Ms. Jazz reviews: Tomoe Japanese Restaurant, SS15 Subang

The best casual japanese restaurant in KL till date would be Rakuzen, although the quality has somewhat deteriorate lately. Kampachi would be another favourite of mine. (but that's not in the casual dining category)

Normally i seldom dine in Subang because of the distance. But being Sim's birthday, it's his choice of place, so i had to drive through the work hours jam and end up in this dissappointing Japanese Restaurant. (im talking about 5/10 for food here!)

Tomoe is situated in an area already established for japanese cuisine, with 5 japanese restaurants in total on the same row, they are having some serious competition here. However, being at the corner of the row, it has its advantage of exposure and allowing more carpark space for its customers.

Their interior is simple and clean, offering many private rooms in two sitting arrangement- tetami and normal sittings. In the middle of the main room (on 1st floor), the open kitchen stood as the masterpiece of the restaurant, with Chef working their magic on the dishes (ok.. not really.. remember 5/10?)

The service was attentive and prompt.

Ebiten Roll (RM15) was my favourite order in Rakuzen, but the ones serve in Tomoe is nothing comparable. It lacks the crunchy texture.

Soft Shell Crab salad (RM28) was a nice refreshing starter with crisp greens and generous soft shell crab. Their sauce is light and tangy.  

Assorted Sashimi- I've only tried Salmon because i only eat salmon sashimis, but my friends liked it enough.

Yaki Tamago (grilled egg) is a popular japanese breakfast dish. My knowledge of Tamago does not look like egg being drown with juices. This was dissapointing.

Grilled Squid was delicious, grilled to the right texture. The sauce was the saviour to the otherwise bland dish.

Dragon Roll (RM32) that is presented nicely. I did not taste it to comment.

I ordered Cheese Takoyaki out of curiousity. But curiosity kills the cat. The dish was soggy and oily.

Probably the winner of the night (sadly)- is the Yuzu Sorbet, the citrus is fragrant and addictive. Also, Sesame ice cream that was creamy and flavourful.

Our bill came up to RM350+ between 6.

Ratings:

Food: 5/10

(others may not agree with me  as despite being on wednesday the restaurant was still pretty busy)

Service: 7.5/10

Ambience: 6.5/10

(good for celebrations and gatherings)

Presentation of food: 6/10

Overall: 6/10

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tomoe Japanese Restaurant

No. 1, Jalan SS15/5A,

47500 Subang Jaya

Tel: 03-5633 5919

Tao Heong Fish Head Noodles, Jalan Tiong Nam

Dont you ever wonder why delicious hawker food is always found in the "atap" unhygienic areas? I was jokingly told that it added the "extra" flavours, but i rather not go into that now.

Tao Heong Fish Head Noodles is situated at the corner of Jalan Tiong Nam. It may not seem to be foreign to most as we saw many newspaper cuttings plastered all over their walls, and at 11am the place was already filled with business patrons ready for a quick lunch.

How we came about this place was because i suddenly feel the need for Bak Kut Teh while my colleague insist on having fish head noodles. Two stubborn people really. Imagine my surprise when he brought me to this place that serves both our cravings.

The service was prompt and the waiters are polite. They made sure we are comfy at our table.

Fish head noodles (RM6/ pax) is really worth eating as they were very generous with the ingredients. There were lala, tofu skin, veges, fish heads, fishballs, and yam slices. What i really liked is that they used thick vermicilli. The broth is not overpowered by evaporated milk and was very comforting to our tummy. *Thumbs up* How i wished their fish head has a little more meat though.

Our Bak Kut Teh (RM8/pax) came in somewhat large portion and again generous ingredients. With beancurd skin, veges, pork combinations, enoki mushrooms, button mushroom, it was enough to satisfy my BKT cravings but definitely can find better ones elsewhere.

