Japanese Yee Sang @ Hokkaido Ichiba, The Gardens Mall, KL

Last weekend, we met up with a good friend for lunch at Hokkaido Ichiba / Kita No Zen in The Gardens Mall. We ordered our food, chatted away, food arrived and we ate our lunch and then we got talking about CNY and yee sangs... and I said "Hey they do yee sang here too, wanna try?"

Japanese yee sang

We ordered the small yee sang (RM38) which is enough to feed 3-4 persons. They also do a larger version. It arrived looking very pretty, with a salmon rose crowned in the centre. Other ingredients in the yee sang include jellyfish (chuka karage), shredded/julienned vegetables such as radish and carrot, tempura bits, pickled ginger, seasoned seaweed, and marinated scallop lips (chuka hotate). Wow this yee sang is soooooo tasty.. I guess it's because it contains so many of my favorite ingredients!

Kids first yee sang this year :)

After lunch we headed over to Moo Cow for some froyo... and just as we sat down, we heard the sound of drums.... oh a lion dance has just started! How lucky. Kids love watching lion dance performances.

And when the crowd dispersed, kids asked if they could go downstairs to see the lion head upclose. The PIC was so nice and let the kids pose and touch the lion head. Another lucky, happy moment! :)

Opening times: 11am to 10pm daily. Hokkaido Ichiba is closed for first 3 days of CNY 2015.

Location: Kita No Zen, Hokkaido Ichiba, T-201, 3rd Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2283 1060


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Exclusive Valentine's Dinner @ Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar

This Valentine's, Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar is opening up their Executive Lounge for the first time to love birds to celebrate the occasion with a romantic meal.

Dubbed "Love is in the Air", couples are literally whisked up to the 26th Floor to be dazzled with the city skyline while enjoying a specially crafted 4-course menu. The Executive Lounge is normally only accessible to executive guests of the hotel. This Valentine's dinner package is limited to only 35 tables at RM250 nett per person.  If booked before 7th February 2015, guests will receive the Early Love Bird offer of 15% off total bill.

A romantic, relaxed setting which oversees the city skyline

The chefs preparing this meal will be from the hotel's La Cucina Mediterranean Restaurant, where I had two great meals in 2014. Guests will have a choice of 3 dishes to choose from for every course, which are made using the freshest ingredients sourced locally and from overseas. To start, guests will also be served a glass of champagne each and be presented with a complimentary gift (cute XO shakers).

Cheers! Bubbles to keep a girl happy ;)

For appetizer, guests can choose to have either foie gras terrine, salmon and barramundi carpaccio, or Caprese salad. I had the foie gras terrine, and I really enjoyed it. The terrine was smooth and paired well with the apple celery timbale and aged balsamic reduction. Loved the romantic touches throughout the meal i.e. heart-shapes appearing in dishes. My date had the salmon and barramundi carpaccio, which was light and fresh.

Next course is the soup, where you can choose from cauliflower, crab bisque or tomato gazpacho. I totally love the cauliflower soup with scallop ceviche (now you know why I love it, right?). The soup was rich but not cloying and the scallop ceviche added a nice texture contrast. The crab bisque will be perfect for those who love stronger flavours.

For main course, the choices are Black Angus beef tenderloin, caramelised crispy roasted duck breast, or pan seared white cod fish. Surprisingly, even as a meat lover, my vote for best mains would go to the perfectly cooked cod fish - a generous chunk of beautiful, fresh fish with crispy skin. It is served with lobster oil and spinach risotto. The beef tenderloin was served with a cute heart-shaped polenta, though for me personally I would prefer to have mashed potatoes or mashed pumpkin with it as I am not a fan of polenta.

To end the meal on a sweet note, guests have the choice of raspberry mousse, triple chocolate pleasure, or chocolate tart and vanilla creme brulee. For me, the raspberry mousse was the perfect sweet ending as it was tart and delicious, and the heart-shaped chocolate totally won my heart. The triple chocolate pleasure was also good - enjoyed the smooth, creamy texture.

My 4 choices for the perfect, romantic meal :)

Thanks to Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar for spoiling us with this romantic meal.



This "Love is in the Air" promotion is available on Valentine's Day 14th February 2015, and is priced at RM250 nett. Book early before 7th Feb, to enjoy 15% off. Advantage Plus members are also entitled to 15% discount. For booking or inquiries, call 03-2298 1857 or email H7972@accor.com.





Location: Executive Lounge, Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar, No 1 Jalan Pantai Jaya, Tower 3, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2298 1857

GPS Coordinates: 3.115850, 101.6632

Website: http://www.pullmanhotels.com/gb/hotel-7962-pullman-kuala-lumpur-bangsar-/index.shtml


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

The Deli, MiCasa All Suite Hotel, KL

We used to dine quite regularly at The Deli in the past, especially when we had errands to run in KL city. Last week, I had to go to the hospital for a follow-up check-up and I remembered this place, so we dropped by for a quick lunch.

There has been some change since we last visited: a lot more tables, much busier, more items on their menu and they even provide complimentary Wifi now. The prices have only been increased slightly. 

What seemed to be really popular here were the sandwiches/burgers, pastas as well as the braised Wagyu with pasta. So many people seem to have ordered the latter. Oh and they serve most of their food in Staub cookware (since they share same kitchen as Cilantro). How posh!

The Deli Menu

We stuck to our favorites, the duck leg confit (RM18) as well as fish and chips (RM21). We were extremely satisfied with our order- the duck leg confit was very tender with crispy skin. The fish and chips was also perfectly executed - the fish was moist with crispy skin and the chips were really good.

We also had the strawberry meringue (RM11), sadly a little too hard for my liking this time. We had great difficulty cutting into it with our spoons. The last time we had it, it tasted really great.

Verdict: Food still tastes great as ever, except for the slight disappointment with the dessert. Not too pleased though that they no longer offer complimentary parking for their customers since January this year, hence we had to fork out RM7 for parking.

Opening times: 11am to 7pm. Closed on Sundays.

Price: Total bill RM53.

Location: The Deli, Micasa All Suite Hotel, 368B, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2179 8082 ext. 7082

GPS Coordinates: 3.162273, 101.719548




If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Hanare Weekend Buffet + Plan B Roasters, Intermark KL

The Unc was back for a short break, and as always, one of the things he was craving for was Japanese food. And where better to satisfy our craving than at the best Japanese buffet in town (in my books) - at Hanare Japanese Restaurant at Intermark Mall, KL.

The buffet is available every weekend from 12 noon to 2.30pm and is priced at RM148++ per person.

Chef Akira-san at the sushi counter

Here's a short summary of what's different / same compared to our last visits. You can read these posts here, here and here which documents our previous visits.

What's different: 
1. In the past, the buffet was available only on Sundays, but now it is available on both Saturday and Sundays. Reservations are recommended since it can get pretty busy.
2. More variety - lots more sushi, appetizers, dessert options.
3. Sashimi is not sliced to order, except for chutoro. In the past, you will need to place your order and wait for the chef to slice and plate it up. No more long waiting time - they are laid out nicely and you can help yourself to as much as you like! The sashimi at the counter is constantly replenished by the sushi chef.
4. Speaking of chutoro (tuna belly), it is no longer free flow and each person is limited to 3 pieces only. You will be given a token to redeem your chutoro at the sushi counter. I admit, I was a little upset at first but the really fresh (unlimited) salmon and hamachi sashimi made up for it.:)


What's the same:
1. The price - still RM148++ with free flow green tea.
2. The same great quality of food. The sashimi are super fresh and thickly cut and we love the Wagyu beef, king prawn and scallop from the teppanyaki counter too.
3. Good service - green tea refilled and plates cleared efficiently.

Chutoro.... sadly, it's limited to 3 pieces per person now

Oysters

Lots of sushi, makis 

Unagi

Shishamo

 Had lots and lots of sashimi... :)

Teppanyaki... Wagyu, scallops and prawns are our favorites!

They replenish this pretty often... and everytime they do, it disappears in 2 mins! :D I "may" have been responsible for some of the disappearing acts. Excellent marbling.

Wagyu teppanyaki..... so so good! Buttery-goodness!

A few desserts on offer too, my fav being the green tea ice cream.

After lunch, we stopped by at Plan B Roasters by BIG for some coffee. Affogato and double espresso.

Verdict: Totally enjoyed the buffet at Hanare. Great quality and good service.


The Hanare Japanese buffet is available every weekend from 12pm to 2.30pm. Priced at RM148++ for adults.

Price: Total bill RM515.05 for 3 pax.

