Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea @ Imbi Market

Optimism is sometimes a wonderful thing, but no always. On the food:

Surroundings - Imbi Market is a gem, situated near the Bukit Bintang area. This diminutive space offers a wide range of fresh products and dry food, but best of all it housed some of the most prominent hawkers stall and kopitiam in town.

Menu - Imbi market is a food paradise. To start, order the famous Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea and some steam bread / roti bakar (toasted bread). Once done, head towards to the Chee Cheong Fun and Popiah stalls which are right next to each other. If you still have a few more calories to spare, I highly recommend a plate of Wan Tan Mee, which is absolutely delicious.

Things can get quite chaotic in morning. Be ready to fight for a table =)

The famous Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea - Thick and aromatic. A great way to start your work day.

The Steam Bread are soft, warm and fluffy. Alternatively, you can opt for a Roti Bakar which is equally delicious.

This plate of Wan Tan Mee is worth all your calories. The springy noodles coupled with some Char Siu and Wanton is truly a comforting food.

Unlike the normal brown gravy, which are thick and creamy, the gravy here are thin and light. Not to mention the Yong Tau Foo here kick ass!

This place is truly a glutton's paradise....

Verdict: TOTALLY SMITTEN

Ten Japanese Fine Dining @ Solaris Dutamas

Thinking is addictive. The more you think, the less you live. A wise man would rather live than questioning living. But how did the wise man figure it out? By thinking? On the food:

Surroundings - Ten is housed at Solaris Dutamas where parking can be quite confusing for first timer. The best way to reach Ten is to drive all the way up to D5 and you will see the restaurant on your left. To park, drive pass the restaurant and look out for a parking sign on your right. Remember to validate you parking ticket near Joseph Kitchen before exiting.

Menu - Prices are on the high side with main dishes costing more than RM35. Entree ranges from RM10 - RM80, while desserts are RM25 each. If you are looking to splurge RM300, the Supreme Ten Kaiseki Course, which comprises 8 course degustation menu is a good way to savor the Chef's culinary skills. If you are an ardent sushi eater, you can opt for a Sushi Omakase Course, which cost the same amount of money.

Chawan Mushi (RM30). This is probably the most expensive Chawan Mushi in town with standard toppings in it. For this price, you will probably get a foie gras in your Chawan Mushi at other restaurants.

The plate of Salmon Carpaccio was dressed with Ten's unique carpaccio sauce and showered with some fried garlics. All you need to do is wrap the sashimi around the garlics and drag it through the sauce...

Unagi Maki

The Sushi Moriawase (rm70) was delightful, the fish was fresh and the rice was comforting. However, I wasn't too happy with the unagi maki as there were some bones stuck between the meat. =(

I'm a big fan of Chazuke. Its actually very similar to Hakka Lei Cha except that it uses less vegetables. The Shiromi Chazuke @ Ten was quite unique. The green tea paste was earthy and smoky. The sliced snappers, black sesame seeds and finely chopped onions toppings worked well with the dish. Nonetheless, a dab of wasabi and some salmon roe would make this dish even more exciting. =)

The Black Sesame Ice Cream was sublime - smooth and silky. The sponge cake underneath the ice cream gave an additional texture to the sweet delight.

The dining experience at Ten was pleasant. One thing I really admire is the tableware, the ceramic bowls, tea cups and plates were beautiful. Not to mention the Japanese wait staffs were very helpful and good looking too. Will definitely be back on a special occasion to try their Kaiseki Menu or Sushi Omakase Course.

Verdict : SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

I'm Spicy @ Seksyen 17

I love my dog, I look forward to see her everyday after work, to play with her and to manja her. And everyday she waits patiently for my return, to play with me and to manja me. There is a word for this : Love. On the food:

Surroundings - I'm Spicy is a snug, tucked at the quieter side of Seksyen 17, this cozy little restaurant plays with spices and textures to create deeply flavorful Thai street food. If you are coming from SS2, take the 9 o'clock exit at the Rothmans roundabout and make a left on the first turning onto Jalan 17/41. Make another left and you will see a row of shop lots on your right - I'm Spicy is located at the corner.

Menu - At this bright Southeast Asian flavor restaurant, stick to pork and you will not regret. The grilled skewered pork, deep fried pork ribs and green curry pork are their signature dishes.

I'm Spicy House Drink is a refreshing ice blended mix of pandan, lemengrass, lime and mint leaves. * WARNING - This drink is extremely addictive, especially after some hot and spicy food.

While most restaurants serve formulaic renditions, My Spicy has created different expectations. Its marinated Pork Ribs are deep friend and served with a special tamarind chile sauce. The meat is juicy with the right amount of fats.

The marinated Grilled Pork Skewers danced perfectly with the addictively sweet and hot tamarind chile sauce.

