RM9.90 Japanese set meals @ Koya

I am a fan of Japanese food; with their simple cooking and their lots of emphasis on fish and vegetables which happen to be two of my favourite food as well.
Besides, Japanese are a balanced lot; their bento and set meals are always well-balanced with soup, carbs, protein and vitamins and green tea is such a great antioxidant!=)


On New Year's Day this year, I thought what would be the best way to start the year than to start it with the lovely food from the Land of the Rising Sun?
It's really meaningful, isn't it?

We headed to a nearby Japanese restaurant in Mahkota Cheras; which serves value-priced set meals and are appealing to my parents' taste buds.
It is our second visit here, and the restaurant owners really know how to make their customers feel at home through their excellent hospitality!

The interior was like most Japanese restaurants, intended to mimic that of Japanese seating areas in an authentic Japanese home/restaurant.

Most of the set lunches were priced at RM9.90; and there were also set meals at RM15.90 onwards.
My parents, would typically love the RM9.90 and find it really value for money, being the spendthrift folks they are =)

We ordered a few sets for every one of us and they are all priced at RM9.90 each!~

BBQ Pork Set



Deep Fry Sakana Set





Mixed Vegetables set



The meals were quite filling in portion too, and are prepared by the restaurant owner himself, while his wife runs the reception in front.
She also sought our opinion on the quality of the food, and how they could improve it better.

It was really comfortable dining here; and with such value-for-money set meals, who would not return for the second time?

Sizzling Mahi-mahi fish @ Little Cottage 2

It has been a while since I have enjoyed western food, but recently I have had some cravings for certain food (maybe because I have been sick for a while too).

We went to Little Cottage 2 along Gottlieb Road; actually I have always preferred Little Cottage along Burmah Road due to the food quality and the environment but the outlet in Gottlieb Road is more convenient in terms of parking.


Reason is because of the existence of a hotel nearby.
I have always liked the English cottage style decor in the restaurant (both outlets), giving the place a very homey and comfortable feel.





The use of votive candles on each table created a very elegant and romantic ambience around the place, making it suitable for couples and also family gatherings.


We started off with the mushroom soup; which was the soup of the day along with the set meals ordered.


The dinner rolls served were fresh and went well with the soup (for those who loved to dip it in the soup, not for me though =p)


I have been craving for the Sizzling sweet and sour fish for a while

They have changed the juicy fish fillet to that of a Mahi-mahi fish fillet; which I found slightly more coarse than the fish fillet originally used for this dish.
Besides, the Mahi-mahi fish seemed to sport more bones than usual fish.

Lamb shank, on the other hand seemed to turn out quite good, I heard


Cheese cake as the dessert


Despite it being my birthday, the restaurant did not offer any complimentary cake at all.
Anyway, I didn't really mind that much since I am not one for cakes although most restaurants are kind enough to do that for the birthday celebrant.

Guess I still prefer the other Little Cottage for the excellent service and hospitality =)

Lunch @ Dragon-I, Gurney Plaza

It has been a long time since I have been to Dragon-i restaurant, as I felt that the food quality was quite inconsistent across the outlets and has also deteriorated (for my taste).
Recently, I had a sudden craving for some Seafood ramen and also the red bean paste dumplings which made me thought of Dragon-i.

We went to the Gurney Plaza outlet

To be frank, I preferred the outlet in Queensbay because of the food and also the environment.
This outlet in Gurney Plaza was located right smack in the middle of the foyer on the Ground floor of the New Wing and if the passersby are not enough to make you feel like you are in zoo, imagine the escalator next to the restaurant which makes you feel like you are in an aviary sometimes!

Perhaps it is me, but I really do not like to be in such an open environment and to be watched by people around while I enjoy my meal.
To me, meals are supposed to be solitary activities.


To my disappointment, the menu has indeed changed and they no longer produce those little sweet red bean dumplings anymore.
I guess it was due to the low demand as most of the patrons who come here would usually order the Xiu Long Bao rather than some sweet dumplings.

Anyway, we had the Seafood Ramen in clear soup (RM18)

Somehow, I was a little disappointed as it no longer tasted as good as before, or maybe to me, sometimes it turned out good and sometimes, just on the average.

We also ordered the fish fillets with long beans (RM26 or 28 I think)

This has also decreased in the portion; and I find that the fried potato wedges seem to outnumber the fish fillets.

Service was quite prompt here and the waiters were quite friendly, but maybe it's me, but the taste of the food here don't quite suit me as before.
Maybe another time...

My Birthday Cake

I love fruit cakes, and I got yet another fruit cake this year =)
It's fresh fruit cake; covered with a coat of jelly above the fresh fruit cocktail such as peaches (my favorite!), longan, cherry, and lychee, adorned with a little strawberries too.

Yeah, this is the one occasion that I like to see cakes...hehe, my birthday =D

Chicken Curry Noodles @ Madam Joyce's, Subang

After attending a fair in Glenmarie, we ended up near Subang scouting for place for lunch and we stumbled upon this Madam Joyce's Cafe



It was a really hot afternoon, and the cafe was filled with lunch-goers on a Saturday.

The interior was just simple, like what you would typically see in a Chinese coffee shop.


Their menu was simple and the pictorial style in a one-page card helped us to decide faster on our choices =)

Chicken Curry noodles (I think it was priced at RM5++, can't remember the exact price)


The curry was quite rich and the serving of the chicken was rather generous in the portion as well.
The noodle used was the egg noodles used for wantan mee; in fact, I think this is a innovation of the conventional wantan mee.

The noodles came with a bowl of dumpling soup as well.


Homemade Cuttlefishballs with mee hoon in soup

The cuttlefishballs were really good; it was just springy and chewy. You could even sense the hint of real cuttlefish used in the making. It was one of the best I've tried!
A plus point is; the cuttlefishballs were also really fresh! =)


We were also spoiled for choices in terms of the drinks and beverages menu; but as it was such a hot weather, we opted for all the cooling drinks.
Good ol' herbal grass jelly with ice


Barley


Gingko nuts with beancurd sheets in soup


Prices range from RM1-3 for drinks and RM4-7 for noodles, etc.
I wouldn't mind coming back here again; it's located along the row of shophouses behind Taylor's College, I think some of you may have even been here before me;)

Malaccan Satay Celup @ Ban Lee Siang Restaurant

Another local food known to dear Malacca is the Satay Celup.
I have been hearing of this for a long time, and the funniest thing is, I have not try it until my recent trip.

In Malacca, the satay celup is widely sold near the Pantai Klebang area; from what I've heard but my brother brought us to another shop near the town area.


We arrived at the shop before 5.30 pm and it was already packed with people!



My impression of Satay celup has always been similar to Penang's Lok Lok, but the Satay celup is slightly different.
Lok Lok is where you dip the seafood or skewer items into hot boiling water in the hotpot and then you fill your plates with thick peanut gravy to welcome the cooked food.

Satay celup here, on the other hand is the boiling gravy and the skewers are dipped in directly into the gravy which is boiling so that you can already consume the cooked stewer directly from the skewer!



When we go for Lok Lok, we are served the plates of food around the whole table and we are free to select as much as we can eat from the plates.




Satay celup, on the other hand, it is like buffet style where you select the seafood from the variety and place them on your tray and you MUST finish them; you can return whatever you cannot finish.



The gravy is spicy; and you can also order for white bread and cucumber slices to go with the gravy.


We ordered this refreshing drink of grass jelly with longan (RM1.30)


Frankly, if you were to ask me, I still prefer the cleaner style of Lok Lok (even though I am already not a big fan).
I felt that the Satay Celup looks messy and it was really spicy for me!


Well, anyway, that's what they meant by cultural differences and that's where we see uniqueness in the cuisines served in different locations.

A good experience nevertheless, although I do have reservations if I were to be asked to try again =)