SS20 Fish Head Noodles, Damansara Kim

When Bollywood Queen returned recently for a short weekend break, we popped over to SS20 for some fish head noodles.

I wanted to try this stall for sometime already, just that I went to another fish head noodle place instead while searching for this stall :p

So nothing will deter me from getting here this time around..

Decent crowd, we got our seats quickly and ordered..

Some baby spinach soup with fish paste..

I really enjoyed this. The baby spinach was tender, not fibrous and sweet. The fish paste had a firm, yet springy texture- lovely to bite into.

There were a few types of fish noodles that we could choose from; I opted for the soong fish head with mixed of fried and fresh fish head, with lai fun.

I find the noodles smooth and springy, however, the soup lacked the aroma I was looking for. The soup was rather diluted, the wine fragrance was missing and lacked that bit of sour plum kick. The fish head was fresh nonetheless, the fried versions were tastier than the non fried ones. Soup wise, I feel the Fish & Noodles just a road away fared better.

SS20 Fish Head Noodle is located at Gerai 20, Medan Selera MBPJ, Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya.

Food Friday : Pininyahang Manok (Chicken with Pineapple)

This very easy to prepare Pininyahang manok is my entry for

Just marinade the chicken in pineapple syrup for about 2 hrs. Remove liquid after 2 hrs. Saute chicken with garlic and onion until chicken is atleast half cooked. Pour in the pineapple syrup used in marinating the chicken and simmer together with the pineapple chunks until chicken is tender. Add some some salt and pepper to taste and add in some milk shortly before turning off the stove.

Have a great weekend everyone. Happy Eating.

Back from pilgrimage..

Well, not really pilgrimage, but my annual trip to food and shopping paradise :)

It was also Dragon girl's second trip to Bangkok- her first trip being mostly for massage, sightseeing and relaxation; hence, this time around, the trip would be on shopping and loads of food.

Food was planned along with shopping location, to make things easier for us ladies :p

There were some repeats on our eats such as the grilled fish and som tum place at Chatujak market.

Most unfortunately, the grilled fish was no longer that nice; it was only luke warm when served..

Luckily the som tum place was still nice, though the serving's a tad smaller..

Other repeats include the juicy, tender samurai pork burger at McD's..

And we tried their newly launched chocolate pie..

The filling was more like chocolate custard; it was not too sweet, pretty ok.

Was looking for Amaltery ice cream at Siam Paragon, but it was no longer in operation, so we went back to our usual mango dessert place- Mango Tango..

Had the usual...

Glad to say that the mango ice cream has improved (compared to last year), the new addition of glutinous rice was decent too. The mangoes were ultra sweet and dripping with loads of juices. Yummy!

The second dessert was yummy too.. The crunchy corn flakes gave a nice crunch to the texture; the bottom was filled with mango chunks, mango ice cream and mango puree..

What else did we ate during our time in Bangkok?

Well, guess that will be in the next few posts....

SHRIMP DELIGHT

1 can tomato soup
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. Real mayonnaise
1 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. water
1 c. celery, very finely chopped
1/8 c. green onion, very finely
chopped
2 cans tiny, whole shrimp (drained &
deveined)
Heat soup and cheese, stirring constantly, until both are mixed well. Cool. Stir inayonnaise. Dissolve gelatin in water, then add to soup mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour in mold or clear serving dish. Chill until set. Serve cold with Wheat Thin crackers. This is a favorite of our family!

CRAB CROSTINI

8 oz. crabmeat
1/2 c. diced red bell pepper
2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
4-5 drops hot pepper sauce
4 oz. Italian bread, cut into 16
slices
Preheat broiler. Line a broiler pan with foil. Blend all ingredients except bread.pread 1 tbsp. of the mixture on each bread slice. Place the crostini on the broiler pan and broil 4 inches from the heat for 5-6 minutes until lightly browned.

Scrappin Mondaze: Mamon Monster

This picture was taken last Sunday when her lola wena and tita rio visited her at our house. It seems like Marianna cant wait to eat this mamon , which is by the way, bigger than her head, that she bites on it even if it still has plastic on. She is 10 months old today. Soon she'll be running around the nearest sari-sari store and make mommy pay for all her consumables. he he.

