Lava Queen

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 ...

Nestled in a quiet corner of the Sunway Pyramid Hotel West lies Sanoook, the Thai and Japanese restaurant. Sanook means ‘fun’ in Thai and the extra 'O' is to represent a circle of friendship. Sanoook's most attractive asset is its creativity - melding Thai cooking with the spirit of Japanese culinary arts, creating a whole new culture of fun dining. Both Thai and Japanese cuisines are hubby's favorite, so here we are, taking a break from our shopping session: Tom Yum Soup with Prawns (RM23.90). First off, Tom Yum Soup with Prawns, poured from sake carafes. What's a Thai meal without Tom Yum Soup, eh? I was kinda expecting something hot and fiery. Well... It was not too scorching, perhaps terrific for those with less desire for fire, but honestly, it tasted exactly like those made from instant Tom Yum Powder. Disappointing, I must say. Veggie Skewers (RM15.90 for 2) Next up, the veggie skewers - cherry tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, mushroom and capsicum, ...

This is the simple version of the Chinese arrowroot soup (Also known as 粉葛湯 'Fun Kot Tong' in Cantonese). Our family love drinking this soup. It is tasty and cooking it with pork bones and dried squid makes it sweet and refreshing. Some people who like boiling arrowroot together with lotus roots or peanuts, and my mother-in-law usually boils it on its own and drink as 'cooling' tea. Naturally sweet and tasty. If you don't like seafood, you can choose to omit the dried squid. This is how the Chinese arrowroot looks like.  The arrowroot is a type of root plant similar to taro, potato or tapioca. However, it is harder in texture and incredibly starchy. When it is cut up, it has patterns that looks like the ages of a tree trunk. It is usually made into powder and used as thicken agent in cooking. The arrowroot is high in protein and fiber which is very beneficial to our body. Ingredients: 1 medium-sized Chinese arrowroot (Approx 700g) 10 red dates, ...

PERMANENTLY CLOSED Oliver Gourmet is the new kid on the block offering its shoppers with a wide range of local and international brands of premium groceries, coffee, wine and pork. Located at the Ground floor of Tropicana City Mall, it is the newest member to join the other 3 high-end supermarkets in Damansara area (all within a 1km radius of Oliver Gourmet), namely the Village Grocer in Atria Shopping Gallery, Jaya Grocer in Starling Mall and Ben's Independent Grocer in Glo Damansara. Following the grocerant trend which is popular in high-end supermarkets in Malaysia these days, the non-halal section in Oliver Gourmet too offers in-store dining for its patrons, which focuses on premium Iberico pork. Patrons can just order whatever meat they like, with or without add-on sides. Consumers have a wide selection of meat and cuts, m...

Another soup that's good for the ladies! :P This soup can help to calm the nerves, protect the heart and womb, and nourishes Yin. It is, of course, suitable for the whole family too. Chinese Yam can help strengthen the stomach/spleen and nourish the kidneys, while white fungus can help to nourish the lungs, expel heat and improve metabolism. As I mentioned before, white fungus is also known as the 'poor man's bird nest' as it is rich in phyto-collagen which can help to keep skin youthful :D This soup is also suitable for those after childbirth or who had just undergone a surgery as white fungus can help to speed up recovery. A soup that can help to brighten and moisturize the skin :D Ingredients: 1 tael (Approx 37.5g) Dried Chinese yam 5 maces (Approx 18.9g) gojiberries 5 maces (Approx 18.9g) dried longan 5 maces (Approx 18.9g) white fungus/snow fungus 10 red dates, pits removed 1 black-bone chicken, skin removed and chopped into pieces 2500ml water ...

Came home late today and needed a quick fix for dinner. The one pot tomato rice went viral like a couple of years ago. I haven't cooked it for quite some time and decided to cook it tonight since it's fast and easy. On top of that, it's delicious, healthy (no oil) and cheap too! LO kept asking for bunashimeji, so I've used the brown beech mushrooms instead of fresh shiitake. Now, let's see how much the ingredients (excluding rice, water and sauces :P) cost for tonight's version: Tomato: RM 0.29 Long beans: Approx RM 0.55 (Bought a pack for RM 1.31 and used 3) Bunashimeji mushrooms: RM2 (Bought a 100g pack for RM 4 and used 1/2 of it) Chicken whole leg: RM 4.46 Carrot: Approx RM 0.65 Total: RM 7.95 , for a wholesome and yummy dinner which is more than enough for 2 adults and 1 toddler. Totally worth it, isn't it? Hehe. Fast, easy, healthy and yummy! Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup uncooked rice, washed 1 tomato 1/2 a large carrot, cut into cubes 3...