Lunch of Alaskan King Crab & Australian King Crab @ Cafe & Restaurant Fresh Unique Seafood 23, Jalan Kemajuan, Section 13, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Since the day my uncle promised me this wonderful lunch 6 months ago, I have been waiting long and patiently for this day. A week ago, I was given the task of booking the seafood restaurant of my choice. Finally, I decided to reserve a table at Unique Seafood over South Sea & Pantai Seafood Restaurant.

Cafe & Restoran Unique Seafood 23

This restaurant has a whole array of seafood tanks containing seafood from all around the globe, hence the name Unique Seafood. Their seafood ranges from the ordinary mud crabs to various types of fish (Goliath Grouper aka Long Dan, tiger grouper, red snapper, kelah, river patin and more), Alaskan King Crabs, Australian King Crabs, Snow Crabs, Geoducks (pronounced gwee-duck), Australian/Boston/Sabah Lobsters etc.

The vast variety of seafood

Patrons get to choose their seafood of choice, which will then be slaughtered and cleaned before being sent to the kitchen to be cooked.

Today, I had the opportunity to savour the Alaskan King Crab. There are many types of Alaskan King Crabs (I will do a post on it another day). Today we had the Golden / Bronze Alaskan King Crab and a couple more dishes. I'll leave the photos to do the talking.

We started the meal with the lobster and geoduck sashimi. We opted for the Australian Lobster (RM 288 per kg) which has a much better texture than the local and American lobster. We also chose the Californian geoduck (RM 168 per kg) over the Mexican geoduck (I wouldn't know the difference as I was still a geoduck virgin till today).

Australian Lobster Sashimi

Californian Geoduck Sashimi

Sashimi dishes at Chinese Seafood Restaurants are usually served with a herb based soup. This is for people who do not fancy raw seafood. My personal favourite is to have the lobster and geoduck half cooked before consumption. Simply dip them in the hot soup for about 3-5seconds, then take them out and dip them in some wasabi and soy sauce. Ahhhhh, heavenly. The geoduck tasted somewhat sweater than abalone but at the same time, tougher as well. It resembles a giant penis which will become flacid once taken out of water (couldn't resist mentioning that).

Note: Do not overcook the geoduck as it will turn rubbery and tough

Our next dish was live scallops (RM18 a plate).

Scallops Cooked with lots of garlic and Tang Hoon

The first thing I did was to chuck all the garlic away. Garlic with scallops? The strong overpowering flavour of the garlic would mask the sweet, mild scallop flavour. Why waste the live, big and juicy scallops? Lots of garlic should only be used when the seafood is not fresh, which was not the situation today.

Next came out kam heong La-la (RM36 for the whole plate).

Kam Heong La-la

The clams were big and nice. The kam heong flavour (dried prawns, dried chilli and lots of garlic) certainly was good.

Then came the crab dishes.

Australian King Crab Cooked in Superior Stock

I called this the 'gangster crab'. This is because the crab has very short legs but a gigantic body and exceptionally large pincers. Its sort of like a dense and heavy monster compared to the Alaskan King Crab. People usually go for the Australian King Crab (RM 298 per kg) for its large amount of roe. The orangy, semi-red roe was supposed to be richer, softer and stronger in taste than the ordinary mud crab egg. The sauce for this dish wasn't over powering, thus enabling us to savour the taste of the crab. The sauce tasted like the same base for shark's fin soup minus the shark fin but somehow, it was nicer. In my honest opinion, the meat texture for this crab tasted comparably similar to the mud crab.

Steamed Egg with Australian King Crab Roe

I really like the soft texture of the chicken egg with that rich, soft and orangy crab roe. The good thing about a large crab like this is, with its giant shell, there was more of the best part of the crab (the inner flesh surrounding the shell). True crab connoisseurs go for this part of the crab as it has the most crabby flavour in the crab (this part is usually orangy in colour, resembling cooked crab shell colour).

Spider Crab (Bronce Alaskan King Crab) cooked with ginger and spring onions

The Spider Crab (RM218 per kg) had the taste of the Australian Lobster and Mud Crab fused together. Like the Australian Lobster, it has a very soft shell that was chewy but hard to break. However, unlike the Australian King Crab, this crab has very long and muscular legs but a much smaller body and tiny pincers. I quite fancy this dish as the crab flesh had that nice chewy bite to it. The legs of the crab were full of meat as well.

