Lovely ambience but food-wise...not so wise...

I couldn't believe that I was not aware of this place in 1U until I heard it from my good friend.
Well, guess I seldom walk through these alleys or it's been a while since I have done my shopping in 1U?
Either way, I was awed by the LOVELY, and I mean really lovely/awesome/wonderful/serene, etc...all the adjectives I could use to describe the settings of this little restaurant tucked away in the corner of the new wing on the ground floor.


It feels like a homely garden and to a certain extent, it even reminds me of the gardens in Babylon..LOL!



Even the lighting is just so soft and it all makes the ambience LOVELY! (this must be the highest number of times I have used the word Lovely in one article =P )

If you are interested in their designs/ensemble, you can choose to purchase their flowers, pots, vases, etc.

However, they don't come cheap...or at least to me =)

On the table where I was seated, there is lovely pot of lavenders


All the lovely atmosphere makes me go awwwww so much that I almost forgot about the food and anyway, the food along with the ambience, should make this a memorable meal, right?

The prices of their set lunches are reasonable; estimated around RM14.90++ onwards and each comes with a drink (choice of Iced Lemon tea or Coffee/Tea) and a soup.

The Iced Lemon tea came in a unique little jug like this. I thought it was something like the Fruit cocktail served in Winter Warmers when I saw these being served to other tables earlier.


The soup of the day was tomato broth

It was really diluted; even for a non-soup fan like myself and I find myself wondering, is this really tomato-based?

Next comes the food...
My classmate ordered the Black Pepper Chicken cutlet

It looks pretty good although the portion is just not proportionate to the size of the plate.
Taste-wise, I think he said it was on the average

As for my other classmate and me, we both ordered the Butter Lemon Fish which was basically dory fish fillets as expected
What we didn't expect was this...

We both asked for the sauce to be served separately and erm....this definitely does not look appetizing to me at all, nice ambience or not!
No amount of soft lighting is going to hide the fact that this looks like chunks of stuffs being served to your pet!



Needless to say, I was totally disappointed in the quality of the food served here...and even though the ambience is really nice, I doubt I will really go back for the food.
What say you?

Fried snacks, desserts and a short story - Finale for Tenji

(Continued from previous post...)

Finally, the last part of the Tenji Japanese buffet spread (I had to separate them into several posts so that the pictures can load nicely and there will be no complaints of slow loading of the blog post =P )

After a wholesome meal (and a very cholesterol-filled one too), Tenji also graces the buffet spread with an array of tempting light snacks and of course, (not-so) sinful desserts

Some fried anchovies with sesame seeds and groundnuts (I think)

The fried stuffs section

(The lighting at this area was kinda annoying to the eyes; not to mention the camera!)

A unique variant of the fried Mochi



Japanese just can't seem to get enough of fish ya!! (I am so with them on this =)



There's even Pie Tee...tee hee hee! =)


To the (western) desserts counter, where you will be spoilt for choices by the colorful variety on display


Feast your eyes on this; the lovely cakes and even konnyaku jellies!! =)








I didn't get to taste every single one of them of course; I was stuffed by then.
Furthermore, I was annoyed with the couple sitting next to my table (remember how I mentioned that our tables were placed so closely to each other that it makes me feel uncomfortable and stripped off my deserving privacy?)

Well, to make matters worse, I was sat next to such an annoying couple!
First of all, the lady was initially speaking in Mandarin to her boyfriend and then she kept stealing glances over at my table whenever we come back with food or whenever there is any new plate or stuffs placed on our table.
Then, the most annoying part, she would pass comments like we weren't there.
She even eavesdrop on our conversation and when she heard us speaking in English to each other, she started switching to English to speak to her boyfriend.

