My 15 Minutes.....

Look out world: Here comes J the Chocoholic!

When I was reading the newspaper on Saturday morning, I nearly dropped my bowl of cereal and jumped off my chair.

I have been mentioned in The Star newspaper!

Wow.

Well, it's not that much really - a total one liner....
.... but it's a such an honor that I have been shortlisted and put alongside Friedchillies, Wai Sik Kai, Jom Makan, Eatin Out, Food Safari and of course last but definately not least, darling Boo_licious at Masak-Masak.


* ONE..., *

* TWO..., *

* THREE..., *

* TA-DAH! *
*waves frantically*
Look Mum (and Dad and P)! Aren't you proud of me now?
:)

It's not an award or anything like that but it gives me a measure of satisfaction that this little hobby of mine (eating+reviewing) is being recognized in some way.

It started off so simply....
One night while having dinner, I thought to myself: "There are waaaaaay too few people out there doing honest, layman reviews of restaurants in Malaysia". So, I started this blog to help fill this gap in whatever small way I can.
(I know that there is still much room for improvement - which I will continue to work on - but for now, I am happy)

With that, I'd like to take this chance to express my gratitude to:

• the people at the Star (Deepak Gill especially, for writing the article),
• my family (for their love and guidance),
• P (for believing in me),
• my friends (who put up with me snapping photos of their food and insisting I get a few bites to sample it for my reviews),
• Patrick, in particular, for starting the whole weekly dinner thing that gave me the platform and inspiration to start my reviews, and
• all my readers out there (whether or not you leave comments, I can see you on my blog statcounter and appreciate your support)!

I really appreciate all you've done for me and hope that you will continue with me on my journey to chronicle my eating adventures in KL.
:)


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, The Star, KL, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

The Results Are Out!

The staff transfer announcement has been made....
... and yes, it's me.

Hopefully, this'll be the start of better things to come - it sounds interesting so far. Strange how life works though: with this career move, I'll be working much closer with all things chocolate.
:)

Yay.

Of course as usual, with change comes fear....
As much as I dislike certain aspects of my job now, I've just gotten so used to it.
(The stress, the lack of sleep, the desperate reliance to coffee to stay awake,... stuff like that lah)

Well, they say you should hope for the best but prepare for the worst, right?
*keeps fingers crossed*


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

I Still Dream Of You, My Darling (Strawberry Cheesecake)

When I visited Melbourne (some time back), I made it a point to drop by Cafe Greco to indulge in the Strawberry Cheesecake. I had been introduced to this cake by friends when I was there studying there, many years ago, and had quickly fallen head over heels in love with it.
(It was probably a major contributing factor to the 10 pounds I gained in the 2 years I studied there)

Cafe Greco (South Yarra) Interior
As I sat down at Greco's, I started to feel afraid that after all this time, the glorious cake that I remembered from my past would somehow disappoint me (as memories are always glazed over somewhat)
As I bit into the cake though, I realised that *droooool* no, it's still THAT good.
(Thank you God!)
:)

THE Strawberry Cheesecake
In so far, it is still the best Strawberry Cheesecake I have ever tasted in my life - it's really hard to fault it in any way...
The texture of the cake is smooth and creamy without being too cheese-y.
The generous amount of strawberries are ripe and voluptous, encased in a delicate strawberry gelatin that is silky but not too sweet.
All this, complimented by the perfect crumbly base.
(All in all, a tantalising textural ecstasy)

Well,... I suppose there's one flaw, for us poor Malaysians anyway: The bloody cake costs AUD$7.
(That's more or less RM21)
*eep*
O_o

Cafe Greco is famous for its cakes in general, especially its cheesecakes (the coffees there are nice too). You have to be careful which ones you order though - I tried the Mars Bar Cheesecake once and found it to be PAINFULLY sweet.

The Greek/ Italian food they serve there is also pretty good (but not very cheap). There are 2 outlets that I know of: One in the Crown Casino Complex and another on Chapel Street in South Yarra.
If you are ever in the area and have AUD$7 to spare, do give it a try.
(Oh, I dunno whether it is Halal or not ah - It's Australia so I can't give any guarantees...)


