Besides providing appealing content for a blogpost; it’s an interesting eye-opener to myself as well as my blog readers to know how in other countries, food chains tailors their menus to suit a specific country and it’s food culture.

A while back I was in Sg for a quick trip. Someone told me Ikea Singapore serves pork on it’s menu. Even better, that person told me specifically there are pork meatballs!
So yes, I hopped into Ikea just to have the meatballs. Don’t ask me if the furniture stock in Ikea Singapore is any different from the ones in Malaysia. I wouldn’t know! But I do know that the meatballs is different! 

Below: Pork and beef Swedish meatballs.

My friend failed to mention a little trivia though. He didn’t tell me that the meatballs here at Ikea Singapore is a mix of PORK and BEEF, not solely pork.

So the difference was pretty subtle, and certainly not discernible from looks alone (hence trying to show you the differences via pictures were pretty futile).

Below: Beef Swedish meatballs in KL, Malaysia.

Other than the slight difference in colour, everything else lies in the taste. Needless to say, the Pork + Beef meatballs tasted much better. It could be my imagination; simply because I know there was pork in it and hence it influenced my tastebuds.
Argue whatever you like, it’s just much better with pork! 
But if I really had to describe it, I’ll say that the meatballs were more flavourful & moist, thanks to the fat from the pork meat.

I had a dessert too – The Almond Cake. This beats the saccharine, diabetes-inducing Daim anytime. I love the nuttiness and the moist texture of this cake.

Prices:
Meatballs
$9.50/20pcs
$8/15pcs
$5.40/10pcs

So have anyone else here sampled the Ikea meatballs in Singapore? What do you think about it? Any difference?

IKEA in Singapore:

IKEA Alexandra
317 Alexandra Road (S)159965

IKEA (Tampines)
60 Tampines North Drive 2, Singapore 528764

Now, porky Italian joints are not many, and good ones are even fewer and far in between.

 That was probably the reason why Neroteca remained popular although Italian restaurants are sprouting up like fungi in KL. I remember how fellow foodies would always recommend Neroteca whenever the debate of “which is a good Italian restaurant in KL” came up in conversations; and how recently, the feedback was more of “Neroteca was so good back then, but now… ahemmm..”

To be honest, I have visited Neroteca on my own accord somewhere last year after hearing all the glowing reviews. Unfortunately, my experience wasn’t exactly memorable.
Needless to say I haven’t been back.

The good news is, The Nero Group had recently roped in a new chef for Nerovivo (post  HERE –> Christmas comes early to Nerovivo) while simultineously implemented a management team shift.
My experience at Nerovivo was assuring enough, and I looked forward to this session at Neroteca, more so since it is a porky-licious outlet, as how a real Italian food joint should be.

This was an exclusive preview of Neroteca’s Year of the Dragon “Meatilicous” January and I was thrilled for the opportunity of savoring Italy’s best meats & wines specially flown in for this wine pairing & tasting session! 

The savory 7-course meal aims to please meat enthusiasts, where each dish is creatively designed and paired with selective prosecco and wine.

We started off with some top notch selection of cold cuts, namely Prosciutto di Parma, San Danielle, calabra piccente and mortadella.
I arrived late, and missed the opportunity to snap a picture of the cold cuts platter. Thankfully, I managed to sample each of the cold cuts and I find them superb! Most importantly, they were not too salty and has a good cured flavour.

Below: Chef Lorance Abusang preparing our next course – The Steak Tartare.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love Prosecco. The italian Prosecco di prosecco Conte Neri was excellent, light, fruity and very easy to drink, exactly how I like my alcohol.

Below: Our Steak Tartare, made from Angus beef sirloin.

Starter: Beef Tartare with Butter Lettuce and Rustic Bread.

I’m a huge fan of tartare, since most of the time I like my meat almost raw and I’m not squeamish about eating raw meat or seafood.
However, I find the tartare that I was served with that day a bit oily; and I would have preferred it “creamier”. Perhaps more yolk might have helped.

Entree: Pappardelle Neroteca (Papardelle pasta with wild boar ragout) and Stozzapretti Nduja (Homemade curl pasta cooked with rare salami).

Wine: Valpolicella DOC Corte Giara. The red wine was a superb match. I liked it as it wasn’t dry and tannic, a common characteristic of most reds. It’s slightly spicy notes on the palate at the throat gave it a bit of “heat”.

Yes, this was a very agreeable red, smooth and easy to drink, which was a surprise, as I never had a red that I actually enjoy and would consider buying for further consumption.

Our pasta came al dente, as it should. My preferance was for the Stozzapretti Nduja, a curl pasta which was a bit chewy (Leon thought it was a bit undercooked). Anyhow it was the slightly spicy sauce that I liked; which I thought gave it a bit more punch flavour-wise. The papardelle was more bolognese-based, hence more familiar, with its sweet and fresh tomato-ish flavour.