I was stuffed by then, but how could i resist dessert? So we walked opposite the street to get some eggtarts. Apparently HK Artist Ella Koon also went to the stall, so it must be good? One piece of egg tart cost RM1...a bit too pricey, you think?

I bought three flavours, normal egg tart, pandan, and sweet corn. It tasted VERY ordinary and definitely not worth RM1 each, they shouldnt put Ella's face there to con people like us =(

~*~*~*~*~

Tao Heong Fish Head Noodles

Jalan Tiong Nam,

Off Jalan Raja Laut

(parallel street to Ong Lai)

Ms. Jazz Reviews: Vineria, BSC

It wasn't the best day for us, we were grumpy, hungry and impatient. It will be a tough day to please.

Please remind me again why i hate to drive down to Bangsar on a Friday Night, because despite all the experience on being stuck in a dead jam, i still find myself heading there ALL THE TIME. Should i be annoyed with myself?

It took us almost 1 hour to drive from Location A to Location B, when in normal jam-free days i could reach in 20 mins. What's more irritating is upon heading to BSC valet parking, came down from the car and got chase back up, apparently the valet parking is full. i thought i just saw them park the car in front of me?? !%$#%!% 

We decided to head to Cafe Barbera which is just a short distance away, it was raining and we were drenched only to find out that the cafe is closed for a private event. Can things get even worse?

In the end, with thick face we relunctantly made our way back to BSC parking lot, i hesitant as im not exactly a good parker... but with little luck, we found a parking spot soon enough *phew*

We venture ourselves to Vineria with great determination. The new italian restaurant is situated next to British India and it was already packed to the brim, we were very lucky to be offered the last table available. With live band playing at the back of the restaurant, and chatters heard among the crowd, it defines a relaxing and casual atmostphere that so suited for big groups and family outings (dont worry about shouting across the table here)

Just as i felt my mood uplift a little by my surroundings, it went steadily downhill towards the rest of my meal.

I forgave them as they were still new, but just to be picky, their service was terrible.

Our dishes arrived 40 minutes after, while SY had to wait for her pizza for an hour plus. We asked for empty glasses which took 20 mins to return?

Their staff is not trained to know the menu. The waiter does not even know what she's serving and looked at me with much blurness.

I'd say give them time to adjust and be patient. (VERY PATIENT)

Im seeing a potential in this restaurant as they have some interesting offerings in the menu.

Ravioli d' Anitra (RM32)- duck stuffed homemade ravioli fried with white truffle butter and sage. Soft and Flavourful.

Seafood Marinara Pizza (?) that came 1 hour later. The base is crisp and thin, topped with fresh tomato paste, cheese, shrimps, mussels, clams, and scallops. The seafood itself is flavourful, but how i wish they took off the shells, because the seafood flavour did not sink in the dough.

Pisstachio Milkshake - Light with slight taste of pisstachio, if only it was thicker.

Our bills came up to RM160+ without starter and desserts

Ratings:

Food: 6/10

(authentic italian cooking, with interesting menu)

Ambience: 7.5/10

(great for outings with friends and families)

Service: 3/10

(i believe it'll be better, training needed)

Presentation of food: 6.5/10

Overall: 6/10

~*~*~*~*~*~

Vineria

G-133, Bangsar Shopping Centre.

Tel: 2287-7889

Crusader reviews: The Daily Grind - burgers extraordinaire!

Having gourmet burgers for dinner has never been my thing. I guess, when it comes to burger, I'd prefer Macdonalds - being a quick fix, cheap and filling meal with delivery for those late office nights. Let's face it, burgers aren't exactly the marvel of the culinary world. It's very filling, dry at times and more often than not, the fries and part of the burger will be cold before you can even finish.

Yet when Johan and YY recommended to dine in The Daily Grind, there's a certain believe that this place will deliver. Located right at the corner of Bangsar Village 1, The Daily Grind has over the years gotten pretty good reviews and indirectly established itself as the home of delicious burgers. It would appear that of all the people, they would be more than equal to the task of convincing burger skeptics such as myself, that there’s more to just two pieces of bread sandwiching a patty.