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Melbourne, Cake, Cheesecake, Australia, Strawberry Cheesecake, Cafe Greco, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Birthday Blues

It's almost that time of year again and I'm really at my wit's end on what to do to celebrate.

It's funny, isn't it?
When you're young, birthdays were something exciting and magical to look forward to: a day of cakes and presents and ice cream and smiles... As you get older though, it's really just another day to remind you that you are getting older and not necessarily any wiser.
*sigh*

I think I'm just gonna get a lot of alcohol in one place and just drown out the world, maybe with a few friends around.... I'm tempted to go clubbing, but with the amount of police raids going on recently, it may turn out to be an eventful night for all the wrong reasons.
(Seriously, the whole "pee into the cup and pass it to the nice police man" thing is just doesn't sound like much fun to me)

What to do,.... what to do?
*paces around*
(Anyone have any ideas?)


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Alternative Modes Of Transportation in China

An observation during a recent trip to Dali, China:

Popular ways used by Chinese people to get around.....
1) Feet:
An old fashioned yet popular and wonderfully environmentally friendly way to travel.

2) Bicycle/ Scooter:
A zippy way to get around - used by young and old alike.

3) Huh? WTF?:
It's a .... urm.... What is it??
Looks like some sort of strange unicycle....
If I had to name it, I'd call it "The Dali One Wheeled Tourist Trap" tho....

I mean, I'm all for ingenuity but that little boy was renting out rides in that contraption for about RM30 a pop. The price is probably negotiable anyway (as most things are in China) but that's a pretty high starting price considering the thing is bloody hard to move around in.

I saw a few curious people try it out and fail miserably - it's funny! : they either keep running into things or lose their balance and fall to their sides.

:)

Now, that's something different: It's like "No tacky T-Shirts or kitschy souveniers for me! I went to China and brought back these bruises! *2 thumbs up* Yeah!"


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Dali, China, Holiday, Travel, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Kolo Mee

An interesting UN-HALAL place to try out:

In my few weeks in Kuching, I was told of many places that make a mean Kolo Mee/ Kolok Mee but this place was my favourite. Min Kuan (aka. Min Joo - so peculiar, the shop has TWO sign boards right next to each other) is placed rather conveniently in the main Kuching town area in the Carpenter Street area.
(Mind you, it is quite a pain to get parking in the area though)

Min Joo/ Min Kuan exterior
What about the ambience, you ask?
:)

Well, it's a typical coffeeshop lah: Plastic chairs and plastic tables with posters of canned drinks/ coffee as a decoration. This place is extremely popular with the locals and tourists (apparently it appeared in some Taiwanese Travel+Eating programme) and has taken over the Bishopsgate Coffeeshop next door. Even with the extra space, you have to be prepared to wait up to an hour for your food during peak periods (especially lunch hour on weekends).
(You have been warned!)
(Oh and btw, the Teh Si Special and the Kopi is quite nice here - worth a try)

The Kopi Ping and the Teh Si Special
Be careful of the noodle store proprieter - he can get pretty grumpy.... When it gets too busy, he will refuse to take your order when you approach him, instead implementing this "special system":
1) You acquire, sit and wait at your table (usually up to 40 minutes),
2) He will come over, place utensils on table and take your order (Note: He can speak English too),
3) Your food arrives (usually about 10/ 15 minutes later).
Mind you, he CAN forget to take your order/ send your food over. I've seen it happen (He's only human)

The Kolo Mee is worth the wait tho....
Cooked to perfection and coated with a a simple yet effective concoction of oil and vinegar, it is savoury and piquant. The accompanying soup is also good - bursting with flavour (although arguably just a bit too salty), it comes with a generous amount of 3 layer meat, roasted pork, fish cakes, fish balls and prawns boiled lovingly with salted vegetables and seaweed (intestines and other piggy spare parts are optional)

The Kolo Mee and Its Accompanying Soup
It is not really that cheap - about RM5.50 for a bowl of noodles and the accompanying soup. Looking at the generosity of the serving size tho, I think it is worth it. Normal eaters will feel stuffed if they have a bowl of plain noodles each and share a bowl of the soup.