The meal was proceeding smoothly, me happy with the prosecco and the red wine while waiting eagerly for the main, which was a trio of 3 different meats, a bonus for any carnivore, such as myself.

Main Course: Porchetta (Deboned suckling pig stuffed with sausage and capsicum). Grilled sliced beef sirloin top with sauteed spinach and potatoes. Grilled lamb rack with garden salad and balsamic reduction sauce.

The best of the platter was the beef.
Beautifully succulent and impressively juicy, it was full of flavour. We (Leon and I) thought it was worthy of praise. Dismally, the suckling pig fell short of expectations. It nearly choked me with the gamey and strong aftertaste. I have no idea what could have happened and had to ask around the table if the other thought the same way. Naturally we were all stupefied.

But the lamb was alright; nicely pink and juicy but it was really the beef that stole the show.

Costa di Nugola Syrah Toscana.

This was another marvellous red, even more so than the one previously. My dining companions around me concurred wholeheartedly that it has wonderful body and wasn’t dry at all. We love how smooth and drinkable it was, with sweet and floral notes. Even for non-red wine lover like myself, I drained my glass.

I thought RM198++ was a steal for the menu as above. What do you think?

For reservations:
Ground Floor, The Somerset,
8 Lorong Ceylon,
50250 Kuala Lumpur.Tel: 03-20700530
Email: info@neroteca.com
Opening hours: 11.30am to 11.30pm (Daily)
We ended our meal with more alcohol, a specialty from Neroteca itself. I didn’t quite got the name of this liquor but it’s heady stuff! Alcoholics rejoice!

OMGGGGG… he’s such a cute little piggy isn’t he?

It’s a bit surreal to go gaga all over these cute memorabilias of the swine and yet, 20 minutes later you’re heartily tucking into dishes that are made out of these cute little piggies…

but I digress….

My pork burger radar bought me here to the unfamiliar territory of SS15 Subang.
The Hungry Hog (total approval awarded for such an original name!) is not at the popular stretch of SS15; where the Asia Cafe and Snowflakes are located but it occupies a lot at the quieter side along rows of shophouses.

The main goal was to chow the Pork Burger of course, followed by the the Guinness Beef Stew. Unfortunately, they were out of Guinness Beef Stew by 8pm, and we settled for The Bangers and Mash instead.

Yes, 8pm. Even though located at a not-so prominent location, The Hungry Hog has it’s share of fans. The restaurant was full and there were a constant stream of customers throughout the night.

‘

The Hungry Hog Pork Burger aka 3 Little Pigs – RM15.90.

The Bangers and Mash. RM15.90.

We had absolutely no regrets whatsoever as the bangers and mash were lip-smackingly good! The Hungry Hog is actually a newly start-up restaurant to their existing made to order meat-based items online store (mostly swine-related) and hence the sausage is their own homemade recipe.

The bangers were juicy and meaty with little filler. Seasonings were added  in the right doses; and the result was tasty yet not too salty sausages.  The accompanying mash was perfectly executed as well, not too buttery or rich but full of real potato flavour. Even the gravy was faultless to me. I admit I enjoyed this dish very very much!

Somehow the pork burger paled in comparison after the bangers and mash.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the pork burger too but El Meson’s Pork Burger (RM25.90++)  rules and for a cheaper alternative, Andes’ BYO at Aman Suria (RM12.90) still holds the award for the best pork burger. The one at here comes close though.

For RM15.90, one can’t really complain for an adequately prepared pork patty, 2 slices of bacon plus ham all encased in a freshly house-baked bun (yes, the bun was good too!). Generous servings of fries and salad completely the ensemble.

What we had impressed us enough for a 2nd visit. This time I called in advance to order the Guinness Beef Stew. I’m not sure what happened; I think it was discontinued or something and we ended up with the Feijoada – RM15.90.

A Feijoada is a hearty black bean and mixed meat stew that is often associated as the national dish of Brazil. The Hungry Hog uses pork for this recipe, and we agreed to their recommendation without any hesistancy.

At first glance it looked very Chinese, especially since when it came served with rice! I stared at it in disbelief but since the test is in the taste I withheld verdict till I had a few mouthfuls.

The final verdict was not in their favour though. All 3 of us thought it lacked the robustness and depth of flavour of a stew. Brazilian or what-not, this was like bland Chinese pork stew with a mistaken identity – this part is refering to the slices of orange & salsa sides.

We gave up on this after a while and waited for the ribs instead. Pork ribs at a porky outlet shouldn’t fare too badly; we hoped silently inside….

Ribs – RM27.90.

The ribs were decent, both in taste and size. But would we come back for it? Not me though, as I prefer my ribs where the marination are thoroughly infused right to the bone. But my makan mates enjoyed it, and the meat remained tender at all parts of the ribs.

Note: Iced water are charged RM0.50 per glass while their refreshing lemonade is RM3.50. 10% service tax applies but there are no government tax for now.

The Hungry Hog (www)
71, Jalan SS15/4C,
47500 Subang Jaya
Opening Hours: 12:00 – 2:30pm, 6:00 – 10:00pm (closed on Mondays)

Call: 012 – 2250 877.

**My weekly bread stash –> Yeah, that’s how much bread I eat in ONE week!

My previous article on Craft Bakers at Solaris Dutamas had garnered much response about the lack of good artisan, hearty European-type breads in KL. I find it heartening to know that there are like-minded people who refuse to be subjected to fluffy, empty & commercialized loaves from Bread Story, Gardenia and the likes. Thank god there are still bread lovers out there who value quality, well-baked dough.

What’s even more encouraging now is that there are many bakeries sprouting up in KL that offers good quality loaves at reasonable prices.

My favourite bakery currently is Hagen Bake & Brew in Mont Kiara. This little gem of a bakery cum cafe has an easy enough to find location, though most unfortunately it’s a bit hidden due to lack of signage.

However if you know where Plaza Mont Kiara is, look for the Baskin Robbins opposite it.
Then bingo! That’s where Hagen is located.

It’s entrance is at the side of Baskin Robbins. Hagen Bake & Brew cafe & bakery occupies the whole floor above.

Once upstairs, you will find yourself in a long narrow passageway, with both sides lined with high chairs and tables.

The bakery is on your right, with shelves of wholesome and freshly baked loaves against a wall. A small kitchen that prepares the food served at this small cosy cafe is located on the other end.

I will go into the food later. Right now, feast your eyes & drool over the plethora of baked goods available here!

Let’s start with this amazing PORK BACON loaf. Ok, perhaps it doesn’t quite fall into the “healthy” category but trust me, it’s REALLY good!

Each slice is generously studded with PORK BACON bits and because the loaf is baked with the bacon, every slice is perfumed with the salivating fragrance of pork bacon.
I normally eat this toasted and I’m sure you can imagine how heavenly it must have tasted when it’s nice & toasty!

A normal sized loaf is RM12.90, but Hagen has a smaller loaf as well as a bacon roll version (see below).

Getting back on the healthy breads track, Hagen offers the customary wholemeal & brown bread. Prices for each are as stated on the description card.

When it’s labelled as wholemeal, it is really wholemeal. The ratio of wholemeal to flour was very well-balanced, not too rough with excessive wheat yet substantial enough.

All the baked goods at Hagen are made using imported German and unbleached flour. Each of the buns and loaves are beautifully crusty on the outside yet soft & fluffy inside. I love the texture and taste of all the breads that I have tried so far, which by now is almost 90% of their range!
I find the prices pretty reasonable as well for the quality offered.

The herbs loaves & buns were delightfully aromatic and savoury. Good to eat on its own or with some good old butter.

Below: No cheating here! Actual bits of garlic and generous specks of basil, parsley and chives.

I’m not fond of sweet breads; especially the ones with cherries as they tend to have a weird chemical taste but the one below by Hagen was wonderful.

Very fragrant and slightly sweet with nibs of almonds for a nice nutty texture, I polished half a loaf at one go. It’s sinfully addictive I tell you!

More healthy breads – The Carrot Loaf.

This is Carrot Loaf as well, but Croissant style. Honestly I couldn’t spot a shred of carrot in it; perhaps it’s pureed into the dough?

Oh wait, those tiny brown slivers must be it.

I have yet to try the French croissant as I’m not a fan of pastry (I’m worried about those layers of butter pastry you see) . Hhahahhah…

Moving on…… there are a small selection of German breads of which has names I can’t pronounce..

…and this is German doughnuts, which is supposedly one of their must-try. I promised the owner I’ll try it soon. Deep fried dough and sugar icing on top tends to turn me off.

I’m not sure what’s the different between a bagel vs. New York bagel vs. German bagel. All I know is, from all my prior experiences I have yet to eat a good, dense, chewy bagel worthy of its name. The previous Departure Lounge at Aman Suria serves pretty decent ones, but it seemed that the Uptown branch doesn’t maintain the same quality. Another was freshly baked by the French Chef from The Cuisine Studio, which is unfortunately unavailable for retail purchases.

This is another German specialty – The Marzipan Strudel. Nope, I haven’t tried. Simply cos Marzipan = SUGAR.

And of course, french breads are a must for any bakery.

I could go on and on about the breads here, but you’ll have to try it for yourself! I have bought almost every bread they sold here. But I will be back for more soon!

What’s not that great though  –> The cakes and food. This cake was awfully diabetically sweet and tasted really weird.

And my previous visit for dinner was pretty disastrous. The sausages was weird, the grilled skewers were salty, the pasta was oily and bland while the pizzas were decent at best. The duck sandwich was the only saving grace of the lot.

Well that was in August. I will be back for another round as I was informed they have PORK BURGERS now! Hhahah.. so much for wholesome healthy eating huh?

Oh, just a heads up, Hagen only provide brown bags for their breads.

Below: More pictures!

Some of Hagen’s desserts.

There are imported pasta and olive oil, etc for sale too.

Hagen Bake & Brew

Mont Kiara Shoplex, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-6201-1628

Open Daily from 8am till 12pm * Breakfast starts from 8am till 11am
* Imported Beers available throughout the day

All pictures:

No? Well, do read about his pork pies, bak kut teh pork burger & pork ribs curry spaghetti HERE !

As I was writing the previous post, I checked through JTean Kitchen’s FB & saw this poster. It seemed that with the current mooncake festival, Master Tean is taking his creativity level up another notch with Bak Kut Teh mooncakes!

Yes, you read right! A savoury mooncake. As you would have guessed, I didn’t waste any time hopping in to get one for sampling.

The mooncake itself is similar sized with the current baked ones on the market; which is about 2 inches in diameter. The fillings consisted of cubes of yam, pork meat, LARD, chinese spring onions in gravy & encased within a deep fried yam crust (think of the chinese yam rings that are commonly served at Chinese restaurants during banquet dinners).

It is prepared & deep fried upon order. Not a long wait, not to worry, as we waited about 5-7 mins for ours. It smelled really good & has a nice & crisp crust. However, it was certainly not a mooncake per se; other than the shape. To me, it is a mini yam pastry or “wu kok” like the ones you get in dim sum restaurants.

There are 2 variations available – one spicy & another non-spicy; both priced at RM8.50 each. I chose the non-spicy one as I wanted to be able to savour the “original” taste. But truth to be told, it didn’t have any flavour nor aroma of bak kut teh herbs at all!
I was pretty disappointed, and so were another 2 fellow foodies who sampled it with me. All 3 palates concluded that there were no bak kut teh flavour whatsoever.

Conclusion? Buy it for novelty sake or if you are looking for a purely savoury mooncake. However, if you are expecting a really Bak Kut Teh tasting mooncake like I did, do save yourself the disappointment.

ADDRESS:
J Tean Kitchen
G-58, Ground Floor, SS2 Mall
No.40, Jalan SS2/72,
46300 Petaling Jaya.
Contact Number: 03-7954 0819
Business Hours : 10.00am – 10.00pm

All pictures are:

Anyhow, it’s time to get back on track! This post was drafted a while back, but J Tean Kitchen is still very much in business & drawing in the crowds for their innovative & tasty porky dishes in SSTwo Mall. There’s isn’t much good food outlets there really, and J Tean Kitchen is definitely a good bet if you are in the area. And oh, parking is free still.

The outlet spaciously seats a big group, or a family yet still cosy enough for a small yumcha gang or a couple.

Just choose whichever corners that caught your fancy..

……or you could opt for alfresco balcony seating with wooden shades to shield yourself from the afternoon rays.
The outlet is eye-catching; with a array of beautifully “Chinese” designed furniture, ranging from antique mix of opium bed, drum table (see below!), drum stool imported directly from China to modern pieces of glass tops tables & Ikea-like chairs.

 Note these pretty traditional Chinese ornaments.

Food-wise, expect traditional favourites but with a twist; in some dishes it’s in the recipe, in others it’s the presentation & flavours.

Take this example this J-Soup – Signature recipe herbal bak kut the soup that are individually served covered with puff pastry. RM4.90……..

………..and JTean’s pumpkin soup.
Tear open the puff pastry & dig into the piping hot broth within.
I personally think that the pumpkin soup could do minus the enoki & chinese mushrooms; as the fungi only made the soup taste weird. But the puree itself was tasty enough, very fresh, very homemade.
The bak kut teh soup was a tad salty & thick for me to drink on its own. Guess I would stick to having my bak kut teh with rice.

Since we on the topic of Bak Kut Teh, here are the signature dishes of JTean Kitchen. Mr James Tean, the owner has been in the food industry for almost 30 years. He has successfully developed his own mixture of BKT herbs to produce the best flavour of the soup. From the humble beginnings of a Klang BKT store, Master Tean’s business has since evolved & today, his factory produces consumer packed “Bak Kut Teh” spices in aluminium foils that are sold both locally & internationally across Chinatowns in Australia, Asia, Europe & the USA.

Below: JTean’s Bak Kut Teh Combi 1 – Ribs + Pork belly+ pig stomach. RM20.90.

Malaysia Boleh eh?
The Bak Kut Teh served at JTean Kitchen is a “fusion” version, stewed using a special blend by Master Tean himself. While I had no issues with the ingredients; the pork belly & ribs were tender enough & infused with the herbal fragrance from the soup, I would still stick to my traditional old school brew.
But I would recommend one to sample JTean’s BKT for its unique flavour at least once, and be marvelled with the creativity of Master Tean!

But, you know what I would come here for?

THIS!

The J Tean Pork/chicken Burgers!
The above is sandwiched with a normal bun (RM7.90)  while the one below has the pork patty encased between mantou buns (RM16.90).

I much preferred the mantao version immediately, as the sweetish bun, deep-fried, added a nice overall sweetness to the savoury pork patty.

Below here you’ll see the de-constructed patty; which was very well seasoned, with very very faint trace of bak kut teh flavor, making this quite an unique burger & a must try if you are in JTean Kitchen.
I noted critically too that the patty is very meaty, so I was assured that I wasn’t served overly processed gunk here.

The mantou burger was good enough for me minus the condiments of mayo + onion mix, since I do not like mayonnaise that much. Hence for my next visit I would request for the burger without the sauce & perhaps double the patty!

Next was the Braised pork with buns which really reminded me of the popular Taiwanese pork buns.
These 3 sumptous braised pork mixed with JTean special thick gravy sauce cost merely RM7.90. Yes, overall prices of food here is very reasonable; taking into consideration the portions & ambiance.

A huge pork knuckle like the below is RM38.90. Named The J-Knuckle (what else??), the knuckle is pre-stewed & slow cooked until golden brown. It comes with the Master Tean’s special made sauce, which includes plum sauce & chilli. Very thai-ish.

And here’s another favourite of mine. The J-Porky Pie. RM19.90.
It’s their signature pie filled with braised pork meat in special herbal sauce. Tear away the pastry top to reveal within tender chunks of pork, swimming in slightly fiery gravy; and some chunks with layers of melt-on-the-tongue fat intact.  OMG, orgasmic! Hehehe..

It helps also that the flavours here is different from the rest of the dishes. It is still their “special” herbal sauce (all JTean’s dishes are named ‘special sauce’) but this has got chilli in it!

Love pasta? Try the Curry Ribs Pasta. RM19.90. While the pasta are less then al-dente (think Chinese way of cooking pasta), the thick rich curry & pork ribs made up for it!

Pork knuckles, pork burgers, pork pasta, pork pie .. so what’s missing?
PORK RIBS!

The J-Ribs. RM34.90.
The finest pork ribs, pre-stewed with JTean special spices, specially marinated with our special sauce & cooked til tender (noticed how many “special” in that sentence alone? LOL!) . Served with salad, potato wedges, & yea, what else, Jtean special sauce of course!

I bought Chef Jason Koppinger (Exec Chef of Starhill) along with me for this review as he is a huge pork fan. Here’s where he got his first taste of our Bak Kut Teh!

Not a pork fan? Go for the Chicken in Wine then. This was wonderfullyherbal-ish, pungent with ginger & sweet chinese wine. I don’t know about you, but I love my pork or chicken cooked this way, with the wine emitting the most wondrous smell!

Another snack we tried, the Radish cake, almost similar with the ones you get at dim sum outlets, but JTean’s version is much well prepared in comparison of course, with a soft fluffy texture due to the much generous use of radish compared to flour.

Desserts for a sweet closing to the meal. Golden Beach – Pumpkin puree & Melaka Rainbow (background of the picture below). Too sweet to recommend.

Conclusion?
There are some hits & misses for me. I find most of the dishes a tad strong on the sodium side, and the Bak Kut Teh a bit too “fusioned” for my liking. Traditionalist at heart may balked at JTean’s version, but hey, it is marketed as “fusion” BKT for a reason.
Anyhow, I would still hop in for the Pork Pie (but to eat it with rice, not the pastry), the mantou pork burger (minus the mayo) & the Pork Ribs Spaghetti!

ADDRESS:
J Tean Kitchen
G-58, Ground Floor, SS2 Mall
No.40, Jalan SS2/72,
46300 Petaling Jaya.
Contact Number: 03-7954 0819
Business Hours : 10.00am – 10.00pm

 I just checked JTean Kitchen’s Facebook & saw this intriguing BAK KUT TEH MOONCAKES!!
Wow!! This is a MUST-TRY for me!! Anyone up for it??

All pictures are:

As usual, weeks turned into months as I tried to make time to come savour E42T’s pork burger.
Work’s been crazy lately; & although that’s a fabulous thing (more business is always awesome no?), it has left me with barely any time to catch up on personal matters; like my food hunts & my passive income business, Auruma International. For Malaysia, we’ve got our investment blog here; of which my article is 3 weeks due!

Yes, work’s been a bitch. And when the going gets tough, the tough gets eating! ;-)
Skewed philosophy I know, hehe, but it works. After all, who won’t be cheered with this in their hands?

42 East Restaurant & Bar’s Pork Burger (RM22++) is a huge ensemble of thick juicy patty, pickled cucumbers, tomatoes & lettuce sandwiched in a specially made bun. The bun was neither too doughy or dry and was just of the right texture to eat with the patty.

Here’s a cross section shot! Hungry yet? ;-)

And another one; just because I want to make you drool….

The patty was good. It has a good ratio of meat to fat; and thus effectively ensuring that the patty retains its juiciness & moisture. I’m loving the pickled condiments it came with too; for that imparts a level of piquancy to the whole burger, rather than the normal bland lettuce leaves & slices of tomatoes. It’s worthy to note that they were generous with the sides of fries and vegetables as well.

Overall, I think it’s pretty value for money; with both factors of quantity & quality taken into consideration. All of this goes for RM22++.

IMHO, nothing beats Andes’ Pork Burgers that comes in the price range of M13.90 – RM15.90. Still, this one was way better than D Legends’ Bar, TTDI (review still in draft *sigh*), S‘Mores Bar Restaurant in Bangsar South (review still in draft! *sigh sigh*) & Brussel’s. And you do not have to wait for nearly an hour for your burger, like how a few friends reportedly did when they went to Nambawan.

As I was really hungry, I added an order of the Peranakan Pork Belly Pong Teh as well. I mean, how could anyone resist the words “pork belly” ??

Pork Belly Pong Teh (RM16) - tender pork belly with alternating layers of melt-in-the mouth fat & chunks of potatoes that has absorbed all the spices and flavours of the gravy. Best eaten with rice I reckon.

Orders generally took a while to be served, of which I would like to assume it means that the dishes are not pre – cooked & then warmed up prior to serving. The Pork Belly Pong Teh however,  met with my disapproval as it was sodium laden enough to pickle the whole bowl. I’m of low sodium tolerance yes, but even my dining & fellow business partners Daniel & Nigel concurred on my verdict.

Anyhow, the pong teh was immediately replaced when I voiced my displeasure to one of the waiters. Good service indeed. I’m happy to report that the new bowl of Pong Teh was of much bearable salt levels & tasty enough to recommend.

The Pork devil curry is a must for those who love their food with heat. This one packs enough to knock down anyone who are of less fiery tolerance. You are forewarned.

While I agree with Nigel that using smoked bacon back soft ribs makes all the difference in this dish, I do hope that the chef could reduce the sodium levels. It was too salty for me but I guess it would be alright for everyone else if you were to eat it with a lot of bread.

Well, it’s one happy fruitful meeting with a solid business model, good food & fabulous business partners. Let’s hope I get my trading on Auruma International going now that I’m all geared up to go!

For more details on Auruma International – check it out HERE!

E42T’s newly revamped menu:

And some cupcakes from Just Heavenly Pleasures for a sweet end to the meeting.

42East (Forty Two East),
42, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail.
Contact No:
03-7728 7688

All pictures are:

Source of story here: HERE

Truth to be told, I thought Yut Kee’s food was average at best & its quality has seen better days; and my sentiments was echoed by many fellow foodies & friends. Hence obviously I wasn’t that “affected” by the news.

Still, Yut Kee is institutional, and rarely would one see the humble coffee shop empty during breakfast or lunch hours. The queue is pretty epic. And uncomfortable too; as it stretched out to the main street under the hot sun.

Having said all that, where else can I find tender savoury pork chops, roti babi (a personal favourite thought I didn’t quite like Yut Kee’s version), and all that traditional kopitiam fare & variety of Hainanese food under one roof in Selangor/KL?

Hainanese Pork Chop.

Roti Babi (Pork Bread/Bun).

And not to mention our traditional breakfast favorites; the humble half boiled eggs & toast.

Plain toast with crisp, slight charred flavour. Simple & satisfying.

The kaya spread infused with the aroma of the egg and coconut milk has a thick & lumpy texture that I like. The bottled version is a popular takeaway item too.

The eggs were perfectly done here.

Yut Kee happens to be the perfect place to bring your travelling guests from other countries too, as the ambiance is hard to beat; old-school charm, nostalgic & simple. The signboard, the chinese calligraphy, the old ceiling fans all adds character to the place.

(Credits to Wilson for the 2 pics below as per watermarked.)

Tables are the traditional marble tops ones which I love. If I do have my own place in the future, I’ll definitely have one of these in the dining room. It bought back much memories for me.  ;-)
Patrons sits on simple wooden chairs. The floor is those nostalgic tiled marbles. It reminded me so much of my grandma’s old house on Hutton Lane, Penang. Old photographs and newspaper articles dotted the walls.

Nothing beats drinking from these green flower motif cups. Not much can be said for the drinks/coffee here, but it’s really about the vibe.

The chicken chop is pretty popular as well. The gravy for both (pork & chicken) is similar, which is served with lots of potato wedges, onions &  mixed vegetable in a flavorful brown sauce. Both varieties of chops & the roti babi comes with Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce.

I personally liked the Hai Lam noodles. It came loaded with prawns, vegetables, pork slices, bean sprouts & CRAB meat in flavourful gravy.

This however, was pretty ordinary.

One of the reasons why I didn’t like Yut Kee’s roti babi was simple because I felt it was not well prepared.

There were barely any meat for the fillings. To top it off, it was dry & bland.
I mean, look at this below. The bread was thick & the fillings was measly.

I’m not sure why would anyone would order porridge here but one of my friends did during one of my makan trips. We were pleasantly surprised though; as it was actually pretty good! For RM5, there were plenty of fish slices & the congee was smooth & thick.

Yut Kee’s is also famous for their marble cake, butter cake and kaya (coconut egg jam) rolls. One can either buy them whole or by slices.

All cakes are freshly baked daily at the premise itself. So while you are enjoying your meal, your senses are assaulted with the wondrous smell of butter; which translates to a high probability of you taking home a whole cake like I did.

But that won’t happen again. While it wasn’t bad, my vote goes this one at the OUG morning market.

Tried the kaya rolls too. (RM0.80 per slice). Again, I didn’t like it.

For an earlier entry of Yut Kee’s Weekend Roast Pork - HERE

Prices: Mains – Noodles, pork chops, roti babi are about RM8-RM10.

Yut Kee Restaurant
35 Jalan Dang Wangi
50100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2698 8108

Business Hour : 8am till 5pm.
Closed on Mondays.

GPS Coordinates :  N03° 09.416′ E101° 43.351′

All pictures are:

Since I’m not much of a drinker, I’m more appreciative of pubs that offers a good ambiance, which can be as simple as providing comfortable & roomy sitting arrangements where if I were to turn or raise my arm, I won’t hit anyone!
The appropriate noise levels matters as well, cos I’m just peeved if I’m required to shout to be heard & lastly, I adore pubs that offers good grub to fill my tummy. LOL.

42 East seems to offer all that at the moment. Even the common problem of me having to order water whenever I’m at a pub (because most other pubs offers only soft drinks as a non-alcoholic alternative & I avoid soft drinks as well) is taken care of here with the healthy & delicious fruit mixes available.

Orange + Banana & Peach + carrot. My vote goes for the Banana & Orange, as the carrot one had too much carrot residue. I think they blended instead of juicing it.

The highlight here is the baby back pork ribs of course. We had a slab of the one glazed with Connor’s stout, which was my favourite & another which is Hot & Spicy, which wasn’t all that hot or spicy. LOL!

The Hot & Spicy ribs, pretty obvious from the reddish marinate rub right?

And here is the Connor Stout ribs, which is darker & more intense in flavour.

I had no complains for the ribs, for they were perfectly succulent, with a smoky char that I love. For RM55 for a full slab & RM32 for a sizable half-slab, it’s ideal for sharing among 2-3 friends.

Slosh it all down with some of 42 East ‘s signature margaritas (RM18 during happy hours) & your work day may seem not that bad after all. ;-) (Flavors available for the margaritas are Strawberry, Original Lime, Passion Fruit & Mango).

I love this part, where the soft bones are. Nice to chew to smittereens. ;-)

We were served other dishes as well, like 42 East’s Crispy Pork Bacon, Cheesy Wedges, Chicken Chop & etc. But nothing could overshadow the lovely ribs.

The clams pot (RM12) wasn’t too impressive that night. Chewy clams & overly heady wine stock is just not my kind of thing.

Now, if only they add a pork burger into their menu! Imagine a smoky, Connor’s stout pork patty in between 2 freshly halved buns, topped with fresh pineapple with sides of coleslaw & mash. Now, that’s the ideal pork burger! ;-)

Find 42East on facebook.

42East (Forty Two East),
42, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail.
Contact No:
03-7728 7688

E42T simple menu:

TQ to the owners of E42T for their hospitality to us Advertlets Bloggers!

And I concur ;-) .
I lapped up my little bowl of carbs below; enjoying the cuts of decadent imported goose livers, waxed duck & chinese sausages.

2 items that were particularly memorable for me were the slices of creamy & slightly bitter goose liver & the rice itself.
Loose firm grains scented with heady chinese wine and yet non-oily (that’s a very important criteria for me), the lap mei fun was delicious to eat especially with the crunchy bits we got from the bottom of the claypot.

There are already quite a number of reviews on Elegant Inn. And mostly positive ones. I had to add my 2 cents worth of course.

Elegant Inn’s entrance, on the 2nd floor of Menara Hap Seng.

The reason why it took me so long to visit was due to the impression I had that the food here are way too exorbitantly priced. However, when a close friend & fussy food connoisseur Paranoid Android gave his stamp of approval for the dim sum here, I readily set aside a budget & started seeking company to accompany me for a dim sum session.
I am admittedly a fuss- pot & a scrooge to a certain extent, but I will pay for good food.

The dim sum menu: Offering over 40+ choices of impeccably prepared dim sum.

Surprisingly it wasn’t THAT overpriced. Slightly higher than the norm yes, but in all fairness, prime ingredients were used.

I believe everything on the table plays a role in an overall dining experience. For dim sum, the condiments is just as important. I mean, you would be flavouring your each morsel of dim sum with it right?
For a  restaurant of Elegant Inn’s level, I would be disappointed if I was served bottled sauces. Thankfully it didn’t taste that way. I reckon that their sauces are made in-house. Anyhow, there wasn’t much need for them, as all the dim sum were scrumptious on their  own.

My litmus test of any self respecting dim sum outlet is the BBQ char siew pau – RM6.60 (3 pieces).

Sadly, the ones here didn’t quite hit the spot for me as it was way too sweet!

The Har Kau (Shrimp dumplings) is next. RM8.80 (4 pieces).

This was better. I totally approved of the thin translucent skin & crunchy prawns.

Another highly recommended item was the Australian Scallop Dumpling, RM14.00 (4 pieces).

Each morsel consist of a sweet juicy scallop ontop of some crunchy prawns. Delicious.
If I had to be nit-picky, then my only grouse is the slightly thicker than necessary skin.

Another personal bar I’ve set for dim sum outlets would be for the fishballs. I love mine firm yet with a slight resistance before giving way between my teeth. The balls has to taste strongly of fish & with a low ratio of flour to fish meat. Elegant Inn’s Homemade fishball – RM6.00 (3 pieces) ranks a fair 6/10. I thought it was a bit rubbery in texture.

Watercress Meat Dumpling, RM7.00 (4 pieces).

Juicy & absolutely luscious. The clear flavourful soup reminded me of the soup in ‘xiao long pau’.

I love my tubers, oh yes I do.

Beautiful “filigree” effect of the batter for the Taro Pouch – RM6.60 (3 pieces) bears testament of the deep frying skill of the Chef.
The fillings differs from the ones in the BBQ buns & I was thankful for that, as it is pretty common for dim sum outlets to maintain the same filling for both their yam pouch & char siew buns.

Crispy Vegetable Rice Roll – RM14.70 (3 pieces).

This is an innovative twist of the humble chee cheong fun, where the flour skin wraps crunchy vegetables with deep fried Vietnamese netting. Put one in your mouth & savour the contrasting textures.

Avocado Fillo Pastry – RM12.00 (3 pieces). I ordered this but was way too stuffed to have any by the time it arrived at the table. Everyone loved it though, so it can’t be bad.

Hasma Egg with Almond Cream – RM18.00.
Yay! I love almond cream. :yahoo:
The version here is a bit “toned” down from its usual pungency but that is understandable considering that almond cream is an acquired taste.

Ginger Soup with Black Sesame Balls – RM6.00.

Icy Longan with Sea Coconut – RM6.00.
Refreshing, just as expected.

Fresh Australian Mango Pudding – RM10.00. This was one of Elegant Inn’s signature desserts.

Elegant Inn is currently running a RM118.00++ set lunch for their Shanghainese Hairy Crabs promotion till the end of season. Seems to be a pretty good deal for crab-by fans!

Elegant Inn – Dining area which excludes a very typically Oriental feel.

For small groups, there is a cosy, “secluded” area for more privacy.

Below: More comfortable chairs too ;-) .

Al fresco dining? No problem. There is an outdoor dining area as well!

As with all higher -end dining restaurants, it is always advisable to dine in a group which allows one to sample a greater variety & of course to share the cost! Our lunch for 6 totaled up almost to RM300 inclusive of taxes & other cost such as the below:

Titbits – Nuts RM6.00.
Towel – RM9.00. (seriously, I don’t think we should be charged for wet towels!)
Tea – Kuan Yin – RM15.00.

Elegant Inn Hong Kong Cuisine
2.01, 2nd Floor, Podium Block
Menara Hap Seng
Jalan P. Ramlee
50250 KL

Tel: 03 – 2070 9399
Fax: 03 – 2070 9398