to check the place out. The full color brochure is printed with tantalizing photos of the dishes, some of which were quite unique.

shanghai10 interior

Shanghai10 is a direct English translation of the Chinese name, which actually means “Shanghai Sky”. 10 and “tien” (sky) is phonetically similar. The interior of the place is plastered with ancient Chinese scrolls and paintings – all in a contiguous length covering the perimeter of the enclosure, which is pretty impressive.

shanghai10 drinks

The place is packed with patrons having brunch and we got ourselves a seat and decided to binge a little since we were famished from not having breakfast. My girlfriend went for the Iced Honey Lemon Jasmine Tea (RM 3.20) and I ordered Guinness Stout (RM 10.80) that still came in the old skool cans containing the proper 8% alcohol. ;)

shanghai10 shark fin

Double Boiled Seafood Soup Dumplings with Shark Fin (RM 12)
This is one of the signature soups of the place. It’s served with a rather generous portion of shark fin on top of the soup, which contains fish maw, crab sticks and several huge peeled prawns. The broth is hearty and delicious, especially with a dash of pepper after the shark fin has been consumed.

shanghai10 montage

Shanghai Special Fried Bean Sheet (RM 7.80)
This tasted really good, with generous portions of seafood. I love the fried bean sheet and was enthusing about it to my girlfriend. We don’t get that over here in Sarawak. The texture and size of the bean sheet is really nice.
Kei Chi Fried Rice (RM 5.80)
Kei Chi is the red bead thing that always goes into double boiled chicken soup. I don’t know what it’s called in English but its supposed help you with your eyesight. *shrugs* I didn’t find this dish particularly interesting.
Shanghai Double Boiled Soup Dumplings (RM 6.90)
This is the famous “xiao long pau” (small dragon buns) which is made with the chicken broth still inside the paper-thin wrap. Shanghai 10 does a good version of this. It’s topped with fish roe – a very nice touch.
Shanghai 10 Jade Shrimp Dumplings (RM 4.20)
This is the Shanghai 10 signature version of the popular dim sum. The har kaw comes with a huge, succulent prawn inside and it’s juicy and tender. Nice!

shanghai10 dragon

The Shanghai Double Boiled Soup Dumplings is supposed to be pierced first to let the chicken broth drain out before consuming. The ritual has a pragmatic rationale – the soup is scalding hot, as Doris found out when she accidentally scalded her tongue on it. Probably ruined her taste buds for the day, that. ;)

shanghai10 avocado

This is the house specialty dessert – Avocado with Kataifi (RM 5.20). It’s a Greek dessert originating from the Middle East, where it is known as Kanafeh. The crispy exterior of the Kataifi in Shanghai 10 goes well with the avocado paste inside. It’s a bit too oily for our tastes though.

shanghai10 durian

The other dessert we ordered is the Durian Pancake (RM 4.80). This dessert is served cold and comes in a durian skin wrap and a filling made of fresh durians. It’s absolutely fabulous! The sinfully delicious dessert is creamy and rich, and it comes highly recommended from me. :)

shanghai10 end

Shanghai 10 is an agreeable dining experience for shopping mall standards. The bill came up to RM 62.80 for the two of us, after the 10% discount voucher that was passed to us at the elevator. I highly recommend it for the durian pancake. It’s heavenly!

(pun not intended)

David Bak Kut Teh Cafe

Chinese 10 Responses »

Sep 202008

david bak kut teh

David Bak Kut Teh is a coffee shop specializing in bak kut teh (pork rib tea). There are a lot of bak kut teh establishments springing up over here now, but David is the oldest and most recognized of them all. It’s located at the traffic cop magnet beside the fire station in town so be prepared to move your car frequently if you park at the yellow line right in front, since parking is scarce at that area.

david david

David is the proprietor of the place, the waiter and the cook all rolled into one. The man is a very friendly person with an amicable personality. He’s not actually a cook by profession, he came over from JB eons ago and worked in a department store as a salesman. Story goes, he tried his hand at cooking bak kut teh and spent four years perfecting his recipe.

david stall

His first operation was in a stall at the coffee shop beside his current premises. His bak kut teh was so popular that he finally expanded to his very own place…right next door. :) He runs the entire place with the help of his wife, and despite all the work, he’s a very jovial man. I’m quite impressed by his tenacity when he moved over to Sibu and the hardships he went through.

david signature

Anyway, enough about him. I had lunch with Autumn there and had their signature dish – bak kut teh. I like my bak kut teh with everything inside it, so there’s pork ribs, pork intestines, pork belly etc. Basically everything in the oink oink is inside the bowl of soup (tea).

david bkt dish

It’s pretty good, the bak kut teh is done well, and I remember the distinctive taste from my childhood as how “bak kut teh” should taste like. It’s hearty soup with pork, served with a kickass combination of soy sauce and chilies.

david chicken

Autumn opted for the ma yu chi lou (Sesame Oil Chicken) which is another one of David Bak Kut Teh’s specialties. She’s not a big fan of pork, beef or lamb so chicken is just about the only option she has. It’s served with rice and is surprisingly good. The only beef I have with the dish (haha) is that she requested for lean meat (breast meat) while I prefer thighs. No innuendo intended.

david us

David Bak Kut Teh is a nice place to have lunch if you don’t mind dining al fresco in Malaysian weather at 12 noon. Autumn had to take off her sweater and was even considering going further if not in public. ;)

Joystar Garden

Food reviews 15 Responses »

Jun 132008

joystar garden

Joystar Garden is managed by Faye’s sister and she’s been insisting that I head over to review the place on the blog. I found the perfect opportunity this month – I have just been transferred into a new division with a great boss. I didn’t enjoy working in the previous division for personal reasons and I’m now doing what I like doing so I booked a table for six (6) for a Chinese banquet to celebrate. :)

joystar interior

Joystar Garden is located on the second floor and is fully air-conditioned. The ground floor of Joystar Garden is a coffee shop under the same proprietor. There are private rooms and a stage for speeches and karaoke sessions in the restaurant. The service is attentive and the waitress to diner ratio is kept very high so you’ll be hard pressed to be unable to summon a waitress’s attention.

joystar peanuts

The obligatory peanuts were served while we waited for everyone to arrive. Peanuts deep fried with batter is a traditional snack to munch on before the actual food arrives in Chinese restaurant banquets.

joystar guinness

I had a small bottle of Guinness Stout to celebrate my new transfer into the division. I figured it was kinda sponsored by Guinness anyway from the earnings off the Nuffnang Guinness 9 Ball Tournament ads. ;)

joystar starter

This is the first dish that came out – Chinese banquets usually start with a dish containing several different items. It’s called Four Seasons or Hot & Cold Platter in generic terms and it’s a starter dish that serves as an appetizer. Joystar Garden’s version has wrapped rice vermicelli, shrimp, crab sticks, lemon chicken, and slices of pork intestines.

sharks fin soup

The second dish of a traditional Chinese banquet is usually the soup. This is Shark’s Fin soup and true to Chinese etiquette, it’s divided up on a separate table before the individual soup bowls are served to the diners. The remainder of the soup is placed at the center of the table for refills.

sharks fin bowl

I could only discern one piece of shark’s fin in the soup but for the price, I didn’t really expect for it to be loaded with the stuff. ;)

joystar pork yam

The next dish that came out is sweet and sour pork ribs in a ring of yam (taro). It’s served with prawn crackers on the side.

joystar pork yam dish

I thought this dish tasted pretty good, with the sweet and sour pork ribs combining well with the sweet yam and the texture of the crackers.

joystar thai fish

The next dish is Thai style fish pieces. The portions were HUGE and (more than) a little too much for six people. I started feeling full around this time…and so did everyone else.

joystar mayo chicken

Next came the deep fried mayonnaise chicken. This dish was barely touched coz we were all so full at this point. I was told later that you should deduct two (2) people from the amount of food to tell the chef preparing Chinese banquets coz the portions are usually meant for the amount of people plus two so that everyone would have enough to eat.

joystar veggies

The last dish that came out was the mixed vegetable dish. I couldn’t eat anymore – I was absolutely STUFFED at this point.

joystar fruits

There is also the obligatory fruits platter at the end of the Chinese banquet. Joystar Garden served oranges and watermelons for the dessert with toothpicks.

joystar us

The Joystar Garden Chinese banquet set cost RM 128 for six people not inclusive of drinks. You can get different customized sets on request. It cost me RM 161.80 for everything and it’s a special price from Faye’s sister. Thanks!

Caution: Joystar Garden has a karaoke setup that is very loud and this makes it a very non-conducive environment for conversation. Potential diners should be warned that less than sober mature ladies belting out Chinese golden oldies might appear on stage. I’ll let the video above speak for itself.

Life Cafe review

Cafes 200 Responses »

Oct 042004

life cafe

Life Cafe is a little quaint place hidden along a narrow street. The
place exudes a charming old ambience, with its wooden chairs and
constructs, the sliding doors, and the intentional ancient decorations.

life interior

The interior is air conditioned, with minimal incandescent lighting.
There’s a narrow brick walled enclave to the side and normal sitting
arrangements on the other side. The place makes you feel like you’ve
stepped into some old-fashioned place out of time.

life tatami

There’s also a private dining area at the back, which is walled off
from the main area. This tatami style section is raised, with a short
table and mats, cushions and futons for sitting. Basically, you sit on
the floor and the table clearance doesn’t leave much room for your
legs, but it’s comfy.

life pie

The waitress recommended a range of pies that were freshly baked.
She assured us that it was good, and my coworker, who’s been here
before, agreed. We went for the chicken pie.

life chicken pie

It’s good, the pastry is crispy and the meat filling is just nice.

life coffee ice cream

I was recommended their Life Ice Cream Coffee. It’s coffee, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to replace the ice cubes.

life herb egg

I ordered a boiled herbal egg for starters. It’s served whole and un-cracked, in a saucer of soy sauce.

life herbal egg

The herbal egg tasted of herbs, and is colored green, even the yolk. It was alright to me.

life lamb rice

I went for the Life Mutton Spiced Rice for the main. The mutton is nice and tender, great dish.

life lamb noodles

My coworker had Life Mutton Spiced Noodles. It tasted about the same
but the noodles are infused with something I can’t put my finger on.
It’s good.

life croc soup

Life Cafe also has an unusual specialty – Crocodile meat soup with
red dates and ginseng. It’s RM 12 for a bowl, which we shared, and the
soup is boiled to perfection, with the ginseng flavor shining through
brightly.

life croc meat

The crocodile meat was good too. The boiling process made it tender
and it tasted strange, but nice. Kuching has a crocodile farm which
rears crocodiles and sells the meat to various food establishments here
and I believe it’s exported as well.

Life Cafe is a good place to have a quiet lunch – grab the tatami
style seats at the back if they’re not taken. It’s the best spot in the
place. :)

Older Entries

Chef Martin Yan Chinese food wine pairing banquet @ Mandarin Oriental

Geylang Lor 9 Fresh Frog Porridge in SS2, Petaling Jaya

Rice Bowls Restaurant, Pusat Bandar Damansara

Teow Chew Meng @ Sunway Mas

Lou Sang @ New Paris Restaurant SS2

Famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodles

Shanghai 10 @ Sungai Wang Plaza

David Bak Kut Teh Cafe

Joystar Garden

Life Cafe review

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