Location: Hanare Authentic Japanese Cuisine, Lot G06, Ground Floor, The Intermark, 182 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2164 2133 / 03-2164 2633

 *******************

Opening times: Mon - Sat 8am - 8pm. Closed on Sundays.

Location: Plan B Roasters by BIG, Lot G-03 Ground Floor, The Intermark, 348 Jalan Tun Razak, KL

Tel: 03 2161 2368

GPS Coordinates: 3.161620, 101.719670

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Nutmeg, Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur

I was meeting up with a friend in Bangsar and she suggested Nutmeg in Bangsar Village II as our lunch venue. Nutmeg is a casual dining restaurant/cafe serving all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner and some of their specialties here include salt beef and house-cured salmon gravlax. They also do a Executive Set Lunch Menu (3-course for RM28+) from Mondays to Fridays. 

On their menu, they have breakfast items such as brioche French toast, big breakfast, salt beef hash, Spanish frittata, or sandwiches such as Classic Reuben, and bagels. I decided to try their Southern Fried Breakfast (RM26), which comes with two eggs any style, a piece of Southern fried chicken, biscuit, gravy, hashed potatoes and a side salad. I went for two poached eggs, and they were cooked beautifully. The chicken was tender and moist, and I liked the biscuit and hashed potatoes too which were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. A hearty, satisfying breakfast!

Poached eggs, beautifully done  :)

My drink - orange elderflower

My friend had the Fish and Chips off the specials board and the portion was really huge, so she shared some with me too. The "fish" was a large tilapia fillet, battered and deep fried. It was fresh and moist. Served with peas, fries and tartar sauce.

For dessert, we ordered one of their bestsellers, the OMG! chocolate fudge cake. When it arrived, I literally went OMG due to the sheer size of it. Served with vanilla ice cream, the cake was pretty good - moist and not too sweet. Definitely one for sharing though.

Opening times: 9.30am to 10.00pm daily.

Location:Nutmeg, UGF-28A Bangsar Village II, 2 Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03 2201 3663

Website: https://www.facebook.com/nutmegkl/

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Wondermama, Bangsar Village 1 + Les Deux Garcons, KL

We have been going to Bangsar quite a lot this month, so everytime we're there we would look for someplace different to have lunch. Wondermama has been around for a while, but somehow we never tried it until recently.

Wondermama serves Malaysian food with a contemporary twist and was recently awarded "Best Malay/Malaysian" restaurant by Time Out KL at the TOKL Food Awards 2014.

One of their most popular dishes here is the D&L's (which stands for Donald & Lily) Nyonya Laksa (RM14.90). Almost every table would order this. The nyonya laksa is served with both meehoon and mee, though you can put in a request for your preferred noodles. You will find a large prawn, slices of fish cake, cockles, beansprouts, tofu puff, and julienned cucumber. The broth is good - rich and fragrant, though I always struggle to finish it all as it's a generous portion. Liked this a lot, so we returned for it again.

The nyonya laksa is pretty spicy, so I would order something non-spicy to share with the kids. On one of the visits, I ordered the Special Maggi Mee Goreng (RM14.90), which comes with an assortment of seafood such as squid, prawn and scallop, and it also comes topped with a fried egg. The noodle on its own is non-spicy, but a small dish of sambal is served with this - I would recommend that you add this in, the sambal is indeed very tasty!

On another visit, I had the Nasi Lemak 2.0 (RM16.90) which comes with Japanese style fried chicken. They have many different versions of nasi lemak which comes with different accompaniments such as chicken rendang, salmon or soft shell crab. All nasi lemak comes with boiled egg, ikan bilis, peanuts, keropok, kangkung as well sambal petai prawn, but I asked for the petai to be omitted. 

Mango smoothie (RM9.50) - nice retro mugs

Christmas Decor at Bangsar Village

After lunch, we stopped by Les Deux Garcons for dessert - we wanted the Le Palladio but they didn't have it in stock so we settled for the tarte au citron (RM11), as well as rose and salted caramel macarons (RM5.50 each). Pleased to find that the macarons texture have improved greatly since I last had it. :)

Opening times: Mon – Thu: 9:00 am – 11:00 pm; Fri – Sat: 9:00 am – 11:30 pm; Sun: 9:00 am – 10:30 pm

Location: Wondermama, G6, Ground Floor, Bangsar Village I, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur.

Website: http://wondermama.co/

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)