I guess the bf seems lost because he kept switching back to Mandarin with her *rolls eyes*

She even fakes a high-pitched voice (acting cute I guess) when she talks.
Each time a plate or new food is placed on our table, she would make no effort in hiding the fact that she is peering (or PORING) over our food and then she would say to her boyfriend in a not-so-low-tone,
"Oh, dear, how come we didn't go and order the steamed fish ya?" (when our steamed fish arrives)
"Did we forget to get fruit juices? I am not sure whether I want some or not..." (when our fresh juices are placed)
"Oooh, we missed the tong sui ar?" (when we have the small bowl of tong sui on the table; imagine, she could see into the bowl and know that it was tong sui and not boiled soup or soba, now you tell me she isn't poring?)
And the list goes on, I think you get the idea....
Don't you think that is just plain ANNOYING after a while? It's like someone is checking on you ALL the time...and imagine, how could I enjoy my meal in peace when she kept talking like that? UGHS!
SOME PEOPLE just have no idea how irritating they are...

The climax of the whole thing came...when my partner took this

Undeniably, it was a huge claw from the crab and he was tempted to try it.
Unfortunately, the poor guy did not manage to find a tool to crack the claw and gently used his fork/knife to knock against it slightly to try to crack the claw

Now, you wanna take a wild guess what our 'lovely neighbors' did?
The boyfriend passed us a hammer/tool to crack the claw and he sort of shook his head in front of us.
Then the girlfriend gave us a kind of look when I tried to smile to thank their kindness!
It was like, "These people are just so stupid" on their minds and they definitely make no effort to hide it!

WHOA...now that was definitely MEAN and uncalled for...
I totally lost my mood and appetite after that (anyway I was full too~)
It was seriously so degrading to be treated this way like we were way below them....and they think they are so great is it?

Well, thank goodness we were almost done and after a light round of sampling the desserts, we left.

That's why I seriously think that Tenji should consider improving on the placement of their tables/seats to prioritize customer's comfort and privacy.

Forget about that incident, probably I was just unlucky and brushing it aside, the buffet was quite enjoyable nevertheless


They even have private function rooms which can accommodate about 15-25 people, I think?

How I wish they had private function rooms for 2 people too...LOL!~

Eastern & Western goodies @ Tenji Japanese buffet

(Continued from previous post...)

For seafood lovers, be prepared for a feast as there are more varieties of seafood and the styles of cooking


You can choose the fish from the selection of talapia, pomfret and cod fish




You can choose to steam, fry, etc


I prefer steamed fish; and do not expect a really huge fish as it's also reasonable since you couldn't possibly stuff a big fish at a buffet (you will not be disappointed with the quality too~)





There's even a mini DIY steamboat section

They have the instructions ready for you to follow through the line

Just grab one of the little pots and dump the vegetables or any ingredients into the pot and they will help you to fill the soup into the pot







Moving towards more Oriental goodies offered are Chinese steamed dim sum



Double boiled herbal soups


There are also more varieties for the drinks besides the fruit juices and cordial drinks; you will be amazed!
Help yourself to a cup of hot tea; with the different tea to choose from



Cordial drinks and beverages



Although this is a Japanese buffet, you will also enjoy a selection of Western delights





To be continued with last part....light fried snacks and desserts...

Tenji Japanese buffet Part 2: The tempting and appetizing starters

(Continued from previous post...)

Upon entering the main entrance and led to our seat, I started scouting around and checking out the food they have to offer for a buffet which costs RM88++ per person.

From the main entrance, there's fresh fruits, juices and light sweet savoury snacks which children will definitely love.


A fruit-lover like myself will definitely be spoilt for choices from the array of fruits; ranging from kiwis (oh, I LOVE them!), dragonfruit, watermelon, oranges, honeydew, pineapple, apple, papaya.





I've even noticed a lady before me taking too much of her load of kiwi's, leaving me with 2-3 pieces =(

There is a fruit juice counter; where you can select the fruit to be freshly squeezed; or you can even choose to have ice-blended version of your juices for a refreshing twist!


Just like this Ice-blended Honey Lemon!

It was too sweet though, ughs!

There's also ready cordial juices for you to choose from


Unlike Spice Market in Rasa Sayang, this is part of the buffet package and you are free to take as much as you want.

There are also chocolate dip


Take note of this; there's even a popcorn-making machine! COOL!