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Kuching, Sarawak, Food, Kolo Mee, Kolok Mee, Carpenter Street, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Marco's Cakes

One night, I had walked into Marco's Pizza, a new pizza joint near my house, just to check it out but could not resist the call of temptation from the very well placed cake chiller..... The cakes, were teeny (akin to Bakerzin's sizes) for RM6 but looked really good, so I thought I should give it a try.

After much deliberation, I decided to go with the Chocolate Cake and the Strawberry Cake (which I was told were their bestsellers)......

Such a cute takeaway box
As soon as I got home I quickly tore open the takeaway box and started on the cakes...

The Strawberry Cake and the Chocolate Cake
Sadly, the cakes were only ok....
The Chocolate Cake, with layers of chocolate sponge and mousse, was a bit on the dry side, although the generous toppings of a chocolate stick, walnut and (hollow) chocolate ball were enjoyable.
The cute heart shaped Strawberry Cake, with its layers of vanilla sponge and strawberry mousse, was also a bit on the dry side *sigh* but the jellied strawberry on top was nice.
(Look, I am very fussy about the sponge in a sponge cake - if it's too dry it just throws off the overall texture)

So, all in all, it was ok but just not quite worth the price.
(*eep* I am RM12 poorer! And all for 6 mouthfuls of 2 "ok" tasting cakes....)
(If I were to rate the cakes, I would only give it a 5 out of 10)


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, SS25, PJ, Petaling Jaya, Chocolate Cake, Strawberry Cake, Marco's Pizza, Italian, Cakes, Cake

Take It Like A Man

Well, I've been reviewed by Skyler at BolehLand.

Eep.
Only 45% though? (FAIL!)
Man, that hurts.

She said that my restaurant reviews are ok.... but that the rest of my posts and my English are just mediocre/ ordinary.
O_o

To me, that's even worse than saying that she hated it and that's it's TERRIBLE and confidently stated that its the worst blog she has ever seen in her life.
(Being bland is a tragedy! - There's more glory in being the worst of the worst)

What lah.
I just know she deducted points because I pointed out the perasan people who nominated themselves for the Best Blog In Malaysia on AsiaPundit (because she happens to be one of them; Shameless Self Nominator No.6 to be exact).

Haha.

Seriously though, a big thanks to Skyler for taking the time to go through my humble blog and reviewing it. I really appreciate the feedback and will definately look into how I can improve it.
(Beribuan-ribuan terima kasih!)
;)


Cheerio,
J


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Easy Access

To make life easier for everyone (including myself), I have organized links to all my restaurant reviews on the side bar....
(it's just under the e-MAMAK, on the right)

I update everyday** on normal stuff and do 1 restaurant review a week, so do come back and have a look at what's new.

:)

Comments and (constructive) criticism are very welcome.

Cheers,
J

** Does not apply to weekends AND when I am very very busy at work (which sadly, happpens more often than not *sigh*)


TAGS: Weblog, Blog, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Personal

~ $ Everyone Has A Price $ ~

Out of morbid curiousity, I went and acquired a free valuation of my blog's worth:

1) Dane Carlson says:

My blog is worth $9,597.18.
How much is your blog worth?

Well, that's a comforting feeling!
*lol*
Now I know for a fact that if all else fails, and I go TOTALLY broke, I can still garner USD$9k from the sale of my beloved blog (given that there's a willing buyer lah) .

Still, my curiousity wasn't satiated.... I asked myself: Hmmmm, I wonder how does this matches up to Malaysia's "Top Bloggers"?

Well, obviously it's just spare change....
O_o

Here they are (in no particular order):
1) ShaolinTiger - $157,506.66
2) MiniShorts - $298,077.12
3) Peter Tan - $277,753.68
4) Kenny Sia - $1,133,596.32 (Phwoar!)
5) Suanie - $144,522.24
6) Kimberlycun - $71,132.04
7) Joyce The Fairy - $120,247.02

No matter.....
It's not like it's some sort of an ego-fied competition anyway.
:)

I enjoy my writing blog immensely (it helps keep me sane, I think) and that's what counts....
Gosh... it would be nice to be worth a MILLION bucks tho...!
*dreeeeam*

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Calculate Blog Worth, Blog Worth, Malaysia, Top Blog, Personal

(: WELCOME BACK TO KL :)

=_=

Ah,.... the beautiful sight that greets me every morning....
'Nuff said.
*sigh*

It's funny how much I miss Kuching so much now (seeing as I was so home sick for KL/ PJ while I was there). It was lovely how traffic jams there were almost non-existent (except near schools) and everywhere was within 15 minutes of each other in town.

Now, I am back in the land of insanely irritating drivers:
- maniacs who weave in and out of traffic,
- morons who choose not to overtake you or give you time to get out of the way but instead RACE UP AT 140 km/h until they are TWO BLOODY INCHES away from your bumper and STILL give you a dirty look as they zoom by later,
- motorcyclists whose sole purpose on earth seems to be to endanger their own lives and the lives of everyone around them,
- big bully lorries and busses whose motto is :"I'm bigger than you. You give way or I bang you - See who'll suffer more lah! *smug grin*"
- oooh... *growl*... and those taxi drivers. Grrrr.

A pox on all of you.
:P

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Traffic Jam, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

[vvv] Malaysian Monster Mash [vvv]

So, ten of Malaysia's top bloggers have been chosen by the New Straits Times (and Jaring) to represent US*, as a bridge between the new and old media @ http://www.monsterblog.com.my/.

The Chosen Ones:
Paul Tan - Malaysian Car God
Joe Rodrigo - Joe WHO?
Joyce The Fairy - She Who Rubs Shoulders With Celebs
Peter Tan - SuperBlogger on Wheels
Kimberlycun - Self Proclaimed Narcissist with Perasan Nickname
SultanMuzzafar - The Royal Full Time Blogger
KY - The Rojak Blog Man :)
Suanie - Angsty Girl in Quarter Life Crisis
Minishorts - Trapped in The Rat Race and Questing Against Pimples
ShaolinTiger - The Legal Alien in Malaysia
Srikhatirasa - Planted Double Agent (I think he's kinda out of place on this list actually)

(My Observation?: Hey look! No Kenny Sia! *gasp*)

There's not very much info on the website yet (except that this is "part of ... efforts to go beyond the traditional print edition and to provide a holistic package to readers") but seriously,.... is it really going to work?

I mean, the NST doesn't strike me as a particularly overzealous, left-wing, unpolitically correct kinda newspaper (I don't think any newspaper in Malaysia is)... So, what happens when the bloggers write about, oh, I don't know: Camel toes, politicians... or even comment on local newspapers?

Will MonsterBlog end up being a watered down, stifled and censored version of what is supposed to be open minded forum?

Only time will tell, I guess.
:)


(*The new e-generation)

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, NST, Newspapers, New Straits Times, Monster Blog, Monster, Malaysia Top Bloggers, Top Bloggers, Top Blogger, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

oOo On The Top Of The World oOo

Pssst. Have taken the time to upgrade this to a proper restaurant review.

The Dinner

Topspot is reputed to be the best, most convenient place to eat decent (Halal) seafood in the Kuching town area. There, you will find a large variety of fish, jellyfish, prawns, crabs, lobster, shellfish and many other sea creatures, (apparently) fresh off the fisherman's boat and onto your dish.
A view of TopSpot
There are about 5 or 6 big restaurant/ stalls to choose from, all displaying their array of seafood for you to pick. Each restaurant/ stall will have their own crew of wait staff around to recommend what to choose + the different styles you can have it cooked.
(Note: There are also some other smaller stalls selling Western Food/ "Ikan Bakar"/ Beverages/ etc)

That night, we tried out the Bukit Mata Seafood 25 restaurant/ stall:
The Bukit Mata 25 Restarant/ Stall @ TopSpot
In actuality (we've been told), most of the restaurants'/ stalls' cooking style and quality are about the same - the thing that makes this one different is the nice view from a part of it's "territory":
View from the water's edge @ TopSpot
The way it works is that each restaurant/ stall has a designated territory in both the covered and open air areas which they mark by the colour of their tableclothes (red/ blue/ orange/ green/ etc). So, if you sit at a "red" table, then you can only order from THAT particular restaurant.

Moving on to the food, we tried the Mongolian Prawns and Meedin fried with Belacan:
The Mongolian Prawns and The Meedin Fried With Belacan
The Mongolian Prawns, touted as the specialty of this restaurant/stall, was quite good - juicy prawns fried with onions and a sweet black pepper sauce... I didn't like it at first (I rarely like sweet sauces) but it kinda grew on me and I was enjoying it by the 2nd or 3rd prawn.

The Meedin (Erm,.. not sure how to spell it actually) is a must try, if only for the fact that you can rarely find it in West Malaysia. It's a kind of fern with a crunchy texture (at the leafy end) and a slightly "gummy" texture (in the stalk) at the same time. It pairs off well with the belacan, which is thankfully neither too spicy/ salty/ oily here (just nice).
:)

We also tried the Teo Chew Style Steamed Fish...
The Teo Chew Style Steamed Fish
The fish was fresh and delicious!
It's not the all out best Teo Chew style sauce I have ever tasted but their combination of the salted vegetables, tomatoes and "assam" was salty and sour enough yet not overpowering, which complemented the fish well.

Later on (we actually came back for Round 2 on another night), we also tried the Hot & Sour Soup, Butter Fried Prawns and Deep Fried Garoupa with Black Pepper Sauce:

Clockwise from top left: The Hot & Sour Soup, The Deep Fried Garoupa With Black Pepper Sauce and the Butter Fried Prawns
Mmmm... the Hot & Sour Soup was disappointing - spicy but otherwise starchy and bland. The Butter Fried Prawns were also not so great - fragrant but not crispy enough. The Deep Fried Garoupa with Black Pepper Sauce was only OK - also not crispy enough and the black pepper sauce wasn't that tasty.

So, overall, the food only tasted OK.... but for the price of RM140 for all that (i.e. RM70 on average for both nights we went there) it's really worth a try.

Do book/ go there early to get a nice table as this place is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike. You'll find that service levels will drop and waiting time will increase drastically after 7.30pm.


So it's: Simple open-air concept (beware of the mozzies tho), convenient location, great variety of fresh seafood at affordable prices BUT mediocre/ average quality of cooking and erratic service level

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Bukit Mata Seafood 25 @ TopSpot Seafood Center, Kuching

Taste: 5
Ambience : 5
Service : 6
Price** : RM30/++ per person
Parking: OK

** Approximation - typical Chinese meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 019-8899 838/ 019-8891 266/ 016-8711 062
Opening Hours: 4pm - late (closed on alternate Mondays)

NO PORK SERVED

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Kuching, TopSpot, Top Spot, Jalan Bukit Mata, Seafood, Fresh Seafood

Grumpy Friday

No update today.
I'm feeling rotten.
And I've got meetings to attend.
*pout*

Anyway, here's an interesting link, if you didn't already know it: Cute Overload
(It always makes me feel better to look at the cute animals piccies there - huge "AAAWwwwwww" factor)


Still Grumpy,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

>- King Of Crabs! -<

Ok...
So, this is not a full review but just wanna share an interesting restaurant that I've tried lately....

Restaurant Name: Restoren King Crab
Address: No. 103 - 107, Jalan SS25/2, Taman Mewah Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya
Tel No.: 03-7808 2388
Not Halal
(It's on the inner road parallel to the LDP, on the opposite side of the Kelana Jaya LRT station)

The restaurant exterior

It's pretty much a cleaner, done-up and air conditioned version of your typical Chinese "tai-choww" (big fry) specialising in Seafood. Even with the nice fittings and finishings, the place was very noisy with the tables placed so very close together...
(Haha... There were projectile crab shells flying around too - one even hit P on the head!).
This place gets mega packed at dinner time so please book ahead of time or be prepared to wait up to an hour for a table.

That night we tried:
- The BBQ Crab with Thai Chili Sauce (Nice! - It's supposed to be their specialty),
- The Fried Tung Fun (Not bad - a little on the greasy side tho),
- The Prawns Fried With Salted Eggs (Ok only - fragrant but not crispy enough), and
- The Seafood Tom Yum Soup (Disappointment - It was SWEET and spicy, not sour at all).

The BBQ Crabs with Thai Chili Sauce
Our bill that night for the 4 of us came up to RM120...
(Which I thought was quite worth it considering we had 2 kinds of seafood)
Of course, it sucked that they forgot our order of veggies but *sigh* I guess they were just too busy.

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, King Crab, PJ, Seafood, SS25, Restoren King Crab

## More Hand Picked Time Killers ##

I'm at home today (on MC)....
No, no,... please don't be jealous...
I am suffering from food poisoning and trust me, there is nothing enjoyable about that at all. Absolutely NOTHING.
(I feel so hungry but I am afraid to eat anything... *whine*)

Er-hem.
(I shall refrain from getting too descriptive about my current ailment)

Anyway,... here are a selection of office safe videos for your viewing pleasure:

• Erm, Ronald... you seem a bit different: Old Ronald VS New Ronald, which do you prefer?
• You thought the LRT was bad? Check this out!
• Can't remember whether I have posted this up b4 but anyway, I still think it's funny and worth another watch: Fainting Goats! (So cute)

Ok people.
That'll be all for today.
I'm going back to bed now to recuperate.

Hugs,
(Sick) J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Videos, Funny, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Reality Bites

After having cravings for the Lamb Mindhi at Al-Rausha for about a month, I finally go back only to be disappointed by the drop in the quality of the food....

So,... I've adjusted the ratings in my original review accordingly.


Over and out,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Reviews,Restaurant Review,Al Rausha, Kuala Lumpur, Ampang,KL, Personal

~ World Cup 2006 : Chocoholic Edition ~

I know,.... I'm a bit outdated, posting these up now with the World Cup 2006 being over and all that...
(I really did mean to do this earlier but got sidetracked by work)

Still, these World Cup chocolates are just soooooo cute!
(So, I'm just gonna post them up anyway)
See for yourself:

*sings* Ole, ole, ole, oleeeeeeeeeee......
... and they were yummy too! - Each different team jersey/ picture came with a different filling, ranging from yogurt to praline to cream...
:)

*drool*

TAGS: Chocolate, 2006, World Cup, World Cup 2006, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

<_> In Memorium <_>

It's so sad....
One of my favourite restaurants in Damansara, Domain Cafe, has closed down (indefinately, according to the little piece of A4 paper they pasted on their shutters...)
*waiiiiil*
:(

It just had the happen in the month that I was away....
(I have this theory that my once a week visit was the balancing factor between a profit and a loss for them. So, with me being away they were way in the red)

So,... to my darling Domain Cafe,
I shall miss your lovely tomato soup - thick, wholesome and robust,
I despair the loss of your Caeser salads - fresh and filling and delicious,
Your Crab Meat Olio and Grilled Champignions will also always have a place in my heart,
Oh, to be able to enjoy your simple yet sophisticated ambience once again, with french and chill music playing in the background,
*sigh*

I guess it's true what they say: It's all about location, location, location.
(That, and a healthy dose of good marketing)
Domain's area in Damansara was a bit quiet.... without any exposure to the main roads for visibility so it couldn't garner many walk in customers...
It's such a pity 'cos the food there was pretty good.

Well, here's to you, Domain...
It was great while it lasted.

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Closed Down, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Damansara, Domain Cafe, Western, Kuala Lumpur

~ Junk Inside My Trunk ~

The Dinner
Placed in the middle of a row of old shop houses on Wayang Street near the Kuching city center, The Junk is a restaurant very popular with locals and visitors alike. Once you step in, you will be embraced by the eclectic and cosy setting - with dim lighting, warm hues and old "junk" decorating the restaurant area upstairs....
(Downstairs is a more of a bar/ cafe style setting)
The Junk Interior (upstairs)
We had heard that the serving sizes here were generous so that night, we jumped straight into the mains. First up: The Fisherman's Basket:
The Fisherman's Basket
Good Lord - That was an absolute monster of a dish!
Basically it is a mixed deep fried seafood platter (with fish, prawns, squid, crab, mussels and a heap of fries.).. and what it lacked in taste, it made up for in variety and sheer mind-numbing quantity.
Warning: Attempting to consume this all by yourself would be folly indeed.
(I honestly think it can comfortably feed 2 to 3 people)

Next up, the Grilled Salmon and the Lamb Shank:
The Grilled Salmon and the Lamb Shank
The salmon was ok - fresh and flavourful but ever so slightly overcooked.
The lamb shank was also average - tasty sauce but the meat wasn't very tender.
(Well,... I had expected a lot because it was reputed to be the best lamb shank in Kuching)
(Oh, the mash potatoes were yummy tho - damn you carbs!)

I began to see a consistent theme when all the mains had arrived.
The portions at The Junk were HUGE... a bit too huge for one person actually, if you ask me.
It is terrible when you are halfway through your serving and start thinking: "Blergh.. I, I just can't eat any more! I never want to see another piece of prawn/ lamb/ fish/ etc ever again!"

So, it would be a great idea to share your meal with a friend while you're eating at The Junk.
(Don't worry about looking like a cheapskate.... it's better than gorging yourself and feeling sick later or conversely, wasting food because you can't finish it)

Ok... onwards...
You have now reached the "Don't waste your time/ money on these" section of the review:
First up, the Olio Olio Spaghetti:
Yuck
They were generous with the amount of chicken but unfortunately, that didn't help much. The spaghetti was overcooked and limp, the sauce was a joke (tasteless) and it was all in all just not what an olio is supposed to taste like (I have never in my life encountered such a soup-y olio).

Next, the Creme Brulee:
The Creme Brulee
Honestly, this didn't taste that bad IF what you wanted was a custard with some sugar on top. If you wanted an actual Creme Brulee, sorry ol' chap - better luck next time (at some place else).....

In the end, (although I was very disappointed with some of the food) I enjoyed the whole dining experience at The Junk.... It's still a good place to eat and chill out - you just have to be really careful what you order.
(Oh,... and sorry I didn't try any of the starters this time... The mushroom soup looked good tho)
So, it's: HUGE portions + Great value for money, wonderful ambience BUT blur waiters and hits & misses on the menu

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

The Junk @ Kuching

Taste: 6 (If you factor in the spaghetti, this drops to a 5)
Ambience : 7
Service : 7
Price** : RM 40/++ per person
Parking: OK - have to park at the roadside

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone/ Fax No.: 082-259 450/ 019-857 1870/ 016-889 2044
Opening Hours: Wed to Mon - 6.30pm till late

NO PORK SERVED

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Kuching, Sarawak, Wayang Street, The Junk, Western, Junk

=== Fare Thee Well ===

It's Friday....
*tears streaming down face with manic grin*
... Oh thank you Lord!

Anyway, I'm flying back to KL tonight so: Goodbye Kolo Mee! Goodbye Sarawak Laksa! Oh, and goodbye random cat statues!
I shall miss you all.

Am really looking forward to going home....
So many people I haven't seen for so very long...
(*waves frantically* Hi, MUM!)
So many places I haven't been to for ages...
(One Utama, KLCC, Megamall... Oh realms of retail therapy! I shall be with you soon...)

I think that's a very high probability that I am going to spend most of the weekend catching up on sleep though.
Oh well,... it'll be glorious to sleep in my own bed again anyway.
(The initial novelty of hotels gets old really fast if you've been away for too long)

A shout out to my friend Rashpal who's back for his semester break!
(Oh my Gawd, I cannot believe he is really almost a doctor)
(Seriously, it's almost scary imagining him with a scalpel/ prescribing meds/ etc)

Haha... that's the problem with old friends - always remembering all the stupid things you did when you were young(er).
:)


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

---- Photo Filler Time ! ----

Presenting, the cats of Kuching!

MEOW!


MMMMMEOW!

Me get back to work now.


TAGS: Blog, Photo, Filler, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal