New Formosa Restaurant, SS2 PJ

(Non-Halal Post)

I had only tried the stone-fire pot steamboat and some desserts at New Formosa Restaurant prior to meeting Mrs Jeannie Lee when she hosted a dinner for some of us floggers recently. Having enjoyed my previous meal there, I was looking forward to tasting other food as they do have quite an extensive menu. It was from this visit that I found out that New Formosa Restaurant has been around for about 28 years serving Taiwanese food! Arriving there, we found that quite a number of dishes and desserts were prepared. The first dish served was a combination of four different types of goodies.

Butter Eel - For someone who doesn't eat fish or in this case eel (unagi), this Butter Eel was nice. What I like about it was that it wasn't oily at oil and aromatic from the curry leaves.

Rice Crispies topped with Fried Golden Mushrooms & Clam Meat. I've never eaten these two combinations before but as you know I'm a fan of all types of mushroom. I enjoyed crunching on the rice crispies together with my fave mushrooms.

Me being one who does not fancy spare parts unless they are crispy was totally surprised by the Sesame Crispy Intestines. I approached with caution and was delighted by how it tasted, very much like deep fried calamari. Now, I have a new fave dish to add to my list!

The Grilled Prawn Stuffed With Garlic. The skewered grilled prawns was a lovely sight and since I love garlic, I had no hesitation with this.

Of the four varieties, I liked the Grilled Prawn the most, probably the simplest of the four. (followed by a close second, Sesame Crispy Intestines)

The shiny shimmering liquid on the Suckling Pig isn't oil but white vinegar. Jeannie gave us this pointer when it was served. (Suckling Pig eaten this way , becomes more palatable as this seems to cut down on the oil).

Next came two variety of ducks; The Longan Roasted Pi-Pa Duck which I found sweet and not so much to my liking as compared with the more favourable SzeChuan Crispy Duck (the one at the bottom). The duck wasn't oily and went well with the plum sauce dip. At this time, I remembered about the drinks that were served to us earlier; the Herbal Tea (the darker one in the foreground) and Sour Plum Juice. I like the Sour Plum Juice better and it seems that it aids in digestion which was what I needed at this point of the dinner! :o)

At this juncture, we were served a plate of lovely mixed greens; asparagus together with pumpkin! Again unique and nice...Then the Fermented Soya Fish (centre) and the Fried Fish Slices were served next. I only tasted the sauce and found them just okay. Or maybe it was because we all were full by now.

The Bamboo Yam Rice was next and after taking the first bite, I was hooked. It was simply so tasty that I was happily tucking away, forgetting about my expanding tummy. Complete with heh bee (dried shrimps) and generous amount of fried shallots, this one is a must order if one is to visit this restaurant!

We then had the steamboat with Bonito and spicy Mala flavoured soup( bottom right). Jackson then tried his hand at cooking the meat together with the vital ingredients for the Stone-fire Pot. After the "loading" of previous dishes, this was a welcome change. Between the two types, I prefer the stone-fire pot as it's prepared differently. But then, that's just my opinion :o)

The it was time for desserts and the one I love the most is the Caramel Yam with honey sauce and sesame seeds. Crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside, this was delightful.

The rest of the desserts that were served (from top right, clockwise) Puddings; assorted flavours Muachi, Or Nee (mashed yam, pumpkin and topped with gingko nuts)

With that, we ended our dinner, thanked Jeannie for the night and slowly walked back to our cars (as we have some added weight then! LOL). This is one restaurant I don't mind dropping by again, furthermore it's in my neighbourhood!

New Formosa Restaurant

46, Jalan SS2/24 (opposite the Mobil petrol station)

Petaling Jaya

Tel No: 03 - 7875 1894

(Non Halal. Open daily from noon to 2.30 pm, 6 pm to 10.30 pm)

Other Reviews : -
Lots Of Craving
Ipoh Mali Talak Sombong
Masak-Masak

A diet is the penalty we pay for exceeding the feed limit. ~Author Unknown

Jackson Pollock's Art - My Version

Zahara sent me this link to a Jackson Pollock website created by Miltos Manetas where we can create our very own abstract art ala Jackson Pollock style. I had some fun doing it and this is my very own creation. Just move and click your mouse around once you are at the website. Pressing the spacebar will erase your "canvas" and you can start all over again. Go on...have some fun! When you are done, press "Esc" and the website's creator name will pop up together with the description on the bottom right corner.

