How to beat those Monday blues?

Well, the answer is a trip to Starbucks ...

I always have a 'thing' for Starbucks, from their yummy Java Chip to their delicious cakes and pastries. So, this Monday, when the MBS (Monday Blues Syndrome) hits me the hardest, I decided the best cure would be a trip to my fave coffee joint. Now they are a LOTS of Starbucks outlets around the city, but the one that I visit most of the times is the one located in KLCC Convention Centre, right in front of the Aquaria main entrance. 

Today, the person who is serving me is Bob, who is a nice fellow by the way. I ordered a regular coffee with milk to go, and my two fave pastries : the Cajun Chicken Dome and the Cinnamon Roll. 

 

 

After having these, I feel so much better already......

Size Does Matters @ Carl's Jr.

At Carl's Jr, it does....I have heard enough 'tales" form my friends about the legendary sizes of their burgers, so when an opportunity present itself one Friday to visit the fast food chain, I couldn't say no. (Yeah, my motto is : Never say never to food). The Carl's Jr outlet my friend and I visited is located in the Pavilion mall in KL, where I did most of my food reviews, solely because of its proximity and the large selection of goodeatings to be had there.

The first thing that struck me when i get to the restaurant is just how 'chaotic' the seating and furniture arrangements are. It's like they hired a schizophrenic designer who used to work for Ikea to come up with the layout and colour matchings. The wall seatings are Ok, but the big odd table in front of the menu counter and the small tables with squarish couch/seats scattered throughout the area just looked so out of place. And also, it's WAAAAAY too colorful everywhere you look. Someone should tell them that sometimes, less is more..Okay, enough bitching about the ambiance, let's meet up with Carl's Jr and his troop of legendary king-size hamburgers...

A quick glance through the menu tells me that they don't have that many selections to choose from (and you thought McD is bad). The star of the show is of course their GIGANTIC, HUGE charbroiled hamburgers...I ordered the Teriyaki Combo Burger, which is a MASSIVE serving of a BIG slab of beef chunk wedged between very generous amount of greens. The oozing black sauce on the beef is so good, it's not even funny...

And the fries that come with it...they are so good I almost bit my fingers off in my gluttonic haste to chow them down. And wolf them down I did. Now I've been to many fast food chains many many times before, but everytime i ordered fries, chances are good I will never be able to finish them. But this time, it's different. These Carl's Jr COLOSSAL fries, naturally-cut, are very satisfying with each and every bite. It very well redefined what good French fries are supposed to taste like for me. They certainly don't taste oily, 'lard-y" or empty-on-the-inside"-type other fries I've tried elsewhere (I won't mention name, but think creepy clown). These are actually cut from real, premium-grade potatoes!

My 'virgin' feast at Carl's Jr is definitely an eye-opening, stomach-expanding (and wallet-shrinking) experience. Carl's Jr is not only big in size, but also in taste. They're like the premium fast food restaurant that actually serve healthier and tastier meals (unlike the other fast food joint that I won't mention, but let's just say "I'm Not Loving Them", and  leave it at that).

The only gripe I had is that the price you pay for such good eatings is quite steep.. If they can tone down the price list, or come out with more 'value-meal" types for the medium-income class, that would be swell. To sum it up, I would say Carl's Jr got four of out five stars from me (one star deducted for the price factor). Burger King, you just got served! Now excuse me while I go burp some more...

Sumptous Dinner @ Dragon-i Restaurant

 

The Dragon-i restaurant in the Pavillion mall is one of the best places to sample signature dishes from China, featuring head-turning array of Shanghai's best dishes. The place's specialty though, is their noodles, which are prepared in-house by a team of trained chefs.
Dragon-i's menu offers a wide range of dishes, and I do mean a LOT of dishes...so choosing what to eat can be a headache for some, as everything looks delicious!

 

 

The place is incredibly posh, with rich wooden pillars flanking the main entrance, and tastefully-arranged decor pieces that gives a feel of being in an exotic Asian cookhouse.

 

I ordered the La Mian served in Sichuan hot and sour soup, which s sreally good. It has a rich flavour, thanks to the thick soup, though I'm not sure what the ingredients are. definitely recommended.

My friend ordered the La Mian with bean curd sheet and mushroom, which is really....nothing special. It taste kind of bland, just like any ordinary wantan mee soup you can get elsewhere, only served with better noodles.

We also sampled their in-house specialty - the Shanghainese steamed meat dumplings. These are little meat dumplings that contain lukewarm soup inside. Yes, to eat this, you need to carefully scoop one into your spoon, then gently bite the top off and slowly sucking out the soup before eating the dumpling itself. I've seen many friends who unknowingly spill the soup because of their, ahem, rough handlings. These dumplings taste OK, nothing to shout about. But it's real fun to watch your uninformed friends spill the soup all over themselves...

I ordered these steamed red bean buns simply because they look soooo cute...

For desserts, we have the Barley beancurd skin soup with gingko and quail egg, as well as the Almond beancurd with mixed fruits. The quail egg is a strange addition to the otherwise tasty dessert, while the latter is simply marvelous. A good way to wrap up a evening of fine dining.

For what it's worth, Dragon-i is a great place to have lunch or dinner with your friends and family, mainly due to its great setting and relaxing ambiance, affordable price range and the finest selection of Shanghainese delicacies.

Dragon-i Restaurant
Lot 1.13, Level 1,
Pavillion KL
168, Jalan Bkt Bintang
50200 KL
Tel : 603-2143 7688
Fax : 603-2143 7588

Lunchin' & Munchin' @ Pepper Lunch

One of the many things that I like about The Pavilion mall in KL , aside from its strategic location, is that the place is jammed-packed with restaurants. if you head down to the Food Republic level, you'll find yourself  surrounded by all types of food, from all corners of the world - Thai, Indian, Chinese, Western, Asian, Fusion, Japanese...the list just goes on and on.
One of my favourite restaurants is Pepper Lunch, which is a DIY format fast food chain originated from Japan.

The place is very "airy", clean and everything looks bright and cheery...very inviting indeed!

I ordered their Chicken Suriyaki Set, which comes with a big plate of chicken, egg and vegetables on a hotplate, along with a bowl of steaming hot rice and soup. The portion is really generous, as you can see from the picture.

When the food arrive, the waiter/waitress will teach you how to prepare the dish, which basically involving simple stirring and pouring the sauce when the meat is cooked.

a close-up look of my dish, simply because it's so good!




My friend ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Set, which is equally delicious!

That's a LOT of taugehs and corns...mmmmmm..

 And that's how the meals look like after a good stirring or two. Ready to tuck in!



We also try a new item on the menu, the Shake-Shake Salad with Sesame Chicken.

It's basically chicken salad in a cup. You need to give it a good shake to mix it up before you can devour it. My friend was furiously shaking the cup until the top came flying off, spilling a good portion of the salad all over our table. i think the whole idea of putting your salad in a cup is fresh, it's probably not so practical. I wonder how many of their customers who ordered it spilled their salads too.

I 'm giving my "five out of five" rating for this place, simply because the foods are delicious, healthy, generous servings and also the place is so clean. Give Pepper Lunch a try the next time you happen to be in the mall.

Pepper Lunch
Lot 1.54, Level 1, Pavillion KL
Phone : 603-21410228.

Lunch at Little Ben Cafe @ Pavilion, KL

My food-loving colleague and I recently paid the Little Ben Cafe in The Pavillion mall in KL a visit, to see what's on the menu. The place is cosy, though i feel a little bit claustrophobic because the way they arrange the seatings is in such a way that they really maximised all the space they've got. I really have to squeezed myself into the seat, and I'm not even that fat! However, I must say that i really like the ambience of the place..You can see lots of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling...the walls are covered in bright red wallpapers that seem cheerful...and they also ahve an open kitchen concept so you can see all the chefs hard at work (or hard at gossiping if they're a bit free). I don't know if it's just me, but being in a restaurant where you can see the chefs in action kind of reassures me that the quality of foods should be better than average....

This is what i had...beef brisket with kuey tiow in soup. The taste is OK, not rich enough, so  there's still room for improvement. Also, they're a bit stingy on the meatballs..come on, only two?

The drink i had....the lemongrass juice..is absolutely delish! Aromatic and soothing...Very good for the tastebuds... and the stomach.

And this is the braised chicken rice that my colleague had...

We also ordered the so-called handsome duck spring rolls. I don't know what's so good-looking about it, but i don't like it. The taste is a bit weird...It's like eating very stale meat, there's just no kick to it. And the sauce that came with it didn't help much either. I guess they should've used chicken meat...

Overall, I would say the place looks nice, but the food, so-so lah...

Some of my favorite foods and drinks.................

Hey hey!! Good eating, everybody...today i would like to share with you some of my all-time favorite foods and drinks (in no particular orders). These are easy-to-find fares, available throughout the country, and i'm sure you are fans to some of these too....



Ahh..the simple and modest ais kacang....and yet so satisfying...I remember the good old days when they used to have tons of special stalls set up by the roads just to sell this icy treat. Nowadays, such specialty stalls are hard to come by. I wonder who invented the ais kacang...



Nyonya assam laksa....aromatic and rich in texture, this is a delicacy not to be missed. I just loooove the mints that they put in it...it adds a great flavour to the dish



Beef noodle...aaahh..my fave among the faves...i considered myself blessed because the best beef noodle you can find is in Seremban, where i live...they're great as breakfast or lunch....the secret is in the sauce...


I'm a coffee fiend. My morning hasn't started until i've tasted my cup of joe..and the best thing about coffee, aside from the fact that's it's rich in antioxidants, is that you can get them in so many different flavours nowadays. My favourite is the white coffee, which i think is not too strong or too mild, but just right...




Who doesn't like ice cream, right? next to chocolates, they are the best comfort foods you can find. Perfect for every occasions and moods...yummm!!



Java Chip from Starbucks...this is my ultimate indulgence...a rich mixture of coffee and chocolate chips topped with cream....mmmmm...i could drink this all day...




Pasta..my favourite ones are those with tomato sauce...with no cheese, because i hate cheese. Back whne i sued to cook my own pasta at home, the ingredients i use are cherry tomatoes, brocolli, lots of onions and leafy greens...I don't put any meat in it because i like my pasta to be all-naturel and healthy...

Tuna and salmon spreads from Ayam Brand....this is what i usually have during weekends, when i'm too lazy to go out to buy foods. It's convenient, tasty and good to eat with or without bread..Sometimes i just use the whole can when cooking my instant noodle...Some more, it's just the right size that you can carry it around with you and have a scoop whenever you feel hungry.. The perfect snack!





Tomyam soup with rice....this is fast becoming my favourite dinner...The spicy soup, the hot piping rice, and the generous dollops of chicken meat and vegetables make this a complete meal to savour....