Diners seem to enjoy the dark but cosy type of atmosphere with pockets of laughter breaking out sporadically in all areas of the restaurant. Gives you the atmosphere of an old English appeal with dim French lighting I guess. Not exactly the most handsome dining outlet among it’s peers, but cosy enough for you to relax after a tough day at the office.

Upon flipping the menu book, you’ll find comical names being labeled on each creation which adds a sense of excitement in your dining experience – I guess. From Satay Burgembira to Monday Blue Burger and Bomba Burger – each burger is given a detailed description of what diners should expect before it lands in our mouths.

Forgive the pictures - as mentioned earlier, it was dark and I only had my iPhone with me!

I ordered the Japanese Yodel Burger – RM36. Fondue sauce, poroini stew and portobello tempura. The portobello tempura was simply just fantastic, and I devoured almost the entire portion before even starting with the burger. The burger tasted excellent with the fondue sauce playing a brilliant role in keeping the burger moist and stew juicy for degustation.

Johan ordered a vegetarian burger – ‘Green with Envy’ – RM34 – Spice tempeh and chickpea burger with coriander yoghurt dipping. He was so hungry that he dug in before I could even get a shot of his meal. The result:-

YY the Classic Chicken Burger – RM27. From the picture, you can already guess who had the most fun that night. The classic has always been a 'safe' choice for skeptics who wants to taste the basics.

Our drinks succeeded because of pure laziness and simplicity – everyone took the ‘Classic Root Beer’. Oh, before I forget - The Daily Grind makes their own tomato and chilli sauce!

Ratings:

Food: 7/10

(creative interplay of flavours for burgers wins the day!)

Service: 6.5/10

(noticed that there's a waiter standing around most of the time too!)

Ambience: 6.5/10

(nice place to relax after a tough day at work)

Presentation of food: 6/10

Overall: 6.5/10

The Daily Grind

LG 8 Lower Ground, Bangsar Village 1

1 Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru 59100

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 2287 6708

burgers@thedailygrind.com.my

Supper @ Famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodles

Im not going to attempt reviewing this place because we went there after a clubbing session, and well.. alcohol might impair one's judgement. *grins*

NGAU KEE beef noodles is claimed to be "famous", we reached the stall at 3.30am and was greeted with an unattractive sight of a rundown stall that was already filled with late night eaters. It wasn't exactly the most hygienic place as we saw rats running around the floor and Sarah commented that she had experienced of rats running up her leg, *shudders* Needless to say, malaysians will do everything for some good eats. (i had to raise up my legs on the table rest throughout the meal)

Lime Plum Juice (kat jai suen mui)

We ordered dried wantan mee with mixture of beef balls and intestines.

It was yummy and satisfying after a night of cocktails, champagne and beer.

Signature Chilli sauce

You may choose other noodles of your liking.

It was Mr. B's birthday, he was surprisingly somewhat sober, and ordered large wantan mee to smoothens his alcohol infused mind.

Nothing beats a good supper before heading home to K-O.

~*~*~*~*~ *~

Famous Ngau Kee Beef Noodles

Tingkat Tong Shin (near Corona Inn)

For more details info and map, pls click here

De' Chiengmai Thai Seafood Restaurant, Sungai Buloh

I am not exposed to enough Thai restaurants in kl to make comparison, so i googled up on how other reviewer feel about De' Chiengmai Thai Restaurant and was surprise to find that many floggers has written about this place. Some did not have a pleasant experience (tummythoz) while others seems to like it enough. (kyspeaks, shaolintiger). Im sitting on the fence for this one.

If it wasnt for me to stay nearby,  i'd probably have a hard time finding this place as it is hidden among the industries area of sg. buloh.

The kids used to call this restaurant "Umbrella" because our memories of this restaurant dated way back- probably 5 years ago? it wasnt so big back then, their ceiling was decorated with many paper umbrella in multi colors. Since the relocation, they have spent quite a bit on renovations, it now looked like this..

It's pretty impressive for a restaurant located in a kampung, isnt it? If you take note on your way in, their gate has umbrella design on it.

Since i've been here many times, it's safe to say i can recommend you the dishes you should order, and save you the trouble of ordering the wrong dishes after all the long hectic journey of wrong turns. =P

Most dishes comes in 3 sizes (S)(M)(L)

Im particularly in love with Squid w/ Ginger & Chilli (S)

A must try. The soya sauce, onion, and ginger mixes well with the squid, and its goes really well with rice. Fear not, this dish is not spicy at all.

Pandan Chicken can be order by pieces, RM3/pc

It's a bit oily to my liking, but tasty nevertheless. My friend commented i made better pandan chicken, aww :D

Their Thai mango salad is sour and crunchy.

Another must order would be their kangkung fried with shallots, sambal and anchovies

Saving the best for the last, Steamed Siakap is our all time favourite as we love their soup that goes with it. Perfect addictives for spicy lovers. You are allowed to request a refill for the soup, needless to say, i made the waitresses work their way to kitchen more than 2 times

Thai coconut is fragrant and sweet, good refreshment after all those heavy flavours. I reckon the dishes has MSG written all over it, otherwise why do i feel so thirsty after the meal?

p.s. Do you know that coconut can cure diarrhoea?? I'm serious, try it!

Other dishes worth trying is otak otak, green curry and their array of desserts! (im practically reciting the whole of their menu) Overall, their dishes are pretty standard as their menu is not too extensive and little birdie told me that they have everything pre-prepared in the kitchen that's why we were always serve with such efficiency. De'Chiengmai is good to visit when thai craving kicks in, but i don't think its a place worth frequent visits.

There were comments that the prices here is too steep, but i tot it was alright, given the ambience and the fun of getting lost, but really, prices are quite subjective.

Ratings:

Food: 6/10

(flavourful, msg infested, and i wish their tomyam is something to rave about! it wasn't good)

Service: 6/10

(basically giving you the *i can survive without your existence here* attitude, nevertheless efficient)

Ambience: 7/10

(do come here for some local  kampung feel)

Presentation of food: N/A

Overall: 6/10

~*~*~*~*~*~

De'Chiengmai Thai Seafood Restaurant

No 34, Kg. Sentosa,

Bt. 13 Sg Buloh 47000

Sungai Buluh Selangor

Tel: 03-61401870

Crazieapple reviews Cava, Bangsar

Cava, a Spanish restaurant (it's just a co-incident that me and Ms Jazz are reviewing two Spanish restaurants back 2 back) located on Jalan Bangkung, off Jalan Maarof in Bangsar.

Along Cava, there're a handful of interesting restaurants which caught my attention (like Tea for Two at the corner) and i'm intending to pay another visit here sometime soon.. Opus, which Ms Jazz reviewed on is also next door.. I'm guessing this neighbourhood restaurants are pretty favourable to those who stays nearby..

Pretty decent interior design and casual dining experience

Wide range of wine and champagne selections..

(OooOoo.. Did someone just mention CHAMPAGNE????)

Not too crowded with only 10 tables being allocated..

I particularly love restaurants that doesn't give u a suffocating feeling where you have to sit shoulder to shoulder brushing to the next table, overhearing next table's conversation.. Can someone spell p-r-i-v-a-c-y??

Though risking myself by overdosing on alcohol (had a pint of beer for HappyHour before that), we ordered a jug of Sangria shared btw 3.

The Sangria there was really good! RM90++

We were complimented with corn nachos and salsa dip..

Food for thought: Are corn nachos supposed to taste a bit "masuk angin" (not very crispy)??

I was told by the waitress that there are supposed to be like that.. and I wasn't convinced at all!!