One of his painting sold for USD140 million. I wonder how much is mine worth? ;o)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Vintry, Medan Damansara

(Non-Halal Post)

I found out about this place from JC who loves drinking wine and good food (in that order!). So, when I'm out with her and the gang, we usually end up here to chill. Located along the same row as Kah Soh and The Rib Shop (the row behind Victoria Station and Jake's), we also love eating here as Vintry allows their patrons to order food from the neighbouring eateries.

Entering Vintry, the place has a cosy setting with wines aplenty on display.

We haven't really tried a lot of the food available from here and the rest of the restaurants as we usually order three of our usual must haves when we dine and wine here. From Kah Soh, we'll order the Fish Head Noodles for sure. I'm not a fan of fish but will eat Kah Soh's version as the order comes with crispy pork lard! Ha ha ha....

As for the other two dishes which are from Vintry, BEWARE...they are equally sinful and once you start, you can't stop. Well, till there's nothing left on the plate I suppose and that's when we get hit with a tinge of sadness! :o(

Deep Fried Pork Strips - served with Thousand Island sauce. What I like about these is that they are thin strips, hence well marinated with lam yue (fermented bean curd) and covered well with batter. They are really tasty and very addictive! A plate of these beauties only cost RM8 (USD2.50). At times, we'll order a second plate!

The wonderful roast pork, RM14 (USD4). See that thick layer of skin? It's crispy to the bite and the meat is tender. Served in dainty cuts, (which I prefer) it is so palatable. Vintry is my No. 1 stop for roast pork. There is also the caramelised version, but then the skin is not as crispy.

To top it all off, a bottle of red wine....You can't go wrong ordering these few dishes here in Vintry. We aren't adventurous when dining here as we can eat these dishes time and time again and still want more! LOL...We always leave this place happy not because we are intoxicated by the wine, but intoxicated by the good food!

Vintry
130, Jalan Kasah,
Medan Damansara,
Kuala Lumpur

Reservations : 03-2094 8262
(11am-12 midnight, closed on Sundays)

Other reviews : -

Masak-masak
A Whiff Of Lemongrass

A man who was fond of wine was offered some grapes at dessert after dinner. "Much obliged," said he, pushing the plate aside, "I am not accustomed to take my wine in pills." ~ Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Marvelous Malacca - Part 4 (Final)

(NON-HALAL POST)

On our last day in Malacca, we decided have wantan mee for breakfast. After hearing from me about the tasty noodles I had at Restoran Makanan & Minuman Wantan Mee (40, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) during my previous visit, we decided to pay a visit to this place again. I was truly looking forward to eating my chilli paste added wantan mee.

However this time round, we were quite disappointed as the wantan noodles had too much of an alkaline taste to it this time round. I added lots of the chilli paste to mask the taste but the three of us couldn't finish our plate.I told the lady about this and she mention that it must be the batch of noodles supplied and I thought so too as I had really enjoyed the noodles my first time there back in September last year. Guess I will try it again the next time I'm in Malacca to see if things are back to their yummy state! Ha ha...

Walking around town after that for some souvenir shopping, it was soon time to check out of the hotel and lunch! There are not many Nyonya restaurants listed in food guides as they say the best Nyonya food would be those from cooked from home itself! There were quite a number of Nyonya restaurants located at Taman Melaka Raya though. Since Nyonya fare was what we wanted, we decided to take a drive there and settled for Bibik Neo Nyonya Restaurant (No. 6, Jalan Merdeka, Taman Melaka Raya - close on Mondays) as YSF said that it was quite good. Recovering from an unsatisfying breakfast encounter, we were not hungry but neither were we full. We decided to order just a few simple small size dishes.

Simple mixed vegetables which I liked, not oily.

