CNY celebrations at Gu Yue Tian

You can refer to our previous Gu Yue Tian review here

Chinese New Year gave us an excuse for excessive chinese dining, but with many good restaurant closed during the first few days, it gave us little choice but to dine in GU YUE TIAN twice during the past week. (not that we're complaining) we could never say no to a good slice of kobe beef, abalone, and foie gras now can we??

Gu Yue Tian was surprisingly packed to the brim over the new years with family gathering around to do some lou sang.We're glad to get our usual private room overlooking the busy street of Raja Chulan

A must have during Chinese New Year is "Yu Sang". It usually consist of strip of raw fish which is intepreted with increase in abundance. (余升), it also comes with variety of shredded vegetables and sauces.

Chef Frankie created the dish slightly different from its original versions. He substitute the usual colorful pickles with the vege "SANG CHOI" which relates to prosperity/ increase in wealth. And the pear "LEI" means good luck. I prefer this version that the original one, it just seems much healthier and taste fresher too.

Frankie told us that he took 3 years to perfect this dish *its literally the only Yu sang i actually eat, no kidding* 

Seleontion of Appetizer: Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes topped with Caviar, Parma Ham with Melon 

Scallop was tastefully presented.

Roasted tomato with chowder-like sauce. It's a refreshing change to what we usually have here

Soft boiled egg ft. foie gras

Yummy foie gras with mango dressings

Pigeon with special sauce. Yums, i can't help but to lick my fingers in front of my guests.

Pan-fried cod fish

Braised Abalone that looked too wonderful to eat.

Must order for all diners that enjoy a good piece of beef. Kobe Beef with perfect texture and sauce.

Spicy Pig Intestine Noodles. We love the feel of spiciness burning down our throat.

"Long Dun" fish, i dont know what it's called in english though. This fish is very huge in sizes, so their meat texture are often tougher than other fish, but that is how its suppose to be. Very high in omega 3!

"Lap Mei Fan" Assorted chinese sausages with aromatic rice.

Normally only eaten during CNY, "Poon Choi" is originated from Hakka Cuisine. It is served in a wooden/ porcelain basin.

It's interesting how this dish was created. According to wikipedia, It was invented during the late Song Dynasty in China. When Mongol troops invaded Song China, the young emperor fled to the area of Guangdong Province and HK. To serve the emperor and his army, the locals collected the best food available, cook it and put it in the washing basin (more info on wikipedia)

The Poon Choi in Gu Yue Tian comprises a mixture of bean curd, chinese mushrooms, yam, chicken feet, fish maw etc. It was satisfying enough, but how i missed the one we've just had in Restoran Chui Hang.

Another must have dessert is the "NIAN GAO粘糕" made from glutinous rice. It is consider good luck to eat it during CNY. This dish can be found typically mixed with yam. The soft and sweet taste is becoming addictive.

The avocado puree which i have recommended in my earlier post puts a perfect little full stop to such sinfully, enjoyable meal.

Our bill came up to a whooping RM6K+ for two nights. Who's gonna rebut on the comment that "Good stuff doesnt come cheap?" :D

Crazieapple Reviews: Fukuya Japanese Restaurant

With Valentines Day falling on the same day as first day of CNY this year (apparently the last time this collaboration happened was 58 years ago), Mr B and I decided to have an early celebration at Fukuya (also to avoid those ridiculously marked up priced so-called valentines set dinner)..

If you're a regular augustdiners reader, you should be familiar with the drill that we like to start off our review with photos of the ambience around the restaurant.. But just to make life a LITTLE unpredictable..

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TADA!!!! It's my greedy face!! hehe

We were initially sitted right next to the window overlooking this:

But it was too painful to squint ur eyes just to take a look at what you're eating, plus my LX3 is not really the best camera to take photos in dark without any flash at all.. So we decided to change out seats..

Clean and simple interior design giving you a zen-ish vibe.. Very calming..

The man had beef teriyaki (can you spell B-O-R-I-N-G??) with the selection of wagyu beef instead of the normal beef..

To be honest, the so-called wagyu beef tasted like any other beef.. The meat was tough and dry.. Definitely not worth paying extra bucks for it.!!


Agedashi tofu- the man's favourite..

I didn't taste it- not a tofu fan!! =p


Mayo Squid.


Tasted pretty bad as they overcooked the squid and the taste was not at all absorbed..
Basically it's as though they cook the squid seperately without the mayo and later on pour some over them.. YUCK!!

I ordered a Wa-fuku Kaiseki- Come with 1 soup, 4 seasonal dishes and 1 wagyu beef steak:
My appetizer- Sashimi platter

From the look at it, i've already expected a disappointment.. The tuna sashimi was obviously frozen before and left to be thawed before serving.. The texture was horrible and i was having such a hard (and unlady-like) time trying to tear them apart with my teeth!!

Steamed mushroom miso soup- absolutely yummy!!

Grilled salmon fish teriyaki

Tasted not too bad with the compliment of (some sort of) japanese red bean,, The blending taste of sweetness in both ways makes the fish extra delicious!!

Scallop- something.. Definitely a forgettable dish cause i dont even remember what was it already.. =(

My Main course- Wagyu Beef steak with rice

Again, the wagyu was a great disappointment.. I even suspect that they are just using ordinary beef and con me saying that it's wagyu.. =(

I demand for an explanation!!!

3 flavours mochi- bland taste with nothing to exclaim about..

Happy Valentines Day to all you lovebirds out there!!

(a bit late but we blif that if you're happy, everyday is Valentines Day, right??)

The man signing off the bill- Rm300++

You can also call up to book for your very own private dining space facing the beautiful garden!!