Then came the remainding of the lobster, fried with salt and pepper.

Australian Lobster Fried with Salt and Pepper

A few months back, I sampled lai lui har (mantis prawn) cooked in this style at South Sea Restaurant. I really like seafood cook in this style. However, my opinion is seafood cooked in salt and pepper will overpower the natural taste of the seafood, which is what people are paying good money for in the first place. Most restaurants offer lobsters cooked in this style or either with Yee Mein, which is also nice as well.

Anyway, this lunch fill me right up to the just full but not bloated level. This would probably be one of the most expensive lunch I will ever eat in my life (price of the lunch will not be disclosed).

As this is my first time to Unique Seafood, I would have to say they provided us superb service. There was a waiter always on stand by in our room to fulfill our needs (probably due to the vast amount of seafood we ordered). I must say, for such an expensive lunch, one of the more value for money seafood was the Alaskan King Crab. Although still quite pricy, it didn't cost as much as the other seafood but tasted one of the best among the other dishes. Definitely a good choice to go for.

Restaurant rating: 8/10
Pricing: About RM50 per person (if only mud crab is ordered, any other seafood and the price will fly sky high).


*Ratings are based on ambience, service, value and food quality for the price you're paying. Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience


Map to Unique Seafood

Address:
Cafe and Restoran Fresh Unique Seafood 23,
Lot 9B-3, Jalan Kemajuan,
Section 13,
46200 Petaling Jaya.
Malaysia.

Contact:
Telephone number: 03-79602088, 03-79602066
Fax: 03-79602099
Website: www.unique-seafood.com.my

Opening hours
11.45am to 2.30pm / 6pm to 10.30pm daily.

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Dinner @ Chynna Restaurant, Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel (Hilton Central)

A couple of weeks back, I went to Chynna Restaurant @ Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel for dinner. Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel is situated right opposite KL Central, making it quite convenient for tourist to travel about Kuala Lumpur.

Chynna Restaurant

There were 7 of us, enabling us to request for a room. As Christmas was around the corner, there was a special festive menu set priced at RM200 per person. It was a 6 course meal.

We were approached by a tea master from China who was keen on showing off his skills for my camera. This tea (the welcoming tea) is a little sweet as it was supposed to clear your taste buds before your meal.

Tea Master at Work

Welcoming Tea (darker in colour) and a Chinese Tea of Our Choice

Our meal started off with a combination of smoked oolong tea Sha Tian pigeon & golden roll stuffed with salmon & mango.

Smoked Oolong Tea Sha Tian Pigeo & Golden Roll Stuffed with Salmon & Mango

I must say, the pigeon was somewhat good. It had a crispy outside, and the meat wasn't tough. However, the bone in the middle either gave me a choice of leaving a large portion of meat behind or dirtying my hands. I chose the latter. I would rather not dirty my hands in a fine dining restaurant. The roll somewhat resembled a type of fusion roll found at most Japanese Restaurants.

Next came the soup. It was a sharks fin soup (sorry shark) with Chinese mushrooms, dried scallops, clams and sea cucumber.

Double-boiled Superior Shark's Fin with Sea Treasure in Supreme Broth

The soup was somewhat tasty but at the same time quite light, which is typical of a Chinese double boiled soup. I quite enjoyed the multitude of flavours that was playing around my palate.

Next came the main course; a combination of crispy seared foie gras & Wagyu sirloin with US asparagus & honey chives potato.

Combination of Crispy Seared Foie Gras & Wagyu Sirloin with US Asparagus & Honey Chives Potato

Normally, 2 strong ingredients wouldn't go well together but I feel that the combination of Foie Gras and Steak was not bad. I really did enjoy the Foie Gras, it was crispy and nicely browned on the outside and had that soft melt-in-your-mouth texture on the inside. The problem with this dish was with the beef. The steak contained too much excessive fat and the meat wasn't tender. A slab of Wagyu with a good marble score usually has a large amount of fat and meat in between each other which makes it soft. This however, had pure spongy fat around the meat and not in between the meat. I would guess that this wagyu probably only had a marble score of 2-3 only.

Note: Wagyu is a species of cattle. Wagyu doesn't mean the meat is always soft and tender. Always ask for the marble score if you are paying a high price for your steak.

The next dish was the stuffed cabbage heart with mushrooms & vegetarian duck in brown scallop sauce.

Stuffed Cabbage Heart with Mushrooms & Vegetarian Duck in Brown Scallop Sauce

This dish looked quite pretty in appearance as the cabbage was specially folded in to make a nice round dome. The vegetarian duck in the cabbage tasted more like meat than flour. No wonder there are more and more vegetarians out there these days.

Next was the noodle dish. My guess is that Chinese restaurants usually serve noodles/rice as the last course before dessert to ensure that the diners do not go home with a half-full stomach.

Noodles with Assorted Seafood & Vegetables, Hong Kong Style

The noodles tasted good, and came with nice big and succulent prawns. The scallops and clams were also big and juicy. One of the fine things about dining at hotels is that the ingredients are usually larger and better in quality compared to other non-hotel restaurants. However, the price you're paying is higher as well.

We ended our meal with the dessert; ice-cream with some condiments.

Mint Ice-Cream with Red Beans, Corn & Nata de Coco

The dessert was a little disappointing. The ice-cream on its own was fine. However, eating it with the other condiments was a wrong choice. It definitely didn't match well with each other.

Anyway, the dinner was quite good, but in terms of value for money, I would suggest you find somewhere else to eat. I have been here a couple of times before. Definitely one of the better Chinese fine dining places you can find around Kuala Lumpur. After all, you are paying for the environment as well!

Note: Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel is part of the Hilton group, which allows you to get discount for food and non alcoholic beverages based on how many diners are present. (100/number of diners) = percentage of discount allotted. Minimum of 2 people. For more than 10 diners, a discount of 10% will be allocated throughout.

Example: 2 people would entitle you to a 50% discount. 3 would be 33% discount.



Attire: Smart-Casual

Restaurant rating: 8/10
Pricing: About RM160 per person.
For Dim Sum: About RM60 per person.


*Ratings are based on ambience, service, value and food quality for the price you're paying. Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience


Map to Chynna, Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel

Address:
Chynna Restaurant,
Hilton Kuala Lumpur,
3 Jalan Stesen Central,
50470 Kuala Lumpur.

Contact:
Telephone number: 03-22642264 / 03-22642592

Opening hours:
Monday-Friday 12:00 PM - 10:30 PM
Saturday & Sunday 11:00 AM - 10:30 PM

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Chicken Rice @ New Restaurant Ipoh Chicken Rice, Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya

I have been coming to this place since my brother was studying in Catholic High School (which is situated right behind this restaurant). That was like 12 years ago. Now, this place has also sprouted up in Mid Valley and also in Bukit Jalil.

New Restaurant Ipoh Chicken Rice

Anyway, this place has been serving chicken rice since 1977 which is quite a long time. They are well known for their famous Ipoh nga choy kai (bean sprouts and chicken).

There is a choice of kampung chicken or ordinary chicken cooked either by roasting or boiling. The boiled kampung chicken has a smooth and soft texture, which makes it their recommended dish at this place. There is also char siew and siew yoke available at this place.

As we were famished, we ordered a feast (my younger brother eats like a pig). We ordered 1 whole kampung chicken, 1/2 a roast chicken, some meat balls, fried la-la, char siew, siew yoke, bean sprouts and braised pork with preserved vegetables.

One Whole Kampung Chicken

Half a Roast Chicken

The kampung chicken was soft and smooth with that almost perfect consistency. I must say, in terms of texture, it certainly fared better than the roasted chicken.

Char Siew

Siew Yok

The char siew was a little too burnt and contained too much fat for my liking. The siew yok too was a little fat for my liking. Nothing special about their roast meat.

Meat balls

Their remarkable Kuey Teow Soup

The meatball and kuey teow however, was a totally different story. Their kuey teow was smooth and didn't contain that strong kuey teow flavour found in most places. Their meatballs too, were packed with that nice crunch. The balls are usually ordered in 5s. They come in a soup stock that is concentrated with MSG (Ajinomoto).

Fried La-La

Bean Sprouts (Tao Ge in hokkien)

Braised Pork in Preserved Vegetables (Mui Choy Yok)

I am not really a big fan of Mui Choy Yok. I didn't really quite like the flavour (not that I liked it anywhere else).

Chili Sauce

The most important thing in a good chicken rice is their chili sauce. If my memory serves me right, I feel that the chili sauce was much better in the past.

The bill came up to about RM120. Thats about RM20 per person for that vast amount of food. However, an ordinary plate of chicken rice for 1 person is priced at RM6 per person. It is priced at RM9 if one opts for kampung chicken. Normally, RM10-RM12 per person would be able to fill you up quite well at this place.

Overall, I must say this place has become more commercialised since the owner's son took over the business. The good thing is, food comes quickly and there is consistency in the cooking. The bad news is, I feel that the food is saturated with MSG which is not a good thing. However, if you excuse the excessive use of artificial flavour, I feel that this place still serves one of the best chicken rice in Petaling Jaya. Com'mon, you can't expect too much for the price you're paying. I would still come back to this place if I'm dying for fast and not too bad chicken rice.

Restaurant rating: 6.5/10
Pricing: About RM15 per person.


*Ratings are based on ambience, service, value and food quality for the price you're paying. Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience


Map to New Restaurant Ipoh Chicken Rice

Address:
107, Jalan Gasing,
46000 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor D.E,
Malaysia.

Contact:
Telephone number: 03-79560958

Opening hours
9.30am-11.30pm daily

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Sorry

for the lack of updates. have been a little busy.. Will write a new post probably sometime tonight :D

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Japanese food @ Rakuzen Subang, SS15, Subang Jaya

I've been a loyal patron at Rakuzen Subang for the last 4 years now. This is one of the places that I usually go for Japanese cuisines. There used to be only one Japanese Restaurant along that row of shophouses opposite SDMC until Jyu Raku and another restaurant (that I can't seem to remember the name) sprouted up.

Anyway, my brother who just returned from the UK wanted to have Japanese food. So, we chose this place instead of Jyu Raku as we usually get exceptionally good service here because the manager knows us somehow.

Rakuzen Subang

This time of the year, Rakuzen Subang is having their special promotion of Hokkaido Seafood, specially air flown from Japan. Anyway, we decided to try their hot pot of Hokkaido Seafood since it was in season. We also ordered our usual of rolls, sashimi and some tempura.

We started off with a salad, followed by some sashimi and sushi. I have always liked their crab meat salad here. Their tofu salad is quite good as well.

Pari Pari Kani Salada (RM28)
(crab meat & flying fish roe salad with Rakuzen dressing)

Salmon Sashimi (RM22)

The salmon was fresh and cut to just the right size. Definitely shames places such as Shogun and Jogoya.

Assorted Sushi

Otoro (the winner for the night)

The salmon and yellow fin sushi are priced at RM 6 each, whereas the ebiko sushi is RM 3 each. The best sushi was of course the Honmaguro Otoro (tuna fatty belly) which was priced at RM16 each. Rakuzen, unlike their neighbour Jyu Raku, serves Otoro, which is the best part of the tuna. The meat is so soft that is actually sorts of melts in your mouth. Definitely a must try at this place.

Next came the rolls. This place was one of the places that first started serving rolls about four or five years back. Their rolls are still superb in quality compared to other places (don't wanna quote the lousy places).

The ever so famous Dragon Roll (RM28)
(fried king prawn roll topped with avocado)

Spider Roll (RM22)
(fried soft shell crab roll topped with flying fish roe)

Stamina Roll (RM28)

(avocado and omelette roll topped with unagi, eel)

Soft Shell Crab Temaki (RM8)

Their rolls were good, like usual. The rice to ingredient ratio was just nice. Definitely one of the better places to have rolls. I'm a big fan of rolls myself, so I really did enjoyed myself.

Next came the Hokkai Kaisen Nabe (Hokkaido Seafood Hot Pot). The soup was served in a sort of mini steamboat like pot and the seafood for the hot pot came on a different plate. This allows the customers to cook the seafood to their liking.

Hokkai Kaisen Nabe (RM48)

This dish is supposed to be for two people. It consisted of 2 huge oysters, 2 slices of salmon, a couple of scallops, fishball noodles and a lot of vegetables. The soup was superbly sweet after cooking the seafood in it. I have to say, it was pretty good.

Then came the prawn tempura. We also ordered a grill fish.

Ebi Tempura (RM26)

Gindara Teriyaki (RM28)

(grilled silver cod fish with teriyaki sauce)

The fish was good. It was slightly crispy on the outside and soft and flaky on the inside. I had to say, the chef sure did a good job with it.

We also had some garlic fried rice, a couple more sushi and another hot pot. However, the food disappeared before I could get my camera out. The total bill for the 6 of us came up to RM440. All of us were bloated after the meal.

I have to say, this restaurant somehow impressed me during this visit. This place has been competing with Jyu Raku (next door) for quite some time now. Both Jyu Raku and Rakuzen's fluctuate occasionally. Being a regular to both of them, I can't really say which of them fare better then the other. They sort of take turns to outshine each other. However, during my latest visit to the both of them, I would have to say Rakuzen Subang was better.

Contrary to what people have been saying, I must say that Rakuzen's standard has improved quite dramatically in the past year, or I somehow got superb service at the right time. Anyway, I sure did enjoy my dinner.

Rakuzen is owned by the founder of Sushi Zanmai. Actually, Sushi Zanmai was created to be a cheaper alternative to Rakuzen. When you pay less, you get less as well. That is why Rakuzen is still superior to Sushi Zanmai.

*Note: Rakuzen's supply of food arrives from Japan on every Tuesday and Friday of the week.

Restaurant rating: 7.5/10
Pricing: About RM75 per person
For Set Meal: About RM40 per person


*Ratings are based on ambience, service, value and food quality for the price you're paying. Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience


Map to Rakuzen Subang, SS15, Subang Jaya

Address:
15, Jalan SS15/5A,
47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor D.E,
Malaysia.

Contact:
Telephone number: 03-58804717
Email: sj-rz@superdining.com.my

Opening hours
MON - FRI 11.30am - 3.00pm & 6.00pm - 11.00pm
SAT - SUN 12.00nn - 11.00pm

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Raw Fish Porridge @ Hon Kee Restaurant, Damansara Uptown

Last Sunday, Feeq invited Kelvin, The Nomad Gourmand and me for porridge at Hon Kee Restaurant. We were supposed to meet there at 10am, but being Malaysians, we reached there about a half hour later.

Eric Wong, owner of the Damansara Uptown branch recently opened about 6 weeks ago. The Wong family initially operated in Jalan Hang Lekir, where Eric's grandfather started selling porridge 60 over years ago. Since then, they have erected new branches at Lot 10 Hutong (lower ground floor) and Damansara Uptown.

Hon Kee Porridge

The porridge is freshly cooked in huge steel pots early in the morning, and then separated into smaller pots to be mixed with the ingredients of choice upon serving. The porridge comes in a choice of raw fish (RM5.50), cooked fish (RM5), pork meatballs (RM5), pork innards (chup chap) RM5, shredded chicken (RM5), century egg (RM5), or any combination of the ingredients above (RM6.50).

We started off with some curry chee cheong fun with pork. This is one of the only places I know that serves pork curry. It certainly was different to that usual beef/mutton/chicken/fish curry.

Chee Cheong Fun with pork curry

We were then served a combinations of Chinese fried crullers. I didn't quite fancy any of those Chinese fried stuff other than the Yau Cha Kwai which went quite well with the porridge. Its not that I didn't like the crullers served here, I didn't even try them. Its just that I'm not really a big fan of those kind of stuff.

A plate of Yau Char Kwai

We then proceeded to the man draw of this shop- the 'Raw Fish Porridge'. The fish used to make this dish is called Wan Yu (Haruan in Malay, a species of snakehead). The Wan Yu is believed (by Chinese) to contain medicinal benefits, especially to accelerate wound healing. The fish is bought daily from their dealer in the market to ensure that the fish is especially fresh. The fish is thinly sliced and drizzled with sesame oil.

Raw Fish Porridge

We sort of chucked all the fish in to stir before consumption. However, some people may choose to slowly dip the fish into the porridge one at a time to ensure the fish is not overcooked.

Raw Fish Porridge

The porridge was smooth with that nice and almost perfect consistency. I'm not sure if the porridge was blended to achieve such a texture. Some people prefer to taste the soft diluted rice lumps in their porridge but I prefer it this way.

We also requested to try the century egg and chicken porridge.

Century Egg and Chicken Porridge

I must say, it tasted somewhat pleasant. Nothing really to shout about.

My conclusion, this place is definitely a good place for porridge lovers. I'm not really a big fan of porridge myself, but I must say I sort of enjoyed the raw fish porridge at Hon Kee Restaurant.

Special thanks to Eric Wong for the invite!


Restaurant rating: 7/10
Pricing: About RM12 per person


*Ratings are based on ambience, service, value and food quality for the price you're paying. Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience


Map to Hon Kee Restaurant

Address:
No71, Jalan SS21/1A,
Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor D.E,
Malaysia


Contact
Telephone number: 012-2380362

Website: http://www.honkeeporridge.com/

Opening Hours:
7am-10pm daily

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Dim Sum with Megan & Tammy @ Restaurant Yuen Garden, Bandar Puchong Jaya

Last Friday, we wanted to go for fish head noodles at Jalan Batai. However, since it was a public holiday, we were unsure if the place was opened, so we opted for Yuen Garden @ Puchong instead.

Restaurant Yuen Garden is very famous for their dim sum and is probably one of the best places to eat dim sum (tim sum) in Puchong. Yuen Gardens consists of two floors. We were seated on the 1st floor. Service tend to differ a bit depending on where you're seated at. Dim Sum is priced at RM3-5 unless one opts for sharks fin or abalone or something which would definitely cost more.

Restoran Yuen Garden

We started with the steamed stuff.

Har Gao

Siew Mai

I must say, the Siew Mai and Har Gao at this place lacked presentation, but they certainly tasted much better than Axian Dim Sum. The Siew Mai was packed with flavours and I didn't think it was too salty (contrary to what some people say). Their Har Gao was wrapped with that thin translucent layer which was perfect for the dish. Definitely one of their better dim sums.

No Clue to the Name of this dish but it consisted of prawns, meat and peas

Scalloped Mai topped with fake shark's fin

Japanese Tofu with Meat

Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun (Chu Cheong Fun)

Xiao Long Pao (Siew Long Pao)

The rest of the steamed stuff that we sampled were just average. Nothing really to shout about. I would say they were not bad, but definitely could do better. Next came the fried stuff that were just out of the pan (they ran out when we just arrived)

Salad Prawns

This is one of the worst salad prawns I have ever tasted. This dish is a total embarrassment to be classified even close to actual salad prawns. Their skin was too thick to begin with and it wasn't even crispy. I would suggest you try the Axian Dim Sum's salad prawns which is far superior to this.

Wu Kok (yam filled with meat)

Egg Tart (Tan Tart)

However, these 2 dishes made up for that salad prawns. They certainly scored home runs themselves. The Wu Kok had a total different texture to the Wu Kok I've tasted at other restaurants. This new texture was somehow pleasing to the palate. the Egg Tart was flaky on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside.

The bill came to a total of RM43 for the 3 of us. I would consider it fair price for dim sum in a proper restaurant. Between Axian Dim Sum and Yuen Garden, I would say both have their pros and flaws. Axian certainly know how to present their dish well to make it look appealing whereas Yuen Garden's food certainly did taste better (other than that salad prawns).

The 2 'pretty' girls

Special thanks to Megan and Tammy for organizing our food hunting session.

Restaurant rating: 7/10
Pricing: About RM18 per person.


*Ratings are based on ambience, service, value and food quality for the price you're paying. Opinions expressed are solely based on my personal experience


Map to Yuen Garden Sim Sum Restaurant

Restoran Yuen Garden,
Jalan Kenari 18,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
47100 Puchong.

Contact:
Telephone number: 03-8076 3818

Opening hours: very early to 3pm daily

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