LEMON PEPPER SHRIMP AND ZUCCHINI

2 med. sized zucchini
2 tbsp. olive or salad oil
1 lb. shelled or deveined lg. shrimp
1 1/4 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. salt
Over medium-high heat in hot oil, cook zucchini, stirring frequently, until zucchini begins to brown and is tender-crisp. With slotted spoon – remove zucchini to bowl. In same skillet, over high heat, cook shrimp, lemon-pepper seasoning salt, and salt, stirring until shrimp are opaque throughout - about 5 minutes. Return zucchini to skillet, heat through.

SHRIMP MOUSSE

1 can cream of shrimp soup
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 pkg. Knox gelatin
1 (10 oz.) box cooked shrimp, thawed
1 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
Use double boiler and mix soup, gelatin and cream cheese until melted. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Put in mold and chill at least 8
hours.

And the winner is .... zzzz

Did it ever happen to you when you're looking forward to watch a certain program and when you're about to know or get to the very important part of the show you snooze off? It often happens to me. Last Saturday, i was watching Jessica soho reports and was awake most part of it. Then before the commercial break, the part where i was most interested in was about to go next, a segment that tells how our favorite pasalubong like walis tambo and the well known Romana peanut brittle in Baguio was originated. As usual I accidentally slept on it and when i woke up, its Mike Enriquez's imbestigador already. It happened again yesterday, I was watching K! and again, i slept on the jackpot round and was clueless if Charlene Aguilar won the jackpot. It was not the first time that i slept on the most important part of the show. I can still remember when i slept on last years' Binibining Pilipinas awarding of winners and the Biggest Looser season 5 announcement of the winner. Funny but it seems that the sleep fairy blows her dust on me not on cue. Next time, I'll probably watch TV sitting down specially when i really want to know the ending.

Okoy (Shrimp Patty)

This is my entry for this week for

Okoy (shrimp patty) with spicy vinegar.




Mama and I prepared this last Saturday.
Really easy and very tasty. Its worth preparing your own than buying it in your local palengke.
We made a batter consisting of equal portions of flour and baking powder mixed with water and seasoned with salt and pepper. Mixed in some togue (bean sprouts) and pumpkin strips and top the mixture with shrimp before frying.

Have a great weekend everyone. Happy eating.

"Iron Chef" Cabin Camping

It will take me awhile to catch up so I am going back to the beginning of this crazy summer to bring you up to date on some fun and great food we have had. If you have read this blog you know that my family gravitates toward either the beach or the mountains for relaxation and recreation. Several weeks ago some friends of ours called and said they wanted to go camping before they were reassigned (they are military) since they could wind up anywhere. Even though it was not the best time since I was in the middle of proposal season and camping takes a lot of preparation, I thought we might be able to do it if there was a cabin, since then we wouldn't have to pack and carry our tent. I have to say, that I really didn't expect there to be one available, since cabins are usually all booked in the on season, but there was one available and so we were on for a weekend in the mountains!

Some of the best part of camping is the food, but it takes a lot of planning. Luckily, our friend Julie was up for a camping"Iron Chef", and so we set about splitting the meals and developed menus for the trip. For my dinner, I made a great recipe that I actually found on Foodbuzz for a flank steak and delicious cheesy polenta. But Julie blew me totally away this trip. She made a delicious version of eggs benedict that used thinly sliced roast beef with sauteed mushrooms instead of ham and a cream and cheese sauce instead of the routine hollandaise. Served on sliced brioche from Anderson's Cafe, a fabulous cafe in an upscale garden shop here in Newport News, this dish was a real hit, definitely better than usual camping food,and Julie even poached her eggs on a camp stove!!! I was amazed, since this is a skill I have yet to master. Round 1- Advantage Julie

I was sure that I could blow her out of the water since I had made homemade venison sausage.I planned pancakes but on a whim, I made the leftover cheesy polenta into patties and fried them with the sausage, and they were a great hit, the cheesy creaminess making the perfect complement to the spicy sausage. Since I had to cook in the rain- I give myself extra points. Round 2- Advantage Me

Our next dinner, Julie made a mushroom soup with toasted cheese sandwiches made from the Anderson's brioche with brie and gruyere cheese, and a clone of the Bonefish Grill's Saucy Shrimp Appetizer that was out of this world! Round 3-Goes to Julie

I hope I am not making it sound as if it were all competition since we had an awesome time with good friends, hanging out by the fire, talking and laughing and soaking up the beautiful scenery at Crabtree Falls. Besides the great food the hit of the trip was our tennis racket-style bug zapper which provided some unexpected entertainment, and our Mayan hammock which provided a great place for hanging out (and sleeping, for Lilly!)

Saucy Shrimp Appetizer Clone From Bonefish Grill*

1 ounce butter
5 ounces (50/60 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 of the Bonefish Grill lime-tomato-garlic sauce (see below)
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1. Add butter to sauté pan, coating pan. Pour excess butter out. Sauté shrimp, olives and sun-dried tomatoes until shrimp turn opaque.

2. Add one-fourth of the lime tomato garlic sauce (see note). Toss the
sauce with shrimp and vegetables and remove the pan from the heat.

3. Pour all ingredients onto an appetizer plate. Top with crumbled
feta and a pinch of parsley.

Lime-tomato-garlic sauce: Place 1/2 cup roughly chopped
sun-dried tomatoes, 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh tomatoes, 1/4 cup
lemon juice, juice from 2 limes, 1/4 cup chopped garlic, 1/2 cup white wine and 5 tablespoons granulated sugar in saucepan. Stir and let cook until reduced in volume by half. Add 1 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon white pepper. Stir and let simmer until the mixture thickens. On medium to low heat, slowly add 2 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces) until melted. Remove pan from heat when all of the butter is incorporated.
Makes enough for 4 servings

*Adapted from:
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/eatingout/eating_b/bonefish-shrimp-appetizer.htm


Awesome Julie's take on Anderson's Showplace Eggs Benedict*

1 loaf of Brioche, sliced
1 lb. of sliced deli roast beef, chopped
4 Portabella mushroom caps, diced
8 eggs
1 batch of mornay sauce (recipe below)
1 bag of baby spinach

1. Toast Brioche and set aside.
2. Boil water in deep skillet for poached eggs
3. Place mushrooms in pan with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (if you
chose- if you are using a non-stick skillet this is not needed) and
saute.
4. Once mushrooms are cooked add chopped roast beef. Mix well and allow
to heat through.
5. Begin poaching your eggs and steam spinach.
6. Once eggs are cooked to order, put toasted bread on plate, top with beef, spinach and mushrooms. Add egg and top with mornay sauce and serve.
Serves 4

Mornay Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups hot milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyere
1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Dash ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper

1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour and
cook slowly for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove
from heat. The mixture should get foamy or frothy but not brown.
2. Add the hot milk and whisk vigorously until smooth. Add the seasonings and return to the heat and boil for about 1 minute over medium high heat. Remove from heat, add cheeses and stir
until incorporated completely. Add cayenne.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

Lan Je, Kota Damansara

Finally, I got to try the famous steamed fish that I read in masak-masak's blog recently :)

Since weekdays are usualy very packed, we went on a weekend instead. Still pretty crowded but the wait for food were not that long..

I've been there twice, and had tried the 3 flavours available..

Steamed black tilapia with bean paste sauce..

Steamed black tilapia with bean paste and chilli (spicy) - larger tilapia, serve size for 2

And lastly, steamed black tilapia with bean paste and extra chilli (extra spicy)

So which flavour was my favourite?

In that 2 visits, I like the spiciest version the best; the plentiful bird eye's chilli added some kick to the fish, also added aroma to the base sauce (ie, the liquid base). When I had all 3 fish together, the norm bean paste paled in comparison to it's hotter counterparts. The fish served here are fresh, hence you dont need to worry about the muddy taste that tilipia has. Almost undetected :)

I've tried 2 sizes of the fish, the fish serve for 1 person was smoother in texture, but not as sweet and flavourful compared to the flesh of the larger fish (serve size for 2 person). Oh, they did over steamed one of the fish that I had though. Wasted :(

Definitely one of the place I'll pop by often for my meals, since it's also rather near my house :). Price of fish depends on it's weight, but small size fish for one person costs about RM16-17.

Lan Je Steamed Fish is located at F-50G & 51G, Jalan Teknologi 3/9, Bistari "DE" Kota, Kota Damansara, PJU 5, Petaling Jaya.

Dishes Galore

Ayan ang nabili ko nung linggo sa palenge dun sa may riles ng tren malapit sa amin.

Ang saya saya, he he. Lahat yan, only for 230 pesos. Actually 235 pesos natawad ko pa yung 5 pesos. Tyagaan lang sa pag pili at yung iba ay may bungi bungi na. Sa department store din daw yan nabili ng pakyawan nung nagtitinda kaya para na din daw ako nag mall. Tiis nga lang sa putik at sari saring amoy, he he. Ok lang. Laki naman ng na save ko.

Simula kasi nung nahilig ako magluto, ehem ehem, nahilig na din ako sa mga gamit na may kuneksyon sa pag luluto at yang mga yan ang magpapagana sa kin na ipag patuloy ko ang aking "adventures" in cooking.

CUCUMBER VINAIGRETTE

1 med. unpared cucumber, very thinly
sliced (about 2 c.)
1 med. green pepper, cut into thin
strips (about 1 c.)
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. salad oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. pepper
In medium bowl, combine cucumber slices with green pepper strips. In measuring cup, combine rest of ingredients, mixing well. Pour over cucumber mixture, tossing to coat well. Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled--about 1 hour-- tossing occasionally. To serve: Drain dressing from vegetables. Arrange vegetables attractively on large platter. To unmold mousse: Run a spatula around edge of mold; invert onto vegetables. Serve at once, with crackers as appetizer or as salad on bed of lettuce

SALMON MOUSSE WITH CUCUMBER VINAIGRETTE

1/2 c. dry Vermouth
1 env. unflavored gelatin
1 c. smoked salmon, flaked
3 hard-cooked eggs, mashed
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped fine
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. finely chopped onion
Combine gelatin and dry Vermouth. Heat gently until dissolved, and set aside to cool. Combine all other ingredients into gelatin mix, blending well. Pour into a 2-cup flat-bottom mold. Chill at least 3 hours or overnight

SMOKED SALMON ECLAIRS

1/2 c. water
4 tbsp. butter, cut into sm. chunks
1/2 c. flour
2 extra lg. eggs, beaten lightly
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dry dill
1/2 lb. cream cheese, softened
(regular or lite)
1/4 c. sour cream (regular or lowfat)
6 oz. smoked salmon, chopped fine
Juice of 1/2 lemon and grated zest
1 tbsp. fresh dill, minced
Dash of nutmeg
1 tsp. minced garlic
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine water and butter in small saucepan, bring to boil over high heat. Add flour all at once; beat vigorously until dough forms ball, pulls away from sides of pan and leaves a thin film on bottom of pan. Transfer to mixing bowl. Save 1 tablespoon of beaten egg. Beat the rest of the egg into the dough in two steps, beating until dough is shiny and smooth. Put dough in pastry bag with #3 star tip. On lightly greased baking sheet, lay down 3 x 1/2 inch strips about 2 inches apart. Bake 15 minutes until puffed up and brown. Remove from oven. Split in half lengthwise. Reassemble and return to baking sheet. Brush top of each with thin film of reserved egg. Sprinkle on combined garlic powder and dill. Reduce oven to 200 degrees. Return eclairs to oven for 20 minutes until dry and crisp. Remove and cool. Mix filling ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, spoon filling onto bottom half of eclair and top with top half.

HERRING TIDBITS

2 c. (1 pt.) sour cream
1 (12 oz.) jar herring tidbits in
wine, undrained, chopped
2 apples, peeled, quartered, cored
and chopped
1 med. Bermuda onion, quartered and
chopped
1/2 c. seedless grapes, halved
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Rye rounds
Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Add grapes and eggs and toss lightly. Turn into dish. Serve with rye rounds. Makes about 4 cups.

BAR-B-QUED SHRIMP

1 lb. shrimp
Olive oil
Cracked black pepper
Salt
Lemon juice
Tabasco
Lea & Perrin's
Butter
Place whole shrimp, keep shells on, in single layer in oven-proof dish. Drizzle olive oil on top of shrimp. Pepper shrimp until they are black; when you think you have enough pepper, add more. Add lots of salt, lemon juice, Tabasco and Lea & Perrin's. Remember you are seasoning through the shells. Cut up butter on top of shrimp and broil until shrimp are cooked, 15 to 20 minutes. Be sure and taste to see if they are done. Serve these with newspaper on the table and lots of napkins. Have French bread to sop up the oil and encourage guests to eat the shells, as well, if river shrimp are used. With cold beer and green salad, you have the makings of a great informal party. Base the amount of shrimp on the number of guests.

SEVICHE SEAFOOD SHELLS

1/2 lb. bay scallops
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/3 c. diced med. bell pepper
1/3 c. thinly sliced green onions
1 tbsp. fresh minced cilantro or 1
tsp. dried
1 tsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 drops hot sauce
16 cooked jumbo macaroni shells
Cook scallops in small amount of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain. Combine scallops and fresh lime juice in small bowl. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Add next 7 ingredients. Stir well. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Drain. Stuff each macaroni shell with 1 tablespoon scallop mixture. Arrange on serving platter.

SHRIMP BUTTER

2 cans shrimp, broken
1 tbsp. onion, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 1/2 sticks soft butter
Salt to taste
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
Mix all ingredients well with mixer, adding shrimp last. Makes a large amount, and freezes well. This is a spread rather than a dip. I serve with Club crackers

NOEL KIRK ERICKSON'S SARDINE ROLLS

2 cans of sardines in mustard sauce
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
2 hard boiled eggs
2 loaves of sliced white bread
Lemon juice
Mayonnaise
Worcestershire sauce
Mash sardines. Mix together sardines, cream cheese and hard boiled eggs. Add desired amount of lemon juice, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Cut off bread crusts. Spread mixture on slices of bread, roll up and hold together with toothpicks. Broil until toasted.

BAKED CLAMS

2 doz. clams
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. onion, chopped
1 tbsp. bread crumbs
1 tsp. parsley or chives
1/4 tsp. oregano
Salt & pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese
Lemon juice
Scrub clams with stiff brush under cold water until all grit is removed. Saute onion and garlic until golden. Remove clams from shell (steam open). Chop up clams very fine, mix with bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper and oregano. Fill shells. Sprinkle with cheese and lemon juice. Dot with butter and place under
hot broiler about 5 minutes.

SEAFOOD FANCIES

8 oz. can Pillsbury refrigerator
butterflake dinner rolls
7 1/2 oz. can crab meat, rinsed &
drained
2 1/2 oz. can tiny shrimp, rinsed &
drained
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. chopped onion
1 tbsp. chopped pimento
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. curry powder
8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained &
sliced
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Separate dough into 12 pieces. Separate each piece into 3 equal layers. Place on prepared cookie sheets. In small bowl, combine crab, shrimp, cheese, mayonnaise, onion, pimento, parsley flakes and curry powder. Spoon teaspoonful seafood mixture onto each dough piece; top with several slices of water chestnuts. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve hot, refrigerate leftovers.

Quick dinner party? Try Thai..

Got a short notice to whip up a few dishes for dinner party?

That's not a problem for me anymore as long as I got my stock of thai curry paste, a quick way to a simple but presentable dinner :)

Whenever I'm over to Bangkok for holidays, one of the sure purchase in my list is the whole range of thai curry paste I could get my hands on. And when stocks depletes, no fear, my friends would help me get those yummy paste :p

The weekend dinner we had recently consists of..

Green Curry chicken..

Easy to prepare dish. Stir fry the green curry paste with garlic and shallots. Add in the coconut milk/ yoghurt, kaffir lime leaves, some lemongrass, simmer until the chicken had fully absorbed the flavours. Add in the eggplants and long beans last, bring to boil and serve hot.