My wild mushroom soup

(I must have a really refined tastebuds cause apparently i was the only one among 3 of us who could taste an after taste of bitterness- the kind of bitterness you get from cheap chinese mushroom)

Lamb balls pasta

(I'm sure the name wasn't just "lamb balls", but i just can't remember the funky name of it)

Valencia Paella shared btw Mel and me..

Wasn't good at all.. The rice was either undercooked or burnt, combined with not the freshest seafood available. With quality like this, i'm surprised that they could introduce their paella as their specialties in the house.

RM38.50 (single serving)

The lamp post.. hehe

Mr B and Crazieapple

Ratings:

Food: 6/10
(Mr B commented that it is a very different dining experience and it takes very adventurous tastebuds to accept the food here.)

Service: 8/10
(very attentive attendances)

Ambience: 7/10
(casual neighbourhood dining experience)

Presentation of food: 6/10

Overall: 6.5/10

71, Jalan Bangkung,

Bukit Bandaraya, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

Ms. Jazz reviews: El Meson, Bangsar

El Meson is a good substitute to our usual spanish tapas joint, La Bodega. Located directly opposite Bangsar Village 2, its convenient for those whom decide to dine after a good workout session with your credit card in those very tempting boutiques. *cha-ching!*

Having been up and running since late of last year, this spanish restaurant seems to be doing well with a steady stream of patrons. The boss of El Meson now owns Yogitree, The Social, The Social 2, and Planter's Jim.

El Meson offers a wide range of Tapas that is priced at an average of RM14-RM16. There are hits and misses in the menu. In fact, i think more misses than hits for this visit. Casual atmosphere, friendly services, and convenient location would be the prime reason for further visit from us.

The menu offers a wide variety of dishes, including tapas, pasta, paella, and BREAKFAST!! Imagine my delight when i saw that they serve "poached eggs with hollandaise sauce on toast"

 

When we saw the pig trotter pitiful display looking like a ballerina leg chopped off, we decide to do without pork for one night. It was unappetising like that.

Nevertheless, im a great pork lover, so i'll definitely head back to try some of their pork tapas soon. (i'll just sit on the other side of the room and pretend to forget the existence of the above)

Overall, El Meson served up some decent tapas. One thing i find about Spanish food so far, they are seldom visually appealing. We were given a small basket of bread to serve with the Tapas. But I personally prefer the toasted ones served in La Bodega.

Calamari Relleno (RM14) stuffed with Squid, Serrano and Tomato. We like it but not love it.

Albondigas (RM12)- Beef and Pork Meatballs in Tomato Sauce was my favourite dish of the night (i secretly thinks it all comes down to pork *i just cant resist ordering something porky*) The combinations of minced beef and pork was executed nicely with a good balance of fats and lean meat.

Champinones (RM14)- Saute Button Mushroom in garlic, wine and cream. Very forgettable, but the sauce goes well as a dip

Paella Marinara with Mussels, Squid, Prawns, Clams, Barramundi (RM58 for 2pax)

I have mix feelings about this dish. Overall the dish is pleasant enough with generous seafood toppings, but it was a little undercook and a little salty but nevertheless a luscious dish that's tinged with saffron and aromatic with its seafood ingredients. Unfortunately, the mussels i had was not that fresh.

The best paella ive had till date, strangely was in France (not Spain).

My fellow reviewer and favourite eating buddy of all time, sexy wei

Drinks are on the house. Thx El Meson! =)

The Sangria was very refreshing and fruity. I like!

Our bill came up to RM128 between two without desserts

Ratings:

Food: 6.5/10

(decent tapas)

Service: 8/10

(the managers was very attentive and talkative- too much talking perhaps? but i appreciate their effort to make us most comfortable)

Ambience: 7/10

(good for casual outings with friends)

Presentation of food: 5.5/10

Overall: 6.5/10

~*~*~*~*~*~

El Meson

61 Jalan Telawi 3

Bangsar Baru, 59100 Bangsar

Tel: 03-22828290