Japanese Buffet @ Xenri D'Garden Terrace

Ever since I saw a well-praised posting about Xenri on Boo_licious' blog, I told myself I've got to try it. I've been to Xenri @ Old Klang Road twice, and the food was really fresh, and now that they have a second outlet - bigger and better I'm sure.

Xenri D'Garden Terrace is located on the second floor of Menara Hap Seng, ex MUI building, just opposite Shangri-La Hotel KL. There are other restaurants available over there, such as Elegant Inn, Nagomi Shabu Shabu, Oldtown, Dessert's Bar etc. The main reason I'm tempted to go there is the garden. Maybe it's just me, but dining in a place with a garden view fascinates me a lot.


There's a common area at Xenri D'Garden Terrace where the guests sits close to the buffet counters. If you prefer privacy/have a big group, they also have tatami rooms.


Food stuff like appetizers, sashimis, sushis, sukiyaki, pan fried items and drinks are placed at the buffet counters where self service is required. However, you place orders for tempura items, teppanyaki and noodles and it will be served to you at your table.

Appetizer section, nicely done.

Sukiyaki... best!

Shoooooo sheeeeeeee!!!

Oysters - well chilled, fresh and cold and yummy!!! Dad had 8 of these!

Love the sukiyaki here. The staff shabu-shabu the beef a la minute and serve with a hot sweet soup. Yum yum!

Teppanyaki beef - juicy and tender!

However, the green tea ice cream failed to make me satisfied. Though you can eat all you can with heaps of red bean, but it's too creamy which covered the green tea taste.

Mochi

Service was quick, the staff were quite well-trained to serve customers with a friendly attitude. As you walk to the washroom, you will pass by the kitchen, which you are able to look inside. Very clean.

As what I wrote in the comment form, there were a few points that I would like to highlight about. Green tea are taken by self service at the beverage counter, which I think should be better if refilled by the service staff, as it is the main drink which 90% of the guests will drink, they will need to walk a lot, up and down (few steps of stairs to the beverage counter) to refill it, and, there's no ICED green tea! I understand if they don't make chilled ones, well, at least there should be ice at the counter. And, the teh tarik from the coffee machine was DAMN sweet. With one cup of it I can add water to make two cups.

Overall, it's a good experience to dine there. The food is good. Will definitely be back again.

Price: RM55++
(When I called up they had 20% discount offer, so it was RM50.60nett, not sure when the promotion ends.)

Xenri D'Garden Terrace
Lot No 2-04,
Second Floor,
Podium Block of Menara Hap Seng,
Jalan P. Ramlee,
50250 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-20786688

My Fave BKT @ Dragon View, Puchong

My favorite bak kut teh restaurant. Yes, FAVE as in FAVORITE. Most FAVORITE. FAVORITEST. Whatever you call it :P Piping hot soup with tender pork ribs, served with mushrooms and fuchuks. That's what I called YUMMY. "Tambah soup" is a MUST here, because the soup doesn't have too herby taste, yet it's boiled long enough to be very flavorful. Top of the list to go when it's a rainy day.

Along with bak kut teh, one would not miss out ordering the steamed fish head, yau char kwai and the shop's signature tofu. Everytime I'm there, these are the few dishes that we order and no other.

Ginger paste steamed fish head (RM20)

Bak kut teh for three (RM8 per pax) is enough for 5.

Dragon View's signature deep fried tofu, served with sweet chili sauce (RM8)

Some green veges for fiber (RM8)

The best and crunchiest yau char kwai I've ever eaten (RM1.60)

And oh! Not forgetting the rice (RM1.20). It's superbly delicious even on it's own. Mum said they use fragrant rice, that's why it's so fluffly and nice. I thought they used pandan leave or something because it's really fragrant and just amazingly delicious.



For 5 person, with the soup all dried up into the stomach, rice bowl cleaned till it shimmers, the total bill came up to RM78 only!

Restoran Dragon View
Pusat Bandar Puchong,
Jalan Bandar 3,
Off Jalan Puchong,
47100 Puchong, Selangor
Tel: 03-58911129

(It's located directly behind Tesco. Corner lot of a row of shop lots)

Opens everyday
Lunch: 11am - 3pm
Dinner: 5.30pm - 9.30pm

Classic Banana Bundt Cake

A keeper :D

Recipe from: Ellen Einstein adapted in Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home To Yours

Ingredients: Makes 1 Bundt Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
• About 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (you should have 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups)
• 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I only had 1/2 a cup of sour cream so I used that plus 1/2 cup of whole milk)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan. (If you use a silicone Bundt pan there’s no need to butter it.) Don’t place the pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven’s heat to circulate through the Bundt’s inner tube.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don’t be disturbed when the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the pan, rap the pan on the counter to debubble the batter and smooth the top.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes - if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool to room temperature.

One Night Vegetarian @ Vegipai, Taman Desa

My uncle claims that the food at this meat free restaurant in Taman Desa is good, so off we went to try it. I'm always fascinated with vegetarian food, especially those 'imitated meat'.

There are a variety of food served at Vegipai, be it local or western. They have a la carte menu and also set menu for 2, 4 or 6 with preset food choice.

Simple interior

Mum & I had bubur cha cha. Quite good.

Bro's cincau milk (if I'm not mistaken)

Deep fried mushroom for snacking

Bro's 'fish burger' made from tofu I think. He said it was nice, really taste like fish.