The best that my lousy camera could do.. (with a lil' editing =p )

Rating:

Food: 6/10

(nothing extraordinary-really)

Ambience: 8/10

(quiet and great for private dining!)

Service: 7/10

(being pretty spacious, it's sometimes difficult to get the waiter's attention)

Overall: 6/10

(great experience but wouldn't think of going back for second time)

Address: No 9 Jalan Delima, 55100 Kuala Lumpur (opposite of Prince Court Hospital)

Tel no.:  03 2144 1022  03 2144 1022 / 1077

Ms. Jazz Reviews: Blue Cow Cafe, Plaza Damas

One thing frustrating about Malaysia, being a muslim country is that it is so difficult to find a good dog-friendly restaurant for a dogs day out. My furkids group often have to resort to searching for dog-friendly parks for an unwilling picnic under the super hot sun. (definitely not ideal)

If theres any praise to be given out to Blue Cow Cafe, it would be the fact that it is dog-friendly, although im not too sure now since our group caused a chaos on our last visit there. But hey, if the owner decide to ban dogs from entering the restaurant in the future, just dont come running and pointing fingers at me. =P

Blue Cow Cafe is situated just above starbucks, across the street. Take the escalator up and you'll see a YOGA center, turn to your left.

I brought my little sisters and my two little devils along to meet some friends. With leashes in two hands, and puppy bag sling over my shoulder, i looked like a dog AND kid nanny that just walked into the cafe of meat heaven. Right in the center of it all, stood a huge meat display with different cut of meat that has my saliva (and my dogs) dripping down the floor.

We seated ourselves outside the terrace only because we knew the dogs wont behave. True to it all, few of the dogs went crazy barking throughout the whole meal, challenging each other with the owners' patience. After three hours of on and off barking and in between the owner sending daggers eyes through our way, we decided we had enough, and call it a day.

Characters of the Day:

Cupcake!

Stormy!

Sunshine!

Butters!

Snowy!

Brownie!

The food:

The meat platter was pretty decent that cost approx RM90

It comes with a selection of pork loin, sausages, lamb chop, bacons, and lamb kebab complement with 3 side dishes of your choices. We had mashed potatoes, fries, and coleslaw.

This can feed about 2-3pax.

All meat is well marinated, but tough to bite as it is overcooked. Julz liked the lamb kebab. I prefered the pork loin if only it could be slightly more tender.

Apple Salad with Tuna Dressing that tasted like the can tuna poured into a bunch of mix greens. Nothing Special.

Their Shepherd Pie is pretty decent comfort food

 

The Batter Fish and Chips was a complete failure. Filled with thick salty batter, the fish is barely tastable. Good thing that the fries and tartare sauce save them from being a complete waste. We left the fish there untouched.

The kids ordered strawberry pancake for share. Too ordinary to recommend but kids loved it

Blue Cow Cafe also served normal american breakfast, so you can find scrambled eggs, fried eggs, and toast on the menu.

Our bill came up to approx RM300 between 7 pax.

Ratings:

Food: 5/10

Ambience: 6/10

(plus point for being pet friendly)

Service: 5.5/10

Presentation of food: 6/10

Overall: 5.5/10

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Blue Cow Cafe

N-1-4, Plaza Damas

No. 60, Jalan Sri Hartamas

Tel: 03-62013206

Ms. Jazz Reviews: Ribs @ Oasis, Bandar Utama

I'm a fan of anything pork, so when i read about RIBS @ OASIS which serves pork! pork! pork!, i waste no time to drag my friend there although he really wanted to eat something else.

We had a slight problem looking for the place at first, but its mainly my fault. Please remind me not to depend on BLACKBERRY GPS too much. Thank god for KY's map, we manage to get there in one piece. It appears to be located at the corner of a stretch of shop lots inside the residential area of BU4.

It was really quiet during the weekday with only two tables occupied. We chose to sit outside the sidewalk as it was good weather with gentle winds. I was told that 1st floor is for Halal Patrons. It confused me, if you are serving pork in your menu, how does that consider as HALAL? Shouldn't it be pork free instead?

Then again, why go pork-free when you have such deliciously, sinfully, juicy pork burger like theirs?!

Ultimate Reversed Pork Burger (RM29.90). Recommend to all pork lovers out there. served with toasted bread and two fat slabs of juicy pork patty, the whole idea of reversal burger is that the two patties acts as a bun while the bread is slotted in between the patties. They were generous with its ingredients here, and the patty is really tender and flavourful! *thumbs up to this dish*

Dennis tried the House Specialty "Roasted Smokey BBQ Baby Rack Pork Ribs" (RM28.50) which came in a miserable portion of 3 pork ribs. The ribs is well marinated, but overcooked and dry. I urged him to order another main as this was not filling at all.

Spaghetti Seafood Marinara was forgettable. While its tomato sauce seems fresh enough, it was slightly too sour and i think they are using frozen seafood

Saute Shitake Mushroom is a ok side dish to nib at, but does not complement well with the mains.

Ribstrophic (RM6.50) blend of mango and blood orange syrup shaken with sprite.

Ending the night with a visit to Sid's Pub TTDI.

Ratings:

Food: 5.5/10

8/10 for the pork burger

(Forget other dish, just order the pork burger)

Service: 5/10

(ok, kept out of the way most times, but respond to your needs)

Ambience: 5.5/10

(clean, and convenient for those who wants a quick bite, or a quiet dinner)

Presentation of food: 6/10

Overall: 5.5/10

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Ribs @ Oasis

2 Tengkat Bandar Utama,

1-1 BU4, Oasis Complex,

Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-77298921