The Yellow curry

You can cook it with chicken, potatoes and peanuts. Since I have already prepared green chicken curry, I decided to do a seafood yellow curry instead. Stir fry the shelled prawns and mussels with garlic, shallots, red chilli and yellow curry paste. Add in coconut milk/ fresh milk, boil and stir in pineapple cubes (I used canned ones for sweeter flavour) before serving.

The Red curry duck..

Stir fry garlic, shallots, red chilli and red curry until aromatic. Add in yoghurt/ coconut milk. Once the curry is boiling, add in chopped roasted duck, sliced red capsicums, tomatoes and lychee.

I prepared some vermicelli to eat with the red curry too..

Goes very well with the curry, we all enjoyed it.

For the greens, we had Thai apple salad..

Sliced green apples (I used granny smiths) to thin strips. Keep it chilled in fridge. Heat up some oil and saute garlic, dried shrimps and shallots until crisp and golden brown. Set aside. For the dressing, mix fish sauce, lime juice and honey to desired taste. Toss the green apple with the dressing, top with the dried shrimps, garlic, shallot bits.

We had Tom Ka soup too (chicken and mixed mushrooms) which I've forgotten to take a picture of :p

My friends enjoyed this quick to prepare meal, which I am very glad of.

So the next time when you're in Thailand, dont forget to get yourself some curry paste ya? Might just solve your food problems for last minute dinner parties!

Food Friday : Arroz Ala Cubana

This is my entry for

I cooked this for my baon last week. The usual ground pork with mixed veggies and potatoes, accompanied by fried egg and bananas. Very easy yet very tasty and filling.
Happy eating everyone.

Kedai Makanan Pak Yoon, Salak South Baru

Miss those tai chow flavours you get in the 1970s- 1980s?

Gary brought me to Pak Yoon, which really reminds me of the dishes I had when I was a wee kid, going for tai chow in my hometown. With fond memories of good chinese stir fry dishes ala kampung style, we reached the humble eatery nearing 2 pm.

We were so worried that they have close for lunch, luckily, they were still taking in customers :)

Left the ordering to Gary, since he has been here before..

We got the old school sweet and sour ribs (pai guat wong)

Tender pork ribs, each piece was well marinated and coated with the tangy sauce. The batter was soft and soaked with sauce, unlike the 'newer versions' of pai guat wong which mostly has crunchy batter.

Candy only request was the Bittergourd with salted egg

This was absolutely delicious. The bittergourd was fresh and though after stir frying, it was still crisp and sweet (yes, you read right). The salted egg, both yolk and white, were still very moist and goes wonderfully with the gourd.

Some Yong Tau Foo

Less refined version, these YTF were huge. Make upon order, minimum 2 pieces per type. Served in thick sweet oyster sauce concoction, it was pretty delish too.

And finally, steamed fish

We had soong fish, fresh water fish. Gary requested for the fish belly portion, hence the meat was springy and smooth. Decent ginger garlic sauce, goes nicely with the fish.

Overall an enjoyable meal, would definitely pop by again for another meal :)

Kedai Makanan Pak Yoon is located at 7A, Jalan 1, Salak South Baru, KL. Across the highway from Plaza 63. Along the road very near the now demolished Besraya toll.

Published SP (Smart Parenting) Comment

I almost always buy Smart Parenting (SP) Magazine every month because of its useful articles and tips. Last May, I answered two of its promo for a chance to win a baby carrier and baby thingies for Marianna. I also submitted a filled - up survey sheet and sent a feedback thru email. This is the first time that i did this and luckily, i was one who got picked for the survey (1 out of 40) and my feedback was published in this months' Issue. 2 out of 4. Not bad for a novice huh?

My published feedback was:

PREGGY PRIMER

I started reading SP even before I got married, and your Preggy 101 articles were very helpful when I got pregnant. Until now, SP is my mentor in taking care of my baby. Each month, I look forward to your latest issue and I keep my previous ones because of the useful articles. I hope for more informative features for years to come.