Mum and I had plain rice with these two dishes: Guai Fa Qi (Egg with Vegetarian Shark's Fin & Homemade Tofu) - too wet for my liking but the tofu was good!

and...

Nutritious Pot (Similar to Bak Kut Teh) I was fascinated with this seeing a big picture of this on the wall, but the taste is so so only. Nice if you want a hot and light soup on a rainy day.

Really looks like meat huh? Taste like meat too!

Dad ordered Bittergourd Noodles. Filled with veges, veges and more veges!

Spotted 'wu tao kao yuk' (stewed pork belly with yam) on the menu, wanted to order to see how the vegetarian style taste like, but unfortunately it must be booked 1 day earlier to eat it.

The tastes of the food were pretty okay, more towards the 'light' side, suitable if you want to 'cleanse' your stomach a bit. Meanwhile they also have dishes like curry laksa, assam laksa, nasi lemak, pasta, fried rice etc. Uncle said one of the fried rice is nice, but can't remember which one is it. Will try if we go again :)

Cafe Vegipai
37A, Jalan Desa Bakti,
Taman Desa,
58100 KL
Tel: 03-79828184

Bak Kut Teh @ Restaurant Brother, Pandan Indah

Grandpa saw a newspaper article featuring this restaurant in Pandan Indah which serves this 'special bak kut teh' where you have to order one hour before you reach the restaurant. Hmm... interesting.


What so special about it? It's called '生煲肉骨茶' which is bak kut teh cooked from raw. That's why it takes so long. Read that it takes 45 minutes to cook it. Other bak kut teh we eat in different places is where they'd already pre-cook the meat and herbal soup even before the customers order it. Restaurant Brother serves those normal bak kut teh as well. The taste is heavier, whereas the 'special bak kut teh' is lightly cooked with herbs such as wolfberries and yok chok (if i'm not mistaken) so the taste is light and natural.

Ta daa... the 'special bak kut teh' (RM33 for 2 pax, RM45 for 3 pax) We ordered 6 pax for 10 of us.
If you just walk in and want to eat this, you wait 45 minutes lo!

Stewed Pork Knuckle (about RM10)

Pork Intestines (RM10)

I recommend this! Although I'm not a fan of this but it's nice! Ginger wine pork liver. Yummy when it's piping hot! (RM10)

WoahHh, the amount of chilis!

I saw this at the back near the toilet... Wonder what's it used for previously. Looks like a chopping board.

This is the normal bak kut teh la. Darker and denser taste. Ooooh, sinfully delicious neh~

We also ordered 2 bowls of yau char kwai (RM1.50 each), two vege dishes (RM7 each). Rice is RM1 each.

I like the special bak kut teh a lot, suits my taste. And it's opened throughout the night! Just that it's kinda far for us to go everytime.

Restaurant Brother 兄弟特式肉骨茶
No.11, Jalan 4/6, Pandan Indah,
55100 Kuala Lumpur.
(Near The Store, adjacent to Fei Por Chicken Rice)
Tel: 019-2177213 (Mr. Shen Nan Guang 沈南光)
Closed every alternate Monday

Indoor 'Alfresco' Dining @ Garden Cafe, One Utama

One look at the cafe, I was in love with it. Fully white furnished, with garden arches with artificial florets and leaves coiling around it.




A grand white piano stood beautifully at the entrance of the cafe, welcoming the guests elegantly to be seated, making people wanting to touch the keys on the piano so much.



It's not just a cafe, but rather a lifestyle store and a cafe. There are garden related things sold inside as well, such as pots, standees, artificial plants, garden decorations and accessories etc. At one glance, people will see similarities of Garden Cafe with Fullhouse in NZX. Yes, it's managed by the same people of both restaurants. Garden Cafe is also linked with Voir gallery, a neighbour boutique store.



They serve set lunches in the afternoon. Price were quite reasonable, which was one of the factors attracting me to dine in. One look around, it seems like a nice place to have a big gathering too.

Three of us, we ordered two set lunches and a set of a la carte items. The set lunch comes with a soup of the day and a drink where you can choose between ice lemon tea, coffee or tea. I ordered the carbonara set (about RM15.90), whereas my friend ordered the nasi lemak set (about RM9). Another friend of mine ordered the clam pesto pasta (a la carte) (about RM16).

Iced Coffee (too milky, my friend said)

Rose soda (a la carte) - This is freaking expensive deyh! RM12 if i'm not mistaken. Almost the same price as my friend's pasta already!

Ice lemon tea which comes with the set.

Soup of the day - Mushroom soup. Yippee! (Taste is there, but I feel it's too pureed. Prefer some course bites inside)

A no no for the day. The pasta were clumped up together. I guess they just saute it without blanching the noodles again. Portion was small too.

Looks very small portion right? Yes it is. But it's adequate due to the creaminess. Slightly lack of seasoning though.

I categorize their service as.. hmm.. good and bad. Why so? My carbonara was delayed for about half an hour at least. Seems that the order did not turn up at the kitchen side. As for the good side, I didn't finish my carbonara, the server came and ask if anything is wrong. Oklar, at least they're caring enough to ask so. Overall, it's ok. Nice place to hang out. But I hope the food will be improvised.

Garden Lifestyle Store and Cafe
Lower Ground Floor, New Wing (next to Hang Ten)
One Utama Shopping Centre