Rama V @ Jalan U-Thant

Having tried Rama V almost eight years back, I was eager to try it again.

My last visit there didn't yield such good results but I was assured that the chef had changed since then. 

 First on the menu was Mieng Kam. It was the first time I have had it and I was a bit leery at the leaf that I was supposed to consume raw. After plonking a little of everything into a cone shaped leaf I had devised, I found the mix of flavours very unique. I would definitely try it again.

Chor Ladda, the little flower shaped dumplings. They looked too good to eat. We gobbled it all up in record time.

Mango salad. There was just this right amount of kick to the spiciness and the sourness of the mango.

Tom Yam Kung. My last visit left me totally unimpressed with the Tom Yam. It was either not spicy enough or not sour enough. Either way, I wasn't satisfied. I'm glad to say that this time, I was totally surprised. Perfect.

After having too many fishcakes, we decided on crab cakes instead. Crunchy and sweet.

Green curry chicken. There was enough kaffir lime leaves in there to make me happy and I loved how silky the texture of the curry was.

Beef in pepper. Nothing too special. I prefer the beef I had in Amarin much better.

Obligatory veggie dish. I would say it's only so so. 

I would never go to any Thai restaurant without at least trying the Pad Thai once. I was glad to say that this dish passed with flying colours. 

After being thwarted by the lack of Durian Sticky Rice (it wasn't in season then), we chose to have the Pumpkin Pudding. I was all set to dislike this dish but it turned out creamy and not too sweet. 

Regular Mango Sticky Rice. I think we enjoyed the mango more than anything else on the plate.

Rama V

No. 5 Jalan U-Thant, Kuala Lumpur

Tel	:	+603 2143 2663 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +603 2143 2663      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax	:	+603 7803 6891

Lunch from 12.00 - 15.00 hrs.

Dinner from 18.00 - 23.00 hrs.

Laurel Restaurant @ Shen Zhen, China

Since my aunt lived an hour by train away from Shen Zhen, she brought me shopping there one day. Amidst the many good quality (and some not so good quality) knock offs, nestled a little Chinese restaurant at the 6th floor frequently patronised by many a Hongkie when around that area. Since I had not had any Dim Sum since my visit, I was pretty interested and intrigued by the offerings they had.

The place was utter chaos with a waiting list dragging to over an hour. We got in through 'connections' and waited for only ten minutes.

Clean white pots and bowls. And contrary to my visit to that part of the world many years before, not a chip in sight.

We were offered condiments that was quite different from Hong Kong and Malaysia. I didn't eat any of it, as I preferred my Dim Sum to be as it is. I finished the peanuts though. It was crunchy and fresh.

First time ever, I had a tea called Shou Mei. It wasn't a very strong tea and it was lightly scented. The taste of the tea lingered for a long time on your tongue.

The first thing to come was the Siew Mai. It was huge and filled with prawns and meat. There was a perfect balance of seafood and pork. Everything was juicy with the meat deliciously tender.

We ordered this by mistake. It was just pastry with sprinkled sugar. It was dry and really wasn't that good.

Har Gao. Succulent prawns. It was only prawns. 

Fung Chao, stewed chicken's feet. This one was a little too oily.

Siew Long Bao. Eaten hot and steaming, the soup scalded but was extremely sweet.

A classic Hong Kong dish, Char Leong. The Yao Tiu was crispy and prepared fresh. Delicious.

Grappa @ Avenue K

My aunt pointed out to me that Grappa came to Avenue K and that's a place that I really need to try. Armed with such glowing recommendations, I stalked in there one day after I made a mistake in my appointments.

Full points for ambiance. The restaurant gave off a very warm and comforting feeling.

Fresh bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The bread was soft and fluffy, not to mention deliciously warm.

Seafood stew. A tomato based stew filled with squid, prawns and really, really teeeeeeny clams. The seafood added amazing flavour to the broth but the freshness of the seafood was off. I was glad the tomato covered the shellfish somewhat.

Tenderloin with chips. I wished it was with mash or a baked potato or something. The chips really threw off the dish for me.I wish I could wax poetic of the meat and pepper the description with tonnes of superlatives, but sadly, it was a normal hunk of meat. My medium rare came as a solid medium, so I wasn't entirely too happy.

I wanted something sweet to end the (rather disappointing) meal with and I asked the waitress for something chocolaty, but she insisted I try their Tiramisu. It's apparently specially made by their own chef. It turned out to be a huge disappointment. It lacked alcohol for one and all the coffee pooled at the base of the glass. That means as you eat it, you can only taste the cheese and suddenly you get a mouthful of bitter coffee. I would give it a miss in future.

Grappa

Lot G-10, Ground Floor, 

 avenue K No 156 Jalan Ampang, 

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel : 03 2166 8088

Las Carretas @ Taipan

Hanging out with friends brought us to Las Carretas in Taipan for a myriad of reasons, most of it being it much closer to where we live or work. M told me that she's been here ten years ago and couldn't really remember how the food actually tasted. Well, it was time we found out.

The complimentary first round of nachos with salsa. Since M and I gobbled it up before J and E arrived, we asked for a second round, which we have to pay. Oh well, it made for a tasty snack.

Collection of our drinks. Guess who ordered the Tequila Sunrise? I had to ask for a refill of ice. It just wasn't cold enough.

We decided to order and share instead of everyone having one main. J didn't take beef so we ordered around her restriction.

Benji's Skins: Two Pieces of Potato Skins Stuffed With South American Lamb Stew & Gratinated With Cheese. There was scant little lamb in there.

Las Carrestas Wings. Crunchy fried chicken wings with hot dipping sauce. 

Pollo Sausage Teaser. Chicken sausage pan fried with Monterey Jack, gherkins and Habaneros. Now I understand why Habaneros might kill the unsuspecting. I think I brushed one with my lips and I was left gasping and grabbing for a bottle of water. Cili padi is nothing but candy next to this!

Lamb fajitas and its' condiments. This was extremely palate pleasing. The lamb came sizzling and done just right. No pulling of the meat and excessive chewing. This was done tender to perfection.

Chicken Chimichanga. Chicken and cheese wrapped in a fried tortilla. It was filled with veggies and sour cream but I couldn't find the meat. Also the taste of the salsa it was sitting on overpowered the taste of the overall dish. I would give it a miss in the future.

No meal with me is ever complete with me screaming for dessert... and always for the chocolate kind. Brownies and vanilla ice cream came hot and cold. The brownie was warm and already melting the ice cream. It was a heavy, moist chocolate cake that while good, it's been done and tasted before. No surprises there.

Choco pie. This was something truly special. It was a thick chocolate mixture over a pastry crust. The chocolate was accented with orange and both flavours mingled extremely well together. The crust, however, was hard enough that cutting it caused a loud noise of the spoon impacting the plate.

Las Carretas Subang Jaya
No 29 USJ 10/1F
47620 Subang UEP
Malaysia Tel  +60 (0)3 5637-3058 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +60 (0)3 5637-3058      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax +60 (0)3 5637-3059
Email: info@lascarretas.com

Directions to the restaurant can  be found here.

The Apartment @ KLCC

A long ago planned reunion of old friends finally came through and a bunch of us met up after a year or so of planning (and failed attempts). Initially deciding on Full House, we decided we were too hungry and too lazy to drive the five minutes there. We decided on The Apartment instead.

The ambiance was lovely. We took the second floor seating and it was quite empty, so we had a quiet corner to laugh ourselves silly over inane jokes and crazy insults.

Such reunions are always better over booze. My friend and I each took the house pouring. I couldn't really remember what's the name of the wine but I remember it was Australian. My red was extremely fragrant and smooth. It went down like silk. The white was okay to me, since I'm not really fond of white wine.

My two other friends went the non-alcoholic route and went with ice lemon tea and lime juice.

Since two of us gorged on a huge lunch earlier, we decided on tapas to share instead of ordering all mains. The scallops were rather minute in my estimation and there was a slight fishy smell. I guess I'm really fussy when it comes to my seafood. Dumping a lot of lime on it seems to work.

Salmon and crab cakes. It was flaky and flavourful. Very tasty, especially with the dipping sauce. I have no complaints about this one.

Later comer friends ordered the chicken skewers. I was to full to taste this but they did say the meat was tender and juicy.

Classic mushroom soup. I'm always a sucker for mushroom soup that has this greyish quality. It smelled positively wonderful and extremely 'mushroomy'.

The pasta my friend ordered. It was very bland and completely forgettable.

Roast duck on a bed of mash with walnuts and peaches on the side. The meat was tender but it could have done with a little more sauce. I think it's because we are used to having duck Chinese-style; dunked generously in plum sauce.

Nothing completes a meal without dessert. We started with pear and apple crumble with vanilla ice cream on the side. The crumble tasted like rock sugar and it was a tad too sweet.

Chocolate pudding. We ordered it late and they told us it was a 20 minute wait. Worth. Every. Minute. Nothing screams decadent like chocolate sauce exploding over a moist chocolate cake. Throw a small spoonful of vanilla ice cream and let it mingle and melt in your mouth. Pleasant end to the meal.

The Apartment,

KLCC