YSF and I opted for two small bowl of Itik Tim (Duck and Salted Vegetable Soup) which I enjoyed but there weren't enough meat in it. Found this recipe online, maybe some of you would like to try it.

Steamed Brinjal Ladiesfinger/Okras (thanks Joe! for pointing out the error) which YSF and TML finished on their own as I'm not a fan. This is something that can been done at home but I suppose the difference here is the chilli sauce dip that came with it. It's nice, I could drink it all up! Ha ha ha....

Ayam Pongteh (Miso Soy Chicken). I felt that the meat weren't infused enough though the gravy was tasty. Biting into the chicken, the meat tasted normal. I preferred the potatoes!

Overall, my Nyonya food experience was just okay and tasted average. The dishes weren't oily though but since this was a restaurant, I guess I expected more in the taste department. An unsatisfying breakfast, an average lunch, we only hope things would get better at dinner time (a very early dinner!). Making our way back towards home, we pass through Seremban again and ended up at this place, Kedai Makanan Tow Kee (No. 94 Jalan Kepitan Tam Yeong, Seremban, Tel :06-7616638)

YSF had wanted to eat this and made sure we did a pit stop here for an early dinner. Since both TML and I weren't familiar with Seremban, we gladly agreed as long as there's good food waiting :o).

Selling Hakka Mee since 1930s, these handmade noodles were lovely. Cooked al-dente, I savoured each bite of it. There was a slight hint of alkaline taste to it but after I added some vinegar to it (vinegar from the pickled green chillies) together with lots of pickled green chillies, it wasn't a distracting factor anymore. I have this habit of adding vinegar (if it's available) to most noodles as I find that it makes certain food more appetising and "lighter" for tummy digestion (and noodles are one of those). The minced pork topping was lovely and the clear sauce was tasty though I found it a bit too oily for me. Must take note to ask for less oil the next time I get to eat here again.

With that, we made our way home...and to another short getaway in the near future! The three of us survived the trip and got to know each other more. We'll push our luck with future trips together again. Ha ha ha....Here's to Friendship and Friendship with Good Food!

Recaps : Part 3, Part 2, Part 1, Prologue

If I had to sum up Friendship in one word, it would be Comfort. ~ Adabella Radici

Desserts Galore!

Here are some random photos of my dessert collection to celebrate Friday! (Click on the highlighted words for more insights). Have a good weekend! Woo-Hoo!

Tapas dessert from Bakerzin during my outing with Jason, Lyrical Lemongrass and Precious Pea. Read more about the tapas variety HERE and HERE. Some hits and misses.

The Green Tea Sundae (RM17.90 for a tiny bowl!) from Midori, Cineleisure. Lovely but way too little. By the time we started enjoying it, there was no more (there were 4 of us! ha ha ha!)

The slightly cheaper Kakigori with Green Tea Sauce, Red Bean Paste and Milk (RM9.90); also from Midori, Cineleisure. The Green Tea Sundae fared better. Wasn't love at first bite and still no love at last bite!

The flavourful Ais Kacang from Lily Cenario Cafe

Yummy Banana Belgian Waffle from Waffle World, 1 Utama New Wing, 2nd Floor, Lot S343A

Another simple variety of the Belgian Waffle at Waffle World...The waffles are good but the rest of the items on the menu are just okay. I usually eat only the waffles here with Czar.

The Chocolate Fudge Cake from Delicious, 1 Utama, Ground Floor, New Wing. Shared between three of us, I took the last honour of cleaning up the plate, leaving no remnants of any fudge! But all the evidence remained on my hips! ROFL...

Two other desserts from Delicious of which their names I can't recall! Still prefer the Choc Fudge Cake (oh, and their scones are quite good too!)

The lovely loaf (only RM18 for the whole loaf!) of Apple Strudel from Fruity Restaurant, Ground Floor, Tesco Shah Alam. With main outlet in Klang and a kiosk in Plaza Shah Alam. Recipe from Perth! I prefer Fruity's version to Strudels.

The really nice Strawberry Blend with Gui Ling Gao (Herbal Jelly) from KTZ, SS2 Petaling Jaya (RM7.80). It's also available at One Noodle Restaurant, SS2. I tell myself that this drink is good for my health...uhh, forget about that dollop of whip cream :o)

Delicious new flavours from Big Apple Donuts, The Curve - Durian. Isn't this donut a cutie with the "thorns"???

Cappucino Flavour, not too sweet which is a good thing!



Fudge is a noun, a verb, an interjection, and delicious! ~ Jessi Lane Adams

Chee Cheong Fun @ Bee Connection - Not Just Honey!

I was shopping for my computer stuff in Plaza Low Yat a while back and decided to have lunch there with Lyn and Sis Mah who has come along with me to get something for her son too. Circling the Lower Ground Floor where most of the eateries were located, I was surprised to see this stall selling my all time favourite food, Chee Cheong Fun (CCF)! Why was I surprised in the first place? Well, it was Bee Connection (a place that sells honey!) that was selling this CCF.

Apparently, Bee Connection was about the only outlet on the Lower Ground that was not selling any food and was encouraged to do so by the management. They then decided on selling CCF as it was simple and only needed minimal space for the setup of the stall. We were then recommended to try the curry, original and sambal belacan version of their CCF.

We loved the original version that came with a bit of soy sauce and pickled green chillies. The CCF texture was nice and smooth too. The two sauces were for the crispies that we ordered.

The curry variety was normal but the gravy from the curry chicken drumstick that we had also ordered tasted good and we were told to add that for more oomph.

Aaahhh... The sambal belacan variety. Simple and the nicest of the three (original in 2nd spot!). The spicy topping went very well with the smooth CCF.

Do order their deep fried tofu (beancurd). This was tasty; not oily,crispy on the outside and a lovely chili sauce to go with. It has a funny texture like a cross between fishcake and bread. Try it and you'll know what I mean.

The rest of the crispies like fried wanton and beancurd skin were just okay. They were a bit on the oily side though.

Oh, since it's primarily a honey shop, they have all sort of honey drinks (apart from selling the honey itself) and I choose the kei chi (wolfberries) honey hot drink. Well, it's suppose to be good for the eyes and I thought my eyes could do with a bit of a boost ;o). There are lots of kei chi in the drink, at the bottom and some floating on the surface. I enjoyed biting into the kei chi and having the honey oozed out from it as the kei chi seeds are soaked in thick honey for quite some time! Just take a spoonful of it and mix it with hot water (not boiling hot though, as the honey will lose its nutrients) and you'll get this delicious drink.

Well, I don't go down to Plaza Low Yat that often but when I do, it's gonna be CCF at Bee Connection for me; simple and nice! It's the same for Lyn and Sis Mah too ;o). They have outlets in Berjaya Times Square, Lot 03-43, 3rd Floor (Tel : 03-2143 1636) and also at Lot K4, Pasar Rakyat, No. 8, Jalan Melati off Jalan Imbi (Tel :03-2141 5570) but I forgot to ask if they sold CCF in these two other outlets too.

Bee Connection
Lot LG 4 & 5, LG Floor
Plaza Low Yat
No 7, Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-2143 2636

Chee Cheong Fun is such a wonderful food. So simple and yet so delightful!
- wmw

Hola Spain! Part 7 - Weekend Spanish Pics

Here are some random shots of my trip to Spain. Click on the highlighted words for more details. Hope you all are having/had a good weekend! Mrs Pitt, you need to go on a vacation!

The famous La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona designed by Antioni Gaudi. Read more about Gaudi and his other works HERE.

Park Guell - also designed by the famous Gaudi

The row of balconies of this lovely hotel I stayed in Granada, Hotel Los Angeles. Despite its American sounding name, it was pure Spanish!

Gypsies' flamenco show in a cave (Granada) which I really enjoyed! Hola!

One of the many lovely sights in Sacromonte situated on a hill (Granada). One can only travel up to this area in a mini bus as the roads are narrow. After alighting from the bus, we traveled on foot along the many smaller paths.

A section of the Alhambra Palace, (Alhambra means red in Arabic) Palacio de Generalife located in Granada

One of the many Arabic words intricately carved pillars at Alhambra Palace

Another lovely fountain in Valencia

To be continued....