The fresh Green Papaya Salad in lime juice, dried shrimp, green beans, garlic, bird's eye chillies and cherry tomatoes was pleasant but nothing exceptional.

The Stir Fried Kailan with salted fish and garlic was tasty and briny.

Be ready to be assaulted by Thai chilies. The clear Tom Yam Soup can be lip numbing.

The Green Curry Pork did not disappoint. The thinly sliced porky were well infused with the intense flavoring of the green curry. Dunk them onto the rice and be ready to overflow your plate with the delicious gravy.

Red Ruby Chesnuts in crushed ice. Cooling and refreshing.

Mango with sticky rice. The sesame seeds created an additional nutty taste to the sweet dish.

Verdict : Totally Smitten

Prime @ Le Meridian KL

A dinner at Prime is a journey for nearly everyone. A recent meal there proved that the restaurant is as good as ever.

Surroundings - Prime is located on the 5th floor of Le Meridian Hotel. The dining room offers an inoffensive muted elegance with a see through kitchen showcasing the Chef's skills. The soft acoustics Jazz Music buzzed without interrupting normal conversation.

Menu - At Prime, the focus is steak. The extensive menu features a wide variety of steaks in different cuts. It prides itself in serving only the finest imported beef. Be it the famous Wagyu beef, Black Angus 200 days grain fed steaks or the Australian 120 and 80 day aged steaks.

Three different bread spreads to be applied onto the freshly baked breads.

The Wagyu Beef Carpaccio was tucked under the Rockets, drizzled with whole grain mustard. The pleasantly bitter leaves gave the additional flavoring to the Carpaccio. This dish was accompanied by an asparagus soup and a western style chawamushi (the texture was thicker and more concentrated).

5 different sauces to go with the fresh oysters.

The Oyster are fresh and it tasted like seawater - in a good way :) It will be cool if I could identified the different types of oysters, time to hunt for an oyster book.

3 Way Foie Gras. 1St way : Creme Brulee Foie Gras - This sinfully delicious appetizer is a great alternative to the pan fried foie gras, with texture was as smooth and creamy as steamed egg coupled with a perfect crunch of caramelized sugar.

2th way : Pan Fried Foie Gras - This classic way of preparing foie gras will never go out of style.

3rd way : Terrine Foie Gras - In the southwest of France, liver is traditionally served in porcelain terrine mold, along with serving spoons and a bowl of hot water. Each person will dip the spoon in the hot water to heat it up before scooping out the Foie Gras and spreading it onto a coarse bread. The Terrine Foie Gras at Prime is elegantly sliced before serving. It was rich and smooth.

Oyster Blade Wagyu - simply awesomeeeee. The waitstaff did a good job in recommending me this dish. It goes perfectly well with the truffle sauce.

Wagyu Pro Flapmeat - The steak was artfully presented but it doesn't melt in the mouth like the Oyster Blade. Nonetheless, is still a good piece of steak.

The Fudgiest Brownie is indeed very fudgy. The presentation was beautiful surrounded by Strawberries, Blueberries and Cape Gooseberry. The Cape Gooseberry is a small, smooth orange-gold color round fruit wrapped in a papery case that have a delicate sweet and sour taste.

Verdict: TOTALLY SMITTEN

Tonkatsu @ Pavilion KL

Lately, there has been a seemingly endless sequence of new Pork joints to try in the Klang Valley area. Tonkatsu at Pavilion has broken our Pork monotony offering an ideal sauce, cut and seasoning.

Waitstaff helping us to grind our sesame seeds a.k.a Goma. Sesame seeds are rich in vegetable protein and is cholesterol free.

Voila ~~~ The delicious Tonkatsu Sauce ready to be mate with the deep fried breaded pork

Boiled Spinach served with light soy sauce together with some sesame seeds and bonito flakes. The Spinach are dense after being drained and squeezed.

Ladyfingers tossed with cod fish roe. The glutinous texture of the okra coupled with the distinctive smoky aroma of the bonito flakes gave it a robust taste.

Rosu Katsu Zen ~ Breaded Pork Loin Cutlet served with sliced cabbage, tofu, pickled vegetables, pork vegetable miso soup and rice. The pork cutlet was just done right, not too oily and dry. The breaded crust was light and crispy. Furthermore, the katsu here has a generous cut, unlike some restaurants which cut the pork into very thin slices with a very thick crumbs.

Hire Katsu Zen ~ The Breaded Pork Fillet Cutlet was equally delicious, the marinated pork tenderloin was juicy and succulent.

Pickled vegetables

The cold tofu was smooth and easy to handle. The light soy sauce and finely chopped green onions gave the tofu the much needed flavoring.

Verdict: TOTALLY SMITTEN