Now, remember what our parents used to say; we should take our meals before we take any of these snacks, so we shall move on to the spread of the main course ( the main theme of this buffet)

Fresh seafood

Oysters on da rock! =P



Crabs


Fresh prawns


Moving on to the actual Japanese-themed food; first of all, the Sashimi





Pretty fresh and I liked the dry ice effect =)

Starters; a variety of mini cold dishes




There are also various interesting salads:
Seafood salad (this was YUMMY!)

It had a combination of crab meat, prawns, squids, mango slices.
It was quite a nice combo; and the ingredients were fresh!~

Potato with mussel salad


Some sushi (I was unable to finish taking all the shots of the sushi available as there were people blocking me)




You can also make/request for soba with your own choices of ingredients available





Feeling hungry already???...Stay tune, there's more coming up!! ~

Japanese Spread @ Tenji, Solaris Mont Kiara

This is probably one of the most publicized Japanese buffets in KL (or even Malaysia) for the past year; gaining the same level of popularity as its predecessor; Jogoya in Starhill where I hear and see friends and acquaintances going for the buffet spread although it was priced at a whopping tag of RM90+.

Tenji is a newer kid in town; located in the new happening place in the vicinity of Mont Kiara.

Solaris Mont Kiara and SohoKL have made it to be one of the latest additions to the list of happening places in the city and it's not hard to see why; with the al-fresco dining areas and the number of food joints, pubs, shops, etc growing there.

Tenji Japanese Restaurant can be seen clearly when you approach this area; just open your eyes and keep a close watch on the first level.


The main entrance impressed me; they have designed it in a way that it resembled a hotel's reception area.

The staffs were definitely friendly and wasted no time in providing us with the information and guiding us through their process.
Well, it's pretty simple, we just asked for the price and then we were led to the cashier counter to pay our bill and the waitress led us to the place.
(We were already assigned a number for our table when we made our payment)

We followed a walkway from the lobby to this seating area; which is outside the air-conditioned rooms, but with the company of nature through these man-made landscapes.




We reached the inner dining area; which was, air-conditioned, of course and was greeted by Tenji, again


The seating area inside looked more crowded than the ones outside and it seems that you do not have a choice to select where you want to sit since your table has already been assigned.
I was not that pleased with the idea as I've always liked to choose where I want to sit (yeah, I like that)

Furthermore, the tables for two persons are positioned too closely to each other...and on this incident where I was dining here, I had an annoying encounter with the neighboring table which I shall share later on




For more stories and pics of the food, stay tune (this post will be separated into several posts due to the number of pictures I have =)

To be continued...

Away for a week and a fruit for you~~

I am currently back in the Mud Coast for a week+; for meetings and well, short vacation with own family (self-declared) =)

During this week, updates on my blog will be really slow...I must inform ahead this round.
Work's really tough..and everything's moving really quickly, and of course, I need to spend quality time with the family.

I noticed that the Internet connection is really bad as well; which is really a huge no-no for uploading my pics =(

Anyway, I have a lot of posts waiting for me to write on and publish but I just haven't really gotten around to uploading the pics =(

I really apologize to those who have been following this humble blog of mine.

Well, for a teaser (hopefully I can steal more time to blog), here's a pic of a unique fruit which I've recently been introduced to and have fallen in love with...only to find out that it's also another seasonal and imported fruit.


The price's not cheap...and it tastes just like the black plum (California ones are my favorites!), except that it's in a fairer color.
It even had the same fragrant scent; except this one is somehow more pleasant in the scent. It had that sweet scent; and it's supposed to be really, really sweet (well, duh, what's the name nectarine for, right?)

I love these USA nectarines...*yumm*

This is so going into my list of favorite fruits from now on; and again, am I born in the wrong country for compiling a list of all imported fruits for my favourites and not really in favor of all the local breds?

Hari Raya goodies!~

Following my post on my family's road trip/visit to our family friend's open house during the festive season, I am posting the food pics over here =)

When we arrived, we were served with the cookies and cakes which were almost similar to those we serve during Chinese New Year.


