*~ The Eve of X'mas Eve ~*

I know! I have been MIA for quite sometime! Let's go backtrack a bit when it was Christmas in December. Well, after having a lunch with my team at Monte' Restaurant and Wine Bar, Bangsar Shopping Centre, i told myself that i would be back. Yes, i was there again two days before Christmas just to hang out with bf and friends when Tao Japanese Buffet was fully booked.

We decided to order a few things from the menu for sharing. I knew that the Escargot would be a must the moment i spotted it in the menu. I like the garlic cream a lot! Other than the escargots, we also had the complimentary buns with the garlic cream. In the end, what left was a squeaky clean metal plate.



Then, we had Fresh Onion soup - baked onion rings with herbs and a layer of melted cheese. I seldom have soup when i dine outside. My boss ordered this during our Christmas lunch. Looking at the presentation, i was so curious to find out how it tasted. This, according to our friend, was more flavourful compared to some coriander soup that he ordered.

Some coriander soup... which i have nothing to shout about.

For main course, we had Carbonara Fettuccine. We really loved the creamy sauce and it was a bit weird to have hard boiled egg but it did not bother us much. However, in my opinion, fettuccine was not the best choice of pasta. Their fettuccine was somehow different than the usual one and i did not really like it.



I thought this clam pasta, which i have forgotten the name, would be nice since few of my colleagues had this before but this is not my favourite. Perhaps, i prefer something more flavourful and/or creamy when it comes to my pasta, ie. Carbonara and Alfredo. We, however, agreed that they were pretty generous with the clams. :)



Bf was into Stewed Lamb Shank. So yea, we had this too for sharing. Okay, the meat was well cooked and we liked how it went along with the mashed potato and gravy but it was not the our top favourite.



Instead, this was the star of the day! Prawn and Chicken Combo. You know what we liked the most? The chicken chop and not really the two prawns. We polished the plate like how we did it to the Escargot.



All these came up to RM161.00 which was very reasonable. I was glad that our friends were satisfied with the food there and considered coming back here again.

~* Kita no Zen @ The Gardens *~

About two weeks ago, i had dinner with my former collegemates at Kita no Zen, The Gardens. Perhaps, you will see Hokaido Ichiba first rather than Kita no Zen. Okay, may be i am so used to the price at Sushi Zanmai, i think the food here is expensive for the same thing i can get at Sushi Zanmai. However, it is undeniable that the portions were quite big.

The service on that evening was bad. Our table ordered one Unagi set and it took forever to be served despite the complaints we made. The same went for the billing. It took forever for the bill to reach our table. If you ask me to go again, i will say no. Perhaps, i will go to the next door, Hokaido Ichiba for desserts.

The Unagi set.

Chicken Katsudon.

Unagi Don.

Rice with kakiage (fried vegetable) and shrimps

Rice with beef.

I totally have forgotten the name for all these. Sigh. I'm getting old.

*~ M.A.C.A.R.O.O.N.sssss ~*

Macaroons from Molten Lava in One Utama.

Raspberry (red), Pistachio with White Chocolate (green), Chocolate Ganache (brown) and Passion fruit (yellow). RM3.00 per piece. I wish i could buy more but bf was there to stop me. The macaroons would be nice if they had not been too soft on the outside. And passion fruit is my favourite. The flavour tasted so real and i could even find the passion fruit seeds in it. Yum...

Ahh... Love the colours...

~* Wonderful Supper @ The Humble Chef *~

After leaving One Utama, i told bf that i would lead him to a place for supper. He got so curious and he insisted that at least i told him what we would be having. I told him that it could be considered as Western food but not 100%. I even told him that the place has a very nice environment.

So, i led him to Pusat Bandar Damansara and he thought we were going to mamak since there has nothing much other than mamak and fast food restaurants. After turning left at the McD's i told him to park at the road side. He went so clueless and asked me few times for confirmation.

I pointed at the small truck parked across the road and i said, "That's the one!" Yes, it's a truck. We were at The Humble Chef pretty early considering they only open from 9.30 p.m. onwards. A table was set up for us with the view of the highway. It was simply romantic. Open air. Quiet. Amazing night view of the highway. And all these did not cost a bomb.

We ordered a Lamb Pita (RM4.00). Pita bread stuffed with lettuce and cheesy minced lamb. Okay, the pocket was just enough for the lettuce and perhaps, a little bit of the minced lamb. That's why most of the minced lamb was on top rather than inside the pocket.

We also had this cream lamb pasta called Lamb Ragu (RM5.00), i think. I am not so sure about the spelling since the chefs themselves were unsure. Hello! All the pasta for just RM5.00! Where else can you get that? Anyway, bf and i just love this creamy pasta which was not too rich with cream and it went well with the bits of capsicum. Perfect choice if you are craving for creamy pasta for supper.