--- Djohanna Marie Mariñas, Caloocan City

I was very happy when I saw it. Tapos napansin ko agad pangalan ko .... Marie Mariñas .... hay .... Di ko nga din agad napansin na napublish comment ko. Hinanap ko kasi kung sino nanalo sa baby carrier since I was eyeing on it for Marianna. Im very thankful na din since I got the opportunity to be recognized in a way. I'll treat this month's issue extra special because of it.

Scrapping Mondaze : Marianna sa Bintana

Marianna loves looking out through our window, di kasi sya masyado nakakalabas ng bahay. Good thing pinalagyan ni mama ng rehas yung bintana. The moment it was finished, she immediately tugged me to place her near the window. Nilagayan na lang namin ng pillow para she can sit down as she watches people, specially kids, passing by and playing outside.

Engka Portobello, Changkat Bukit Bintang

It was Alicia's birthday and she requested to have dinner in KL. After giving her a few choices, she settled for a place that serves mushrooms and pork, both her favourite :p

Engka Portobello is still considered a new kid on the block, since it just opened about 3.5 months ago. The walls were adorned with posters of many types of mushrooms, giving us another topic to discuss on while waiting for our food.

Since we were the first customer, the service was excellent- the staff were attentive, but not overbearing.

Started off with some drinks

Alicia with her margarita(RM19)

She seemed to like it..

I had Vanilla rum and raisin shake(RM12).

Slightly too sweet and lacked rum taste. Plump raisins though.

We began our meal with Grilled Mushroom salad (RM10)

The type of mushrooms depends on the variety they had in the kitchen that day. Our platter was a mix of portobello, shimeji, enoki, button and oyster mushrooms. Each type of mushrooms were cooked with different spices which heightens it's flavours. We enjoyed the oyster and portobello mushroom most.

The grilled Portobello Mushrooms with pork belly and onions (RM15) sounds sexy, so we gave in to temptation..

Gosh, this was so delicious. The portobello was wonderfully succulent, bursting with woody flavour while the pork belly gave some saltiness to this else sweet dish.

The grilled pork bacon with onion rings and halumi cheese (RM13)

I find this dish very greasy. The halumi was slightly hard and dry, the onion ring's batter was so oily that I could not even detect the onion. Did not like this.

For mains, the birthday girl ordered a pork burger (RM35)

Steep price for a burger, but this was absolutely scrumptious. The thick pork pattie was moist, layered with ham, bacon, sliced portobello mushrooms, mayo cheddar cheese and sliced tomatoes; definitely able to fulfill anyone's craving for a yummilicious pork burger. It was delightful watching Alicia enjoying this so much.

Our surprise came in the form of the chips.. guess we didnt read the menu description properly..The chips were actually served on melted smoked cheese. So artery clogging but tasty indeed..

BL had the Grilled Pork Steak (RM33)

Came with a generous 2 slab pork steak, it was served on a bed of potatoes, bacon and warm apple. The pork steak was glazed with rum malt vinegar, but I could not really taste it. The steak was a tad over cooked though, but the rich sauce helped eased the slight dryness of the meat.

Mine was the charred pork steak (RM33)

The huge pork steak had a wonderful smokey flavour but again was slightly over cook. That aside, I love arranging each pork cut with a slice of portobello and smother it with the black pepper hickory sauce. Delicious.

We were so stuffed by the time we were done with mains, we wanted to skip desserts.

But Alicia wanted her BD cake and her BD wish, so we ordered her a tiramisu (RM15)

Hahaha and this was the longest tiramisu we have ever eaten! I liked the fact that this was freshly made, the cake base was still warm and moist with warm espresso. The novelty aside, it was an ok tiramisu for me as I didnt like the peanut butter slathered in the centre. Alicia enjoyed it tremendously.

The sweet manager of Engka Portobello, Sly, decided to treat us to an additional dessert..

The churrous with warm chocolate dip

Served piping hot, the churrous was crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. The accompanying chocolate sauce was slightly bitter, which complemented the slightly sweetish churrous nicely.

Overall we had a great time there, would definitely pop by for another meal (I want to try the pork ribs). But would remind them not to over cook the pork steak :p. Sly showed us their lunch set too; there's 10 mains to choose from with soup and drinks. All for 19.50++. Good value indeed.

Engka Portobello is located at 32, Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur.