Lava Queen

Been craving for Japanese food after watching some sushi videos on YouTube. Lol. We were at Sunway Pyramid and I didn't wanna go for the franchise ones like Sakae or Zanmai, so we asked the info counter. The lady at the counter recommended us to go for Hana Dining Sake Bar and am so glad she did. Hana Dining has officially made it into my list of favorite Japanese restaurants, for now! Haha!!  We started off with the Gindara Miso Yaki (Black cod with miso). With its delicate and buttery texture, the Miso Cod simply melts in your mouth! The sharpness of the miso and sweetness of the mirin work wonderfully to cut the fish’s fattiness. Gindara Miso Yaki (RM26). Next, we had the foie gras and anago (eel) nigiri sushi. The perfectly seared foie gras nigiri was awesome - a mouth punch of sweet and savory. I absolutely loved it.  If foie gras is your thing, then this is the pinnacle of that experience. The anago nigiri, on the other hand, wasn't as bold or rich taste as I had...

Saw this fairly new restaurant being recommended on  Eat Drink KL   recently. What attracted us was the babi guling. I'm sure most of you out there know this famous Balinese classic pork dish. Hubby and I are quite a fan, so we were excited to give this place a go and try to reminisce about the one we had when we were in Bali. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bad experience for us and the worst food we've had in a long time! Babi Guling Belly (RM28). The menu says: "Indonesian style marinated pork belly roasted to perfection with crispy crackling skin, served with Jasmine white rice and fresh vegetables." I do understand that Granite's reinterpretation of babi guling showcased roast pork belly with substantial fat, but the version they served me? The skin was all soggy and thick with the fat! And I'm pretty sure the rice wasn't Jasmine white rice because it wasn't fragrant at all and it looked/tasted like some low quality rice. The sambal was ...

PAUL: Boulangerie, Patisserie, Restaurant, and Salon de Thé Restaurant has opened in Malaysia, after London, Washington, Tokyo and Dubai! Inspired by the French Art de Vivre, this chic looking bakery-restaurant is located on Level 2 of Pavilion Mall KL. I was looking forward to its opening, so here we are. We reached Paul at about 3 plus in the afternoon. There was a short queue but we were shown to our table shortly after. Service was friendly but I personally find the place a little cramped - too many tables in a not-so-big dining area. We could practically hear everything the neighboring diners said or taste one another's food >.<  Anyway, let's get on with the food. Cafe surprise (RM29.80). This is their Coffee/Tea-Desserts set. There are 2 different sets; 1) 3 mini macaroons, served with either a large coffee (Café gourmand) or tea of your choice (Thé gourmand) for RM23.90, and 2) A mini crème brûlée, 1/2 moulleux chocolat slice and 2 mini macaroons, serve...

Weather has been crazy lately; extremely hot in the afternoon and thunderstorms in the evening. Bought a bottle gourd to boil soup to help 'clear heat'. This time I've chosen to boil this melon soup with corn silk and pork bones. The reason why it is called 'melon' soup is because all the 3 main ingredients; papaya (木瓜), bottle gourd (葫芦瓜) and chayote squash (佛手瓜) are called 瓜 (meaning melon) in Chinese. This soup is said to be suitable for those with dry skin as chayote can help to enhance skin condition and beauty, and those who suffer from poor circulation from prolonged hours of sitting as corn silk and bottle gourd can help to relieve edema. It is also good for those who suffer from constipation, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Love how refreshing and naturally sweet the soup is :D The 3 瓜 aka melons :) As I have mentioned before, corn silk are very nutritious as it can help to promote diuresis, dispel heat and improve the function of gall...

Dessert is a girl's best friend! Oh, and diamonds too, of course 😈 Haha. Dainty, elegant and oh-so-beautifully crafted gateau-style/French-inspired desserts... Who wouldn't love them? And these are what you'll get at Xiao by Crustz. My main 'prey' was the Pink Guava. Unfortunately, it was sold out the first time I went. Determined to 'hunt' it down, I visited Xiao by Crustz again and this time, arriving on the dot of 3pm - when the cafe opens! Check out my loots :P Pink Guava (RM17). Love the classy and elegant look of it. The Pink Guava was definitely my favorite on that day. I liked how the sweet strawberries in the middle complimented the slightly sourish pink guava mousse. La Vie en Rose (RM16). This La Vie En Rose is made of shortbread cookie crust with 3 custard stuffed mini pate a choux (like cream puffs), and lined with rose chantilly cream. Honestly, I spent the first couple of minutes wondering how to eat this elegantly... Do I cut ...

I'm not really an animal person. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate them either. It's just that not everyone is a cat person, or a dog person, that's all. This is a story about someone who is related to me. I'm not trying to discriminate anyone. I am merely sharing my thoughts and feelings after what I saw and heard, so please do not judge. Dog's a man's best friend, but to what extend? # Phil's children work in the big city, which is about an hour and a half drive away and he has a dog named Mike. Perhaps it's because his children are not living together with him, Phil seeks companionship in Mike. Phil never liked/is always reluctant to visit anyone, including his own children, or go anywhere. The reasons given are always: Mike will refuse to eat when I'm not there, Mike might get bullied or fight with the other dogs in my sister's place (This never happened coz Mike was bigger than the meek shih tzus at the sis' place, the bro-in...

My long-delayed project: The Ogura Cake. I've been wanting to try baking this but never got the time, or the mood (Lol!) til today. This recipe was shared by a lady in the cooking group I'm in. Quite a few have tried and succeeded - you could call it a fail-proof recipe :P. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except changing a couple of stuffs and baking for an extra 5 minutes longer. The end product is super fluffy and soft, kinda similar to my Fluffy Egg Sponge Cake (The recipe for this is here ), but with an additional mild banana milk fragrance. LO kept stealing it while I was taking photo, so I'm guessing it's good haha. Hope you guys like it too :) Fluffy and soft, with a mild banana milk fragrance. Gonna try with Honeydew milk next time :) Ingredients: 5 egg yolks 1 whole egg 45g virgin coconut oil (or any flavorless vegetable oil) 70g Banana milk 100g cake flour ( Note* : I substituted with all purpose flour + corn starch) 1/4 tsp salt 5 e...

I love tapas and I love having them in La Bodega. That's until recently, before I found this Tiki Taka place coincidentally while roaming around the Bukit Damansara area one day before meeting up with a friend. Looking sleek and cosy, Tiki Taka has plenty to offer. With the concept of Pintxos (small bites), one gets to enjoy a variety of dishes in just one seating. You'll definitely be spoilt for choice! Pata Negra con Melon (RM10). We started off with this Pata Negra con Melon - Iberico ham, melon ball and parsley served on a toast drizzled with olive oil. I'm a fan of Iberico pig (I'm sure you would know after reading some of my posts). Haha! I liked how the sweet honeydew melon ball added that bit of 'freshness' in this :) Next, these 2 cute burgers: The two cute mini burgers :P Salted Egg Crab Bun (RM9). Lobster en brioche (RM9). The salted egg crab bun - a bite-size portion of charcoal brioche buns with salted egg crab meat, curry leaves,...

A friend of mine recommended me to this Mama Kim restaurant recently. She said it's a fairly new restaurant and it seems to be always crowded every time she passes by, so it must be good. Apparently they are not new, but I think they just moved to this new location - a 3-storey building in which Mama Kim occupies the Ground floor and the 2 upper floors occupied by HerbaLine Facial Spa (under the same company/group).  Despite the fact that people are trending toward more health-conscious eating, whenever we mention 'healthy meal/food', most people still think it simply means bland or tasteless food. In Mama Kim, they claim to serve nutritionally balanced, yet delicious food. As their slogan says, 'where healthy is yummy' , Mama Kim aims to serve real food with low salt, no white sugar, no white flour, less oil, and no MSG.   The Signature Sauna Mee (RM15.90). You can choose to have it with the mushroom rice noodles (as in the picture), or with a bowl of...

My love affair with coffee began many years back, but it has grown deeper in the recent few years. There is just something so inviting about the smell of coffee that gives me the boost to start my day or feel renewed midday. I simply love the taste of coffee. Love them without sugar, with or without creamer, and it was never something I had to acquire the taste for or get used to. In view of my unending love for coffee, hubby got me an espresso machine so I could enjoy a cup or two at home whenever I feel like it :D  There is no smell I love waking up to more than fresh brewed coffee!!  I can't tell you how excited I am to embark on my coffee beans expedition - to look/taste the difference between the different roasts and brands, and find the one that suits my taste most!  My first pack of ground coffee was from Starbucks. Bought that coz I had a discount voucher for their coffee beans. Unfortunately, their coffee looked like they contained some 'impurities' - might ...