I would say that the location is strategic since it is so near to HELP Residence. Students are no longer depending on McD's and Ali Maju for supper. Instead, they can have something different. And The Humble Chef is the nearest supper spot compared to McD's and Ali Maju.

Unfortunately, we could not stay there for long because it started drizzling. :( We just took the container with us and had the pasta in the car while listening to the radio. And gosh, the songs on that evening were awesome.

It was just a very small surprise but to bf, it was a great one. He just loves the idea. He even said that he will be going back again until the chefs know his name. I doubt so. But i still don't mind going back to try other pasta and have another wonderful evening with the highway view. :) I felt so happy looking at his reaction and knowing that he loves the idea.

Check out the pictures of the truck and Bangsar Babe's review here.

*~ Seafood @ Lala Chong ~*

After working for nearly two months, some of the colleagues who joined the company at the same time as me decided to go for seafood. One of them suggested Lala Chong at Kampung Kayu Sungai Ara, the same area where Pantai Seafood is located. Altogether, we had six dishes excluding the steam mantau (bun). Besides having a plate of vegetable to balance up our meal, we also had:

Salted Egg Crab.

Well, salted egg crab is not always my choice as i prefer crab with gravy. Hence, i can't really tell you whether this or Tak Fok's salted egg crab is better.

Creamy Butter Crab.

One of my favourite crab dishes. And yes, i can tell you that Tak Fok did a better job in this with the intense flavour.

Clams In Superior Stock.

I hate doing this again but i must admit that i still prefer to have this at Tak Fok. At Tak Fok, i remember that the soup was hot because of the ginger that gave comfort to my stomach and it had a hint of sweetness because of kei chi (wolfberries).

Kung Pou Mantis Prawn.

Nothing much to shout about this as it was pretty common and it always can be my favourite.

Fried Baby Squids with Honey.

I think not very suitable to be eaten with rice. It reminds me of those seafood snacks you can get from Pangkor Island. It goes better with beer.

There were 6 of us and if i am not mistaken, each of us paid about RM32. I can't remember the exact amount we paid since it had happened quite long ago. I might go back again for their Pucuk Paku (fern) with Tuna, Tau Foo Kang (beancurd in thick soup) and some other non crab dishes. We will see how everything goes.

*~ Memory Lane @ Reminisce ~*

I found out about this place when i was reading someone else's blog. Reminisce in Mid Valley which is at the same row as Chili's and Spaghetti Grill. It's towards the end of North Court.

This place reminds me Otak-Otak Place at Tropicana Mall, with all the games we used to play when we were kids.

Look at the fan, typewriter and melodian. Especially the melodian, remember it?

Chef Recommendation Egg Fried Rice with Yam and Chicken set that came with a drink (barley) and dessert (green bean soup) of the day. I seriously have nothing to yell about this except that the price quite alright for a set meal (RM9.90).

Meanwhile, i ordered a set meal that came with 2 light snacks, lemon grass jelly with aloe vera and drink of the day (barley).

The first snack was this Pan-fried Carrot Cake topped with chicken floss. Since it was pan-fried, as expected, it was crispy outside and soft inside. Chicken floss made it looked a little bit special but actually, it hardly carried any weight.

Second snack in the set was this Steamed "Chee Cheong Fun". I like the belacan. I still remember how bf kept on taking the belacan from me to be eaten with his fried rice. Hmph!

Apart from the two set meals, we, or i should say it is just me, ordered two more side orders.

Chef Recommendation Crispy Spring Roll (RM3.90) with creamy minced chicken as filling. But i hope it could be cheesy too. It will be more sinful that way and give me the real satisfaction. :)

Stuffed Pork Ball with Satay Sauce (RM5.90). It was just using stuff pork ball that we can get from night market or steamboat restaurant. They topped it with satay sauce. Ta daa!

The price is pretty reasonable for a place at Mid Valley but it really depends on what you order. Like the fried rice, i just think it did not worth it at all in any way. I guess the rest of the main course should be okay judging from the pictures i saw here. Again, it is at Mid Valley where things tend to cost a little bit more. Will i go back? Yes, for the main course i have not tried.

~* Dinner @ Cafe Barbera, Bangsar *~

A day before raya, Gavin, Wei-I, Sharon, Michelle, Suet Mei, Mun Yee, Grace and i were at Cafe Barbera in Bangsar for dinner. Most of us are working right now, making it harder for us to hang out together. Hence, i appreciate the dinner very much. I am also glad that everyone is doing pretty well.

I reached Cafe Barbera quite early and i was the first one there. While i was at the long table waiting for the rest to come, the waiter was kind enough to serve sky juice. And i really enjoyed the music they played. It really felt like home (well, since the place itself was once a house) with the long table, sofas, decorative items and music. Ahh... peace!

Smoked Salmon Salad

It looks so tempting to me. I feel like having it right now. Slurps!

Fettuccine Smoked Salmon.

Nice! I told the waiter to make sure it would be real creamy. It was! And i also love the sundried tomato in my pasta. Anyway, i expected the salmon would be raw, something like Delicious Smoked Salmon Angel Hair pasta.

Prawn Aglio Olio

The prawns just looked big and juicy. As for the taste, i don't know because i did not have this.

Beef Lasagna.
Beef.... I just can't take beef!

Stir Fried Beef with Spaghetti.

Spaghetti? Ah... never mind. The smell was very good but i can't take beef. :( Perhaps, i will try asking them change to chicken when i am there next time. But i always end up ordering creamy pasta which is my favourite.

Salmon Fillet with Cilantro.

Haha... Gavin had this. He complained that the portion was small. Oh well, only for guys like him... Ladies will most probably be fine with this portion and even the dish itself, especially those prefer healthy diet.

Spicy Tuna Pizza
Thin crust pizza with generous toppings. Look at the cheese...

Hawaiian Seafood Pizza.
This was good... real good... Again, generous toppings with lots of cheese...

I think it is really worth ordering pizza at Cafe Barbera. The rest are priced quite reasonably based on what we had. I don't know about food that we did not order.

Oh ya. They have few shakes in the menu. I had Chocolate Shake; meanwhile, bf, who joined us later, ordered Cappuccino Shakerato. Both of us were disappointed with the shakes. Tasteless is the best word to describe the shakes. I thought the shakes would have intense flavour, giving us the 'umph' we wanted. No more shakes at Cafe Barbera.

*~ My Favourite Place For Udon ~*

I really love going to Sanuki Udon. Clueless of what to eat for dinner, i decided to go there again with bf. It was my second time there. Read about our first visit here.

Bf ordered the hot Dry Cha Cheong udon.

And i had House Special. I love this udon so much especially when i had it with their chili flakes. The chili flakes were not spicy but very aromatic. To me, it looked like chili flakes but i could be wrong. I don't know. It was just not as spicy as other chili flakes. During my third visit with my former collegemates, i ordered the same type of udon. It was very simple with an egg, a little bit of the Japanese soy sauce and perhaps, some other ingredients which i could not tell when eating it.

My favourite Kakiage (Deep fried onion with carrot shred)!

Initially we wanted to try a side dish called Chinmi Moriawase but they are no longer serving it. Bf and i even had Yakitori instead. From left to right: Chicken skin, thigh and gizzard.

I don't mind keep going there over and over again for the udon and of course, the KAKIAGE!

~* Reflection *~

We used to be in the same course but different majors.
We knew each other's existence but we did not really talk.
The most was just hi and bye.
I read her blog but i don't think she knew.
After some time, i stopped reading.
This evening, i visited her blog again.
Something has gone wrong.
If i am not mistaken, her relationship had ended awfully few months ago.
She is still dealing with the pain.
And she is now looking at her ex with someone else.

I really feel the pain she endures.
I had the same thing before.
(But not the last statement in the paragraph above.)
And i hope the same does not happen to me again.
I don't want to go through this kind of pain again.
Just no more.

And i'm glad to have him.

*~ 7 Sins of Chocolate ~*

... from Delectable by Su.

I heard too much about this little treat. I wished it could be my birthday cake though it was small, equivalent to a slice of cake. And lovely bf made my wish came true.

I like the packaging. Cute.

With 7 different components of chocolates.

But i don't really know what are the 7 components. I can't really find info on this little treat except for the following:

"...starts with a layer of smooth chocolate ganache, a layer of chocolate cake, topped up with light and airy milk chocolate mousse, a dusting of cocoa powder, a sprinkle of crunchy pure cocoa nibs for texture, and couverture pearls resting comfortably over the top!"

I think the chocolate ganache is now the middle layer rather than the chocolate cake.

Further description by Delectable :

"And for all those ladies who are watching their diets, yes it is made entirely of chocolate, but mostly dark chocolate. So if calories are your enemy, then fear not for dark chocolate has significantly less calories than other chocolates AND is a must for a happy healthy heart!"

Looking at it, i could only observe 6 components and i don't know where was the other component. Perhaps, it had been mixed with another component. It was below my expectation. It was not as sinful as the name suggests. It did not give me the excitement. It was not sweet. So, for those who prefer eating something which is not sweet, this can be a suggestion but not a recommendation. Honestly, it was totally bland, especially the mousse.

Of course, i felt it was so sweet in my heart because it was from my dear. :)