Look at all the cookies they have!

Did you spot a very cute purple cookie? It was actually a mini replica of mangosteen! =)

Flake cookies (this is something similar to our CNY Kellogg's cookies...something which one of my aunts is good at=)


Rich and moist Chocolate cookies


Some cakes to pass around (Coffee and Dark Chocolate flavored)


The cakes were really good; it was freshly baked and had a pleasant scent of coffee and chocolate. The scent and the taste was definitely not overwhelming; and this came from a non-coffee and chocolate fan =)

Some preserved fruits; cherries and plums



After sampling all the cookies in the living hall, we were invited to adjourn to the dining table where our host had taken the trouble to spring up a few simple dishes for us!



We were really touched; and we didn't expect to trouble them so much. Furthermore, they are scheduled to travel back to the mother-in-law's place that afternoon (their family's balik kampung trip to Malacca)

They insisted on us trying out their simple spread for lunch; but it was not one or two dishes...but 5 dishes!

Auntie's famous Ayam Masak Merah...it was piping hot!


Another of her famous; Sambal Ikan bilis (a lil oily)


Beef cooked in the dry and dark rendang style


Another different rendang for the chicken


A very meaty and lemak (coconut milk-laden) meal; which was not my usual style....but I am not here to review the food, but rather to share the unique spread prepared by the wonderful host =)
She deserves a mention here in my blog =)
I almost forgot that this was not a restaurant and was tempted to recall the prices of the food! =P

Mixed vegetables in coconut-milk gravy


Lontong; something like Ketupat rice


It was a lovely visit, furthermore, it was raining on our way home! (I LOVE the RAINNNN!!!)


How did you celebrate your Raya weekend?

A Bulgarian Affair in Penang

This is a place which has been widely publicized by the Penang bloggers and around the blogosphere. In fact, it was so popular that it was selected as the venue for the Penang's 4th Bloggers' Gathering a few months ago.

Unfortunately, I missed it again as I had a family function to attend back at home. *Sad* Why do I always miss the bloggers' gathering?

Well, life goes on and it has been a while since I've been wanting to try this place since the first post by CK Lam and I never got around to it.
In fact, I made my first visit several weeks after the bloggers' gathering...I wonder what's that term you use in blogosphere...blog-crastinating? (blog+procrastination =P)

I have read so many reviews from all the different blogs which I drop by each day and have seen amazing photos from the professionals out there that I don't think I need to anticipate anything outstanding or be surprised by the exterior and the interior.

From the front of the restaurant, you can already feel like you're transported back to those vintage pubs or bars like those that you see in Harry Potter's movie or any movie which feature those village bars.

They have definitely spent a fortune and tremendous efforts in furnishing this place

Rock-studded walls from the exterior of the shop

The restaurant itself was split into 3 different platforms; from the first photo posted which leads to the upstairs and the entrance/reception area being at the shop level and the dining area at the lower ground/basement platform area.



The ambience exuded such a lovely, warm and definitely romantic atmosphere.


It is suitable for couples in love or even family/company functions and gatherings.

I think I fell in love with the place when I stepped in =)


It took us quite a while to get the waiter/waitress's attention; which was a bit of a bummer for me after such nice expectations.
Well, our orders were finally taken and we were served these dinner rolls in a basket.

It was not the usual soft and white dinner rolls usually served in most Western restaurants; but rather a type of European-wholemeal bun - something which are common in Europe and I have sampled when I was there on a trip.
Even their butter chunk was imported from their country - interesting!


I ordered a Red Snapper sauteed with the sweet and sour sauce (I think it was priced around RM35-39.90)

I had a shock when this arrived; seriously, I was so not expecting the whole of a fish to be served on a plate and presented to a customer.
That is so not normal; unless you order the whole steamed fish in a Chinese restaurant or something, right?
I could not believe it when I saw the red snapper fish o_O
Perhaps it was Bulgarian-style to do so?

Anyway, Bulgarian or not..it was goooooooooooooooodddddd!

The fish was quite fresh and the sauce just complemented it well!
I don't know whether it is the fish or the sauce or perhaps that whole Bulgarian notion thingy or the atmosphere (dim lighting and soft music), but oh, I really enjoyed the snapperrrr =)

I even liked their unique selection and style in the accompanying salad.

It was again, out of the norm of the usual dressing with the same lettuce, cabbage and carrots and tomatoes.
Instead of the mayonnaise dressing, the vegetables were already cooked with tomato sauce with a tinge of spice in it and I loved it! YUMZ!

If you are not the fish person; well actually you came to the right place since Bulgarians are famous for their meat and poultry as well.
However, there was a disappointment over the Bulgarian Platter (RM30-39) which was a combo of the roast lamb, chicken and pork sausage.

I think the complaint was about the uneven taste in the lamb; whereby some parts were rather hard and some seems to be a bit raw.

At the same time, the chicken was too hard as well, and the sausages had traces of burnt/overcooked on it.


The final part of the evening was saved by the dessert.
I don't usually order desserts as for one I do not like sweet stuffs and usually I am full by the time I am done with the food.
However, this round we ordered along with the food and it was one of the item which caught my eye when I flipped through the menu.

Surprisingly, for a person who does not like pumpkins (it's one of the food I dislike), but since we are sampling Bulgarian food and I have someone to finish it, anyway.

This pumpkin cake has the pumpkin chunks in it; and mind you, the whole cake was so pumpkin-ky! (a word created by myself to describe how much pumpkin taste it had)


It was naturally sweet and I love the fruit bits which came with it because there's my favorite strawberry and kiwi! =)

Although it was quite pricey at RM9.90 or RM12+ I think, but it's definitely recommended for all pumpkin lovers or those with a sweet tooth and game to try something unique.
It is definitely something that is not easily found here; even if you have tried pumpkin cake or pie, it's not as rich with the pumpkin taste. Furthermore, these are actual pumpkin bits mind you ;)

Overall, I enjoyed the food and the ambience although prices were a little bit steep.
The service from the waiters were quite intermittent and sometimes we couldn't get their attention but there is one thing that I must put my thumbs up; which is the owner of the restaurant who is a Bulgarian himself.
Excellent service and PR skills as he personally served us checked with each customer about the food and services and how he could help.

Well, it's definitely good to make anyone feel appreciated and honored as a guest/customer in the restaurant, right?

In case you want to check this place out, it's located in Tanjung Bungah and next to the famous German Restaurant; Ingolf Kniepe.
Just turn right at the traffic light approaching the Paradise and Copthorne hotel.Otherwise, just type in Vintage Bulgaria in Google/Yahoo and I am sure you will find it as it's the only one in Penang =)

So, Bulgarian anyone?

Another Jap fare @ Kozue Restaurant

Along the hallways of Gurney Plaza, there is a new Japanese restaurant (okay, probably not that new anymore) which was rather hidden from view; maybe due to the theme color of black.
In fact, I found it camouflaged next to the neighbor; the ever bustling Kim Gary's Restaurant which sports the same theme color.

The interior of the restaurant was similar to most Japanese restaurants; with the focus on wood and water. (Is it some Japanese stratagem or their Feng Shui beliefs as well?)


The ambience was really nice; and the dimly lit place with the dark-painted walls actually made it rather cool and comfortable here.



However, I think the small tables near the entrance which are meant for two people were slightly uncomfortable as there was not much privacy with the waiters and waitresses plus the customers walking in and out and staring at your food (or you!)

If you come in a big group, I spotted a private function room on the left of the shop; but I think it only fits 10 people max?


The range of Japanese wine on display and can be seen right from the entrance


They offer a range of Japanese variety; from sushi to maki, bento and sets.



Prices here are on the mid-range as compared to others.
If you are a regular Japanese food diner, well, you know the kind of prices to expect. Kozue may be slightly higher on selected items though; as I have noticed.

Sakana Sale

This is basically mackerel fish marinated with salt; yeah, pure salt.
It was quite salty; but I found the fish well-fried on the sides although it was a tad bit too oily.

I noticed that the portion of the fish and the set in general was rather mean in serving for the price.

I can't recall the exact price but it was within the range of RM15-RM19?

It came with the usual serving of white rice (which was not like the usual rice with a slightly sticky/sushi texture in Japanese restaurants)


Salad


Fruits


My usual order of Shake Teriyaki; salmon teriyaki =)

Erm, not much of a wow factor either and again, even for me, it was a rather cute serving for a set.

The overall ambience was quite nice, but unfortunately I was seated along the row of tables near the entrance which I mentioned in the beginning and it was rather uncomfortable with the servers walking up and down while you're trying to talk or enjoy your food.
Hopefully they will consider to shift some of the tables to avoid the same uneasy feeling from other customers as well?

Nice ambience @ Azuma Restaurant

This is a very short post on this restaurant; I have once again lost touch with my blogs...due to several reasons and I truly apologize for the lack of updates.

Anyway, the reason why this is a short post is because my girl friend and me did not have much of an appetite when we were here the first time and also, there is not much to tell about this restaurant.
(Also, the pics did not turn out very good, so please bear with me)
Read on and you will know why...

I am probably one of the last of all the Penang food bloggers to have visited this latest Japanese restaurant in Queensbay Mall; located above Borders.


The ambience here was really good, and it feels really comfortable here. They even have function rooms for you should you need more privacy or are arriving in large groups.
If you are lucky enough (well, you need to make early reservations), you may even get a place by the glass windows and have a view of the sea or the Pulau Jerejak on the opposite side of the island.
(well, I think I've gotten enough of the view everyday =P )

You can opt to sit by the sushi or cooking area and enjoy taking sushis off the belt like you do in outlets like Sushi King and Sakae, if you don't mind your hair smelling like it was on a stove or something, that is.


I did not have much expectation when I stepped into this place and boy, I was surprised by a lot of things here.
Well, let's start with the place where we were seated.
It was supposed to be this couple seat area (sorry, I do not have the pics)
It was quite uncomfortable there as the seats were like hard, and it was erected to make you sit up straight at a posture of 90 degrees.
It made me feel like I was stuffed into a box!

Secondly, the waitress who served us, seems to be in a hurry to retrieve the menus from our hands and she did not even provide us with the sushi menu.
When my girl friend asked her for it, she gave it to us and in a short while, she took it back in a haste.
Mind you, we were the earlier ones who arrived and there were not many customers around, so, what's the hurry?

Food wise, we didn't order much, as I've said, we did not have much appetite and our focus was more on chatting...LOL...well, what can I say, we are girls.


We were so busy catching up with each other that I almost forgot to take pics for my blog...yeahhhh, that's how excited we were to launch into the girls' talk =P

Soba noodles (RM17 I think)

It looks rather plain and distasteful to me; and somehow my friend just mentioned that it was good for her tastes since she had lost her appetite for a few days and this plain soup without much taste is good for her, as it was also hot.
So, was that a good or a bad thing? I don't know, I leave it to you to judge.

I made a mistake by ordering this, the Salmon Fish Head in a claypot (RM25).

It was one of their recommended items, and seriously, I just wanted to try and I thought it came with the noodles or something.
Imagine my shock when I saw the size of the pot and the amount of fish they had in it.
Don't tell me that the price indicates all; as most of the items were priced around that range.

Yeah, the prices here are a little bit steep compared to other Japanese restaurants.

Anyway, the fish head was not too good either and I felt that the salmon fish was too mushy for me; I was a little grossed out after a while.
There were also a range of accompanying stuffs like the Inoki mushrooms, Napa cabbage, carrots, mushrooms and fishballs I think.
However, I seriously don't think it was that good though...

I would not think of going back but I did,for the second time to attend a gathering for my friend's birthday.
FYI, there's actually further discount for Intel employees...am not sure if other companies do have this privilege too?