chinese food

Shanghai 10 @ Sungai Wang Plaza

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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

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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

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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

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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. 🙂

BDC Seafood Restaurant

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bdc seafood restaurant

BDC Seafood Restaurant is the mammoth three storey high restaurant
located, aptly, in BDC Commercial Center. It has see through window
panes on all the levels, allowing passerby’s to see the diners…er,
dining, in all their glory.

bdc door

This is the main entrance to BDC Seafood Restaurant at the ground floor.

bdc interior

The interior of the place is well decorated, typical of a Chinese seafood restaurant, but reassuringly familiar all at once.

bdc yang chow

I opted for Yang Chow Fried Rice (RM 4). This place is well known for it’s affordability and good food.

bdc nestum chicken

This is the Nestum Salad Chicken (RM 8). The chicken is coated with
a batter which has Nestum cereal inside before being deep fried, sliced
into manageable pieces and served with mayonnaise. The Nestum cereal
flavors carries well into the dish – highly recommended.

bdc drunken prawns

Here we see the Claypot Drunken Prawn (RM 20). The claypot dish has
large prawns simmered in a wonderful broth, and the wine taste and
flavors were overwhelmingly tasty, with the wine flavors again carrying
through perfectly.

bdc three joy

This is a non-menu dish our attendant recommended. It’s going to be
a menu item in a while and he gave us a chance to try it out before
then. They’re going to name in “Three Joy” or something to that effect
(in Chinese of course). It’s a vegetable dish that’s made with long
beans, potatoes and brinjals, cooked with spicy belacan. It’s very
unique and tasty.

bdc large ochien

I present to you…the largest oyster omelette (RM 15) in Kuching,
Sarawak, and probably the world! 😉 I was amazed by the sheer girth of
this o-chien (oyster omelet) when it arrived on the table. The amazing
proportion just overwhelmed me and rendered me speechless. The others
had eaten here before and were used to it – and they confirmed that it
was the largest oyster pancake in town, to the best of their knowledge.

bdc dessert

I had a concoction of sago, raisins and shaved winter melon soaking
in a coconut infused sweet milk for dessert. The complex textures and
flavors were amazing.

bdc great meal

I would recommend BDC Seafood Restaurant for a nice, affordable
meal. They cater for weddings and special occasions as well, and you
have three floors of dining space and an attentive staff along with the
good food.

BB Hailam Chicken Rice @ Bukit Bintang

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bbhainanchickenrice.jpg

I went to BB Hailam Chicken Rice at Bukit Bintang for lunch after
mass today. We were in the area coz I thought the KL Horse Fair and the
Shetland ponies were still at Lot 10. Anyway, the chicken rice was
good, this is what I had:

bbhck_mymeal.jpg

Here’s a close up of the chicken:

hainan_drumstick.jpg

It’s a boneless drumstick…mmm, and the sauce is very delicious!

bbhck_kerabu.jpg

This is one of the side dishes – kerabu with chicken feet. I didn’t
order it, it tasted interesting to say the least. Too vinegary for my
tastes but the chicken feet was okay, it’s boneless as well.

bbhck_all.jpg

The middle dish is the chicken rice var roasted. The one I had is
steamed. Anyway, it’s great if you like your chicken rice with the
tender and boneless drumstick saturated with salty chicken essence. I
loved it.

Yun Yun

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I didn’t sleep last night to do a bit of revision and finish up my
assignment. Wanted to pass it to my lecturer early morning and then come
back to get some sleep before Spit Day. Things didn’t go exactly as
planned though, I got home at around 10:30 am and only went to bed
sometime before 12 pm. When I awoke again it was dark and looking at my
clock I saw it was already 8 pm. By the time I got to the mound, there
were only scraps of meat left and all the beer and Strongbow was gone.
Bummer. Anyway, I walked to the middle way place between Pinewood and
halls (don’t know what that place is called) to try that Chinese take away
place that I’ve never been to. At the lights before I crossed the road, I
saw this funny fender bender happen. The first car wanted to run the red
lights but changed his mind at the last minute and screeched to stop
slightly past the line. There was another car behind it (about 25 meters
or more) that stepped on the brakes too. She must be going pretty fast coz
that 25 meters wasn’t enough to stop her car. She slammed into the back of
the first car. 25 meters! I wonder how fast she was traveling. I think
they knew each other coz they didn’t even bother to get out of the car and
just drove away together.

Anyway, back to the take away place. It’s called Yun Yun and it has a very
old skool feel too it. It’s like it dropped straight out of the 1970s. I
like it though, it reminds me of this restaurant back home that has the
same decor. I felt like I was in 1970s China. Heh. It closes pretty early,
at 9 pm and thus there were no other customers inside when I went there at
around 8:57. I looked at my watch, that’s why I had the time down. There
were a couple of tables and benches inside so it’s not strictly a take
away place. It even had a dentist style waiting bench, complete with old
issues of magazines that nobody reads. Anyway, I had the sweet and sour
pork in batter (A$8) and a special fried rice (A$6). I like sweet and sour
pork, I had this a lot when I was younger so that must be why I always get
this inexplicable craving for it. The sweet and sour sauce was very nice,
not too sweet and not too sour as well. Pretty generous portions, it comes
in the standard takeaway rectangle boxes most Chinese food places here
use. The special fried rice comes with a lot of BBQ pork slices (char siew)
and chicken pieces. It also contains bean sprouts (!) my most hated
vegetable, so you should get the cook to hold the sprouts if you go there.
The brochure I got said that it has new management now, it’s now run by a
Colin and Anne Lew. The cook and cashier are both around 60 years old,
which adds to the 70s feel of the place. I like the fried rice, it has a
very

umami [glutamate.org] taste so I’ll be going back for more when I’m
craving for Chinese food.

Dentist bench for your waiting pleasure.

The tables. Complete with a slippery vinyl table cloth.

Old skool air conditioner in the upper right consolidates the 70s feel.

The cashier desk.

A peek into the kitchen.

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